On the way home today I picked up a few bits from Tescos for dinner: cottage pie. I had a list:

• Spuds
• Salt (Saxa)
• Oxo Cubes (red)
• Mince (5%)

Once I'd peeled the potatoes and whacked them in a saucepan I got changed and left Helen to get on with the dinner whilst I headed out for the sixth consecutive run of the month. I'd decided on about four or five miles running round the streets – without the dog for a change.

The first couple of miles were OK, I didn't have a particular route in mind, I just fancied staying pretty close to home and hitting the local streets. Then it happened…

As I jogged along, listening to the delightful sounds of Skinny Lister, I felt a violent almighty tug on my earphones. So violent it was as if my head was about to be ripped off my shoulders, my ears ripped from my skull, my life at an end. My trailing earphone cable had somehow got caught and wrapped round a branch.

I did in fact survive the incident without any injuries, my earphones didn't…

The fact that I could no longer listen to music gave me the hump so I headed home. 2.72 miles.

Total Janathon distance so far = 21.04 miles

 

I had pretty much decided that I wouldn’t go for a run today, it was either going to be a trip to the gym or some sort of front room circuit training session. 

But when I got home the dog gave me the ‘time for walkies’ look so I decided to go for a gentle run with him. Running with the dog on the lead is next to impossible because he just goes crazy and drags you around the streets. So I went for the let him go crazy and drag me around the street until I got to the fields and was able to let him off the lead. 

On the way back I even managed to resist this…. 

 
In the end it was a nice gentle 3.25 miles, when considering I wasn’t going to even go out for a run I’ve got to be happy.

Janathon total after 5 days = 18.32 miles

First day back after the holidays; eased into the start of the new term with a teacher training day. Therefore the day was taken up with lots or recapping on the year so far, reminders of what the rest of the year entails and a plethora of other information. 

Although on a more positive note I did manage to get away by 3.30pm, which meant the opportunity to get a run in at the woods before it got dark. 

It was raining at the start of the run and very muddy underfoot. 

 
I ran for an hour and covered a distance of 5.55 miles – that tells you just how muddy it was, normally I’d run a lot further in an hour. I did well to stay on two feet. So by the end of the run it was dark and I was pretty muddy. 

 
It was good to get home and take off the trainers. 

 
And even better to have a shower and put on my lovely cosy traditional Afghan slipper socks. 

 
Janathon total so far = 15.07 miles

Sunday: a day of rest? Rubbish.

Babysitting duties today meant for a pretty hectic day.

We all headed to Lincoln today for another go at the shops. Came home with a new pair of jeans and a new pair of ‘plum’ shoes. Very cool. The boy and I also did our fair share of hanging around outside changing rooms waiting for Helen to try on stuff.  

 
We headed to Pizza Hut for lunch were we had the most amazing stuffed crust chicken, bacon and BBQ sauce pizza.

The afternoon involved playing cars, watching Ice Age, chasing the boy around the house and generally being run ragged. 

When we finally managed to go for a run, in between Marie finally showing up to pick up her son and having dinner, it meant a night run with the dog. 2.55 scary miles around the woods. Although it did actually look like we enjoyed it!?

 
Janathon total so far = 9.53 miles

It was a 7am run this morning; 3.91 miles on the streets of Bourne.

This was followed by a trip to The Valley to watch the mighty Chatlton play out a very poor 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.  

 It was overall a great day out. A few highlights:

• My first Wetherspoons breakfast, and at £3.09 not my last.
• Some cheeky beers in a couple of pubs – before and after the game.
• A Charlton equaliser and holding on for a point despite going down to ten men.

A few low points:

• Watching a very poor game.
• Having to listen to various Forest fans mentioning that they’ve won the European Cup and use to have a good manager.

Janathon total = 6.98 miles

Here we go again. Janathon. Not sure what it is all about? Click on the link, put your trainers on and get out the door.

So…day 1. Not going to break any records with day one’s offering: 3.06 miles. Pretty poor. But as I say to my students, context is important, don’t forget to explore the context: Jekyll & Hyde and Victorian London; Of Mice and Men and 1930s America; and the poetry of Wilfred Owen and WW1. The texts don’t mean anything without thinking about the context.

Janathon Day 1 context:

• It was New Year’s Day – we had a drink last night – in fact, we had more than a couple of drinks – in fact, at one stage we were having to do vodka shots if no-one guessed the charade. Therefore this morning was a slow start to the day.
• Felt very tired – after a very late night, I felt more like a nap than a run.
• It was raining and dark. By the time we were back home and feeling more ‘with it’ it was chucking it down and getting late.
• Big day tomorrow – a trip to The Valley – wanted to save my strength.

Having said all that, 3 miles were completed at the woods with the dog. 

 

Tonight’s running incident:

On arrival at the woods there was a car that was in the ditch near the entrance, I just thought it was abandoned. But, as I parked up there was a fella siting in the car. I shouted over to him to ask if everything was alright. He replied with, “No it’s not alright, I bloody reversed into the ditch didn’t I!” I did offer my help, although my car is not the most powerful (it is in fact smaller than a dinky toy), plus I don’t possess some sort of pulling-car-out-of-ditch-rope. However, he did say he had phoned his mate to come up with a van and pull him out. After my run help had indeed arrived and I left them attempting to recover the car.

Janathon total = 3.06 miles