Bedders World record attempt at the 800m - lightening assisted

It would have been comical if you had witnessed it as a spectator, but let me tell you tonight I ran my fastest km ever. Some athletes are drug assisted, some wind assisted but I was lightening assisted.

It was drizzling when I set this evening on a straightforward mid week run. Everything going to plan- nice low HR and averaging 5:10 for a km. Fine. But at 7km into the 8km run, the sky suddenly bacame as black as night and an almighty crack of thunder flew above me, well probably many kms above me, but nevertheless I did not feel like staying around to find out more. I flew as fast as I could for the last 800m back to Chez Bedders, along a tree lined road I hasten to add, in a Bedders record time of 4:20 for the last km. Mrs B opened the door to a breathless Bedders whose HR was 170 and probably still going up. CB knew things were bad and even came to the door with a glass of water (I must of sounded grim) before I could drag myself to the kitchen.

The Garmin graph of the run I downloaded looks hilarious. It is as if I took off like a rocket.

Then the heavens opened and I mean opened. Rain like I have not seen before. Goodness knows what we are doing to our planet with global warming and all that, but if I can't go out for a peaceful 8km in the evening then what is the world coming to?

Google interference.........again

Why has Blogspot suddenly been invaded by Google things - different login, Google analytics being downloaded etc. Everything was fine before and now it takes an age to publish a page, view own blog and infact do anything that previously took seconds. It is now a pain to use when before it was pleasant.

Google -you will soon be as unpopular as Microsoft. Don't forget that users are what matters and if you loose them, you loose pretty much everything.

Like father, like daughter

Sorry to report that our full house for all distances to be run by Bedders and family at the Voorschoten Loop on Sunday is under threat for two reasons.

• Who will look after CB (8 years) when myself (43 years), Mrs. B (4x years) and KB (12 but nearly 13) are running the longer distances (they start together)?
• And KB is following in her father's footsteps and is now reporting a dodgy Achillies tendon

This may of course be a recreational injury in order to only run the 2K (which means for a bit of pocket money, she can look after CB)

But she was limping a bit last night. Quick, grab the Deep Heat and get massaging or earn some pocket money instead on Sunday. Tough choice.

A long weekend

10km yesterday and 17km this morning and so far so good. My old running partner NE turned up yesterday for a short weekend in Holland and it was great running with him again. Time just flies.

This morning was tougher - I am not used to running LSR's on my own and quite quickly get bored with having the same discussion with myself. Nevermind, next week is the Voorschoten Loop. KB is running the 2km, CB the 5km, Mrs. B the 10km and The Big B the 10 English Miles. So, a Bedders full house.

Femail underwear and pace runs

I feel I may never get over this. I am told by a good source that if one is to try running in female underwear, one may run faster. I can't believe this and furthermore, at this point, not really willing to try. I would rather run a little slower I think.

Mandy, thanks for the advice. If I ever feel the need to improve my pace then I will be in touch - using my new Skype account!!

Another box ticked

A 20km weekend - 8 km yesterday and 12 km today with another box ticked. I have run in a thunderstorm. It is as miserable as it seems - and you have an overiding feeling of just wishing you were anywhere but running. I know the chance of being hit by a lightening strike are small but it doesn't seem that way when you are out in it. Temptation is to find a dry place like under a tree.....
and wait till it passes.

The other point about running in the rain is that once you are wet, then you stay wet. In fact if it is possible to have degrees of being wet, then this morning I was extremely, very wet.

Still another 40km plus week so roll on two week time and the Voorschoten 10 miles.

Error message

After coming in from a rather pacey 7km last night I felt confident enough to jump back on the scales and check how my attempt to loose weight was going. As we have one of these trendy electronic jobs, it's not just a case of standing on them and watching the dial fly up past 80kg. This one has to think about the weight before it flashes up in front of you.

However, for me last night the scales didn't show a weight but came up with the message: "Error"

How motivating.

You've been Beddered

Goodness me. How my blog did not get into the Time's 50 coolest web sites (especially in the Timewasters section!) I don't know.

Likewise I was interested to see that the good folk at Google don't want people to keep "googling" things. Oh dear. Well I will send them a letter insisting that I will "stop Googling things" if they promise to respect the word Bedders and not use it as a verb or use my trademark on any fashionable running clothing. The Bedders trademark needs to be protected.

Almost forgot to mention I ran 9km tonight and felt great. Ave HR 142 and finished in 41:22. Perfect.

Why, oh why.....

As anyone who reads this knows, I take my rest days seriously. In fact unlike my running days I am yet to have ever missed a rest day. So after yesterday's 17km I am resting as only Bedders know's how. That normally means a glass or two or vino tinto.

I have a question that has been niggling me for the last two weeks. Why does it take only 10 days to put on 3 kg but over two weeks to loose just 1kg of that?

Everything back to normal

With myself just having run a very satisfactory 8 and 9km in the last two days and Mrs. B asking the Little Bedders if we have bought her anything for her birthday which is next Saturday, all is back to normal at Chez Bedders. (best go out and buy her a nice new bell for her bike, or something similar as she has entered a run-bike-run event in a few weeks time).

So the mileage increases as we get nearer Amsterdam. In fact whilst I have run 30km this week, the mileage needs to increase a lot quicker than it currently is but I put it down to end of summer holidays blues. I have lost a few kgs which is great news as I can now run without having to breath in the whole time. Couldn't believe the cost of Amsterdam - 37 Euros and I have my own chip!

Granny P and Grandad P turn up tomorrow if EasyJet allow them. CB and KB are very excited - delighted to see them and get a little spoiled perhaps.

Flora London Marathon 2007 application

After spending the last two evenings watching friendly football matches in Holland between ADO Den Haag and Sheffield United, and Sparta Rotterdam v Blackburn Rovers, I am of the opinion that the second love of my life, Reading FC have nothing at all to fear in the premiership this season.

Furthermore not only have I been at footie matches, I have also been keeping up with my Amsterdam schedule and running to plan - two 8km in the last two evenings.

The Flora London Marathon magazine is now out and once my copy lands in Holland I'll be applying again. I am still not sure if it is better to apply from a UK address or a foreign one - but on the basis that last year I got a place in the ballot using my UK address, I'll try the same again. Actually it probably doesn't matter either way. If I do not get in thru the ballot I will buy a place via a Dutch travel company at 700 Euros according to last year's prices. Frankly I would love to do a charity place again, but the effort to go back to the same people to ask for money is too daunting. I'll give them a years' break before doing that again.

PS well done to CM on a fantastic fourth place in the recent Geneva Triathlon. See, that lung-busting run three weeks ago at 07:45 along the coast was worth it after all! Great result.

Stop press - Bedders tries cycling

Having sold my bike a few months ago at a car boot fair for the outrageously over-inflated price of 15 Euro, I jumped on a real racing sort of bike this afternoon in an attempt to get to enjoy cycling. I do not understand where my aversion to cycling came from. I can only think that my parents used to make me cycle all the way from home every sunday am to play table tennis and it was forever against the wind when all the other people got a lift from their parents and I therefore hated it. As that was nearly 30 years ago it was time to move on and try again.

Not a great deal has changed apart from the bike itself, the gears, the brakes, the saddle and the clippy little shoes that you now have to wear. And although I only cycled a few kms I really enjoyed it. Tour de France never, but tour de Vlietland lake - maybe.

Have run 45 km this week. Biggest week since Flora London Marathon and all wrapped up with a 12km at ave HR 133 today. The afternoon was spent in the boat negotiating our first Dutch lock. Nothing to it......

Cold showers

Thanks to everyone who has supported my attempts to get back to a decent weight over the week - including Mrs. B who has produced a damm good salad a couple of nights this week to eat for supper. I am now signed up for the Amsterdam Half on October 9 and trying to get motivated to keep up with the Hal Higdon Half training program.

This week has gone well. I have felt pretty grotty after running, but have kept to the schedule which in itself is a victory. Have run 3 times and each time felt like I have been pulling a large truck behind me such is the excess baggage. However, on Wednesday I did manage an 8km in 39:15 with HR at ave 140 so must be getting better. And the scales last night said 79.3 kg.

The week would have been a whole lot better had our hot water boiler not broken down resulting in much swearing and cold showers for Bedders post-run. Grandad Brian was not impressed because we did not have one of those awfully expensive but frightfully sensible service contracts in place. You live and learn.

Anyway, with my weekend running partner having run off (literally) to the UK I am now thinking about joining a local Dutch running club - the Leiden Road Runners. I have no experience of such clubs either in UK or NL so am a little unsure as to what kind of group I will be joining. I know that it will help my motivation (and my Dutch) but just not sure what these clubs are like. Best try it for a few weeks and report back - anyone got any views on running clubs generally? Will I be forced to wear their Club colours when I run?

Forgot to mention - going back to a post sometime ago when I said that everywhere I ran, someone in a car tries to stop me to ask directions to a place that I don't know, well, can you believe it, it happened in Chamonix in France. I ask you - do I look french? "Je woon niet in de ville" - was my awfully quick and completely double Dutch/French reply when stopped. That will teach them.