Monthly stats – February 2007
Monthly stats – February 2007
Miles: 21.65
Time: 4:00:16
Average pace: 11:05 minute/mile
Calories burnt: 1978
Rush hour running
Fuck me, and I thought the Central Line was busy tonight. Despite it being cold, windy and raining, because I am hardcore/a serious athlete/couldn’t wait to try out my new running shoes [delete as appropriate] I went out and battled against the population of Walthamstow. I cut my run a bit short and turned off early down a side street, away from the people and the traffic who got in my way every few feet, and returned to the peace and solitude of my house. Aaah, bliss.
Still, although the entire population of Walthamstow have wound me up tonight by being in my way every few feet, I have got new running shoes, hurrah. I went to Runners Need up the road from work and said to the man behind the counter hello, I need some new running shoes. I said I bought my last pair here, they were Saucony ones. The man in the shop said do you know which kind? Did you buy them here? I said I don’t know what kind but I did buy them here, about a year ago. He said do you know what kind of gait you have? I said the girl said I over pronate a bit. He got me some shoes and I went on the treadmill and he filmed my running style and said I was near enough neutral, perhaps slightly over pronating on my left foot. He went and got me some shoes and yay, pulled a pink pair of Sauconys out of a box. I like pink. I tried them on but damn, they were a bit tight and didn’t feel very comfy so I tried on the other pair he brought out which were orange, which I was v. pleased about, as orange is one of my favourite colours (despite it being the colour of B&Q) and blimey, they were comfy. I said to the man, it’s like not having shoes on at all, they’re really light and comfy. He said yes, they are good shoes but they’re a bit more expensive. I said how much are they? He said ninety nine ninety nine. I said ONE HUNDRED POUNDS? And he said yes but you get what you pay for. I said my other ones only cost sixty five pounds. He said do you know what they were? I said no. He said did you buy them here? I said yes. I didn’t say you’ve already asked me those two questions and I wasn’t lying the first time, honest. I said do you have any other shoes. He brought out a blue pair, as he must have known I don’t like blue and fortunately for the shop’s profit margin they weren’t very comfy either so I said ok, I’ll have the orange ones, they’re very comfy but if I get the orange ones, will they make me a better runner, and he said of course they will.
Here are my new comfy orange running shoes. Oh, they’re Asics Gel Nimbus VIII.
And my cat, being a cat, likes the box.
So I took my new running shoes out for a little run tonight and the man in the shop must have been lying when I asked him that if I got the expensive shoes, will they make me a better runner and he said of course, because they didn’t improve my running tonight at all. Hmm.
Stats:
Miles: 3.58
Total time: 41:47
Average pace: 11:39 minute/mile
Total calories: 333
Weather: cold, drizzly and windy
Music:
Belle and Sebastian – Sleep The Clock Around
Stereo Total – Do The Bambi
The Prodigy – Out Of Space
Toyah – Vision
Baby Bird – Wave Your Hands
Muse – Sober
Manic Street Preachers – Archives Of Pain
IC marrow fun run report
I’m back. Yesterday I did check that the tubes were running today and I could have sworn it said that the Victoria Line wasn’t running between Finsbury Park and King’s Cross but that didn’t matter to me because I was changing tubes at Finsbury Park but they must have been fibbing because today everyone got off the train at Seven Sisters and I was sitting there thinking why has everyone except me got off the train and so I got off the train and asked a man why has everyone got off the train? But he didn’t know and went and asked a station staff man and he said we had to get the replacement bus to either Manor House or Finsbury Park. Eek. Me and Bernard had to get the replacement bus to Manor House from Seven Sisters last year when we went to the free festival in Finsbury Park and that bus ride was the WORST EVER bus ride in my life. But today it was ok. Hurrah. Maybe because it was a Sunday morning and not a Saturday afternoon but the bus was empty and free of annoyingly noisy kids and other annoying people and the road was free of traffic and the replacement bus got me quickly and safely down the road to Manor House tube where I got on the Piccadilly Line to Hyde Park Corner.
When I got to the park, I went to the bandstand and I went to the van that had lots of goody bags in and said to the girl there are you Charlene? She said no. I said oh, Charlene said I could put my bag in the van, is she about? The girl said she’s around somewhere, she’s wearing a black sleeveless puffa jacket. I went up to a girl wearing a black sleeveless puffa jacket and said are you Charlene? She said no. I resisted saying, why are you pretending to be her then by wearing a black sleeveless puffa jacket and just said oh, she said I could put my bag in the van but if people are leaving them here then that’s fine, and I left my bag on the ground with all the other bags.
I’m going to have to stop getting to races early because a) I get v. bored standing around and b) I was BLOODY FREEZING. I wanted to get there early because a) I wanted to find Charlene and her van; b) I thought there might be a huge toilet queue; and c) I’m always early for everything.
Eventually everyone moved off to the start line. The 8k runners with numbers up to 350 went first, then the rest of the 8k runners, then the 3k runners went. I was in the second lot of 8k runners. Everyone sprinted off leaving me for dust.
I eventually got some feeling back in my left hand at about 2 miles (should have worn my free gloves that the nice people at Start Fitness gave me) and the wind stopped at 3 miles and at 3.5 miles I thought I vaguely recognised a feeling of enjoyment but I think I might have been mistaken as I didn’t enjoy hardly a footstep of the whole run. Although there was a comedy moment when I nearly fell over a pigeon and a marshall saw me and started laughing. I thought the pigeon would get out of the way but it just stood there and I could envisage a pigeon-based football incident happening, but I managed to get out of its way. I saw a squirrel too. Didn’t see any cows though.
I eventually saw the finish line and thought to myself thank fuck that’s over.
Over until next week anyway, when I’ve got another 5 mile race 🙂
Today’s race was supposed to have a superheroes theme and some people did make the effort and dress up. Here are the Musketeers. They won the prize for the best dressed.
There were some incredible hulks too and they looked v. cool but I’d put my camera away by the time they turned up. Shame. It wasn’t a huge turn out as you can see from this pic. People must have been put off by the cold and the rain. Lightweights.
In fact, there seemed to be more ambulance crew than runners.
The ambulance crew were also strategically placed around the route. Also strategically placed around the route were lots of marshalls. I would like to thank the marshalls for the brilliant job they did today. Not only did they stop me from getting lost, but each and every one of them had a huge smile on their face and cheered everyone on. Thank you 🙂
Here’s the route.
Stats:
Miles: 5.29
Total time: 54:43
Average pace: 10:20 minute/mile
Total calories: 461
Weather: bloody freezing
Music:
Rolling Stones – You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Peeping Tom – Don’t Even Trip
My Bloody Valentine – Feed Me With Your Kiss
Mansun & 808 State – Skin Up Pin Up
Manic Street Preachers – Damn Dog
Sex Pistols – Who Killed Bambi
Ian Brown – Lions
Toyah – Masai Boy
Stereo Total – L’amour a 3
Goody bag:
Bottle of Tropicana
Bag of Haribo Starmix
Completion certificate
Flyer for a 10k in Hyde Park in March
Two Anthony Nolan Trust leaflets
Race day
Ok, I’m up. I woke up about 7 listening to the rain going drip drip drip. Inside the house. Waa, I thought the roofer had fixed the roof? I might have still been half asleep though as I can’t see any evidence of it raining inside the house. I was considering staying in bed and not getting up at stupid o’clock on a Sunday morning to go out to run five miles round a Central London park when most of the population are sleeping off their hangovers . But I knew I’d be pissed off with myself if I didn’t go so I got up. Yay.
It’s raining though and I’m going to look like a drowned rat and I’ve got to travel back on the tube. At least I’ll probably put off anyone sitting next to me. Yay.
The start and finish line is at the bandstand in Hyde Park again. Just like at the Savitri run last year when I went the wrong way. This year I should have lots of people to follow. Unless I’m at the front. Hee hee.
I will update later. Fingers crossed I don’t get injured/go the wrong way/fall over a football. 4th time lucky?
Here’s a pic of my race number, I will post more exciting pics later.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering where the updated blog is with the new pages, etc., I spent about six hours getting stuff together to send to the B&Q arbitration people. I worked out I made approximately 53 phone calls to B&Q/their criminal fitters and took 61 phone calls. That’s a lot of phone calls for someone who doesn’t like being on the phone.
I got a letter from B&Q yesterday about the forgery. They said that it’s unclear whether the signature belongs to me but the fitters don’t work for them anymore so they feel appropriate action has been taken in this case.
What does that mean? That they sacked the fitters over the allegation but they’re not admitting anything or that because the fitters don’t work for them anymore, they’re not going to bother chasing it up any further?
And once again they apologise for any inconvenience and hope that I will continue to be a valued customer at B&Q.
One foot in front of the other
As I haven’t been running for 10 days, haven’t been to the gym or had any exercise at all, not even my usual daily walk from Liverpool Street to Chancery Lane, I thought I’d better get outside and see if I can remember how to put one foot in front of the other because I have a race tomorrow and Joggerblogger says I have to do it, and I don’t want to look stupid at the start line, just standing there thinking, um, what do I do? So I went to the park and did 2.5 miles, so I can remember how to do it, yay. I just need to double the distance tomorrow.
I’m going to do up the blog later. Not changing the theme as I like this one, but I’m going to add new pages with all the crap essential running accessories I have bought and other pages with races and routes, etc. Not sure what the etc. is, I haven’t thought of it yet. Might not be an etc.
But first I have to write to the B&Q arbitration peeps and tell them to sort B&Q out.
Actually, I lie. First I have to have a (veggie) bacon and mushroom sandwich.
Stats:
Miles: 2.5
Total time: 27:22
Average pace: 10:57 minute/mile
Total calories: 215
Weather: quite warm
Music:
Edie Sedgwick – Martin Sheen
Muse – Falling Down
Rachel Stamp – Agony
Stereo Total – Comme Un Garcon
PJ Harvey – Sheela Na Gig
Young Knives – Tailors
Kasabian – Club Foot
Sex Pistols – EMI
Who stole my energy?
I think someone broke in overnight earlier this week and stole my energy because it appears that I now have none. I haven’t been out for a run (or to the gym) all week and it’s looking unlikely that I’m going to make the race on Sunday unless I get some energy stores from somewhere. Don’t want to waste my seven English pounds though. Although it’s already partly wasted as they sent me a large t-shirt when I asked for a small one. I can’t even wear what they sent me to the gym, it’s faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar too big. No one is that large, not even large people.
And when I got the race pack, in the letter it says they can’t be held responsible for any personal belongings so I emailed them and said does that mean there’s no bag storage and if so, I won’t be able to come as I’m coming on my own and no one to look after my stuff and they wrote back and said there’s no bag storage but I’m welcome to put my bag in their van which will be in the park and locked. Which is very nice of them, but what if they forget my bag’s in their van and drive off with it, or I can’t find their van? And what if everyone wants to put their bag in their van, how will they fit 500 bags in their van?
It’s too confusing.
B&Q bathroom installation update
B&Q sent me a letter saying we’re not going to give you any more money, we offered you enough. They also sent me a leaflet for their “independent” arbitration services but what really made me laugh was the final sentence of their letter apologising for any inconvenience and hoping that this “unfortunate experience” hasn’t put me off shopping at their stores in the future. Um, no, of course not, not at all. Honestly it hasn’t, not one little bit. In fact, I think I’ll go there on Saturday and make a day of it, maybe buy a burger from the van outside too.
Tossers.
No updates
Due to me going out and drinking far too much on Friday, I haven’t been out for a run this weekend. Yes, I’ve got a two day hangover. My tolerance for alcohol has gone down a wee bit since not drinking in January. I need to get out running at some point next week though as I’ve got a race next Sunday. Although my race pack is currently residing at the post office so I need to get up early one day next week and retrieve it otherwise I’m not racing anywhere.
It’s Tuesday, so it must be a running (and washing) day
I went out to do the four mile street route tonight and didn’t go the wrong way this time and so did all four miles. Hurrah. It was raining and running in the rain, in the dark, with my iPod blaring top tunes into my ears was absolutely fab. For the first mile. And the fourth mile. Miles two and three were bobbins. Especially the second mile. Well, actually to be more precise, from 1.5 to 2.5 miles I wanted to stop and walk.
As well as Tuesday being a running day, Tuesday is now another washing day. Washing day used to be on Saturday but now that I’ve started running and going to the gym, there’s soooooooooooooooooo much washing. Tons of it. I live on my own and did four lots of washing at the weekend. Where does it come from? I did washing on Saturday and it’s only Tuesday and I’ve just crammed another load in. Ho hum.
Next Tuesday is Pancake Day and I said to Kate do you want to go to the Pancake House in Holborn next Tuesday as it’s Pancake Day. And she said I’d love to but do you mean Tuesday the 27th of February, as that’s when my calendar says is Shrove Tuesday. I said, hmm, I meant next Tuesday, the 20th of February, as that’s when my diary says is Shrove Tuesday. Kate said, ooh, you’re right, but my calendar says it’s on the 27th, serves me right for buying a calendar of Essex.
I solved the iTunes won’t tell me what songs it recently played on my iPod Shuffle thing. I realised that because it’s a Shuffle and iTunes just randomly puts songs on there, they’re already shuffled, so if I turn on the Shuffle so it’s not on shuffle, then it will play the songs in sequence and I can just look at the contents on the Shuffle on iTunes to see which tunes it played, as long as I can remember the first and last songs it played. Yah, clever me.
Stats:
Miles: 4:09
Total time: 45:49
Average pace: 11:12 minute/mile
Total calories: 375
Weather: raining
Calendars showing the wrong date for Shrove Tuesday: 1
Music:
Soft Cell – Where The Heart Is
Bobby Conn – Relax
Wasted Youth – She Said (To Me)
Elastica – Connection
Scissor Sisters – I Can’t Decide
Half Man Half Biscuit – Song For Europe
Kula Shaker – Prancing Bride
Manic Street Preachers – Mausoleum
Foo Fighters – Hey, Johnny Park!
The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry
Sunday slog
Yikes, a particularly feeble attempt at exercise today. I did manage to run to the gym but with some difficulty and I think I’ve worked out why I hate running to the gym and why it’s so difficult. My theory is that although it’s only 20 minutes, the first 20 minutes of a run is the hardest, so my run to the gym is all hard and all hard is no fun.
My legs were aching today though and I did a feeble attempt on the cross trainer, stopping 3 times during the 30 minutes I was on it, then an achy 30 minutes on the rower, then a v. slow 30 minutes on the bike.
Then I seriously wimped out and got the bus home instead of running or walking, immediately remembering why I don’t get on buses when a very large man sat next to me and an annoyingly noisy child came and sat in front. I got off the bus early. I hate buses.
I would just like to point out that the feebleness of today is in no way related to the fact I stayed up ’til after 1am drinking wine.
Stats:
Miles: 2:04
Total time: 23:14
Average pace: 11:24 minute/mile
Total calories: 180
Weather: cold
V. large men on buses: 1
Annoyingly noisy children on buses: 1
Music:
Peter Bjorn and John – Let’s Call It Off
Stereo Total – Comme Un Garcon
Young Knives – Tailors
Bobby Conn – Home Sweet Home
The Cure – Close To Me
Scissor Sisters – I Can’t Decide
Blur vs Gwen Stefani – 2 Songs Crashed
Jeff Buckley – Everybody Here Needs You
Dirty Pretty Things – Bang Bang You’re Dead
PJ Harvey – Down By The Water