Hi folks, Exercise Tip: Allow sufficient recovery time after really long races or workouts. My lovely little dog, Nickel, passed away a few days ago. She lived for 16 good years and had a happy life, dying quietly of old age, wagging her tail for treats up until near the end - may I do as well. Then a few days later I had to deal with another unpleasant transition. I had nipped across the road to enjoy ... Read more
Was Alistair Cooke Creating A Model For Blogging?
Hi folks, Whilst growing up in post-war England during the late 1940s to early 1950s, my impressions of the USA (America is an inappropriate but common abbreviation that I will use here for convenience) were molded by a number of factors, including my mother's vociferous opinion ("problem with them is that they're over sexed, over paid and over here"), Hollywood (we were all in love with American film stars), and ... Read more
Zen and the Art of Body Maintenance Revisited
Hi folks, Training Tip: How to address an injury close to a planned race. In a previous post, I referred to that important book, 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by Robert Pirsig, which addresses the issue of quality, using motorcycle maintenance as a metaphor. This is how I remember his story, which I read about 30 years ago. Robert Pirsig presents the relationship between two couples, who ... Read more
Changing The World One Person At A Time, Starting With Your Run Mechanics!
Hi folks! Whilst reading an interesting post from a link received via twitter, entitled 'The Power of One Connection: How Word of Mouth Works Online,' I was reminded of a conversation I had with Nick, Deb's 13-year-old son. I was driving Nick to his friend's house and during the trip he said "Me and Jared are going to ...," a form that drives Deb crazy. I also consider it to be impolite, but it is now ... Read more
Tragedy versus Irony, Peeling Kohlrabi, And Be Careful With Your Retirement Funds
Hi folks, A recent comment on this blog by my brother, Trevor, reminded me of an event that occurred about 20 years ago. I was spending a pleasant afternoon with an artist friend of mine, Andy Fleishman. We were enjoying a glass of beer whilst sitting on one of Andy's concrete creations next to the pond at the home studio of Andy and Kate, along with a number of goats, horses, geese, dogs, and cats scattered ... Read more
Circadian Rhythm, Exercise, Depression, And Feedback Loops
Hi folks, welcome! Quote for fun: "Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." Apparently from Aeschylus. This is really really really true! If there are degrees of truth, that is! Whilst tweeting the other day I was reminded of an event that occurred during my training at the Bristol University Veterinary School, in England a ... Read more
Food, Glorious Food And Harry Secombe Who Provided Sustenance For The Heart!
Hi folks, I love food! I think that the level of our appetite for the good things in life gives away exactly how alive we are! Don't you? Forgetting food for thought and all that stuff, when it comes to eating there is a big difference between food and nutrition. Food: "any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain life and ... Read more
Train to Race or Race to Train, Lazy Bum, And Dropped By An 81-Year Old
Hi folks, Well! My son and I finished the Eagleman race this weekend. It was one of those races where you wonder why you are doing this to yourself, as it was very hot, lots of people had cramps, and both of our runs were a mess due to cramping. This is when I have to remind myself that I race to train, not the other way around. I enjoy the races, but I don't enjoy quad cramps during a run. This has only ... Read more
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