Done run/ run done

Well the 5-miler went well. Actually clocked 5.24 miles, but who's counting?  It was a real pleasure to get back to Holyrood Park after having done nothing but the 3 or 4 miles around my house, Figgate Park and the Prom for months now.  And I am a lucky boy because it was stunning in the snow and the sunshine. A few pictures below:

Love the line of swans and the sun shining through behind the ruined chapel here

So next step is waiting to find out whether my wife's shifts allow me to go to the races I want to over next couple of months....

And I have another couple of challenge ideas/suggestions - Movember and (separately) some kind of arctic half-marathon...?!  Plus one I definitely like the sound of, which is a Cumbrian 3-peaks taking in Scafell Pike, Helvellyn and Scadell.  Keep them coming please!

Road to recovery - planning races

Hi-de-hi.

All going well, been out for a couple of runs and gym trips this past week and although still getting the odd niggle and tightness in my lower back I'm essentially staying the right side of injury. So planning to step up the training, and plan my Spring schedule.  Starting with a 5 mile run today, 1 mile longer than anything I've done since August 2010!

Also looking at races to do in next few months.  There are loads of superb races.  I'm not ready to enter a 10-miler or half-marathon until I've successfully upped the miles in training, so lucky there are loads of mid-distance races in Edinburgh and surrounding areas.  (But if you do fancy either of these distances, Lasswade 10m is very hilly but one of my all-time favourite road races, and I also rate the Alloa half-marathon)

So I would definitely like to do the KB5, the Gartmorn 6 trail race, and either the Cupar 5m or the Falkirk "Round the Houses" 10K which both fall on the same weekend.

In terms of longer term plans, I'm very happy to see that the Edinburgh to St Andrews bike challenge (67 miles) and the 7 Hills of Edinburgh race fall on consecutive weekends in June rather than the same weekend like last year, so I aim to do both!

Anyway, let's get today's training run out the way first.

Up and running...

Well I've started! 

On New Year's Day I started off by doing Edinburgh parkrun. For those of you who don't know about parkrun.... you should.  It's a brilliant concept. A free, timed 5K race that's on every week in various locations up and down the land.  It was the first time I've been able to race for 5 months and it was GREAT to be back properly running with other people. When I last ran it back in August I managed just short of 20 minutes.  I figured I'd be somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes this time, given lack of fitness and not yet being 100% free from injury.  So I was delighted to manage 23.08. (And the course is 87 metres longer than it used to be, having been remeasured recently...) 

So a good start to the year.  But the next challenge of the day was going to be even tougher.  It was the first event in my '11 in 2011' plans for the year.... The Loony Dook at South Queensferry...

Was delighted to see the car thermometer say it was 2°C as we parked up about a mile's walk from the town (closest we could get) and it was that familiar feeling of nervousness tinged with excitement that you get at the big races as the family and I walked to where the procession started.  I'm sure the temperature dropped another degree or two as we dropped down in to the main street, and I left it as long as possible before removing my outer layers and getting into my t-shirt and shorts to join the crowd.

It was still a long wait... My feet had been cold while I was wearing socks and shoes, standing around in flip flops for 10 minutes and they were absolutely frozen.  Basically I couldn't feel my toes at all except for a kind of vague soreness. It was good to get moving when the time finally came for the procession to begin.  I was also pleased to see a friendly face - a friend from work, Craig, who'd signed up a day or two before on a whim.  Basically anything to distract me from the cold and the rising trepidation about what lay ahead at the end of the procession!

We were quite far back in the crowd and we kind of got stalled towards the end of the town as we hit the crowd of spectators and the first dookers started to head back while we were still trying to make our way down.  There was a huge number of people about to watch the event, and there must have been several hundred fellow mentalists also taking the lunge.

I'm told by my wife that when I finally made my way down the steps to the beach, I had a look of genuine fear rather than excitement on my face, which doesn't surprise me!  Was glad to have Craig there too as we posed for a photo from his wife and then waded in to the water.  Our plan was simple - get in, get under, get back out again.  (Some people were literally just getting their feet wet, but we reckon it only counts if you go under).  I'm not sure how it was possible for the water to feel even colder than we were anyway (but I believe it's something to do with specific heat capacities and the fact that water is a better conductor than air).  So didn't want to hang around, just walked in as quickly as possible.  There's a line of RNLI men stopping you going too far in to the water, and when we were in to about thigh deep, Craig decided there was no time like the present anyway and on the count of three we dropped down. It wasn't really deep enough and I went in to neck deep first. It was, as expected, extremely cold, but not so bad once I was under. Final step then was to duck my head under, which I duly did. A quick splash about after, and then I was perfectly happy to head back out..!

Another quick photo call for my sister in law and I went to grab the hot drink I had just found out was on offer for all dookers.  My feet were colder than they've ever been in my life, and a part of me was genuinely worried I might be doing myself permanent damage, stupid as that might sound.

My wife had brought my change of clothes down to the beach for me, but it was surprisingly difficult to get dressed again when I couldn't feel anything below my knees.  There was a great party atmosphere going on (my kids were dancing to the ceilidh band with their cousins) and the rational part of my mind knew that there'd never been any stories of anyone losing toes to frostbite after doing the loony dook so I surely wouldn't be the first!

After the dook. Hot drink and ceilidh band provided. I know my feet are there cos I can see them - can't feel 'em but...  

I gradually started to get some feeling back and we made our way back to the car and on to my in-laws for a large dram and some New Year's Day roast beef and yorkshire pudding, which was *exactly* what the doctor ordered!

So what next? Well, flights are now booked for Berlin marathon in September, which is pretty damn exciting. I need to get a few more running races done over the coming months to ensure my body is holding together ok and I can manage the distance.

Plans also coming together for bike journey (Anyone fancy cycling from Edinburgh to Aberdeen over two days in August?)

Still need a few more challenges, so keep the ideas coming.  Thanks for your support.

Sponsor me here:

www.justgiving.com/sandy2011-care

www.justgiving.com/sandy2011-sickkids

Loony Eleven

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.

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!

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!!  

A runner who can't run...

Hello. I'm almost ashamed to be back here blogging again. It's been so long, and I've promised people I'll blog so often and not done it.  But hey, here I am.

One of the many reasons I've not been keeping up with my blog lately is that I'm not sure I've got much to say of interest.  So much of what I write about is running-related, and I've now been out injured for over 3 months.  So it's all been a bit strange.

In many ways, the pain and discomfort of my back injury is almost secondary to the frustration at not being able to do something you love - or the disorientation that comes from not doing something that's so much a part of your identity.  I'm the type of person who runs for a bus from 300 yards off - not the type who gives up on it when it's 10 yards away! To many people I know, running is what I do.  Just now, I've got a great new job, I've read some phenomenal books over the past few months, been to some great movies and gigs.... and of course there's my wonderful family, but half the people I bump into still ask me about running!

I guess it's a kind of common language for everyone who's ever been involved in running - from people who've been elated by finishing a first slow 5K, through to people who've done everything there is to do from marathons to ultras to 24-hour hill races.  On roads, tracks, trails and mountains and from the inner city, to the wilds of Scotland, to every corner of the world.

Plus running is an important balance in my life. All too often my life consists of too much work, then back to managing small children with (very strong) minds of their own! Running is excellent me-time, an important escape from my mundane existence where I chill out, and get my thoughts in order. Never mind the need to balance out the fact I love to eat lots of good food and so have to keep the running up to manage my health and wellbeing effectively!

The running community is a great one to be part of. It's healthy (obvs), principled, caring, generous, adventurous, charitable, fun-loving and welcoming.  I've not really seen evidence of elitism or exclusivity, which it's occasionally accused of.  Even if you're not running, they're very supportive and I am pleased to still be taking part in facebook chat, marshalling at races, and so on.  Important to try and maintain a link to an area of your life you get so much from, even if you can't do the core part of it.

So anyway, as usual I've rambled on for long enough. On a final note, runners are generally an optimistic bunch.  I'm hugely grateful for all the people who have shared their sympathy and their own injury experiences with me, and their contagious and enthusiastic belief that I will be back to normal sooner or later (albeit with a fair few pounds to lose).  And I'm generally optimistic by default too, so I'm looking forward to building back up to full fitness and getting back in the groove again.  Lots of exciting plans in development for 2011!