Month: September 2013

Running and stuff….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

Just an 8-miler this morning, according to my training plan it should have been 13! Doh!

Although I ran 13 miles last Sunday and 12 miles a couple of weeks before so I thought with just two weeks until the Peterborough Half I'd take it easy a bit. It was a lovely morning and didn't really want to spoil it by going hell for leather* chasing a particular pace. I'm confident of completing the race, just need to decide whether or not I'm going to try to beat my PB. I'm going to crack on with the training schedule, throw in a couple of fast 6-milers and see where we're at.

This morning's run did throw up some interesting observations:

  • The amazingly fast walking man – he was walking his dog and going at such a pace I had trouble overtaking him.
  • I nearly killed off an elderly couple – it would seem that didn't hear me approaching and my cheery 'morning' nearly brought on a heart attack.
  • Caused a bit of commotion at the ponds – some fishermen didn't appreciate the dog jumping in the pond and scaring off the fish.

In other news…..

Currently reading 'The Cry' by Helen Fitzgerald, great book about a baby that goes missing in Australia. A dark psychological thriller with a gripping moral dilemma at its heart. Well worth a read!

And finally….

Off to see the fantastic Frank Hamilton in Cambridge tonight….lovely jubbly….

* This is not a phrase I use very often and just wanted to point out that I do actually run in running shoes not some great pair of leather clad boots.

 

I’ll be on strike!

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

After watching Look North last night on TV I was compelled to blog….

The headline: parent to sue school over closure. I don't really have to go into details, just to say this particular school is going to close on 1st October because of the joint NUT/NASUWT strike action; this particular parent is not happy. In fact he is so unhappy he has written a 'strongly worded letter' to the school.

I have sympathy with parents who have childcare issues but I don't think he quite understands the impact this government is having on the education system: the education system is becoming disjointed. The failure of the government to enter into talks aimed at reaching an agreement has lead to the industrial action. The majority of teachers are concerned that the changes the government are imposing on the profession is having an effect on the recruitment and retention of teachers and the delivery of quality education for pupils. I am one of these teachers.

The unions have tried writing a 'strongly worded letter' – this hasn't worked – that is why teachers are striking – the government now needs to enter into talks to resolve the issues.

As for our lorry driving friend who is going to sue his child's school……let's just imagine he is a Tesco supermarket lorry driver….would he like a letter from my lawyer when there are no baked beans on the shelves?

 

Boom!

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 5 Comments

How is the training going for the half-marathon I hear you ask? You still on target to beat your PB?

Well….'sort of' is my reply.

Over the last couple of weeks I've completed a few long runs at a pretty decent pace. Although all slower than my target pace for the half. The furthest I've run at target pace is about six miles and that was a struggle in the last mile or so. So still of plenty of hard work required in the next few weeks.

This morning I attended Peterborough Parkrun and I had decided to run it without a watch. This meant starting off running fast and trying to maintain it. It paid off, new Parkrun PB: 19.37.

Lovely jubbly!

 

The day my love affair with ‘Trivial Pursuit’ ended….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 2 Comments

I have always loved 'Trivial Pursuit', although it has probably been 20 years since I lasted played it. Even now I am not entirely sure why it has taken so long, I have had the idea of playing it swimming around my head for years, just never quite got round to playing it.

So Saturday arrived and it was time to head into the garage and retrieve the dusty blue box from the bottom of a box of 'crap'. To my delight it was complete: board, questions, cheeses and even a dice.

The time was fixed: Saturday evening. The opponents: old. The stakes were high: £10,000* to the winners.

Playing the original 'Trivial Pursuit', circa 1983, clearly gave our older opponents an advantage. They promptly got off to an early lead and within half hour of the start they had bagged three cheeses, due in part to their extensive knowledge of anything pre-1950s.

A mid-game break involving the eating of a fantastic home-made Banoffee Pie** was our chance to claw our way back.

After a couple of hours of intense questioning and answering, the 'oldies', clearly lacking endurance, had faltered and we were all square: six cheeses each and all heading for the middle and the finale. We each had a couple of opportunities to win the game only to be thwarted by impossible questions. Then it happened: the moment my love-affair with 'Trivial Pursuit' ended.

Our opponents once again reached the middle. We needed to pick a category. They had been struggling with green all night, Science and Nature. We choose green. The question:

What are the three usual flavours in Neapolitan ice cream?

Yes, you read that correct!! What are the three frigging flavours in frigging Neapolitan ice cream!! Since when is that a science or nature question!!! As you can imagine they answered the question correctly and we were left reeling. Cheated out of a victory by the makers: Horn Abbot International Ltd. They will certainly be hearing from my lawyers shortly.

As for the game, that is back in the garage at the bottom of the box of 'crap' never to be seen again!

* This was later changed to the losers do the washing up.

** Made with my own fair hands.

 

Running, indulging the doolally and univocalism….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

This morning my 'lovely' half-marathon training plan exclaimed that I should do a long 'steady' run of 12 miles, yes you read that right, 12 miles! Not quite sure why it wants me to run so far considering I still have five weeks until race day. But not wanting to upset the fecking thing, that is exactly what I did.

12.65 miles in a time of 1:38.38. Average pace 7.48 per mile.

Still slightly slower than target pace (although I had to go through various gates, cross roads and climb hills), but it felt good!

I had planned a slightly different route that enabled me to pop into a shop and get a drink at about halfway so that I didn't have to bother carrying a bottle throughout. Also, I had even created a new playlist to accompany me on the run. Get me!

Yesterday included a trip to Peterborough for a bit of a wander about. Once there we stumbled upon The Peterborough Arts Fest – a celebration of Peterborough and its people. With the rather catchy tagline of 'Indulge the Doolally'. According to the programme, we were promised, “jaw dropping spectaculars”, “internationally acclaimed acts” and an “extraordinary finale”. What we actually experienced was an event that nobody seemed to know about, there were very few people about, and actually very few acts performing. So, as you can imagine, we didn't hang around for the “extraordinary finale”. Although I did manage a picture sitting on a massive deckchair (small things and all that)…..

But also, more excitingly, performing in the Talkative Tent (sponsored by John Clare Cottage) were Dead Poets….

Dead Poets are made up of Mark Grist, him of poetry slam fame….

….and DJ Mixy, the pair formed the collaboration to challenge the preconceptions of poetry and hip-hop. If you get a chance to seem them you should, it's a very entertaining performance. Today was no different, Mark performed a piece of univocal poetry entitled 'The Fens' which was very clever. Univocalism is a poem that uses only one vowel, here is a rather poor attempt….

Jog to Morton

Born to jog,

Sort of hobby,

Good to go.

North from town,

Off to woods,

Lots to look.

Dogs too jolly,

Poop on boot,

Not good look.

Cows in fog,

Not to worry,

Jog on strong.

Boozy horror show,

Bosoms and knobs,

Long story.

Grotty old dog,

Soggy from ponds,

Looks odd.

Horror show,

Jog too slow,

School tomorrow.

In other news, Frank Hamilton has released his first, what he calls, 'serious' video….