Tag: running

Decision made!

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 4 Comments

After fighting with my inner self for the last couple of weeks I have finally decided that I will be participating in Juneathon this year.

If you are not aware of what Juneathon is then hold your head in shame, or maybe just google it and find out. But if you would like to know the jist of it, the idea is to run every day of June: run, log and blog. Simple.

Not quite sure at the moment exactly how much time and motivation I have, but suffice to say I will attempt to run every day with a plan to run around 120ish miles by the end of June. Having taken part in both Janathon and Juneathon in the past I understand exactly what it takes to run every day for a month, that doesn't mean to say I'll do it, but fingers crossed for a successful attempt.

What has finally made me decide to participate? Well a number of reasons, cue a bullet pointed list:

  • I've been lacking on the running front recently, so this is a chance to find my running mojo.
  • Work has finally calmed down a bit – meaning I'm more likely to hit the road.
  • Following on from the monthly projects last year it has all been a bit too quiet so far.
  • The lighter evenings seem to allow for a bit more 'stuff' to be done.
  • The blogging front has also been quiet for a number of reasons – #juneathon means a daily blog.

So there you have it…Juneathon starts on Saturday…and I'm very much looking forward to it!

 

….general wonderings….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 4 Comments

Already a few days into the final week of the Easter holidays and you will not be surprised to hear that I haven't touched one iota of schoolwork. In fact I've done everything except schoolwork. It is amazing how much you can get done to avoid marking:

  • Sorted out garage – there is still absolutely no chance whatsoever of getting a car in there – but at least now there's a path through all the crap to get to the back.
  • Mowed the grass – a couple of dry days and some sunshine resulted in the first cut of the year.
  • Fixed fence – windy conditions resulted in a snapped post. So after digging up most of Lincolnshire I managed to finally remove a huge lump of concrete that had been used to hold up post. I am now slightly worried I have also dug up a big percentage of the foundations.
  • Made a visit to the tip household recycling centre – gone are the days when you reversed up to a massive hole and slung in all your crap – now you need a PhD – old Hoover? Appliances or small electrical? I glanced at 'small electrical' and could only see old car radios, so plumbed for 'appliances' – WRONG! Two seconds after placing it down…. “That doesn't go there mate!”
  • Went to running club training Tuesday AND Thursday – which is something that happens very rarely. Tuesday was 20 x 1 min fast/slow and Thursday was a very fast 2 mile time trial.
  • Watched 'Inception' – good film – although I am not about to try to explain it – I'm not entirely sure myself – was it all a dream or not?
  • Read 'Pigeon English' by Stephen Kelman – this book has been on my reading list for a while – it follows a young immigrant from Ghana as he grows up on an estate in South London – good book.
  • Just started reading 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' by Rachel Joyce – so far so good.

You'll also notice that this post severely lacking in pictures. This is because of the whole 'One Second Everyday' shenanigans. Although I have found a picture of a giant dog wearing a sombrero….

 

I have a confession to make….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 11 Comments

Forgive me JogBlog for I have sinned, it has been 7 months since my last confession (some time during Juneathon to be more precise). I accuse myself of the following Janathon sins:

  • Failing to run on day 14
  • Failing to run or blog on day 22
  • Failing to run or blog on day 23
  • Failing to run or blog on day 24
  • Failing to run or blog on day 25
  • Failing to blog on day 26

Although I ask you for forgiveness, I also want you to understand. The last week has been a very hectic and extreme week: work, snow, dark nights, ice, work, slush, dark nights, work and quite a bit of work.

JogBlog I am very sorry for the sins I have committed and ask that all Janathoners forgive theses sins as well as any I may have forgotten to confess.

Day 26 mileage = 3.17

Today's mileage = 4.95

Total Janathon mileage = 101.65

 

Who said miracles don’t happen…?

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 8 Comments

The day started with a text message, just a simple text message. But one that on reading, had already become my most favourite text message ever. It was a short message of no more than 20 words, but two of those words stood out like a mound of carrots in a gravy drenched sea of mashed potatoes: school's closed.

Miracles do happen!

After several laps of the bedroom, accompanied with screams and woops of delight, I calmed down and thought about how to spend my 'snow' day. I had plenty of work to be catching up with, but equally a snow day means an 'extra' day, a chance to be reckless, a chance to do something different. So after careful consideration I decided to spend the morning marking! Rock and roll! Reckless or what!!?!

I actually had a very productive morning: finished marking some Y9 Gothic stories and a set of Y7 work. Did a load of bits and pieces that needed doing, before deciding it was time to get Janathon's run out the way, unusually early and in daylight for a change.

Today completes the third week of Janathon, it does seem to have gone very quickly, one minute it seems like you're gearing up to get started, the next your struggling to get out the door. And so to today's run, and due to the snow overnight I did manage to do something a bit different, some may even say reckless: I actually went for a run, in the snow.

But no normal run, things were a bit different. I began on the very icy paths, completing a few pirouettes on the way, before deciding to head for the woods. My thinking was that fresh snow, although hard work, wouldn't be quite as dangerous as the paths. The woods felt very different under a blanket of snow, weirdly strange and peaceful. At some stage, I must have clambered through a wardrobe and entered Narnia, although I don't actually remember doing it. The woods looked amazing, like a crystal forest….

However, it wasn't long before I began battling with the elements. The wind had picked up and as I ran through deep snow along the edge of fields…

…I thought to myself, is this how Captain Scott felt? Miles of snow fields and no shelter….

Yes, slightly overly dramatic I know, but it was bloody cold, and REALLY tiring running in the snow. Completed just over 6 miles in the end and on arrival home had the most wonderful cup of tea ever.

Today's mileage = 6.1

Total Janathon mileage after day 21 = 93.53

Total time running = 13.1 hours

 

Running, albums and idiots…

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 4 Comments

The weather is definitely attempting to thwart Janathon, we've reached day 19, but it is no match for these babies….

Only the third run with my new amazing 'Puma Faas 250' – yes a very strange name for a pair of trainers – but they coped fantastically with the snow and ice this morning. I think they are ready for a longer run in the morning, although not sure I am.

I drove up to the woods this morning and parked on the top road and didn't even consider taking the incredibly icy road down into the car park. However, various people did. It always amazes me how some people can be so stupid. When you stand at the top of the hill and look down the road into the car park it actually looks very dodgy, what makes people think it will be ok? Now I'm not one to say 'I told you so', and actually I didn't tell anyone, but I was quite pleased to see two cars stranded at the bottom of the hill and one in the ditch. Idiots.

I'd imagine that lots of blogs will contain a few snow shots, so why not?

And in other news……

Spring looks to be quite exciting, with the release of new albums from Frank Turner and Billy Bragg. Billy's new album, 'Tooth & Nail' is out March 18, followed by Frank's latest 'Tape Deck Heart' on April 22.

It has been a while since a Billy Bragg album, so I'm really looking forward to it. The few tracks I've heard suggest it's going back to what he does best: great simple melodies and the voice of an angel.

They will, of course, be touring to promote the albums. I've even pre-ordered the Turner CD to allow me to get in the ticket pre-sale for access to tickets 48hrs before general sale. With only a handful of gigs announced it looks I'm off to Birmingham.

Now I will be looking for volunteers to attend the Bragg gig – I struggle to find anyone to go with – can't understand why????! Have a listen…

Today's snow mileage = 6.36

Total Janathon mileage = 79.66