2011 Streak Day 226/365 (Aug 14th): Mind/body

2011 Streak Day 226/365 (Aug 14th): Run - 7.5 miles, Time - 1hr 14min, Weather - there had been rain but it was merely cloudy

Time for a longer run. If I am going to do a half marathon in September I have to try to extend my runs, even if it does feel hard work.

It was a sunday morning and so everything was fairly empty, which made the discovery of road-stripping plant hidden away in a quiet parking place, all by itself,  seem a little bit eerie. Not a sight I expected but I was amused by the big brother, little brother look.

As for the run - there was no breakthrough. I had hoped the regular running in France would have made a noticeable difference and this would feel like a breeze. But there can be a wide gap between hope and reality. It was not bad, I did not struggle too much but at the same time it didn’t feel any progress. Most disappointingly the last half mile was hard and I was happy when it was over.

P.S. When I said most of the last half mile I was referring to that strange phenomena of feeling progressively more tired until the last 100 meters when suddenly the sight of the finnish line lifts the spirits and your form picks up. Finding you were not as tired as you thought, when just a couple of minutes ago your body had told you it had nothing left, is common.  It is a small part of the evidence that supports the theory of the central governor but even without such a theoretical underpinning it shows how much a run is governed by the mind.

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.

Photothon 15: traces of the past

Running is meant to be about being in the moment, where your attention is focused on what you are doing. The thoughts might be able to float free but they always come back to what you are doing at that time. Your physical effort anchors them. It is a refreshing mixture of empty mindedness and particular thoughts.

That is still the case most of the time when I am running but more and more I am thinking of the past. Not my own; I am not reviewing all of my missteps and working out how I got here. No I am looking at my surroundings, a town I have never previously paid much attention to, a place I live in but with which I have no great emotional attachment. However my current running is also is trying to remedy that. It is an exercise in paying more attention and looking for traces – trying to see the continuity between the past and the way we now live

It is focussed on the canal. Firstly, and most importantly it is a pleasant environment for running but secondly it is a ribbon of history. Along it you can see the changes from industry to services and leisure. Most of the people in the barges are out for relaxation and refreshment and by the water and the factories have given way to houses and shopping parks.

Now it is undoubtedly cleaner, more pleasant, and more fun but I like the factories and the old brickwork. I enjoy looking at the back of Nash Mills for example. I can see a part of the history of the industrial revolution and be reminded of the role of the canals. With the surrounding houses you can see how the works were central to the local community. I like the idea that John Dickinson invented a process for the continuous manufacture of paper and he did it from here. Because it would be hard to overestimate the importance of the availability of cheap paper in forming our lives, this is a significant strip of land.

But there is no more paper making. The main Apsley Mill was closed in 1999 and the site has been redeveloped. Nash Mills was bought by Sappi in 1990 and made paper until 2006 but is now empty and I think there are plans for housing



The photo is a tiny trace of that past . These gates to Nash Mills have not been used for many a long year. The notice is a simple piece of stamped metal: “NO PARKING BY ORDER J.D. & CO”. Firm and authoritative then but now painted over and invisible, with J.D & CO long gone.