Displacement activities

Funny old day today. I needed to get out for a run but it was too cold. Needed to work but bizarrely had too much to do, so I killed two birds with one stone, I went shopping for a new pair of long running brogues.

Then, even more strangely, I managed a good stint of work followed by a run. Afterwards I was able to help about the house a bit (Cecile if off until Wednesday when she starts her new job).

But all of the above great new word fell to bits - as things usually do when they have gone well for a bit. I had a call from the Antonia - she looks after Owen. He had done a triple back flip off a stool onto a kids dinner service. Needless to say, we wasted some time getting a stitch put in just under his lip.

Reading

Joanne decided she wanted to read this week. So she picked up a book and learned to read on Thursday. It was that simple (OK, not quite that simple, she has been doing some learning in school and she is read to every night).

It sounds quite dramatic, and it was. I don't know if it happens for other kids the same way, but we can say to the exact hour when Joanne read her first book and what it was - Ou habite Mimi (not war and piece)

She has memorized other books in the past, but this was working out the words and reading.

Rain, snow and cold

Three bad weather  elements, rain, snow and cold today. 2 and there there is a chance to motivate myself, but 3, there is no way.

I did some phys though by running a cable to a radiator, some chin ups getting into the loft. Upper body work out by moving shit arround. I also tidied the garage just enough to unearth Cecile's rowing machine and cycle trainer - Just in case it is going to be horrible this week, then I can use them in the improvised fitness room that is the garage.

True runner

I wander if I can class myself as a runner now. Not because I managed to complete a marathon, but because I have habits. More to the point, the family has habits associated with running.

Like "normal" we had tripe au gratin that Cecile bought from "Bobosse" after dropping me off at the start (which Joanne thought was Beau gosse an amusing slip when buying sausages apparently). We also opened a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau and with usual habit after the Beaujolais Marathon was unable to drink more than about a glass before needing to go to bed.

This all brings me in mind that we did not do our normal thing of apple picking after the Course du 3 Monts this year. That was a shame, hopefully rectified next year.

Annual Hunt

Yesterday, I took part in the regions annual hunt. According the Christopher McDougall the marathon is the modern day reduction of the hunt. I found it interesting, that at the end of the hunt I was unable to eat. If it was the case I had just run down a deer, then I would have had to leave the meal to the rest of the tribe. Consequently, through not eating enough I would soon follow the deer into the bellies of the tribe. Thus contradicting  the law from that other great tomb (On the Origin of Species)

It was as hard as I expected, but just to be fair to Karl,  I decided to have a fever while running and my knee gave me some gyp after about 20 kilometers. I did however manage much better than last year, in that I was able to continue running almost all the way round. Walking only the final hill. (It really is not such a big hill, 30m in 500m or there abouts) But that hill does come up at 38km just at (my and others) low point.

The family was there to cheer me on, Joanne and Owen came through the tape with me, where both where awarded a medal - Not me!

 

I was pleasantly surprised this morning to see that although my speed dropped of dramatically after about 25km, the cadence only dropped a little.  As you can see from the snapshot below, I walked trough the feeding stations and had a pee at 23km, the last spike/dip is the walk up the last hill. But the most pleasant surprise this morning was the leg stiffness. I nearly did not have any - maybe it will arrive with avengance tomorrow. I did ice my knee and take a paracetamol (for the fever) maybe this helped.

 

(Karl's time is last years)

Overall 290 259

Name KARL COLIN

Number 840 1378

Time 03:44:02 03:42:09

Cat SE V1

Pos(cat) 115 97

M M

Porky is as porky does.

I went out Sunday for a quick loosen up, and by gum did I need it after my slobbing around in Tromso. At the start I wobbled the gut down the trail until I had shed enough water that I felt a bit better.

I have the Beaujolais Marathon this coming Saturday so I ran the trail with the road shoes I will be wearing for the race. Wow, what a mistake those shoes are. Nasty white and heavy (well actually brown now and not so heavy really, they just feel that way when you lift them up.) [The guy in the shop insisted a size up to avoid black toes in the Marathon].... They have no style, and they just feel wrong. I am still thinking of switching to the trail shoe for Saturday.

Yesterday I gave the shoes another go. This time on roads. The first time in ages I have run roads for a long time. It was quite difficult to maintain interest. However I managed my poltry 6km in the crap shoes.

I am sitting in J's violin lesson, it is coming to an end so no time for more.

Training

When I arrived in Paris yesterday, I had no idea I was going to get a run in so soon. The plane had arrived on time, I had managed to collect my bags and get to the TGV station all in good time for the train.

After locating a toilette for my full bladder and deciding munching on something on the train would satisfy my hunger, I phoned home. No dice, Joanne had not put the phone down correctly. OK, used my time to contact work, and call a few people.

I was slightly distracted by a Skype message I recieved as I was getting on the TGV. Found my seat and went to the buffet car... Yummy yummy. When I got back to the seat some minutes later I found my computer (bag) missing. Oh shit! Holy cow. Somebody nicked it? ...... Oh no, It dawned on me, I had left it on the platform at Paris CDG (re:distracting Skype Message).... Crap.

Crap Crap Crap. I jumped of the train at Marne-La-Vallee, sprinted over the platform to the retuning train, which luckily had been delayed and returned back to  CDG. 20 Minutes later, I could be seen running the 400m to the other platform flapping around looking for my computer. Nope not there. 1 weeks work lost, plus of course the computer and contents. Flap Flap Flap.... Crap Crap Crap.

I had taken the smart step of telling the conductor on the first train my predicament. He had called the situation in and thankfully the nice SNCF staff had collected the bag and it was retuned to me  at the information desk. Phew.

And that was my sooner than expected Train-ing

Of course that left me stranded in Paris as there where no more trains. But no great drama for that, plenty of hotels in Paris and the trains are not so busy this time of year on a Saturday morning. (Although my luck did run out getting the RER, that train broke down)

Lard

On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 5:02 PM, karl  wrote:

Hmm...my weight loss is muscle loss....my legs fit so much easier into my skinny 501 jeans now....no running and no weight training for a long time.....not sure if I prefer to be fat and chunky or skinny and weak.

I feel like a fat lardy bastard after a week in Norway... What makes it worse is seeing the Norwegians running in the cold, ice and dark. I must be a right Jessy 

I would go for skinny and weak, but I only get that option (much like you) after a bout of Earth shattering moments while not not straining at stool.

Brown Cheeze

Tromso is a friendly small city, cold and a bit dark. Having brought a pair of road trainers with me I have decided not to run while here - Could have bought some Spikey Plus additions, but just found them this evening, the night before leaving. 

I did eat for training though. This morning some marinated salmon and Brown Cheese. Then walked into work. That was fun, watching cycles with spiky tires on ice.

Poxy 12k

TOUSSI'TRAIL 

Last weeks fiasco with the kids (Joanne decided she did not want to go to the "Beffe" so feigned illness, Owen was ill and wifey was busy doing month end closing) meant I did not run too much. This weekend, I thought I would compensate with a 18k race:

Of course, these plans where scuppered with the wife inviting friends for
lunch on Sunday! And our house is never tidy enough for one person to clear up the toys of the floor and cook and look after the kids all in a morning, so I had to drop down to the 12k race to give me 45 minutes of cleaning up before the invitees arrived.

It was pissing down with rain, the trail was muddy and it was a wee bit cold. I was loving it. Unfortunately the winner loved it allot more than me, he ran it it a remarkable 17.77kmh while I could only manage a poxy 13.86kmh (There was a reasonable 140m of elevation gain too)

At the start I was happy to have dropped down to the 12k. It was a bit miserable, but by the end, I would have enjoyed another 6km. Especially as I was having a bit of a battle with Mr Red Shirt, we must have swapped places 6 or 7 times, he continued on for the 18k.

Place	Prénom	Temps	Vitesse	Temps / km
1	Winner	00:40:31	17,77	00:03:23
40	Me	00:51:58	13,86	00:04:20

Pants

I dislike shopping.

However with an oncoming visit to a client in Norway and the fact I had not bought a pair of trousers in a year and a half, wifey thought it was time to go.

The first shop was not dressy enough, the second however was fine. It just so happened to be the same branded shop that I went in 1.5 years ago. Much to my amusement and general happiness, I have come down a size, from  34 to a size 32. A nice byproduct of the running I believe.

Of course I stocked up with 4 pairs and wifey just could not help herself from buying a new coat!

Diet

Changing my diet to a higher fiber version has had the same effect as on other people - I fart more.

For 90% of my runs there is nobody on the trails. For 9% there are a few cars around covering both the sound and smells of any accidental parps, However embarrassment ensues when you let a sneaky loud one out and round the corner to find the only dog walker for a 100 miles.

The none running blog 2

Tuesday I nipped out for a quick test run, 4 miles. The test was because my knee was a bit stiff after Saturdays 15k run. Sure enough, after the test I can confirm I must have twisted my right knee. I think it is a bit swollen. It has been a while since the old ligament damage has troubled me, but hey hoe, nothing new. On Saturday I had a jump to make from a patch of mud, I think I made a bad take of from some fallen branches twisting the knee.

I was itching to get out today to do some further testing, this morning I did some normal displacement activity, then settled down to some work, thinking I would be out in the afternoon. But no, the center where Joanne was spending her day phoned to say she had vomited and was in the infirmary. When I got there and mentioned McDonalds suddenly she was well again... ummm That meant though I  needed to work while looking after Joanne. Hence No run.

Maybe this was a good thing. Running on a doggy knee is never a good thing, and the swelling has gone down.