Back to basics.

I have remembered that starting things easy is much easier than flogging myself through tortuous training early-on. My many "first run" sessions followed by euphoric good intentions have been painfully uncomfortable affairs involving stomach stitches every time and ending in me not running for another week afterwards. Sometimes I think I dread the pain so much I give myself stitch before I've even started running.

My "first swim" at the pool was 35 lengths. I swam crawl until I had breathed in so much water and swallowed so much air I felt sick. I gave up after 30 minutes and went home. It was, however, so nice to be back in the pool (even at busy time it wasn't so busy) that it persuaded me to buy a leisure card which gets me a 25p discount every time I go, meaning I have to go at least once a week to get it to pay for itself.

On Wednesday, I decided to go back to basics with the running and repeat the race for life training schedule. The only time in my life I have actually enjoyed running was following the race for life schedule. I couldn't remember it exactly but on Wednesday night, TSK and I went out from the flat and ran for two minutes, walked for one, for a whole 32 minutes. It felt good but it felt easy.

I have since checked the race for life training schedule and found that the first run is four minutes! Though does involve four minutes walk recovery.

And yesterday I returned to the pool. I wangled a free locker token on the way in (small victories). Usually I wouldn't buy one but I had the company laptop in my bike panier. I arrived at 7am and there was a blissful 10 people sharing my space. People weren't even swimming rotations in lanes. I just picked a (slightly grubby) seam in the tiles to follow and ploughed my way through 45 lengths, gradually getting frustrated at the reduced speed of the white tiles passing under my nose at the fairly shallow pool of the Fenlands. It's not right when I can stand in the deep end and not be under water (though there is a special diving pool). I reverted to breast stroke and got all the way upto 52 lengths - a satisfying 1.3km before the sickness started to kick-in again. Less sinking, more swimming required.

Under the race for life schedule, I am now supposed to run again today and even though it is going to have to be at lunchtime, I'm actually looking forwards to it.

Yay for getting back to basics.

It was the most beautiful day

For the most beautiful girl and her new husband.

And we all had a shockingly good time.

Let's face it, though the speeches went on till 9:30pm no one cared. If I'd had my say, here's what I would've said,

"Emily, you are one of the most beautiful people I know. Sure, you are pretty but you're always happy. Your dad is right, you bounce everywhere. My earliest memory of you is walking through Tintagel castle screaming with fear when my dad scared us by sticking his gloved hand through the stone wall of the castle. My fondest defining memory of you was playing in the garden in Kelly Bray. We were balancing along a wall and you wouldn't tread on a fly because you respect all god's creatures.

You have an undying passion for life and an amazing talent which you worked to develop. You took everything life threw at you and made it positive. You seem to have a passion for what you do (teaching) and a bigger passion for what you'd like to be doing (being rich and famous) and you're going to all lengths to make it.

Steve, you have very obviously made Emily extremely happy. Your little motto, "love the love" isn't just a theory, you practice. I saw that within 24 hours of meeting you. And you're a nengineer. What more can I ask for? I've always said they're good people.

Steve, I respect your family and I've hardly met them. But if five of them can take to the stage and sing a song about dirty wee fellas in the Aussie outback that woo the village ladies, including dingo yelping, hell, you'd even fit in with my family!"

I found my definition of love this year and, like Steve and Emily, I try to live my life by it now.

If I apply the same standards to these two, they more than measure up. I wish you all the best, but you don't need my wishes.

Stories of making boys think you're amazing.

It's just a girl thing.

The vanu didn't start one day last week. It made a trying-to-start squeak but no real attempt at starting an ingine. I had 20 minutes to get to work before I was really late.

I hopped out and popped the bonnet (hood).

Builders looked on.

I stared at the engine and in a vaguely nengineery way I recognised engine, battery, accelerator cable, not much else, this being a car I haven't really stared at much.

I wiggled some cables, I tugged on the accelerator rope. I checked some connections.
I didn't think it would work but got back in the vanu because I didn't have anything else to try.

The vanu had been standing in its parking space for three weeks. I... noticed the choke.

In a diesel sliding back into the tank nothing to make the engine go moment I tugged on the choke.

Lo the vanu started. The builders didn't clap. To be honest, I didn't dare look.

Why don't you turn off the 'pooter and go and do something more interesting.

Jill made me think about my commitment to my sport tonight


So no more blogging for today.

I'm off to do something more interesting.

Out of Date

Total miles cycled in April: 563
Total miles cycled in May: 222

Point at which I achieved 10,000 miles - June 7th on my way to work (how glamorous).
That means it's taken me 1 year, 2 months and 7 days to ride my first measured 10,000miles.

Miles so far in June: 248

In July we have the Dunwich Dynamo to look forwards to.

London driving

Doesn't scare me. Never fails to amaze me.

This weekend, it was the bus driver that caught me eye first, overtaking a motorist down the wrong side of a bollard on a pedestrian crossing.

Then I noticed the car he was passing was stopped in a stupid place, a bus-length back from the white line whilst the lights were on green.

Then I noticed the car was a motoring school car.

Then I noticed there was one person inside (ie. an instructor) and the reason he was stopping in a stupid place is he was using his mobile phone.

There's no hope.

I wish I'd had a camera when

On my way to work on Friday I saw a grown man in the park feeding the ducks and geese. He was just emptying the bag of crumbs into the flock of birds before him, a thronging mass off waddling bottoms and hissing, writhing goosenecks, fluffy-yet-almost-adult-sized goslings...

And I looked up to see what company he worked for, for some reason...

And on the side of the van it said,

"Fenland Produce, Meat and Poultry Supplies"

Duck a la pond anyone?