Friday 7 June 2013

It's Official.. I'm an Idiot


Today I joined the IRC

Having read the manifesto, and a magnificent haiku, I just had to.

I run on the trails
Blood flows in the pouring rain-
Rub some dirt on it

And now for the oath:

I, your name here, promise to do dumb things, have fun and laugh while running. 
I will always remember that I am an Idiot and never take myself or any event too seriously. 
I refuse to take the easy path. Ever.  
If I "DNF" it will be because I have NOTHING left to give or I'm dead.
*spins around 3 times and spits on the ground*


Deep down, there has always been that hidden acknowledgement of idiocy, muppetry or oddness that you believe sets you apart (but in reality is shared by a lot more people than you would think). Sometimes others see it, sometimes you recognise the symptoms. Sometimes you can control it, sometimes you just let that whole basket of crazy flood out.

That great idea to run up the nearest mountain, at 1am, with a total stranger after they throw you out of a local pub for trying to make crisp sandwiches just using ketchup & mustard.

Wearing camo gear to a comedy night, heckling the performers then shouting "you can't see me" when they try their putdowns.

Trying to get everyone in the KFC queue to do the Chicken Dance.
The more we embrace the idiocy, and the less we concern ourselves with toeing the line of "proper" behaviour, the greater freedom and happiness we will enjoy.

Join the revolution for a happy, idiotic future ;)

Sunday 2 June 2013

When I were a lad & other ramblings


Having woken early, traipsed round a very dewy 10mi, breakfasted twice and mowed the lawn by 10am, I found myself back in the Twitterverse, a place I have possibly been over-frequenting in the past few weeks.

As a source of up-to-the-second results for GUCR last week and the Comrades Marathon this weekend, it's been invaluable. Most of the spectators must have had a 200wpm typing speed, the info was so quick coming through.

The change in technology since I last "properly" ran has been simply phenomenal.

Back in 1989 you had to spend a week at Loughborough to get the kind of info that today any of 100 apps can give you for free:
- Want mile splits? Run a measured circuit or track with a coach/parent/dedicated other clicking a glorified pocket watch each time you passed. Or you could DIY with a top-of-the-range digital Casio if you could afford one.
- Fell running? Get your elevation from an OS map in the pub after the run.
- Need max HR? 3 levels. OK / Knackered / A&E

And results? An A5 magazine called Athletics Weekly was your only true purveyor of stats. Before the interweb this was the primary, and pretty much only source of results back in the days when a Marathon was the ultra, anything over the mile was pretty much ignored and Steve Cram was still in shor.. ah, you get my drift.

On another note, while enjoying a few evening rays, I got to chatting through plans for LeJOG with the Dear Lady Wife, and I've had to make a promise.

To burn my kit before I leave John o'Groats.

Not all of it - just the clothes that will have spent a total of 137 running hours getting properly pungent.

Probably a good idea. Not fair on everyone else to be "that bloke" on the train.

This adds another level to the logistics as the kit list doesn't have room for spares. In fact it doesn't have room for anything really. Trying to keep full pack + water down to 10lbs is proving to be a tough task. As I'm certainly no Nick Kamen (if you remember the 80's Levis advert), the laundrette option will have to be ruled out, so it's off to find an anosmic gentleman's outfitters in Wick.

Ticked another item off the kit list today by treating myself to an Inov8 RacePro 22 after landing a contract after 2 months of "extended daytime training" (unemployed layabout). 

Major gaffe on the interview though. Forgot to ask if they had showers in the building.

(Update 7-Jul.. they do, but as my security pass still doesn't work, I can't use 'em !)



Saturday 1 June 2013

At last - a training plan


Summer at last on the Cotswold Way
Been a month since my last blog, and just over 2 months since LeJOG was devised & training began.

So where are things now?

The training plan has been pulled together (mainly from googling "100-mile training plan" and fitting it between repeats of Top Gear). 

Handfull of 20+ mile runs done with few adverse effects (apart from the occasional need to walk sideways up the stairs when the quads give up).

New waterproof trainers purchased (though the joy of being out in public with shiny new shoos was slightly offset by a Quasimodo-style shuffle that developed from blisters appearing early on in a 10-miler).

Twitter fully engaged with @LeJOG_2014, Facebook profile tweaked, website updated and several other online media gizmos explored & discarded.

Route has been planned and daily campsites/wild camping spots researched (first stop off should be Gnome World).

Kit list made, items weighed, packed, unpacked, repacked, camped with and list binned (due to dawning realisation at 2am that none of it is waterproof and woefully inadequate in late-May "summer" temperatures). 

And only 13 months to go.
In the meantime I realised something to fill the remaining months may be in order, so bent the credit card a little on a few interim races. So far the list contains:

June               Cheltenham Circular Challenge 26mi
August           Dorset Doddle 32mi
September     StourValley Path 100km
October         WyeValley 50mi

The training plan is targeted towards to the SVP100, so the two prior races will be used as long training runs at pace. Unless the brain gets competitive. It does that sometimes. 
If brain does go loopy, the plan is to repair damage, reattach the legs and get back to normal asap. Or buy new legs.

On another note, Scot Jurek’s bio “Eat & Run” turned up this morning, so time to hit the garden, sit in the sun & have a motivational read.