I Drink, therefore I Run

You may initially be impressed by the mileage, and think that it is nipping back up again. Alas I must explain that this is an 8-day period, and thus contains two long run. I see this as entirely fair, largely because I had to postpone my Sunday long run to the Monday. Janet and I took a 5-day break, and packed a lot of room painting into it - so, I decided to run on Monday so as to get a few coats on. Unintentionally it turned into a chunky 15-miler at a fair old pace. On my return I weighed back into eggshelling galore - foolish boy! - so by Monday night I was cream crackered and glad to get back to work for a rest! The one, solitary bike mile is because it was tipping it down on Wednesday so I didn't ride into work. I was determined to have at least one ride a week, so this is a measly cycle into Waitrose! Winewise, we drank pretty well to compensate for the hard work, including a silky-smooth Volnay vielles vignes (old vines) by Potel from the 2005 vintage (not widely availabl...

Technically three runs this week - though one of them was a feeble effort after cycling back the longer way from work. Not having taken part in a triathlon before, I have not appreciated the learning curve when you do what is called a 'brick' session ie leaping straight off the bike and going for a run. The legs just do not work! I felt like I was starting to get back into the swing of things, though my Sunday run was not up to par. Perhaps it was just 'one of those weeks'. Delighted to have booked my first race since the Marathon - the Hursley 10k. I ran this a couple of years ago, as a preparation for the Clarendon half. It is a treat of an event. The atmosphere is great, as it is organised as fundraiser for the village school in Hursley. The course is trail/woodland/track, taking in parts of the IBM Hursley estate , which is off limits other than this one day a year. The great thing about running on trails is that you get a bit less worried about exact times and PB ...

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live." (Mark Twain). So, here I am commencing my first week of my 40th year with a bicycle - a present from Janet, and what I really wanted. I last owned a bike in my 2nd year at University, which was of course a "Brideshead Revisited' type bike (did you expect anything else?) with wicker front basket and 3 Sturmey-Archer gears. It satisfied a need to throw coursebooks in the basket, don the cycle clips on my tweed suit (yes I did sometimes used to wear a 3-piece green tweed suit and tie at Uni...oh help me someone...) and then afterwards partake of a glass or two of Shepherd Neame's finest on the way back home. I seem to recall that I sold it to my landlady for £15 when I moved out. Since then I have eschewed the 2-wheeled form...though I have always been keen to get back in the saddle. My, how bikes have moved on! So, this 'city hybrid' model, as they call it, is made of oh so light aluminium, 21 gears wit...

A pitiful week on the running front - largely because the weekend was taken up with my 40th birthday tasting - yes, indeed, your author has indeed reached that auspicious landmark in his life. In consequence of which, no more about running, and instead on to the tasting... I could not resist posting this picture of my youthful encounter with the juice of the grain Doomed, clearly from an early age. Well, what a week for wine! On Saturday, a group of dear friends joined us for a 'best of the cellar;' tasting, in which we took a lively canter through the wines that constitute my favourites. Also, a great chance to try some wines that I had long cellared for this occasion. So, here we go.. We started with the excellent Pol Roger Brut NV, always a delight, and a homage to our wedding wine. Of course, also Winston Churchills' favourite, so we were in good company! That went down very well, a tribute to the lovely extra bit of bottle age that the 'White Foil' offers. In q...

A modest week, all told, what with travelling and the like. Managed what now seems the usual week of 2 runs, 2 exercise classes. Another week also flows by without setting a clear goal to aim for. I am keen for the work situation to settle down more clearly before I commit myself to a challenge. At the moment the likelihood is to aim for a half marathon in late September or early October, and probably not to train too specifically for it, and see what happens. It will be a useful gauge of performance when fully trained as opposed to partly trained. I alluded to the work situation last week - so, all is settled, and I am now moving to work for the Value Chain team, in a development role. I am pleased about this, I think it suits my style more, and will I hope give me a bit more consistency so I can get back to running again. Is it my dream job? Well, no, however it is pretty good! I am mindful of the phrase from Thoreau "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave ...