A Short Break

So Juneathon has ended and it's time for a change. Time for a holiday

I will be in France and out of internet contact for the next 17 days so this blog will be going dark for a little while. But from the 20th I will be back remembering runs on the country roads of the Charente and posting a few pictures.

Good running everybody and I look forward to reading about all your exploits when I return

And in Conclusion: Juneathon 09

The only appropriate way to mark the end of Juneathon was by running my stock run, to Nash Mills, along the canal. It might be my ordinary run but I feel very lucky to have a nearby canal and a route that never gets boring. No matter how often I run it I should never take it for granted.

Actually the whole idea of celebrating the ordinary ties in with one of my central aesthetics, which is to look closely and find what is interesting in the commonplace. So my final picture for Juneathon is also appropriate: Mr Postie delivering mail to the lock keepers cottage and a small house boat in the lock. The postal van shows that even in a town there are out of the way places that do not fit easily on a postal route and need special arrangements and how these arrangements are made so that everybody can have their mail delivered.

The boat was also interesting. Two days ago I talked of the variety in boats, how some were factory smart and gleaming and others were more lived-in. This boat was in the latter category but with the added character of being mostly homemade. There was a basic hull but everything else looked extemporised, even down to the outboard motor - very few of these vessels have outboard motors. The man who owned it operated the lock and then pulled the boat through with a rope and I thought of the old days of barges being pulled by horses. A tiny moment of connection with the past and another reason to celebrate being by the canal.

Juneathon The Final Countdown.

I exercised on 29 of the 30 days so I didn't quite succeed. The fail day was spent decorating and was not totally idle but should not really be counted. The days when I walked were also a bit soft but let's not get too picky.

The days were spent as follows:

Runs outside: 17
Gym sessions (including runs): 4
Cycle rides: 2
Yoga lessons: 2
Homemade yoga: 2
Walks: 2
Fail/decorating: 1

I ran on 21 of the 30 days
Total Distance Run: 244.32km
This means that over June I averaged 8km a day running and for me that is a bit of a triumph

In The Shade of Trees

Another hot day and the only place to run is under trees. So it is out to Ashridge for my" Monument to Memorial +" run (i.e. from the Bridgewater Monument to the War Memorial by Berkhamsted Golf Club and back plus an extra loop). Most of it is along bridleways and footpaths and well shaded but the occasional bits in the open seemed very warm and heavy.

There are masses of footpaths in Ashridge but on all of them it is the same - near the car parking areas you will meet people walking their dogs or their children but in only a short distance the paths are empty. There is always a good chance of seeing deer and today a couple crossed my path. I like when they cross the path and then pause to look at my oncoming frame, labouring and ungainly, before disdainfully fluidly leaping away. Sometimes I stop and move very slowly towards them to see if I can make eye contact. I like it when this happens but today was not one of those days.

Even though I was running in the shade the heat took its toll and it felt hard. However I felt good about the way my heart rate stayed down. At last I am beginning to see some sort of training effect at the same pace my heart rate is a couple of beats lower than it was at the beginning of June. Not much of a return for all the effort but a return nevertheless.

Juneathon Day 29 stats:

Run distance: 17.2km
Run Time: 1hr 40min

Running in the Shade

In the hot weather it is good to have places like woods, or the canal to run - so much cooler than the roads. Unfortunately I have to do a certain amount of road work to get to and from the canal so the difference is noticeable. You can feel the heat being reflected from the concrete and coming from the canal it is like running into a warm blanket.

This morning I was early enough for the run to be pleasant - no middle of the day nonsense for this inveterate procrastinator. Oh no I was purposefully out of the door before nine (my plan had been 7:30 but lets not dwell on the odd, lost hour and a half). So I was out there with the dog walkers and a few other runners.

My plan was to run fairly easily, keeping my heart rate down, which I was doing quite well until I noticed I was catching up another runner and I knew I would speed up. It is unconscious urge but I knew I would not be able to stop myself. If I overtake someone (not something that frequently happens) I like to feel there is a perceptible difference in speed -not be like one lorry overtaking another on the motorway, so I raise my pace. After I had put a good distance between us I reverted to the slower speed and wondered what it was all about. Oh the psychology of running has many odd corners.

One of the things that keep running by the canal fresh is looking at the boats and the way they differ. Some have a lived-in shabbiness, whilst others gleam with bright paint and shiny brass. Today's picture shows some of the homely touches of flowers and ornaments on the roof.

Juneathon 28 stats:

Run distance: 10.5k
Run time: 60 minRunning in the Shade

Moments of Calm

A hot clammy day so I decided to go to the gym where there is air conditioning, except that it was broken - awaiting repair, so the room was very hot. It was suitable for Bikram yoga but I was programmed for running and weights. Wow did I sweat!

The actual session was OK but when I showered. I couldn't get myself dry. I was just too clammy. So my clothes became slightly damp and I went down to the nearby green to sit down, look around and hope the slight breeze would dry me off.

Doing nothing on a hot day is very pleasant. There is something peaceful and harmonious about watching the world go by when everybody is moving at a slightly slower pace. I was sitting on a seat on the boundary of the cricket pitch, whilst people were getting ready for a match later in the afternoon and everything was being done at a very steadily. The photo shows the view (if you look closely you can see that the stumps have been set-up) and it set me thinking about how much I like the idea of town/village cricket, where the pitch is an open space used for recreation, bordered by older houses and a couple of pubs. There is continuity here, a touch of nostalgia, but something alive, enjoyed by people of all ages.

After I had been sitting peacefully for several moments I suddenly knew what I liked about exercise and running - the moments of complete stillness you can find when you stop. It is not the same as stopping banging your head against a brick wall, you are not stopping something you don't enjoy. It is more like a clearing-out. Exercise empties you so that you can enjoy being calm

Juneathon 27 stats:

Gym time: 1hr 15 min
Run distance: 7k
Weights: arm press, back, crunch, calf lifts
Stretches: lots

Heavy Air

This morning was very grey and the air felt heavy, as if you were pushing through it. Everything was just a little bit harder.

One of the great mysteries of running (actually any activity) is why your mood and capabilities can vary so much. One day it can feel easy, as if you are floating (well actually that is a bit of an exaggeration as my running could never be described as floating) other days, the same route can feel like a treacle mine. You can look at all of the usual suspects: sleep, diet, amount of exercise, or general health, but sometimes there is no obvious answer except that all of us have good days and bad days and even the average ones are variable.

To me the key indicator is the comparison of mood between the beginning and end of the run. Almost invariably I feel more content, lighter in spirit, and that the time has been well spent. Even on bad days there is usually some satisfaction to be had and I feel better for having run.

Sometimes things change on the run itself. Today was a good example. I woke up feeling very lethargic and had to bully myself to get out of the door and for the first couple of km my legs felt very heavy but strangely things changed. I let my legs find their own rhythm and my mind wander so that the run went in a blur. When I got home I realised that I had enjoyed myself.

Today's route was along an old railway line , just an out and back to this bridge.

Juneathon Day 26 stats

Run distance: 7.6k
Run Time: 42 min

Horses on the Moor, Yoga in the Sports Centre

The picture is a fake as I did not take it today but it is only two days old and I thought there is always a place for a picture of a horse taking a drink of water, especially as it is near the sports centre where I go to my yoga class.

The horse is one of a number that graze freely on Boxmoor during the summer. Mostly they coexist quite happily with all the people who walk across the land or settle down for a picnic. However they are not pets and do not react well to being bothered. A couple of weeks ago a ten year old boy tried to feed them apples, spooked them and was trampled. Luckily he survived, with some broken bones, but could have been very serious indeed.

I was thus very cautious when I took this photo.

Today was yoga day and I am beginning to relax into the idea that I can't do most of the postures very well. Instead of feeling 'damn!' and trying to fight it I thought 'OK well lets see how far we can go' - a much better attitude. There were still moments where I thought that bodies weren't designed to move that way but on the whole it was easier.

I will continue both as an exercise in humility and with the hope that it will help my running. (The idea is not that it will make me faster nor will it increase my stamina, rather it should increase my range of movement and so reduce my chances of injury). Doing it as an auxiliary activity puts me in a different position to most of the people in the class, for whom yoga is far more central but, as with anything, there are many paths.

Juneathon Day 25 stats

Yoga: 90 min

Twenty Three and Twenty Four

It is first thing in the morning and you know it is going to be a hot day. The only sensible time to run is now, before breakfast or in the evening. For once I am sensible and get out early and therefore start the run feeling pretty pleased with myself. In fact I feel infused with good feeling and notice everything. I am more aware of when pedestrians are likely to swerve into my path, or which groups will give me room and those who will block the path, which people will exchange a greeting and those who will determinedly look at the floor. I sense these things and look at my surroundings more clearly

In fact the mood continued throughout my run. When I stopped to take this picture I noticed a big fluffy dog leaping up at some waste bins and had a nice conversation with the owner. It was convivial, the sort of thing that happens at the beginning of a good day. Her bernaise mountain dog was a splendid, friendly animal but I have no idea it copes on a hot day with such a thick coat.

Actually I don't know how I would have coped if I had run later. I went to Cambridge today and passed some runners. On man in particular looked to be really struggling. His face was very red, sweat was pouring from his brow and his form was laboured. That could have been me, I thought.

Juneathon 24 stats:

Run distance: 7.7k
Run time: 41 min

Day 23 was very low key. I knew my legs needed a rest and so confined myself to going for a a nice easy walk. Under normal circumstances I would hardly count it as a Juneathon activity but as a recovery from a long run it was perfect.

Restless Legs

I am here at 2 o'clock in the morning typing this and I really, really want to be fast asleep but sleep is impossible. It is not because my mind is racing or I am worried about anything, and I have not overdosed on caffeine. It's because of my legs. They are restless, itchity and will not be comfortable or stay still. So instead of tossing and turning I am sitting at the computer waiting for the paracetamol to dull the messages from legs to brain, to give me the opportunity to doze off.

It is the result of my latest Juneathon effort - a long run, that obviously took more out of me than I realised. But my current state is further proof that you cannot rely on enlightened self interest to always provide the best results. My legs for example, obviously need sleep to repair any exercise damage but they are rebelling , preventing what is best for them. They have no idea.

Ha! I always thought enlightened self interest was a rubbish economic theory used to justify unfettered greed but I always thought that the body was self regulating and knew what was best for itself. So that is another assumption that has proved not quite correct.

Anyway I know that I will soon sleep and tomorrow everything will be fine. It has happened before and probably will again. I don't know if it is common with other people but for me it is a signal to be a little easy for a day or two.

Update: Although I wrote that last night I didn't post it because I needed to sort out a photo from my run.

Ducklings, I need to show ducklings as they are very cute this time of year. A couple of days ago I passed someone standing on the very edge of the canal, bending forward, to get a good angle for his photo of ducklings. For a micro second I thought how it would only take the slightest nudge for him to end up splat in the water, like someone from a silent comedy. I smiled to myself and carried on.

My picture involved no such danger. These mallards were snuggled up in the shade of a bridge and I was able to get quite close without disturbing them.

Juneathon Day 22 stats:

Run distance: 26k
Run time: 2hrs 33min

Juneathon 21

Another 10k run - my most frequent distance.

Today I waited until lunch time, for no particular reason, which meant that when I reached this pub it was full of people sitting by the water, having a drink and relaxing. Not for one moment did I think that this looked like the best thing to do on a summer afternoon. Oh no not me - I am a dedicated runner with sweat on my brow and a route to complete. The most I will do is stop to take a picture of Sunday leisure.

It is Father's Day today but I don't know if it makes any difference to patterns of behaviour, with families more likely to go out together. The limited evidence of this run would suggest not. It is just the same other days and I passed a very long line of men fishing - not a family activity.

Juneathon 21 stats:

Run distance: 10k
Run time: 57 min