Spring ?

38 minutes, approx 6.5k.

A beautiful sunny morning. Three Clydesdale horses were galloping in a field like Spring lambs, the birds were singing and the snowdrops gleaming in the hedgerows.

There were a lot of runners & joggers out. A report from 10 years ago suggested that Glasgow at that time had just about the highest rate of heart disease on the planet, but maybe the situation is improving. There are many many things wrong in the world, but small green shoots of hope like this and especially the democratic revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia & Libya suggest that some renewal is possible....

Running dogs

25 minutes, 4.5k.
On a wet and windy morning like today, the unbounded enthusiasm of at least one of the dogs at the sight of my running gear is a great motivator.

And another..

And another very enjoyable 25 minute run. There is a repetitive quality to these entries, for which I make no apology. Blog reflects reality !
Apparently our slippery prime minister Cameron is proposing to answer questions from the public via youtube.  "Why are you selling arms to dictators at a time when people are giving their lives for democracy ?" seems a good place to start.

25 minutes of serenity

Libya continues to fall apart and western governments juggle rhetoric, arms sales  & oil supplies. To quote Tariq Ali, David Cameron acts as a merchant of death at the Abu Dhabi arms fair, selling as much as he can while he can.

Meanwhile another good 25 minute run. Wet under foot but definitely getting warmer & time to start shedding some layers.

Polite police

A beautiful but chilly morning, and a good 25 minute run.

Last night en route to the park I had to swerve to avoid one of the many many potholes in the side streets. I was promptly stopped by a very polite policeman who wanted to know why I was driving in the middle of the road. I explained, with equal politeness, and we parted very amicably, but it made me reflect on how lucky we are here with our generally helpful police force.

Highland Sunday

Same route but a bit further, running for 30 minutes. A lot of heron & buzzard action around the loch. The owls were busy last night too - maybe it's the time of year.

Alister (that's non-running Alister) helpfully told me of a a good loop route up the hill and through the forest - at a guess 7 or 8 miles. Sounds great but will be a wee while before I try it.

Up north

Back in the Highlands. Two days of cross training, aka clearing ditches, then this morning a lovely lochside/forestry track run of about 25 minutes.

Just Wednesday

25 minute trail route. Cool & slightly damp. Uneventful run apart from the 4 roe deer we disturbed in the depths of the wood.

Un-pimp my shoes

Beautiful frosty morning. 2.3 miles, mainly on trail, so new shoes are no longer quite so gleamingly pristine. 

Maybe it’s a middle aged thing, but most running shoes seem to be getting uglier by the year, which is a real incentive to find the muddiest routes available until the bling has been camouflaged a wee bit.

Determined to run

3.2 miles. Cool, muddy & wet.

On the way to the park I heard Richard Holloway talking to Susan Blackmore, who was putting up the case for determinism and the non-existence of free will.

I put this to the test by checking why I chose to extend my route this particular morning. The reasons seemed to come down to a) an innate competitive streak of wanting to do better, b) a realisation that I was ready & c) knowing that Sunday is a good day for an extra effort. So, not much truly free will there, but maybe a bit of inter-dependent arising, as the Buddhists put it.

New shoes.

1 mile jog around the streets with Ise & Benn in the evening.

Dress-down Friday

Same route. I'm starting to notice how the first 10 minutes or so is not particularly rewarding, but then things seem to slip into gear, although it probably takes a bit longer for the endorphin rush. No doubt 10 minutes pre-run warming up would be better, but during the week there really isn't the time.

I'm told that my 15 yr old running jacket is no longer in fashion but keeping up with the newest accessories has never been a high priority, and the news makes me happy. Besides, I'm sure there's something by Plinius about the Romans being obsessed with wearing the latest lycra shortly before the fall of their empire.

Damp grey morning, and quite cool - very suitable weather for running!

Bring on the opioid peptides !

Another lovely 2.75m trail run through the chilly morning mist and rising sun. What better way of starting a day ?

According to Wikipedia: "Endorphins ("endogenous morphine") are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being." Spicy breakfast ? pain ? - I'll go for the run every time !

A bit more om

2.75 miles, about 25 minutes. Very enjoyable trail run, with enough daylight to avoid tripping over tree roots. Well..... almost.  
Kaleidoscopic thoughts ranging from food waste through traditional Japanese house building to the joys of microwaved porridge, before I just let go and listened to my own breathing.

Captain Sensible

A clear blue morning and a sensible but frustrating non-running day to rest my heel which has been complaining a wee bit. 

In theory running is a great model for setting long term goals over instant gratification, and all the guidance suggests being very patient with injuries, particularly as you get older. In practice this can be a pain in the bum.

Wet, wet, wet

2.5 miles, 23 minutes, through flooded fields, stream beds and quagmires. Morven thought it was a bit too much but Benn & I had fun. Running through rain is much better than walking through it !

Tomaytoes Tomartoes

2.75 miles, around 25 minutes – mainly off-road and very enjoyable, with big muddy patches to please my inner child. Also saw my first snowdrops of the year.

I was reflecting on the difference between running & jogging. There's a huge range of opinion about this, mostly based on speed and on commitment to the sport. My opinion is that if you are doing it for sheer enjoyment as much as for fitness, weight loss or whatever, then you are probably a runner, regardless of speed.

Om

And again. Quite exhilarating sleet and hail showers this morning, but no global focus, just enjoying being in the moment and wondering how much longer I can make my old running shoes last.

Running with fish

Same again. Spent the run musing on the campaign to stop the insane and obscene dumping of caught fish, which is a product of badly thought out EU fishing quotas. I've also learned that it takes 3 kilos of processed fish, shipped halfway round the world, to produce 1 kilo of locally farmed salmon. Not much meditative enjoyment there, but it certainly got me round the route.

Imbolc epiphany

2.3 miles, approx 20 minutes. This morning I forgot my stopwatch and experienced something of an epiphany. Whilst as a runner it’s obviously helpful to know roughly how far and how long, perhaps, just perhaps, the obsessive recording of exact time and pace is an unnecessary distraction from a more meditative enjoyment of the run.

31 Jan

2.3 miles, 20 mins, 8.7 minute mile.Yada yada yada.