New job, new schedule

So, where are we in terms of training days? Well, I have managed to get a few days in. A couple of 10km steady runs, and a couple of quicker 5km runs, most enjoyable.
I have just secured myself a new job, which is not only within walking distance of home, as opposed to the 15 mile drive at the moment, but is far more sensible hours wise. This will allow me far more time for training as I will be in doors from work within 10 minutes of finishing, allowing me time for a run every night if I wanted. No weekend work, means I can schedule in longer runs on a regular basis also.
As I have mentioned before, I'm sure, I am doing the Silverstone half marathon in March, and am now busy looking for something after then.
I am drawn by the BUPA London 10k in May. This looks like a very nice event, on a very picturesque course and not to soon after Silverstone.
I will continue to do my local(ish) Parkrun, and with no weekend work I can do these a lot more.
The training times are not to bad. I'm not really looking to complete in a particular time, but and "around" time of 2:00-2:15 for the half would be good for my first one.
At the minute I'm doing 5km in about 0:30 and 10km in 1:04. Not world beating, but its heading in the right direction.
If I can get 2 hours for my first half marathon I will be very pleased.
I am running on behalf of Alzheimer's and if you feel you can support me there is a link below. It would be fantastic if you could.

http://www.justgiving.com/sonofnesbit

D'you swallow

Went out running Friday, early morning start out in the sticks.
Parked at Rodbridge picnic area, a brave move for two blokes to do before you start. A place renowned for the more salubrious sides of life, so I've been told.
Anyway, we parked up, the time was around 7ish I would imagine. Upon getting out we was greeted by the sound of someone chucking up.
I said to Skip, I think he must have just run the route I have planned for us. He was really going for it, noise and all sorts.
Then it dawned on us both as we remembered where we were, maybe, just maybe, he'd experienced his first dogging session. I tried to convince myself, and Skip, that he had in fact actually been for a run, even though he had jeans on.
I instructed Skip upon our return from the run, when the happy puker had gone, to go and look at what he'd brought up.
Go see if theres anything 'ahem' alien in his sick Skip.
I thought Skip was gonna be sick himself at the thought of looking. Needless to say neither of us checked, we just chuckled to ourselves at the fact he was being sick due to guilt, or something like that.
One thing has just crossed my mind, we could have looked to see if his car windows were misted up, bugger, a missed chance.
It did have one good thing to come from it though, the first part of our run, up hill into Borely went ok as we was still talking about the happy dogger.

How far!!!!!!!

Well, as most of my Facebook friends know already, I've signed up to run the Silverstone half marathon, in March 2014.

As far as I am lead to believe it takes place, at least to some extent, on the actual circuit, could be the slowest ever circumnavigation of a grand pix track in the history of slowest ever laps of a Grand Prix track.

One things for sure though, I intend enjoying myself. 

The family are coming with me to cheer me on, best they bring a book with them to while away the hours between seeing me off and watching a wreck of a man return back at the finish. Actually, I'm not sure who will be more tired, them through boredom, or me through exhaustion, we will see.

Anyway, I'm doing it for charity, and hope to be able to make a donation, with help from my friends, to Altzhimers UK via my just giving page, www.justgiving.com/sonofnesbit.

If you feel you can help and donate to this worthy cause that will be great.

I chose this charity as, in a roundabout way it was this that robbed me and Stuart of a wonderful mother back in 2012.

It also denied 3 grandchildren a grandmother who never really got the chance to show how great she was going to be as a nan. I feel absolutely confident that, had mum still been with us, we wouldn't have been seeing much of our daughter, she'd have been round nan's most of the time, and mum would have loved every second of it, as that's the sort of women she was. Caring, kind, considerate and fun. She loved a laugh and would have loved spoiling the grandchildren and then giving them back.

Unfortunately it was not to be, as she had hardly started out on the nan route before being struck down with dementia. Help me to help Altzhimers UK find a cure by making a small donation if you can to this worthy charity, via my amble round a racetrack.

Pass the Blu-Tac

So, I've joined the gym. Still running as well and really enjoying it to.
Went to yoga last week to help with my breathing for when I run, and help me get a bit more supple, unfortunately I didn't get it all done as someone farted half way through, and as I am incredibly immature I couldn't stop laughing. The stifled laugh, the type that almost makes as much noise as a proper laugh, bloody child that I am, I wont be going back!
We have also started swimming, and I never thought I'd say this, but it s good fun. Aqua aerobics and swimming. I bought some goggles and a nose clip. I know, I know, what a tart, but I cant go underwater otherwise, I blame mum. Suffice to say that 10 minutes into my first swim with the new face furniture in place I dropped the nose clip, which was clear, and therefore completely invisible as soon as it hit the water and sunk, fun over.

I cant stop my flip flops scuffing. Pick your feet up the wife says, I've tried that but still they scuff, so, I've decided to blu-tac the end to my heel, problem solved, Yay me.
The running is going quite well. Signed up with Parkrun who run 5km runs in local areas, ours is Bury St Edmunds, theres also one at Colchester and Ipswich. They are free to enter and really well organised, and from what I have seen, very well supported. I did my first 5km Parkrun in about 32 minutes. I fully understand that to most runners thats rather slow, but for me, well, I'm pleased with it, and thats all that counts.
Right folk, thats another update. Have a click of some of the ads if you get a moment, It doesn't cost you, unless you buy something, and I get a few pence for each click.

Oi..............Gym, over here!

Joined a gym last week, this really is one hell of a mid-life crisis.
My reasons for joining are really to help me with the running, as at the minute the breathing is ok its just the rest of the body thats telling me to stop. So I'm hoping that some gym work will help with my stamina.

The new jobs going very well. I'm lucky enough to work with a good bunch again, and all the residents are wonderful.
Been referred to as eye candy twice now, and neither of them had a guide dog. One of them was in her 90s, but her vision, as far as I can tell, is sound(ish) The other one, well, as it happens she is slightly boss eyed, so chances are she may even have been talking to someone else I suppose.

Still not smoking, both me and Sam, been 18 months now, and really dont miss it at all.

Golfs going fine as well, well it is up until i draw a club from the bag and address the ball, then it all falls apart, but we have a laugh. Played The Suffolk the other week, and the golf was of a particularly shambolic standard, it was so bad that me and my playing partner Mat lost all but 2 of our golf balls. The water is like a magnet over there, no matter how close it is to the tee the ball just plummets straight in. I'm bloody sure that at one point I spotted David Bellamy peering back at me from the undergrowth.
Ok, so thats what I've been up to over the past few weeks, bugger all really reading this back, but it will do.

Ok so ugly folk do jog

I admit it, I've let the side down. I've been out, in public, on the public highway, jogging. I know what I said before, but what are rules for, if not for breaking.

I'm off out again tomorrow. The one thing I have noticed though, is how different it is to jog on the road, compared to running on a treadmill.

I'll be dragging a friend along with me tomorrow, to deflect any ridicule that may come my way, actually, I invited him along as I feel it just might help me.

I'm getting there slowly, I'm just not sure where it is I'm going.

I wont make any of my times public yet, not until I'm pleased with them that is. 

One for sorrow

Went out for a very nice stroll in the countryside with Sam and the dog yesterday evening, a little cooler, but still nice.

Anyway, near the end Sam pointed out a magpie on a log on the floor, chatting away to another magpie some few yards away. We stood and watched for a few moments, and I thought I would join in. I attempted to miminc the magpies call, but just really succeeded in making the noise humans make when calling a cat. That pursed lipped high pitched noise. 

The magpie called back, so, overjoyed at my Dr Dolittle moment I carried on the conversation. The other magpie was answering as well, or so I thought. After a few minutes I kind of realised that, neither bird was answering me, they was just talking to each other.

First bird. Can you hear that fat bloke, making that god awfull noise.

Second bird. Yeah, I'll bet you anything he thinks he's taking to us, keep it up.

First bird. Yeah, what a twat, better watch out though, if he keeps making that noise this field will be full of cats very soon.

I pointed this fact out to Sam, at least I cheered someone up, and I thought I was so clever.

Run away!

So, here we are, Fathers Day, and I'm working, hey ho.
Whats new then, that warrants a blog post............
I've started running, not in the street though, nope, my old blog post about ugly folk dont jog still holds true, as I cant be seen in doors on our treadmill. I dont think I will be beating any world times, but I may look at doing the local fun run next year. That will be an organised event, so I can still argue that ugly people dont jog.
It seems a bit easier than bike riding for some reason, maybe because we have not smoked for a while now, and the bike saga, (see post I'm all out of puff) was only a couple of months after the great "give up", besides, if I do get out of breath I wont need to fain injury, just go and sit on the sofa.
I actually quite enjoy it as well, the running that is, although I must turn the treadmill around, as the wall is pretty boring to stare at, and I keep noticing bits I missed when I painted.
As you can tell from the above, we are still not smoking, and since being told I am diabetic I have gone from 15st 10 down to 14st, meaning that all my trouser waists have an enormous gather, like a tramp would, but I dont use string, yet!
Bit of a bathroom mishap this morning, drying the face with a towel that, unbeknown to me, had a hard, sharp something on it. Scratched right down the middle of the nose. Needless to say Ive been asked once or twice what I did. I should have told them what Sam said I should say, that the cat scratched me, nope, its the truth or nothing, besides, not many laughs in that. The scratch goes right down the middle so you can see just how un-symmetrical my face is.
Anyway, I will now sign off and try to make the best of Fathers Day here at work.

Wind of change

So, what is it about someone else's wind which is just completely unbearable?

Especially, I am starting to discover, elderly folks wind. Out it comes, but they carry on as though nothing has happened. In the car is worst! It catches you by surprise, no sound, just a sudden vial odour, and the sort of feeling in the pit of your stomach that makes you want to cry. It was that foul, and she was that frail, I honestly thought I'd done it, I needed to feel to see if I'd crapped myself. You can't open the window either, or else they know you know, not that that was ever on doubt in reality, this was like chemical warfare, so it's a real deep breath and no speaking. My glasses started to steam up, and the rear view mirror came unstuck from the windscreen. 

"I think I may have a bad belly"

Not anymore I thought, that must have cleared. In gonna be tasting it for days.

Still, all in a days work, sick with a smile on my face.

Bucket of lard

Gee it's been a while, but here it is, a blog update.
Well, I've been in the new job since the first week of March "is that all" shout my new work mates, and its proving great. At last a job I enjoy.
Turns out I didn't have to learn French to become a Concierge, thank god for that, it's all I can do to speak English.
Still not smoking, 15 months or so, ain't we good!
What about your fitness fatty?
Thanks for asking. Well I can't say that I feel really fit but I have lost a fair bit of weight. I started my journey with Diabetes tipping the scales at a less than svelte 15st 10lbs, and am now down to a, still not overly svelte like, but a bit healthier 14st 2lbs, what a guy.
The new job involves quite a bit of walking, and being a home for elderly folk, is rather warm, so I actually think I'm melting.
Golf has started, well, I use the word golf very loosely, I've got my clubs and have been to the driving range, not pretty. I also went over to Clare golf course, wow I took appalling to new levels, it really was truly awesome in a shite way.
Me and one of my new work colleges are off to Newton in a few weeks or a round, we spoke about it the other day when he asked me what I'd like to round in. We reached the agreement that going round in the one day would be a small victory, unfortunately I can't help think he is going to be a bit of a semi pro, still, playing alongside me will soon spoil his day :-)

All change, mind the gap!

Blimmy, its been a while hasn't it!

Well, whats new then? Two things actually.

Firstly, I have a new job, nothing like the old job, a complete change, a concierge, get me, I may have to learn French next. No more night shifts, no more ridicules start times, nasty smells, I wont mention anything else I wont miss, as this would be unfair. 

Secondly, I have just been diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic, Its the kick up the arse I needed really, as it is being treated with diet and exercise only, so I am pounding the streets, in a vain attempt to get fit(ter), I know, I know, you cant improve perfection, but, damn, I'm gonna try.

So far there have been no cycle incidents, see a previous post. I'm quite enjoying the walking actually, trouble is finding somewhere new to walk.

Taking up golf again in a few weeks, should be fun, fighting my way through the bushes of all the local golf courses, finding every other buggers ball except mine. There is every chance this blog may become a hackers guide to the undiscovered parts of our golf courses. If, by any chance you should see me on the course, just make sure your standing directly in front of me.

Anyway, until next time, I may as well practice, ready?????

FORE!

A false moustache is needed in here

I know its been a while since I updated the blog, but unless I can think of something to say I wonder what the points is of writing about boring stuff.
What is it about the type of shops that only sell items for the one, very cheap price, usually £1 or cheaper?
Theres always a certain 'type' of person in there buying, pikeys! It always makes me feel that I maybe shouldn't be in there, I know I'm probably no better, but I just seem to feel that I am for some reason.
You walk through the entrance and are immediately confronted by a pram pushing 17 year old, with a toddler by their side. Or, just scummy looking folk. I know, I know, I can hear you saying, Your not any better than them, but thats not the point, I think I am.
I'll bet you any money you like, that almost everyone, if not everyone, reading this blog post feels the same. I do go in them though, sometimes you just have to, after all the stuff, mostly, that they sell,  is cheap, you just feel unclean being there.

I suppose at the end of the day, that they do a very good job of attracting a certain corner of the retail market, single parents, and people who look like they smell.
On the subject of smelling, this friday is a year since me and Sam gave up smoking, and we are still smoke free.
Its been a struggle at times, but having said that, not as much as we had both thought it would have been. There have been moments when the will power has taken a beating, but now the craving goes almost as soon as we get it. I'm more proud of Sam, being able to stick with it, being at home so much more than me.