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

Juneathon 19 & 20

Sometimes the news baffles me. Apparently, we learnt this week, the Queen is going to have. Cue acres of wasted news print (and of course the Sun in its wonderfully modest way claimed it was all their idea). But where is the story in the Queen allowing her gardeners to grow fruit and vegetables in a tiny portion of the Buckingham Palace garden? As most stately homes have a kitchen garden this small plot is hardly a green breakthrough. It is certainly not a proper allotment.

Proper allotments are communal, have an ethos of make-do and mend (like coloured plastic bags to scare away the birds), and ideally sheds. They are productive retreats and this is one of three I might pass on my runs.

There Is nobody about because it is first thing in the morning - a pre breakfast run. I sometimes like to do this on steady/easy days where the run is an hour or less. The whole idea is to get out of the door before I realise what I am doing (kit on, a drink of water and then gone). There is plenty of time to wake up on the warm-up jog.

On good days you see the world waking up and you feel as if you are unfolding the day. Juneathon 19 was such a day.

Juneathon 19 stats

Run distance: 10k
Time: 56 min

Saturday was a gym day as I realised that I had not done much resistance training recently. I started with 5k on the treadmill, which included some faster intervals , before moving on to the weights machines.

I suppose, if I was serious, I would learn a few routines with free weights but I am quite conservative and stick to the machines. I don't know why, probably a psychological block that thinks the free weights area is for men with broad knotted shoulders and wide biceps who grunt when they lift. I imagine a filtering device (like they have at Alton Towers where they won't let you on a ride if you are too short) in this case it would be a hole with the message 'if your arm can pass through this, you are too weedy'.

So I stick with the machines and work on the assumption that if I do enough of them I will cover most of the major muscle groups but today I feel weary so only do half the number I should.

Juneathon 20 stats:

Treadmill: 5k
Machines: abs, back, leg press, shoulder press.
Time: 1 hr

Thursday is Yoga Day

Yoga is my new activity for June and today was my second class i.e.1.5 hours of finding out how many things my body cannot do.

Most of the other people in the class have obviously been doing this for years and seem to lack tendons - they have nothing that stops them folding themselves flat from the waist, stretching their legs out, or twisting through 180 degrees. With me there are all sorts of conflicting forces.

Nevertheless it is interesting to notice how my body works: the bits that are strong, bits that are weak and the areas that just do not like being disturbed from their comfort zone. In common with many people who run, my hamstrings are tight and all the exercises that involve both straight legs and bending are quite uncomfortable. As my core is also relatively weak so things like the boat pose find me out big time. But nevertheless I quite enjoy struggling and sometimes there are fleeting moments of triumph, such as holding the crane (but you will notice that this pose involves no stretching). I am determined not to be discouraged by the gap between the example of the instructor and my slapdash approximation.

I know I will never throw a perfect shape but I'm not sure I want hyper-extended joints. I just want to find my own balance between strength, stamina and flexibility. This is a way of working at my weaknesses

Juneathon Day 18 stats

Yoga: 1hr 30 min

Looking at Street Signs

This sign is an example of what can happen when you go for a run: you notice something, think about it a little bit, and then see other examples so you end up thinking about it quite a lot.

Today I became preoccupied with the our streets are visual cluttered with signs and posts. It started when I noticed a 'Have you paid and displayed?' sign that was more visible to the adjacent road than it was in the car park. It might be a useful reminder but not if it is facing away from the parking spaces; so why would they position like that? I then started to see how the streets were full of all sorts of signs, a whole jumble of them. Mostly we take them for granted, hardly see them, but if you start looking they are everywhere.

We may block them out but subconsciously I'm sure they crowd us in, and the more notices there are they less you notice them. Fewer must be better. The sign in the photo shows this is not the ethos of the highway engineer. It is almost as if they want to fill any empty bit of pole. What does it matter that it is actually a finger post for a cycle path? We must be told to buckle-up our seat belts.

Anyway the run itself was just a gentle 6k, perfect for letting the mind wander. Road signs might not be the most uplifting subject but that is the thing about running, you often don't chose what you think about - it just happens.

Juneathon 16 stats:

Cycle: 16 miles
Time 1 hr 10 min

Juneathon 17 stats:

Run: 6k
Time: 36 min

Goin Slow

My attitude to long runs is a bit feeble. For anything under 2 hours I am perfectly relaxed , and know I can do it and be in reasonable shape. Anything over and I worry about strength leaking away, struggling to finish and ending up with a mild feeling of defeat rather than satisfaction. So at the moment I am working at normalising runs of 2 - 2hr 15min. So far this Juneathon I have done three.

In some ways yesterday's was the best for two reasons. The first was run on the trails of Ashridge, amongst woods but also with lovely views of open the open countryside. The second was that I had a breakthrough in being able to run at a lower heart rate, which probably meant I was using more fat for fuel and could keep going for longer without feeling weak.

Trying to run at a lower heart rate does not sound like much of a trick - all you have to do is slow down, but I find it a struggle. There is an internal rhythm that almost unconsciously imposes itself so that whenever I try to run slowly it gradually picks things up and when I try to run faster it is a brake. The result is that it takes a great, conscious effort to try and make my sessions have sufficient range but I am working on it. Slowing down has the problem of not feeling a little bit laboured, just not quite right, but I think I am finding out how to take it down a notch and be more economical.

Anyway in my own sad way I was extremely chuffed, when I looked at my run stats, to see that my average heart rate was 3 beats lower than last week. Only be a small difference perhaps but it felt quite significant.

Today's picture comes from where my route emerged from the woods to meet the Ridgeway, with views over the rolling downland landscape.


Juneathon day 15 stats

Time running: 2 hrs 17 min
Distance: 23.4km

What Time to Run?

I am falling behind in blogging Juneathon, so need to catch-up and report a fail.

Saturday

The plan was a 12k run at easy pace, which was achieved. I am always pleased when this happens because, being a person whose self discipline lacks a certain amount of iron, I am never quite sure I will follow through with my intentions. This time I did so but not without an awful lot of humming and hawing - it was late afternoon before I got out of the door.

'What time to run?' is an interesting question. All the science tells us that or circadian rhythms favour the afternoon for exercise. Apparently it is better if we do our mental work first thing in the morning whilst leaving physical exertion for later as our bodies work more efficiently when they are fully warmed up. Certainly most athletic world records are broken in the afternoon (though that might well be influenced by most athletic meets being at that time) and when Chris Boardman, who was famous for leaving no scientific stone unturned, broke the hour cycling record he was careful to timetable the attempt for teatime. However psychology is a big factor. If I do not get out fairly promptly in the morning I tend to mess around for most of the day, procrastinating, wasting time and sometimes not going at all. I really need to get out before I can think about it.

Saturday was an example. The morning priority was food shopping rather than running ( because of the need for lunch), but after that there was coffee, then waiting till after lunch, followed by some reading, and some fettling, before I realised if I did not go it would be dinner time and I would miss the run.

When I got out I still found myself distracted. About 15 minutes in I passed a cricket game and stopped to have a look. I sat down on the grassy bank and was overcome by the feeling of idle contentment that comes from cricket on a warm afternoon. I love the age range in local teams from boys to grizzled veterans, though predominantly the teams are middle aged . ('Come on boys' the captain yelled to encourage his team but boyhood was a distant memory for most of them). I also love the rhythm of the game, which is almost hypnotic.

I spent far too much time watching the last wicket partnership and so my 12k run was therefore more of a 2.5, 9.5 effort. Anyway I eventually got going and was quite pleased because the route featured a hill and a bit of variety from running by the canal.

Sunday

This was a fail as I spent the day painting and decorating. My intention was to do some yoga afterwards but I felt weary and could not be bothered.

If I am going to keep my Juneathon streak going I am going to have to reclassify decorating as exercise, but I am not fully convinced.


Juneathon Day 13 stats

Run distance: 12k
Run time: 1 hr 10min

To be Demolished

This is a sad but inevitable picture - the destruction of a relic of our industrial history - a cradle of modern paper making. The Frogmore Mill was the first to produce continuous papers using the Fourdrinier method, in 1803, whilst in 1809, in a mill a few hundred yards away, John Dickinson started to produce continuous paper using cylinders. In 1811 John Dickinson bought this place, Nash Mills and paper was produced here until 2006 but since that time it has been empty.

There are plans to use the land for a housing development but I don't know what is happening now the property market has collapsed. As you can see from the picture there has been some demolition but it looks as if it has been frozen - there is no sign of activity and everything looks too tidy. In which case the building will just rot for a period. What has been exposed though is the way the canal went into the factory and the romantic in me rather likes the reminder of how things used to be with the canal being used as the major freight route, with the finished paper being taken right into the heart of London to a depot in Kings Cross.

I like the old brick walls of our industrial path and I want to pass them when running by the canal. They are what we have come from and once they are turned into housing those roots will have been pulled out. However something must be done when a building is no longer useful. Land needs to be redeveloped.

We already have a paper making museum at the Frogmore Mill but unfortunately that is also being hit by the recession, as their business model relies on the sale of land for development. I hope it survives as it would be too, too sad to lose this connection with the past. After all it is no small thing to be able to put a stake in the ground and say 'something of significance happened here.'

All this is a long winded way of saying I went for a run today to Nash Mills, which I do frequently. It is after all my stock run .

Juneathon Day 12 stats:

Run Distance: 10k
Time running: 54 min

Away Days

Yesterday I went to London and what a good day to choose when there was a Tube strike. The result was that the roads were completely gummed up with traffic and so the buses were useless as well . So I walked - everywhere. I don't know how many miles in total but there was an awful lot of wandering round, so that must count for Juneathon.

Before I left in the morning I had forgotten about the strike so took out some exercise insurance by running round the park before breakfast. Only 2 k but nevertheless a run.

In the evening I went to the theatre with my daughter and saw All's Well That Ends Well, at the National. One of the more rarely performed Shakespeare plays (in fact I have never seen it) and I can understand why. The story is flimsy, like a fable but without a fable's moral certainty. The male lead has a weak and unpleasant character and therefore you are not even sure it's a good ending when the heroine ends up with him. Nevertheless it was an excellent production. I liked the way they emphasised the fairy tale nature of the story, with a set that looked as if it was designed by Jan Pienkowski and even the seduction switch shown as silhouettes on a cotton sheet.

Anyway it was back quite late but up early in the morning to drive to Manchester. There and back in a day is very tiring and I do not know how lorry drivers do this for a living. Too much driving makes me feel sleepy. But you can't sleep if it is Juneathon.

Although I did not leap out and run I did at least do some yoga. I do not feel that I am making any progress (unlike all you press-up people) as I am still as stiff as ever but the exercises had the remarkable effect of making me feel much more alert

Juneathon 10 stats:

Run distance: 2k
Time: 11 min
Walk: lots

Juneathon 11 stats:
Yoga: 20min

Juneathon 8&9

This is a footpath/cyclepath under the M1 and is a big improvement - as it should be. If you are going to £21 million a mile widening the road there ought to be some benefit.

It is on the Nicky Line, which used to be a rail link between Hemel Hempstead and Harpenden but was opened as a footpath in 1985. Previously the tunnel was horrible - dark, rutted and quite scary. Now there is a flat gravel surface with lights and I don't feel depressed when I run through it. It is still a bit eerie though because the noise of your foot as it scratches away the gravel echoes off the corrugated casing and your footfall sounds very loud.

Today I ran it as an out and back and it was a pleasantly peaceful . In fact I hardly saw anybody, just two cyclists, three runners, and four walkers. I actually prefer more activity and it is one of the reasons why my stock runs tend to be along the canal rather than here - on the canal something is always happening and every day is different. When you are running by yourself, for a longish time, distractions are always welcome.

One of the people I did meet managed to make me feel inadequate again (actually not a tremendously difficult thing to do). He was a runner who pulled-up and so I asked him how he was doing. He told me it was the achilles, which was a problem because he had a race on Sunday. I commiserated and walked with him for a bit during which time I discovered that the race was one of several triathlon he had plannned for the year, including a double ironman! I have no idea how people do a standard ironman never mind doubling the distance. It is beyond my imagination . He said he did it last year and it took him 29 hours - Bloody Hell!

So I carried on my merry way, content with the fact that I was running 22 km and trying not to think of the endurance of others.

I have combined my report for days 8 & 9 due the fact that yesterday was a yoga day, so there was nothing much to say.


Juneathon Day 8 stats:

Homemade Yoga: 30 min

Juneathon Day 9 stats

Run distance: 22.25 km
Time running: 2hrs 4 min
Running music: none
Recovery music: Mark Lanagan I'll Take care of You (first track on the album is here)

The Pleasure of Play

Yesterday I looked at the weather forecast and it showed grey clouds and heavy rain. Sure enough when I woke up it was both wet and cold, so a good day for the gym.

I very rarely go to the on Sunday and was quite surprised at how crowded it was. The pool was particularly full, and as the treadmills overlook the swimmers, this was quite diverting. There are as many variations in styles of swimming as there are of running but many of them seem incredibly inefficient. I know I am in no position to talk because I am not much of a swimmer but looking down from above you can clearly see those who really fight the water. One girl swam the crawl without getting her hair wet (I have no idea how this is possible as her body must have been at about 30 degrees to the surface), someone else swam the breaststroke with their body at an angle to the direction of travel and a man swam crawl with a round arm style that looked like a butterfly cross. They must have all worked really hard to get from one end of the pool to the other, whilst others managed to keep their body in a straight line and cleave through the water much more easily.

The contrast in swimming efficiency is very stark but it made me think about running style and how keeping your body in line is a similarly advantage. One of my New year Resolutions was to be more upright and so on all my slow runs I spend a fair amount of time thinking about form, about being balanced, looking ahead and not leaning. I tell myself to let the legs feel loose, as if they were turning over rather than pushing. I have no real idea as to whether this actually helps my form but constantly telling myself to be easy helps my attitude as it is only a small jump from ease to enjoyment.

When I came out of the gym the sky was blue with white clouds - good running weather. Ah well!

But my time had not been wasted and I felt pretty good. On my walk back I passed some sort of event where there was a trampoline catapult. I loved looking at how some of the kids really enjoyed bouncing up so high. It takes children to remind you of the pleasures of play.

Juneathon, I think, is just a reminder to play every day.

Juneathon Day 7 stats:

Run: 6.5k
Resistance machines: back, abs, pectoral fly, arm press, shoulder press, static rower
Stretches
Time 1 hour 15 min.

Same Route - Different Run

What a grey, damp day.

The fun discovery of my run was that they still play bowls in the wet. I thought it was a bit like cricket and they retired to the club house for tea and cake if it was raining but no! They have their own special wet weather clothes and they carry-on with stoicism. I was very impressed and also struck by the idea that somewhere there must be a supplier of white anoraks or perhaps it is a sideline for the makers of decontamination suits. Who knows.

For every obsession there is an associated industry. We runners spend a disproportionate amount of time thinking about types, makes and models of shoes, cyclists can swoon at the beauty of an exotic frame or high end components, and photographers obsess about the features of cameras or identify with their brand. For each there is a specialist shop where the person serving and the customer share the same enthusiasm . Conversations are had and there is a sociability to the commercial exchange. They are valuable places.

My run today was over the same route as yesterday (as I said it is my stock run) but it was different. Yesterday was more testing in that it consisted of faster surge whereby I gradually increased my pace until I was breathless and then eased right back to get my heart rate down before increasing the pace again. Today the idea was to run easily and steadily at a relaxed pace. The result was that I took 5 minutes longer with an average heart rate that was 4 beats less.

Objective achieved.

Juneathon Day 6 stats:

Distance: 10k
Time: 60min

Stock Run

When I set out my intention was to take a photo of Nash Mill being demolished - to keep some sort of record of the changes being made and write a little about the history of paper making (obviously a staple for any running blog). But that will have to wait. I passed a barge with a dog sitting so calmly by the tiller that he looked like a boat owner enjoying a moment of peace of quiet. It had to be today's picture as I am unlikely to see it again.

This is what I like about my route - every time I run it there are new things to see. Some of the boats are familiar but others are new and there are always different people passing by. I think it is important for stock runs to have enough variety so stop them becoming boring, which is why I feel lucky to have a nearby canal.

Juneathon Day 5 stats:

Running time - 55 min
Distance - 10k

The Cows are in the Meadow

One of the opportunities of Juneathon is to use it as an excuse to try new things. Most people seem to have embraced the idea of the 100 press-up, 200 sit-up challenge and I am full of admiration as that seems quite hard. But my need is for more flexibility and balance; hence I will be trying yoga.

I am not a total novice as I took a class a few years ago but since then my stretching regime has been none too impressive and I remain rather stiff, especially the hamstrings. Work needs to be done otherwise I will continue to contract into myself and become a little ball.

I actually started last week and went to a class last Thursday and was quite impressed by how different it was from my previous classes i.e. the change from traditional Hatha to Ashtanga. I did not realise the sun could be saluted so much and I ended up watching the beads of sweat drip from my forehead onto the mat - that never used to happen.

Today I went for my second class but it was cancelled. What to do? If it had not been Juneathon I would have shrugged my shoulders and thought nothing more about it but I had programmed this as my main activity of the day. So I had to unroll my mat in the lounge and try construct my own session from The Runner's Yoga Book (useful because it recognises the fact that runners tend to be stiff and shows a number of less testing modifications to the classic poses). For some reason I found it very difficult to keep my focus but nevertheless I struggled on for 30 minutes before deciding that that was enough.

I also went for a cycle ride with the intention of taking some photos of the Belted Galloway cows which usually gaze at Boxmoor. They are wonderfully gentle beasts who pay very little attention to the people who walk on the footpaths that criss-cross the meadow (or even idiots with a camera kneeling in front of them).

Juneathon Day 4 stats:

Homemade Yoga: 30 min
Cycling distance: 7 miles
Cycling time: 40 min

A Stroll in the Woods

This morning the scales showed I had lost 3lbs, which for one small moment I thought was good news before I remembered that I gave blood yesterday. So this is my weight with an empty arm.

As exercising with too little blood is not a good idea I needed find something gentler that would nevertheless count towards Juneathon. Perhaps a walk in the woods?

I am lucky because Ashridge is near and it is one of my favourite places, somewhere that always refreshes . Beech, oak and birch, deer and who knows how many birds, away from the main paths everything is tranquil. Sometimes when I feel completely alone I like to stand completely still, just listening and looking. I wish I could identify birds by their song but I have no idea. All I hear is the texture of interweaving calls and the best I can do is to try to count the number of different songs. At moments like this time passes, but I cannot stay too long or it would not count as a Juneathon.  One has to stride on.

In the distance I see a patch of blue flowers and think it unusual because bluebells should be finished but getting closer is see the flowers are quite different. The petals start as blue and bell-like but are then forced apart as the green seed-bladder grows larger (if you click the picture to see a larger version, this can be seen more clearly).

I have no idea what the flower is so if anybody knows this inadequate naturalist would be pleased to hear from you.

Stats for Juneathon Day 3:
Time walking: 1 hour

Reasons to Love June

There are many reasons to love June. Not only is there the festivity of Juneathon and the communal warm that comes from a group of people supporting each other in their attempt to exercise each day, there is an explosion of flowers in gardens and meadows, their colours offset by the still fresh greens of leaves and grass. Today's photo is posted for no other reason than I like the blowsiness of poppies. It comes from my garden so I certainly can't claim any exercise points for taking it, but it is more fun to look at than a treadmill.

Yes that is right today was a gym day. Even though I prefer running outside I go to the gym once or twice a week, both because I need some resistance exercise and I find the treadmill useful for, what I laughingly call, speed work. When running outside I am not mentally tough enough to sustain a pace when it becomes uncomfortable and automatically slip back to something just that little bit easier. With the treadmill you dial the speed and have to keep going, even if you end up hanging on.

So here are the stats for Juneathon Day 2:

Run - 7k
Resistance machines - abs crunch; pectoral fly, shoulder press, arm press, static rower, leg press
Stretches - those as well
Total time - 1 hour
Music: Robert Wyatt, Fleet Foxes

Juneathon Day 1

Tired of the old descriptions of the world,
The latest freed man rose at six and sat
On the edge of his bed. He said,
“I suppose there is
A doctrine to this landscape. Yet, having just
Escaped from the truth, the morning is color and mist,
Which is enough
From The Latest Freed Man by Wallace Stevens

Yes that was me rising early to look at the landscape, feeling like the latest freed man.

Yesterday was meant to be my long run but I over slept and dilly dallied around until it was far to hot to be out for over two hours . So I saved the long run for today with the idea of starting Juneathon with intent.

My plan for the rest of the month is to take my camera with me on every run and post a photo. Last year I had a rule of waiting until the midway break but this year I will be more relaxed and will look for things at any stage of the run. The change is necessary because I only have a small number of routes and do not want to endlessly repeat the same pictures.

Day 1 stats:
Time running 2hr 10min
Distance 23km
Music running: none
Music post run: Moondog