G'day
On January 1st 2011, I will join a few hundred other nutters to go in the Firth of Forth to start the year. It's called the Loony Dook.
Couple of reasons - first, it'll give me a way to make use of the additional blubber I've laid down over the past few months while I've been injured and unable to run as usual.
Second, it's the start of a year of fundraising. I plan to do 11 different 'challenges' in 2011. Confirmed so far, injury permitting, are the Loony Dook, 12 munros in 3 days in early May, the 7 Hills of Edinburgh race in June and the Berlin marathon in September. I also plan to climb Ben Nevis at some point and do a long cycle somewhere. Other suggestions I've had so far are to run a race in fancy dress and to skydive, abseil or wing-walk. (These last suggestions from someone who knows how I feel about heights and presumably thinks that's amusing...) Happy to hear any other suggestions anyone has, and I'll update any confirmed events as and when I can.
In the mean time, here's the links if you think any of this is worthy of a contribution to one of the causes I'm supporting:
For Ward 1 of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children:
www.justgiving.com/sandy2011-sickkids
And for Care International:
www.justgiving.com/sandy2011-care
Really appreciate any support you can give. I'll post Loony Dook pictures as soon as I've thawed! Thanks.
Thursday 30 December 2010
Monday 27 December 2010
Best reads of 2010
Time for another list.... Like most of you I expect (!) I like to keep a record of all the books I read. I've only averaged about 2 books a month this year, which is a bit below par, but there have been some crackers in there. Here's my top 10:
1. Mercy Among the Children - David Adams Richards
2. Weekend - William McIlvanney
3. The Sopranos - Alan Warner
4. Amsterdam - Ian McEwan
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Steven Chbosky
6. Feet in the Clouds (A Tale of Fell Running and Obsession) - Richard Askwith
7. The Burnt Out Town of Miracles - Roy Jacobsen
8. Romanno Bridge - Andrew Greig
9. Invisible - Paul Auster
10. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
Two most disappointing reads of 2010:
1. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
2. Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Reading's a very personal thing, so I expect I've just dissed someone's favourite, and commended something someone else thought was rubbish. Happy to explain myself if required! As well as the book I've given top place, which was a brilliant find, I was most pleased by finally getting round to reading the McEwan, Warner and McIlvanney books, all of which were worth the wait.
I'm also really enjoying Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada just now, but don't think I'll quite have it finished before the end of the year. Otherwise it might well have broken the top 10... Got a huge pile of books ready and waiting for me in 2011 for once I finish it, I'm sure there'll be more highs and lows awaiting me.
If anyone else wants to post a top 10, 5, 3 or even 1 book that they've read in the past year I'd be interested to see it!
1. Mercy Among the Children - David Adams Richards
2. Weekend - William McIlvanney
3. The Sopranos - Alan Warner
4. Amsterdam - Ian McEwan
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Steven Chbosky
6. Feet in the Clouds (A Tale of Fell Running and Obsession) - Richard Askwith
7. The Burnt Out Town of Miracles - Roy Jacobsen
8. Romanno Bridge - Andrew Greig
9. Invisible - Paul Auster
10. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
Two most disappointing reads of 2010:
1. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
2. Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Reading's a very personal thing, so I expect I've just dissed someone's favourite, and commended something someone else thought was rubbish. Happy to explain myself if required! As well as the book I've given top place, which was a brilliant find, I was most pleased by finally getting round to reading the McEwan, Warner and McIlvanney books, all of which were worth the wait.
I'm also really enjoying Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada just now, but don't think I'll quite have it finished before the end of the year. Otherwise it might well have broken the top 10... Got a huge pile of books ready and waiting for me in 2011 for once I finish it, I'm sure there'll be more highs and lows awaiting me.
If anyone else wants to post a top 10, 5, 3 or even 1 book that they've read in the past year I'd be interested to see it!
Saturday 18 December 2010
Looking forward to 2011
G'day. I'm happy to say the recovery from back injury is onwards and upwards. Work's getting in the way a bit so I haven't been able to get out for as many runs as I'd have liked this past couple of weeks, but when I have managed to get out it's all gone pretty well.
Anyway.... what I really wanted to talk about in this post was some of my plans for 2011. I'm still knocking a few ideas around, so any thoughts or input would be very much appreciated.
As most of you will know I've been out of action for a few months, but in past years I've done a few marathons and similar running and cycle-related challenges for charity. I've not done any fundraising in 2010 as I wanted a bit of a break, and to concentrate on other things instead. Often the fundraising takes as much hard work as the training and the running does.
But it's time to get going again and I've been building a plan for next year. In a nutshell, I plan to complete 11 challenges in 2011. I'm starting with the Loony Dook on 1st January (looks like it'll be especially loony this year given long-range weather forecasts!), and I've also already signed up for the Berlin marathon in September, and a hiking trip taking in 12 Munros in 3 days in May. I'm also quite keen to bag Ben Nevis this year, and to do the 7 Hills of Edinburgh race again. Beyond that, nothing is written in stone and I'm all ears for any suggestions.
I do want them to not all be running challenges though - given recent injury problems (and the impact the training time has on work and family) I think it's best to stick with just the one planned marathon in Berlin in September. Other ideas I've had are:
- To also bag Scafell Pike
- One of the long-range cycles (London to Brighton, Edinburgh to St Andrews, etc)
- 11-hour sleepout
- Half-marathon or 10K in fancy dress...
etc.
I'm all ears for your thoughts and any 'reasonable' suggestions....
I'd also love it if anyone who wants to could join me on any of the different events. I've already got company for Berlin marathon, and for the Munro trip, but if anyone else feels like heading up a mountain or on a bike journey, or whatever, with me then let me know!!
Finally - I already know the causes I'd like to raise money for - one 'home' and one 'away'.
Firstly, 2010 has been another year of natural disasters elsewhere in the world - the floods in Pakistan, the earthquake in Haiti, flooding and landslides in Columbia and Venezuela, to name just some of the largest incidents. And all of these disasters have provoked homelessness, sickness and malnutrition after the initial disaster has left our TV news screens. Sadly I don't expect 2011 will be any different. Care International's emergency fund supports their efforts to get quickly on to the scene and provide support to affected people when disaster strikes anywhere in the world. They're my first chosen charity.
Secondly, closer to home, I have an amazing wife who works on Ward 1 at the Sick Kids Hospital in Edinburgh. My wife, and her excellent colleagues on Ward 1, provide outstanding care for children with long-term medical conditions like Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Cerebral palsy and so on. I doubt if there's anyone in Edinburgh who doesn't have friends and family who've received care there - lots of my friends' children have received care there at one time or another, as has my lovely niece, Sophie, who has Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Both these causes deserve support and I'm happy to be able to do whatever I can in 2011 that might be worthy of your sponsorship.
Fundraising links and an update on any interesting challenge suggestions I've received will be shared with you soon!!
Anyway.... what I really wanted to talk about in this post was some of my plans for 2011. I'm still knocking a few ideas around, so any thoughts or input would be very much appreciated.
As most of you will know I've been out of action for a few months, but in past years I've done a few marathons and similar running and cycle-related challenges for charity. I've not done any fundraising in 2010 as I wanted a bit of a break, and to concentrate on other things instead. Often the fundraising takes as much hard work as the training and the running does.
But it's time to get going again and I've been building a plan for next year. In a nutshell, I plan to complete 11 challenges in 2011. I'm starting with the Loony Dook on 1st January (looks like it'll be especially loony this year given long-range weather forecasts!), and I've also already signed up for the Berlin marathon in September, and a hiking trip taking in 12 Munros in 3 days in May. I'm also quite keen to bag Ben Nevis this year, and to do the 7 Hills of Edinburgh race again. Beyond that, nothing is written in stone and I'm all ears for any suggestions.
I do want them to not all be running challenges though - given recent injury problems (and the impact the training time has on work and family) I think it's best to stick with just the one planned marathon in Berlin in September. Other ideas I've had are:
- To also bag Scafell Pike
- One of the long-range cycles (London to Brighton, Edinburgh to St Andrews, etc)
- 11-hour sleepout
- Half-marathon or 10K in fancy dress...
etc.
I'm all ears for your thoughts and any 'reasonable' suggestions....
I'd also love it if anyone who wants to could join me on any of the different events. I've already got company for Berlin marathon, and for the Munro trip, but if anyone else feels like heading up a mountain or on a bike journey, or whatever, with me then let me know!!
Finally - I already know the causes I'd like to raise money for - one 'home' and one 'away'.
Firstly, 2010 has been another year of natural disasters elsewhere in the world - the floods in Pakistan, the earthquake in Haiti, flooding and landslides in Columbia and Venezuela, to name just some of the largest incidents. And all of these disasters have provoked homelessness, sickness and malnutrition after the initial disaster has left our TV news screens. Sadly I don't expect 2011 will be any different. Care International's emergency fund supports their efforts to get quickly on to the scene and provide support to affected people when disaster strikes anywhere in the world. They're my first chosen charity.
Secondly, closer to home, I have an amazing wife who works on Ward 1 at the Sick Kids Hospital in Edinburgh. My wife, and her excellent colleagues on Ward 1, provide outstanding care for children with long-term medical conditions like Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Cerebral palsy and so on. I doubt if there's anyone in Edinburgh who doesn't have friends and family who've received care there - lots of my friends' children have received care there at one time or another, as has my lovely niece, Sophie, who has Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Both these causes deserve support and I'm happy to be able to do whatever I can in 2011 that might be worthy of your sponsorship.
Fundraising links and an update on any interesting challenge suggestions I've received will be shared with you soon!!
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