Sometimes words just fail me.

Yesterday we set off on our run and I can honestly say it was with little enthusiasm. Heading in a westerly direction to avoid the icy blast of the east wind on our faces we maintained a steady pace for the first mile which sloped gently downhill. A right turn took us along a slightly undulating country road to a small village that saw significant action during the English Civil War. We ran past the royalist castle up a steep hill and across a field, a climb of one hundred and fifty feet. The view from the top on a clear day is pretty good. It was too cold to hang about admiring it so we descended the fields bypassing as many muddy bits as we could and popped out at the top on the next village. Down through the main street which is lined on either side with Cotswold Stone cottages we gathered pace only to be halted at the main road by traffic. Across the main road we ran up the former cart track which, after the winter rains is now nearly dry. A short run along the road home measured a total of six and a half miles, only another five on Friday to hit target.

The afternoon was spent wrestling with my book. I knew where I wanted to arrive at but it was difficult to see the route. Completing nearly a thousand words, not to mention the thousand that I discarded, I am reasonably happy that progress was made. Today was set aside for more writing but the car had to go to the garage and that has not gone to plan. I have to pick it up tomorrow but not sure what time it will be ready so that looks like being another muddling day.

Everyone says you should be disciplined, allocate times and days for writing, but then life seems to interfere.

I'm writing a book, well someone had to.

Completed a six mile run this morning which makes a total of thirteen and a half for the week so far. It was an effort to get started and to be honest a bit of a struggle all the way round. Started off a bit fast for the first two and a half miles, some of which was off road and predominately down hill, then just ran out of steam as we hit a couple of sharp little hills in quick succession. The two miles home was up a slight gradient which sapped the last of my energy. While we were running it was quite quick but I paid the penalty by having to walk in places. We still need eleven and a half miles to reach the target for the week. When we don’t manage ten on Sunday or thereabouts it makes twenty five a bit more difficult as I am unable to get an easy day of four to four and a half miles. Sunday should be the backbone of any distance running as this is when stamina and endurance is built up.

Has anyone read the book I wrote “Reflections Tall Stories and Short Poems” It is available on Kindle and I would be interested to read your comments? It is my first attempt at writing and feedback would be useful. I have written a short book of children’s poems which I will be publishing soon; also I am in the process of writing another book.

Running, writing books and a whole host of gardening is just around the corner. Lucky me.

It would have been easy to stay in bed.

It was the sort of morning that you just new it was cold without going outside. People walking by in hats, overcoats, scarves and gloves. Birds sitting in the trees with feathers puffed out to retain body heat. Branches swaying in the wind indicating a north easterly is blowing. It was dry with just a hint of snow. We tried to find a reason not to go running but were unable to find one. I put on an extra vest and we set off. Anything between six and ten miles would be ok. The first two and a half miles were along side of the main road. Quite a lot of cars moving taking people out  for the day. Not many walkers or other runners it must be too cold for them. We turned off the road and took to the fields which were frozen. We passed a Sparrow Hawk on a hedgerow looking for his Sunday lunch. It was quite a contrast after the weeks of struggling through glue like mud. We ran about two and a half miles before we hit Tarmac again then a gentle incline all the way home. Seven and a half miles recorded which was just about the right dose of medicine under the circumstances. I had a quick brush with the Scales of Injustice when I got home. Disappointing.

Porridged again but unbowed.

Five and a half mile run yesterday followed by another five this morning. Porridge for breakfast again. This kept out the bitter north easterly wind but took a lot of carrying up the hills. Twenty miles for the week will have to be enough as I like Saturday off. Snow is forecast so I have chopped enough wood for three days just in case. Quick update it is snowing slightly as I write. Looks like a weekend watching sport on TV again.

An "I can do that" moment

Have you ever had one of those “I can do that” moments? I have had a few in my lifetime; one was in 1988 when watching the London marathon on TV. I have a picture of myself finishing the London marathon in 1989. Between those two events there was an awful lot of blood sweat and tears not to mention black toenails pulled muscles and many more aches and pains. I went back to London in 1992 and took thirty minutes off my first time. Several marathons, half marathons ten milers ten kilometre races and a host of off road races later I still enjoy the fun of running but the competitive edge has long gone. I find walking is too slow and takes too much time out of the day. A ten mile run on Sunday morning and three runs in the week to make up a target of around twenty five miles for the week are fine. A far cry from the six days and forty plus mile weeks we used to do. That’s called older, wiser and slower not to mention heavier. Unfortunately other issues seem to mean that this is not always possible such as gardening and writing.

I came I sawed I Conquered

A hard frost greeted us this morning although the bright sunshine soon began to thaw the ice. Venturing off road onto the tracks the ruts were frozen and rutted. Care had to be taken not to turn an ankle. The fields were still very wet in places with standing water in the lower places. Because we had not run for a week four and a half miles was plenty.

The rest of the day was given over to pruning another of our neighbours trees. It was an ash that had been left to its own devices for too long. Little shape and bits sticking out all over the place it needed some tough love. Several hours of sawing, pruning and clearing out the dead bits in the middle and it now looks a bit like a tree again. It will take a while to recover from the hair cut I gave it but it will, and look all the better for it. My neighbour helped with some of the larger limbs that needed to come down and with the tidying up. The tidying up is the worst part. Anyway the jobs done and everyone is happy. Alls well that ends well.

Birthdays and Poems

Running was lost last week due to another birthday. This time it was our grand daughters turn. The week was spent composing and illustrating a series of poems for her and putting them into a book format. I will probably tidy it up and publish it on Kindle as I did with my other book Reflections Tall Stories and Short Poems. Watch this space. We travelled to Essex to see her over the weekend and visited Southend while we were there. There were lots of people of all standards running along the promenade. It looked a bit boring; flat, windy and dodging pedestrians. Coming home on the M40 late Sunday afternoon we saw two Muntjac Deer grazing on the grass verge. They took little notice of the large volume of cars speeding by. Running must start again tomorrow although I also pencilled in for more pruning if the weather is OK.