more missed races

continuing on from too many DNS's in 2010, i've already missed Old Monks 6 in Hartlepool and the Absent Friends trail race in billingham, and it looks like very popular  Snake Lane 10 will be another one that i can't make in 2 weeks time. Ho hum.

my new favourite radio station....

it's like being back at school. Absolute Rdio 80's, as the name suggests, only play 80's music, some of which is truly dire, but is mostly excellent.

no news yet...

well, i had my MRI scan on Monday evening, but now i have to wait for the consultant to get in touch so i can find out what the findings of the scan are. As the consultant isn't actually involved with the scan process itself, the images or report needs to go from the neuro-radiology dept. to my consultant before i find out what's what.  i have no idea as to when that might be.

getting my head looked at...

tomorrow (monday) is MRI day, so hopefully i\ll have some progress to report as well as  some answers about what has actually happened to cause my stroke will be forthcoming from James Cook Hospital.

more staggering about

it's the weirdest sensation, just trying to get out for  a short walk., when your lrg dorsn't do what you would expevt it to do. it is so tiring too. even a  relaxedwander of  mile or two leaves me quite shattered and in need of a siesta. Hopefully this lack of energy will soon be replaced by bucketfuls of vigor so i can start  building up to running again

monkeeeeeeeey!!!!!!!

Brookside revisited

fit in 're having a few days away, off to Northumberland for someR&R, a few nights at Brookside Villa in Gilsland, near Haltwhistle.

This is the bestB&B ever, where myself and `beth stayed during our Hadrian's Wall walk in the summer.This time  we are all going,  to sample the warm welcome and fantastic food  on offer and maybe do a little walking too.

Been for a Walk...

Well, when i say 'walk' i really mean stumbling along dragging my left leg along like i'm auditioning for sme cheap zombie horror movie / thriller re-make

an artist's impression of me on a stroll

. managed 2 miles, so will try to double that tomorrow, also looking forward to a home visit from the community stroke team nurse in the morning, hopefully she'll have lots of helpful hints and tips and canaccelerate me along the road to full mobility.

Motivational Platitude of the Week

Even a journey of 1000 miles must start with single step.

Wise Chinese Man
Applicable to me in more ways than one,firstly and most importantly in recovering from my brain injuries, and secondly in my training for edinburgh marathon, for which my training plan includes 1050 miles over the next 5 months.

Happy New Year, Crappy Old Year

2010 review of my year to follow...

running and acing in 2010:
the first half of the year was spoiled by an achilles injury which prevented me from training for several months and thus miss out on a good handful of spring races. The second half of the year was ruined by my stay in the neuro ward atNewcastle General win July. My subsequent 60min+ 10k at New Marske's Victorian 10k maintained my ever present record at my first ever road race and gave me a new all-time slowest run timr for that distance. More summer and autumn races  missed due to ack of fitness / training.

being poorly in 2010:

apart from a few muscular tweaks and strains, the two big events for me were ending up in the brain injuries unit at Newcastle General, having been diagnosed with a bleed on the brain. Symptoms included loss of co-ordination, a big blind-spot on my left-hand-side and generally bumping into things (people, cars, bags, bollards etc.) my next hospital stay was between Christmas and New Year at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough having had another bleed which has left me with stroke-like symptoms, lack of strength/ control/ dexterity on my left-hand side.

Book Review - in 4 words

The Competitive Runners Handbook - Bob Glover


Indispensible resource, whatever ability.

available from amazon.co.uk

(un)-motivational Platitude of the Week

"You tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is: never try.”

Homer Simpson

Hadrians Wall Walk, Summer 2010

This post isn't exactly in chronological order, but this was the highlight of my summer for 2010, spending 4 days walking with my beautiful daughter along the route of Hadrian's Wall from Carlisle to Corbridge. Staying at the wonderful Brookside Villa B&B in Gilsland, we had good weather for 3.5 days and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Except not knowing where the next refreshment stop was.

If the Romans were so clever, how come they didn't level this out?

Brookside Villa,  Gilsland

Tthere's not a soul out there..."

NOT strictly true, as there was a dad + sledging daughter and a few dog walkers, but otherwise there was no-one else playing out in the wintry wonderland that is 'the lines' as they are known round these parts. UNfortunately he snow is a bit too deep and not very crisp or even, very heavy going which made my 7 mile run much more fatiguing than it has ever been before. A recent diet of real ale and chocolate and not much quality food may also have played a part in my feeling dog-tired. hopefully i'll soon be feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed like this fine fellow:

Made in the UK? (getting a bit political)

Is there any point bemoaning the decline of British manufacturing if we (i.e everybody) just carries on spending our hard-earned cash whilst giving little or no consideration to where our consumer goods come from, and perhaps most importantly, under what conditions they are being produced.

Each £ you spend is a vote for how you want the world to be.


Easier said than done, when most manufacturing is out-sourced to factories in various parts of Asia where labour costs are tiny and safe working conditions aren't always made a priority. However, there are some British based firms that still manufacture quality goods in the UK:

New Balance don't produce all of their sports footwear in the UK, but they should be applauded for retaining a UK manufacturing base in what must be a hugely competitive globalised industry.

SealSkinz are another innovative manufacturer of clothing for various sports and generally being outdoors. Again, whilst not all of their product range is manufactured in the UK, they make it easy to see whic products are by dedicating a page on their website to the >50% made in UK kit.

Kit Review no.1

Craft Pro-Zero Extreme long sleeve base-layer
I've never bought any kit by this manufacturer before, and that continues, as this was a prize from the Black Sheep Brewery Race Series, and a very useful and welcome one at that.

Craft Pro Zero Extreme base layer

It's one of those items of clothing that, when you put them on, you instantly feel toasty warm. It has become my first choice for winter runs, as it keeps me incredibly warm for such a thin garment and I can get away with just this and a wind-stopper jacket on even the coldest days, i.e. no need for multiple bulky layers. It is close fitting, and wicks very well. Available from Wiggle at £27 or Always Riding at £23. Unfortunately not made in UK.

"Slip Sliding Away..."

"God only knows, God makes his plan 
The information's unavailable to the mortal man 
We work in our jobs, collect our pay 
Believe we're gliding down the highway, when in fact we're slip sliding away'"

caption not needed

I was only thinking about how slippy and slidey it was when I was out running this afternoon, but those lyrics are so good I thought i'd leave them in anyway. Managed to stay on my feet for 10 miles on uneven and frozen Castle Eden walkway, trail shoes were obviously a good choice. So that is one target met (15 run miles) whilst another (76kg) was missed by a country mile.

"The boat that i row won't cross no ocean..."

although it does move around a bit on the laminate floor in the hallway. I don't suppose Mr N. Diamond ever came up with that as the next line. Ha!

Spangly-shirted guitar-thruster and sometime actor Neil Diamond 

That's another 6 indoor row km clocked up, steady away at 4m50s / km. Still got 10 run miles to do before the week is out, i.e tomorrow, so it'll either be one long run or my first two-a-day day in a while.

Motivational Platitude of the Week

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts for ever."

Lance Armstrong (quite good bike racer)

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”

"Be running up that road...

be running up that hill, with no problems..." Perhaps Kate Bush was a frustrated fell runner?

Never seen at fell running events.

 There's a smashing local road which is ideal for hill intervals; there are good landmark points at helpful places along it's 0.5 mile length, there is very little traffic, it has decent street lighting and the gradient changes 4 or 5 times. So i've done a few hill reps tonight (two 800m reps to be precise), just to ease myself back into running, having achieved double-digit run miles only once in the last eight weeks. It felt good to pull on my trainers and get out on a solid surface without worrying about how to explain to the emergency services why i'm out running in the aftermath of a snow storm.