Calorie counting, no really!

I have on the face of it succumbed to calorie counting. "Ssssh!", seems to be the general advice to those thinking of mentioning it in polite company. Calorie counting seems to have a number of negative connotations attached to it, everything from implications of an eating disorder, to obsessive compulsive disorder, or simply that the counter is 'bonkers'.  However, of course it isn't always as a negative as the common social labels, it can be a useful 'tool' for many. Having looked at a few pages it seems there are a number of communities of people trying to lose weight / get fit using this kind of system.

Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For me it is appeals to my inner (well okay not so 'inner') geek, numbers and graphs can easily get my interest. I plan to follow a counting 'regimin' for a few weeks to remind myself of the energy values of the foods that I tend to eat, use it to refresh habits. General, like many I guess, I over 'fuel' myself especially during periods when perhaps I'm not rowing, cycling or running. Happily the system I chose was a simple free App (yeah, those things really are everywhere for everything just now). I went with myfitnesspal, and it seems to be fabulously simple and straight-forward (in fact I found it being reviewed in a running magazine).

myfitnesspal - iphone app or website

In setting up the app I went with a weight loss strategy as I would really prefer to haul a little less if possible around my runs. So far in a week and a half I have lost 4lbs (I'm currently 14st 10lb - my lightest in a long time), and have already remembered what it is to eat what my body needs not whatever I find through the day. For me the decrease in over 'fuelling' has left me with more energy, so I am happy that a re-balance here is a positive thing.

Two most recent runs - trying to follow a plan

My last two runs have been good ones, especially the one on Saturday morning I ran 12.2 miles and actually thoroughly enjoyed it (I did it in 2hr 3min). The training plan instructed me to run for two hours with the last 30 minutes at half-marathon pace. I am not sure how far I went in 'picking up' the pace, but certainly I managed to go out reasonably steadily. In the process saving enough for the second half of the run, which worked out quicker than the first. The graph is courtesy of Garmin GPS watch and my wife working some magic. Across the graph looks great, though the last bar in only for the 0.19 of a mile and so isn't reflective of true pace. 

Thanks to Mrs. Taffi for graphing my run up and giving a copy to me :-)

Last night saw me off for a 6 mile run, which I was to do at 'easy' pace according to the training plan. I didn't manage easy exactly, it wasn't flat out nor easy pace. The first 1.5miles were too quick and then I thought I'd try and hold onto that pace a little bit. In the end I did it in 1hr 1min, instead of what should have been closer to 1hr 10min. Still it felt good in spite of the heat and humidity we have here just now. Probably will pay for my lack of discipline tonight when I am supposed to be doing a pace / fartlek session.

I am following a half-marathon plan that was 'built' by the "Half Coach" Running Method free iphone app. You input you goal race date some body stats and then it produces a scheme for you to follow. I am enjoying it so far, like a lot of things recently it satisfies my gadget geeky, and it shows a nice tidy progress graph. 

Goal choice can give you more than you expect

There are a million and one ways to succeed, there are undoubtedly many more ways to fail. Either way lessons are learned and we move on. The hardest part of success or failure (essentially undertaking a task), is choosing what to do in the first place. Selecting a goal is one of the more difficult things in life for many people. Many set a bunch of goals at New Years Eve, just because that's a habit in some societies. The choices of those goals and goals set throughout the year are often deferred, they are not wholly driven from within.

"I will lose 20lbs", "I will quit smoking", "I will exercise more", "I will join a gym", "I will take up a new hobby"....

These kinds of goals all too often are fed by peer pressure, by perspectives based around the media, and are things our societies say we 'should' do. Real goals, and often ironically those most likely to succeed, are those we derive from within ourselves. The ones that bubble up, that 'come out of no where', the ones we wake up one morning and just do. How often do you hear someone say, "I tried that for many years, then one day I just kind of did it and I've been doing it ever since". The goal may have been attempted many different ways until then until a different angle / impetus materialised from within themselves.

Choosing a goal though however we make it happen is just plain difficult. Lives are built around frameworks that mean we can't all simply decide to get up, train for a period, and then go climb Mount Everest. Negotiation and planning sit behind the choice of most goals, even in choosing to get out and run a 10k road race. Whether we need to fit around work, family, or social commitments we need to choose goals with a degree of balance.

By this point you might believe I am about to imply that these 'pressures' on goal choice are negative, suggest that we'd all feel better if we could do whatever we want whenever we want. Ah no, I am not going that way, I feel that goals built to fit around life commitments are often the most satisfying at completion (whether in fact they fail or succeed). Why? Well, for the reason that the negotiation, the planning and the investigating gives the goal that extra something (that extra cache, relevance, or importance).

When we've chosen our goals wisely we have made that choice taking into account the full meaning of it. Not simply because it's that time of year, because that celebrity does it, or because society impressed it upon us. We had all the facts of our lives around us and set a goal choice that we genuinely own within ourselves. It is this that gives me the most satisfaction at the end of a half-marathon, that I juggled things around training, that I found ways to get fitter, that I found new advice, that I found more things that worked when I ran 2-3-4+ times a week, that I found better kit, that I found better nutrition, that I discovered different preparation... the myriad of choices and negotiations made around that goal of completing a half-marathon that generate that pay-off. Choose a goal wisely, there will be more rewards than you can calculate I promise. Go on!

New week, new month, new week's training table and new helmet

Well, well, new week (Monday already!), new month (August already!), and a new training table to try to fill up (again already!).

Date	Cycle	Run	Stretch	Row	Ergo	Circuit	Gym
Mon	5.5mi	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Tues	6.4mi	6mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Wed	5.5mi	7.2mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Thurs	5.5mi	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Fri	6.4mi	.	.	.	.	.	.
Sat	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Sun	.	.	.	.	.	.	.

Week beginning Mon 1st Aug.

Happily the new helmet that my wife carefully bought for my daughter went down a treat, she was involved in picking it out and loves it. There was little sign of worries as we cycled into daycare today, at least on her part. Daddy is still not quite over the moment of terror he experienced as he looked down at the crumpled girl before he starting checking her and un-clipping her from her bike seat after last weeks accident. I hope that perhaps she'll retain her strength of nerve as she goes through life. I wouldn't say she's totally fearless but she certainly seems to have a healthy inner 'toughness'.

Sunday morning weigh in

A long time ago I got into the habit of weighing myself on a Sunday morning just after getting out of bed. In some way perhaps it isn't the prime time of the week to do it, but it is nice and easy to remember and has proved fairly consistent (even with occasional Saturday meal out, barbecue, food festival or something similar). Even with the Sunday weigh-ins over time I've near enough plotted each time I've gotten on the scales, which lead to a fairly hectic weigh graph. My inner geek wouldn't let me not plot every bit of information. In the last week I adopted a slightly more reductive strategy.

So now I have a graph show my weight on the first Sunday of each month. Less data points, but perhaps a clearer idea of general trends. I've put this chart onto the Weight page (see link above).

The weigh in today? Ah, well it showed a continuation of a fairly settled period, a weight of 15st 1lb (211 lb). It has been hovering around 15st 2lb for the last three weeks. I am happy with the stability of late, though I can't deny I'd prefer a downward trend. I would like to lose some before the half-marathon, not just to improve my time but moreover to go a little easier on my joints!

Please wear your cycling / bike helmet!

My training week has been disrupted somewhat this week... it's a long story (I'll try to abridge a bit). On our way home from nursery on Wednesday evening we had to avoid 'lads' cycling all over the cycle path, one threw something at me, I reacted and in the process of braking violently the bike flipped over. My two year old daughter in her chair landed on her helmet, I crunched my left leg, we were both left stunned.

I was left feeling a pretty stupid daddy for how I reacted (I can never work out the various effects adrenaline has on me), and my daughter was left feeling bemused and in pain. We made it home and reported the 'lads' to the police for what good that will do (I had no description and little detail to offer). After making the call I was left wondering how to perhaps approach the local council about this kind of situation that often arises at that point of the cycle route.

Brilliantly just after the accident some kind people stopped to help us and offered my daughter some water once we'd eased her out of her seat having first checked her neck. In the end I was very, very grateful my daughter didn't end up hospital after our bike crash. She only suffered grazes and bruises, while her bike helmet was broken in three! All in all just bl**dy glad we had helmets on, ever since I've felt like tapping non wears on the shoulder and telling them our story.

Ironically this all came barely a week after I found this video online and posted it up on facebook for my friends to think about. Please view James' appeal if you have a moment, but most of all "Please wear your cycling / bike helmet!".

A personal appeal from James Cracknell - Use your head. Use your helmet

The joys of stretch

You would probably not consider that stretching is all that important or even useful, there is certainly an on ongoing debate in certain quarters about the hows, whys and whens of it. I certainly didn't think of it all that highly, and being tall it always felt like painful origami (that really just looked funny and hurt a lot!). Perhaps it is the creeping passing of age, or just a straight-forward epiphany that has lead me to change my views a smidge...

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"Stretching is good", there glad I got that out. Stretching sessions can improve balance, muscle tone, and posture, quite apart from easing aches or simply getting loose before a big effort. The challenge is to keep on remembering the benefits and keeping them going. Here I have struggled in the past, and I would imagine its a common phenomena. How many get injured, go to a physiotherapist, get loads of helpful exercises to do, and then to quit them as soon as the painful phase of the injury passes? Yes, I have been in that cohort. Find some good (hopefully useful) stretches and give them a go over a prolonged period.

I have in fact a set of base stretches that I do that I first started when I lost my big weight back in 2000-2001. They came from an exercise DVD that I used to do several times a week to try and help lose the weight. I remember little of the exercises or routines (and have managed to blank out the horrific Lycra images), but have it seems committed the five minute stretch pattern to a very long term part of my memory. What I am trying to do is build new stretches into this and keep them going over a similar period. So perhaps what I am trying to suggest just here is, if you're stuck for some good ones 'borrow' an aerobics DVD and memorise its stretch / warm-up as a way into a repeatable everyday session. You can give / put the DVD back afterwards and not tell another soul if you like... it has taken me nearly ten years to confess after all!

PS. no, I am not putting an image of me stretching in this post... you'll have to make do with the internet stock photo instead.

Training table - week beginning Mon 25th July

Slow start to the week now my long run has moved to Sundays, should pick up as the week goes on...

Date	Cycle	Run	Stretch	Row	Ergo	Circuit	Gym
Mon	5mi	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Tues	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Wed	5mi	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Thurs	.	2.5mi walk	.	.	.	.	.
Fri	6.4mi	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Sat	.	12.1mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Sun	15mins	.	.	.	.	.	.

Week beginning Mon 25th July.

Non-stop weekend

Between TV sports coverage and actual activity in our house it was a non-stop weekend indeed. Saturday for me was the more peaceful of the two days, though entertaining two youngsters makes the word peaceful not quite the right choice of word perhaps. Our house is in full half-marathon training mode, a long run of almost two hours for my wife on Saturday, and then on Sunday my turn. Interspersed with this endeavour was the German Grand Prix and the final two days of the 2011 edition of the Tour de France (the later admittedly my addiction not really anyone else's).

Image: Rosen Georgiev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sunday's 11mile run took place nice and early in the morning. This was great as I could wear my long sleeve compression vest for a change - it is far, far more comfortable than the cropped version on a long run (though both serve to prevent joggers nipple their main purpose). The run was built of an hour and a half easy, then 20mins at simulated half-marathon pace. The easy pace phase was well, ahem, relatively easy... though the 20mins faster was very hard. Going faster wasn't helped by course selection on my part, it took in a very sharp steep climb! Still the Garmin GPS gave great feedback about the consistency of the easy section so all was good. It took 1hr 54min, though ironically I seem to have avoided the usual post-run pains. 

Avoided the post run pains? Indeed, I have taken to cold showering my legs after a long session which helps a lot with the aches and stiffness. The other reason, two hours of gardening straight afterwards! I think the gardening could here be an example of 'active' recovery, which is suggested to ease the pains that otherwise creep up on you as you lie on the crouch thinking "that was a good run, now for my good rest!". Though I got my rest late in the day watching to see if Mark Cavendish would Manx Missile his way to the green jersey win on the Champs Elysees in the Tour de France climax. Happily he did, though the UK will undoubtedly carry on ignoring one of its most successful athletes of recent times.

All of my on the move activity meant that this weeks training table was pretty healthy. I ran over thirty miles in a week which I have never done before in my life. Albeit I ran further in seven days because I was moving my long run from Monday night to Sunday morning. Altogether a fabulous weekend.

PS. the Greyhound image is really just because I found it at FreeDigitalPhotos.net and fancied using it somewhere ;-)  It is a fabulously composed image.

The running week

This week has seen the third week of really good solid running endeavour. It has been great, and I even have a feeling the addiction level is creeping up too. The increase in enjoyment probably because I am following a plan, getting out regularly, feeling benefits, and feeding the whole thing with bits of tech here and there (borrowing my wife's garmin GPS, writing about training on blogger, etc.).

The two runs this week started with a monster, 10.1 miles with a burst of 15 mins at quicker pace inserted part way round. I took the first run as the opportunity to really try out my wife's garmin watch. It was extremely helpful, especially as I find it is quite easy to loose pace and even perspective of time on a long run.

The graph on the left shows my half mile split times, the one on the right some way point markers (the middle bar of the five is my pace burst).

It was fabulous to see that I had succeeded in lifting the pace as the plan had instructed. Although it was very tough when I slowed down, I find big pace changes pretty awkward. I think I change my running form to much at pace changes which leads to some of the discomfort. Happily most of the way I continued to feeling my wind improving, the breathing seemingly better each run at the moment.

The second run was an 'easy' run which is to say I wasn't supposed to tax myself too much. Running at chatting pace, without huge efforts. I did manage to reign myself back for most of the 5.7 miles and finished it in a bit over 58 mins. There were a couple of times where I had to hold onto the plan a bit, the temptation to run on a bit was very strong. I did in fact give in to a pace increase for a short while, but I can blame that on the fact that that stretch was downhill, honest!

Mrs. Taffi has been going great guns with her half-marathon training too, she is progressing really well. Better in fact than she often gives herself credit for, I think she is going to enjoy her first ever half-marathon. She is preparing well, checking out energy gels, planning new routes every week, running with a good friend for some runs, and generally being brilliantly organised. It is her efforts and progress that has in many ways fuelled my renaissance in the last few weeks - "Thank you".

It has been good to keep my training table rolling along, and include some re-measured cycle commuting route distances. Three days a week I do the nursery run, which is proving good resistance training especially as every week the cargo seems heavier! It is good to be 'on the move', even if it is mostly 'on the run' just now.

PS. weight update on Sunday should be interesting this week after three weeks of training.

PS. apparently blogger says this month already there have been blog visitors from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States - Hope you are all happy and 'on the move', and if you happen to pop back leave me a comment to let me know if you are :-)

"The Little Drummer Girl" - John le Carre

Carrying on my occasional non-sporting thread, here is another book review...

"The Little Drummer Girl" - John le Carre

"If you ever want to read excellent writing then pick this up.  It is exquisite in its detail, character, plot, understanding, and its subject.  Forget that it is of another time, you will soon be pulled into the old world.

The writing is of a detail that expands your imagination, and introduces you to the characters so that you believe you regard them exactly as the author imagined / designed them.  Smooth seamless prose on another level to most fiction authors I pick up.

I was consumed by the richness of the writing in a way that few books have come close to.  "The Little Drummer Girl" was recommended by my father-in-law as a great read.  Having never considered reading the author before, I will certainly now look out for more of his considerable catalogue of books on the shelves of other relatives."

Basically seeing as I had been waxing lyrical (or not) about the books I'd read on LivingSocial's facebook app I thought may as well re-publish my opinion for anyone who finds my blog.

PS. these reviews aren't posted in the order that I read them chronologically, this is the last of my old reviews - I have new ones to write and more books to read which will be in the 'right' order.

Training table - week beginning Mon 18th July

I want to put this table at the bottom of the blogger page somewhere but still haven't found a format that does screw the whole page layout up completely! Anyway....

Date	Cycle	Run	Stretch	Row	Ergo	Circuit	Gym
Mon	5mi	10.1mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Tues	6.4mi	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Wed	5mi	.	.	.	.	.	.
Thurs	5mi	5.7mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Fri	6.4mi	5.7mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Sat	.	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Sun	.	11mi	Y	.	.	.	.

Week beginning Mon 18th July.

Post number 350

Well, well, well I have made it all the way to post 350. "Whoop!" and indeed I'd even go with a "Whoop, whoop!". It has been a long and varied road. What to do to celebrate another odd landmark in blogging? Why refer you to apparently my most read / visited post - ironically, also about a random landmark and blogging in general - Post number 260.

Strong winds, showers, heavy clouds,... some chance of training later.

Hope Monday is good where you are.

Ooooooooh, new shoe?

There are many that say "look after you teeth and your feet and the rest of your health will look after itself". Sadly, I don't know entirely what this thinking is based upon (logical common sense I assume), but anyway I do take my feet seriously and do try and get the right running shoes. When I first started running I went to a specialist shoe store keen not to destroy my legs running on unsound shoes. They recommended a very strong pair of shoes, I weighed the best part of a stone more than I do now at the time, and they promised that I would need these to keep my knees healthy.

Since that 'diagnosis' I stuck with those large strong trainers, I think I've been through at least five pairs. I hadn't given any consideration to the fact that as I got lighter and fitter the type of suitable shoe might change. Last week Mrs. Taffi and I went to a different specialist store that has video gait analysis in store. The experience was very illuminating, we both came out with new shoes. The biggest single benefit I could instantly see was that my new runners are lighter than my old ones. I had felt that at the end of a long run I was lugging my shoes along on tired legs / ankles. I just weighed the shoes and my old pair weighed 1kg, my new pair 0.88kg... I am suspecting this might make a very real difference at the end of a half marathon.

I have only run on the new pair once so I can't say all that much about the difference in support or comfort between the two. I guess time and aches (or lack of aches) will tell. Hopefully I will continue having happy healthy feet.

Physio magic, and signs of progress

This week I got myself along to see the physio, because I had been feeling 'twisted' while I was running. Over the last couple of weeks while I have been running it has been feeling like I had more power in one leg and more flexibility in the other. It was difficult to describe but after going through a few stretches the genius physio diagnosed a few things, areas of tightness across my back and in my upper thigh / groin on one side. A further set of stretches later everything was feeling much better, I have tried to commit all the stretches to memory (I even wrote as much as could remember down later just in case).

Aside from being pleased that a series of stretches can make such a difference it was very gratifying that I wasn't imagining anything or suffering anything more bizarre. I will try to make the stretches routine, and look again at posture while I'm out running. Apparently I lean forward while I am running, in something he described as common among triathletes (no I am not a closet triathlete) when they run after working hard on a bike for a period. I suppose I'd thought lean was good, but perhaps I was overdoing it as well as being tight in the hip muscles.

Most happily I was given a clean bill of health for my healed toe. Mechanically things were equal across my feet and all was well. Great news seeing as I have a lot of work to do before the half marathon. After some improving runs (see this weeks training table, earlier in my blog roll), a good session with the physio and having gotten a training plan on track I am really really excited about trying to make some good progress.

Give blood

On Monday passing a building on my back to work from an appointment I noticed a give blood session. I dropped in because it had been a little while, and happily they had a slot available towards the end of the afternoon. So happily I tripped back to the session at my now allotted time. I have given blood a number of times now, though I always forget how many. I had a little card sent to me a little while back telling me I had passed the 10 donations mark, so I'm not doing too badly at remembering to find a session.

Oddly, the nurse I had my health check and line inserted by was planning to run the Cardiff half this year too, and was probably off for a run after work. Perhaps having 'connected' with a fellow half marathoner he was feeling especially nice as the needle mark is perhaps the neatest I ever remember having.

Go on give blood if you can, it always gives me a lovely altruistic buzz afterwards, and the thought of contributing to the rescue of a life is a good one too. Go have a look at www.blood.co.uk if you are in the U.K. or use your favourite search engine to find your local equivalent :o)

"Slam" - Nick Hornby

Carrying on my occasional non-sporting thread, here is another book review...

Image: Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"Slam" - Nick Hornby

"Very good read, it got to the point where I could not put it down.  The narrative is cleverly put together, although at points I could not help but notice it seemed tailored to a movie.  Perhaps that was the intended style, it certainly worked well for this well crafted and thoughtful story."

Basically seeing as I had been waxing lyrical (or not) about the books I'd read on LivingSocial's facebook app I thought may as well re-publish my opinion for anyone who finds my blog.

Tracking and obsessing? - In which the blogger remembers his inner child

I find that now and then, okay with some regularity, I find myself looking at the blogger stats page as I go through log in. Only it sometimes isn't as satisfying as I might hope, like anyone I hope perhaps someone stopped by for a read or a browse. Often times it is a 'bot' that dropped in did its thing for a search engine (be it a mainstream or unheard of one) then leaves ticking a visit on my count that really doesn't count to me. That said there didn't used to be a stat button that showed visits 'real' or otherwise, so in that sense it does satisfy my curiosity at least.

In terms of tracking and quality obsessing the ClustrMap that I added a long time ago delivers (it's over on the right bar near the bottom). Happily like blogger it too has evolved in recent times so the experience is actually very good. I get no real sense whether it counts are  'real' or otherwise, that information isn't shown. The interface still remains simple - pins in a big map of the world (the bigger the pin the more hits in that location). Where ClustrMaps neatly evolved (and bare in mind I subscribe to the free version) was to show a second colour of pin for recent views, and lists of locations with numbers. This it seems is all my inner geek really craves, lists of locations and numbers. It must appeal to the little lad in me that used to collect stamps, and the same boy that once had a rather large collection of car registration plate numbers. It isn't really the when anyone visited, what browser they used, what link or search brought them (all in the blogger stats). No, oh no, it is that they stopped by, and that those little pin points pop up all round the map.

Training table for a new week

After a good week of being 'on the move' last week, here goes this weeks training table. Two weeks in a row, almost a habit... I'll be filling it in through my 'Andy on the move' week...

Date	Cycle	Run	Stretch	Row	Ergo	Circuit	Gym
Mon	5mi	9.3mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Tues	7mi	walk 3mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Wed	5mi	walk 2mi	.	.	.	.	.
Thurs	5mi	5.6mi Run, 4mi walk	x2	.	.	.	.
Fri	6mi	2mi walk	Y	.	.	.	.
Sat	.	6mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Sun	.	walk 2mi	Y	.	.	.	.

Week beginning Mon 11th July :o)

Mondays 9.3 mile run took me 1hr 35min, it was supposed to be an out and back run (45mins each way). I over did the outward leg, and suffered all the way home. The main issue for me was that I realised I wasn't adequately hydrated! I hadn't drunk enough through the afternoon before my evening run, and after a few miles I knew about it. I hope to remember not to do that again any time soon.

Thursdays 5.6 miler took me 55min 32s, and was far more comfortable thanks to the physio straightening me out. Still no breathing rhythm, which made it a bit laboured. Breathing is where I'll look to really focus during upcoming runs.

Saturdays 6 mile run was great (57min 35s), it was raining, but that seemed to help as it was cooler than it has been of late. I started off quite quickly and then decided to try and maintain it. Earlier in the week I had gotten some new running shoes, and I had thought to go easy in them. The new shoes felt great with no rubbing or discomfort, so I felt more than happy to push along. My body tells me that I did push it a bit too much for this stage in the half marathon training program that I am following, but it was good fun.

Cardiff Half-Marathon route - all new for 2011

The Cardiff Half route for 2011 has been released http://www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk/route_map.htm

Quite the route, which gives the gut reaction of being a little tougher than the previous one. Indeed it is quite different from last year, with what look like a lot of major road closures round Cardiff to boot (not that I'll care to much as I'll be running and not in my car). There is a large out and back loop at one point which I assume uses two sides of a dual carriageway with roundabout junctions at each end. It could prove a mental challenge around that section, dual carriageways can be soulless and out and backs on any race course I personally find draining.

Aside from my personal niggles (which are insignificant in the grand scheme of things), the organisers have done very well again in designing a course that shows off the City of Cardiff to runners from near or far. Being wider, with less street furniture, and with still a pretty flat course the race will continue to grow as a 'big' UK half marathon. Perhaps building a further reputation even further from these shores?

By the way, I am running this year in the hope of raising money for two charities,the Huntington's Disease Association, and also Tenovus (the Cancer Charity). See the Upcoming Challenges page (or follow the link in the nav bar above) for details.

New training table for this week

The new blogger interface and I have had a falling out over my training tables. I used to keep the in progress version at the bottom of my page out of the way and post it when it was complete. I can't now seem to house it in the new template, all sorts of weird things occur, including very, very long gaps before a broken table appears. So I have had to go 'old skool' and using the simplest html I can muster build a table that works (see below). Whenever I try and do fancy things to the table in 'compose' mode it all goes badly wrong again. There must be something I am doing wrong to cause a conflict, but I can't see what.

Anyway, the training table, I find it useful to see how I have done week by week and where I am not getting on the move. The current table (which I will have to edit through the week in this post - see above), features no rowing related activity - simple reason I haven't enough hours in the day at the moment to divide between running training and rowing training. As I have signed up to run a 'competition' with running that is the basket I've popped all my eggs into. Fingers-crossed though I might get out on the water once a week starting sometime soon weekends permitting (ah, and weather permitting - summer has turned very strange here just now).

Date	Cycle	Run	Stretch	Row	Ergo	Circuit	Gym
Mon	5mi	8mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Tues	5mi	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Wed	5mi	6mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Thurs	5mi	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Fri	6mi	.	Y	.	.	.	.
Sat	.	Walk 2mi	Y	.	.	.	.
Sun	.	Walk 1mi	.	.	.	.	.

I am improving the look of this as I figure out what I was doing wrong. Any advice gratefully received :o)

Happy as I am that the activity is again 'on the move', my weight is resolutely sticking where it is (around 15st 5lb currently (215lbs)). This is a little disheartening as I can really feel the baggage when I am running. A loss of half a stone would make my joints a lot happier, this would be roughly where I was last time I tackled the half marathon distance. Like the fitness I know it will come, but it does mean I am going to have to work on staying patient.

As a footnote I find it strange that I have only just 'discovered' the draft function in the posting list, some 300+ posts later (I know, I can be a simpleton). See, apparently even humans learn! This is meaning that I pop a bunch of stuff on in the evenings and that log in and quickly post around mid-day when allegedly people might be looking for various blog musings to entertain them.

'Caffeine-free' – In which the blogger tries to avoid a pious essayist style

I started to draft this post and discovered it was turning into an essay on caffeine and “why I don’t ‘use’ it any more”, then realised it was turning into one of horrible those pious health diatribes that often pop up in the media. So instead of turning myself into one of those pseudo-science bleating diet banner wavers, here are a list of simple things that I found / discovered that may or may not be of use…

Since the end of 2010 I have stopped drinking caffeine containing beverages (coffee, tea, cola, etc.).  It was something I had considered relatively briefly, my decision was only really firmed up after I had already ‘quit’ and I felt the benefit of my choice.

I gave up overnight, ‘cold-turkey’ as it is known, not because I especially intended to I just found it simpler to say “no” and adjust knowing that I might feel weird at times for a few days. Luckily I recognised what was happening when my head went fuzzy or groggy and went easy on myself to compensate.

Positive effects I found of being ‘caffeine-free’

1. Increased quality of sleep – I discovered that without it I could fall asleep far more rapidly, and enjoy a fuller night of rest (I have only suffered a couple of poor nights in over six months).

2. Faster 0-60mph time – I found that I am able to awake up and get going far more rapidly and smoothly (unless I have limited my hours of sleep badly by staying up very late for some reason).

3. Smoother mood throughout the day – there are no peaks or troughs pre- or post- intake. I feel calmer and find focus easier to find (and maintain). Interestingly I've realised in the last few days that it seems feeling calmer and less anxious has ended a long running nail chewing habit (an unexpected bonus).

4. Extremely regular bowel habit – never been a problem, but I noticed things were ‘neater’ and super regular (I am being British here and trying to preserve a little reserve, sorry).

5. I feel richer – no actually richer – I believe I am spending less in a given week. Through not buying takeaway coffees, caffeinated cola cans / bottles, and not having to replace very expensive jars of coffee in the cupboard (or office).

There are two caveats to add –

Firstly, I was a regular consumer, but not in as far as taking a fixed number of cups a day. People who have one cup each morning to get them going often report no issues. On top of a morning cup and regularly further drinks, I was perhaps taking on extra cups at particular phases of the week as I felt I ‘needed’ them.

Secondly, here is the only really science element to this post, we all respond to the actions of caffeine and caffeine containing drinks differently based on a range of physiological factors. So what I find you may or may not also be true for others.

Summary – I feel great for my choice, I was a little surprised at the difference I have to admit, and have to say I won’t be ‘going back’ for a cuppa any time soon.

A is for...

'A' is for a few things today...

App - I am going to be using an App for my half marathon training plan - Half Marathon Coach. Found by my wife, and it looks nice and straight-forward to use.

App - installed the Official 2011 Tour de France application powered by ŠKODA in readiness for the big event starting this weekend. It looks pretty slick, but then the race has not started yet.

App - The complete National Cycle Network app found via sustrans charity pages. Though I am yet to think of what to do with it really, as currently most all of my cycling is commuting.

Artwork - inspired by wonderfully produced blogs heralded on the blogger 'blogs of note' list. There is some awesome looking stuff out there Matty Spencer Illustration, We Love to Illustrate, delight by design - it's not that I want to start an art / design blog I feel I should at least try to include a few more of bloggers own photos on here.

Andy Murray - an Andy that appears very much to be "on the move" at the Wimbledon Championships again this year.

Addiction - I have been reflecting on the nature of diets and diet changes. Specifically the changes in physiological balance when diets are changed that must be very like those experienced in (or at least described by) the processes of addiction. [this deserves a separate fuller post in the near future]

A long way to go

Image: Pixomar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After a plodding run last night I now know for sure that I have an up hill struggle to go to get ready for the Cardiff Half Marathon this autumn. Just over 5 miles at ten and a half minutes/mile were very very hard. I wasn't helped by an actual summers day with relatively high humidity, and perhaps the beginnings of a cold (the jury is out on that at the moment!). My legs felt like jelly, my lungs like they'd never been used, and my body felt extremely heavy.

I found the first three quarters of the run especially mentally extremely tough, at one point I almost convinced myself to give up and walk home via a shortcut. Happily I stuck with it and by the last mile my body felt like it was remembering what it should be doing. I haven't run 'properly' for around two months I suppose - so I shouldn't be too hard on myself. The half marathon  seems a long way off now, let alone a long way round. Best foot forward, a training plan, and a long way to go...

Holidays not lazy days

Our holiday was great, we had grandparents come with us for a week of the holiday which helped looking after the kids. It was not the busiest of holidays, but we got on average a decent walk a day and in the main eat well (if in a little excess here and there). I was happy to get home and find that I hadn't completely ruined my start-over from just before our trip. In the spirit of the last few posts after the holiday I refresh / renew my approach and get on with the task of losing my excess weight. Buoyed by the fact that we have two very active children that I want to be able to keep up with for as long as I am able. I am keen to get them into a good relationship with sport/s and so I hope to lead by the best example I can.

Whilst away I even managed to get through two holiday books, and started into a third. This will fuel my occasional book ramblings for a little while longer. Here's hoping I've rebooted my book appetite too, haha!

Taken my own advice

Having ruminated upon my last blog post somewhat I decided to have a start again moment. I suppose I inspired myself with my own ramblings. I have gone back to basics with food, eating sensibly, and above all avoiding random snacking. There is no rocket science behind the renewed scheme, it is just keeping it simple and doing my best not to trip myself up.


Saying 'no' to these snacks might make all the difference?
Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net



Often I will decide that I 'need' a bar of chocolate or packet of pastilles 'just because'. It had become all to easy sometimes to sit at the PC consuming heaps of extra calories. This change alone is a significant one purely in terms of the daily balance of calories in and calories burnt. I suppose I re-identified the the worst habit in my diet and decided that if I shifted that one habit then a victory might lead on to better things. Time will tell... so far in two weeks I've dropped 7lbs at least - just showing how much those 'extra snacks' may have been controlling things!

If at first...

... you don't succeed try, try again. Or I suppose it could be "start, start again". Any plan requires reinforcement or reaffirmation from time to time. Often it is that you do 'fail' so you simply 'start' again, and this is fine - to a point. Keep trying whilst the plan makes sense, and then know that if it keeps failing it needs to be changed. The key is to make the plan a habit, I gave up caffeine (more about that another time) and so I had the simplest plan I suppose "I won't drink caffeine". It was changing the habits that I had around drinks that made it stick (and it is nearly 6months since I have drunk a caffeine containing drink).



Image: Sayan Samana / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  Habits are those things we simply 'do', and if you change the habits needed within any plan then the plan stands a good chance of 'sticking'. The easier plans are the simple ones (sorry to state the obvious) that require only a few habit shifts, the harder ones are those that require a raft of habits to change rapidly.  That is where the try try (or start start) again can work. If each time a few more habits change then the plan might come around. If the habits don't follow then its time to think about a new plan that perhaps tackles habits in a different way?

I happen to fall into both camps, often I can make the simple plans really stick, but like many I often over do the grand plan and need to keep starting over. Trying to overhaul my fueling (eating) is just one of those big plans that I need to keep trying at, but I recognise the problem so give myself a break each time I need to start again. Starting over, or changing habits little by little, isn't a problem after all - never starting or never trying is.

Running away

I do like to put cryptic titles or titles with at least dual meaning, but don't worry I was not running scared of anything.  I was away attending a conference with work for a week and managed something I have not done before (thinking back). The feat? I ran 5 days out of 7 away from home, in another country. Sounds simple I know - pack your running kit, go running.

At a conference you never quite know how much time you'll have and how draining you might find the sessions. Plus, the weather often sneaks into your (my) thinking. The conference was in Florida so I didn't have to worry too much about the latter at least. It turned out that either jet lag or good sleep left me happy to run early in the morning. I got up and about around 6am on the days I ran. I do have to confess that perhaps the biggest factor was having two conference travel companions who were going to run as well.

Clearwater Beach 6:30am, a good time to run





Clearwater Beach during the baking hot afternoons



It transpired that I ran at least 30mins up and down Clearwater beach for the five mornings that I was able. It was with a mix of companions (sometimes all of us, sometimes as a pair, and once just me), but it really did feel great. I recycled my kit each day, letting it dry out all day between runs (I only tried rinsing it out once, figuring my companions would be in the same boat I didn't worry too much about t-shirt odours). Best of all, it seemed to set me off on a good vibe each day of the conference, which I got a lot out of (but that's another story for a different place).

The simplest things?

The simplest things aren't by any means the easiest things to get done. Just because they are termed simple it does not follow that they follow the dictionary definition of 'simple'. It is a common trap to tag any number of elements of daily routine, diet, or exercise change as merely simple. Changing a diet habit for example, sounds elegantly simple but is in fact often a feat of concentration, reinforcement, knowledge, and will. Changing your routine to fit in a few simple exercises, again sounds simple but requires saying "no" to other pulls on your time, reinforcement and enjoyment of the new routine.



Image: greenphile / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It very often is not a self determined impression of scale, it is all to frequently classed that 'simple' thing because someone else said so (be it in a book, magazine, over coffee, on television). Very often these sources of reference don't describe the behind the scenes work, effort, repeated attempts, changes in approach, the do overs, the pit falls, and so on. Before interpreting something as simply 'simple' it has to be understood, understand that that early morning run will likely mean you'll need to go to bed earlier, understand that the change in diet to cut the caffeine has a number of pharmacological effects on you, understand that if you are making a single 'simple' change it sits within your bigger picture (and so will have an impact). 

So what is my point? It is basically this, if you badge things as 'simple' but they just don't seem to work out - don't keep referring to them as 'simple'. Call them for what they are - tricky, difficult, awkward, challenging. Then having given your self the credit for identifying what a change means and that it will need hard work. Know that when you have taken it on and won it feels like a real victory and not just a 'simple' thing ticked off that no doubt long list of 'simple' things that should be done.

Give yourself the understanding of any challenge and that challenge will become something you can achieve.

"QI: The Book of General Ignorance" - John Lloyd

Carrying on my occasional non-sporting thread, here is another book review...

Image: Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"QI: The Book of General Ignorance" - John Lloyd

"Brilliant, although it is a definite consequence that you will be annoying all your nearest and dearest with the range of amazing facts... you'll think its "genius and hilarious!!" and want to share your knowledge - they'll think "oh, not another daft fact!!".

I read it from cover to cover, but it a very easy book to pick up and put down.  I have already found myself picking it up again to check some awesome fact that I'm not sure I've remembered completely correctly.

On the whole you are left feeling more like an A. Davies than a S. Fry, but that is really just the whole point.  An absolutely fantastic Christmas present for a 'know it all' relative, just make sure they are distant enough that you don't hear the facts bounce back at you... a test of memories could break out that would only end in tears by New Years!"

Basically seeing as I had been waxing lyrical (or not) about the books I'd read on LivingSocial's facebook app I thought may as well re-publish my opinion for anyone who finds my blog.

Virgin London Marathon 2012

Well in case anyone wants to join the madness of the selection ballot before the real madness of completing the course go click - Virgin London Marathon 2012 entry.

It is my fourth time in the lottery (ballot), as far as my memory stretches. I have always maintained that I will only run one marathon in my lifetime. Though that was on the assumption that London was tricky but not impossible to get a place for. I have read that if you have a pre-clocked marathon time it helps your entry, which tempts me to run one somewhere before tackling the biggest marathon in Great Britain. However there is a lot of 'folklore' that builds up around these events and it's often hard to pin down a real tip for entry success. One unnerving and uncorroborated 'fact' was that there are 50 applicants for every place, gulp!

There are ways to be more certain, and certainly ways of increasing the odds. The clearest way to be more certain is to run quickly, and by that I mean run a time which is 'good for your age'. It seems to be a tier below elite, for what I might guess are county / national level runners across age groups, who own prior competitive times. Clearly not something I'm likely to attain. The way of increasing your odds appears to be the 'charity bond' route, you promise to raise an agreed amount of money and the charity agrees to provide you one of the places they obtained from the organisers. Something I strongly consider, but the work involved in raising the amounts is not insignificant. In the end I have 99.5% decided to try the ballot every year until I am 40, and then try to get a charity berth in my 40th year - a slightly twisted birthday present perhaps?

Busy on the move

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Here we enjoyed a four day holiday weekend, and got really busy on the move. None of the movement was sports based thanks to a chest infection, but there was a lot of D.I.Y. and gardening done. Okay, so I was hardly working out gym style, however I was working hard. Moving heavy bags, digging, wheel-barrowing, fixing, constructing, power washing, and so on. As a result the back garden looks great and I feel like I ran something of a weekend long endurance race.

As a happy bonus, my weight is following a nice gently downwards trend over the last couple of weeks. All moving is as always, good moving. The sunshine over the last week, or so, certainly made my efforts largely more enjoyable. Hope to get some running and sports done before I have a week away in the U.S. with work.

Yes & No

Has there been movement in the last few days? Well, yes, in terms of the blog, I have added a group of static pages (listed just below the title bar). They are evolving, I keep changing my mind about how to use them, but for the moment they are:-

Upcoming Challenges - the page follows the title in content, it's what sporting events I am challenging myself with in the future.

Weight page - contains what I call my personal all time weight trend line (it starts in 2001, so isn't strictly 'all' of my time), as well as a brief outline of the history of my weight awareness and blog.

Personal bests - is at the moment incomplete, but will list my previous races, and event results (I might also change the title of the page).

About this blog - is simple a page attempting to explain what this blog is and isn't. Setting out it's motivations and disclaimers.

Links & Kit - is also an incomplete page at the moment, it will contain a list of sites and kit that I have found useful during the course of my blog.

Image: anankkml / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Otherwise, it was something of a lean weekend in terms of being on the move, apart from the press-up / sit-up challenge. In terms of the 50 press-ups and 50 sit-ups, it is getting easier slowly, and it is definitely making a difference even after a week of doing it. I did sport vicariously by watching a very interesting Chinese Grand Prix, and then London Marathon. The Marathon coverage left me with itchy feet, and looking forward to my next long run.

"A Most Wanted Man" - John le Carre

Carrying on from (ahem) 2009, I thought I would continue posting my  reviews as I discovered I had a few I hadn't put up. It does mean I'll need to get reading if I want to carry these on for too much longer, but anyway...

Basically as I had been waxing lyrical (or not) about the books I'd read on LivingSocial's facebook app I thought may as well re-publish my opinion for anyone who finds my blog.

Image: Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"A Most Wanted Man" - John le Carre

"The book affirmed my belief that le Carre is an absolute master of his craft.  The characters come to life, you are so swiftly and elegantly plunged into their worlds creating connection.  The plot pacing is deft and by turns subtle and stridant.  At the end of the book I did though feel a little crest fallen by the bluntness of the ending, though it did wholly fit the message I think perhaps the author was hoping to put across.

Great read, recommend this to anyone who thinks le Carre is purely a cold war spy author."

50 + 50 = a 'simple' friendly challenge



Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net



My rowing buddy (who it is safe to say is madder than me) suggested some time back that we should do more core work. Later, and I'm not sure where it came from, he suggested doing 50 press (push)-ups and 50 sit-ups every day.

That sounds relatively straight forward doesn't it? I thought not much more of it. More recently he has injured his knee and is doing a number of things to accommodate fitness while not potentially further damaging his leg. We chatted about what he was doing in the gym and so on, whereupon he mentioned the 50 + 50 thing again. He has been doing them and is finding it increasingly more comfortable.

After we'd chatted I thought, "that sounds alright, I'll give it a go"... that was on the weekend just gone, and I promise you it isn't all right... I hurt!

The moves are simple, require no equipment and take a little less than 5 minutes to do. So by the end of day one I found it wasn't too bad, and thought "heh, I had to switch to knee press-ups and crunches but it doesn't hurt much". On day two, I did the same but found the aches had begun, and the third day tried to do more of each in the classical style. Now it is day four and I have yet to do this 'simple' thing classically all the way through, but am quite sore. Though the kind of sore that implies good work has been done.

Little things make big differences, or so they say. This is a case of wait and see. I hope to tell my buddy the challenge has made a difference, and that it is 'easy', some time soon!

Cardiff Half marathon 2010

The Cardiff Half Marathon, based in Cardiff's Bay area, had expanded for 2010 to a 15,000 runner city event (the largest mass participation sports event in Wales) and drew me to pull on my running shoes. Inspired by friends and colleagues who were sponsoring me via my ‘JustGiving’ page, I had completed a training plan, and even had a tentative race plan. I set off from my office on a cold crisp morning ready to run my first half marathon in five years.

I chose the Huntington's Disease Association (HDA) to raise money for because through my work as a research scientist I became aware of the organisation. Although my work academic research based, I am aware that treating any disease is more than medical therapeutic strategies; it is about human interactions and support. As an organisation providing this very support, I felt I wanted to raise some monies for the HDA’s excellent work.

The run itself went extremely well. The event was well supported, well organised, and I even managed a personal best of 2hr 3min 31sec (chip time)*. Moreover, I felt I could tell all my kind sponsors I'd earned their collective £364 (inc. GiftAid).



In the first couple of miles

Halfway round

* the race was shortened for reasons of safety on the day, so a truly new PB will unfortunately have to wait a while longer.

A couple of articles about the race from the WalesOnline news site:
"Joy for thousands of runners in Cardiff Half Marathon" - 17th Oct 2010.
"Cardiff Half Marathon 'too short'" - 19th Oct 2010.

The organisers have a very slick web site - Cardiff Half Marathon, with a very active facebook group, and also a blog.

Time for a spring clean



Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every now and then I succumb to the temptation of the blogger people and toy with changing the design / layout of the 'on the move' blog. Today was such a day, and so here is the parred down 'simple' white layout. Simple is, at least in my opinion, best. I prefer clean crisp web pages.

Now all I need do is figure out how to get the 'share' buttons to appear on posts (which I just did ;-P see below), add a few static pages, and I'll be happy until the next overhaul.

Also, as soon as I get a few more spare moments I will be reporting proper 'on the move' running event news!

Warm spring with everything blossoming

Image: Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It seems the a lovely warm spring has sprung in South Wales with everything blossoming, and that isn't just the flowers and trees. Several friends are starting new fitness plans (and blogs), and seem to be doing very well indeed. My wife is doing brilliantly with her running plan to get ready for a half-marathon later in the year. She's already looking lean and strong, so I have to admit to a little envy.

I am still feeling my way back from the broken toe, though happily the four runs that I have done have gone very well.  The usual frustration of wanting to be where I was pre-injury is in full force, even though I am aware of the phenomenon and how to scale back expectation, I still can't help feeling a little troubled.  I am doing a 6mile loop and a 2.2mile loop as ways back into distance and pace running. Before too long I hope to step up the weekend run distances and run for an hour and a half a time.  Yes! I to am hoping to run a half-marathon (and run it well) towards the end of the year.

Hope things are blossoming in your efforts to be 'on the move'.

Ps. I'll pop some blog links in later ;-)