Paisley sunsets

Took another walk up Glennifer Braes last night.  Really love it up there, easy to get to and miles of walking/running/biking potential.

Anyway, on the way back to the car, the sun was going down, and the sun setting over the trees was, well, stunning.

More running

Ran to work again yesterday.
I didn't do the lap of the campus, as (a) the gym was open when I arrived and (b) it only adds a couple of minutes and not a lot of distance to the route.
Regardless, I was really happy with the time (45:45).  I felt like I had been struggling a bit on the way in, and had put that down to the bottle of wine I drank on Sunday night - which to be honest, probably didn't help - but it seems that it felt harder because I was running faster and pushing myself.  So, *happy dance* it is then.

Only going to do a wee run in the park between now and the 10k in Paisley on Sunday.

Back to running

So the foot stopped giving me gip, and I decided that instead of cycling to work I was going to run in.  According to Map My Run, door to door was just over 9.5k.  So, the plan was that when I got to work, I'd do a lap of the campus to take me up to (and just over) the 10k I was looking to do.

Well, I set off early, given that I didn't know how long it would take (it's been 5 years since I ran that far), and I wasn't sure if the foot would decide to play up, so I wanted to give myself time in case I had to walk/hobble in.  Turns out I gave myself way too much time, and got in before the gym opened, and had to stand around for 10 minutes before I could go in and get a shower and change into the clothes I'd left in my locker the day before.

I was happy with my time considering (a) the length of time it's been since I last ran 10k, and (b) I'm crap at pacing myself if I'm running alone.  I managed 52 mins, and since I had told myself that for a first, anything under an hour would be acceptable, that was a pleasant surprise.
What also surprised me (and also slightly disappointed me) was that according to MMR, adding in a lap of the campus only upped the distance from 9.5k to 9.85k.  Now I know for a fact that a lap of the campus is not only 350m, so I'm not sure what the hell happened there, so I'm claiming the full 10k.

Regardless of that, it's looking positive for my first 10k race since at the end of the month.  At least I'm confident I'll get round, and pretty sure it'll be an acceptable time that I can then work on improving.

Running update

I only managed out for one run in the last week, as I'd done something to the muscles in my foot, and it was a wee bit achey, so I decided to listen to my body and rest it till it was ok.

In the meantime, I plotted the route I cycle to work, on Map My Run, and it's 9.5k.  Since my longest run so far has been 8.5k, and I've a 10k in two weeks, and need to up the mileage, tomorrow, instead of cycling to work, I'll be running.
In preparation, I've dropped off a bag with a change of clothes, in my locker in the gym, so all I have to do is run in, get showered and changed, and that's me set for the day.  At night, depending on the weather, I can either get the tube to Ibrox and walk through Bella park, or if the weather isn't too good, I'll just jump a train.

Either way, I'll have upped the milage, and that's all to the good.

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games have (and at the time of writing, still are) taking place in Glasgow.  The atmosphere in the city has been amazing.  There has been a massive influx of visitors, and there's a really happy vibe about the place.

Prior to the opening ceremony, I had posted online regarding the uniforms the Scottish athletes would wear for the opening ceremony, and how (to me) they resembled a dodgy flashback to some acid casualties take on Brigadoon (or words to that effect).
Later when I won tickets to the boxing, I got called a hypocrite and two faced.  What, because I didn't like what they were wearing for the opening ceremony?  If fact, it would be fair to say I got pelters.
I stand by what I said.  The tartan is bad (or at least a bit garish), but I have seen worse.  But the shirts and the dresses........ seriously, they were, and still are, horrible.  That material/pattern is seriously bad.

Anyway, people seemed to think I was anti-games, which I was certainly not.  In fact, the boxing was amazing live, and I went down to Pollok Park to watch the marathon, and yesterday I went to the Trongate to see the time trials.  Add watching the swimming, gymnastics, and loving the athletics, and it's fair to say that I have really enjoyed the games, possibly more so than the Olympics, but that's probably down to them taking place where I live, and the fact that I've been able to enjoy not just the events on tv, but the whole atmosphere and the brilliant vibe that is engulfing Glasgow at the moment.

Finally, a quote from a lassie working in the merchandise tent on George Square - "The town is going to seem really weird and quite once this is all over".  And you know, she's right.

Funny how your opinions change

Back when I first took up running, and was in Bellahouston Road Runners, I didn't like running on my own, in fact I hated it.  It bored me to to the point that I couldn't push myself, and if there was a little twinge - a stitch, legs feeling tired, whatever - I used it as an excuse to stop and walk for a bit.  Something I never did when running in a group, so it's not like I couldn't continue, it just seems (looking back) that I didn't want to.
I never found that zen state that a lot of people went on about.

Now though, things seem to have changed.  The girl I go for lunchtime runs with, hasn't been able to run lately due to injury, and I've been heading out on my own.  This time round, I "get" it.  I'm enjoying running for it's own sake.  It's not a case of slogging away and having a hellish time, all for the endorphin rush when I finish (although that's nice to get), I'm not enjoying my own headspace while I run, and it's good to be aware of how I'm feeling while I'm running, something that running with a partner distracts me from.

I'm not saying I prefer running on my own, I enjoy sharing the experience, and having a chat on the way, but for some reason, now, I can enjoy my own company while I run, something I never could before, and that is a huge milestone for me mentally.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but.....

....I always thought that sports men/women were.....well, sporting.  Sure there's competitiveness, let's face it, without it, sporting events would be as exciting as a tea party, but there's also violence, vindictiveness, and well, it's just not.....sporting.

All over the news is the story of Luis Suarez and his less than sporting tactics of biting his opponents.  This isn't his first time trying to take a chunk out his opponents, and while football isn't classed as a contact sport, there is a certain amount of contact and barging expected.  But BITING!!  Come on, that's just not on.

Fortunately there are other athletes who are not overpaid and have still got that sportsmanship in them.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ivan Fernandez Anaya who could have won a race when his opponent slowed down thinking he'd crossed the finish line.  Instead of charging past and winning, Ivan pointed out the finish line and ran behind coming in second.  Now THAT is sportsmanship.

Maybe runners ARE a different breed from those that are attracted to football.  I'd like to think so.

Life is good

Currently I'm feeling pretty contented.

I've managed to stop spending money on crap I like but don't need.
The ongoing clearout is still ongoing, but it's getting there.
I've really loving running again, have done my first race in 7 years (MHFS 5k) and am going to enter the paisley 10k.  I've also noticed entries are open for a 5k I used to love - The Great Winter Run. 5k up and round Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh.

So yeah, things are pretty good right now.

NT properties, GPS problems, and a heavy head cold. Weekend fun

At the weekend, we had decided to go and check out Falkland Palace.  Saturday morning, and into the car we got, and attempted to put the post code into the gps, which decided it wasn't going to turn on!  Fair do's we've had it for about 7 or 8 years, and it's an obsolete RAC branded device that we can't update any longer, so off a quick detour to Halfords to replace it was in order.  Once there, they didn't have the one we wanted, but the Bishopbriggs branch did.  Now I'd have needed a GPS to FIND Bishopbriggs, so it was Google maps on the phone to the rescue.

New GPS in place, and off we headed.  about 40 minutes later, "BATTERY LOW!" on the GPS followed by it dying on us, and then the realisation that it wasn't either GPS that was gubbed, it was the lighter socket that they were being plugged into. So basically that was a GPS we didn't have to buy.  Except we probably did (see the previous comment about not being able to update the old one).

So, back to Google maps, and eventually we got to the rather stunning Falkland Palace, where there was a Mary Queen of Scots day taking place, with people playing Mary and Lord Darnley, walking the grounds, and the chance to try falconry and archery taking place as well.

After Falkland Palace, we headed to Hill of Tervit, a stunning property in the middle of nowhere.  The guy who owned the house had been a collector, and the house had been designed and built to house his collection (furniture, tapestries etc). Rather than buying a house and filling it with a collection, he had his collection and built the house to suit.  A nice touch was that he insisted all the bedrooms looked different, as "This is a house, not a hotel".

As we headed to the car to go home, the heavens opened.  It had been a really nice day and was dry and sunny up to that point.  The whole way home was torrential rain.

Great day out though.

On Sunday we'd headed to the pub in the afternoon, but had to come home early, as I got floored with a really bad cold.  Had to take a couple of days off work, and it's not completely cleared yet.

So, a good weekend (except for having to cut short the pub!)

Lunchtime solo run

So today, my lunchtime running buddy had a day off and wasn't at work, so, off I went on my own.
The route I took was one we've run before, and according to Map My Run, is 4.3k.
I set off at a fair-ish pace, but soon found my calf muscles were feeling a bit tight. (Possibly due to a combination of karate and badminton at the weekend)

Not so good.

I tried reigning in the pace a bit, and they soon loosened off.  The rest of the run was just the lazy side of pushing it, and was pretty uneventful.  No stitch, no trouble with the breathing, and no more muscle aches.

Back at the uni, and I made sure to do a decent stretch and not just a token one.

I've never been a fan of running on my own, as I always found it hard to push myself, but I kind of enjoyed today's solo outing.

Just when it was all going so well.....

My new lunchtime running is in a bit of a crisis.  The girl that I've been running with has been having half problems, which only flare up when she runs on concrete.  Off road is no problem, so she's having to stick to trails, which leaves me on my lonesome.

Now the problems are that I find running on my own a bit hard as I'm crap at pacing myself, BUT, she has said that she'll lend me her Garmin, so I should be able to stick to a pace.  The good thing about this is that it'll give me a chance to "try before I buy", as I'm seriously thinking about getting a Garmin this year.

The is another work colleague that wants to come running, but I know for a fact that the pace will have to drop as he's been out of it longer that I have, and as I've entered a race for next month, and I'm looking to UP my pace, this isn't ideal.  I think for the moment, that running solo is probably my best bet.

So, swings and roundabouts.

Who'd have thought

So now I seem to be into an established routine as far as running goes (Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes and Saturday mornings).  I also have karate on a Thursday night.  Last night was the best sleep I've have in a couple of years.  I slept right through to the alarm, which is something I haven't done in a long time.

So, really enjoying the running, getting fitter, keeping the weight off, AND sleeping better.  What's not to like.

Another mini clear out

The ongoing (and glacially slow) downsizing of "stuff" continues.  Today I traded in 5 dvds for a Van Halen cd (For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge) and a £5 credit note.  There were more than 5 dvd's, but that's all the 2nd hand record shop was interested in, so the rest ended up in a charity shop.

So, slightly less clutter and some stuff donated to charity.  That's an ok result for a lunchtime wander.

First step taken

So, following on from the previous post, I went for a run at lunchtime today with a colleague.
2.64km in about 15 mins.  Not a long run in terms of either distance or time, and it was a nice easy pace, BUT the point it, it was a start.  It's the first run in about 5 years, and I've rediscovered that I did love running.

Next run is Thursday lunchtime.  Bring it on.

Decision made. Let's see if I can stick to it.

So I've decided it's time to get back into running.  For about seven years, I was a member of Bellahouston Road Runners, and loved it.  I went from not being able to run the length of myself, so running the Edinburgh marathon, and regularly running half-marathons and 10k's, with my favourite race being the Brampton to Carlisle 10 miler, which is the oldest 10 mile road race in the country.
Then, I got gout, and couldn't walk much less run.  By the time I was mobile again, it came as a hell of a shock how much my fitness and stamina had dropped.  This in turn led to serious motivational issues, and I stopped running.

Well, it's been about 4 years since I last pulled on a pair of running shoes, but I've been thinking about it lately.  So yesterday, I picked up some running socks to try and motivate me to pull on the trainers and go for a run.  Admittedly, this will happen once I get back from holiday.  So, in about 3 weeks, I'll be coughing up a lung on the side of the paths in Pollok park.  Hopefully this won't take too long to overcome, and I'll be getting the miles under my belt again.

Scottish CND rally

Yesterday Scottish CND held a rally in George Square in Glasgow, as part of their Springwalk.  There was a really good atmosphere, and the speakers were all well recieved by the crowd.

Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, confirmed that if Scotland got independence, Trident would not be used as a bargaining chip with Westminster, and that they were committed to removing all nuclear weapons from Scotland.

So without further ado, here's some photos.

What was that crunch?

That crunch dear reader, was the sound of a filling coming loose.  A white filling at the front none the less.
So, on the plus side, I phoned in the morning, and got an appointment for the afternoon, AND it's not painful.
On the negative side, that's money that would have been put to better use, in the pub or going for a curry.

But there you go.

Yesterday I took a day off.  We had a wander round the Necropolis, then went for lunch in the Catherdral House Hotel - which I can recommend - then visited the Ramshorn graveyard in the Merchant City, and the Glasgow Police Museum, just a couple of streets away again.  Really interesting wee museum.

So, back to today and the dentist, so it's leave work in just over an hour, get the tooth fixed, then back into town to kill time till 5:10pm when it's guitar lesson time.

It would be a good day if it wasn't for the inconvenience of the dentists.  Ah well, merde happens.

Big jaggy thistle in Central Station

On the way to work this morning, I saw the unveiling of the Commonwealth Games mech stand in Central Station.  Bit surreal seeing a scrum of photographers taking pics of a guy dressed as a thistle, cutting a ribbon, but hey, it's all fun.

Bike porn.

Spent some time yesterday in Decathalon looking at bikes.  Went to look at the mtb's but ended up really liking the look of the road bikes.  Go figure.

Anyway, back on the bike today for the commute to work.  Really nice ride.  The weather was really nice and crisp.  Chilly but not too cold.

Wee book of bike routes

Picked up this wee book at the weekend.  It's got 40 routes in Central Scotland, all starting and finishing at railway stations, so they're all doable from Glasgow and/or Edinburgh.  Roll on the bike to work (for the mountain bike) and the better weather.