My Uncle

My Uncle Gordon in Canada passed away last week and he’ll certainly be missed.  Unfortunately I couldn’t be there with the rest of the clan to say my good-byes but my thoughts and love are being broadcast across the Atlantic to my Aunt and all the family.

My Dad

On returning from her brother’s funeral, my mother had to take my father to hospital and he got admitted straight away.  My father isn’t very well at the moment (Parkinsons, Polymyalgia Rheumatica & Osteoporosis to name a few) and he’s quite frail.  My mother said he caught a cold and got pneumonia.  He was in the hospital and the doctors said his heart wasn’t strong enough to pump (congestive heart failure).

They’ve been medicating him and he’s not in intensive care at the moment.  Mum said he’s grouchy so he is stable.

My Brother (Best Friend)

My best friend (who is a brother to me) travelled across northern Canada by dogsled all the way to Alaska.  It took him a few months and he was out of contact with me and everyone else during the whole trip which lasted about four months.  At the end of April he sent a message via facebook to say he was back in civilization.  I couldn’t wait to hear his stories!  Unfortunately I never heard from him again until a few days ago.  I was getting really worried because I had no numbers for him or anything and he wasn’t responding to emails either.  I’ve spoken to him now and I’m so relieved.  I’m still waiting to hear the stories about his adventure though and get some pictures.  As soon as I get some I’ll post them here and you can have a look.  I might even get Rob to write or post some stories from his trip.

Our Home

About a week ago we received a letter from our letting agent advising us that our landlord would like to renew our rental agreement at £1000 per month.  £1000!  What a joke!  Sure, our rent is £950 at the moment and it’s only £50 more but our place isn’t worth £950 either even if it is a 4 bed detached property.  There is no double glazing and our heating bill in the winter period was well over £100 a month.  He never sorts anything out and we haven’t had a proper written rental agreement since 2007.  The place is run down.  Enough is enough.

The day I got the letter from our letting agent I went online and did a search for 2 bedroom properties to let in the area.  The first one I found was a 2 bedroom semi-detached cottage (£750 per month).  We promptly called and arranged to view the property on Monday (just passed).  It was lovely.  The letting agent said that the rent was so cheap because the property was so close to the motorway, but we didn’t care.  It has a huge garden and the house has been completely renovated throughout.

Ours is on the left:

This is the front of the house:

The kitchen:

It’s a lovely house and everything is new including the wiring and plumbing, the fridge, the kitchen, the cooker the flooring the lighting… everything.  We hope to get the keys to the new property on 01 July.

So, as we will be moving I may not have internet access during parts of July.  It depends on how long it takes our current broadband provider to transfer things etc.  It’s bad enough I gotta wait a month for the Sky TV to be moved over!  That sucks.

My Juneathon Efforts

Not enough running, that’s for sure.  I just haven’t been able to get myself up and out.  It’s been hard the past couple of weeks but I’ve made some effort toward Juneathon as follows:-

Monday, 15th June – 5 sets of push-ups (20, 22, 20, 20 & 20)

Tuesday, 16th June - 2 sets of push-ups (20 & 20) – I couldn’t really be bothered.

Wednesday, 17th June – 2 sets of crunces (50 & 30) – I couldn’t really be bothered and it was late.

Thursday, 18th June – 3 sets of crunches (50, 60 & 60) and 5 sets of push-ups (20, 31, 28, 26 & 20)

Friday, 19th June – 3 sets of crunches (50, 60 & 70) and 3 sets of push-ups (20, 20 & 20)

Realistically I should’ve done more running when I was feeling stressed to help reduce the stress levels.  Anyway, I’m happier now and I’m gonna get up off my ass and do some more running!  I promise!

I’m sooo happy about the house…

Related posts:

1. Juneathon – Day 3 (Still Sick)
2. Juneathon – Day 2 (A no-starter)
3. Juneathon – Day 5 (Pushing Up)

Yesterday was a non-running day for me and I opted for even more push-ups and did 5 sets of 20, 25, 20, 20 & 20.  The push-ups have felt great and I’m looking forward to continuing them into the future.  I may even consider doing the 100 push-ups training again if I can actually be bothered.  Last time I attempted it I was put off by the ridiculous number of push-ups you were supposed to do for the last sets.  I’ll wait for a few weeks and I’ll give it a go again.

This morning and last night I was debating on whether to go to the Wargrave 10k, Dinton Pastures or to just run around here.  In the end I opted to go for a run around here.  I was going to go to the Wargrave 10k but I’m picky about the runs I do and if there is no medal or t-shirt then I really can’t be bothered.  This event has t-shirts only and those are only for the people who pre-register; which I didn’t do.  As the event wasn’t that important to me I wasn’t bothered about just going to do it for the sake of doing it.

Dinton pastures is nice although generally flat (one short hill) all the way around.  I’ll probably go there next Sunday for a longer easy run.

This morning I left the house and set out around here and crossed the motorway on the disused bridge.  I ran up a lot of long gradual hills and ended up stopping to do some walking on quite a few occasions.  I was also suffering from those damn shin splints again for the first half (30 mins) of my outing which caused me to keep stopping and stretching.  They really piss me off and I’m sick of them because I could run for ages if it wasn’t for my damn legs getting knackered all the time.

Anyway, I did 11.01km (6.84 miles) at a 05:47 min/km (09:20 min/mile) pace.

This Wednesday evening I’ll be heading to running club (Reading Roadrunners) with my friend Tony for some training.  We were going during the winter when it was cold and dark so it should be a nice change to go during the summer.  I have no idea what the weather will be like for Wednesday but if it is raining I’m not going (curse of wearing glasses – can’t see anything while running).

I’m off to have a read of some other blogs and see how everyone else if doing.

Related posts:

1. Juneathon – Day 4 (Getting Better)
2. Juneathon – Day 9 (It’s goooood!)
3. Juneathon – Day 2 (A no-starter)

This morning I ran 10.55 km (6.55 miles) at an average pace of 05:40 min/km (09:09 min/mile).  This morning’s run felt good, even though my right butt-cheek and lower back is a bit sore from the speedwork yesterday.  My sciatic nerve plays up a bit once in a while but with some constant stretching it usually goes away.

To cap it all off I did some push-ups and crunches this evening -

Push-ups:  3 sets of 20,22 & 22

Crunches:  3 sets of 60, 50 & 70

I think I might head out to Wargrave to take part in the Wargrave 10k on Sunday morning.  It’s something to do and it adds another medal to my collection.  After that we’re heading over to my friend Tony’s place for a bbq.

Tomorrow I might go for a short run of a couple kms around here on the cycle paths… I’m still undecided.

I’ve been reading everyone’s Juneathon blogs and most people are keeping it up which is very impressive (one person hasn’t posted anything in 10 days!).  I think we should all give ourselves a pat on the back for getting this far and remember that we are just about half way!  Keep it up Juneathoners!

Related posts:

1. Juneathon – Day 13 & 14 (Push, Run, Walk)
2. Juneathon – Day 8 (Rest Day)
3. Juneathon – Day 4 (Getting Better)

I received an email from my sister in Canada (my whole family lives in Canada – where I’m originally from) saying that my uncle (mum’s brother) is in the hospital and they were concerned as to whether he would make it through the night.  She sent that email last night and I got it this morning.  I haven’t heard anything since and it sucks.  I really hope he’s doing okay and my thoughts go out to my family over there.

I suppose that’s one of the down-sides to settling in a different country so far away.  I can’t just drop everything (can’t afford it) and fly back when things happen.  It gets me down sometimes as I would like to be there for people as well and to offer support where possible.  For now I’ll have to hope everything is going okay and that someone will let me know.

As for running, I did none today.  I did my usual push-ups and crunches (not full sit-ups) as follows:-

Push-ups:  5 sets of 20, 25, 22, 22 & 20

Crunches:  3 sets of 70, 100 & 100

I have been reading other people’s blogs about Juneathon and I’m impressed how everyone is trying their best to stick to it and do some sort of exercise each day. 

Keep it up everyone.

2 years ago today I started logging all of my runs.  Happy anniversary to me!

Related posts:

1. Juneathon – Day 8 (Rest Day)
2. Juneathon – Day 3 (Still Sick)
3. Juneathon – Day 5 (Pushing Up)

What a great run this morning.  Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t anything special and it was on the treadmill, but it was great.  It was nice to finally get back into the running groove again today after that long stint of illness.  I was also nice to do some have decent mileage without any sign of pain from shin splints or pain in my ankle.  It was a nice hour long run with the iPod on listening to Stephen King’s The Stand (I’ve read it a few times, now I’m having it read to me!).

I don’t think I’ll ever be a really fast runner but I don’t think that matters.  I’m running against myself and my previous times and trying to achieve my own personal goals.  I’m definitely addicted to running and I love the feeling it gives me when I’ve finished a good run.

Today I ran 10.45km (6.49 miles) at a 05:44 min/km (09:14 min/mile) pace.   To top it off, this evening I did 4 sets of dips (25, 25, 26 & 25) with my arms on coffee table and feet on sofa.

I’ve had a few requests already to add blogs to my “Best Running Blogs” page, which was nice.  I’ve also got more blogs to read!

Related posts:

1. Juneathon – Day 6 & 7 (Running Again)
2. Juneathon – Day 13 & 14 (Push, Run, Walk)
3. Juneathon – Day 11 & 12 (Back to normal)

Monday is my day of rest from running and today was no different.  Instead I opted for my usual evening of push-ups and crunches which I did whilst playing with my son and ensuring his potty training was going okay.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the number of push-ups I can do per set is much higher than it used to be a few months ago.  At the moment I can consistently do sets of 20 without too many issues.  Tonight I did the following:-

Push-ups:  5 Sets (20, 20, 20, 20 & 20)

Crunches:  4 Sets (50, 50, 50 & 60)

On another note, I’ve been neglecting to update my running log/spreadsheet which I use to keep track of my total miles since I started running.  Naughty Virtual Runner!  I have now remedied this and I am happy to provide the following update:-

Total distance I’ve run since I started on 10/06/2007:  3358.88km (2087.11 miles)

Total distance I’ve run across Canada from 06/06/2008 to date:  1977.51km (1228.83 miles)

Average daily mileage during run across Canada:  5.38km (3.34 miles) per day

Average daily mileage since I started running:  4.60km (2.85 miles) per day

Average running pace in 2007 (not a full year): 05:57 min/km (09:34 min/mile)

Average running pace in 2008:  05:44 min/km (09:13 min/mile)

Average running pace in 2009 (not a full year):  05:40 min/km (09:07 min/mile)

Tomorrow night I’ll map it out using Google Earth and see where I am on my virtual journey across Canada.  My current map location is way out of date!

Related posts:

1. Juneathon – Day 11 & 12 (Back to normal)
2. Cross Canada Run & Stats Update
3. Day of Rest

“Now you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!”

What a great morning it was today.  I got ready to go for my run and I WAS going to head to the gym for a treadmill session because the weather looked terrible (raining).  However, the weather cleared up and I decided to run the pathways around where I live and perhaps head across the M4 Motorway for a short run into the countryside south of Reading.  It wasn’t a long or fast run (I am much slower lately – If that’s possible) but it felt great to get out and clear my head.  My sinuses and chest felt great and for the rest of the day I’ve felt great.  Running is the best thing to make you feel better when you’re feeling down or sick.

I covered 7.61km (4.72 miles) at a 05:49 min/km (09:22 min/mile) pace.  The air was cool and damp from the heavy rain overnight and the sun was poking out of the clouds occasionally.  I ran from my house and just ran around the neighborhood on the walking/cycle paths and roads trying to figure out where things went.  It was a nice little running adventure that eventually took me to a disused bridge that spans the M4 motorway and takes you across to the south of Reading.

Running covered today’s task for Juneathon and yesterday I did my other exercises (again) to cover day 6 of Juneathon.  They consisted of dips and crunches (not sit-ups).  I did 5 sets of dips (20, 20, 25, 25 & 25) and 4 sets of crunches (60, 70, 70 & 80).

So far so good.  I haven’t missed a single day of Juneathon and I don’t plan to either!  Tomorrow is a non-running day for me (Mondays always are) so I will resort back to my push-ups and crunches again, however this time it won’t be because I can’t run; it will be because I choose to.

On a completely different tangent, I have removed the list of my favourite blogs from the right side of my homepage.  I did this because I realised the list should be much bigger and that if I put them all on the right of the homepage it would be a long list that would take up way too much room.  Instead, I’ve added a new page called the “Best Running Blogs” which lists all of the blogs I read (in alphabetical order).  As and when I find others to read (or people ask me to) I’ll add them to the list.  I also did it this way because if people did a search on “best running blog” (or similar) there is a better chance that list will come up and people will find these blogs and mine.

Related posts:

1. Juneathon – Day 11 & 12 (Back to normal)
2. Juneathon – Day 4 (Getting Better)
3. Juneathon – Day 1

I decided to take the advice of Highway Kind and not stress about the lack of running at the moment.  My lungs don’t feel the greatest (although they are much better) at the moment because of the cold I’ve got and I don’t want to strain them or me.

So tonight I did more push-ups whilst my 2 1/2 year old son looked on.  5 sets of 20 this time; surely that counts as 100 push-ups?  I doubt it.  I think they need to be consecutive.

I have decided that I am definitely bowing out of the Dorney Dash 10k tomorrow and I’m having another day off from running.  Sunday I’ll give it a go again at ye ole gym on the treadmill.  That means tomorrow I’ll have to do even more crunches and dips in the evening.

Also, I just thought I would say why I don’t run in the evenings (not that you were wondering - it’s volunteered useless information for you).  The only real time I have to go running is early in the mornings before my wife and son get up (weekdays) which is why I go running at around 06:00.  This is because my wife works most weekday evenings (but not all) and goes to work when I get home from my work (child handover takes place).  On the weekends my wife works almost all day Saturday from about midday to around 21:00 at night and it’s just me and my son… the boys chillin.  Sunday mornings are our family days when we are both at home and I go out for a run around 08:00 in the morning usually so I can finish in enough time for us to to whatever we have planned for that day.

Enjoy the weekend everyone.

Related posts:

1. Juneathon – Day 2 (A no-starter)
2. Juneathon III and Birthday
3. Juneathon – Day 1

If this keeps up I’ll be doing hundreds of push-ups for Juneathon instead of what I really want to do… running!

Anyway, this evening I used my trusty coffee table (it’s a big chunky wooden one) as my exercise point.  4 sets of dips (feet on sofa and hands on coffee table) and three sets of crunches (legs on coffee table) as follows:-

Dips:  20, 20, 20 & 20 (My arms were killing at the end)

Crunches:  50, 50 & 50

At the moment I’m hoping I’ll be able to go for an easy run tomorrow and help clear my head a bit.  I’ve also got the Dorney Dash on Saturday morning but because the weather is predicting heavy rain I might give it a miss.  I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to events in the pouring cold rain and also I’m just getting over this cold and don’t want to push it.  So, I’ll see what the weather is like on Saturday morning and I’ll make my final decision then.

My mate Tony wants to go for a run with me at Dinton Pastures on Sunday, however the weather for Sunday is predicted as heavy rain again.  That means I might have to forego a run at Dinton and head to the gym and the trusty treadmill instead.  Again, it depends on what the weather is really like.

I’m not too bothered about missing the Dorney Dash as I’ve got some other runs planned over the coming months:-

14/06/2009 – Wargrave 10k
28/06/2009 – Sam Run
05/07/2009 – Tadley 10k
19/07/2009 – The Grant & Stone Wycombe 10K
23/08/2009 - Everton 10k
06/09/2009 – Peppard 10k
27/09/2009 – Mortimer 10k
11/10/2009 – Henley 10k

That’s 8 runs and because they are all 10kms it should be relatively simple to build them all into my weekly running schedule.  I generally run more than 10km on a Sunday anyway and this way I get more medals to add to my collection.  I love the medals (crazy eh?)!

I hope the illness subsides enough tomorrow for me to run!  Now I’m off to read some other Juneathon blogs….

Related posts:

1. Juneathon – Day 1
2. Juneathon – Day 6 & 7 (Running Again)
3. Juneathon – Day 11 & 12 (Back to normal)

At this very moment I am able to breathe through my nose but the pain in my sinuses is unbelievable. I’ve never had anything like it before.

Regardless, this evening I’ve completed yet more push-ups to ensure I haven’t missed a day of Juneathon. 5 sets of 15, 20, 20, 20 & 15. I also started to do some crunches and managed two sets (50 & 30) but my head was pounding too much by that point.

I’m hoping the ability to breathe through my nose remains for the whole night so I can actually get some proper sleep and perhaps resume a normal non-cold lifestyle.

Colds Suck.

Related posts:

1. Cold is a four letter word
2. Juneathon – Day 4 (Getting Better)
3. Juneathon – Day 10 (Living Away from Family)