Bright & breezy

“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.”

Dr. Seuss

This week’s activities
Monday: 9.5 mi bike ride
Tuesday: 7.3 mi run
Wednesday: 2 mi canoeing
Thursday: 3.85 mi run
Saturday: 12.6 mi run


If I could use one word to describe my current disposition, it would have to be: zealous. Zealously zipping up hills and down valleys, zealously logging each run on my shiny new phone. Zealously (& geekily) re-reading routes on Runkeeper and being buoyed by what I’ve done.

As my parents are avid ramblers, I’ve been on many a lengthy hike. This early period of training reminds me of the first stage of a long mountain walk – the pleasant, easy parts. The sun’s shining away, it’s soft underfoot and that imposing summit is but a distant destination. My world is brimming with optimism.

I’ve added some pictures of the longer run I did this weekend, which took me and 2 good friends (Ben & Barn) through Knotty Green, Beaconsfield and some lush woodland in the fantastically named ‘Great Beard’s Wood’. It's the sort of deep, canopied woodland you'd expect an ancient race of tree people to be stalking, furtively gathering nuts and sticks with which to whittle giant, primitive weapons, to be thrown at the heads of unsuspecting runners. In their language, we are called 'Uungh-Hak' (Travel Man). Uungh-Hak bad.

This was the first time of running this route, and I can see it becoming a regular favourite – we wove our way through plenty of hills and clocked up a decent distance of about 12 miles + 1200ft of climb. The photos don’t do it justice – the section through Great Beard’s wood is especially scenic.

Inspiration is easy to come by at the moment. In just a few days, possibly weeks, I’ll be holding my baby and beaming at every wonderful inch of him. I want to be in the best physical and mental state, so I can cope with all the challenges life will throw at me. As I see it: the fitter I am, the better chance I have of keeping my eyes open and experiencing every moment.

His imminent birth also means that I am on a mandatory alcohol-free diet, as I'm now a driver on call. I have discovered the wonders of Becks Blue (non-alcoholic beer) and can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone who needs an affordable alternative to methadone. I’ve now sat through several football and cricket matches with Becks Blue as my trusty partner, quenching that habitual thirst.

I’m already feeling the benefits of non-alcoholic life - it’s much easier to concentrate, I feel more sprightly and I’m convinced that training is easier. I’m into my third month of training now, and the miles I’ve logged are starting to pay off. 
Runs have become enjoyable, not painful. Hills, which were once arduous trials to be cautiously approached are now appealing diversions for me to bound over. I’m finding a natural cadence which carries me up, over and round my routes.

The one daunting aspect is my fundraising target - £1500 for the St. John Ambulance. I’m planning on getting in touch with them soon, to find out more about my local organization and to get some fundraising tips. This week I’ve made my first dent in the £1500 target. I baked and sold some butter-laden brownies to my work colleagues. I’ve had a couple of weeks of doing this now and have raised about £20 so far. Not much, but if I can keep doing it regularly, it will help bring that total down, bit by delicious chocolatey bit.

So, zealously on I go; merrily bouncing along, discovering new routes, finding form, and scaling the nursery slopes in this mammoth challenge. The reality of that marathon distance is looming in the background, reminding me to take it seriously. If I can maintain this sort of routine, I should have a good chance at reaching the finish line.
For the time being, there's fun to be had, sunshine to bask in, and lethal-log-launching tree elves to flee.