Good swim...

Wantage pool for a 1,600m thrash-up-and-down. Fully two minutes faster than last week which means that I'm improving or that curry really did weigh me down! No bike though - the Wantage Tri is definitely off.

Working from home so finished at a decent time and out in the sunshine with Karen, Sam and Jack who had come to visit for the day.

"Today I have been mainly..." looking out the window and wishing I was outside.

The Canal

Woke up to rain.

Great (as usual) takeaway from Yummy Thai last night to celebrate Jane's birthday, so I really felt that I needed to run off a few calories.

Decided to have a bit of explore so nosied through Dropshort Farm and then dropped down into West Challow and ran along the canal to East Challow. There is another footpath (I think) that goes from near Mission Hall up to the main track to Childrey but I couldn't find it; so instead I back-tracked along the canal and then took the path alongside the school playing field.

Nice (forty minute) run but a bit soggy by the time I got back. I'm wondering if I should make the canal and footpath part of the 10k to avoid running up Silver Lane. Its a bit narrow in parts and the path up to the playing field is deeply rutted in sections but it would avoid the road. The real challange though is avoiding Middleway Bottom and Holloway. I need to get the map out again but I had the same problem last year and couldn't crach it without getting badly nettled or wading through six inches of mud.

Champions League tonight. As a proud Englishman I find situations like this really testing - I'm going to have to cheer for the over-paid, prancing, show-ponies of Manchester United. Even Chelsea would have been better than that!

"Today I have been mainly..." failing to dodge the rain.

Summer is here

(written on Tuesday morning on the train but not posted until Friday 'cos my BlackBerry is broken!)

Not out of bed too early due to one too many beers last night but soon forgot about that when I saw what a beautiful morning it was. Loaded up my little Deuter rucksack and headed out into the sunshine.

Left the village via Holloway and then up Middleway Bottom to Sparsholt Firs. That is a long climb on the bike but it seems to go on for ever when you are running. From there headed along the Ridgeway to the White Horse and then came back via Kingston Lisle, Westcot and Sparsholt. I reminded myself, yet again, how lucky we are to have all this on our doorstep.

Out for about an hour and a half and feeling really good (and rather pleased with myself) when I got back. Managed to get myself on the wrong line coming from Kingston Lisle again and had to wade through some thistles and nettles to recover but other than that it was just about a perfect run.

Jane was off in to London to see Nichola and the twins so the boys and I headed in to Oxford to buy Jane's birthday presents.

Booked dinner at the Trout near Oxford for Jane's birthday treat. It wasn't the Trout that I meant to book! The food was just about acceptable but the service was absolutely rubbish. We won't be going there again which is a shame because the setting was lovely.

"Today I have been mainly..." appreciating what great company the boys are.

Swimming

Going swimming on a Friday morning is a brilliant start to the day (especially when working from home and spending the day sat at your desk) it just leaves you smelling of chlorine all day. No matter how carefully you shower you stink like something very chloriney.

I'm having a small whisky and water to take my mind off it.

1,600m this morning in 37:21. I haven't been keeping a record but that feels "OK" rather than anything that might break any world records... I didn't cycle as I had a bit of late night last night after going out for a curry with Mike in Newbury. As a result I'm thinking that only one outing on the bike so far this year might make the Wantage Triathlon a bit of a tall order...

"Today I have been mainly..." smelling of chlorine.

And they're off...

The (viral) emails have gone out to all the likely competitors and Jane has put a piece in the village newsletter so we are already far better prepared than we were last year.

Just need to get the route markers and "caution runners" signs organised as last year's didn't survive...

Childrey 10k Route

Dragged myself out of bed following a late governors meeting and tried out the route again. Have made a couple of tweaks and I think I'm happy with it now. It would be great to incorporate a section of the newly refurbished canal but I can't see how to do that without messing the route up completely. I'll have a bit of a play when I do my long run on Saturday.

"Today I have been mainly..." bemoaning the state of the economy.

New season, new commitment

Looking back over previous posts makes me realise a) how fit I was this time last year and b) how writing down what you've done helps to make it really clear what you haven't!

The ramblings are therefore back.

Up early for the first try-out of the Childrey 10k route . Quite a windy morning but warmer than it was over the weekend and a cloud-free sky. Still feeling a little jaded after the late night on Saturday (dinner party at ours with Mette and Mark, Alison and Simon and a bottle of Australian port that I brought back about fourteen years ago that Dad found in the back of a cupboard!) but I'm pleased with the course. It's hilly though; going to be tough as a race!

"Today I have been mainly..." listening to Romeo And Juliet by Prokofiev. It was on Radio 3 as I drove to the station this morning and I really didn't want the journey to end. Really beautiful music.

Have to update my race calendar for this year...