Tag: running

Here we go again…. #janathon

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 20 Comments

The first post of Janathon is an important one; it is this post that other Janathoners read. It is this post that other Janathoners base their judgements on. Will they read tomorrow's post? Will they come back later in the month and read again? Will they avoid it like the plague? Will they avoid commenting?

So I thought long and hard about what to post, about what this strange breed of people would want to read. I decided to approach this like I would approach a non-fiction text with my students. We would PALL it: purpose, audience, layout and language.

Purpose. What is the purpose of the blog post? Well a couple of reasons I suppose. Firstly, it is part of the rules, you have to: jog, log and blog. Secondly, and more importantly, it is to inform. People will want to know how I'm doing, won't they? But they won't want to daily read a load of pointless statistics about the latest 400 yard run round the block. So….thirdly, the post is to entertain. I should make it entertaining. A couple of jokes included? Some amazing word puns? But wait a minute….other runners will be reading it. So maybe the post should also advise? But surely I'll end up explaining stuff? Even describing what I've been upto? But then again, I'll also be persuading people to get on the Janathon train? So sorted….my post needs to: adhere to the rules, whilst informing, entertaining, advising, explaining, describing and persuading.

Audience. That's easy. Anyone and everyone. Any person in the world can stumble on 'Lengthorn's Blog'. That's no good! I need to write with a more specific audience in mind. Ok….this month the blog is mainly for other Janathoners to read. So I need to understand what a Janathoner is. Definition will help:

Janathoner. A person short of the correct amount of brain cells resulting in some ridiculous idea to run every day of the month of January.

So there you have it….my target audience are all crazy! Should make the blog post a lot easier to write.

Layout. Does it matter? Probably not. Although I think a few photos might help…Janathoners are naturally a nosey bunch. Also, avoid going on and on and on. Keep it short.

Language. We've already discovered that the majority of people reading this post are crazy. Avoid words of more than two syllables. Keep. It. Sim-ple. Employing ambitious, strenuous and gargantuan vocabulary will only result in an influx of participants requiring appointments with General Practitioners with diverse forms of cephalgia.

So I'm ready to write a blog post about Janathon day 1….but to be honest…I really can't be bothered.

 

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