2011 Streak Day 220/365 (Aug 8th): Wash house

2011 Streak Day 220/365 (Aug 8^th): Run 2.4 miles, Time 27min, Weather - cloudy cool and beginning to rain

Yesterday was beautiful and we thought the weather might have settled - but no. As we left the house the sky was full of rain clouds that we hoped would hold off long enough. In a way it did  as we were only caught in the spittings but there was a huge compensation: we ran into a rainbow. It was lovely - a dramatic arch, right in front of us, almost in touching distance, but try as we might we could not find the pot of gold.

At mid-day we went to St Jean to eat at a vegetarian restaurant. It was mainly out of curiosity because the definition of  vegetarianism in this part of France is not eating beef. So we wanted to see how it would work. The conclusion was OK ish but it was somewhere we would never revisit.

The whole eco/organic vibe was good and obviously if you are a pioneering venture you have to go the whole hog (perhaps that is not the most felicitous turn of phrase). We particularly liked the tables with tops  made out of papier mâché and legs from cardboard cylinders you find in carpet rolls. The decoration was bright, airy and fun. Unfortunately the food was boring and bland. My main course was roasted vegetables, whose main flavour came from a splash of balsamic vinegar and basmati rice. OK but you expect a little bit more from a restaurant.

So not an outstanding success but never mind there were other things to keep us amused.

Today’s photo is of an old wash house, by a stream on the edge of a small village.  It is quite evocative to see these reminders of what life used to be like.

2011 Streak Day 219/365 (Aug 7th): In the best of all possible taste

2011 Streak Day 219/365 (Aug 7^th): Run - 6.5 miles, Time - 1hr, Weather - beautiful, As I ran the sun was coming up causing the mist to rise from the fields. The rest of the day was one of blue skies and white fluffy clouds.

A good day. The first intimation was the weather: blue sky with the sun rising causing  a mist to hover above the fields. It was beautiful and a day of rain could be considered fair payment for this early morning view. Not only that the running went quite well.

My section up the Beauvais road was the test. I had done this on day 215 when I was surprised at how tough it was, dragging on for over a mile. So tough I had to stop and rest when I reached the crest. Today I wanted to keep going, which I did by trying to kid myself by saying “Ha better than last time!”. As I passed the point of giving-up it changed to  “Oh much better than last time!” and as I went a bit further “Much, much better than last time!”.  Then I went further still until I was back into a rhythm and and could carry on till home.

When I got back I felt good as if it had been some small breakthrough.

The morning was spent at the brocante in Matha. When on holiday I enjoy going to these as they are relaxed and sociable: friends bump into each other and stop to have a chat.  They are a great attraction.

I never buy anything as I have no eye for bargains. To me it is all stuff, heaps of stuff, and I am not too interested. However I take some small pleasure in spotting the worst pieces - and there are some truly horrible pieces: junk and bad taste. Today the junk prize was won by a broken vase where only the neck was whole. It was on the same stall as an old gramophone player in a smashed wooden case (why would you even bother to bring things that were so badly destroyed?). As for bad taste, I really couldn’t decide - there were many awful paintings, many overly ornate objects but i had to give the prize to the thing that amused me most: a mermaid jug. She is modelled laying down, cupping her ample bosom in her hands - pure class! i have a horrible feeling that these might be collectable. 

Afterwards we went for a coffee and were next to a group of two families, with young children, who were obviously sharing a gite. On of the mothers reminded me of the character in ‘Outnumbered’, on edge and reacting to any hint of bad behaviour from her children. One of the youngsters asked “Why have we come to France?” and she replied quick as a flash with that machine gun rattle designed to kill off any dissent: “ Because we like it here - good food, good wine.” I have the feeling that good food and wine are not high on the priority list of a four year old.

2011 Streak Day 218/365 (Aug 6th): The quality of peace

2011 Streak Day 218/365 (Aug 6^th): Run - 2 miles, Time - 23 min Weather - light rain, low grey clouds

As you can see from the photo it was another wet day, however running first thing has saved us. So far there has been no significant rain at daybreak. Is this a general rule? Does the early morning have less rain than other times off day? All I can say is that on this holiday that has been the case.

Later we went for a walk and got very wet.  During the walk we talked about the quality of peace tto be found here. At home we have no easy access to the same openness of landscape, the same sense of quiet. It might seem strange to say as we live in pleasant countryside with nearby woods and quiet country lanes - but it is in the South of England, a densely populated area.There may be many nice vistas but the traffic is never far away.

However, as with everything, for every up there is a down. There is a fine line between quiet and boredom and in winter an open landscape, which in summer is rich with crops and wild flowers, can be empty and bleak.

We talked with an English couple who live in the village full time and they find winters hard, with nothing much to do. This year, as an experiment they are renting a villa in Spain from January to March to be part of a bigger community. It will be interesting to see how that works.

Which only goes to show, I think, that peace is not actually in your surroundings but in your attitude to them.

2011 Streak Day 217/365 (Aug 5th): Beehives

2011 Streak Day 217/365 (Aug 5^th): Run - Run - 4.96 miles, Time - 45min 07sec, Weather - When running it was overcast and beginning to drizzle, later in the morning the rain set-in and fell like it sometimes does in Wales.

Again the run was harder than it should have been and I took a couple of walking breaks. At the moment I am at a loss about my fitness - it should be easier than this but it isn’t. It is  a test of my basic philosophy of running being primarily about honesty and continuity. You have to be honest about your capabilities: the state of your fitness and abilities, but within those limitations you just have to keep carrying on.

So at the moment we are carrying on.

The run was not without its pleasure however - I discovered a small wood alive with beehives. Why that gave me so much pleasure I do not know, after all beehives are not exotic and a French hive looks exactly the same as an English hive, but there was something about the discovery that put a smile on my face. I immediately thought things were as they should be - crops need to be pollinated and local honey needs to be made, the natural balance was being maintained.

This is an agriculturally rich area.

As you can see from the photo the day was overcast and rainy, which was a bit of a shame for the village picnic, which instead of being in the open in the Marie Gardens took shelter in the salle des fêtes. The idea is simple - everybody brings their own food and socialises. Much wine is consumed. That is all.

2011 Streak Day 216 (Aug 4th): The governance of Belgium

2011 Streak Day 216 (Aug 4^th): Run - 2.4 miles, Time 26min 56sec, Weather - a little overcast, with a mackerel sky. During the day there periods when the clouds cleared and it was hot.

It might be just a wild guess but I don’t think “the governance of Belgium” is a common title on a running blog. In fact unless anyone can prove otherwise I will claim it as a first. I may only be a mediocre runner but I can sure as hell make up for it by inventing uniquely boring headings. I don’t believe very many people will be lured in but nevermind.  I learnt something about Belgium government today and would like to report it.

But first some background:

The great thing about having a house in rural France is that you become part of a community. It maybe mainly the community of other outsiders who have renovated or are renovating the old properties but nevertheless that is a fair proportion of the village. One of these people is a senior Belgium civil servant who spends most of his summer here. He is free to do this because of a rather wonderful employment arrangement: if you have worked sufficient years and are approaching retirement and have an understudy who you are training-up as a replacement, you can have three months holiday a year. A very civilised arrangement.

Today he came round for chat and topics did include the government of his country, or rather the lack of one. It is a sign of the narrow interest in foreign stories in our news outlets that little has been written about the way Belgium has fractured and been unable to reach a political consensus and sustain a government. Nevertheless it is still a democratic country as it has an elected parliament and it still has a functioning civil service. So life goes on and the state still functions

Not only did I find this interesting in itself, I found it interesting that we could have this conversation in a remote village as part of the randomness of a holiday.

Today’s photo comes from a walk around a nearby village, which had a stream with a mechanical weir that could be set at varying degrees. The photo shows how it has acted as a barrier and collected the plant life upstream, whilst below the water is clear. What interests me is why this stream needs controlling in this way. There seems no obvious reason and even now I have no answers.

It is one of the great things about walking around, trying to pay attention - sometimes you are left with nothing but questions.

2011 Streak Day 215 (Aug 3rd): Walking towards lunch

2011 Streak Day 215 (Aug 3^rd): Run - 5.00 miles, Time - 46min 35sec, Weather - overcast, relatively cool

Walk - 11.94 miles, Time - 3hrs 20min, Weather - overcast at first after which the sky cleared and it was hot

The run was a figure of eight with a stretch that was a long steady uphill. This countryside is open and undulating but deceptively hard. A long gradual slope might feel OK at the bottom but after a mile your legs know they have been fighting gravity and you want it to end. When I got to the top of the hill today I felt in desperate need of a breather and cursed my weakness. The run was much tougher than I though it would be (or indeed it should have been).

The main activity of the day was a walk for have lunch. Matha is 6 miles away and the restaurant there was our destination. The walk was through open countryside, past the variety of crops and clumps of woodland. There are no hedges in these parts just division by crop: vine, sunflower, corn, and fallow. Along the edges and in the fallow areas there is a mass of wild flowers. Above are birds and a buzzard patrolling his area looks majestic. 

When we arrived in Matha I was once agin struck by how deserted French towns are at lunch time. Everything is closed and nobody is about so the streets are an eerie quiet.

Contrasts and comparisons are what make a holiday. Today had shown us field patterns, crops, and a social pattern that values a lunch break. All very different to back home.

Usually, when I come here I take a picture of a sunflower, all happy and bright. Today’s picture shows what happens afterwards - they become heavy with seeds and bow their heads.

2011 Streak Day 214 (Aug 2nd): Didn’t it rain!

2011 Streak Day 214 (Aug 2^nd): Run - 2.4 miles, Time - 27min, Weather - in the early morning there were intimations of rain.

We left the house at 6:45 when the rising sun was obscured by clouds. As we ran we felt a few drops and the clouds looked ominous; would we be  caught by a deluge? No we were fine it never got heavier than a few drops - a little warning of what was to come later. 

The main amusement of the morning was watching a big articulated lorry trying to turn into the road to reach the Moutarderie. (Probably another satnav misdirection, as a look at the map would have shown that the obvious route was to approach it from the opposite direction). Anyway he tried to make this turning a few times before realising he was stuck and it was totally impossible. He then did something that made we want to applaud the skill of professional lorry drivers: he drove past the turning and then reversed down the narrow road, with all its snaking bends, to make his delivery. Bravo!

The Moutarderie is an interesting example of the type of food business that can be set up in a small village but yet attract visitors from miles around. It is on the map as one of the attractions of the region, selling not only its handmade mustards but also cold pressed sunflower oil (from the local sunflowers), local honey, and other gifty things. It is an example of how you need a combination of technical skill and business drive; something that might require two people. Originally it was just one man making his mustard and it might have stayed like that if he had not married someone with the drive to expand the range of the business and see the possibility of making the shop a destination.

Every year we have visited here the Moutarderie has expanded and is doing just that little bit better.

But back to the rain. I don’t want to leave you with the impression that the day was just heavy clouds and a bit of rain. It was far more than that.

In the afternoon we were returning from Cognac when a thunderstorm struck and the heavens opened - and that is a precise description. it was as if someone had taken a knife to a water bladder and sliced it so the water gushed out in one heavy lump. There were no raindrops it was a solid sheet. The windscreen wipers at their highest speed could not cope and it was difficult to see the road ahead as it had become a shallow stream. The wind came up and at one point a twig was wrenched from a tree and hit the car with an almighty crack. 

The journey was shockingly difficult. We couldn’t even stop and wait for it to pass as we were heading in the same direction.

Eventually it passed but later in the middle of the night there was another heavy storm that battered the roof and made sleep impossible. We later learnt that the rain had been so heavy that a barn roof had collapsed.

These holidays are not all about peace and relaxation - there is drama as well.

2011 Streak Day 213/365 (Aug 1): Problems you might have on a run

2011 Streak Day 213/365 (Aug 1): Run - 2.34 miles, Time - 21min 34sec, Weather - hot

On some days running is easy and everything flows, and  you come home feeling refreshed with the world full of possibilities. On other days you struggle and and it feels uncomfortable or hard work (or both).

There can be all sorts of reasons for a bad day. The most frustrating are the mysterious ones where there is no obvious reason. You have not been overdoing it, you have not changed your patterns, you have had enough sleep, you have eaten well, you are otherwise feeling fit, you are not trying to do anything extra. It just happens. Your muscles feel watery and there is no power. All you can do is write them off and say they are ‘just one of those things’. But although you know that is what you should do there are always nagging questions about what went wrong.

Other days are more explicable. You might for example be ill. The feeling of inner weariness is quite distinct and you know what is happening but there are then complications in deciding how much to keep going. If it is a proper full-on illness like traditional flu then there is no debate - you are unable to do anything; but many viruses don’t knock you out, they just make you feel sub-optimal. The usually advice is that if it is not a chest infection you can keep going but how much you want to is a different question entirely. There is always the thought that allowing the body to rest will clear things up more quickly and it is better to have a short break rather than drag out a longer sequence of poor quality runs. There can be no general advice. It really does depend on how well (or bad) you feel.

Some days can be marred by twinges - the mysterious pains that can come and go without leaving a trace. The problem here is that you have to know the difference between a twinge and an injury and that is something I find really, really hard. I go through a couple of stages: the first is to carry on and some twinges just go away quickly. If it persists then I will stop, perhaps walk, perhaps stretch, perhaps do a few loosening exercises, depending on what it feel like and then carry on. If it goes - good. If it stays it is probably best to adapt the session by either carrying-on gently, or aborting as a precaution. 

The most uncomfortable days though are the ones when you get the ‘runners’ trots’, when everything is reduced to one simple question, that dominates the whole of your mind: ‘can I get back in time?’. Once the problem has been sorted, it is sorted and everything is fine but those moments before are pure agony.

I was thinking about this, this morning  on what should have been a 6 mile run. A couple of miles out I realised I would not last and the only thing to do was walk home (and a most unpleasant walk it was). 

It was a shame because wind and limbs were ok and it was a beautiful morning with the sun rising in a clear sky and the promise of a hot day ahead. It should have been one of those good days when everything felt easy.

But it was not.

Today’s picture is of bird damage.

The old buildings in the village are built in the traditional way with rubble walls covered with a lime render. For some reason birds seem to like to eat the render. Many a time we saw a flock of them perched on the stones, pecking away at the lime. 

The picture shows a small activity, repeated often enough, by many birds can have a dramatic effect. Quite a big chunk of the wall has been exposed and mortar removed. If allowed to continue, over the years it could become quite a problem.

2011 Streak Day 212/365 (July 31): Seaside

2011 Streak Day 212/365 (Sunday July 31):Run - 2.41, Time - 27min 09sec, Weather - The sun came up a fiery orange into a clear sky.

Being forced to run more slowly than normal is great. I really don’t know why I can’t discipline myself to do this alone; instead the pace always creeps back up to normal. The great benefit is that I come back feeling fresh and ready to start the day. Just what is needed before a trip to the sea.

We started by visiting Rochefort, a place we had only driven through before. In the Eighteenth Century it was the base of the French navy. A place where ships could be built, supplied and defended. Now you can see the remains of the infra structure, wander around the impressive, terraced, dry docks and see the Corderie Royale and in one of the docks they are building a replica of one of the great wooden warships, the Hermione. The naval history is quite evocative.

As a boy (about 13 or so) I used to devour the Hornblower novels and so have vague recollections of daring raids up the heavily defended river and around the fortified islands  (I can recall no detail; it was a long time ago). Nevertheless I have a strange, undefined feeling of “Oh so this is what it looked like!”. It is rather satisfying.

The afternoon was spent at the seaside. Obviously this wouldn’t be a good choice if you were looking for solitude and a chance to commune with nature (it is the first weekend of the traditional French holiday when everybody goes to the beach) but that is not what we wanted. For one afternoon we wanted sand, sea and the hot, hot sun, with ice cream kiosks and lots of other people relaxing and enjoying themselves. It was exactly what we found.

211 Daily Streak Day 2011/365 (Saturday July 30): Too slow!

2011 Daily Streak Day 2011/365 (Saturday July 30):Run - 3.66 miles, Time - 33min 58 sec, Weather - sun coming up in a clear sky with the promise of a hot day

Another day and another sunrise with the pleasure of being out in the empty countryside. On the run I am passed by a single van and the driver is the only person I see.

Sometimes on a run you feel enough at ease to look around, breath deeply and enjoy the scenery. On others you are more inside yourself as you struggle to keep going. Today was a mixture. I started out slowly and enjoyed the open spaces until I started to vary my pace: fast then slow. Breathing deeply very quickly became breathlessness.

It made me realise how unfit I am. With every increase in pace I felt heavy and clunky, and weak. I can only hope things get better in the future but for some reason I don’t have too much faith.

The main activity of the day was a 6 mile walk, which went through the village/town of Beauvais. As I had a blister I stopped to buy some plasters. Although there were two people serving and only two people in front of me it took an awful long time. One of the customers was an englishman, who spoke no French, struggling to explain the background of a complicated prescription to the pharmacist who spoke little English. The other was an old, very frail lady who needed a long, long conversation with her medicine.

I didn’t mind waiting, I appreciated the fact that here the pace was slower and things could take as long as they took. I was in no hurry.

When the old lady went to leave she walked towards the door and tripped the infra red signal to open the automatic door. Unfortunately she was so slow that by the time she managed to reach the door it had closed again. All she could do was wail that she was trapped. (It was a very short entrapment, someone rescued her by waving at the sensor).

I had to work hard not to laugh. I know it is a sad thing to be too slow for an automatic door but I couldn’t help thinking of it as a comedy sketch.

There are only three things in today’s picture: blue sky. a power wire, and swallows, but each has something to say about the village. First the wire - recently the power feeds in the village were buried, as part of the sprucing up that has happened over the past few years, however there are still wires connecting some buildings and out-buildings. It is part of the rough, rural look to the place, which is part of its charm. Secondly there are the swallows - this time of year there are always plenty of swallows. One of the small pleasures to be had is sitting out of an evening (wine or pineau optional), watching the swallows twist and swoop as they hunt their flying insects. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is the blue sky, which is emblematic of the region. In summer time the light is usually fantastically clear with the sky a deep colour, making everything look better.

2011 Streak Day 210/365 (July 29): Every day

2011 Streak Day 210/365 (July 29): Run - 2.37 miles, Time - 26min 14 sec, Weather - Sun rising on a warm day

This is the pattern: one day at my normal pace followed by a day running with my wife at a slightly easier pace. The different intensities should mean I can run for everyday this holiday - something I have never done before.

I know all the hard core Athoners who run every day for a month and would treat a running streak of a couple of weeks with withering disdain but it has always been my philosophy to have breaks. My 2011 Streak is based on variety, to use muscles in different ways and to mix hard and easy days. I am convinced that repeating the same thing to often leads to staleness. So I have never before tried to run everyday for any period of time. 

But this is a holiday challenge not a training programme. If I was being sensible I would be purposefully building up for the Folkestone half marathon, instead I am only planning to plod more consistently.

Today’s picture comes from an outing to Jarnac, where we took a boat trip along the Charante. Jarnac is the next town upriver from Cognac and the home of Courvoisier, Hine, and Royer cognacs. As we chugged along the great green Charante these houses were pointed out along with much else but my main reaction was to let it all float by and enjoy the beauty of the river and its wooded banks.

2011 Streak Day 209/365 (July 28): Matha

2011 Streak Day 209/365 (July 28): Run - 6.97 miles, Time -1hr 6min 8sec, Weather -  Slightly misty at first, gradually warming

This was the first day of the holiday and a time to begin as I meant to continue - so up at 6:30, a quick drink of water and out! 

I have no idea how I can do this so easily here but find it almost impossible at home. Perhaps it is just necessity, as usually, in this part of France, in summer, the days are very hot and far too sapping for running. However at sunrise, when there is a sky becoming more intensely blue, with the promise of later warmth, it is perfect.

The great thing about this time of day is the sense of hopefulness, the freshness of a new beginning,which is more than a metaphor - you feel it.

Perhaps trying to rediscover a sense of the excitement of each new day is something I should work on at home. But what the hell! Now is not the time to wibble on about my failings - that can wait. Home is a million miles away. I am here now,  in the middle of the empty French countryside, looking at the rolling landscape, with not another person in sight, breathing deeply of air carrying far fewer car fumes. It feels good.

I would lie if I said the run was pure pleasure - it was not. I felt heavy and for the most part I slogged along the country roads but I could look up and enjoy the view and know, that no matter how rubbish I might be, it really is brilliant running country.

The photo is of a tiny island at the road junction in the centre of the nearby, small town of Matha (population about 2,000 people). It is not the water feature I find interesting but rather the framing tree - the blossom is of a colour that looks particularly fine against pale, off-white limestone rendering, which is the predominant finish of buildings in these parts.

2011 Streak Day 208/365 (July 27): Recovery

2011 Streak Day 208/365 (July 27): Walk - 1 mile, Time 41min, Weather - Overcast, some slight threat of rain

You will note from the stats that something strange, something that hardly counts as exercise, something that barely keeps the streak going. Nevertheless it will have to do and, as ever, there are extenuating circumstances.

Our house is in a small village in Charante Maritime (not too far away from Cognac), a long way and a five and a half drive from Caen, our ferry port. So we arrived at lunchtime with the accumulated tiredness from lack of sleep and long hours in the car. All that could be done in the afternoon was unpacking and a trip to the supermarket for provisions, followed by the evening meal, much wine and a fuzzy easing back.

All that was left was a ritual walk round the village to note any changes and see who is here. It is one of those traditional agricultural villages whose many empty old buildings have been bought and renovated by foreigners (English, Irish, Belgium and Parisiennes). So there are a few holiday homes.

Today most people seem to be in residence and it is not  hard to take 41 minutes to walk a mile if you stop to say hello. This village has a great sense of community. 

In some ways my wife and I are interlopers. We gain entry through association with my sister and brother in law, who own and who have renovated the house. They are the ones who know everybody. Nevertheless we can tag along and enjoy the general atmosphere of friendliness.

P.S. The photo is of a rose growing against the back wall of the house

2011 Streak Day 207/365 (July 26): Night Ferry

2011 Streak Day 207/365 (July 26): Run - 5 miles, Time - 49min 49sec,  Weather - moderately warm

Our holiday started today - but not until 19:30 when we set out to catch the night ferry, so there was plenty of time for a morning run.

Because it was my last home run for some time it was appropriate to go to the canal. Despite most of my recent runs being round the park I still think of the canal as the place I run.

Today was pleasant and I felt quite good most of the way but  not fully at ease because  I stopped bang on 5 miles and didn’t run the extra few hundred yards to my normal stopping point. During the last mile I was looking at the watch regularly to check if I had reached the target and then it was - tick: 5 miles, click: job done.

The rest of the day was spent getting ready. The only thing I didn’t get round to was telling the credit card company we would be abroad for a couple of weeks. Silly boy! That would later cause a minor inconvenience.

I still find something exciting about catching a night ferry. Once upon a time I found airports exciting places with the prospect of flights going to every part of the world. But now all the security, queuing and herding make air travel something to be endured. Boats are far more civilised.

We arrived  fairly early and had time to look at our fellow passengers, in their various vehicles. One lane was full of caravans and another had bikers: motorcyclists at the front and cyclists behind. When I looked at the cycles, equipped for the continental tour with heavily ladened panniers, I felt no envy. I told myself that I ought like the concept of a bike tour but looking at them my only thought was how hard it looked. Perhaps it is the way I think of my fitness at the moment - I don’t think I am up to anything that requires much endurance.

I looked at them and was happy with our option of a cottage down south with the prospect of early morning runs. Something bit gentler.

2011 Streak Day 206/365 (July 25): Seasonality

2011 Streak Day 206/365 (July 25): Walk - 1 mile, Time - 20min, Weather - sunny and warm

The barest of bare minimum today. 

As ever there are excuses like a visit to Winchester and time spent on the M25 but if I had really, really wanted to do more I could have done. There was nothing stopping more effort than a lack of desire.

So we will pass swiftly on to the photo of berries from a rowan tree, a couple of hundred yards from my house. I would normally expect to see the berries fully out in aug/sept and so this is a small example of how the seasons are advancing.

Everywhere there is evidence and those who refuse to believe that the climate is changing are not using their eyes. The overall warming and disruption of seasonal patterns are causing visible changes in plants and wildlife.

If I was a serious naturalist I could have used the opportunity of a daily photo to record these developments and be much more systematic. But I am not and I have only just thought of it as a possibility - and so it is too late to make any meaningful records.

All I can do is point out the bright red berries of the mountain ash in a totally random way.

2011 Streak Day 205/365 (July 24): The Naming of Parts

2011 Streak Day 205/365 (July 24): Run - 3.21 miles, Time 28min 40sec, Weather - nondescript

Another stock run in the park and another chance to vent my irritation at the way the need to erect signs is becoming a compulsive disorder. It reminds me of the WWII poem by Henry Reed

To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,

We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,

We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,

To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica

Glistens like coral in all of the neighbouring gardens,

          And to-day we have naming of parts.

As you can see from the photo This is a very dull sign that probably has its roots in the highways department. Perhaps it might look better stuck into tarmac or paving, against a wall: I don’t know. What I do know is that stuck in the grass inside the park, it is a mess. Not only that the information is unnecessary.

Gadebridge Park is very pleasant and although it is a decent size it is not vast - it is a town park. From any point its full extent can be scanned and all the facilities can be seen. It holds no secrets; there are no hidden corners or woodland pathways. You can see it all before you.

So why do we have to be told the obvious? And why now? Has it been that for years and years our enjoyment has been diminished by not knowing where we were? 

Perhaps I just got out of bed on the wrong side and felt grumpy but as I passed the second of these signs I just felt irritated by the lack of sensibility shown by those who planted them

2011 Streak Day 204/365 (July 23): Twiddle

2011 Streak Day 204/365 (July 23): Cycle - 19.38 miles, Time - 1hr 27min, Weather - blue skies with many clouds

This  has been a pretty miserable July, most days have had overcast skies and there has been plenty of rain. Overnight it rained again and when I woke up I wondered if I would have to review my plan of a cycle ride but the clouds scudded by and the blue patches grew larger until the day was bright. As you can see from the photo - perfect for a ride in the Hertfordshire countryside.

When I was out I was passed by a couple of people, dressed in their team jerseys, heads down, much leaner and fitter than me -  putting my rather laboured effort in its place. But I knew I could not raise my game. At the moment I am not very cycle fit. In fact I am not very fit at all as everything feels an effort.

If the project for this year has proved anything it is that just getting out each day and doing a little bit is no substitute for a proper training programme. If you want to get fit for a race or improve your times you need to stick to a schedule and incorporate hard, long easy and total rest.

However rest days are not an option in 2011, I can only have easy days. Recently some of those easy days have been so minimal they would count as rest, which I think indicates that I am at some sort of mid way hump. There is a long way to go but it is well past the bright beginning with the feeling of hope that comes with every new adventure. Now is the period of endurance and the sole objective of keeping going.

A bit like this ride.

But the ride also provided a hopeful analogy. Although I felt tired for most of it, something happened to change my mood. About two thirds along there was a long hill, which I was dreading. However I put the bike into a very low gear, twiddled and before I knew it I had found some sort of rhythm. After I reached the top I felt much better and the rest of the ride was so much easier.

So there you have it for this part of the 2011 Streak I have to put myself into a low gear and twiddle

2011 Streak Day 203/365 (July 22): Dress code

2011 Streak Day 203/365 (July 22): Run - 3.06, Time - 29min 7sec, Weather - mostly overcast

I think of these short runs as being round the park but that is not the whole truth. The park lacks a circular path so the route includes a stretch of a bordering road. It is a loop of about a mile but as I have increased the distance I have lengthened the road bit rather than add extra repeats. Nevertheless I still think of it as my park run.

Today I was amused watching the seagulls on the bowling lawn. They were moving along in formation, pecking at the grass. Probably the groundsman had scattered some new seeds - in which case very few of them will become established. Those birds looked like an organised gang who would not leave food uneaten.

It is one of the things about running - I find myself being amused by very small things. As I chug along my mind plays silly games. I notice the similarity between the white and grey plumage of the birds and the strict dress code of members of the bowling club. Brightly coloured birds would obviously be drummed out and not allowed anywhere near the green. 

You have to have standards.

2011 Streak Day 202/365 (July 21): The old High Street

2011 Streak Day 202/365 (July 21): Walk - 3.34 miles, Time - 1hr 5min, Weather - Another dull day in a remarkably dull July

I walked through the Old Town and then the Park in a slight loop to make up a little extra distance. The picture is of a bric-a-brac shop in the Old Town.

The planning of the New Town shopping centre was a little strange. It is nearly a mile south of the old High Street, separated by a municipal area of college, civic centre and library. I don’t know the thinking behind the division,  except the planners’ liking for orderly, distinct groupings. however the consequence is that the old and the new shopping areas seem further apart than their geographical distance and most shoppers stay in the newer shopping centre of the familiar chains stores, whilst relatively few people walk past the local shops in the old High Street.

The lack of footfall means the shops are small and tend to be more more specialised: hairdressers, restaurants, antiques and bric-a-brac, that sort of thing (along with the towns cycle shop). But they all struggle. The planning separation might have preserved the character of the old street but it is not quite quaint, or large enough, to become a destination in its own right. It is something the current Dacorum planners constantly struggle with, without actually doing anything that makes any difference. (Not that I can be too harsh though - I don’t have any good ideas either).

That said it is still a pretty street and I enjoy running along it and then into the park behind.