Another gloomy day in Spring

A 25 minute run through the sleet. Benn was as enthusiastic as ever, but Morven was distinctly sluggish today.

 The situation in the Middle East seems to be more & more tense and precarious, as oil addiction conflicts with humanitarian interests. Meanwhile the disaster in Japan continues to unfold. The scale of the damage is becoming clearer, as is the vulnerability of nuclear power production. European governments are rushing to reassure their voters that it couldn't possibly happen here. Maybe not as a result of a tsunami, but they are conveniently forgetting the ability of humans to screw things up, whether by error, folly, or malice.

There is a slightly odd mix in these journal entries: a log of basic running activity combined with a personal record of world events, but no apologies for that either. Everyday life co-exists with global matters, and anyway this blog is an experiment in diary-keeping.

Urban life

A fine 44 minute route this morning, challenging my ingenuity to keep off tarmac and at the same time avoid repetition. Being in the centre of Glasgow is the problem - plenty of streets but very few trails, so a 44 minute off-road route is pretty good really.

Perspective matters

Probably a bit less than 25 minutes today, running hard to keep warm in the heavy snow.
The news this morning is rightly dominated by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the consequent possibility of meltdown in a nuclear power plant.
One small piece of good news is that prime minister Cameron's cynical posturing about military intervention in Libya has been blocked by the European Union.

Not enough left feet

23 minutes over the usual route - I must be getting a bit faster, and should extend the loop a bit somehow. Sleet flurries, black ice, and a very depressing article in the Guardian showing both the epic scale of the decline of the European political left, and the utter lack of agreement about possible ways forward.

March marches on

And another 25 minutes. The kind of blustery morning when showers come for five minutes then disappear, leaving clear blue sky. I noticed that the willow catkins are out, which is very pleasing. Benn was quite exhilarated too.

The Hounds of Spring

A hopefully brief return to Winter's traces this morning, with snow flurries, sub-zero temperatures and very muddy dogs. Still very pleasant though.
The excellent Runners Handbook advocates alternating hard & easy runs, so I extended the loop to about 3 miles & pushed harder to stay within 25 minutes. That said, my edition of the book also suggests about 15 minutes of complicated warm-up stretching, for which I have never had either the time or the patience !

And another one

Another fine 25 minute run in the March morning sun, with the poetic mood only slightly spoiled by a 10 minute search for the car key before I could leave the house.

Just a run

Chilly morning, but some daffodils out. 25 minute run.
Intriguingly, there is an off-road half marathon in Fort William in May, which could be very well timed if I keep up the regular runs. Running on roads is one of the least appealing aspects of racing, but the race part is a great motivator.

Defensive or just living in the past ?

Back in the Highlands. A good 28 minute run on the forestry track, through a refreshing misty drizzle.

Astonishingly, the UK ranks fourth on the planet for military expenditure, and presumably not just because we pay too much for light bulbs and tanks. That's a shocking statistic for a small country no longer defending an empire !

Royals and endocannabinoids

25 minute run and a beautiful fresh morning.

Another member of the British royal family has been shown to be a waste of space (Prince Andrew’s links to Gaddafi’s family and to weapon smugglers) which, whilst embarrassing for Britain, has to be good for republicans. Bring it on, Andrew.

According to the NewYork Times it’s maybe endocannabinoids which make runners feel good, not endorphins or the royal family.