I Drink, therefore I Run

Aha - a post today that neatly combines running and wine! Went out for a steady 5 miles last night, nothing too dramatic. It was cool but not as bitingly cold as the previous week. Dressed in long top and bottoms, but no beanie or gloves. As usual, after about 10 minutes the extremities had warmed up and all was well. After about 20 minutes I took the path by the park, which goes past a row of old farm cottages and an open field, which was shrouded in a very enigmatic mist, rising from the damp ground of the field. And, suddenly, within about 30 yards, the drop in temperature was immediately noticeable. Not having a thermometer with me (not being a critical part of a runner's kitbag!) I couldn't say if it was 1 or 4 degrees. However it was appreciable, and it got me thinking about what this might mean for the world of wine...and 'Terroir' The word "Terroir" is a peculiarly French word, which encapsulates all of the factors that are special and specific t...

It's been quite a while since I posted, so I must apologise to my (small) readership. And, I fear that I will be a further disappointment today as well, as I shall be talking about a beer! I have downloaded Blogger to my iPad, in the hope that it will encourage more blogging. So, today will be brief and we will see... Today was a beautiful morning, cool but not cold, dry, and fairly quiet. I was a bit later out running than planned, as I was enacting a small DIY repair on the bathroom light (oh yes!). Today, the challenge was to tackle Toot Hill, a fairly beefy incline about half way in, and I motored up it with ease, most satisfying. All in all a gentle 9 miler, as I knew I needed to retain energy for the afternoon of The Decorating Of The House For Christmas... For lunch, a glorious Trappist beer from the excellent beer shop in Bell Street, Romsey. I urge you to try both the beer and the shop out. What I had failed to consider was that a 33cl bottle at 11.5% is more al...

What a  glorious day! Time for something fresh to tickle the tastebuds. Out comes an old favourite, Gruner Veltliner from Austria. Do not be fooled by the thin bottle, it is a DRY WINE! And lovely too..real character. On the palate, spicy, minerally, fresh. Produced by Austria’s acclaimed Domäne Wachau estate from their beautiful terraced vineyards along the banks of the Danube. I shall be easting this with a chicken stir-fry, and that's a great match! (Waitrose £8.99)

Sunday was a good day. Went running in the morning. No more than an hour - I am still, after all, recovering from the marathon. I have been nursing a niggle in my right knee, and fearfully inching up the miles -3 ,4, 5 - to find the bite point when it hurts. So, what a pleasure it is not to find it after 8. Now, I did experience a bit of stiffness in the aforementioned muscle, but that's fine, we are on the right path. And I have one more week of doing what I want before I really get back into training. But for what, I wonder... I reflected on how the lack of a goal in running can make it all quite strange. I don't think many people are truly spontaneous, and just run when they fancy, with no thought of purpose. Maybe there are folk like that. Not the ones I meet, though. The need to have some kind of a target just makes it all make sense to me. It doesn't have to be a bold one, but it does need to be there. So, I have not yet set my sights on the next 3 months, I feel ho...

The race is run, the miles toiled through. Marathon number 5 and a personal best. 3h 18m 09s is forever mine in the annals of Marathon running. OK, it's not exactly a Kenyan pace, and I did just miss the 3h 15 which would be a Boston Qualifier standard. Doesn't matter. What does matter to me is that I ran it well.  I've always struggled to hold back the pace for the first few miles, the excitement of the event usually getting the better of me - and of course, having tapered down in the weeks prior, you feel springy, alive, like you can challenge the world. I know enough, now, to know that the feeling of elation can slip away from you in a heartbeat at about mile 16. It really is save now, spend later, where this race is concerned. I did find myself chasing a man dressed as a monk at mile 3...and then had to have a strong word with myself to slow, slow, slow... I am getting ahead in the story.  Sunday morning. 06.45am, Marriott, South Ken. Poor night's sle...

It's fair to say that my wine consumption habits are probably not the ideal pre-marathon training - however, in my pursuit of good-for-age running times, I am not prepared to don the hair shirt, which therefore tells you enough in the way of revealed preference for the amateur psychologist amongst you about the relative importance of the goal to me...ie important but not a 'be-all-and-end-all' kind of thing. So, the weekend prior to the marathon, two lovely wines to titivate the palate.  First up, Petaluma Riesling 2011 (Waitrose, about £11?). This was so perfect with a stir-fry, all lovely ripe citrus and lime fruits, juiciness personified in the mouth, and with a clean finish that just lingered on. These cool-climate Rieslings from Australia (Clare Valley this time) are just sensational. And, whilst they are not exactly unknown to the wine drinking community, still, I think that too many people are put off by a tall brown bottle - some kind of Pavlovian reaction ...

9 days to go to the marathon. Perhaps what I did not to have to deal with was a sharp, continuous pain in the right knee after about 3 miles... Today's treatment is the glorious 'dry needling' which is every bit as unpleasant as it sounds. It's like acupuncture without the soothing music... We shall see if it does the trick!