Various News Update

It’s been almost a month (minus a days) since I started my new eating habits. It’s been going generally well and it’s been much easier since JJ is doing a diet with me. I’m proud to say that the amount of delicious bad stuff like red meat, bread, cheese, chocolate, fried stuff and sugar I had during that month was kept to an absolute minimum. When you start looking for it, you can see that substances like sugar is basically everywhere! You can’t help it. But at least I've stopped the full fat cappuccinos with extra brown sugar. I used to have 2 to 3 a day. That should count, right? Overall I've lost about 5 kg in the last month, which I have to say I'm quite happy with. Now, my BMI is 24, down from 25.7, although I believe that the whole BMI as an indicator is a bit flawed. And that was only the first month.

On another medical issue, since my half marathon last March I've been having some issues with my right knee. I noticed it during my first recovery run after that race. I went to a physio and he said I have ITBS. It has to do, I assume, with the amount of running I do over tarmac, the sudden increase of mileage and maybe lack of post running stretching. Since then I tried to rest it but had to keep on training since I have another half marathon this Sunday in Hackney (RunHackney). Unfortunately the pain didn't go away and I had to cancel my race for this Sunday. I’m a bit disappointed because I would have ran it with JJ and it would have been great to run between the buildings of London’s Olympic Park. But alas, I won’t. At least I’ll go take photos and cheer for JJ and another friend who’s doing the same race. I’ll try to do it next year. At the moment I’m waiting for NHS to be properly referred to a clinic to get treatment.

So overall I can say that dieting is going great but exercising not so well. At least I still have my personal trainer at the gym.

Not sure about the sun during the English summer, but the rest...

Changing subjects, I can also now say that I became an IT team leader! I used to belong to the team that I now lead, so I have experience of what we do and how. However, I've never had a similar position and it might prove challenging, but at least for the moment it’s going well. Although I have noticed a couple of days ago some grey hair on my ‘fringe’. Could they be new?

Anyway, I’m at the process of recruiting for my old position in the team. That is way more time consuming than I thought it would be, but can at least be fun. I can now easily say how NOT to write a CV. The things I've seen… For example starting your CV by demonstrating your hobbies is not a very good idea! Is that the most important thing you can offer to the role? Especially if your hobbies are online or ‘live’ poker! Yes, these are genuine pastimes (who am I to judge?) but at the same time if they are the first thing I read about you, I can’t help but think ‘possible gambling problem’. At least he didn't add porn or illegally downloading copyrighted material. Adding that you've worked for a serious IT company for only 9 whole days including a weekend, is also not a good personality indicator.

Post running

I did it! I'm so happy. It went actually quite well actually.
The weather wasn't the best. The last few days it's been cold and wet in the UK and Sunday morning was no exception. That meant that at the start I felt a bit cold and miserable till the run warmed me up. But I was fine after that. During the run we got some sun spells between the clouds which was a nice break. Thankfully, the path we were using wasn't that muddy. Generally, the organisation of the race was really good and the route we followed amazing. I loved the fact that there were not many road crossings and we kept close to the river and the nice area of Richmond. Also, the fact that there were no laps to the route is always a bonus.

I managed to finish the run in 2 hours and 29 minutes! That time wasn't that bad and I'm happy that I didn't stop at all to walk during that time. I just kept going, even on a slow pace close to the end of the race. I know that there is room for improvement on my performance and I'll get there...

The route 

My performance

The before picture! 

Running by the river Thames 

That dog was simply watching people pass by like a tennis ball in a tennis match

I was running with this guy

 The banana guy was really quick.

Approaching the finish line 

Happy with a medal

So, true...

Pre Running

In about 24 hours I'll be warming up before my half marathon in Richmond among the other runners. Hopefully,  I managed to spend Saturday eating relatively light and healthy. I've also managed a decent amount of sleep and nerves didn't get the worst of me. Wish me luck! Even better, can you please show up with one of these signs? You'll make my day. Especially if you stand after mile 8. Thanks

  

Tie your shoe laces

Time does fly. We’re getting closer to the end of February and March will be here soon. That means that time’s up and I should start getting ready for the final push. I’m talking of course about my Half Marathon scheduled for the 23^rd of March, which will take place in the area around Richmond, in approximately 4 weeks.

I've chosen this course last autumn. I liked it because I’m familiar with the area and I always enjoyed running along the Thames path. That was without knowing that we’d get the most rain ever recorded since 1910 and all the flooding that followed. I’m hoping that by then the level of the river will get back to normal. I’ve also chosen this course because it’s mostly flat and doesn’t form loops. I hate it when I have to run over and over the same thing. The course is instead shaped like an 8. One loop is more or less around Kew gardens and the other close to Richmond Park.

I had plenty of time to prepare and train and I’m generally proud of myself with what I’ve done. To be honest our winter apart from being very wet, hasn’t been that heavy and I was able to run a lot outdoors. I’ve run 35.1 miles in December, 37.1 in January and 40.9 miles in February so far which for me is a good amount. I’m not sure if I would have done that much if it had snowed and there was ice on the roads. My greatest distance was a bit more than 10 miles that I did during the London Tube strike. I’m not that great of a runner and my pace is generally slow, but at least I manage.

I’m planning this weekend of doing almost 12 miles. Google maps says 11.7 for the route I’ve drawn but sometimes my phone GPS registers more. That way, I might manage the whole half marathon distance the weekend close to the 8^th of March and after that it would be two slow weeks till the actual race. I want to do the whole distance to know that I’m ready but I’m planning not to run the last days till that Sunday. I don’t want to risk an injury or being tired.

Tomorrow for the first time I’ll try energy gels. Till now, on my long runs I’ve been carrying only water. But a marathon runner and colleague of mine suggested taking a gel halfway through my run. I can’t see it doing any harm, so I’ll give it a go. Worst case scenario it gives me an upset stomach, but I believe it will be fine. My runs now are about 2 hours long and a small boost might come in handy. He also said he’s having 4 raw eggs and a banana before each of his long runs! Just the idea of a raw egg is making my skin crawl…

Roof and other various news update

I think that almost all construction projects have issues and ours couldn't be an exception. Last Thursday the roofers announced that they were almost finished and they’d be finishing the next day. However, apart from replacing the roof tiles, they hadn't done anything on the facia of the house and the guttering as previously agreed! Or at least that’s what we thought we had agreed!

Anyway, to cut a long story shorter, the head of the company had visited us before providing us with a quote. We had talked about all the extra work needed apart from the roof tiles. He then provided us with a quote. That quote was very technical. It mentioned a huge list of items with types, measurements and everything. We went through it, concentrated on key words like roof tiles, guttering and facia. We agreed to the quote and the work began. However, what they meant by guttering was the line between our roof and the neighbour’s. What we meant by facia is actually called soffit! So, all this extra work we thought we’d get was not in the quote.

So, we began negotiations. The secretary of the company was telling us that apart from the roof tiles, nothing was meant to be done. We managed to get a hold of the head of the company though that agreed that we had really discussed all the extra bits but apologised for not including them in the quote. He was generally apologetic and we agreed that we’d pay extra only for the cost of the materials and nothing else. Which to be honest is generally a good deal. We should have paid more attention to the quote, even if it was a bit too technical for us. However, it’s an extra cost that we’ll have to cover.

 

Changing the subject, we’re planning a small holiday escape with JJ. Our budget is a bit limited (see previous story) and instead of flying to Zurich to my old housemate as previously suggested, we’re thinking of doing a road trip in the UK. We generally love road trips and visiting a rural part of England that we’ve never been before will be fun. For the time being we’re thinking of going to the Peak District National Park. I believe it to be an amazing destination to escape from the busy London life. We’ll try to go hiking and explore the area there. For the time being we’ve booked a car and we’re looking into accommodation that we’ll book most likely tonight or tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to keep up with my running. I’ve registered to do a half marathon at the end of March and I’m trying to train for that. The weather is not really helping but I’m doing my best. I should remember next time not to register for a long distance race in early spring. It’s better to train in spring and run in the summer or autumn. So far this month I’ve run outdoors for more than 50 km. It’s not that great, but I don’t think it’s that bad either. I’m planning on my last run for January tonight after work, I’m hoping it’s not going to rain much. Then try to build up my distances to almost half a marathon two weeks before the race! Hopefully that will make me ready…

British Heart Foundation Charity Run

Woohoo! I did it! 

I successfully finished my 10 kilometers charity race on Saturday! The whole experience was amazing. During this type of events, the atmosphere is quite enthusiastic. People rightfully feel pride in taking part. There's loud music playing and cheers all around. There are also lots of supporters, families, dogs etc running around! We were also very happy to hear that BHF managed to raise the money they were hoping for.

The silly before picture with the 'Heart' mascot!

Very close to the finish line...

 The 'after' photo with my medal and the water in hand

Hyde Park is so beautiful. There are animals all around. There's the Serpentine, the Italian gardens, the monuments... lot's of things to keep your mind occupied and keep on running. The weather was perfect for a run as well. It was cloudy, but not too cold. Unfortunately I missed the water station and struggled a bit at the end. I was so thirsty. 

At the end I managed a very respectable time(for my standards)! I was faster by 3 whole minutes from my previous personal best and finished the race in 1 hour and 6 minutes! I'm getting closer to doing 10k in an hour! :-)

How to ruin someone's day

Conversation about my upcoming race tomorrow:

Him (my manager and experienced marathon runner): Don’t have pasta tonight

Me: What?

Him: Just don’t have pasta tonight! I know people that the day before a race had an overload of pasta and were feeling very bloated and uncomfortable during their run. No pasta party for you!

Me: Don’t tell me that! I was really looking forward to having spaghetti meatballs tonight (JJ's making them special).

Him: Remember what I've told you. At least don’t have a second serving!

Me: I’ll try (Booooo) L

Revenge on my walk of shame

Revenge on my walk of shame

Back in the beginning of the year, in early January, I published my walk of shame (here). That was a post regarding my lack of running and general decline on my fitness level that occurred during 2012. I wanted to put more cardio exercise on my daily routine. I wanted to change the disappointing graph regarding mileage during that year! And since yesterday was ‘World Heart Day’, I’m very happy and proud to say that I’m successfully progressing towards achieving that goal. 2013 rocks, it beats the crap out of 2012!

2012 running mileage

2013 YTD running mileage

During the month of September, I went outdoors and run 88.82 km (55.20 miles)! That’s a personal best for me. That number of miles might not be that impressive to some people, but it is for me. In the last 4 years since I started running outdoors, I've never achieved something like that. And the great part is that I want to keep going. I want to see how far I can go. Overall this year I've run outdoors 227.07 miles!

Running is like my personal therapy session. I love the feeling of achievement I get at the end of each run, at realising a goal I've set myself. I love being outdoors, exploring new neighbourhoods, getting a different perspective of things and leaving trivial troubles and nerves behind. Of course it’s not every time all fun and games. Running can be tough at times, painful and disappointing. However, every single one of these sessions, even the bad ones, has a meaning and is an accomplishment.

So, I think I’m all prepared for my ‘British Heart Foundation’ charity 10k run next Saturday. I admit I could have done more. I wanted to incorporate interval or hill training to my schedule and improve my overall pace / speed, but that’s fine. Unless something unexpected happens till then, I believe I’ll be able to finish the race.

And to challenge myself a bit more, I registered for a half marathon next March!!! The last half marathon I did was in Edinburgh in April 2011 (here). That race didn't go that well. It was hot and humid and even with JJ’s help, I walked a lot that day instead of running and struggled to finish. This time I plan to train more and finish the distance in style. I have some time to prepare. It might be a bit of a challenge training during the cold and wet months of the winter, but I hope I’ll be fine. My plan is to never stop. Like winter sea swimmers that keep on swimming through autumn to winter, I’ll keep on going to see what happens.

I only now have to find a proper training plan to follow during these months.  

Various News Update

We’re still in the process of viewing houses. It didn't start too well. We saw for example a property that was already falling apart and the cost of renovation would be great (if possible), but still in the high end of our budget. We saw properties that looked like small matchboxes but advertised and priced like mansions.
It’s not easy to check beforehand. Photographs online can be deceiving and floor plans with no dimensions deceptive. The best policy it to visit as many places as possible. However that’s not always easy, trying to arrange something between our working hours and the demands of the estate agents.
Property 6 we saw, was quite interesting. It ticks most of the boxes. The only issue is the area, mostly (I think) because we don’t know it. Also, I think we’re spoiled by the place we’re renting at the moment, which is quite nice located. That property is the one that we might visit for a second time soon. We saw it last weekend and I’d like to get a feel of it during the week as well. It would also be nice to revisit it and try to pay more attention to the details that we might have missed.

On the 5th of October I’m taking part in a charity event organised by the ‘British Heart Foundation’. It’s a 10 kilometers run in Hyde Park, London. Since heart disease runs in my family, it’s a matter very close to me. I fear that it will be something that I will have to deal with at some point in my life. You can find a link to my fundraising website on the right, if you’re interested… Please be interested.
I've started training for the event. I’m not following a specific running plan. With everything that’s been happening recently, I simply can’t. I've been all over the place. But, I've been running outdoors more frequently than before. Even today, for the first time I went for a small run at 6:45 am on the way to the gym. It was so nice watching the city wake up. So, I’m hoping to achieve a personal best in the charity run and finish the 10km faster than I had in the past. We’ll see…

These days, JJ has been exhibiting a couple of his paintings in ‘La Galleria Pall Mall’, in the centre of London. The exhibition’s theme is ‘lust’! Yesterday night was the opening! Unfortunately JJ couldn't attend because he was working, so I took our lodger and headed there for an hour or so. As always, there was lots of wine, interesting characters (eccentric artists), old money (sugar daddies), new aspiring money (big boobs, blonde hair), burlesque figures, etc.
Events like that have a character. Having a very different background myself, being an engineer and looking at the world in straight lines, I was shocked when I first met the type of people that hang around art events. There is a romantic element to them (especially if you exclude some snobbism that might appear here and there). There’re not for too long though…

Before and after sweating

Coming back from my last week holidays has been interesting. The first couple of days I was simply exhausted. My tiredness was catching up. The first couple of nights after I came back, I was fast asleep almost around 9:30pm. 

I'm now getting back into normal and I'm also trying to catch up with my fitness regime. So, today, after work I decided to do a 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) run. It went quite well considering the almost 2 weeks gap. 

Getting ready after work. You can see Big Ben and the London eye in the background 

A bit after an hour later, you can see the Clapham Common in the background

The route I followed. Running next to River Thames and through Battersea Park and Clapham Common is always very pleasant.

I was wearing my Cancer Research UK t-shirt, just to raise awareness. :-)

Inspiration

Mark from behrblather asked me, not so long ago, where do I find the motivation and go and do my runs. Although I mentioned something on my reply then, I’d like to elaborate a bit more.

Recently, I’ve been having a newfound interest in getting fitter and doing beneficial physical things, for me. It hasn’t always been easy and I definitely have a long way to go still. However, I believe that I’m in a good place at the moment with a good momentum, which I hope to keep for some time yet. I try to get motivation on things I read and check online. I managed to find some inspirational videos and blogs online close to the period of time I retrieved my running shoes and I haven’t looked back since.

Finding very good looking and fit people, who might or might not be celebrities, does nothing to me. It’s not inspiring. Jason Stratham for example shows off his 6pack on the cover of ‘Men’s Health’. That photo to me might be really nice but it remains so alien. It will not make me do more core exercises to look similar. I know it can never happen. He lives a very different life to mine and gets paid just to look like he does. I can’t compare myself to him. So, reading about his exercise regime and diet is really and utterly irrelevant.

On the other hand, there are lots of people online who share their stories which I can relate to. They are people with everyday jobs, social life, ups and downs, like every other normal human being. These (mostly) success stories are truly inspirational and help me get through tough periods.


The first one I’ll mention is BendoesLife. Ben has been writing a blog for some years now. He started off as an obese youngster, depressed and miserable. At the beginning he couldn’t run almost at all, but through the years he managed to complete marathons, a triathlon and an Ironman. Recently he got married and looks so happy. Going through his blog, you can see the before and after pictures, respect his honesty, enjoy his humour and even see some of the mistakes he made and his lows. I accept the fact that he’s trying to commercialise his blog success with ‘doeslife’ merchandise and book, but I still like what he stands for. There is optimism in what he says. I think there's also a youtube video with his story.

Through the people commenting on his blog, I read some more success stories of everyday people who managed to turn their lives around for the better. If you really look for them in tumlr, wordpress or blogger, you will be able to find them, in lots of places like here or here or here.

Looking for better ways to jog and to find local running events, I joined runnersforum.co.uk. One of the threads published there is titled: ‘Before and after weightloss pics’. That thread contains so many inspirational stories from people of various background, sex or age. Take a look at a random example:

 andydw before

after
 

In the same forum, there are lots of beginners. It’s not that hard to start and there is lots of advice on offer. You can simply start by doing brisk walks and then advance to short runs and see how it goes. Lots of people also used apps like C25k, or even the new ones where zombies try to catch you.

I went for a run yesterday evening. I’ve been listening to Stephen King’s ‘The shinning’. That was one of his books I hadn’t read, but always liked to. It’s been an interesting read while running.