Taking a blogging break

I am going to be taking a blogging break for the next few weeks/months. There is too much going on at the moment to focus on this and to be honest I am lacking heart at the moment. All will be revealed in the fullness of time but for the moment, as I say, here comes a break

Keep on running

Wasn't there a song called Keep on running? Anyway, I am now 4 weeks into the Hal Higdon training plan and have missed only a couple of sessions. Ran a cracking 21 km on Sunday as the time flew - I was thinking about goodness knows what but I can hardly remember much of the run apart from the fact it took me 1:55 and I felt fine.

Off to France for a week's holiday later this morning. The schedule is bound to take a bit of a battering but balanced with swimming and the like I should be able to keep up the fitness levels.

I have to be totally honest and say that after running Rotterdam in April I feel that I may give marathoning a break after Amsterdam - by a break I mean the training becomes so monotonous that I may need a new challenge. I am still planning to run New York in Nov 08 but I need something to do between October 07 and then. I have an idea but won't distract myself yet.

Back in the groove

Well a sort of little groove in that I ran 10km on Saturday at race pace, 13 km yesterday at anything but race pace, and can you believe it, got on the bike in the clippy little shoes and cycled about 20km. I just needed some exercise as I had been at the PC all day and did not want to run.

I am still way off race fitness (or even any other fitness) but the good news is that I have keep it all going. And the sun came out.

What a week...........

No details I'm afraid but I hope I don't have a week like this again for a long while. Just about everything I have touched has gone wrong - and even those things I haven't touched have gone pear-shaped. If bad things come in 3's then I have had about half a dozen this week.

Remarkably, I have still kept to my running schedule. What a drag, but on the other hand, quite theraputic (not sure I can spell it but I know what I mean).

and it's still raining.....

Roll on next week - QUICK

Lack of blogging but no lack of running

OK,OK, I have not been at my blogging best recently. Thanks to those who have kept in touch by email etc.. you know who you are and I really appreciate it.

The running is back on schedule, however so is the eating and drinking, so it is a net:net for my body weight. Long runs are going well but would be a whole lot better if I could have just 2 hours when it didn't rain. I think I have been rained on at least 80% of the runs I have made in the last three weeks.

Last week I found myself running through a storm to get home and a bolt of lightening must have landed pretty close as I was sort of "blown" across the road a few metres. I didn't fall or anything but felt the power alright. Then someone who knows tells me that if it thunders etc again, just make yourself small and curl up - don't stand under a tree etc.. Yeah sure, so I don't get hit by lightening but get run over by a driver who thinks I am a kind of large, very wet, hedgehog?

My advice is just to run like hell, as fast as you can, back home.

A patchy start

Being three days last week in Bucharest did not help but I managed all but one run last week - and this weekend had two very good if not-so-slow long runs. Not slow because I was trying to get out and back before I got soaked. Saturday I failed in my attempt to keep dry and ended up practically swimming home.

This week is another challenge as I am once again travelling but so be it. I am determined not to run on the hotel running machines as I reckon I have had more injuries running on those than is normal.

First day of training for Amsterdam marathon

Oh well, only another 900km or so to go before Amsterdam so here we go with another Hal Higdon program. I do wonder some times why I do it - then I jump on the scales and the reasons come flooding back.

Every now and again

Every now and again you get those weeks where you simply cannot run. Forget people who say "ahh, you can always find time if you want". No. I have had the week from hell travel wise - missed connections. Paris when I should be in Kiev. Luftwaffe (should read Lufthansa) being deliberately German etc....etc...

So no running but lots of Airmiles

Back on the case tomorrow with a tricky little 8km

Well it seemed to work

Thanks everyone. Much better yesterday. A good 8km up and down the now famous canal and at 5:07min / km felt just about fine. It was supposed to be a LSR but as a kind of punishment to myself I ran it at pace.

I realised yesterday that the trick of training for the marathon isn't the number of training runs you do that you find OK/easy, it's those that you do that you frankly don't want to, but know you must do, that make it so hard.

Not easy is it

When you really don't want to run but force yourself out of the door thinking "I'll feel better once I've gone out" - and never do, you realise how hard this running lark is. This is what happend to me tonight and I just could not get going.

So I cut it short - in total I have run around 30km this week but not what you'd call a quality week's training.

Oh joy a nice long run tomorrow looming.

Back up and down the canal

Well, back to the running and before I start on the Hal Higdon 18 week Amsterdam program, there is just time to get a little bit back into the running groove. So having run 22km this weekend I feel better and quite motivated.

And to prove that I was actually working in Asia here's the proof - what more do you want?

Shame about the result

A bit of self indulgence last Wednesday as I put work behind me and enjoyed some fantastic hospitality at the Champions League final in Athens. Not the best of games, but at the time, a terrific occasion. Thanks Heineken for a fantastic evening.

Stop I want to get off

So 7 days in Asia, 24 hours in Holland, a weekend in UK, 24 hours in Holland and then tomorrow off to Greece. It really is getting pretty horrid and tiring. Anyway, next week is a holiday week and I have told myself that I will begin to run then. This week is a complete no-no. I am not really complaining as off the see the Champions league final courtesy of Heineken and then follow up with a couple of meetings, fly back Friday.

But as for running, sorry, back next week.

Hello Amsterdam

After a week on business in Asia I returned to find that I had not actually got a place at the NY marathon through the ballot so, decision taken - it's Amsterdam in October.

A quick calculation tells me that I can eat, drink and be merry until June 18 week then it's back to a marathon training schedule. As I have done far too much of that in the last week I think this weekend is the final blowout then it's back to running. I have had 5 weeks break since Rotterdam so no more excuses.

I did not run in Asia as I am now refusing to run on treadmills in hotel gyms. A little personal protest at how boring I think they are (which will obviously have no effect at all, but makes me feel better).

Wide Awake Club

For all those of us in the Wide Awake Club, I had a good 8km yesterday during which my back problem seems to be resolving itself. OK, so I have to run looking a bit silly by keeping my back nicely arched, but it's that or a return to Sparky the Physio - so, silly running styles win.

For those of us who are in the Fast Asleep Club, having got up so early this morning, I hope your run was successful and you didn't get the rain that we had here. I mean, running early is one thing, but doing it and getting wet at the same time is not fair on anyone.

I couldn't resist it

This morning I got up at 5:15am because I couldn't sleep, did a few emails and some admin, went back to bed for half an hour then ran a sneaky 8km because I could not resist it. Now I know some readers of this blog will think I have become on of those middle of the night runners, but fear not as it was I can assure you a one-off.

Also I have pinpointed my latest little injury I think - a return to a bit of sciatica that I had a few years ago. Best get it out of the way now rather than have it after an 18 week training program.

Time to take a running break

Running last week was harder than I thought and now I have picked up a small but rather irritating injury I think I will do what I had planned to do and have a real two week break from running. The downside of course is that the weight piles on, but, as was pointed out to me by BZ there is plenty of time before the next marathon. And you don't realise how much 42.2km take it out of you (well, you do, but you just try and ignore it)

I am traveling next week to Asia and doubt if I will take my running shoes etc as it only means hotel treadmills and my history with those is well documented. Plus I am genuinely going to be too busy to run (unless I get up in the middle of the night......).

ps good luck KB on the exams coming up - thought I'd post a pic of you revising......

A new craze

It would seem from various blogs I read that running in the middle of the night is now a craze sweeping running land. Put bluntly it seems that getting up at half past something in the middle of the night and going out for a run has caught on. Well not here in Holland it hasn't.

In fact this blog will be be advocating a return to normal with runners running exactly when they should do - mid morning ish, or early evening.

So, I am off out in about an hour after a nice leisurely get up for a 10 km to see if my muscles have fully recovered from Rotterdam.

First run since Rotterdam

So, new shoes (New Balance), new shirt (Rotterdam marathon) but same old legs......the first run, only 6km after the marathon was, to put it bluntly tougher than I expected. It was hot (26C) and I felt fine afterwards, but after looking forward so much to getting out again, I think I will now wait until the weekend before I try again.

Watching FLM

Very inspiring watching the FLM today and thankfully for the runners it wasn't as hot as Rotterdam last week. But the shear scale of the event is daunting......25.000 bottles of water available at each water stop alone is mind boggling.

Still haven't started to run yet as I am waiting at least two weeks and by that point I will be so keen that any training program will seem achieveable. I will wait for to see if my application for NY Marathon has been accepted (should find out early May) and if I have not got in, I will put my name down for an Autumn marathon - either Berlin or Amsterdam.

A tale of two halves

Well, here it is. There's a prize for anyone who can tell me at what point I decided enough was enough, finishing itself would be a triumph and then enjoyed a water stop like you would never believe (clue: work out my 20km to half marathon time).

5km 27:21
10km 45:07 (26:46)
15km 1:22:27 (28:20)
20km 1:52:37 (30:10)
half 2:00:51
25km 2:26:32 (33:55)
30km 3:03:59 (37:27)
35km 3:39:42 (35:33)
40km 4:16:37 (37:05)
finish 4:31:47

I know it might sound a bit strange bearing in mind I should have been putting in each 5km at less than 28:00, but I am actually quite proud of these spilts. You simply had to be there to understand how difficult it was (not helped by the police and marshalls stopping me run every so often in the last 12km).

The Unbelievable Rotterdam Marathon

Pull up a chair, grab a snack and get comfortable - this is a story and a half.

With the race starting at 11.00 with the air temp heading towards 25C it was going to be one of those days. At 20km we were told that the road temp was 31C and advised to drink plenty of water. No joking! I have to admit that after 8km I was struggling. Bearing in mind I had trained well for this, the air temp was a killer. And to cap a bad first 10km I accidently hit my watch with my hand and the useful Polar decided to go back to 00:00. For the next 15 km I was doing mental maths (it didn't matter after 30km anyway - keep reading). In fact for the first marathon I can remember, people were walking at 7km.

Family Bedders met me at 15km and, Heaven knows how, I was still on schedule. But then it fell apart - the heat was simply unbrearable. At 21 I decided, along with about 10.000 other runners that this was a day to get round in one piece rather than break records. From 22km on there were ambulances and police cars roaring around as runners really suffered. At the water stations it was like a scene out of a war movie. But full marks to the organisers - they had plenty of water as far as I could see (contrary to some reports I have read in the press) , xtra drink and hoses - literally hosing people down. I met family B again at 26km and nearly stopped. It was that bad - total torture. But, you can't stop can you?

Things started to go really wrong for the organisers when you saw spectators close to collapsing (in fact I saw one at the end being carried to a medical tent). OK a few runners maybe but not spectators surely? Then when I had reached 30 km, when it was just about actually getting bearable again, as I had slowed to a nice 6:00/km pace, the race was stopped.

The race was stopped. I had to write this again as it is hard to believe. The authorities had had enough - or perhaps a serious point they did not have enough emergency service personnel left to deal with the runners in trouble. The official view was that they did have enough but it would not have been long before they would have been in trouble - and they could see it only getting worse.

We were stopped and told "you continue at your own risk" (well that's what we do anyway). I had reached a part of the course that goes out to come back so it was all or nothing. I had to go on. But they kept stopping us run, saying that the time-mats had been turned off and would we please not worry about the time just get back to the finish without collapsing. It was desperate stuff. I heard later that 5-6.000 runners were stopped and not allowed to continue to the bit past 30 where I had reached. They were sent straight back to the finish which would have been about 2km.

It was real theatre stuff. People were coming out their houses trailing hoses to drench everyone and water stations now looked like the Somme.

I was told at around 36km "please do not run -don't worry you will get a medal" as if this made me think again.

Anyway, I did jog without anyone seeing me for the last 3km and ended up with a time of 4:31 and a bit. The mats were still working.......I do not know how many people started the race (about 10.000 we were told) but according to the results only 4300 finished the course.

The serious bit to this is that having suffered heat exhaustion in Chicago in 2005 there was no way I was going to push myself once I had reached halfway and realised early on that this could be a very dangerous race.

So I finished the course. I have my medal and I feel fine. But I can't help but wonder how people in their first marathon felt being stopped. Frustrated but also a bit relieved I guess.

And this has not put me off Marathoning. Far from it. My performance today rates up amongst my best given the conditions and I will be back at Rotterdam if I can in 2008.

See, I told you it was a good story.

Got the number

Just come back from the Rotterdam expo (pretty small affair actually) and have my number. It's always quite exciting I think getting in line and collecting your marathon number.

So, with no sign of temperatures falling it's out with the sunglasses and drink every 5km. In fact the organisers have added two drink posts towards the end (so every 2.5km in last 10 km) and two shower units in the last 10km. Now being in Holland, these sound fun! So plenty to distract me.

Thanks to everyone for their advice and help (esp G. via email).

Back blogging Sunday pm.

Now this is ridiculous

According to the local Dutch weather sites, the temperature on Sunday will be between 26C and 28C

Good news is that the cough seems to be slowly giving way to my recent Vitamin C overdose but what kind of race plan do you go with at those temperatures? And bizzarely the run starts at 11.00am - so at about the halfway mark it will be bang in the heat of the day.

still coughing..........

and the temperature is now predicted at 24 degrees for Sunday. Beginning to wonder if I want to do it. Visions of my Chicago run in 2005 are difficult to get out of my mind.

Coughing

Now I have lost the cold, I have a cough that I can't shift - and the predicted temperature for Sunday is 20 degrees. What joy.

12 days to go

I cancelled my physio appointment as the calf is much better and I couldn't find any other injury for him to deal with. Which is a result. However, the only problem I now have is a slight cold and cough which has 12 days to get out of my system. Lots of vitamin C seems to have helped. I am sure I will be fine.

I have broken one of my pre marathon rules this week in that I travelled abroad by plane (back to UK). I guess I am a little paranoid but always seem to sit next to or in front of, someone who seems to have the beginnings of Bird Flu. Short of using one of those Japanese face covers that they all seem to wear I just spent the whole flight trying to not breath. Tricky and not to be advised.

Anyway, back home now in the sterile environment of Chez Bedders - and still tapering although I have to run 10km tonight.

Thanks for all the kind wishes in the last post - day 2 and I am still in business.......but I will not be blogging it here as this must stay a non business blog. Maybe I'll open up another one under an assumed name.....

Another door opens......

It's always the way. The closer you get to the start line, the more niggles, you seem to get. If it's not the knee it's now the right calf which is still a bit tight from Sunday. Hasn't stopped me running about 30 km this week, but still needs care and attention. As a precaution I have booked a physio session on Monday morning with Sparky (see previous posts from about a year ago) so if after my 19km on Sunday it is a problem, then at least something can be done about it.

Also completely out of character, I have not had a decent drink for nearly two weeks now. I think I have had about 4 glasses of wine in the whole 14 day period. Unusual behaviour to say the least. The whole idea of this running lark was that once I had reached 40, I ran so that I could enjoy a drink and eat what I wanted without exploding. But the closer I get to Rotterdam the less I feel like it.

Family B are back in Blighty for the Easter hols leaving Bedders here in Holland. Having literally just set up a business here I thought it may be considered a little complacent to take the first week of trading off as a holiday.

So, today is the last day with the company I have worked for since I graduated 23 years ago and on Monday the doors open to my new business.

Thank goodness that's over

With the last long run behind me, it's three weeks to go to Rotterdam. 35 long km yesterday felt like the real deal. Cold at the start, windy and surrounded by 7ft tall Dutch men is one way of spending a Sunday morning. Maybe that fact that the last 5 km was hard had something to do with the fact that the total km for last week amounted to 75km. While it was tough getting through the run I don't expect to do that kind of mileage the week before the marathon.

So now I begin the toughest part of the training - the taper.

Waiting.....

...for the last real long training run on a Sunday 3 weeks before the marathon is nearly worse than waiting for the real thing. I am doing a 35km run with the Rotterdam training teams somewhere south of where we live and just keep hoping that the weather picks up a bit. I just want to get it out of the way and then look forward to the taper which as people who know me understand, that's the bit of the training program I treat very seriously.

On yesterday's run I had it all - only 16km but had wind, rain, sun, sleet and horrible little hailstones pinging down on me from high.

Roll on Sunday. I just hope everyone remembers to put their clocks forward.

5km splits for the half marathon last week:

5km 26:24
10km 52:40 (26:16)
15km 1:18:48 (26:08)
20km 1:44:10 (25:22)

1:49 and a bit

So, CPC Loop comes and goes. My time was very similar to last year although I felt a whole lot stronger. And a very negative split. Probably for the first time. I know it is only a half and you can't take much from it, but it was a good half with no stress, lots of fun, low av HR and felt good.

No aches, no pains and felt strong in the last 10 km.

Travelling back to UK this week as well as trying to set myself up in Holland so looking forward to the last long run (35km) next Sunday.

Half marathon tomorrow

After a full week of training it's the Hague City-pier-city run tomorrow where I will run the half in the time I expect to run the first 21km at Rotterdam. I intend starting right at the back of the field to let all those fast people collide with each other while I stroll past at around the 1km mark.

Typically has been a great week weather wise and tomorrow is predicted to be wind and rain. Still, that's not unusual for running conditions here.

BTW It was red nose today - so CB decided to go to school with a red wig on (?!) Makes sense doesn't it.

Good long run in fine weather

At last. A long run without any real wind and rain. Result 32 km in 2:55:00 and av HR 143. Leaving the house today at 07:45 and getting out early made a difference as at that time of the day the cyclists are civil to you. Later on the mad ones appear......

See, all it needs is good weather (and a pocket full of jelly babies of course). And the knee? well, lets not tempt fate.

New way of running injured - just ignore it

I am trying to ignore my knee injury in the faint hope that if I pay it little attention it will go away. A bit like my attitude to children and dogs that I don't like.

So have run 34 km so far this week and looking forward to a 32km LSR on Sunday. If only the rain would keep off I may be able to enjoy it. Asking for there to be no wind is like asking for the impossible but the wind and rain together while running along sand dunes really becomes dispiriting.

In total this will be another 80km week - and the knee still hurts, but as I say, I am just ignoring it.

p.s KB bought me back some jelly babies from UK last week so my stocks are back up. Last weekend I ran with Dutch- bought jelly beans which were neither made of jelly nor were they bean like. Infact they were horrible.

Knee still playing up

I have been very busy in the last week setting up the next phase of my working life so running has taken somewhat of a back seat in terms of my time. Even though Rotterdam is just 5-6 weeks away, I still have this niggling knee injury which I simply cannot diganose. So, the plan is to run just a few shorter distances this week, with the key aim being the 35 km long run in 3 weeks which will really give me a good idea if a sub 3:50 marathon time is possible or if I just treat Rotterdam as another marathon and spend my time enjoying it rather than putting pressure on myself

Today is the first long run (only 19km) that I am missing since the start of the training program so all is not lost. I'll run about 10 and see how I feel.

The 80km week really took it out of me!

An 80 km week

As soon as I think everything is going to plan an injury jumps out and surprises me. Maybe an 80km week this week has stretched my body too far but I finished today's 32km run in wind and rain (3:03:44) with a very sore knee - an inside of the knee type pain that I have never had before. The type of pain that makes it difficult to walk let alone run.

Not to worry, the week I had off in Thailand last week did me the world of good so if I need to take another one then that suits me. I'll make a better judgement tomorrow when I get up.

Go away!

I could not resist this. Everyone knows I do not like dogs. Furthermore, everyone knows that because of this, every dog I see follows me - even in Thailand as you can see.

It seems so long ago.......

A fantastic holiday - sun, swimming and plenty of relaxing on the deck of a great boat

But, there's nothing like a 12 hour flight in economy class to make you feel that you wish you had up graded to business class . Nevermind, with many thousands of Euro's saved and just a case of jet lag to deal with it makes it feel a little better.

Anyway, after a 10km run last night and an 8km run tonight it seems that the holiday was an age away so as a reminder I attach a pic of our boat which was home for 5 days.

Bangkok post

Sitting in Bangkok airport with a 4 hour stop over can only mean one thing - blog update (sad isn't it). Plus it gives me a chance to use a very strange keyboard.

30 km in the end yesterday in 2:44:40 which is about bang-one a 5:30 km pace. It felt pretty comfortable (well compared to flight out here, felt like a dream) and I think if I can stay injury free, this will be my marathon pace.

A week swimming, eating and drinking with Mrs. B, KB and CB and I may be in the 6:00/km pace group next run.

30km to a holiday

30 km to run tomorrow in weather predicted to be windy, rainy and cold, then an 11 hour flight to Thailand for a week's holiday. I guess it's called taking the rough-with-the-smooth. No running next week but plently of swimming.

Back in a week.

It's snowman time

Pleased to report that CB has not lost her ability to build a rather good snowman.

Oh, and I have just ran 14km in a mix of ice, snow and slush so cut a rather dashing figure as I slithered my way for just over 1:15.00. No one ever said that marathon training was easy.

Too much to do in too little time

It's all a little hectic at Chez Bedders at the moment. While trying to set up a company in Holland in readiness for when I leave my current job and at the same time planning for a week's holiday next week, I am still trying to train for the Rotterdam Marathon. Oh, also I still have my current job to do.

The good news is that I have not missed a training run in the last week and on Sunday in glorious weather, ran a 27 km in 2:27:00 which I was pleased with. No aching limbs and no Monday morning side effects.

Next week Thailand beckons so if ever there was a step down week, next week is it

28km facial sandblast

Well to call it a run would be a bit far fetched. My friends in India suffer the heat, my friends in UK suffer large lorries charging past showering them with whatever lorries throw out and here in Holland we get sandblasted during a run. Due to force 6 winds, running up by the beach today for 28km was not pleasant but I can report that my complexion is much improved as half the beach seems to have hit my face giving me a rather smooth look.

Anyway, quite a good time in the conditions of 2:28:00 so not too upset.

Knee still hurts after the run so as long as it does not hurt during, I cannot make it an excuse.

Time to move on

Well, today it was announced internally that, on March 30th, I would leaving my job after 23 years working with the same company. I have been extraordinarily fortunate to have worked for a great company and privileged to have worked with such great people both inside and out. I have had a fantastic career that will enable me now to work for myself. The company has changed beyond recognition, been bought and then been sold and as such it is time to move on. I always said on my blog that I would not write about work, so apologies for this slip. But I thought it warranted a mention.

As I say, more time now to focus on Rotterdam....and more time to blog!

Back from Asia

After a week away am now back and remarkably still just about keeping to my running schedule. I have only missed two short runs in the last two weeks and the long runs are still being knocked off religiously. The knee injury continues to hurt after I have run, and not during, so I am tempted to keep going. I may have to adjust my Rotterdam time aspirations but at least I am hoping to get to the starting line which is always in my book an achievement for a marathon.

Lots of other things non running related going on at present which will all be revealed in the coming days hence the lack of posts - rather busy at the moment.......

Oh yes - and it has become colder so hoping for a layer of snow to check on CB's snowman building skills.

Pic of our house in winter

Look, our house should look like this in winter. I am told that just because of global warming, this year, it doesn't . So in memories of winter's past, here is what it should look like around this time of year. I rest my case.


CB is loosing her snowman building expertise which is equally bad news..........

25km today with other Rotterdamer's

I feel as if I have run around half of south Holland. But the organisers of the Rotterdam marathon have a series of training runs set up once a month in different parts of Holland. Great idea as over 1,000 runners turned up today. Today was the 25km run and they have pacers running groups from 4:00/km and every 15 secs to 7:00 mins/km. I ran in the 5:30 group so no surprise that I finished in around 2:16. Next one is Feb 11th when the distance is 30km. It is really good idea and I was not surprised to see so many people. Someone is making some cash however as it cost Euro 6 per person (OK there were three drink stops and a piece of fruit at the end)

My injury was fine. Until I stopped when it hurt again. I suppose it is better to have an injury that hurts after the run that during.

Step down week this week which is a relief as I am in Asia from Tuesday for a week.

Too much running

Someone mentioned today that they haven't read my blog for sometime as it was "too much about running". So, the editorial policy has worked! It would be easy to write down the random ramblings of a 43 year old but that would be extremely boring and there are enough individuals doing this. I think I'll stick to running.......that is of course unless I am injured which is the situation at the moment. It's not a bad injury, just this tendinitis-whatsit.

So, after my 11km on Wednesday will rest up and go out Sunday for 23 km - the problem is that it doesn't hurt during the run, but does so after.

Another form of tendinitis

Well, it wouldn't be a proper Bedders marathon training program if along the way some form of tendinitis didn't creep in. If it's not my Achillies (see earlier posts) it's now my tendons-behind- the-knee or Biceps Femoris Tendinopathy . What would we do without the internet? Actually this is a very good web site and I am sure if you looked hard enough we could all find an injury that we have had here.

Anyway, not wanting this new problem to cause me to miss a training run I ventured into the wind last night and came back after a reasonable 6km to the freezer and the often-used ice pack for said problem. 11km tonight should test it.

Nice little 21 km training run

When it rains in Holland - it really rains. And when it is windy, then as it is as flat as a pancake, it is very windy. Put those two together and ask me why over 150 people turn up for a 21km run on a Sunday morning in the middle of Stompwijk (a very small town in South Holland). It must be the promise of a piece of fruit at the end that is the incentive.

Anyway, I joined this mottley collection of 7 foot tall Dutch people and West African marathoners and came in (or should I say got blown in) in a time of 1:50:54. Not bad for a training run, but too late to get my piece of fruit.

This may be working...............

although I must admit it's hard work. I certainly feel a little lighter and seem to be gradually getting closer to 77kg which is my short term aim. But I really fancy a glass of wine. I have been drinking tea for England for the last week (apart from last night when I had a half glass of red). Yummy. That's about a 10th of my normal consumption in a week.

So apart from a niggly little right knee injury which I cannot work out, I have only missed one 5km run this week and looking forward to a 21km tomorrow.

Will report back.

Looking for a positive sign

If I can get my weight down to what it was when I met Mrs B all those years ago, and therefore run a decent marathon time in April, I have to loose 8kg.

So, two days, no booze, not even a sniff of a glass of wine and my weight goes up. Am I doing something wrong? Not that I expected my weight to drop instantly but come on, there has to be at least a small benefit to having to look at my bottles of Christmas presents rather than drinking them? I'll give it 5 more days, so a week in total and if there is no difference then I might as well enjoy a glass or two at the weekend. No point in being over weight and miserable with it is there.

Remarkably still keeping up the marathon schedule and Sweatshop in Reading have, according to Granny B who went in on my behalf, offered to order me a new Garmin 305 which comes in this week.

Happy New Year

With Patches the dog having gone back to her rightful owner and the empty drinks glasses cleared away from the table after last night's fun and games it's back to normal at chez Bedders.

I really must try and have a drink free January as I am sure just a few weeks of abstinance and the weight will just drop off. I am targetting a 21km next weekend (local race) so any weight loss will be appreciated.

Happy New Year - it could be a fun one.