The Winner Takes It All - ABBA

Jen says:- I had decided yesterday not to blog about racing today as I didn't want to tempt fate... just read the blog Rory wrote yesterday and see he wrote about it anyway:-) As it turns out I had a great run today, I felt really strong up to about 2:15 and just pushed myself around the rest. It was a track race so it was all very friendly and sociable. Thanks to David Bayley for all his hard work that went into organising it...

I managed a new PB which I'm pretty pleased with given I haven't been able to get up to more than 30m/week 'cos of injuries, etc. 3:13:24... and a trophy too! I might just get that application in for a London Championship place...

Unfortunately my feet aren't feeling as elated as I am as you can see from the photo. Beginning to wonder if anything will ever cure my manky feet! Ah well, that's not a worry for today.

A big congrats to Rory too as he managed to (officially) knock 16 minutes off his anticipated 4 hours and probably another 5 at least unofficially as he did at least 5 extra laps! All good training I suppose!

Dizzee Rascal - Round We Go

We will be going dizzy in Milton Keynes as we are running in circles tomorrow in a track marathon in Milton Keynes. I must say that I am not really too sure how this one it going to go as it's something I haven't done in such a long time. Who knows what will happen.

Back on planet normal, today's been a bit of a carbo-loading bloaty day where it's been really important to keep the legs rested, yet mobile enough to keep them flexed and ready to run tomorrow. 105.48 - 2.00 minute laps will give me a 3.31 marathon but I am probably a bit knackered for that and a sub 4 is just running at just under 2.20 laps. Jenny's 1.51 a lap seems a mile away from my old plodding time for sure. Hopefully we can gee each other on as she passes my every 13 laps or so. Gosh that sounds dermoralising!

Then again I hope to pass other runners so it's all a bit relative really! Then even more again, just getting thru this one will be good. It's been on my mind this week...

Time for kit check and packing to be off early... will let know know asap tomorrow what happened...

Bee Gees - You should be Dancing (12" Promo)

Rory says:- I did an interview with Men's Running Magazine earlier today and it was a trip down the Coleman memory lane as I went through some of my running stories of 1994-2010. A few minutes is all it takes to cover nearly a generation of my running history, it makes me want to relive so much of what I have already run.

You see it's only yesterday that the Old Bee Gees were dead popular and the chest wigs and perfect teeth were the in thing. 1978 is a lifetime ago and more than that for two of the four Gibb Brothers. Thinking about it with two Beatles, a Pink Floyd and a Freddie gone (at 45 in his case)... We should be Dancing and doing the things that keep us Stayin' Alive!

Making it happen, when you can, is really what I am saying I s'pose... time for inspiration before the weekend's track marathon. Not sure about this one and well out of my comfort zone, if I am being honest!

More tomorrow...

Sun always shines on TV - a-ha

What on earth is going on with our weather?... The Christmas Lights are going up around the countries towns and cities, I am walking around in short sleeves in the mornings 14 degrees C and a rain jacket in the afternoon dodging puddles from a massive mid winter rain storm.

For the record... it's November 3rd! Not mid Summer or Winter...

Can we have the frosty dark and miserably cold days we used to have please? You knew where you stood when Christmas was in December and the sun shone in July and August. Not this funny old stuff we are having atm.

Our school playground froze over for a month in November once and we used to wear hats and scarves INSIDE our house just to keep warm when we were kids. You knew where you stood back then. It's all going to pot! A report today mentions that we are all getting fatter because we don't have manual jobs... I think it's just down to are too many choices, too many people offering options.

Coffee isn't coffee any more... it's a million combinations... a cue of five or six at Starbucks can last a lifetime, it drives me mad! What happened to waitresses? Take in, Take out? Shot, No shot? Milk, no Milk - Choccobollocofrapperknobocano's Grande Bloody Latte... it's all too much.

Make a note - Keep things simple! That goes for the weather please as it's just got far too out of hand recently. Now where's my Maxwell House? I need some simple Caffiene...

More tomorrow...

Kings and Queens - 30 Seconds to Mars

Sometimes you just have to be inspired by good things you see, hear and feel ... I have been thinking about that a lot in the last few days. Music, TV Shows even the bloody X-factor are helping me to inspire myself on at the moment and try and perform at newer higher levels of fitness.

Otherwise... why bother? Yes my level of fitness will keep me slim and hopefully keep my heart going for many-a-year to come BUT it's a criminal waste not to take it to the limit and see just what I am capable of. I even did an hour on a spin bike today... my first hour and boy did I sweat. I hope it will as I do more and more in the future. At 48 hopefully it will save my old joints a bit longer!

Loads to think about here, especially as we get towards the end of 2010 and think of the new ULTRA season ahead...

Are you ready to be inspired and perform... breakdown some barriers and set some new levels? Let me know eh?...

Something for Nothing - Rush

It's been a funny old day and I now know I am getting to the age when I can stand back and have a good moan at what goes on around me. My expectations of others are getting lower and lower... how do I know this? Well just look at today and what we pay our rates and taxes for... this morning the bin man came at around midday and I had to take out the bin out so they can load it without wheeling it from the side of our house ... not like the old days when they came and got it from 'round the back' oh and it's every two weeks, so everything goes really rotten and smelly. There's no milkman and the postman turned up at 15:45 this afternoon as he lives 'four doors away and it's not his round and he's only doing it as a favour'... or so he says... oh and it was junk mail!

What IS going on?

Today, we were told that 'Heroin is not as bad as Alcohol... well they are both as bad as each other if you ask me... unless you are celebrating sensibly or in long term pain and need Opiate based drugs, which are then good for you. Why did anyone commission that survey?

Our days are becoming more and more Hi-Vized I am afraid... it seems we are just out for what we can get and trying not to get blamed for anything we do that's wrong. Where's the value in that? Stand fast for what you believe in, is what I say... and have the proud values of the days when there were two post deliveries a day... a milkman that delivered at 5am and when we didn't need surveys to tell us what's good and not good as we knew it for ourselves and valued the opinions of those around us.

More tomorrow... gets off soap box...

As I was going to Derby - Trad

Yes, it was a trip into Derby today from Markeaton to follow the Bonnie Prince Charlie Way into the city... only it's not that easy as ALL the signs are missing. Ring a bell with Nottingham? Anyway, we are going to mark out the route from Ashbourne and make it so that maps will not be necessary... famous last words eh? But we are signing ALL of this one.

Fitness First is now qualified as our finish point and the run in from Markeaton into the city is really lovely and such a change from the peaks of yesterday's tandem ride. (Yes my backside is still killing me!)

The different aspects of the race are coming together nicely and hopefully you are getting a clearer picture of what we are trying to create here. If you are local maybe you might have some input... let us know.

More tomorrow...