I Drink, therefore I Run

Given the paltry number of miles run, I shall gloss over them very quickly, stopping merely to point out that it was a) Christmas b) snowing and C) I felt pretty lazy. In consequence the impact of the festive eating frenzy is felt more keenly than usual. There is some statistic about the number of calories eaten and drunk on Christmas day. Reader, I ate them. So, on to the wines - and what is Christmas if not a time for family, relaxation and plundering the cellar?! We were six for Christmas day, which commenced with a bottle of our usual Champagne, Pol Roger Brut , ably followed by Laurent-Perrier 2000 , an exceptional addition from Janet's uncle and aunt Alan and Rosemary - one of three bottles of same which they brought, I should point out - the others of which slipped down very nicely on Boxing day when the rest of the family arrived. Happy days. Then on to the main feast, for which we went very 'classic' with claret, burgundy, Sancerre, Rhone and port. The Volnay 1er...

Gentlemen – your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to purchase successful presents for your nearest and dearest, without it appearing obvious that you did in fact dash in at the last minute with a few of your so-called colleagues from work, in a bit of last-minute ‘aren’t we the wags’ camaraderie. With this in mind, might I tentatively suggest following these words of wisdom. Never forget the cardinal rule of Christmas present buying – your sweetheart imbues the act with a great deal more importance than you can ever know or guess, and that you will suffer in many and various small ways for months (perhaps even for years) if you get it wrong. How often have you heard “well it is not as bad as the pink cardigan that you bought me in 1997”?  If you hear this every year then you are clearly not taking heed of the lessons. Let me offer you hope – it is possible to buy the wrong present but get away with it, provided that it is abundantly clear that is it bought with ...

A week of three halves as far as running goes. I had to drop Monday circuits as my cold was still in full swing, and the voice had not quite returned. Many saw this as a real boon, of course, to hear me croaking! I ventured out, carefully, in the snow on Tuesday, in my trail shoes. What a lovely evening run! There is something great about getting back out there when you have had an enforced break. I managed a slightly longer run on Wednesday, with a bit of speed, so I felt properly back in the swing. A very different activity on Thursday - out with Ian my coach, to video my running style! It was of course cold and slightly drizzling, to make it a great all round experience. We worked our way to the floodlit football pitch at the local School, and thankfully they were not using all of the ground, so we could take over a corner and use the excellent light. The gods smiled and stopped the rain too (though not the cold - can;t have it all I guess). It is amazing what you find out when yo...

Yes, dear reader, you read it right - zero miles. There are good reasons for this. Circuits on Monday, then a wine tasting on Tuesday (of which more later). After this, the running week and my general health took a distinctly downward turn. I was so 'cream-crackered' on Wednesday that I just came home and moped a bit (though I should point out  I finished off the Christmas cards as well, so none of these claims of man-flu please!). Thursday was taken up with the team Christmas 'do', which largely killed off any remaining voice that I had (having croaked my way through the day since Wednesday morning). Foolishly I tackled the gym on Friday - a pretty good session, though a few snuffles. Thought I was over it but how wrong I was! I somehow cricked my neck on Friday night - agony! - and woke up on Saturday all snuffles again, and no running today or Sunday. So, instead of being halfway through the Tytherley 20-miler I planned I am writing my blog instead. With no running...

A good running week, even though I just missed the 30+ miles planned. I had to forego my Saturday session in favour of the demands of Christmas shopping! As it happened I think a bit of a rest was a good thing anyway, so I'm not especially worried about that. On Tuesday I ran my first track training session with the Southampton Athletic Club down at the Southampton sports ground. This was a bit of a shock to the system in -2C temperatures, a covering of snow on the track and biting winds. This is, however, the kind of tough session that you feel just great about having completed, and radiate at the end with the thought that 'if I can do this I can do anything'. You would be amazed that there were loads of runners there, from sprinters doing 50m accelerations to youngsters running hills in shorts and a t-shirt! As I was kitted out fully in long sleeves and leggings, a little bit of wind was taken out of my sails by these kids running in what I would barely see as summer gear...