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恭喜发财 or gōng xǐ fā cái

david — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:01:52 +0000

And Repeat

david — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:21:51 +0000

The run this morning was a repeat of last week, running to the Beacon & back with my 10lb+ pack. The pack seemed quite a bit heavier as I started out and whilst it might have had a couple of additional things in it, I think it was just me finding it hard to get going.

It was also a little muggier than last week, which meant that I was hot way before I reached the bottom of the Beacon, although when I got to the top I was strangely not as melted as last week. It took me the same 53 minutes to reach the Beacon, where some amateur radio hacks had set up camp and although I didn’t feel the need to remove my pack, I did stop for two or three minutes before starting the return leg.

Running back was harder work, although not in a wanting to stop kind of way… in fact I took 53 minutes to get back as well, although this was a few minutes slower than last week.

So 10 miles in 1.48 and certainly starting to feel stronger ahead of the TMB.

Congratulations to Mark Johnson today, who completed Marathon number 50! That’s a pretty dedicated training programme for his 51st marathon which he should be able to fly in, say… what, 3.15 Mark? Good lad!

PS, readers, that’s a stretch target for Mark, as he normally saunters around without really pushing himself in somewhere over 3.30 and, shocking as it might seem, sometimes considerably more… lazy git. [that should stir him up a bit!]

A slower version

david — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:23:10 +0000

The Speed At Last post gives the details, but here is the more long-winded version for those of you who enjoy the photographs.

I ran from my parents place again… and on a wet & windy day. Add to this that Kim and I had eaten out with friends both Friday & Saturday nights and you might get a sense why I would have preferred to have stayed drinking tea with my folks.

I ran out of the top of Woodingdean, over towards Kingston but sticking to the top of the scarp slope until the yellow brick road took me down into the mud above Rodmell.

Here I came across the Uckfield Scouts out in training for the Overland Hike, which I myself competed in a few times when I was a Boy Scout, 30 years ago!

After a steep dip down Mill Hill and a sharp rise up Fore Hill, I headed on down to Telscombe Tye and the coast road I ran along last week.

It seemed too early to head back up the Falmer Road so I dropped down onto the Undercliff walk and ran to Ovingdean… where I’m sure Cliff would have been disappointed as I walked gently up the stairs.

I ran up the Ovingdean valley, pausing to pay my respects to my mate Ric at the church, then headed up the steep hill and left along the track to Mount Pleasant. This track leads up to the Scout Hut in Woodingdean and my first school and on he way I managed to catch up with a guy out for the second run of the year… doing pretty well.

And that was that, results as previously stated… and then tea with my folks!

Postscript: I’ve run with Stuppsy a few times and we were fairly evening matched… but though our Sunday runs this week lasted pretty much the same time, he ran 14.35 miles in 2.17 against my 12.8 miles in 2.20… BOO HA! Good on yer Phil!

Pretty amazing

david — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:52:41 +0000

As Kim and I were walking back from the town laden with groceries last week, we chanced upon a young lady with no clothes on.

She was reclining comfortably in the snow… and she must have been frozen stiff!

I think that the sculptor below, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten, should get marks for form and for originality (the closest thing of any creativity I saw around here was the small but well formed igloo that appeared down the road from us)… and additional marks for the temperature he was working in!

It wasn’t finished at this stage and I think I have now missed my chance to see it complete, but Bravo indeed!

Crrrisp weather

david — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:35:38 +0000

The vista outside was beautiful this morning, with sun, crystal blue sky and glistening white snow. Although at somewhere close to zero on the thermometer, it wasn’t really calling to me running-wise!

But having had a couple of weeks off, I thought I had better get out and do something, even if it was to get some fresh air in my lungs.

I got all my normal gear out and then found an additional layer to boot… extra track bottoms over my longs, extra t-shirt, extra beanie hat, extra gloves and my orange runners for both warmth and additional traction. As I skated off down the road, I was prepared to be very chilly, but within 15 minutes I felt a little like a turkey… well stuffed and on a low heat.

Normally I would have unzipped or removed clothing, but this was not a day to mess around. Despite the sunshine and the stillness, it was better to be slightly over-warm than let to the chill in.

I had decided to run my old default circuit… Royal Oak (which looks to have been refurbished, by the way) Wivelsfield, up through West Wood and back down the Magical Path & across the Common. The going underfoot was largely crunchy with mini-puddles in the muddier areas, but anything that didn’t crunch was perilously slippery… not a surface I wanted to fall over on as any limb striking it directly would be a good candidate to break, so I probably looked like a real ninny crossing the road!

The temperature was such that the slight perspiration from running up the one gentle hill gave a considerable face ice-pack effect running along for five minutes afterwards. But all was forgiven… it was gorgeous out there!

And despite the two-week break, I was running well… such that when I got back to the Common, I happily decided to go around the circuit a second time!

Last time I ran this double loop was on 17th May and the time today did not compare favourably… but then I was concentrating quite hard on not sliding over in a number of places. The first loop of 4.4 miles took me 47 minutes (against 39 minutes in May), whilst the second half was only slightly better at 45 minutes. 8.8 miles in one hour, 32 minutes, or 5.74mph.

From the state of my treasured socks, it’s clear that I haven’t been to Run for a while! I really must put that to rights in the next couple of weeks!