Janathon 2012 Day The Last

Janathon 2012 Day The Last:Walk - 3 miles, Time 1hr, Weather - Cold and wintry

The last day of Janathon and I have revisited the cows from the first day.  A cycle has been completed and I am back where I began.

It some ways it feels just that - in spite of a month’s activity I don’t feel any more healthy, vigorous, or any more full of vim. Things have chugged along but there has been no sense of progress.

I had hoped that the heart rate training would have shown some steady improvement but it has been a bit too erratic and I can’t really tell if it is doing any good. One dayI am  able to run for longer and maintain a rhythm, the next the heart rate is all over the place. There are glimpses it might be working but only glimpses. Nevertheless I will continue for another month, gradually increasing the mileage as I am sure that is the key. My aim had always been to build up the distance gradually and to have patience and patience is obviously what I need.

For the rest I didn’t do too much cycling and I don’t know why, but the rides I did I enjoyed.

Walking was sometimes a stock activity - a substitute for a rest day, when rest days are not allowed. However walks of 5 miles or more felt like proper exercise as they required a degree of stamina: I could actually classify them as base training.

The greatest pleasure came on days when the sun shone, trees threw long shadows, and there was a sparkle in the air; whenever that happened there was a spring in my step. Even if the predominant colour of the month was grey there were still some bright days. 

Weather always affects my mood but in January it is more extreme: a bit of sun and I feel cheery, a slate grey sky and I can feel as bleak as the bare countryside. But the great thing about Janathon is that it forces you to go outdoors and everyday I felt better after the exercise than I did before. Janathon proves that exercise is good for you.

In summary: total mileage - 154.8, walking - 53.84, running - 51.41, cycling - 49.55. Nothing impressive, just steady.

Janathon 2012 Day 30: A bit chilly

Janathon 2012 Day 30: Cycle - 10 miles, Time 50min, Weather - cold

I didn’t really fancy this today. Not only was the temperature was little above freezing, I felt extremely lethargic. It would have been very easy to can everything and stay in the warm but if I had done so I would have felt defeated  - and that is not at all a good feeling.

But even after I started there were temptations to abandon. I had only gone a few yards before noticing my headset was loose and needed adjustment. Back in the garage it would have been very easy to say “well that’s it! the omens are in opposition.” But we are made of sterner stuff than that. All that was needed was a quick internal debate as to what would count as the minimum distance and an agreement to do just that, at no great pace. For some reason I decided on 7 miles but ended up with 10.

When I returned cheeks were red, ears were cold and my nose was runny - in other words the normal results of exercising on a winter day.

Janathon 2012 Day 29: A Blank Day

Janathon 2012 Day 29: Run - 2 miles, Time - 23min, Weather - grey and a bit chilly

I took this picture a couple of days ago but as I have been playing about with it today I thought I would post it.  

Today I needed  some distraction as the run was a complete non event - another day were my heart rate was just crazy, about 10 to 15 beats above the norm. I decided to cut the run short, ignore my watch and chug along at the pace of all my recent runs but it was not much fun. I had no idea what was wrong, especially as I had felt I was making some progress. Now I am not so sure.

We shall see. I the meantime I am putting it down as one of those days and not worrying about it.

Janathon 2012 Day 28: Nondescript running; encouraging article

Janathon 2012 Day 28:Run - 4.75 miles, Time - 54min, Weather - Oh it was grey again and the wind was cold

Sometimes there is little to say about a run: you completed your intended route as expected, the weather was dull,  not many people were out, and you didn’t see anything unusual. It is not that the run was unenjoyable - it is just that it was routine.

I gave myself no special brownie points for my efforts but when I got home I felt quite good and was definitely in a better mood than before started. This to me is one of the characteristics of running: a you almost invariably feel better afterwards. Your mind feels calmer, there is warmth in the body, and a contentment of mood.

To achieve this though you have to put in a certain amount of work. I don’t know the minimum level is but I find it hard to believe the minimum exercise recommendations (for health) are enough. 30 minutes walking is not a lot, especially as the recommendations allow for it to be broken up into ten minute chunks. 

I must admit to having made no progress in finding out how the current health recommendations were arrived at and whether there was any debate about them being enough (by that I mean of course that I haven’t looked) but the issues of thresholds is interesting. I will definitely have to look into it.

On the subject of the health benefits of exercise I have recently come across some more evidence: a very encouraging article in the New York Times on the possibility of exercise being able to delay or combat the onset of Alzheimer’s. There are all sorts of caveats of course: it is a single study with a smallish number of people; it needs to be tested and replicated; it is the beginning of an avenue of enquiry rather than an end point; etc, etc. But if it is true it could be tremendous news. However, as the article says, at the moment is just a study that is  “cautiously encouraging”

Janathon 2012 Day 27: Hanging tyres

Janathon 2012 Day 27:Run 4 miles, Time - 48min, Weather - bright and clear

Enough of me wittering on about base training. Today is all about using your eyes.

Almost everyday I pass the skatepark and look to see if it is empty or full (early in the morning you can guarantee empty) or if there are any kids performing tricks - I like to watch stunts. My eyes are always focussed on the metal slopes and jumps and I see little else.

Today for the first time I looked up at the trees next to where the kids hang out (most BMX time seems to be spent hanging out). The bare branches are adorned with old inner tubes, tyres and trainers. How have I not noticed them before

We see so little of the world - just enough to make a coherent picture but certainly not everything. Even the familiar can still contain surprises

Janathon 2012 Day 26: Vitamin D

Janathon 2012 Day 26: Walk - 7 miles, Time - 2hrs, Weather - bright

After all the greyness the weather perked up and the sun came out. What a difference that makes to my mood! A longish walk along the canal was a perfect thing to do - a chance just to enjoy being outside without worrying about how fit/unfit you are.

Whilst walking and enjoying the light I thought about vitamin D, which is the vitamin we mostly get through exposure to the sun. Up until this week I would have thought that this walk would have given me enough sunlight to generate some but I would have been wrong. I heard a doctor on the radio saying that in Britain the sun is not strong enough in winter for us to get enough of the vitamin. As a general rule, he said,  if your shadow is longer than you then the sun is too low in the sky to be of any use. These days the shadow s are very long.

The topic has been in the news recently (there is an article here) because the chief medical officer for England has told GPs to recommend the supplement for those at risk (i.e. the young and old). But apparently half the adult population don't get enough of it during the winter, so I don't know why it is not recommended for everybody. 

I have always been rather sanguine in my attitude to supplements, as I have believed that a balanced and varied diet will give you everything you need. Perhaps I need to change that to: I can get everything apart from vitamin D. As a result I got some vitamin pills on the way home. i am sure they won't do any harm and they might do a deal of good.

P.S. Today's photo caught my eye as I was impressed by the way a temporary bridge could be erected. They were repairing the swing bridge and had closed the road and at first i wondered why the foot bridge was necessary but it only took a couple of moments of thought to realise that you needed to be able to get to the pub!

Janathon 2012 Day 25: Resolve

Janathon 2012 Day 25: Run 5.2 miles, Time - 1hr 3min, Weather - Once more grey and bleak

Another picture from yesterday but as it is still grey there is no discontinuity.

Today’s run was all on the road as the canal was still wet and muddy. The problem with roads though is finding a route without too many hills. Hills mean I have to walk to keep my heart rate down. Hemel is full of lumps and bumps. There is the option of an out and back along a road which follows the path of the River Gade - but as that is one of the busier roads it is not ideal. So all my road routes have hills.

It was on a hill towards the end of the run that I had a mini crisis of resolve. I had slowed as much as I could and than started to walk as the only way of keep below my HR limit. “How tedious this is” I thought and as I thought it I felt like stopping. Not stopping by rebelling and running fast and breathing chest-achingly hard but stopping, stopping and then sulking. Going slowly and then slowing can be demoralising.

But then another voice kicked-in and told me that I had a plan and the only way to see if it worked was to stick to it. Base training, it said, might be easy running but it is mentally quite tough. You have to show you can be strong minded.

So at the top of the hill I sided with the voice of reason and continued.

Janathon 2012 Day 24: Another lesson

Janathon 2012 Day 24: Walk - 3.3 miles, Time - 1hr, Weather - horribly wet at first but eased off into mistiness

I had actually planned to run today but when I woke to see a coal black sky and steady rain I changed my mind. My plan is to run 4 times this week and there is flexibility as to how those days are arranged, so it was not a problem and as we know tomorrow is always a better day. 

Instead I walked by the canal and was glad I made the choice because the towpath was  a succession of puddles surrounded by sodden mud - rubbish running conditions. Even walking was hard work, needing me to engage my core muscles far more than normal to counteract the slippines under every planted foot. But this is of course a good thing: a better form of exercise, far better for you than a gentle stroll.

It is possible I would also have enjoyed a run, once I had got out (if I had kept to relatively puddle-free pavements). On such days although you get back wet, your skin tingles and you feel refreshed and virtuous. I even felt quite virtuous after the walk but that was as nothing to what I would have felt if I had run.

However potential levels of smugness are not really the point. It would actually have been far more intelligent to to have waited because the rain stopped to be replaced by mistiness - actually quite nice conditions. 

The lesson of today is obviously to make greater use of the weather forecast.

Janathon 2012 Day 23: Willpower and Janathon

Janathon 2012 Day 23: Walk - 3 miles, Time - 55min, Weather - blustery, mainly grey

I don't know if Janathon is an exercise in willpower or not. Last year I got into the habit of going out each day for at least a minimal amount of exercise. For many months it was not difficult until at the beginning of November a huge weariness welled up inside of me and I lost all desire to continue. The ending certainly showed no will power but did the preceding days count for anything?

I don't know the answer but I do know that I have established a routine that allows Janathon to proceed without strain (the key is walking) and it doesn't feel as if I am being strong minded at all.  For me this is critical. If I feel I have to gird myself, tense every mental muscle, and be very strong minded - I inevitably fail. I do not have have confidence in an iron resolve and I am not implacable. However I get things done if I can engage my interest or imagination and ally them to a framework - they are my willpower substitutes.

I am thinking about this because of a slashing review by Will Self on a book about willpower. Such powerfully distilled disdain is always entertaining, except if you are the author. But I don't think he is wholey right. He spends quite a few words on mocking the idea that academic progress comes in finding ways to test well know ideas, not necessarily in the ideas themselves, but that is not ridiculous. Progress does come this way and sometimes it is hard to disentangle the simplest of ideas from its confounding factors (e.g the benefits of exercise). Also there is an idea that Self treats as a commonplace that is new to me: too much willpower in one area can weaken it in another. I had thought of it as an attribute not a finite resource.

I can't defend the book against the review though - I haven't read it and have no desire to do so.

What I do like in the review is the anecdote at the end about trying to get up from a chair. The way to do something is simply to do it and not wally around pretending. in Janathon terms that means getting out the door. No how complicated is that?

Janathon 2012 Day 22: Overheard

Janathon 2012 Day 22: Run 5.9 miles, Time - 1hr 12min, Weather - blowy

This rather rigid form of base training is odd in that your muscles feel that they are making an effort but you are not breathing heavily, so you don’t feel you are working hard. In fact breath passes so softly and gently across my lips I am hardly aware of it. 

My pace is still very slow and I haven’t managed to up it but what has happened is that I am able to run for longer with a stable heart rate around my target level. This is actually real progress. I still don’t know how much this is going to help me in the long term but as if I am seeing some/any improvement I am prepared to continue and take the future on trust.

The run itself was uneventful except that I have another fragment of a conversation to add to my collection of parts of phone calls overheard when passing.

“And he just said UUUUURRRGGGHHH and stormed out and I then said to ....”

With so many people talking on their mobile phones there are many of these: snippets floating around. So many stories so few clues.

Janathon 2012 Day 21: Play

Janathon 2012 Day 21: Walk - 3 miles, Time - 55min, Weather - windy but not too cold

Having run for 3 days in a row it was time for a break and so I walked. I know many people take on Janathon as a ‘run everyday’ challenge but that has never been my way, I always want variation: changes to stop a single activity becoming unrelenting. Walking is a good stock exercise. If you are feeling tired, or just a bit lethargic and unfocussed, it takes no effort to step out the door, close it behind you and get going. No preparation is required, no psyching yourself up. You just move and work out what you are going to do afterwards.

Sometimes I play games like going down every footpath I see, or taking every third turning, or going to a part of town I don’t go to very much. It doesn’t matter - anything random will  do as a test of my sense of direction. When you are going out every day it helps to have some sense of play and get away from the idea that your exercise is scheduled, rigid, and charted. 

Today was a little days to break up the routine. Tomorrow I will be back on track and run a well worn route,  nevertheless there will still be a game (trying to keep my heart rate low) but its a game I am playing all the time at the moment.

Janathon 2012 Day 20: Exercise and Health

Janathon 2012 Day 20:Run - 3.6 miles, Time - 44min, Weather - cloudy, windy, bleak

Another day, another slow run keeping the heart rate down. There were signs of progress as I managed to run quite long segments with a flat heart rate. Huzzah! Us runners are very simple folk - all we need is a little bit of encouragement and everything seems brighter, even if the weather is dreich. 

Over the past few days I have been superficially looking at the evidence for the benefits of exercise. i started with a video that suggested exercise was a magic treatment - the single most effect way of improving general health, followed it with a correction which said the evidence wasn't quite as dramatic as presented. This was followed with a couple of Cochrane Reviews that looked at the effects on specific complaints.

This is not good enough - there needs to be more of an overview. In 2004 the Department of Health published a report 'At least five a week: Evidence on the impact of exercise and its relationship to health', which can be downloaded.  Table ! summarises the level and strength of evidence for a relationship between physical activity and a number of chronic conditions

For me the most important thing is the distinction between the preventative properties of exercise as opposed to its use as a therapy because this makes it clear that there is much stronger evidence for the role of exercise in preventing illness rather than helping with a cure.

P.S. The photo is another one from Monday - some blossom to balance up the greyness of the day.

Janathon 2012 Day 19: Matutinal grey

Janathon 2012 Day 19: Run 5 miles, Time - 59min, Weather - rain clouds at first, gradually clearing

Sometimes when reading book you can be stopped in your tracks to wonder why the author chose a particular word or phrase. 

A couple of days ago I was read ‘Half the human race’ by Anthony Quinn when I was struck by a description of one of the characters being dressed in a suit of matutinal grey. Matutinal means pertaining to the morning but why was it used instead of morning grey, which was the generally used term for a type of suit in Edwardian times (when the novel is set)? If the book had been written by Will Self I would have accepted it as part of game called ‘play the dictionary’ but the style of this novel is fairly straightforward. So why the more arcane adjective?

I put the phrase into Google and found it is not common but it has been used to describe Raffles:

“Old Raffles opened his own door to me. I cannot remember finding him fresher, more immaculate, more delightful to behold in every way. Could I paint a picture of Raffles with something other than my pen, it would be as I saw him that bright March morning, at his open door in the Albany, a trim, slim figure in matutinal grey, cool and gay and breezy as incarnate spring.”

Well that is good. It adds a touch of Edwardian authenticity to phrase (and shows the wonder of Google. I would never have been able to make that connection in any other way).

But what has this anecdote about becoming distracted by one word in 150,000 got to do with a running blog? The answer is of course: ‘very little’. Except I have become interested in the trying to identify ‘matutinal grey’ by observation - what is the most common colour just after dawn? The answer so far is varied. Today for example was dark and rainy, nothing at breezy or spinglike about it.

But I am now looking more closely at the colours of the morning and that gives me another thing to pay attention to when I am on my run. Birds, animals, foliage and flowers, the colour of the sky, anything quirky: these are all things I look out for. It makes a run far more interesting than only thinking about my heart rate.

Janathon Day 18: Avoiding feeling bleak

Janathon Day 18: Run - 2.92 miles, Time - 32min 47sec, Weather misty moisty

Another picture from Monday as I took none today - it was too grey and oppressive. At the moment I am trying to avoid feeling bleak.

Today's run was a help, just because I did it. It would have been so easy to continue to mope about yesterday but I didn't. I adopted the shock tactics of rolling out of bed, into my running kit and out the door before my brain could start to argue. Still dazed I pushed the start button on my watch and was off. 

Just like yesterday my heart rate started to go a bit crazy but this time I decided to run 3 miles whatever and pay more attention to the heaviness of my breath. I stopped and started a few times but the heart rate eventually evened out and I ended feeling that I had achieved my goal, even if it was on average a few beats higher. Far more important than an arbitrary number was the feeling that I was doing something

The feeling you get from running links in with another Cochrane Review about the effect of exercise - this time on depression. The overall conclusion was that it has a positive effect but one that is difficult to quantify. It is hard even to say what exercise is the most effective. There is thus plenty of scope for more methodologically robust trials to discover dose and effect

It is interesting that Cochrane Reviews, which are the nearest thing we have to a summary of the current state of knowledge on health matters, seem to show that we know very little for certain. Yet people still have to make recommendations and the current one of 30 minutes a day of any type of exercise seems to be prevalent.

My next task is obviously to try and find out where it comes from

Janathon 2012 Day 17: The only thing to do is mope

Janathon 2012 Day 17: Run 1 mile, Time - why bother, Weather - clear and crisp

Another of those winter days where the air is cold but the sky is bright. I much prefer it to the comparatively mild but grey and heavy days that have dominated the season so far.

The weather was similar to yesterday so my picture can be a carry over from then and not be anomalous. It shows the colour there can be in a garden, even if the foliage is stripped bare. 

In fact it is far more pleasant to look back at yesterday, which was a pleasure, rather than think about today, which was a loss. On Sunday I had thought there had been some signs that base training was working and I could maintain a semblance of a run at the specified heart rate. Bah! Today it took no more than a few strides to know something was wrong as my heart rate bounded up.

"Stop it!" I said but surprisingly that had no effect whatsoever and by the bottom of my road the heart was over the limit. Let me reinforce that - the bottom of our road. In other words I live on a hill and always use the first part of the run to gently warm up by loosely jogging down the slope. It is no great strain and is meant to ease me into my run; so what was my heart rate doing by leaping about? It has nothing to do with fitness and training levels.

The only real conclusion is that a virus I have had is still hanging around. If so the only thing to do is make allowances.

So I aborted the run and moped.

Janathon 2012 Day 16: Stopping

Janathon 2012 Day 16

Walk 4 miles, Time 1hr 20min, Weather nippy, clear, and bright 

Sometimes you can become tired of the same surroundings. It is not that your routes are bad it is just that you you can tire of the idea of constant repetition.

Although I have previously said that I don't mind using the same routes, because there are always fresh things to see, and that a new day is just that: with different people, different weather, different foliage, different atmospheres,  thinking about going out again can be a little wearisome. When I am moving it is fine but getting myself out the door can be dull and difficult

The answer is somewhere new. Every so often find something fresh to look at. Walking is best because there are no barriers; cycling is also OK because you can take the bike on a train; running requires more planning. So today I went to Anglesey Abbey and wandered around the winter gardens. 

In the wild area there is a hide to observe the birds. It was probably my favourite bit of the outing - sitting still and just looking. The birds were mainly tits and finches, fairly common across the country, but that does not matter because my main aesthetic is to always try to look at the commonplace with fresh eyes. Sitting on a bench i a wooden hut, helps you do that.

I know that Janathon is about exercise and that I should really be recording all the muscular effort but in this case the real pleasure came in walking somewhere and then stopping.

Janathon 212 Day 15: Some progress

Janathon 212 Day 15: Run 3.17 miles, Time - slowish, Weather - crisp and cold, bright and blue

A glimmer of hope today: I managed to run most of the way without walking to reduce my heart rate. It was not fast but at least it was a sign that the current discipline might become  becoming manageable; a sign that things are not hopelessly stuck. Huzzah!

Everything I have read about base training emphasises that it is a matter of patience - and so patient is what I will be. I am now looking forward to my next run to see if the progress will be maintained.

But enough of me. I need to return to the subject of exercise and health and the evidence of benefit

The obvious place to start is Cochrane Reviews, which are systematic reviews of the primary literature in health care and health policy. They have done a number of reviews about the effects of exercise. The first I looked at concerned its effect on type 2 diabetes.

The findings were:

Fourteen randomised controlled trials comparing exercise against no exercise in type 2 diabetes were identified involving 377 participants. Trials ranged from eight weeks to twelve months duration. Compared with the control, the exercise intervention significantly improved glycaemic control as indicated by a decrease in glycated haemoglobin levels of 0.6% (-0.6 % HbA1c, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.9 to -0.3; P < 0.05). This result is both statistically and clinically significant. There was no significant difference between groups in whole body mass, probably due to an increase in fat free mass (muscle) with exercise, as reported in one trial (6.3 kg, 95% CI 0.0 to 12.6). There was a reduction in visceral adipose tissue with exercise (-45.5 cm2, 95% CI -63.8 to -27.3), and subcutaneous adipose tissue also decreased. No study reported adverse effects in the exercise group or diabetic complications. The exercise intervention significantly increased insulin response (131 AUC, 95% CI 20 to 242) (one trial), and decreased plasma triglycerides (-0.25 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.48 to -0.02). No significant difference was found between groups in quality of life (one trial), plasma cholesterol or blood pressure.


So it had a good effect but not as overwhelming as promised in the video especially as it did not seem to improve quality of life.

Janathon 2012 Day 14: Not talking about money

Janathon 2012 Day 14: Walk - 5 miles, Time - 1hr 30min, Weather bright winter sun

Today felt like a proper winters day of the best sort: crisp with a clear blue sky and a low sun casting long shadows. Yesterday morning there had been light frost but this morning it was heavy. All around there was a whiteness to reflect the light and make it brighter. Yet the sun was bright and there were interesting patterns where it was melting the frost (as can be seen in the picture of the car).

Wonderful it is exactly the weather to encourage you out, to stomp around and feel the sharpness of the air in each breath. The park was full of plenty of people with the same idea and plenty of dog walkers. Some of them gathered together to talk about their animals. The owner of a magnificent irish wolfhound was telling the owner of close shorn poodle how expensive it was to get the dog shampooed and whatever else they do at a dog’s beauticians. I thought of the observations that if ever you got a group of poets together the main topic of conversation would be money. Perhaps it is the same for every special interest group?

But no! That is not the case. Runners are a special interest group and money is a topic we rarely bring up - perhaps because it is not a barrier to entry and you can spend as much or as little as you like on shoes and outfits without it having the slightest effect on your ability, status or inner validity as a runner.

I was thought about this last week when I passed a woman who was most elegant in her running gear. Everything matched - trainers, leggings, top and jacket were all Asics. Everything was this season. Everything was perfect. It would be impossible for me to be so coordinated (even if I was coordinated it would be impossible for me to look elegant, but we will let that pass). In my wardrobe there is a random collection of shirts and shorts from a variety of manufacturers, accumulated over time that are arbitrarily worn together. It makes no real difference. The only questions I ask myself when I get dressed are: ‘long or short sleeves? one layer or two?

The thing is that it makes no real difference. Being scruffy or elegant might say something about the sort of person you are but nothing about you as a runner. That’s as it should be and when runners get together as like as not they will talk of statistics (mileage, times, that sort of thing) or experiences and that is also as it should be.

Janathon 2012 Day 13: Base training as an act of faith

Janathon 2012 Day 13 Run - 4.5 miles, Time - slowly slow, Weather - clear but chilly

Another depressing run (if you can call it running). Trying to keep my heart rate down meant I was shambling along wondering when things were going to get better. “How long does it take for the training to have some effect” I kept on asking myself. So far there has been no change, not even a tiny sliver of hope to offer encouragement. “Early stages” I say to myself just keep carrying on.

So this is what it comes to an act of faith. 

But there is a big difference between running and a large scale life philosophy, whether that be religion, politics, or any other core belief. With running there is evidence - actions can be taken and the results looked at.

My plan is to base train for at least a couple of months, running every other day. If at the end of that time I am still being overtaken by old women with shopping baskets than all I have lost is 2 months. In the grand scheme of things that is nothing

Janathon 2012 Day 12: Rituals

Janathon 2012 Day 12: Cycle - 23 miles, Time 1hr 45min, Weather - blustery

Today's ride was a big loopy shopping trip, using the bike rather than going by car. First Watford, then on the way back I diverted to buy some coffee from Smiths, which roasts and supplies just about any bean you could think of (they have coffee of 32 different origins). 

Buying from them in person is an experience because they don't operate a retail shop, instead they allow people to buy - which is completely different. Firstly you have press the buzzer and say you want to buy some coffee before the door is released and you are allowed up. You then say what you want and the receptionist/secretary phones down to the warehouse; after a short wait someone then comes up with your beans, freshly packed in a generic silver bag. Brilliant - it is like being part of some secret coffee club.

Their building is by the canal  and I locked my bike by the lock (oh what punning fun we have!), opposite a man sitting peacefully on a bench. When I came back he said I needn't have bothered locking it. I replied that I didn't know how long he would be there. 

He pointed to what was left of his cigar and said "probably another 15 minutes"

"How long does it take to smoke one of those?"

"About two hours."

"Excellent." I said, not because I think smoking is good but because I thoroughly approve of the idea of sitting down for a long period of time and contemplating.

"I am celebrating the second anniversary of my retirement."

"Lucky the weather is quite mild" I said thinking a long smoke in winter might otherwise be a bit hardy

"Doesn't bother me. Thermals on. No problems. I spent 25 years in the freezer" (He worked for Golden West, distributors for MacDonald's, picking stock from the freezers).

It is good to have an anniversary ritual and be tough enough not to let any type of weather get in the way. Although his ritual may not be mine I like the idea of appreciating something, slowly and carefully to mark an occasion. 

I left him thinking about ceremony and how it is virtually non existent in my life. Although there's many a time I fall into reverie and contemplation, I have few rituals. I am not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.

Janathon 2012 Day 11: Circumspection

Janathon 2012 Day 11: Walk - 3 miles, Time 55min, Weather - clear and mild for time of year

I must make some sort of correction, or rather a reservation, to something I posted a couple of days ago.

I saw an illustrated talk on the benefits of exercise, which had been going round the internet, thought “that’s neat’ and posted it up. OK, up to a point - it is neat - but it is not the full story. I should have thought about it a bit more. 

I posted it because I am a believer in the benefits of exercise and it is a good demonstration but it is not the whole story. The story line is too strong and it seems the evidence is more equivocal than is claimed. 

This posting on the BMJ site is very good about the way we should look at such claims and  treat them with circumspection even if they support our own side - no make that especially when they support our own side.

The thing is that having posted the video clip I feel a sense of responsibility to delve a little deeper and find out what evidence there is about the link between exercise and health.

Janathon 2012 day 10: Ground truthing

Janathon 2012 day 10: Run - 4.5 miles, Time - slow, Weather - grey again

I have often asked myself what I think I am doing writing this blog. What is my mission statement? What are my goals? If I am going to take this enterprise forward I need to take stock and position myself more precisely by applying the rigorous analysis and intellectualism of management consultants.

The 'Management Guff of the year' awards as decided upon by Lucy Kellaway in the FT have ben a great help and I feel I can do no better than this:

Now for a sectoral prize, given to the most heroic attempt by a management consultant to overcomplicate matters. I was tempted to give it to the senior partner at a big four firm who told the Financial Times: “The challenge for me is to re-aggregate the big picture, while throwing my arms around as much of the density of complexities as possible, distilling them down to their most basic constituents and plugging them back into the big picture.”

But I decided he needed a holiday more than a prize, so am giving the gong to a consultant at McKinsey who said: “The assessment was based on international methodology and on ground-truthing.”

Yes this blog is all about 'on ground truthing'. We are no longer concerned with what happens 'when the rubber hits the road', that is so passé, we need truthiness.

So what was today's on ground truth when my trainers made contact with the asphalt? 

Well actually there was not a lot to report. I managed to run very, very slowly but it was a semblance of a run and my heart rate kept around the mark I wanted - so it was a big improvement on last time. I also ran by the canal for the first time in ages and felt a lovely sense of peace.

So there were positives but it is still hard to get my head round being so slow.

Janathon 2012 Day 9: Walking as training

Janathon 2012 Day 9: Walk - 7 miles, Time - 1hr 54min, Weather - greyish but not oppressively so

I liked today's Running Free weekly report today as it contained a quote from Arthur Lydiard, which explained exactly what I am doing at the moment:

If you are not enjoying training, stop all anaerobic training. Go out for a long jog, so slow that the old ladies with shopping baskets go past you. Do that until you start to enjoy it!

When writing my training diary yesterday I reviewed the week and asked myself what I had enjoyed the most and what the least. The session that gave me least pleasure was easy to identify, it was the run where I could not keep my heart rate down and I felt everything was falling apart. i came away with the conclusion was that I was not even fit enough to run slowly!

Something has to be wrong with that conclusion but how to counter it?

Now Arthur Lydiard was the trainer of top class athletes who in no way ran slowly (it is a myth that Lydiard was an early proponent of Long Slow Distance). I am a low level athlete who in no way runs fast. I might have to ratchet things down a bit: to build up my endurance I might need to walk.

If I am going to use walking as training (as they did in the early part of the Twentieth Century) then I had better make sure it has some substance i.e. be something more than a stroll round the block.

This links-in with what was last weeks most satisfying session - my 6.5 mile walk along the canal. Now it could be I was unduly influenced by the weather (a sunny day with a deep blue sky was such a relief amid all the dull, rainy days) but there was real pleasure in striding along, paying attention to my surroundings and going long enough to feel it involved effort.

So today I thought I would repeat it. The weather was not as good but I enjoyed it just as much. So Huzza I think there is some progress to be found here.

Janathon 2012 Day 8: Tea

Janathon 2012 Day 8: Cycle - 16.55 miles, Time - 1hr 14min, Weather - Grey

Poster by Owen Davey

I don't want to bore everybody by going on about how unfit I am and how everything at the moment is a struggle. Even if it is the case the case, it is something I have to deal with, without moaning. Therefore I won't say much more about today's activity apart from the fact that it was my first cycle ride for ages.

(Ignoring the fact that it felt a lot harder than it should have done, my heart rate was higher than I would have expected and 16 miles was as far as I wanted to go, it felt good to be out. I was happy to feel the wheels turn and occasionally have a sensation of speed).

Instead what I will talk about is advice; after all it is the New Year and very many people (including me) are full to the brim with good intentions and the desire, just this once, to make things work.

I don't want to go all goopy new age or vacuous management guru - that stuff can safely be put to one side. I want to introduce specific advice, beautifully presented, in ways that can spark the imagination.

The  Advice to sink in slowly website contains posters by design graduates for first year students, which encapsulate insights which are helpful for design, studying, or life in general. Some of them are rather wonderful.

The one at the top illustrates a practical idea that has kept me going for many a long year. In fact it is what I do when I come back after a session feeling more tired than I should. I just say to myself: "Stop mithering and have a nice cup of tea." Things soon perk up.

This, of course, ties in with WCTB Therapy, which if more widely adopted could save the NHS £££s.

Janathon 2012 Day 7: Half and hour a day

Janathon 2012 Day 7: Walk - 3.5 miles, Time - 1hr, Weather - blue skies before the grey swept back in

I ought to be feeling shamefaced about the low level of activity in this years Janathon. A three and a half miles walk is more of a holding activity than anything else but it might be doing more good than I think.

This video is a little illustrated talk which proposes that exercise might be the most efficacious public health intervention. The surprising thing to me is how little is needed to have dramatic benefits. Just half an hours walk a day will do the job.

Obviously this is rubbish if you want to train for a marathon but it shows I should not belittle these little outings too much 

Janathon 2012 Day 6: Each to their own

Janathon 2012 Day 6: Walk - 6.5 miles, Time - 2hrs, Weather - bright and clear. Good weather to be out and about.

Today's object was a little more distance. It didn't matter if it was walking; I just wanted to go further.

So I walked along the canal and it was one of those mornings when the sun was out, the sky was blue and your spirits were lifted. After all the grey/stormy/rainy days it was a relief. There were though signs of the recent bad weather: underfoot it was wet, muddy and squelchy and bits of blown down trees were still strewn around. (The picture is an example: this was lying across the towpath and overhanging the canal, hence the dark background). Somehow it made the good weather more enjoyable.

I felt pleasantly alert - noticing the birds, the trees, and things like a dog training class in a nearby field. A group of people were walking their dogs around the perimeter. In the middle were all sorts of obstacles like ramps and jumps; perhaps it was advanced training. However different people get different things from a walk and some pay no attention whatsoever.

I passed a group of ramblers coming the other way and as the tow path is narrow it means that adjustments have to be made by everybody. However as I was one and they were many, I stood by the edge to let them through. However there was a line of three women, taking up the whole towpath, deep in conversation looking mainly at the floor. The one opposite me was totally unaware of my presence almost until she saw my boot right in front of her. I was fascinated - looking at her, wondering how long it would take to notice the obstruction. I guessed it approximately right. Years of walking crowded London streets where many people are not paying attention to their surroundings was a good guide.

In their way they would have enjoyed their walk, after all be out in the air can sometimes stimulate thought and conversation. In my way I enjoyed mine.

Janathon 2012 Day 5: Walking, yoga and the risks of exercise

Janathon 2012 Day 5: Walk - 3 miles, Time - 55min, Weather - blowing a gale, sometimes it rained, sometimes it didn't

According to my schedule I should have been running today but I just did not see the point. I still had a cold and so my heart rate was already elevated in addition It was horribly windy and any progress would be a struggle. I knew I would again spend all my time failing to keep my heart rate down. 

If I was going to be forced to walk all the time I might just as well dress in walking gear and be honest about it. On a bleak wintry day this seemed by far the best option as I could pull my chin down to my chest and hide it behind the collar of my anorak, hunch myself up defensively and tramp on.

Somedays are about more about endurance than enjoyment and this was one of them (not that there is much endurance in a three mile walk).

When I was out, not walking very far, not walking very fast I was thinking about the role of ego in sports. Today I had none - I was not trying to prove anything, I was just trying to keep going, but in other circumstances, no matter how much I might protest to the contrary, there is an element of me that says I should be able to keep-up, I should be able to do that, I should be better than them. I am not the world's most competitive person, yet I still have that in me. In fact I believe that almost everybody who takes up a sport, or active pastime has some of that in them. The higher the level, the greater the desire to excel and show yourself the best - the greater the ego

My thinking was sparked by an article on the dangers of yoga. Yes even yoga can be ego ridden and the desire to adopt extreme positions can cause of injury. This is entirely plausible: you only have to look at the fashions in different types of yoga. 

When it was introduced into the West the dominant type was Hatha Yoga and the underlying philosophy was that as Westerners sat on chairs and were not necessarily very active, they didn't have the basic fitness and flexibility of the Indian yogis who had sat crossed legged since childhood and led an outdoor life. The appropriate yoga was therefore more gentle.

But you can't keep the reasons for that approach secret and once it is known it does not sit well with the competitive Western mindset. It is part of our cultural upbringing to push further and prove ourselves as individuals and sometimes the more extreme the achievement the greater the validation. It is unsurprising that progressively more vigorous classes became fashionable. 

But the body has limits, you might be able to ease them out gradually over time, but you cannot easily fully reverse the consequences all that time spent in front of a computer screen. Our genetics and the what with our days set those limits and pretending you are someone else can be dangerous. 

No matter how many warnings about not overdoing things, working within your limits, and it is not a competition, there is still the ego driven desire to go further. That is fine as long as there is a good teacher to point out the problems and guide the progress. If there isn't then there are risks.

However, I wondered, is it more risky that the low level exercise I was doing. For sure my walking was very, very safe and there was minuscule risk of me injury myself but I did have to cross the road ...