Tag: running

I wasn’t the only one….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 2 Comments

….lots and lots of people today had decided to go shopping. Initially the plan was to treat myself to a couple of CDs in HMV's amazing sale, although the sale was not 'amazing', unless you wanted to buy DVDs. They had millions* of DVD box sets on offer. I didn't really think people bought DVDs anymore, what with Netflix and various other similar 'ways' to watch stuff, but apparently, judging by the trillions** of shoppers crammed into the store, they do.

So with sales on in all shops I decided to have a wander round and pick up a few 'bargains'. There wasn't many bargains. Unless, of course, you dress ridiculously or are the size of a bus, which to be fair, is the majority of people living in Peterborough***.

I did managed to treat myself to a few bits….

  • A new CD: 'Bad Blood' by Bastille. This has been on my list of albums to have a listen to for a while. In fact, after bumping into a former student who advised me to go for the 'All This Bad Blood' – a reissue of their debut album – and commenting that it is 'awesome', I took his advice.
  • A book to read: Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Again, this has been on my reading list for a while. Rumour has it that it is a 'classic' and very scary. I've had a few people recommend it, it was first published in 1979 so it has taken me a good 30 years to finally get round to it. Apparently there was also a film made of it?
  • A new running top. With Janathon fast approaching and the weather probably going to get colder in the new year****, I thought a new long-sleeve running top was overdue.

Recently I have read lots of blog posts that have been reflecting on the past year as well as putting in place targets and goals for 2014. This has got me thinking….expect another blog post soon….

In other news…..

* exaggeration

** exaggeration

*** not an exaggeration

**** I am not a weather forecaster

 

Doesn’t Time Fly….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

It has been three weeks since my last blog. Not exactly sure why? The weeks seem to be whizzing by like an old granny on a souped-up mobility scooter trundling down Oxford Street on the last Saturday before Christmas.

So, what has happened in the intervening weeks? Well, at this point I could launch into an absolutely hilarious collection of anecdotes. Well I could. But actually, I really can't be bothered. So instead you get this….

Frightened Rabbit in Birmingham
Micky Flanagan in Nottingham
MoRunning....fabulous medal!
Endless muddy zombie runs...
The boy is getting on fabulously...

Cushty!

 

I’m a big kid….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

What can I say? It was early evening, just about dusk, when I headed to the woods with the dog, put the earphones in, pressed go on the 'Zombies, Run!' app and went for it! With the woods deserted, light fading and zombies moaning in the ears it ending up being REALLY creepy. I had great fun!

At one point I actually spotted a fella that reminded me of the bloke from 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' – I did attempt to take a picture of him, but by the time I got my phone out and prepared, I was right next to him and I didn't think he'd really appreciate me taking a snap of him and running off – so for dramatic effect this is exactly what it looked like….

Although, imagine less dead bodies wrapped in plastic

AND…..I got really muddy….

Well I am just a big kid after all!

 

Going zombie crazy….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ Leave a comment

Everything seems to be about zombies at the moment. Not exactly sure why, but the desiccating, decaying, emotionless beings and their insatiable desire to consume living human flesh is all around. Now I understand that today is All Hallows' Eve, but zombies seem to be infiltrating my life….

  • I have recently finished reading 'World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War', which I thought was a great read. This novel was a follow-up to Mel Brooks' 'The Zombie Survival Guide' – which is now on the list of must reads.
  • The blogosphere seems to be jammed packed with zombie related blogs. People taking part in various zombie runs, people in zombie training and people seemingly obsessed with zombies. I did experience a zombie run last year, so maybe it's time to have another go.
  • I've also recently started watching 'The Walking Dead', slightly late to the party I know, but people having been raving about this series so I thought I'd give it a go. Who can resist a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh eating zombies?

So, seeing that zombies are all around, I downloaded the 'Zombies, Run!' app for the iPhone and took to the woods to run from zombies. I did use this app a year or so ago and how I've missed it! The new version is packed full of missions including zombie chases that force you to speed up to avoid the zombie hordes and is very slick.

Zombies were not the only things I had avoid, I came across this…

This seemingly harmless bit of twig, with huge thorns, was about six feet long and somehow I managed to get the evil thing wrapped around my legs. Trying to escape its clutches was quite a mission. Give me zombies any day of the week!

In other news….we approach Movember….

Only three weeks until my first ever MoRun at Nottingham…..the cultivation of an impressive moustache starts tomorrow!*

* Please note I can not actually grow a very good moustache.

 

It was a tad wet…..

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 4 Comments

Last Sunday, the wettest since records began*, saw the annual Great Eastern Run. A half-marathon set in the picturesque** surroundings of Peterborough city centre.

Now to say the morning was wet and windy would be an understatement: it was frickin' very wet and frickin' very windy***. I'm not a great fan of running in the rain, so my first thought when I drew back the curtains was: f###ing hell. In fact it was probably not even I thought, I may have actually said it out loud, and probably loud enough it wake up most of my neighbours.

But, having said all that, I'd put in quite a few miles in training for the sodding event so I gathered my stuff**** together and set off for the proxy place. Initially I was planning to post a new half-marathon PB, but after arriving at the start I quickly decided today was not a day for PBs….

This race has been a mainstay on my race calendar for the last five or six years, so I knew exactly what to expect. Although I didn't expect to have to clamber over a fence, which a marshall wasn't amazingly impressed with*****, just to get somewhere near the start. I must admit it seemed a particularly disorganised start, although the weather and everyone rushing to the start at the last minute probably didn't help.

Now plodding the streets of Peterborough on a wet and windy Sunday morning isn't everybody's cup of tea, although I did spot some slightly amusing happenings:

  • Before we had even crossed the start line a fella, too busy waving to friends in the crowd, ran through a MASSISVE puddle.
  • Overtook a particularly knackered looking Batfink, his sponge 'wings of steel' probably not helping, they seemed to have soaked up quite a bit of water.
  • I ran most of the way in the vincinity of a bloke called 'Simon'. Not entirely sure who he was, but he was getting a lot of support along the way from the crowds. He must have been some sort of local superstar. 13.1 miles is along way to run wondering if Peterborough has any famous Simons. One did come to mind, Simon Bamford, him of Hellraiser fame, although I quickly dismissed this possibility…have you seen Butterball******?
  • Darren Ferguson, Peterborough FC's manager started the event, it was quite amusing to see how many people were avoiding the high-five.

Well suffice to say, I completed the race in a time of 1.37, a minute or so off a PB, pretty pleased with that. My reward:

* this is a lie

** this is also a lie

*** this is another understatement

**** flippers, snorkel, etc.

***** sorry Marshall, needs must and all that

****** obscure film reference

 

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.