Another Short Break

I have been valiantly trying to catch up with myself and am now only one week behind. Huzzah!
But it is not good enough.
I am going away again to France and for 10 days I will be without any internet connection.
As always I will keep daily notes so that I can maintain the project but 7 days will become 17 on once more it will feel like pushing a rock up hill.
Eventually it will happen: there will be a day when I can write about the events of a day on that day.
I will then let out a long, slow sigh.

2011 Streak Day 289 (Wednesday Oct 19th): Planning

2011 Streak Day 289 (Wednesday Oct 19^th): Walk 3 miles, time 1hr, Weather - blue sky pleasant temperature

Another post about local government but this is much shorter because all it really says is Boo! and Hiss!:

The photo shows the way the Old Town ends.  There is a house and then some green space, which is as it should be. There needs to be a buffer to give the old buildings some visual breathing space. 

But the council does not agree. It will allow this land to be used for housing. Buggeration! 

Our council is run by the Conservative majority - a party that somehow seems to have lost contact with the meaning of its name

2011 Streak 288 (Tuesday Oct 18th): Fearful of drunkenness

2011 Streak 288 (Tuesday Oct 18^th): Cycle 13 miles, Time 1hr 5min, Weather clear and bright

The day was beautiful and I went out for a spin. No specialist cycling gear (apart from shoes), just out for a nice relaxed pootle, breathing deeply and taking-in the fine autumn views. There are some days when it is a privilege just to be able to get out and enjoy these moments.

There is a pleasure in cycling this way - head up instead of down. The only concession I made to the concept of fitness was a hill but apart from that it was all about looking around, not sweat.

The photo is of a pub called Martins Pond, and to show it is appropriately named it is viewed from across the pond. It is in Potton End, a village close to Hemel, which has recently offered a wonderful example of how small scale local government works - or rather doesn't work. (As it is to do with public health and exercise it is relevant to this blog, so I can talk about it).

The parish council put in a bid for funding to buy equipment for an outside gym (newspaper report).

However the the council later withdrew their bid because councillors later discovered that not many villages wanted it and there were fears that it would be used by drunk people coming out of a nearby pub. In addition several councillors said they were unaware of the original application. (Report here)

It is the last bit that amuses me. The council applies for something and then councillors deny they knew anything about it. It is wonderful how consistent politics is from national down to microscopic local level. if something blows up and becomes unexpectedly contentious, then if you can't blame the last lot you say you weren't there and didn't know anything about it. Brilliant.

It actually has all the hall marks a good idea thwarted by by people playing on general fears of rowdiness and the misbehaviour of drunks. My guess is that the councillors who made the initial application did not see it as at all controversial (in fact thought it was rather a good idea) but people living close to the site thought they might be inconvenienced and took against..

It is wonderfully easy for everybody to agree that we need to  encourage more exercise for the population as a whole. I don't think there are any dissenters. But attempts to actually do something are fraught with difficulties as there are always conflicting interests. This is a small example. 

For me the biggest example is the reluctance to do much to make the roads safer for cyclists and walkers, so that more people can incorporate physical activity into their normal getting about. Getting people to exercise is always difficult if it requires special equipment. clothing and arrangements but if it is something that can be done as part of the day or casually there is a much bigger chance it will happen.

2011 Streak Day 287 (Monday Oct 17th): The Canal

2011 Streak Day 287 (Monday Oct 17^th): Walk 2 miles time 40min Weather there was a wintery bite to the air

Swans always look as if they own the canal. On the water they are serene on the bank they look fierce. Although I have never heard of a specific case where someone has had their arm broken by a blow from a swans wing, I still remember, as a child,being told it could happen. Such stories stay with you and I give them a wide birth. 

But there is another reason for swans to think canals belong to them: this new logo shows it must be the case.

In April British Waterways will cease to be. The canals will no longer be a government responsibility and will instead be run by a charitable trust: The Canal and River Trust (people have already made a lot of fun of the use of the singular - which canal and which river will they look after).

 I don't know how I feel about the change.

The only thing I care about is that canals are maintained and developed. All across the country they are a fantastic resource for walkers, runners, and cyclists, as well as boat owners. They provide a  ribbon of tranquility and beauty linking towns across the country. Fantastic places that also tell you about the history of the country and the pattern of the industrial revolution. 

You can tell how important they are to me by the number of times I walk or run there. They have to flourish.

If the new Trust can do better than the old Board, then fair enough. But if they struggle for money and maintenance is cut back and fees go up then I will worry. The competition for charity money and volunteers is fierce, especially as more of them are now expected to move into more areas that were once the responsibility of the state. And with most of the population now facing an economic squeeze, who knows how it will work out?

One immediate consequence will be reduced transparency. As a charity there will be less requirement to make information public as the Freedom of information Act will no longer apply. The problem with privatising or hiving off services is that it will be more difficult to find out what is happening and challenge decisions.

2011 Streak Day286 (Sunday Oct 16th): Warthog

2011 Streak Day286 (Sunday Oct 16^th): Run 2.85 miles Time 27min 38sec, Weather sunny morning, cloudier later

The weather is extraordinary for October. When you go out, just after day break, there is all the promise of a clear sunny day - summer like but a few hours later .

Looking up and seeing the moon in the morning sky gives me pleasure. Seeing it so clearly in a blue day sky might be common but it is still slightly magical. It feels like an omen that the day will be good.

However it only goes to show that you cannot believe in omens. 

The run was not fast but felt hard. I really do not know what is happening. I am not so much running as lumbering - related to the warthog rather than the gazelle.

The only thing to do is not get down hearted. Keeping on is the only option but aside from that I need a plan.

At the moment I am not in serious training. I will run this loop a few more times to see if it begins to get easier. After that I will take stock. The most likely option is that I will get out my heart rate monitor again and have a period of base training i.e. always running below a fairly low heart rate and being slower than a slow thing.

We shall see.

2011 Streak Day 285 (Saturday Oct 15th): Mind body

2011 Streak Day 285 (Saturday Oct 15^th): Walk 1 mile Time 20min Weather beautifully sunny October day warm enough for T shirt

The role of the mind in running is is fascinating because it is not a neutral observer of the feedback from the body - it conditions those messages.

You can see this when you have good and bad days. There are times when you go for a run when you feel weary from the first step to the last, even though there is nothing physically wrong (i.e. you are not sickening or injured). Your mind is tired and so are your limbs. 

That is a fairly common example but fascinating nevertheless. 

What causes a bad day? I have never been able to isolate an answer but I keep on trying. I always start by looking for simple physical explanations: was my nutrition or hydration good, was I still tired from previous sessions? I rarely think about my mood or mental outlook. Perhaps I should. 

But if my outlook is wrong is there anything I can do about it?

Another simple example of the way the mind can affect you performance is the difference between running on your own and running in a group. With a group you are often stimulated to run faster or longer than you would normally because of the others. You adapt to the norms of the group and your expectations change.

When you are by yourself you often head the signs of distress earlier or you just fall into your normal comfortable pace. You more easily stay within fairly soft mental boundaries.

This leads to an interesting question. If your mental outlook is limiting how fast you go what can you do to change it. Would fooling yourself work?  This article from the New York Times suggests it might.

P.S. The practical response to a bad day is not to worry about it and try to find a cause. You should shrug your shoulders and carry on, knowing the general statistical rule of 'return to the mean' will apply. So if you have had a bad run the chances are your next one will be better but sadly if you have a good day it is likely the next will be worse.

2011 Streak Day 284 (Friday Oct 14th): And then nothing happened

2011 Streak Day 284 (Friday Oct 14^th): walk 1 mile time 20 min Weather - pleasantly warm

My exercise was a quick walk around the block first thing and my photo is of early morning blackbirds (I don't know if they were quite early enough to catch the worm though). It was a short walk because I had to be in for a delivery, which I was told would take place any time between 8:00 and 18:00.

In other words it was a day of circumscribed freedom, leading to frustration and general pissed-offness when nothing came. Damn - rescheduling and another day of waiting!

The strange thing was that although I felt frustrated at the end of the day, there was no reason why I should have done. OK my actions were limited in that I could not go out or get on with the decorating (which was at the top of the house where I was worried I would not hear the door bell) but there were plenty of other things to do and overall I was quite productive (I did the accounts). Nevertheless I felt grumpy and had some work to do to untangle that feeling.

It made me think of something I wrote about a couple of days ago when I quoted the phrase "The spirit in which you do something is often as important as the result". Today although the result was good the spirit was tainted by a sensed lack of  freedom.

This leads naturally to thoughts of mood and outlook can affect running - but I think I will leave that for the next post.

2011 Streak Day 283 (Thursday Oct 13th): Another indulgence

2011 Streak Day 283 (Thursday Oct 13^th): Walk 3 miles time 1hr Weather pleasant

I am sorry about this. We walked around Winchester and  I took a load of pictures of what is a very attractive town but this is the picture that pleased me the most.

It has nothing to do with exercise or being out and about in Hemel but there again I have never been very good at keeping on topic.

Daily Streak 282 (Wednesday Oct 12th): It's all in the preparation

Daily Streak 282 (Wednesday Oct 12^th): Walk 2 miles Time 40min Weather blue skies

Another three element photo. This time it shows that behind the tree in the middle distance the sky was deep blue. Huzza the battle of the clouds has lifted and there is some clear autumn light. In the foreground are red berries. I wanted to show them because I have been struck this autumn by how bright the berries have been. Almost everywhere I have seen brighter, redder berries this year. This year, this is turning out to be a wonderful season.

Other than that the exercise was at a minimum because of chores. There is decorating to be done and all sort of preparation before that. I enjoying painting - there is something satisfying about seeing the colour change and feeling the smooth resistance of the paint as you stroke it on, but the preparation is tedious. it takes me longer than it should because I get bored.

But just like running you only get a good result if you do the preparation. Somehow I cannot escape that life lesson.

2011 Streak Day 281 (Tuesday Oct 11th): There was a run

2011 Streak Day 281 (Tuesday Oct 11^th):Run 2.45 miles, Time 25min, Weather still overcast but not wet and not too windy

I had hoped to take a symmetrical picture : a band of blue, threatening cloud, and a strip of greenery, to show that although it was mostly overcast it was not unrelenting and there was a weather battle. However there was not enough blue. The idea is still there but not quite the execution I had hoped.

Bit like my run.

To try to be fair it is a long time since my last run. Since I gave up the idea of the half marathon I have just not felt like it. It is not the familiar 'can't be arsed' syndrome more of a message from deep within my body telling me that I should rest and get back into training very, very gradually.

However you have to start some time and today was the day for running. It was not comfortable as my body was completely out of any running conditioning. At the end my calves ached, is if this short run should have been easy, and started to tighten. It was a very clear message that I have to stretch to keep everything in working order.

Earlier in the day I had been writing about mindfulness and on the run I experimented by trying to be aware of everything happening in my body. I am not fully convinced it's is the way to go. When your body starts complaining  attention acts like the 'oxygen of publicity' (to coin a political cliché) to increase the grievance.

However this is a provisional judgement because my outlook was wrong; instead of observing what was happening in a clear-eyed, dispassionate way, I was beating myself up for being laboured. That will never do.

2011 Streak Day 280 (Monday Oct 10th): New shoes

2011 Streak Day 280 (Monday Oct 10^th):Walk 2 miles, Time 45min, Weather grey and a bit windy

One of the advantage of writing about running is that occasionally you get offered kit in exchange for a review or mention. I don't respond to everything, for example I won't accept anything I don't believe in, like magnetic bracelets, or things I don't need, but I must admit to a childish pleasure in receiving gift parcels. The new running shoes I recently received came courtesy of SportsDirect, which offers the big three (Adidas, Nike, Asics) at pretty good prices. As they they updated the shoes I was already wearing I was pretty happy.

It is interesting to look at the changes in design (OK only slightly interesting).  Mostly they are little details like separating the reinforcing strip between the bottom and second lace holes. The new Vomero also looks a bit more boat like and a little higher in the toe box, which might affect their feel. On the whole I prefer the look of the older version as they seem a little bit more flexible but that might change when the new ones are worn in. They are of course far too white - but that will not last long. 

As yet I have not really tested them and so cannot tell whether they will suit because It is one of the strange realities of running shoes that you can never guarantee a new model will work as well as the old. It is why, although I like new shoes, I hate buying them - it takes about 30 miles before I know if I have  if I have bought well.Buying from the local running shop cuts out some of the errors because you can try on a range and eliminate shoes that obviously do not fit but it is not foolproof: some shoes feel comfortable in the shop but start to hurt on a longer run. You never can tell

It is strange that every time I have bought shoes online I have felt slightly guilty. I have done it because its cheaper but at the same time a voice in the back of my head reminds me that I want my local running shop to survive, It is important to have a place where people can try things on and get advice. And my local shop is run by a nice guy who I want to do well. 

My compromise (and it is a rather feeble one) is to alternate: an online bargain followed by a something from the shop. All I need to do now is make sure that my next pair come from him.

2011 Streak Day 279 (Sunday Oct 9th): Teach us to sit still

2011 Streak Day 279 (Sunday Oct 9^th): Walk 3 miles, Time 1hr, Weather overcast (probably the most common description I have used this year)

It is Sunday morning and a time for lots of team games, except this fellow seems to have lost everyone. Sitting on a rugby ball, all by himself, he his probably texting to see where his team are. 

If you were to ask me what floats across my mind when I am out running, walking, cycling, whimsy would rank fairly high. I often see things and make these sorts of inconsequential association. It is far from profound and certainly doesn't add anything to the sum of human knowledge but for a few fleeting seconds it amuses me.

Being aware of one's thoughts is at the centre of the mindfulness. The exercises I am doing at the moment are based on the book by Mark Williams and Danny Penman (I have written about it here). It is very much like a running schedule as it gives you a programme to follow and is practical, in that choppy way of modern instruction manuals. it probably needs to be like that to help you establish a routine.

I read it in that broken way, on a need to know basis. At the beginning of each week I read the appropriate chapter and then put the book aside.

There is however a book, related in subject matter, which I have found enthralling and would thoroughly recommend. 'Teach us to sit still' by Tim Parks describes how for years he struggled with prostrate pain, which inhibited what he could do, and infected his outlook. For all that time he had to cope with and adjust to chronic pain, whilst undergoing a series of medical procedures and investigations. Nothing seemed to work until the only medical option left was surgery, which after all the negative tests seemed more a final throw than a guaranteed cure. He declined had to look at other ways of managing his situation.

The first chink of light came through following a method of relaxation aimed at releasing tension in his body. The theory was that the at heart his problem was the result of a build up of tension over many years. He recognised this as a probability and realised he had never been at ease, always been striving, always been at war. With the hour long relaxations he discovered there were times when the pain went.

The relaxation got him but did not provide sustained relief. The next stage was hard-core meditation and the book describes two retreats. They were tough and he is very clear about all the problems he had, the changes that happened and the affect on some of his core beliefs (like should he carry on writing). In the end though he had moments of release and breakthrough. His pain went

The book is the story of triumph but told in a quizzical, questioning, hesitant way - not at all triumphalist, not at all like a self-help manual that wants to sell a blueprint.

There is nothing New Age about Tim Parks. Nothing mushy headed about his account. He just wants to record what happened with as clear an eye as possible.  He is a rationalist, a believer in evidence based medicine who had a problem as yet unexplained by the mechanical model of the body

There is a good review of the book by Nicholas Lezard which ends:

"This is one of the most interesting and revealing testaments you will ever get from a writer. From one of Parks's calibre, it is remarkable, and I sometimes found myself wondering if he had given too much of himself away. But if he has, then we should just be grateful for his generosity."

Precisely.

2011 Streak Day 278 (Saturday Oct 8th): A good morning

2011 Streak Day 278 (Saturday Oct 8^th):Cycle 12.97 miles. Time 57min Weather mostly overcast 

After showing some bagged up leaves I thought I ought to balance the picture by showing that it is not all neat and tidy round here.

Otherwise all that I want to say is that this comes very close to being a perfect Saturday morning. Out on the bike for a short ride, which included a hill long enough to give me the satisfaction of having worked a bit, then to a coffee shop for a flat white and to read the Guardian. The ride sharpens the mind and I read the paper with a relaxed concentration. It felt good.

This is the great advantage cycling has over running: you can dress normally and manage your pace so that you don't become a sweaty heap. This means that in the cafe you can feel perfectly at home. If I was running I would be in shorts and a T shirt soaked with sweat and if I stopped for any length of time I would soon get cold. It would not be pleasant.

The other thing that amused me today was riding up the hill. (That is not a sentence I have ever used before!) At the same time there was a post van delivering mail to the houses  so we played box and cox. I passed him when he was delivering , he passed me when driving. It was like being in an episode of Postman Pat.

P.S. It would have been much closer to being a perfect morning if the English rugby team had not been so inept and lost to a poor French team in the World Cup. Ho Hum!

2011 Streak Day 277 (Friday Oct 7th): Noticing wind

2011 Streak Day 277 (Friday Oct 7^th): Cycle 16. 42 miles, Time 1hr 12min, Weather overcast with wind

My picture today should be of Homebase, as that was my destination, but tin retail sheds are rather boring and I just could not be bothered.  Strange then that I find plastic bags full of leaves more interesting. I have no real explanation except that for some reason they amused me and set me wondering how many plastic bags you would need to contain all the fallen leaves in Hemel. There is no answer apart from 'lots'. But it leads on to the more interesting question about how much effort is put into tidying up leaves - something else I don't know.

it was an enjoyable ride today that also illustrated the great truth about the cyclists attitude to wind (i.e. we only notice it when it is against us). When I started out I was really impressed with my form. "Wow!" I thought "I can't be such bad shape after all. This is nice and easy." As I bowled along I was impressed when I looked at the speedo to find I was going faster than expected. What a good day!

Well it was until I turned round to find the wind made the return journey far harder.

Conclusion: I am exactly as fit as I thought I was.

2011 Streak Day 276 (Thur Oct 6th); Seasons

2011 Streak Day 276 (Thur Oct 6^th): Walk  4 miles, Time 1hr 15 min, Weather - bright but sharpish wind

Another walk along the canal where I saw this young moorhen. I puzzled as it seems very late for a juvenile. perhaps the seasons now become so totally messed up birds are becoming confused. 

If they are confused so am I. 

OK there is a slightly sharp wind and I need a bit more than a T shirt but the day is extremely pleasant and previous days have been spectacular.  This does not feel like October at all. I am taking full advantage but it is another sign of the changes resulting from global warming

2011 Streak Day 275 (Wed Oct 5th): Attitude

2011 Streak Day 275 (Wed Oct 5^th):Walk 3 miles, Time 1hr, Weather - Overcast but warmish, the evening was windy

Still not feeling tip tip so there is no desire to do anything energetic. A walk for a cup of coffee and then back is good enough.

I wrote a short time ago about following the exercises in Mindfulness. Today there is one sentence from the book that is the focus of my attention; "The spirit in which you do something is often as important as the act itself."

It is the conclusion the authors drew from a study which set two groups of students were set the same problem of navigating a mouse through a maze but for one group the mouse was rewarded with a nice lump of cheese, whilst for the others he had to escape from being eaten by an owl. Both groups completed in about the same time but afterwards they were given a seemingly unrelated task that measured their creativity. The group who had to flee danger performed significantly worse. In other words the mental tension experienced by the aversion group carried over and inhibited subsequent thinking.

This lesson may be most obviously directed at the way we approach work but it applies to everything else, especially the things we do for recreation. If we become completely results/task orientated, augmented by a fear of failure, then we risk misunderstanding the word 'recreation' and losing the mental freshness, creativity and fun it is meant to give.

With running it is very easy to slip down this slope because we all (mostly compulsively) track times, pace and perhaps other data such as heart rate and cadence.  This is both a virtue and a danger. It is a virtue because we know exactly how well we are doing and our current capabilities but danger because if we do not like the figures we might judge ourselves too harshly. Instead of each run being a celebration of activity it offers further proof of not being quite up to it.

The right attitude is key.

At the moment all my stats are going backwards. I can either grimly grit my teeth and engage in a desperate battle against ageing or recognise that I am where I am and find contentment in that.

The choice is obvious: I have to let go and accept I am slower. But not accept too much. 

I still need to keep trying.

2011 Streak Day 274 (Tues Oct 4th): Rubbish

2011 Streak Day 274 (Tues Oct 4^th):Walk 1 mile, Time 20min, Weather - not as sunny but still warm but still pleasant

How quickly the seasons turn. A couple of weeks before and these leaves were red and vibrant on the wall, now they are curled and dead on the ground.

How quickly my sense of well being can change as well. Yesterday morning I was enjoying the sun and feeling content but a day later all is horrible. The reaction to the wasp sting continued, and despite taking anti histamine the lip got even fatter during the night. So today's exercise was the merest minimum - a short walk to the doctors. He prescribed some steroids and very gradually the swelling started to go down.

Everything will be OK, the poison will leave the system but the process takes a little time and whilst it is happening I feel rubbish

2011 Streak Day 273 (Mon Oct 3rd): Wasp sting

2011 Streak Day 273 (Mon Oct 3^rd): Cycle 23.79 miles, Time 1hr 42min, Weather still sitting out weather

This picture shows my failed attempt at wildlife photography. I wanted a picture of a wasp and in my experience as soon as you try to eat out in summer wasps will gather, attracted to anything sweet. I therefore put some jam on some paper on a table and waited. At last a wasp came and flew nearby but paid no attention to the bait, didn't register it at all. It flew off and after that there was nothing. My attempt at a wasp photo was a complete dud. 

Perhaps I used the wrong jam.

I wanted the picture to illustrate the way ran otherwise perfectly pleasant day was ruined. It  had been perfect cycling weather: calm and warm but not overly hot. I rode to Ashridge, where I had a cup of tea and watched all the other people enjoying the autumn weather and felt contented. On the way back though, when I was moving at a decent speed, I rode into a wasp. It hit my lip and I could feel its size and furriness before sharpness of the sting. Damn! I stopped and tried to bite down on it and suck the sting out but it was no good. The lip started to swell.

It may seem strange to say for someone of my advanced years but I can't ever remember being stung by a wasp (bees yes but wasps no). However my mother was allergic to them and now, after all these years, I have finally learnt that I am too.

I developed a lip of comic proportions and ruefully thought that there are dangers in cycling that are not mentioned in any of the manuals.

2011 Streak Day 272 (Sun Oct 2nd): The morning after

2011 Streak Day 272 (Sun Oct 2^nd): Walk 3 miles, Time 1hr, Weather hot and sunny

This is a picture from early morning. 

Fallowfields is where manchester University has its halls of residence and the area probably has as high a concentration of  students as anywhere in the country. On weekend evenings students tend to go out and there is much drinking and eating of takeaways

The following morning you can both see the detritus and know why seagull manage to flourish in urban environments. As the sun rose both they and pigeons were out feasting on the left over food.

A walk at this time feels strangely eerie but I saw a contrast to show how all students are not the same.  On the one hand there was a couple, who  I would guess were returning after a long night but on the other hand there were a group of three lads getting their bikes ready for a day ride. They were the extremes, in between the others were probably still sleeping.

2011 Streak Day 271 (Sat Oct 1st): In a city there is a lot going on

2011 Streak Day 271 (Sat Oct 1st): Walk 5 miles, Time 1hr 40min, Weather - if only August had been so hot and sunny

When we were in Manchester all sorts of things were going on. Some were on the news, some were a mention on the sports pages, and others were unremarked, part of the normal pattern of a city with many groups of people brought together by common activities.

Our hotel was full with a number of foreign teams who were competing in the British Open Taekwondo championship, whilst over in the Velodrome there were the British National Track Championships, which was important for Olympic selection. In the city centre some political party was holding a conference and I am sure the area was full of police and security - but we did not go there.

We did however have a procession. I was fascinated to see, from a distance, a march, slow and deliberate, mostly silent. It was a puzzle: political rallies involve chants and shouting and other protests usually involve noise or music. This was solemn and measured. When I was close I could see it was religious - a Marian Procession.

In the afternoon we walked around Platt Fields. Because of the sun and because of the sense that it was only going to last for a couple of days before autumn set-in, the place was packed with people, sitting, picnicking, or just gathering. i don't think I have ever seen a patch of green space so densely occupied. But there again there are a hell of a lot of students in Fallowfields, with every reason to leave their small rooms.

Manchester on a Saturday is a rich and varied tapestry. There was a great sense of people getting out and about.

2011 Streak Day 270 (Fri 30 Sept): Sports Injury

2011 Streak Day 270 (Fri 30 Sept): Walk - 2 miles, Time 40min, Weather - unseasonably hot and sunny

Off to Manchester and more motorway miles. On the way thinking a lot about both the fragility and resilience of the human body and the nature of injuries.

Sport is encouraged for a number of reasons, many of which are to do with  character development, and appreciation of teamwork, and an understanding of your own abilities and limitation.  The virtues that are mostly talked about (outside of the pages of Victorain school stories) are related to the physical benefit of exercise, especially in the battle against obesity. All the benefits are true and I would not be writing a blog about running (well sometimes about running) if I was not firmly convinced about the value of sport and exercise.

However there is danger. There is always a risk of injury.

These vary from sport to sport. Cycling for example carries very little risk when you are on the bike as it is non  load-bearing, with a limited range of motion, but there can be serious damage if there is a crash at speed. Rugby in contrast is a succession of collisions, often with twisting and odd body positions, which makes bruising and battering part of the game but there is always a risk of something more serious (which is why it has to be carefully regulated and refereed). 

Running is interesting when compared to cycling because, although there is little danger of crash damage, you are much more likely to get injured. The repetitive strain on joints and tendons whilst carrying the full body weight can often lead to problems. I don't know how many runners get injured each year but it is significant. Proponents of barefoot running, in justifying the need the change of style, tend to quote 60% but I don't know where the figure comes from or how reliable it is. An article from1986, which used a sample from a 10k race (451 respondents) found 47% had been injured in the previous 24 months. Although there is quite a disparity in those two figures the bottom line is that there are a lot of injured runners.

However the upside of running injuries is that they tend to be chronic rather than catastrophic. You can otherwise function fairly normally and with rest and therapeutic exercises you are usually fit to carry on. In other sports things can be more serious.

The reasons for these thoughts is the reason for visiting Manchester - our daughter's boyfriend has just completely messed up his knee playing football. (An injury so serious it required 7 hours of surgery to reattach the ligaments).

But young bodies heal and the consultant said he could be back playing again in 9 months. After such serious damage that is amazing. For the moment though he is completely incapacitated and not at all a good advert for the health enhancing nature of sport

2011 Streak Day 269 (Thur 29 Sept): Blood in the park

2011 Streak Day 269 (Thur 29 Sept): Bike 23.35 miles Time 1hr 37 min Weather - Hot, like summertime

A beautiful warm autumn day and a enjoyable cycle ride but I did not take any photos until I got home.

The picture of bedding plants is there to represent planting in Gadebridge Park (I say represent because after getting back I was too lazy to go again, so took this in the back garden). The reason for this is the park has featured many times on the blog this year but unfortunately it has been the site of violence. The headline in the paper was "Police cordon off bloodstained park scene." By the standard of other parts of the country this  was pretty tame stuff but nevertheless this is not good - it is where I go.

I know it can all feed into a perception that the world is becoming more violent but is this really the case? Stephen Pinker has recently written an book (The better angels of our nature) arguing that violence has declined (his TED lecture on this subject can  be found here).

I am qualified to comment about it, except that on a personal level I have never felt  threatened walking around town. On all my excursions I sense that on the whole life here is pretty peaceable. Hertfordshire seems a decent place to live.

The strange thing is that for a number of years crime statistics have shown violent crime declining but the public perception (especially driven by newspaper headlines) is that things are getting worse. 

It is interested how we don't trust official statistics.

2011 Streak Day 268 (Wed 28 Sept): Morning

2011 Streak Day 268 (Wed 28 Sept): Walk 3 miles, Time 1hr, Weather - spectacular

You could not believe the joy I found in something so simple. The joy from going outside and walking by the canal and across the moor in the early morning.

It was one of those days where the sun was rising on what would be a hot day yet there was still the overnight mist to be burnt away. I arrived at Boxmoor early enough to see ribbons of mist still hovering over the grass. Beautiful!  And in the field were hoses, for the most part, contentedly munching the dewy fresh grass.

The light was stunning, everything felt at peace and I felt content.

I was however amused to notice that I passed two men walking their dogs, both the men were on their iphones, one doing internety things, the other was talking. "Wow"I thought, "It is only 7o'clock in the morning. You don't have to be quite so connected quite so early."

2011 Streak Day 267 (Tues Sept 27th): Maintenance

2011 Streak Day 267 (Tues Sept 27th): Walk 2 miles time 40 min, Weather - mizzly in the morning but it lifted and the afternoon  was wonderfully warm and sunny.

Maintenance is either the great joy or great pain of cycling. It has to be done to make sure everything is running well and to keep the bike looking nice but my attitude to it is extremely variable. Some days, especially when it cold and bleak, I don't want to do it. When my fingers are icy everything is fiddly and hard,. I tend to drop the tiny components and curse a lot. However on days like this I find tremendous contentment.

The sun is out, the air is warm, and I quietly and calmly take the pieces apart, clean them and put them back, adjusting tensions and checking things are running true. There is something satisfying about working with your hands and when I am in this mood it feels almost meditative.

I claim no great knowledge or skill. I just do the simple things but mostly that is all you need to do.

Cleaning the chain is probably the main bit of bicycle maintenance but I don't think cleaning features in any book of running maintenance. For running maintenance the emphasis is on tension i.e. stretching. In the past this is something I have neglected and it has built up problems. I regret I was not assiduous enough.

As part of my new beginning I have decided to take stretching more seriously and uncouple it from running (i.e. only do it after a run). I am now doing a few stretches every morning. Only for 10 minutes but the principle is, once more, that if you do something regularly you will gradually see improvements.