I found out yesterday that a friend was pregnant, which obviously I would normally be very happy about. However finding out that they did not really want it and that the mother to be, is still happy drinking, then I do not think they really deserve the pleasure of being parents.
Its amazing what I would do for my Little Man and he is not even with us. Yesterday for example, I ran 4 miles with the snow/ice on the ground just to get to the Crematorium to see Mo’s grave (as I really was missing him) and then another 6 miles home. I was happy to risk injury just to do this.
I found yesterday really hard, seeing lots of people bringing their children in to work in London, knowing that I will never be able to do that with Mo. I was trying to stop myself crying whilst running and then I cried for the first time in ages at the Crem.
I know it would have been our first Christmas as a “family” and that we are going to miss the Little Man like mad this year but it just makes me mad when you hear about other people not wanting the child they are going to have.
Anyway rant over, it is nearly Christmas and in a few hours Ill have finished work for the year! Roll on 2010!
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Target Done! Tues 22 Dec 09
Finally my target of £4k has been done! HOORAY! And there is still 124 days to the race!
Thank you ever so much everybody. But this does not mean that any further monies will not be appreciated!
It has been a very tough year but it does make me feel a little bit better that I have done really well with the MASSIVE amount of sponsorship money and all I now need to do is run the race! Oh and the little matter of probably 600 training miles between now and the race!
This morning I had the nicest run of the year, 3 and a quarter miles in the snow. It was lovely and a brilliant way to run off what could have been a hangover!
Happy Christmas everyone
Thank you ever so much everybody. But this does not mean that any further monies will not be appreciated!
It has been a very tough year but it does make me feel a little bit better that I have done really well with the MASSIVE amount of sponsorship money and all I now need to do is run the race! Oh and the little matter of probably 600 training miles between now and the race!
This morning I had the nicest run of the year, 3 and a quarter miles in the snow. It was lovely and a brilliant way to run off what could have been a hangover!
Happy Christmas everyone
Monday, 14 December 2009
16k per hour half marathon - 14 Dec 09
Did a very tough (due to numerous long hills) half marathon yesterday and I was only 4 seconds off a PB.
After the ankle injury, holiday and a very enjoyable couple of months of food/drink I was very happy to do so well in the race. Which is a very good start of training for London next year.
At the end of the race I realised that my pace was 5.59 minute miles or 16k per hour. Just try that pace on a running machine next time you are at the gym and see how long you can do it for…….I did 13.1 miles or nearly 79 minutes!!
Happy Christmas jogging on these very cold days!
After the ankle injury, holiday and a very enjoyable couple of months of food/drink I was very happy to do so well in the race. Which is a very good start of training for London next year.
At the end of the race I realised that my pace was 5.59 minute miles or 16k per hour. Just try that pace on a running machine next time you are at the gym and see how long you can do it for…….I did 13.1 miles or nearly 79 minutes!!
Happy Christmas jogging on these very cold days!
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Marathon Training Update - 2 Dec 09
A few people have asked me over the last few days how the marathon training is going so I thought Id let you all know.
Actually pretty ok! This is what I have done over the last few days;
Saturday - did a 5 mile race in Milton Keynes. 10 seconds off a PB but a PB would have still meant that I would have lost to a girl!
Sunday - 13 mile training run
Monday - nearly a 2 mile swim, at my local swimming club
Tuesday - 9.25 miles of running with my running club.
Fingers crossed it keeps going ok with a very hilly half marathon on 13 Dec (Im seriously under-prepared for this race), a very hilly 10 mile race on 28 Dec and then a 10k race on New Years eve!
Actually pretty ok! This is what I have done over the last few days;
Saturday - did a 5 mile race in Milton Keynes. 10 seconds off a PB but a PB would have still meant that I would have lost to a girl!
Sunday - 13 mile training run
Monday - nearly a 2 mile swim, at my local swimming club
Tuesday - 9.25 miles of running with my running club.
Fingers crossed it keeps going ok with a very hilly half marathon on 13 Dec (Im seriously under-prepared for this race), a very hilly 10 mile race on 28 Dec and then a 10k race on New Years eve!
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
What a difference 48 hours makes - 17 Nov 2009
My last 2 runs, I thought Id compare them;
Kenya
Temperature – 31 degrees at 9pm at night (I ran at 5pm!)
Ran with – Kenyan guys Martin and William
Running Gear – trainers (my size 11s are now owned by Martin who has size 7.5 feet!), socks (now owned by William….perhaps if Martin had these he could roll them up at the end of his/my trainers!) and shorts (no tshirt, too hot!). No watch or wedding ring either (as I did not want me arm chopped off running round the streets of Mombasa)
Sweating – Broke into a sweat in the air conditioned room thinking about running outside
Thoughts – Tusker Beer (very nice indeed), wine and lots of all inclusive food
Dogs – the 1 dog I saw was more scared of me than I was of him (yes I did say that!)
Heating situation after – air conditioning on, to keep the hotel room cool
UK
Temperature – 13 degrees with wind chill at 3pm (but I hear the weather is better now than last week!)
Ran with – Liam, Noel and Mr Williams
Running Gear – new trainers, new socks, shorts/t-shirt, sunglasses (it was sunny for the 2 minutes before I went out and then within 10 minutes all the cars had their lights on!) and GLOVES (it looked colder than my previous run!)
Sweating – No chance, I could have gone out for the evening without needing a shower
Thoughts – Work tomorrow morning and the 8.30 meeting that has been planned for me in the morning
Dogs – 4, all of which tried to jump up at me!
Heating situation after – Vicki had the heating on….not happy!
It is good to be home!
Kenya
Temperature – 31 degrees at 9pm at night (I ran at 5pm!)
Ran with – Kenyan guys Martin and William
Running Gear – trainers (my size 11s are now owned by Martin who has size 7.5 feet!), socks (now owned by William….perhaps if Martin had these he could roll them up at the end of his/my trainers!) and shorts (no tshirt, too hot!). No watch or wedding ring either (as I did not want me arm chopped off running round the streets of Mombasa)
Sweating – Broke into a sweat in the air conditioned room thinking about running outside
Thoughts – Tusker Beer (very nice indeed), wine and lots of all inclusive food
Dogs – the 1 dog I saw was more scared of me than I was of him (yes I did say that!)
Heating situation after – air conditioning on, to keep the hotel room cool
UK
Temperature – 13 degrees with wind chill at 3pm (but I hear the weather is better now than last week!)
Ran with – Liam, Noel and Mr Williams
Running Gear – new trainers, new socks, shorts/t-shirt, sunglasses (it was sunny for the 2 minutes before I went out and then within 10 minutes all the cars had their lights on!) and GLOVES (it looked colder than my previous run!)
Sweating – No chance, I could have gone out for the evening without needing a shower
Thoughts – Work tomorrow morning and the 8.30 meeting that has been planned for me in the morning
Dogs – 4, all of which tried to jump up at me!
Heating situation after – Vicki had the heating on….not happy!
It is good to be home!
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Kenyan Training - 12 Nov 2009
Jambo,
I am currently away on holiday in Kenya but just wanted to say thank you all for the continued sponsorship. It is doing really so well and I can not thank you enough.
So 2 parts of this has to be my about my fitness and the holiday, as the internet connection here is so slow I wont have time to put much down!
Firstly the holiday is great. Its baking hot, we had a great 4 days on safari (saw 4 of the big 5 in the first 2 hours but missed out on a rhino!) and now we are chilling (is it possible when its 32 degrees in the shade with no wind) at the hotel.
Fitness wise, I listened to my friend Matt (ex physio for Derbyshire Cricket Club) and I did not run for 3 weeks (which was really hard to do). I did a bit of swimming firstly here then decided to give running on the beach a go (getting hounded by people trying to sell cheap local goods or trying to sell you a dodgy safari), before heading off to safari. At one of the lodges on safari I went on the worst running machine however it had the best view of a watering hole but the machine kept slipping and the speed kept going down from the max of 16.1 km per hour to 12 – what use it that with fitness training!
Then when I got back to the hotel I thought Id try the beach again and after this a local guy said do I fancy going for a run around the streets of Mombasa instead! I said yes and I have now been out twice with 2 Kenyan guys, Matthew and William. It is a bit of fun (very very hot running for 40 minutes in this heat) and I guess they are just hoping for my running trainers or socks, which seem priceless to the locals here!
Anyway, Im off back sunbathing now before another 3 course meal and all inclusive drinks – hard life I know!
I am currently away on holiday in Kenya but just wanted to say thank you all for the continued sponsorship. It is doing really so well and I can not thank you enough.
So 2 parts of this has to be my about my fitness and the holiday, as the internet connection here is so slow I wont have time to put much down!
Firstly the holiday is great. Its baking hot, we had a great 4 days on safari (saw 4 of the big 5 in the first 2 hours but missed out on a rhino!) and now we are chilling (is it possible when its 32 degrees in the shade with no wind) at the hotel.
Fitness wise, I listened to my friend Matt (ex physio for Derbyshire Cricket Club) and I did not run for 3 weeks (which was really hard to do). I did a bit of swimming firstly here then decided to give running on the beach a go (getting hounded by people trying to sell cheap local goods or trying to sell you a dodgy safari), before heading off to safari. At one of the lodges on safari I went on the worst running machine however it had the best view of a watering hole but the machine kept slipping and the speed kept going down from the max of 16.1 km per hour to 12 – what use it that with fitness training!
Then when I got back to the hotel I thought Id try the beach again and after this a local guy said do I fancy going for a run around the streets of Mombasa instead! I said yes and I have now been out twice with 2 Kenyan guys, Matthew and William. It is a bit of fun (very very hot running for 40 minutes in this heat) and I guess they are just hoping for my running trainers or socks, which seem priceless to the locals here!
Anyway, Im off back sunbathing now before another 3 course meal and all inclusive drinks – hard life I know!
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Yes, the year can get worse - Fri 30th Oct
Just when we thought the year could not get any worse, it did on Friday. Vicki was made redundant! Unsure how a company can legally make somebody, who is very good at their job, redundant when they are on maternity leave however when a company goes into administration I guess all the rules go out of the window. Its great the government bails out banks however couldnt they do similar for a beer and wine company as we all need alcohol to keep us going.
Anybody got any jobs going for a very good HR Administrator??????
Ankle wise, it feels and I am told by a physio its getting better which is really good. Still no running so going to marshall (and get bloomin soacked) watching the Stevenage Half Marathon. I know being "slightly competitive" if I still had my number for the race, I would actually do it...........but probably ruin it for the long term! Just think of me when you see the rain on Sunday morning!!!!
Anybody got any jobs going for a very good HR Administrator??????
Ankle wise, it feels and I am told by a physio its getting better which is really good. Still no running so going to marshall (and get bloomin soacked) watching the Stevenage Half Marathon. I know being "slightly competitive" if I still had my number for the race, I would actually do it...........but probably ruin it for the long term! Just think of me when you see the rain on Sunday morning!!!!
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Curse of Number 1 - Thurs 29th Oct
After a couple of days in Spain (dont ever go to Benidorm!) and then two 1 hour cycling sessions on a cycling machine, I ventured back into the swimming pool this morning. However it was not just me at 5.58am this morning waiting outside the gym but Vicki TOO!
1 mile (30 minutes of swimming) later we were getting out of the pool thinking we had done good - however I am unsure if Vicki woke up at all during the swim due to the very early start for her!
No Stevenage half marathon for me this weekend. After injuring my ankle I gave my race number (number 1) to my running mate Andy and guess what he has done......injured his ankle! It seems like there is a curse to the number 1!
One final line about my sponsorship so far, it is awesome, nearly two thousand pounds in no time at all. Thank you all very very very much indeed if you have sponsored me already.
Adios
1 mile (30 minutes of swimming) later we were getting out of the pool thinking we had done good - however I am unsure if Vicki woke up at all during the swim due to the very early start for her!
No Stevenage half marathon for me this weekend. After injuring my ankle I gave my race number (number 1) to my running mate Andy and guess what he has done......injured his ankle! It seems like there is a curse to the number 1!
One final line about my sponsorship so far, it is awesome, nearly two thousand pounds in no time at all. Thank you all very very very much indeed if you have sponsored me already.
Adios
Friday, 23 October 2009
Bad News – Thurs 22nd October 2009
I spoke to a physio today and he has said my sprained ankle is actually quite bad. Which is bad news indeed.
However looking at what things have happened to us in the last few months, it is not the end of the world. I will try and turn it into a positive now and say its good news as Ill have to miss the Stevenage half marathon, it will give me 3 weeks rest (yes 3 weeks) and I wont have to worry about bringing my running trainers to Spain this weekend – which is very good news indeed as my lovely brother only gave me and Vicki 15kg between us to bring on our Ryanair flight!
Trying to be positive is not really working – I am gutted!
However looking at what things have happened to us in the last few months, it is not the end of the world. I will try and turn it into a positive now and say its good news as Ill have to miss the Stevenage half marathon, it will give me 3 weeks rest (yes 3 weeks) and I wont have to worry about bringing my running trainers to Spain this weekend – which is very good news indeed as my lovely brother only gave me and Vicki 15kg between us to bring on our Ryanair flight!
Trying to be positive is not really working – I am gutted!
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Mon 19th AND Tues 20th Oct 2009
Went to the gym before work (I am always sad enough to be waiting outside when the gym opens) and went swimming, very boring and all I wanted to do was run with a half marathon race in less than 2 weeks.
Unsure whether to do the race or not??
Unsure whether to do the race or not??
First day of no running - Sun 18th Oct 2009
My running mate (Andy Patterson) did a stonkingly brilliant marathon, with perfect splits (pace per mile) and he must be the happiest man alive after taking 16 minutes of his PB and doing 2.56 for the Abingdon marathon. Whatever Andy ate for breakfast his girlfriend (Lucy) obviously had too. She took a similar time off her PB too and managed to break 4 hours!
Brilliant achievement for you both, well done. Doubt Ill beat your time (Andy!) in London or in fact Lucy if my now very bruised ankle doesnt recover.
Finally made it to the Crem, in the day light and car! Far better than running in the dark and rain
Brilliant achievement for you both, well done. Doubt Ill beat your time (Andy!) in London or in fact Lucy if my now very bruised ankle doesnt recover.
Finally made it to the Crem, in the day light and car! Far better than running in the dark and rain
Marathon dreams over? Sat 17th Oct
I run out of my road and after 32 seconds (exactly) my running watch, was STOPPED! I had tried to go around the corner and whilst turning the corner on the grass, my ankle gave way on me. Had I sprained my ankle, twisted my ankle. I don’t know it hurt lots. Therefore I had to hobble and hop, the way home that took me 32 seconds on the way there seemed to take for ever.
The rest of Saturday involved Resting, Ice (well peas), Compressing, Elevating and drinking (technical term RICED). Followed by a great wedding reception for my sales support at work (Tanya).
Thank you for whoever paid for the free bar ALL night!
The rest of Saturday involved Resting, Ice (well peas), Compressing, Elevating and drinking (technical term RICED). Followed by a great wedding reception for my sales support at work (Tanya).
Thank you for whoever paid for the free bar ALL night!
First Day of training - Fri 16th October 2009
Today was my "first day" of training for the London Marathon. I feel a bit of a con saying its my first day of training as I have sort of been training for the 2010 race ever since I messed up (I was going to swear then but I am unsure whether I should swear in my 2nd line!) the 2009 Marathon (going too fast on a too hotter day).
However I set my alarm for 5am (busy at work) and left the house at 5.10 (mad I know) and started running. All is going well then I start thinking about, as I am running for Mo, perhaps my first run should be to see his grave at the Crematorium.....in the pitch dark and it was 6 miles away and raining!
I thought I was stupid then I thought if Mo was at the Crem on his own, then I should be man enough to go myself! After 3 miles I had my "1st stop". After getting to nearly 6 miles it was getting darker, the rain was getting harder and the wind started blowing. I started to think I was very stupid and what was I thinking about going to a Crematorium before 6am in the pitch dark. I turned the final half a mile and realised I was going down the darkest country road I have ever seen. So what do I do? Man or mouse? You have guessed it, mouse! I turned around and went in the other direction. Sorry mate I never made it there to see you. And I just kept going for another 6 miles, with "1 further stop"
Quick shower and off to work........to find out I have passed an industry exam (J05). Result, perhaps I am a real man rather than a mouse!
However I set my alarm for 5am (busy at work) and left the house at 5.10 (mad I know) and started running. All is going well then I start thinking about, as I am running for Mo, perhaps my first run should be to see his grave at the Crematorium.....in the pitch dark and it was 6 miles away and raining!
I thought I was stupid then I thought if Mo was at the Crem on his own, then I should be man enough to go myself! After 3 miles I had my "1st stop". After getting to nearly 6 miles it was getting darker, the rain was getting harder and the wind started blowing. I started to think I was very stupid and what was I thinking about going to a Crematorium before 6am in the pitch dark. I turned the final half a mile and realised I was going down the darkest country road I have ever seen. So what do I do? Man or mouse? You have guessed it, mouse! I turned around and went in the other direction. Sorry mate I never made it there to see you. And I just kept going for another 6 miles, with "1 further stop"
Quick shower and off to work........to find out I have passed an industry exam (J05). Result, perhaps I am a real man rather than a mouse!
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