The easy & friendly way

Yesterday, I was out in the dark running a mile as fast as I could. Today I ran in the gorgeous sunshine, supporting three relatively new runners with a gentle jog, followed by some jog/walking.

Both very different experiences but I loved both.

I hope I didn't torture my beginners group too much, as we were supposed to run for fifteen minutes and then jog/walk for the rest of the three-mile route.

I'm afraid to say I got so involved in chatting that I kept them running for nineteen and a half minutes before I realised that we were supposed to stop for a walk.

It's so great to see people stretching beyond their comfort zones towards their true potential.

All three of the runners I was with this morning said that they enjoyed running with others and that they didn't think they'd be able to keep up the running if they weren't doing it with a group who all supported each other.

Striving for your potential doesn't have to be hard, and it is also often far more effective when you've got others supporting you.

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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.

Talking to myself

Yesteray I ran 10km for the first time in many months, probably six. It wasn't easy and yet it was also really enjoyable.

There is nothing like pushing myself, stretching myself (no, not that type of stretching - I'm terrible at doing that), challenging myself, with the wind in my hair, the sun on my face and body, and the sound of birdsong in my ears (as well as my own breathing and the occasional traffic noise when I venture near roads).

I also talk to myself out loud when I run. It could be the first, or possibly more advanced, sign of madness, but is a leftover from pre-iPhone times when I used to run with my mobile phone strapped to my arm, connected by earphones, recording my thoughts and ideas.

Note to self - I really should find a device that allows me to strap my iPhone to my arm so I don't look quite as demented when I'm out running in public.

100 days, 173 miles, 33 hours

100 days, 173 miles and 33 hours is my tally following this morning's glorious sunny run.

Our first breakfast of the year sitting out in the sunshine in the back garden and also the first time my shorts have seen the light of day this year.

I enjoyed my day living in happy valley yesterday and being a beacon. Today's intention is to be kind wherever possible and to start really trying out positive affirmations.

Ordered 4 books on Amazon yesterday with some birthday vouchers, so I'm quite excited about receiving them in the next week or three, and yes, one of them is about running.

I've got a crazy hair-brained idea at the moment - I wonder if I could run the Beachy Head marathon barefoot? I might have to let that one simmer for a few days.

Happy beacons

Day 99. Went out much later, and on my own, this morning after my early business breakfast club.

I ran past Happy Valley and the Beacon, which got me thinking.

What would it be like to live in Happy Valley? I know for certain that the sun doesn't always shine there.

What an inspiring thing a beacon is, showing people the way, lighting their path!

Maybe that's why I find running uplifting?

So, my intention for today is to be a beacon for others and to spend my day in my own hypothetical happy valley. What fun I hope I'm going to have.

Everyone is built for running

Great weekend with lots of great family connecting, a very early run (6.15 on Saturday morning), a beautiful sunny and pretty warm one (Sunday at 8.40), and a sunny and not quite as warm one this morning, but still gorgeous.

I believe I'm at day 74 now, and I can happily say that all is well.

2 great quotes from "Born To Run" today. "Everyone is built for running", and "You don't stop running because you get old... You get old because you stop running."

I agree with the philosophies expressed in both of these quotes but I also realise that some may not agree with me.

Just got to the bit in "A Little Run Around the World" where Rosie is leaving Siberia for Alaska after almost 2 years running and some incredible experiences.

Day 67 - and all's well

Nothing much to report today.

Another sunny morning. Another very cold morning. Spring can't be that far over the horizon now, surely?

My right heel is very slightly sore today. Nothing to worry about but something just to observe.

I'm wondering how long I'll have to wait to try some barefoot running, although I will definitely have to adjust the route to go completely barefoot. All my current favourite routes involve some quite rocky, uneven and stony parts.

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!

An eventful few hours

Is it my imagination or is it getting a little bit colder each morning? No frost, no sun but quite a chill wind when we hit the streets at 7.15.

An eventful night and morning in the Barclay Phillips household. Nicky woke me at 1.30 a.m. to say that she could hear water leaking under our bathroom, so I had to shut off the mains water and make sure the heating didn't come on in the morning.

This morning, after we ripped up the flooring I was under the hall and bathroom, amongst the rubble, identifying leaks and strategically placing buckets while we wait for the plumber.

At least we know that we can have the heat on now, even when our water is shut off.

I did wonder when I wrote that life was good yesterday whether I was tempting fate. But then again, life is always about challenges. It's a bit like a steeplechase, one of those ones with water jumps as well as hurdles.

Oh yes, I've just remembered that I slipped and fell down our spiral staircase leading down to the kitchen when I got up to make tea this morning. I sliced open a small bit at the end of my little toe on my right foot, but at least I didn't break it, like I did in 2004 when it stuck out at 45 degrees.

And now, as I write this, the sun comes out.

Life is still good!

Run to be healthy

“Humans really are obligatorily required to do aerobic exercise in order to stay healthy, and I think that has deep roots in our evolutionary history… If there’s any magic bullet to make human beings healthy, it’s to run.” So says Dr. Daniel Lieberman, a professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University.

Well that's reassuring. He probably doesn't mean just a mile, but hey it's a start, and I have run 61 of them. Actually, according to my running log I've run just over 98 miles since the start of the year. It doesn't sound too bad like that, I think.

An absolutely stunningly beautiful sunny morning this morning, even colder than yesterday but without the ice underfoot. I have to say that there is no comparison between warmer and wet, and cold and sunny. Give me beauty every time.

Another thing I love about running, especially when you get away from traffic, is the feeling of space. I'm still getting that feeling now, sitting at my desk looking out over our back garden, over the tops of trees to a huge expanse of beautiful blue sky.

Everything feels right with the world.