JogBlog

Will try again with the pics. Not using the WordPress insert image thing but directly linking to them on my server. Don’t think WordPress likes pics bigger than thumbnails or I could be doing it wrong I suppose.

Here’s the park.

I wish the park was bigger as then I could run round that instead of the streets or the marshes but it only takes 4 minutes to run round it and I think I’d get v. bored v. quickly if I just ran round it 10 times.

I think the council

should do a bit of gardening. This path needs cutting back a bit.

I came across this billboard
which reminded me that Big Brother was starting that night (pics were taken on Thursday and it’s Sunday now). BB is great this year, I’m already hooked! Want to slap that Nikki though.

Any Polish (I think) speakers out there?

I don’t suppose it says anything interesting though. Although it might say “do not take a picture of this sign”. Maybe.

Aaw,

a little kitty 🙂

I don’t think

there’s much danger of me being arrested for speeding!

Well, there’s my mega interesting pics from Thursday. Perhaps next week I’ll find something better to take pics of. People are quite interesting but I’d be in danger of getting a kicking if I start taking pics of random nutters. Shame.

Took my new toy out for a run today and here's the first pic I took.

This is the smallest park in the world

It's also the most pixellated park in the world and I haven't got time to be mucking around with it so it's going to have to stay pixellated for the time being until I either a) work out myself how to upload it properly; or b) ask someone else how to do it.

Will leave the pics alone for now then but just so you know what you're missing out on (ooh it's like Bullseye – me and Jim Bowen, separated at birth!) I've got a pic of a path, a Polish(?) sign, a cat, a Big Brother sign (starts at 9 tonight, hence the "haven't got time to be mucking around with it" thing – hurrah!) and a sign of a speed limit.

It was nice stopping now and again and taking pics and not feeling guilty or like a complete wimp for stopping. Didn't seem to lose much time either so must have been going faster on the running bits. I don't seem to be coming home as sunburnt looking either so maybe that means I'm getting fitter? I might say to Gary (and Kate if she ever makes up her mind if she's running it or not) that he/they can run the Crisis Square Mile run at their speed without me so I can stop and take pics along the way, especially as we'll be going past lots of London landmarks and I don't actually have any pics of London landmarks although I am a Londoner (apart from the Essex, American and Irish bit. Oh and the Dutch bit).

Oh and I think I saw the Scottish Bob who was rumoured to be dead but then unrumoured to be dead. Perhaps starting at the beginning would be helpful? I saw Scottish Bob in the pub a few weeks ago who said that he'd been out with the other Scottish Bob recently. I said I didn't know who the other Scottish Bob was but Scottish Bob said I did and it was the small Scottish Bob. Bumped into Little Steve on Saturday who said that small Scottish Bob was dead. I said that big Scottish Bob had been out with him recently and he wasn't dead but that I still didn't know who he was unless there were three Scottish Bobs. But tonight I went past a bloke from Leytonstone who I think now I remember as being small Scottish Bob. And he wasn't dead. But if you live in Leytonstone you do run the risk of dying young. And of having a very unoriginal nickname.

Ah well, have to wash my hair and get my dinner before settling down for the next 13 weeks to watch Big Brother.

Stats:
Miles: 3.47 miles
Time: 39:55
Average pace: 11:30 minute/mile
Average speed: 5.2mph
Max speed: 6.9mph
Calories burnt: 303
Music: Killers
Small Scottish men who aren't dead: 1

Grey and drizzly today so looks like the summer came and went last Thursday but it’s easier to run when it’s cooler and I did a surprisingly comfortable 3 miles, well, sort of comfortable. I’m not really sure what a comfortable run is. It didn’t kill me but it wasn’t a lying in bed watching telly kind of comfortable either.

My mum emailed me and offered to be my pacer on her new electric bike. Yeah, right, it’s difficult enough as it is for me to retain my air of cool sophistication without a pensioner cycling really slowly next to me on an electric bicycle. How can I break it to her gently? Maybe I’ll just say “no mother, you find it difficult enough to retain your air of cool sophistication without someone jogging really slowly next to you”.

She’s as bad as me with her gadgets (although she never knows how to use them and so I have to go round and help her) and speaking of gadgets, I came across this site. Ooh, I think I’m in heaven. It’s full of gadgets and it’s even called Shiny, how cool is that? I came across it when I was looking for reviews of my new camera that’s being delivered tomorrow. It’d better come tomorrow and it’d better not come while I’m still sleeping but I heard they’re a pretty good website so should be ok. Can’t be worse than Comet anyway. Those evil b*****ds made me wait in from 8am to 7pm and then didn’t even bother turning up although they assured me when I rang them at 6pm that it was definitely on its way. Do not ever use Comet unless you really hate yourself or want to miss part of your friend’s birthday bash. At least I stayed relatively sober that night as I got there late, which is more than can be said for Gary who disappeared in Soho for an hour then turned up at the club minus his jacket.

Didn’t see anything interesting today so I’m not sure what I’m going to be taking pictures of. There was a Polish sign in a shop though so I might post that and see if anyone knows what it says.

And why isn’t this blog working properly and hiding the buttons that does the html for you instead of making me handcode? (I’m actually embarrassed to say I almost couldn’t remember how to do a link, oops!)

Stats:
Miles: 2.99 miles

Time: 32:35

Average pace: 10:54 minute/mile

Average speed: 5.5mph

Max speed: 8.6mph

Calories burnt: 261

Music: Strokes
Polish signs: 1

As I have a hangover today (thanks Kirsty) and have run on a hangover before and know that a) it doesn't happen; and b) it hurts the next day, just went for a mile and thought I'd go faster than my usual just marginly faster than walking speed thing. Still had to walk a couple of times though, I'm such a weed!

Strange man in the park sitting on a bench, looked like he was pondering and I wondered what he was pondering about, maybe his girlfriend just left him? Aw.

Ooh, and I did order myself a new camera, it's all small and silver and shiny and it's coming on Wednesday and I can't wait! Aah, I love new toys!  I just looked at my quit stats and it says I've saved £195 since stopping smoking, so that pays for the camera then, in which case I think I deserve a new toy, cool!

Also got myself some new running gear yesterday, yah!!

Stats:
Miles: 1.12 miles
Time: 10:56
Average pace: 09:44 minute/mile
Average speed: 6.2mph
Max speed: 7.9mph
Calories burnt: 104
Music: Shuffle (Cribs, Outkast, Editors)
Pondering men: 1
Hangovers: 1

As woman with child cancelled on me (again, but not because of woman with child sickness type thing this time but a have to work late type thing), I decided to continue with my healthy week of no pizza, chocolate, crisps, or alcohol, and not play Scrabble as I told Gary I would if/when woman with child cancelled on me (ok, I don't *have* to drink and eat pizza while playing Scrabble…) and went for a run instead. Quite sad really, as when I got up this morning I thought to myself that I didn't want to go out eating and drinking but would rather go for a run. Most odd. Never mind, it's Friday tomorrow and am going out with woman with child then for eating and drinking (I'll do most of the drinking).

A bit of a feeble effort today though, lots of walking, although I wasn't helped by the huge amount of midges that kept flying at me and going in my mouth. I shouldn't be eating midges, what with me being a veggie and that. Perhaps I should stick to the street where there might be less midges, as this evening I was brave (or stupid?) and went over the marshes as I'm getting a bit fed up of running round the fag end of town.

And to add a bit of interest to my blog and to give me an excuse to keep stopping, I might get myself one of these cameras (thanks to mickeyjohnnyboy for the recommendation). Although it might be a bit extravagant just to take snaps with for my blog, but it's small and will fit in my pocket easily and I might be able to sneak it into gigs where they usually take my camera off me (yes, you evil people at the Garage who wouldn't let me take pics of Cardiacs). Anyone want to buy an Olympus C770 and make me feel better about buying yet another new toy?

If I'd had a camera on me today, I could have taken a picture of the rat I saw with a slice of bread. Aw, I disturbed it and it left its bread and ran off. Hope it went back for his dinner after I'd gone.

Ben cycled past me tonight but he didn't realise it was me, probably because he wasn't expecting to see me and that's probably because I told him on Friday that I don't go over the marshes in the evening. At least, I think it was him, I'll have to email him tomorrow and ask him. Or maybe I won't as, if I do that, and it was him, he'll be looking out for me every night and I don't like people seeing me look such a state. Yes, I'm vain!

And I don't have to work tonight, yah!! (Sorry Joggerblogger, have nicked your "yah" thing, hope you don't mind!)

Stats:
Miles: 2.93 miles
Time: 33:00
Average pace: 11:15 minute/mile
Average speed: 5.3mph
Max speed: 6.9mph
Calories burnt: 267
Music: The Music and shuffle
Rats with slices of bread: 1
Friends not recognising me: 1
Midges: About 16 billion

Hurrah, I went 3.5 miles tonight!  (With a couple of walking breaks but don't tell anyone as I keep telling people I'm a finely tuned athlete.)  And even with the walking breaks I did it in the time I thought I would so yay and that. 

Now I need to find a way to run without coming back dripping in sweat as I'm going to be in town for my run (only a month away, aarrgghh!) and will be seen in public afterwards, eek!  Maybe inviting people to watch wasn't a good idea or perhaps I just shouldn't be so vain?  Although I didn't invite Ben, he invited himself, and Kate says she gets really hot when she exercises so hopefully I won't be the only sweaty beetroot about, that's if Kate decides that she is going to run with me.

Took a slightly different route tonight so as to get the extra half a mile in and ended up in a really cr*ppy part of town, went down a road that I used to use on an early route and had forgotten just how ick it is and so I'm very glad that I didn't buy a house there.  Not that my part of town's much better with one sign appealing for witnesses to a serious sexual assault and another sign appealing for witnesses to a shooting in a pub.  Not to mention that the first thing that people see when they come out of my local station is a sign that says police are aware there are muggers in the area.  Nice!

I'm not going to think of when my next run is as things never go to plan.  I was abducted by an alien on Friday and didn't get home 'til Sunday (ok, so that's not entirely true, I was just being a dirty stop out) so didn't go running once over the weekend.  Oops! 

Stats:
Miles: 3.53 miles
Time: 40:45
Average pace: 11:31 minute/mile
Average speed: 5.2mph
Max speed: 7.0mph
Calories burnt: 303
Music: Shuffle but don't really know what as stupid iPod headphones went kaput and was hardly any sound coming out of them.
Interesting things of note: 0

Well, not a great effort by me tonight! Was completely knackered but had told myself I was going out for a run tonight but ended up walking most of it, and walking really slowly at that. I could hardly keep my eyes open and I didn't think running with my eyes shut was a good idea. So hot today too, it's been about 25c, I don't know how I'm going to cope running in the summer, I get hot enough in the winter. Anyway, at least I made the effort to get out the door, even if it was a pretty feeble effort. And I did get smiled at by a man on a scooter which was nice, I like people smiling at me, better than having my boss swear at me all day like he did today, although he did apologise for being snappy.

Saw my first strange woman today too, she was saying hello to everyone on the street, most odd. I don't think anyone said hello back. I did say thanks to her for getting out of my way but I hadn't realised she was a nutter then and if I had realised, I wouldn't have said anything. Nutters shouldn't be encouraged. But maybe she was just friendly or had woken up this morning and thought she'd say hello to everyone she passed in the street today.

Next run on Saturday, that will mean I actually went out running three times this week for a change. Hurrah!
Mel's actually running her Race for Life this year, she usually walks it but said I've inspired her to run it. I'm an inspiration, woo, go me!

And Ben said he's coming to watch me at the finish line, aarrgghh, I wasn't expecting spectators, how embarrassing!

Stats:
Miles: 2.09 miles
Time: 25:53
Average pace: 12:24 minute/mile
Average speed: 4.8mph
Max speed: 6.5mph
Calories burnt: 170 Music:
Shuffle (Ash, Pixies, Primal Scream, Gorillaz, Andre 3000, Baby Teeth, Bobby Conn, Transplants)
Smiley men on scooters: 1
Strange women saying hello to passers by: 1

Woo, today I went 3 miles which I'm pleased with, especially since I went out in the morning and I'm usually pretty feeble at running in the morning. And just to prove to myself how much progress I'm making, I just measured how far I went on my first ever run before I had to stop. 0.1 miles!! So a bit of improvement I think over the last four months. Yay for me.

I did a circuit of the marshes which turned out to be 3 miles exactly so that's pretty handy, although if I do it more than one more time, I'll be bored of it. It was boiling over there today, and I saw a girl running wearing a long sleeve jacket and a baseball cap, she must have been roasting! I've come home covered in sweat (hmm, don't I sound attractive now?) and I only wear tracksuit bottoms and a short sleeve t-shirt.

I saw quite a few runners but not one of them said hello, miserable gits. I thought there would have been more people over the marshes today, what with the weather being nice but maybe everyone took advantage of having a day off today and went to the pub last night and got hammered. I'm thinking of giving up drinking during May but I think that'll probably only last until tomorrow night when I go out to see Black Wire. And then there's leaving drinks for a girl at work on Friday… But I really want to get down to 8.5 stones (which technically makes me underweight but I like being skinny) and I think the only way I can do that is to cut down on the boozing. My scales told me I was 9 stone this morning which is not good!

Actually the day started off going wrong as my garmin wouldn't find a signal for about 45 minutes, then my iPod headphones decided to break just as I'd set off for my run, so I had to go home and change them. I was listening to my iPod and couldn't remember who the band was that was playing at the time and the headphone wire kept bashing me in the face which reminded me it was Elastica. (For those of you that that doesn't mean anything to, Wire are a big influence on Elastica.)

Well, no rest for the wicked. It may be a bank holiday but I've got a website to work on although really I should go to the supermarket as I haven't been for about a month and I'll have to get a pizza otherwise and I checked on the website last night and a pizza has 1,500 calories in it, eek!

Oh, and those nice young men at Designers Block have finished the new look for the front of the site now, and very nice it is too, and because I talk a lot of random rubbish, they've made me moderator of the random rubbish forum. Hurrah! I think.

Stats:
Miles: 3.01 miles
Time: 32:54
Average pace: 10:56 minute/mile
Average speed: 5.5mph
Max speed: 7.8mph
Calories burnt: 300
Music: Shuffle (Baby Teeth, Black Wire, Bobby Conn, Elastica, Cribs, Muse, Outkast, The Coral, Hard-Fi)
Miserable runners not saying hello: 5
Runners overheating by wearing too much: 1

Hey, I did it! I reached the holy grail of running for 30 minutes, woo hoo! Who'd have thought it? OK, so I was a little (two months) over schedule getting there, but perseverance has paid off and I've completed my beginner's schedule. Hurrah for me!
Hmm, so now I've done my beginner's schedule, what's next? Faster? Longer? Further? Or just stay at 30 minutes for the time being? I'll have to investigate. I need to add another mile in the next five weeks or so anyway so I can do the Crisis Square Mile Run.

Didn't even have a twinge the next day last time I went out running, so if anyone needs a new foot, send me £200 (PayPal accepted) and I'll send Russell round to pick you up and plonk you down on the pavement which will jolt your foot back to life and leave it as good as new!

Nothing of interest today, shame. Now I need to find me a new route as I've done that route three times and I get bored running the same route more than twice.

Stats:
Miles: 2.71 miles
Time: 30:01
Average pace: 11:05 minute/mile
Average speed: 5.4mph
Max speed: 6.8mph
Calories burnt: 224
Music: Strokes
Routes I'm bored with: 1