Feeling a little tired today after eleven and a half hours of driving and delivering three quite challenging workshops in the last 36 hours.
Today, Nicky and I are celebrating sixteen years of being together with a nice lunch out.
Then it's building my strength up to run the Tunbridge Wells Half-Marathon on Sunday.
Oh yes, and I also ran two gentle miles this morning in daylight again. Very nice.
Showing posts with label Nicky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nicky. Show all posts
Friday, 25 February 2011
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
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Ran a really enjoyable 5K with Nicky this morning, before breakfast again. We managed to run in the only cloudy bit of the day, after the early morning glorious bright start and before it got even hotter when the sun intensified.
Did you know it is National Running Day in America today?
One of my thoughts I had today was to encourage those of you who are following the Run a mile each day Facebook page to post photos of sights you come across on your daily runs.
I guess I should probably start the ball rolling.
Ran a really enjoyable 5K with Nicky this morning, before breakfast again. We managed to run in the only cloudy bit of the day, after the early morning glorious bright start and before it got even hotter when the sun intensified.
Did you know it is National Running Day in America today?
One of my thoughts I had today was to encourage those of you who are following the Run a mile each day Facebook page to post photos of sights you come across on your daily runs.
I guess I should probably start the ball rolling.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Rabbit in the headlights
I don't think I'm the only one who gets this occasionally because some of my clients have described something similar, but I was awake last night at 3.00 am with "night terrors", feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy. I can only describe it as feeling like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. It's really hard to get back to sleep when I get this.
I did finally get back to sleep but when I woke up this morning I used my two most trusted techniques for picking me up for the day. I spent a good twenty to thirty minutes with pen and notebook doing a complete brain dump of everything I was thinking and feeling in the night, what I was thinking and feeling then and how I was going to approach my day.
After my journalling I followed it up with running my mile with Nicky, followed by a couple of pacier miles on my own.
I now feel fired up, energised and inspired for the day ahead, even if it is still blowing and raining outside.
Oh, and that was day 90 by the way. 3 months completed!
I did finally get back to sleep but when I woke up this morning I used my two most trusted techniques for picking me up for the day. I spent a good twenty to thirty minutes with pen and notebook doing a complete brain dump of everything I was thinking and feeling in the night, what I was thinking and feeling then and how I was going to approach my day.
After my journalling I followed it up with running my mile with Nicky, followed by a couple of pacier miles on my own.
I now feel fired up, energised and inspired for the day ahead, even if it is still blowing and raining outside.
Oh, and that was day 90 by the way. 3 months completed!
Thursday, 25 March 2010
a machine built to run
Nicky is now on her last few days and then she will have completed her 40 days running a mile each day for Lent. She is wondering whether to keep it going after her 40 days.
I've now done 85 days, or 138 miles, or 26 hours of running. I'm looking forward to next Thursday when hopefully I will be starting month 4 of running a mile each day.
I'm beginning to get itchy feet again to increase my running or to commit to a new challenge. It occurred to me that the marathons that I have run in the past all seem to have been triggers for other significant events opening up in my life. Once that thought entered my head it feels like I may be on a slippery slope.
The title I thought of for today's post comes from yet another quote from Christopher McDougall's "Born To Run". The full quote goes something like, "we're a machine built to run - and the machine never wears out. You don't stop running because you get old... you get old because you stop running."
Interesting!
I've now done 85 days, or 138 miles, or 26 hours of running. I'm looking forward to next Thursday when hopefully I will be starting month 4 of running a mile each day.
I'm beginning to get itchy feet again to increase my running or to commit to a new challenge. It occurred to me that the marathons that I have run in the past all seem to have been triggers for other significant events opening up in my life. Once that thought entered my head it feels like I may be on a slippery slope.
The title I thought of for today's post comes from yet another quote from Christopher McDougall's "Born To Run". The full quote goes something like, "we're a machine built to run - and the machine never wears out. You don't stop running because you get old... you get old because you stop running."
Interesting!
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Riding a bike in the drizzle
I added just over two extra miles to Nicky's and my "mile and a bit" again, which gave me a total of three and a half miles this morning.
Got out on my bike, to get to and from a client appointment, for about four miles after a misunderstanding about who needed the car. I really enjoyed it even though it started drizzling pretty much as soon as I left home. Putting aside all environmental arguments, I prefer being on the bike than in the car apart from in extreme weather conditions.
Got out on my bike, to get to and from a client appointment, for about four miles after a misunderstanding about who needed the car. I really enjoyed it even though it started drizzling pretty much as soon as I left home. Putting aside all environmental arguments, I prefer being on the bike than in the car apart from in extreme weather conditions.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
The spirit of the adventurer
It's day 79 today and Nicky and I ran just over 2 miles after our adopted cat woke us up early. Nicky has done brilliantly as today was day 31 of her 40 days running for Lent. That's the second time in the last week that we have extended our mile and a bit.
When I got my iPhone I downloaded a free application called Running Log, which I really like and its very simple. It allows me to enter my distance, which I get from my GPS device, the time I took and the time of day I ran. It takes seconds to enter.
I went back and entered all my runs since January 1st and it's great to see number of rest days zero, and also it's now saying total time running just over 24 hours, which feels quite a fun statistic. Although my little runs don't take that long, in total I have spent an entire day and night running. I like that.
We watched the last part of the Eddie Izzard documentary last night of his 43 marathons in 51 days. What a fantastic example of mind over matter and overcoming adversity he is in the way he dug so deep to finish that incredible challenge!
What made it even better last night was the bit where Rosie Swale Pope came out and ran a bit with him. I have almost finished reading her book "Just a Little Run Around the World" at the moment, which I can highly recommend.
Eddie and Rosie both really inspire me and are made from a similar mould. They both have a liberal sprinkling of grit, determination and an inability to accept the limitations that a "normal" person would. There's something of the historical British adventurer spirit going on there.
I wonder where that lies in me and how I access it?
When I got my iPhone I downloaded a free application called Running Log, which I really like and its very simple. It allows me to enter my distance, which I get from my GPS device, the time I took and the time of day I ran. It takes seconds to enter.
I went back and entered all my runs since January 1st and it's great to see number of rest days zero, and also it's now saying total time running just over 24 hours, which feels quite a fun statistic. Although my little runs don't take that long, in total I have spent an entire day and night running. I like that.
We watched the last part of the Eddie Izzard documentary last night of his 43 marathons in 51 days. What a fantastic example of mind over matter and overcoming adversity he is in the way he dug so deep to finish that incredible challenge!
What made it even better last night was the bit where Rosie Swale Pope came out and ran a bit with him. I have almost finished reading her book "Just a Little Run Around the World" at the moment, which I can highly recommend.
Eddie and Rosie both really inspire me and are made from a similar mould. They both have a liberal sprinkling of grit, determination and an inability to accept the limitations that a "normal" person would. There's something of the historical British adventurer spirit going on there.
I wonder where that lies in me and how I access it?
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Not a lot to report
Day 77 and not a lot to report. Nicky and I extended our usual daily circuit today making it a 1.75 mile route.
Ticked off, or at least passed the baton on, 12 tasks from my to do list today, although I did scribble down a list of some 26 items this morning. I knew I would never complete all 26, so 12 is pretty good, I feel.
A trip to London tomorrow, which should be fun.
Ticked off, or at least passed the baton on, 12 tasks from my to do list today, although I did scribble down a list of some 26 items this morning. I knew I would never complete all 26, so 12 is pretty good, I feel.
A trip to London tomorrow, which should be fun.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
New Facebook page
After struggling a little working out how to do it, I eventually managed to get a new Facebook page up - "Run a mile each day".
Completed day 75 of a mile each day this morning.
When the weather's like this sometimes it seems a shame to go so early and miss the warmth of the sun, but it does work so well to get the day off to a great start. Running later would somehow be trickier in helping the rest of the day flow.
Another couple of quotes from "Born To Run" - "Nearly all runners do their slow runs too fast and their fast runs too slow... So they're just training their bodies to burn sugar, which is the last thing a distance runner wants."
The second quote is "The way to activate your fat-burning furnace is by staying below your aerobic threshold - your hard-breathing point..."
So that seems to confirm that my running with Nicky, below my aerobic threshold, is actually good for me. Not that I would consider myself a distance runner at this point in time!
Completed day 75 of a mile each day this morning.
When the weather's like this sometimes it seems a shame to go so early and miss the warmth of the sun, but it does work so well to get the day off to a great start. Running later would somehow be trickier in helping the rest of the day flow.
Another couple of quotes from "Born To Run" - "Nearly all runners do their slow runs too fast and their fast runs too slow... So they're just training their bodies to burn sugar, which is the last thing a distance runner wants."
The second quote is "The way to activate your fat-burning furnace is by staying below your aerobic threshold - your hard-breathing point..."
So that seems to confirm that my running with Nicky, below my aerobic threshold, is actually good for me. Not that I would consider myself a distance runner at this point in time!
Thursday, 11 March 2010
The best day of my life
I heard the story of a football manager (don't know his name) who started each day by saying "today is the best day of my life". Apparently the story was told by this manager's chairman, who went on to say that everyone loved this guy because he was so positive and so uplifting to be around. He was always open to new possibilities and opportunities.
I thought of this story and quote in the shower this morning and decided to take on the intention that today is the best day of my life.
I've run my mile, with Nicky, which was my 70th consecutive day of running and Im just preparing to go up to London to meet a couple of friends, who are ex clients and ex colleagues respectively.
I'm intrigued to know what the day might bring and know that it is completely up to me to be open to it being the best day of my life.
I thought of this story and quote in the shower this morning and decided to take on the intention that today is the best day of my life.
I've run my mile, with Nicky, which was my 70th consecutive day of running and Im just preparing to go up to London to meet a couple of friends, who are ex clients and ex colleagues respectively.
I'm intrigued to know what the day might bring and know that it is completely up to me to be open to it being the best day of my life.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Day 66 - another extra mile
Although I didn't post to my blog yesterday, I did still run my mile.
Today I ran a mile with Nicky and then did an extra couple myself, so I completed just over three and a half in total, my highest for a good couple of months.
Another absolutely gorgeous morning, cold but glorious. There was a bird in our back garden, just as I was waiting for my GPS device to find a signal, doing the most beautiful singing. It really did lift both our spirits even higher than they were.
Very pleased that we knuckled down yesterday morning and cleared most of the rubble from under our floor to allow it to dry. Three sorties to the tip then followed, and then a warm glow of satisfaction from a job well done.
My Rosie Swale Pope book arrived from Amazon yesterday and I've already read the first two chapters. What an amazing, inspiring and yet ordinary (I guess that's where extra- ordinary comes from) woman she is.
I'm dumbfounded as to how little publicity she received for such an incredible feat!
Today I ran a mile with Nicky and then did an extra couple myself, so I completed just over three and a half in total, my highest for a good couple of months.
Another absolutely gorgeous morning, cold but glorious. There was a bird in our back garden, just as I was waiting for my GPS device to find a signal, doing the most beautiful singing. It really did lift both our spirits even higher than they were.
Very pleased that we knuckled down yesterday morning and cleared most of the rubble from under our floor to allow it to dry. Three sorties to the tip then followed, and then a warm glow of satisfaction from a job well done.
My Rosie Swale Pope book arrived from Amazon yesterday and I've already read the first two chapters. What an amazing, inspiring and yet ordinary (I guess that's where extra- ordinary comes from) woman she is.
I'm dumbfounded as to how little publicity she received for such an incredible feat!
Saturday, 27 February 2010
About beasts, running and life
Ah, Saturday morning means weekend, means getting up a little later.
I still haven't pushed myself beyond the one mile yet, the weather is not enticing enough or there's too much to do. I have any number of reasons, but the truth is I'm not inspired enough yet to do it.
I still haven't pushed myself beyond the one mile yet, the weather is not enticing enough or there's too much to do. I have any number of reasons, but the truth is I'm not inspired enough yet to do it.
Since finishing Born To Run, I can't get inspired either by the novel I'm reading, so I've ordered Rosie Swale Pope's book about running round the world solo. I'm looking forward to receiving that some time next week.
Do you reckon I might have tendencies that could be bordering on the obsessive (Nicky you don't need to comment on this one) at times? It does seem that when I get enthusiastic about an idea, it percolates everything I do. Maybe that's just what being passionate is?
I do tend to see running, and my experiences when I'm running, as a fantastic metaphor for life as a whole. For example, the following quote from Born To Run (for a change):
“You can’t hate the Beast and expect to beat it; the only way to truly conquer something, as every great philosopher and geneticist will tell you, is to love it.”
That's just so relevant to any aspect of life. Along the lines of "what you resist, persists", and that you can only change a situation once you accept that it is as it is, and then choose to change it.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Day 52 - fun and play
Wet and cold today. I do love this country and our variety of weather, quite often all in the same day.
This is the 4th day that I've run with Nicky on her "Run for Lent" initiative. For me running is not about competition, it is about fun and connection. When running with someone else, it is a great opportunity to share and connect, and when I run on my own it is an opportunity to connect with myself and with nature.
Sounds a bit "woo woo" I know, but running is the closest I've ever got to a meditative state. Most of my best creative ideas come to me when I'm running, particularly when it's just me and nature.
But the key for me is running should be about joy, fun and inspiration. When I get to pain, suffering and struggle, I know that I'm doing it wrong.
This is the 4th day that I've run with Nicky on her "Run for Lent" initiative. For me running is not about competition, it is about fun and connection. When running with someone else, it is a great opportunity to share and connect, and when I run on my own it is an opportunity to connect with myself and with nature.
Sounds a bit "woo woo" I know, but running is the closest I've ever got to a meditative state. Most of my best creative ideas come to me when I'm running, particularly when it's just me and nature.
But the key for me is running should be about joy, fun and inspiration. When I get to pain, suffering and struggle, I know that I'm doing it wrong.
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