Some of you might remember that back in November I injured my back whilst stretching (believe it or not) and that I was barely able to walk let alone run. One of the reasons for this, I believe, is that I've been running in broadly the same type of shoes since getting into triathlon - usually motion control - as I was originally identified to be an overpronator. While fine at the time I don't think that these suit me any more. So over the past year I've been tinkering with a bit of barefoot running and this has proved a minor revelation; the only problem being that I kept losing the skin on my toes!
So last week, after proving to myself and my osteopath that I was functionally able to run again, I decided to treat myself to some new running shoes. This time though I was looking for something very unsupportive, something very minimal and close to being barefoot; so the other end of the scale essentially. At first the salesman in Runners Need looked a tad wary while I explained what I was looking for but all credit to him - he emerged with a couple of nice looking shoes and had me try them out on the treadmill. What fun! They both felt very light and the camera showed that I was midfoot-striking very cleanly and demonstrating no over-pronation whatsoever.
As a result I walked out of the shop with a pair of these little beauties:
Now they don't come cheap, it's true, but none of my running shoes have ever been what you might call cheap! So this lunchtime I took them out for a short spin up to Green Park; just a quick 20-30 minutes really to see how they felt when used in anger but not for so long that my osteopath might get angry! I have to say that they feel great on my feet (light and responsive) but there's no doubt that I'm working my calf muscles much harder with these shoes. It just goes to show how much heel-striking I've been doing in the past without ever meaning to. Suffice to say though that my old shoes have been consigned to the bin!
This year has a real feel of deja vu about it doesn't it? Too many injuries and too many comebacks. Elvis would be proud. So, anyway, since inflaming a disc in my back, or something similar, I've been seeing a local osteopath (Robin Kiashek) on a regular basis. Up till now he's been dead against me doing any running since he believes that this is the underlying cause of my injury; so I've been on a diet of cycling and swimming. That's been alright but now he wants me to try to run again (10 to 20 minutes only) just to see if I can.
Once a week this has been my house of pain!
So today I decided to take the bull by the horns and see whether I was fixed or not. With Joshua at cub camp and Christina enjoying herself at a friend's birthday party the way was clear for some me-time. The only problem was that Robin was only giving me permission to run for a very short period and this meant that none of my usual routes were suitable (not even a quick trot around Highgate Woods). In the end I decided to make life simple and stick to a circuit of the local streets.
The weird thing was that when I set off I expected to feel stiff and unfit, which I did, but neither of these were my major problem. Instead with ever step I could feel my heel hitting the ground first and the shock from this impact resonating upwards to my spine! Now this wasn't painful but it was worrying and quite uncomfortable. So I made a determined effort to lift up my feet and strike with my mid-foot; which I managed to achieve but at the expense of realising how hard my shoes were making it to run properly!
It seems to me then that my old shoes (Brooks Addiction's I think) have been deforming my running style purely by being so highly cushioned. Looking at their sole it's obvious that the heel is very built up and that you're running on a wedge shape - so it's no wonder that my heel is being forced to hit the ground first unless I really try to counteract this effect. This also seems to answer a question that I've long pondered: why is it that children always seem to land on their mid-foot? Because they're always wearing flat shoes and so aren't forced to heel strike.
Overall then I'm very glad that I'm able to run again and without any pain; that's a huge improvement. The only problem is that I can't run in my current trainers - I will have to find something more suitable before putting on my running shorts again. I guess it's lucky for me that Christmas is around the corner....
With a free Sunday on our hands, and a desire to get out and about, we did the job properly and headed up the M11 to the Wimpole Estate. A National Trust property we were principally attracted by the chance to run around and visit the fully-working Home Farm - but it helped that the estate was also running a Christmas Fayre! However when we turned up it was to find out that the entrance fee was an arm and a leg which seems a bit rich just to go into a glorified shop. So we performed an about-face and headed off through the extensive gardens to the animal farm.
Always a popular option with Joshua and Christina the pair of them were soon up to their arms in cuddly chicks and little piggies. I don't know whether it's the illusion of control or a simple human reaction to cuteness but they weren't the only kids bouncing from one animal stall to another. This, however, was but a precursor to the scrum that developed when they brought the donkeys out for their daily cleaning! Fortunately Joshua and Christina were in the front-line and quickly set about their allotted portion of the unfortunate beast:
Don't be a horse's ass!
After this excitement we toured around the sheep and goat pens, swung a little in the adventure playground and then ended up in the cafe. How did this happen I wonder? Fortunately the farm owners are very sensible as they provide a well-stocked play-area right outside and so Mum & Dad get to relax over a piece of cake while the little ones swarm over the toy tractors. Then when the attraction of this pales (which takes a long time I have to say) there a numerous 200-year old barns full of man-traps and mysterious farm equipment to explore:
Right at home
Sadly by now it was getting dark, the farm was about to close and they were bringing the animals in from the fields. Luckily by being a bit slack and hanging around we got to see the magnificent shire-horses come clomping through the yard (and their feet really do clomp); then we got chatting to a guy called Mark Field (appropriately enough) and he told us all about the horned and horny cattle he looks after. Put it this way the bull named Juggernaut is "all bull" and make no mistake! What was also great was that Mark was keen to show off his new £70,000 tractor and we were happy to let him!
I want to be a farmer!
The farm had long since closed but Mark was up for a chat and didn't mind the kids (or me) clambering all over his mighty vehicle. Just as well really because there wasn't much that could have stopped us:
Mine. All mine.
Eventually, of course, we had to say our farewells to Mark but what a great day! On the way out we did try to talk our way into the Fayre (given that it too would close in 30 minutes) but to no avail. Oh well - you can't win them all. Either way we enjoyed a fine day out on the Wimpole Estate and I think that we'll be returning next March for the lambing season. Who doesn't enjoy bottle-feeding a little woolly lamb even if it is being bred to become a good companion to mint sauce?
The eagle-eyed among you may have spotted that Christina's birthday was actually a month ago and so we're a bit tardy with her birthday party! Well that's very true but in our defence Christina had barely started school a month ago and so we thought that it'd be nice to let her settle in and find out who here friends were - not that that particularly influenced who we put on the birthday list. As we used to do with Joshua we just invited the whole class to join us in Clown Town and let the guest-list be somewhat organic and self-selecting. It's a policy that has worked well in the past and it didn't fail us today either!
Just under twenty of her class-mates turned-up accompanied by parents (many of whom then disappeared to go shopping in Tesco) and laden with both presents and expectation. This suited us just fine as the kids all got to rush off and disappear within the extensive play-frame while we chatted and sorted out lunch for what were sure to be hungry children. They didn't disappoint us when the time came to file into the party booth and pretend like they were still at school:
And how well-behaved they all were - even the two hulking eight-year old's at the end who got to act a little like bouncers! Only the sunglasses were absent. What wasn't absent, of course, was the delightful cake - a Hello Kitty creation courtesy of our good friend Emma. Christina's face absolutely lit up when she clapped eyes on it and this wasn't just the effect of the candles:
I am this old - right?
All in all then a great two hours or so was had by all - long enough to have lots of birthday fun but not so long that anyone got over-tired and emotional (and that's just the parents). Even better we didn't have to do any washing up. What a bargain!
Now that we've renewed our membership of the National Trust it's a whole lot of fun to go out to one of their parks and let the kids run wild. Somewhere that we've visited a couple of times before is Osterley Park and the reason behind this is very simple; it's not too far away and there are 357 acres of parkland to explore! So we nipped over after lunch with the idea of playing in the autumnal leaves a bit and perhaps having a bite to eat in the cafe (always a priority for the Cannon family). On the first point then I can report total success:
Anyone else for leaf angels?
Of course this innocent fun quickly generated into a spate of leaf-throwing and general running about but what can you do? It was all good, clean (mostly) fun and it seemed that there was always another tree to climb or dog to pet for Joshua and Christina. Hence we slowly made our way round the park and enjoyed the crisp winter weather; lovely in the sun but just a little chilly in the shade. We were far from alone though and along the way the children convinced another daddy to give them some stale bread for feeding the ducks, then they commandeered a ball-thrower so that they could play at making the dog swim in the lake and finally they ended up getting a bit scared by a couple of very large hounds messing about in the woods. Exciting stuff.
Happy to be out and about
I have to admit though that I had half a mind turned towards the cafe and shop in the stables; having spotted some unusual blackcurrant curd I didn't want to miss the opportunity to obtain a jar or two. Who can say when I'll see its like again? Fortunately we were in luck and we didn't even have to hurry; there was plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere and feel genuinely relaxed. The only thing that we didn't do was take a tour of the house and to be honest that's a mixed pleasure when you have little ones in tow; too much risk of breaking something irreplaceable!
After yesterday's efforts I wasn't convinced that I wanted to repeat the experience but having mentioned to Mike that I'd be attending I felt a certain obligation; besides the rest of the family were going to be out at Joshua's church parade with the Cubs and that left me at a loose end. So I rocked up intending to pull my weight only to find myself standing on the pavement with Daniel and Darren - and no Mike! After a few minutes of hanging about we decided that we'd better sort ourselves out with a nice easy run; 10 or 11K perhaps. With no clear plan then we cut across the Heath and by chance ended up at the bottom of Swains Lane. Who'd have thought it? Still by the top we all felt properly warmed up!
Daniel's favourite landmark - the top of the climb!
From hereon it was a case of not straying too far from Highgate as we none of us wanted to turn this into some epic run but on the other hand we didn't want to come up short either. The curious side-effect of this dilly-dallying was that we ended up scaling all sorts of hills and really having quite a fun time of it; well I enjoyed myself anyway despite the mechanical limitations of my aching back. So we inched back up to the top of Highgate and then we wiggled our way across the Heath; where I failed to make a convincing case for taking East Heath Road. In the end then we retraced our steps back to the start and what do you know - we had to go uphill!
This has just got to the year of the injury or something very similar. This time though I wasn't even doing anything energetic or somehow out of the ordinary. Oh no. All I had was a bit of a sore back that needed stretching out and what could be more simple? So there I was lying on the floor in a nice stretching pose when, without warning, a bolt of pain blossomed from my lower back and all that I could think was: how the hell can I stop this pain? It was so bad that I could barely get off of the floor and even that took a lot of rolling over and some leveraging from a nearby bed. Not pretty.
Come on in - the water's lovely!
So this morning I wasn't over keen on going out running but on the other hand I felt rather compelled as, yet again, I haven't managed a single run in the week. This is beginning to get ridiculous. Anyway I thought that I'd better make the effort, given the blue sky outside, and so I took myself down to the Heath and managed to arrive in time for the off.
Bring on the mustache!
Happily we stuck to familiar North London streets by heading down to Hampstead Garden Suburb and around the back streets of North Finchley. Nothing too strenuous and with plenty of opportunity for conversation and general catching up; very much a classic Saturday route that caters for the broader group and ensures that no one gets left behind (except by choice). In terms of fitness I felt okay but it was pretty obvious that my style was compromised by my sore back; so I hung back and tried not to get caught up in the end-of-run sprint to the finish. No point taking chances!
It was a bit chilly this morning that's for sure; a real shock to the system when I stepped out to the car. By the time I reached Regents Park and headed out to warm-up I was feeling stiff, slow and demotivated. So it's not surprising that I didn't even notice that we were about to start so busy was I with chatting to Anthony; it could have been the London Marathon it took me so long to cross the start line! Not that it mattered as I felt like I was running backwards with so many people streaming past me. So I resigned myself to yet another uninspiring slog around Regents Park with very little to show for my training.
And so it went for the first lap, all 3 kilometres of it. Then, as we headed towards the drinks station, something seemed to click within me. Last week I'd been reading about this new running fad, the 100-Up technique, and I'd managed to track down a video of what it involved. It isn't rocket science, especially if you've looked into barefoot running and the pose technique, but it makes some sense as a drill and I like the fundamentals behind it. So I'd been thinking about my running form and how I'd like to try and maintain good form throughout this 10K whatever my pace. For the first lap nothing, not a flicker, but then I somehow seemed to change gear and suddenly I was running light on my feet, and quickly, for no extra effort.
At last a pace graph to be proud of!
This was great! Up ahead I could see Anthony and then in no time I'd caught and passed him; in fact throughout the rest of the second lap I just kept powering through the pack and running more smoothly than I've manged in a long time. It felt great! Coming into the third lap I still felt good, although there were fewer runners to chase, when a woman came past me quite strongly. More of a magnet than a challenge I managed to keep in touch with her as we reeled in yet more competitors. Then when she faltered at about 8K I put in a strong effort and suddenly I was alone - until about the 9K mark. Right then I noticed a heavy, laboured breathing that was pulling itself closer.
Waiting until about the 800m to go mark, where my pursuer seemed ready to make the kill, I kicked once again and surged hard. For a little while it seemed like I'd left it too late and that I was going to get taken; I didn't have anything else to give (if the pain in my legs, gut and arms was to be believed). But then I realised that he'd fallen out of earshot and maybe out of contention; although with the finish line in sight I couldn't afford to relax. So a sprint finish it was with me sprinting against a shadow, a phantom of unknown and unknowable powers. Only when I crossed the line did I chance to look round and there he was just a few seconds back; as was the lady who'd helped me - a nice symmetry being that I helped her to a PB!
In retrospect then a very solid race - although I had to work hard and my legs are feeling the effort that I made to maintain good form - and there's no doubt that thinking about landing lightly and stepping over logs as I ran made a significant difference. The results aren't out yet but with a time of around 40:39 I'm very content with my improvement over last month; long may this trend continue!
I have to admit that there's been a bit of a break in service lately; on the running front at least. Last weekend we were down in Kent and I planned to get out on at least one of the days, if not both, but that never happened. Then this week I was all set to get out on a couple of days but every time I looked at my running shoes some work took a-hold of me and the next time that I checked the clock it was too late to go; so another lunchtime wasted (from a fitness perspective anyhow). So it's been ten days since I last stepped out in anger and while I've managed to keep the jitters away with some decent cross-training I was looking forward to going out with the Running School this morning for sure.
From Jack Straws then a decent group of us (including Adam; back from illness) set off south into the back-streets of Hampstead (all very gentile) and down Rosslyn Hill towards Chalk Farm (a little less refined). With much banter we edged around Primrose Hill and into Regents Park; generally speaking we tend to circle the park and head back at this point but then someone came up with the bright idea of heading to Regent Street and the cars of the London to Brighton car rally. Sounds like a fine idea doesn't it except the event doesn't kick off until tomorrow and there were no veteran vehicles in sight!
It would have been cool to see something like this!
Suitably disappointed at taking such a diversion for no benefit we turned tail and headed directly back to Regents Park - away from the pollution and the crowded pavements. It was rather nice to return to our urban lung especially as we headed around the boating lake (though it's more full of geese than it is boats). All was fine then as we inevitably zeroed in on Fitzjohn's Avenue and its lengthy ascent - although I did have a bit of a stitch from my early breakfast and a forlorn hope that the pace might not be too aggressive.
Of course the secret when you're feeling like this is to immediately go to the front and determine a pace that suits; although when I arrived there I found that I just wanted to keep going and so I edged past Darren, Daniel, Mike and Craig and did exactly that. The nice part of this is that I could dose my effort and concentrate on my form; which went very well until Darren appeared on my shoulder with about 200m to go and made a bid for glory. I couldn't let his challenge go unanswered of course but I had to really up my game with a full-on sprint to ensure that the pecking-order remained intact. How exciting an ending!
Let me just make it clear, from the start, that I was sold this weekend under false pretenses! Lenore promised me a lovely few days in a cabin by the sea, with a swimming pool on site and room to cycle, and what did I get? A wet weekend in Folkestone! Okay it didn't actually rain but the potential was always there.
On the other hand we did end up in a lovely sea-front apartment, with a view over the waves, and a chance to enjoy the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway - it's a steam railway you know with a name like that!
All aboard the Halloween special
What I didn't realise was that if you travelled to the end of the line then that meant Dungeness and believe me the phrase "end of the line" was invented for this godforsaken place. I mean I know that I've ventured down this way before, to Romney Sands, on an ill-fated stag weekend but that place is a buzzing metropolis compared to Dungeness!
If you want to get away from it all and mean it...
I guess that most people know the area, if they know it at all, as the location of a nuclear power station. For sure it's hard to escape its presence when you're there although I do recall an estate agent advertising a cottage slap-bang next to the facility that studiously mentioned everything but it. So I guess that it's possible to overlook the hulking monolith!
Can I photograph this?
What's strange is that the beach seems inordinately popular with fishermen; there are loads of them camped out all along the shore. I suppose that this is rather fortunate as you can't swim in the water (because of the current rather than the radiation) and there's nothing much else to do. Even so I can't really see the attraction unless you're interested in fish - which it turns out Joshua is! He's just fascinated by them and he was happy to march off into the far distance and quiz every man with a rod over his catch; perhaps he should become a fisheries inspector?
Do you come here often?
In the end though we tired of life at the end of the world and luckily for us there was a steam train handy for getting out of Dodge. Once aboard we got a very striking view of the endless marsh - especially when we opened the door in total contravention of any possible Health & Safety legislation! You've got to love these old-school outfits....
All that's missing are the Cowboys & Indians!
Later in the weekend we turned our attention to Dover and St Margarets Bay - the perfect location for some sea-cliff action. The port itself is no great shakes but down the coast the scenery is much more impressive and, to be honest, much more dangerous. There's nothing like walking a few feet from the edge of a 300-foot chalk cliff with nothing between you and oblivion but a sturdy pair of shoes and a strong sense of preservation! However when the opportunity to clamber all over a Second World War gun emplacement came up how could we refuse?
Don't look down...
Suitably impressed we finished off our trip with lunch at a transport cafe in Deal. It wasn't cuisine worth three Michelin stars of course but there'll always be a place for a greasy breakfast in my life I hope (well until the coronary-bypass that is) and we fell on the plates like crows. With a bit of a trip up to the pier and back (more fishermen) we ended by learning that Joshua should never be given a motorbike - it will end in tears:
Another Wednesday morning and another run to work. Thankfully I was up nice and early this morning (thanks kids!) and had time to spare. A quick glance out of the window showed nothing untoward apart from an inky darkness and that'll be the story for many a morning to come. So I slurped down my tea and headed for the exit - breakfast would have to wait. Outside it was kind of warm and running through Highgate Woods was fun what with the dense foliage making it almost a monochrome experience; although when I emerged from the cover of the trees I realised that it wasn't just dark. It was also tipping it down! Still I wasn't that bothered even when my running vest stuck to my chest and caused a touch of nipple rash. Oops!
Down on the Heath I was looking forward to getting some great sunrise pictures from Parliament Hill but I did start to wonder if I would be denied. I know that my camera is properly waterproof but even so! Luckily the sky cleared as I headed south and in the end I was rather pleased by the vista:
Could the shard be any taller? Oh yes!
Definitely a moody and oppressive atmosphere there I think? More interesting than a bright blue sky perhaps although not quite so uplifting. Turning a little to the left I also caught this nice shot:
Rise and shine little birdies
Fairly dramatic again - more so than the rest of my run in to work anyway. In terms of form I kept trying to lift my feet up and in the end it came together; only for the last 5-10 minutes though. By then I was feeling strong and up to powering through the throng of commuters. Hopefully I livened up their day!
It's all gone so quickly but here we are - the final session and a chance to mess around with electricity. I guess that this is a real area of fear for many people but having been electrocuted more than once I'm not so worried about wiring and all that; at least you don't flood the house when you make a mistake! Like last week we started at the beginning - how does electricity get into your house and what can you do when it gets there? As it happens not a lot; you can replace something that's broken and move a socket around but forget making any additions. That kind of tampering is strictly verboten!
Instead we got to talking about lighting, wiring, plugs and all of the different types of fuse. Take it from me if your fuse-box still requires you to change a wire when one blows then it's time to call the electrician; in this modern world it's all MCB this and RCD that. Useful devices to have kicking around no doubt but the fuse-box isn't something that I'm going to mess with. Honestly I'm far more likely to re-wire a standard lamp and as it turns out this is exactly what we did:
I am from the '70s
There's something strangely satisfying about screwing a circuit together and having it all work first time! The lesson here is that a good connection is a solid one; there's no room for loose, wobbly, held together by tape connections in our modern world you know!
The final thing that I want to mention though, and this is important, is that LED lights are the future. No, really, I used to dismiss them as being too expensive and under-powered but they've really come a long way in recent years. Just last weekend I ordered myself a box-full from Simply LED and they've been a revelation! Last year we replaced the GU10 50W halogen bulbs in our kitchen with the 11W CFL (compact fluorescent) equivalents and while they did the job they were always a bit too dim and slow to get going to be properly useful. But now I've bunged in a load of 4W LEDS and I can't imagine ever going back; I am a convert I admit it! The light quality and intensity is as good as I could ever want and my electricity bill will certainly feel the benefit.
I definitely felt like an old man this morning staggering out of bed and wincing with my initial footsteps; this is new territory and I don't like it! Still at least I can get going after a while and I made it to the start on time despite the roadworks by the Spaniards Inn; it looks like they're repairing the toll house but frankly they'd be better off demolishing it. Little more than a glorified shed it creates a terrible pinch-point in the carriageway and endless queues of traffic; this is not a new problem!
Anyway today Mike was in charge and, as is often the case, he chose to lead us astray on some seldom-visited streets and side-roads that we often overlook. Sure we began by crossing the Heath but soon we ventured over the top of Highgate to Waterlow Park and then on to the A1; premier passage to the frozen North for so long. On an ordinary day we might have turned here and wiggled back but in a joking aside to another Michael I ventured that we might be heading to Alexandra Palace; imagine my amusement when it turned out that this was exactly our destination! Sometimes even I don't look forward to the hills:
Push, push, push
It wasn't an easy climb up to the high vantage point but on the other hand I got to stop and take photographs - which helped just enough! With a bit of a breather under my belt I felt a lot happier and proceeded to drift to the front and lift the pace alongside Daniel. To be honest I'm a bit fed up with not being altogether fit and lagging behind and so, sometimes, I feel the need to thrash my argumentative body into submission however much it hurts; or maybe I was just inspired by this mysterious statue on top of the Palace:
Who is this winged being?
Whoever she is we skipped along the old railway line and into Highgate Woods at which point it sounded like the Arab Spring had come to North London! Half of us wanted to go right and half wanted to go left; both claiming their route to be the shortest. In the end the right-ists won out and a later check on MapMyRun shows that this direction was indeed the shortest by all of 130m! The irony is that if we had gone the whole way up Sheldon Avenue then we could have saved ourselves even more travel time but no one thought to say. Even so we took full advantage of the closed road by the Heath and finished tired but content.
This morning, cycling in, it was a little chilly thanks to the clear sky overnight; so much so that I had no hesitation switching to my winter coat and gloves. So when I headed out this lunchtime it was with a slight sense of trepidation - was I going to turn as blue as a boiler-shed chicken? And yet when I actually emerged into the sunshine I couldn't believe how fabulous it all felt; just great. Running through St James Park and the sunbathers of Green Park (where the summer deckchairs are still available) I couldn't believe my luck and inwardly congratulated myself at having made the effort to shake a leg.
Another Autumn for this mighty chestnut
Along the Serpentine I tried out another barefoot middle section, again, as a way to lift the tempo and with tape on my toes I certainly lasted longer than I have previously. However I'm going to need some stronger tape than this medical stuff from Superdrug since it still wore through on the tarmac; my experiment continues. Coming back on the horse-track sand I felt a bit more on my forefoot than I had earlier but I can't say that my form was all that great. Perhaps I'm just a bit tired from the week. Bring on the weekend!
It's turning into a bit of a routine this running-to-work on a Wednesday morning lark - although this morning was a little bit unusual. Given that I needed to be at my desk by 8:30am today, that it takes about an hour door-to-door and that I woke up at 7:35 well you do the math! In ten minutes flat I was up and out with no thought given to the wintry conditions outside; all I wanted to do was get my head down and try to maintain a stiff pace the whole way in.
A touch of frost?
Of course the only things that got stiff (quiet at the back) were my exposed limbs. It was just a little on the chilly side and I felt distinctly under-dressed what with everyone else I saw kitted up in gloves, mufflers and woolly hats. Still I was rather incentivised to keep padding through the lightly frosted grass (which looked very pretty in the low morning light) and to power through the pedestrians blocking my path in Kentish Town and beyond.
Happily I managed to keep my pace high, despite a few aches and pains springing up, and avoid stopping too much for the traffic. On foot I guess I become one of those suicidal London pedestrians who insists on slicing through slow-moving traffic jams rather than wait for the lights to change. How naughty but at least in this civilised country we don't have cops that molest jaywalkers! Let's hope that this is one law that we don't import from America - it would really hold up my running for a start.
Wow how quickly these weeks pass by; it seems like no time at all since I was drilling and screwing to my heart's content and yet already it's plumbing time. This week our agenda was all about avoiding those irritating, expensive bills that seem to come due every time the plumber pops round no matter how trivial the job. So if just a few of these painful interactions can be avoided then the course will have paid for itself.
First up then was taps and the dripping washer syndrome - does anything symbolise modern man's incompetence more succinctly? That little drip-drip is literally water torture and yet all it takes is a screwdriver, a wrench and a smattering of time to put the problem to bed. The only question is whether you'll be replacing a washer (cheap) or a cartridge (expensive) and you can bet that it'll be the latter - why would the tap companies want it any other way?
After this we turned our attention below the sink to the U-bend (or bottle trap) - source of smells, spills and bellyaches. Like so many things in life this vital part of the plumbing is simpler than it appears but the real secret to a well-tempered trap is prevention; in this case that means pouring some bicarbonate of soda and plain vinegar into your plug every so often and leaving it to work its cleaning magic. As a matter of fact vinegar (and half a lemon) turns out to be multi-talented; it'll clean limescale from your kettle and shower, it'll freshen up your dishwasher and you can even use it to make your windows sparkle like they're a game-show host.
To finish off we dealt with an old favourite - the seal around your bath and what to do when it starts going black with mold. Now it turns out that this isn't just unsightly but that the mold also creates microscopic holes in the sealant through which water leaks; so that's why the ceiling below your bathroom is always falling down! Sadly it's not all that easy to remove silicone sealant by hand but with a plastic tool, a Stanley knife and some elbow grease it's possible to lift it up and prepare a clean, non-greasy surface for your new silicone. Applying it smoothly is a bit of a life-skill but with masking tape limiting the spread and a small amount of dilute washing-up liquid (to lubricate your smoothing tool/finger) the results can look impressively professional. And a lot easier on the bank balance!
It's finally arrived - my trophy/medal for winning the Summer 10K Series in Regents Park (in the V40 category of course - I'm not that much of a racing snake sadly). I'm really pretty happy with this result as it's been a real up and down year so far as running goes and it's nice to be rewarded for my pain, persistence and positive mental attitude! Unlike most races the series isn't just about raw speed and crossing the line with your arms above your head either - it's much more about sticking with it month after month, being consistent and playing the long game. So in many ways it really suits me!
I'll give this pride of place on my, um, trophy shelf!
On the other hand it's not as if I was handed this medal on a plate! I did come in as top V40 twice and made it onto the podium another three times; so out of the six races I think that I held my own. The other sweet thing is that I won £50 in Runners Need vouchers (which will come in super handy when it comes to some new winter running gear) and free entry to the series next year! Amazing! I really don't win all that much and so I'm definitely planning on milking this for all of the quiet satisfaction that I can....
Back in January (which seems like an awful long time ago) Joshua went down to RichMix in Shoreditch and created this cute little animation. I though that it might be the start of something new for him, since he does love to watch Lego films on YouTube, but not so much has happened in the intervening period. However today Lenore took him back to the Kid's Film Workshop (along with a little friend) while I stayed behind to cook our roast dinner. Domestic life you know! And this is what they came up with:
On the whole I'm pretty impressed (although I am contractually obligated as a parent to take this line) and it looks like they had a lot of fun. Certainly I can see that Joshua had a hand in this, quite literally, and he doesn't seem shy about speaking up either! Maybe there could have been more of a twist in the tale but then what do you expect from a bunch of 8-year olds? War and Peace related in sixty seconds? Anyway we'll see if this triggers a desire to be the next Spielberg in young Joshua; stay tuned!
Yesterday Mike was in the same boat as me (returning from injury and suffering for this troubles) but we both agreed that we'd be out on this fine Sunday morning for more of the same. Unfortunately, for reasons as yet unknown, Mike didn't make it and so that left me and Daniel and Amanda standing by the side of the road - waiting! Leaderless we hung on but eventually the awful truth could no longer be ignored; one of us would have to take up the reins and conjure an adhoc route for our running pleasure. So I thought fast and figured that if we began by heading north, directly away from the Heath, then something would come to mind.
As it happened by the time we had wiggled our way through the posh side of the Hampstead Garden Suburb, and reached Big Wood, a plan had begun to coalesce in my cortex. We could head over to the Dollis Valley and kill several birds with one decision - the path would be green and quiet, we'd be avoiding the main roads and it'd give us a chance to run a reasonable distance at an unbroken pace. The only question mark had to be when would we turn round and head for home? In my mind I figured that we could probably make it to the viaduct and then turn back through North Finchley - but this was a very fluid plan subject to circumstance.
Early on a winter's morning
Which was lucky as we ticked over the forty minute mark while we jogged along the bottom of Church End and so I made the executive decision that we should immediately break off from the path - not that there was much discussion or even talking of any sort going on! This turned out to be somewhat inspired as this diversion led directly uphill, past North Finchley and on to Avenue House with no deviation. From here it was a simple matter to join East End Road and then loop down towards Winnington Road - taking care to actually avoid the bulk of its ascent by cutting through the Heath extension.
By the end all three of us felt like we'd put in a properly solid run - almost 15km at a steady pace - which wasn't quite what we'd expected when we'd turned up over an hour earlier. What pleases me most though is the fact that I managed to come up with an off-the-cuff route that was a pleasure almost from start to finish and that we hadn't had to travel a silly distance in order for it all to hang together. I can see us doing this one again - hopefully next time Mike will join us though rather than being left to experience it second-hand!
Today marked my first run back with the school after an absence of a month. Coming close behind my lengthy sabbatical over the summer it's clear that I've been remiss with my commitments! I am a very naughty boy and should be punished! In a way though I was as this morning's performance was sub-par even by my recent standards and that's a bit depressing. Also it's not as if I can blame this decline on anyone else (well apart from whoever infected me with a cold virus) and I suppose that I'll just have to get on with it.
Hey - where are you going?
Anyway the weather remains warm and sunny although at the start of our run the mist had yet to lift from the grasslands of Hampstead Heath. Delightful to gaze at with the rays of the low sun piercing through the fog, and casting long shadows from the bare tree branches, but a tad chilly on the bones. Maybe this visual feast was why Ira decided to lead us in ever decreasing circles on the Heath paths:
Round and round like hamsters in their wheel
Now I've got nothing against this fabulous urban oasis - in fact I love living nearby - but there's only so much that I can take without losing my grip on reality. So it was quite a relief when we stopped bouncing around Gospel Oak and definitively struck north (although it did provide me with a chance to fall into step with Keith, a work colleague, when I bumped into him unexpectedly - it's always a bit disconcerting to stumble across someone you know in a totally different context). That was a bit of a high point I'm afraid although the novel diversion across Kenwood, on the final leg, was worth the effort; a bit of a curate's egg overall though.
With my DIY class taking up yesterday evening this morning I had to run to work - and I was definitely in two minds about doing so. For a start I was running late, and close to running out of time, and didn't feel all that hot. On the other hand my running kit was to hand and I really don't like to tube-it unless I have to (since it could rain tomorrow and I'd really start to miss my exercise this week). So the decision was made and I kicked off for the Heath with a bit of a hope that I might achieve a repeat of last week and start to feel stronger the further I went.
Looks promising doesn't it?
The funny thing is that if I look back at my splits then that seems to be exactly how it panned out this morning and yet nothing could be further from the truth. Instead I felt reasonable up to about the 5-mile mark (not too special but comfortable enough) but beyond this I couldn't help feeling that this run was almost exactly 15-minutes too long! I was sweating like a Trojan, my legs hurt like I'd completed a marathon at the weekend and I wanted to be anywhere but here. It was no fun and the last couple of miles were a real slog even if I did speed up a bit - just because I dearly wanted it all to be over. Sometimes these are the cards that we're dealt; hopefully my next hand will be more of a keeper!
With Steve Jobs dying the other day it was interesting (unnerving?) to witness such an outpouring of public grief over someone who was, essentially, just a very successful businessman - but then I'm not an Apple fan-boy and so maybe I just don't understand? What did make an impression on me though was his commencement address at Stanford University where he talks about following your gut and doing the things in life that you love. Is it that simple? I don't know. Obviously with Steve Jobs we have a very biased sample of one, and perhaps for most people following your gut just leads to a bigger gut, but I get what he's driving at - especially the point about how we only get a limited amount of life and it shouldn't be wasted following someone else's dream.
As is often the case with the internet I then got side-tracked and wound up at a site called The Last Lecture. Now many professors give a final lecture (technically all must if we're being pedantic) but it seems that Randy Pausch's was something special and having watched all 75 minutes of it I would tend to agree. His basic thesis is that we should take our childhood dreams and strive to meet them (in one way or another) since they are the truest mark of who we are. It's a convincing argument made more effective by the fact that Randy really did live out his dreams (or the ones that he's told us about anyway) and he seems pretty chipper for a man with less than a year to live. Judge for yourself:
The obvious question then is what childhood dreams did I have and have I lived them out? That's a tough one. I'm not sure that I really pondered all that deeply as a child and rarely wanted to be 'something' like a football player or an astronaut; I was happy (or unhappy) enough being myself without wanting to be someone else. However I did have real, consuming interests and those were pretty close to being dreams I think; stuff like this:
Ride my bike and win the Tour de France
Study the stars and love astronomy
Learn everything and become a Doctor
So how did it work out? Well I did ride my bike a lot, even across America and Europe, but I was never going to be a professional I think. Even so I've done a lot as an amateur athlete; running marathons, completing an Ironman and even competing in the 70.3 World Championships. Not so bad. Also I did get to study the universe and it was great; I loved doing my first degree and while it might not have had great career potential it was exactly what I wanted to do at the time. In fact I even carried it onto my second degree and while the scales did fall from my eyes a bit I stuck with the program and became the PhD graduate that I'd always wanted to be.
A pretty solid record then but I can't help wondering what childhood dreams I've forgotten. What did I want to do, apart from own Computer Battleships, that defines me and yet has long since faded from memory (or been overwhelmed by the present anyway)? Answers on a postcard please. Also, coming back to Steve Jobs, am I following my heart and doing what I love? In short the answer is no. Don't get me wrong; I'm very happy with my life and how it's panning out but there remains that niggle at the back of my mind. Once upon a time I loved to do astrophysics, and that's what I did, but then I fell out of love with research (although not the subject) - my problem is that I haven't fallen in love with another subject/job/career/destiny since then and I kind of miss the certainty.
Maybe I'll just buy the book and take it from there? Wish me luck!
Despite feeling singularly rubbish I was determined to make this week's session because well, you know, I've never been one to skip my coursework! So I wandered over and found no one there - or so it seemed - and suffered a brief moment of discombobulation. But then, luckily, our teacher appeared from an inner office and we got to chat about DIY until everyone else arrived; or almost everyone. Even at this early stage we have a couple of drop-outs.
So this week we got onto screws, drills, wall-fixings and everything in-between. This is quite handy as while I've drilled my fair share of holes they have all been fairly middle of the road - I haven't ventured into the arcane arts of hollow walls, tiles and suchlike. Hence there was enough for me to learn this evening! First though we went over the history of screws, how they've evolved and what you can do with them. So we have slots, cross-heads, Phillips and, of course, the Pozidriv; who'd have thought that they all have specific pros and cons that govern what you can do with them? Mostly I just reach for the nearest screwdriver and a screw of roughly the right dimensions!
You've got to love these restrained Victorian adverts!
After this we wanted to find a use for these screws and how better than to drill a few holes in wood or brick? Well you don't need to drill into wood, of course, because the screw will do all of the work (especially if it's of the TurboUltra variety - these babies go through timber like it's warm butter). Otherwise you're looking at employing some sort of wall plug (or matchsticks if you're old school) and what was new to me is just how secure the hollow-wall plugs are; whack some of these in for your batten, or even a telly, and they'll be as good as gold!
The neat thing about covering all of this stuff on a course is that you can bash away to your heart's content and make lots of mistakes - just to see what happens - before doing things the right way. For example this evening I learnt that while you can quite happily attach things to the studs in your hollow wall you shouldn't actually drill into the stud itself - since it's wood and the screw will dig right in without a plug - but that if you do you can always pack out the hole with bamboo skewers. The job's a good 'un! Also if you're drilling into tiles then your very first task is to buy a new drill-bit and plenty of masking tape; otherwise you're just asking for trouble! I almost can't wait to get the drill out for real now but first I just need a few tools.....
A few weeks ago there I was standing in a cycle shop gazing idly at the bike porn on display (it's all legal you know) when some fancy, new LED lights caught my eye. Now I know that I hardly want for lights what with my Lupine Wilma on the front and two Smart 1/2 Watt tail-lights at the back but the eye does wander! To cut a long story short I found myself quite taken with a couple of what looked like cold-cathode tubes or something similar; the sort of thing that you could strap to your frame for extra side visibility.
However I promptly forgot about them until I stumbled across the SpokeLit from NightIze. What a great idea and at the right price too; all you need to do is strap them to your spokes and you've instantly created the potential for a highly visible ring of light (if you're going fast enough that is).
Clever design makes them secure - so far!
With a bit of searching I found them for sale at the Glow Company and figured that the green ones would be unusual enough to catch people's attention (although I was tempted by the disco version) and could barely wait for a dark night to try them out. Like tonight for example! Late out of work I had both spoke lights lit from the start and, anecdotally at least, it seems that motorists and pedestrians really do pay attention to the little things. Actually it's all that I can do to stop myself getting hypnotised by their up-and-down bobbing! To give you an idea of how they look in action here's one out of the many SpokeLit videos on YouTube:
Not bad I think? The worst part of it is that I've become a bit addicted to the Glow Company's website! I mean these guys are selling a glow-in-the-dark toilet seat and how cool is that? It's a serious temptation I can tell you and if I'm not careful I'll end up with a house that looks like Chernobyl on steroids!
Today we had all sorts of family plans lined up - go to the Apple Day at Copped Hall, maybe put in a bit of pick-your-own time at Parkside Farm or just get the kids out on their bikes. In the end though none of these ideas came to fruition; instead we braved the Edmonton Ikea to get a simple desk and chair for Joshua. Yeah we're really pushing the boat out there aren't we?
That said we did take a look at the A to Z and decide that maybe a trip out to Epping Forest would be rather nice given that the sun had come out for the late afternoon. However rather than head north to the main forest we decided to turn south and investigate the corridor of green that pushes south into the great metropolis; more by luck than judgement then we ended up at Leyton Flats. Doesn't sound too inspiring does it and certainly there was some evidence of, shall we say, 'nocturnal activity' scattered around - and by that I don't mean foxes. Nevertheless the kids loved the untamed, rolling and wooded nature of the ex-gravel pits and they liked it even more when they spotted Hollow Pond:
Edwardian country living?
Sure it doesn't look exactly like this a hundred years on but it's surprising just how recognisable this picture is down to the little boat-house and the boats themselves. With one look at the water Joshua was off and paddling (what a little duck he is!) with Christina just a few steps behind. Luckily for us the kiosk was still open and so we availed ourselves of some life-jackets and set off for a romantic float around the lake. Almost against expectations we were immediately transported from our busy, urban surroundings and taken to a place with a slower pace (for an hour at least).
Looking out over the lake it just isn't like you're in London
As it happens an hour was about right as it left just enough time for a stroll around the lake picking up acorns and playing with friendly dogs - there were plenty of both - before getting ever so slightly lost. Not that you can ever get properly lost in London; it's hardly the Yorkshire moors is it? So there was no need to panic that we wouldn't make it back to the car before dark!
