WONDER IF THEY NEED STAFF?

Yesterday’s run saw me don trail shoes again and head off “up the back”.

“Up the back” being any run that starts from the back of our house and starts on the climb that leads to Weatherly then usually onwards and upwards towards Friardykes. Sometimes, from there I will keep going till I get to Whitadder Resevoir, but yesterday, constraints of time and all that, I just wanted to go up – have a bit of a nosey around the wind farms then head back.

No wonder the roads are so busy just now. There must easily be a hundred or more guys working up there. It’s like a small village with all the huts and buildings that have gone up.

However, there was one that intrigued me. Friardykes itself has been a ruin ever since I’ve known of it (11 years coming up for), and I’ve always liked it. Up until very recently it was in the middle of nowhere. Not even a road, as such, led to it – just a very rough track. It has always been the type of place that if it was renovated would be the type of place I would like to live. Complete isolation.

So. I was surprised to see that they have indeed renovated, not the cottage, but some of the older outbuildings. The roof’s on the windows have all been replaced. It looks quite nice. Shame it’s in the middle of a dirty big, ugly wind farm now and not the wonderful woodland it used to sit close to.

Perhaps it’s going to be a site office. I imagine that a huge installation like this will need 24 hour cover.

Wonder if there’s any jobs going? It would only be a twenty five minute commute – by running shoe! And once the construction guy’s bugger off and the wind mills “weather in” a bit – it might be nice up there again. J

BEWARE GINGERS BEARING NEWS...

Not a lot happening right now. Time just seems to meld into one tedious continuum of travel - work - run - travel - work - run etc. Wouldn't mind it too much if there was purpose to the travel.
At least proper sport has returned to the telly in the form of the Tour. Strange though how watching cycling on the TV can give me a bit of a boost and inspiration to get out and run a bit more!

Would have enjoyed the cycling even more on Monday night if that ginger tosser Chris Evans hadn't told everyone the result on his show. I wasn't in the car to hear it (being "banged up" in one of Scot Rails luxury plague pits at the time). But as soon as Anne said "I know the result" it was obvious. She had heard it on the radio - she listens to the Ginger Tosser - he never mentions sporting achievement unless its a UK thing - ergo Mark Cavendish had won.

Still exciting to watch though.

NEW SHOES

Couple of good runs this weekend.
Had my long run yesterday with Ian that took in White Sands then along the coast and round Torness, along the coastal path before heading over the A1 and through Dunglass.
Don't know how far we went but I was out for 2:45. The longest run I've done since the marathon.
Just before I met Ian yesterday I stood and chatted to a couple of blokes who were "marshaling" at a classic car rally. The route brought the drivers through the woods at our bit, then over by the Brunt and into Dunbar. Looked good to see those old cars on such nice country roads. They certainly got the weather for it too.

Today I only went out for an hour or so, but I really wanted to try out my new trail shoes that arrived yesterday. Very happy with the results.
The road will, I'm afraid, always be my running surface of choice. But given the nature of the terrain around here it would be foolish not to venture off road more often. But I've never really felt any of my shoes have been up to the job.
My road shoes don't have the grip and sometimes I feel that the soles are too soft (step on a sharp stone and you bloody well feel it). While my existing cross country shoes are great for runs of about 45 minutes or so, but lack adequate cushioning for prolonged runs.
These Mizuno Wave Hood's seem to fit the bill though. Sturdy, supportive and cushioned.
I felt really good on the climbs up and around by the wind farms today.
The only thing I was wary about is that these are "neutral" shoes while all my road shoes are support shoes for over pronators - but given I'll only be using them once or twice a week I don't really see that being too problematic.
Might try and wear them a bit through the rest of the summer - get out and do a bit of exploring.

Done a lot this past fortnight and while I want to try and keep the momentum going I'm mindful that I've got the Northumberland Coastal race next week.

REST DAY RUN

Friday is normally my day of rest.

However, today work found me not only in God's blessed East but also free at lunchtime to go a little run. So I headed up by the Water Of Leith on my old 7.5 mile route. Jeeze - it seems like ages since I did that run but in reality it's only been about three months.

Anyway, given that it might be another three months or so before I do this run I thought I'd make the most of it. Took the old heart rate up to about 167 which is the top end of my tempo runs scale and was rewarded with a fairly quick 48:45.

So. A run on my "rest day". Not the only change to my normal Friday routine. It looks as though "Coffee, Cake and Jazz" might get put on hold - we're off to the nirvana that is the modern day retail park to buy a new vacuum. Oh joy.

Wouldn't mind, but I picked up one of John Coltrane's [slightly] lesser known albums for a pound and was keen to give it a listen.

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS....

It's a lot of preparation this one. But....

• The day before, run 9 miles (quick as you can).
• After run, remove kit and leave in a pile on the floor.
• A few hours later pick up kit and go "Oh. That's not too bad I'll use that again tomorrow"
• Place kit in bag.
• Next day travel to work and place bag in a nice sunny spot.
• At lunchtime. Go to changing area to get ready for run.
• Realize that kit is still "moist" from previous run.... and more than a little "ripe". But "what the hell".

Now. Here's the really good bit....

Wait until the hot, stuffy, "holds eight people" lift has seven people in it and jump in at the last minute.
Now. Marvel as seven other people try to cram into a corner as far away from you as possible..
The memory of their faces kept me going the entire run today!

However. For those of you who believe in "karma" and all that bollocks. And "bad" things happening to "bad" people.... the moist smelly kit didn't do a lot of good for my peanut butter roll.

BEST THING ABOUT WORKING FROM HOME??

.. The cakes are better!!

Sadly though working from home is not an all together "solitary experience".

It's so bloody hot today that I had most of the upstairs windows open.

I was busy working away and I suddenly heard.

THUMP... Stomp..Stomp..Stomp..

Fatso had jumped onto our roof and in through the window and was busy having a bit of a look around.

Took a bit of cajoling to get him to come out from under the bed, but at least this time he had the sense to run out of the door when I opened it. Not like the last time when he nearly fell off the roof after jumping out the window.

BEACH

Run was fairly brutal last night.
Ian, admitedly probably quite rightly, managed to convince everybody that what we needed in preparation for next weeks Costal Run was a run along the beach.
So. We ended up hitting the beach at Belhaven bay and running all the way out, round "the point" and following the beach to the wee wooden bridge at John Muir.
From there we ran along a horrible little twisty-turny, upy-downy, rabbit-holey, accident waiting to happen type path. Back to the little bridge via the much more civilized "road" then back onto the beach to retrace our steps (and as the tide was going out at the time that's exactly what I did).
Absolutely knackered by the time I got back. Probably a good run though. While my heart rate was averaged out as just below my "blue zone" it definetly crept up into it for long patches of the run.
Might limit myself to a very short recovery pace run today. Not had a rest in ten days.

FROSTY WOULDN'T LAST TWO MINUTES IN THIS HEAT.

The sun is beating down in the Third World and the mercury is rising in the old thermometer.

Again, the natives appear to have started shedding some of their outer layers, and while this can occasionally throw up the odd delight it’s mainly a rather unattractive sight. Large, wobbly, grapefruit skinned, tattooed midriffs are, quite frankly, best kept hidden. Not flaunted for public display.

Anyway. As I said, it’s hot, it’s sweaty – hell it’s summer.

Which begs the question – who in their right mind buy an album of Christmas tunes at this time of year? Well.. That would be me.

Browsing through the racks of goodies in a  second hand shop I stumbled upon an Ella Fitzgerald Christmas album. And, as all good hunters of second hand music will tell you – you’ve got to take it when you get the chance. It might not be there next time.

So, like a good [mulled] wine, I will “lay this one down” for a few months before listening.

Hmmm – “Jingle Bells”…. Nice!!