Huge congrats to Im and Simon on the arrival of George Oliver Martin on Tuesday. Im's one of my oldest friends, since we first met via a shared mailbox in university halls, and it's got me all emotional that the first of my closest uni friends is now in the family way.
Lookin forward to meeting the young fella, and impressing on him just how lucky he's been to end up in the family he has.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
(First) mission accomplished
Well, after 3 months of trudging round the streets of South London in the freezing cold darkness, it all proved worth it as I completed the Reading Half Marathon on Sunday.
It was a success - I finished in under 2 hours (1hr 56) which was my goal before I started. I maintained an almost completely even pace throughout as well, despite the fact my right leg was in a fair amount of pain from the 8th mile - a mere 5 from home. Was a wee bit annoyed that my legs couldn't take it - I'd run much further than 8 miles in training and hadn't felt anything, and was pretty much cruising apart from that. My plans to speed up in the second half of the race were scuppered, but I kept going til the end and finished to the cheers of a pretty packed Madjeski Stadium. I wasn't quite sure why everyone started cheering as I came into the finishing straight, before noticing that there was a guy pushing someone else in a wheelchair just in front of me..... What can I say, at least I beat the pantomime camel!
The whole day was really well organised, the route was challenging but enjoyable and I'm already planning on doing another half marathon at some point in the near (post-rally) future. I'm in awe of full marathon runners now though - I couldn't bend my right leg for the whole of Sunday and felt like I'd been on the piss the whole weekend come Monday. There is absolutely no way I could have done double the distance.
Thanks to everyone who sponsored me prior to the race - the thought of the money raised for Go Help really spurred me on when the going was getting tough.
And for those of you who wondered - Colin beat me, despite his boozing over the weekend. I was maybe 30 seconds behind him at the halfway point, and assumed I'd overtake him before the end; how wrong I was. He managed to put in an impressive burst of speed in the final 10k which gave him time to stop for a piss and still beat me by 9 full minutes. Euan, predictably, destroyed both of us by coming home in a bloody impressive 1hr 37. A good morning's work all round, I think you'll agree.
There are some rather embarrassing photos of me during and after the race, along with a video of my finish (just behind the dude with the wheelchair) on the Marathon Photos website here:
http://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event_entry.py?event=Sports/CPUK/2010/Reading%20Half%20Marathon;match=1491
I wasn't grinning like an idiot the whole way round by the way - I spotted a couple of the cameras and tried to give the impression I was enjoying myself - which is largely true.....
Certainly, the sight of several people collapsing with exhaustion and heatstroke towards the end was sobering, and made me realise that, "3rd from 3" or not, it was an achievement just to finish.
It was a success - I finished in under 2 hours (1hr 56) which was my goal before I started. I maintained an almost completely even pace throughout as well, despite the fact my right leg was in a fair amount of pain from the 8th mile - a mere 5 from home. Was a wee bit annoyed that my legs couldn't take it - I'd run much further than 8 miles in training and hadn't felt anything, and was pretty much cruising apart from that. My plans to speed up in the second half of the race were scuppered, but I kept going til the end and finished to the cheers of a pretty packed Madjeski Stadium. I wasn't quite sure why everyone started cheering as I came into the finishing straight, before noticing that there was a guy pushing someone else in a wheelchair just in front of me..... What can I say, at least I beat the pantomime camel!
The whole day was really well organised, the route was challenging but enjoyable and I'm already planning on doing another half marathon at some point in the near (post-rally) future. I'm in awe of full marathon runners now though - I couldn't bend my right leg for the whole of Sunday and felt like I'd been on the piss the whole weekend come Monday. There is absolutely no way I could have done double the distance.
Thanks to everyone who sponsored me prior to the race - the thought of the money raised for Go Help really spurred me on when the going was getting tough.
And for those of you who wondered - Colin beat me, despite his boozing over the weekend. I was maybe 30 seconds behind him at the halfway point, and assumed I'd overtake him before the end; how wrong I was. He managed to put in an impressive burst of speed in the final 10k which gave him time to stop for a piss and still beat me by 9 full minutes. Euan, predictably, destroyed both of us by coming home in a bloody impressive 1hr 37. A good morning's work all round, I think you'll agree.
There are some rather embarrassing photos of me during and after the race, along with a video of my finish (just behind the dude with the wheelchair) on the Marathon Photos website here:
http://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event_entry.py?event=Sports/CPUK/2010/Reading%20Half%20Marathon;match=1491
I wasn't grinning like an idiot the whole way round by the way - I spotted a couple of the cameras and tried to give the impression I was enjoying myself - which is largely true.....
Certainly, the sight of several people collapsing with exhaustion and heatstroke towards the end was sobering, and made me realise that, "3rd from 3" or not, it was an achievement just to finish.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Is that the time?
Really is getting close to bedtime. Up with the larks / clubbers tomorrow morning - a 6am start to get to Reading for the Half Marathon. Nerves are jangling and carbs have been loaded to the point that pasta is oozing out my pores.
Hard to believe it's finally here - I've been training since Christmas and signed up for the race way back last autumn. And yet here we are. It's almost the end of March and the big day is just the other side of midnight.
Euan and I spent the afternoon helping friends move flat, then sitting with them in the pub whilst they got steadily drunker and we debated whether or not to have another OJ and Soda water. Old age and commitment to the cause meant I didn't really feel I was missing out. And I got to drive home - I'd almost quit drinking altogether for such a luxury.
Prior to race day, a quick run down of the other 4 members of our 6 strong "team":
Murray - met expectations and admitted defeat in his attempts to fit a training schedule round his heavy workload. Is instead aiming for the British 10K in July.
Craig - has done a Craig. Maintained (to me) that he was still doing the run right up until a few weeks ago, after which he went completely silent and failed to respond to any of my texts. Seemingly finds it harder to admit he's quit the run to me than to others, as confirmation was received from Murray and Andy the other night (as if any was needed) that he'd decided he wasn't doing it as long ago as early February.
Andy - also called it quits in early February, with the reasoning that he'd "only entered to make myself start running, and now I am running, so it's served its purpose". Is ranked higher than Craig because, whilst they both decided on the same day, Andy at least admitted it upfront.
Colin - arrived down from Aberdeen late last night in preparation for the run. Went straight out on the piss, finishing around 3am with a 'Samosa Bagel' (I don't know either) substituting for dinner. Woke up on a mate's floor at 11am this morning. Returned to the pub for a few more pints. Met us late this evening for another few beers (Euan and me excepted), before getting a train through to Reading for a night on a mate's sofa - to ensure he's 'fresh' for the run tomorrow.
Colin and I are in the same starting group tomorrow. He may beat me. This is what will keep me awake tonight.
Wish me luck.
Hard to believe it's finally here - I've been training since Christmas and signed up for the race way back last autumn. And yet here we are. It's almost the end of March and the big day is just the other side of midnight.
Euan and I spent the afternoon helping friends move flat, then sitting with them in the pub whilst they got steadily drunker and we debated whether or not to have another OJ and Soda water. Old age and commitment to the cause meant I didn't really feel I was missing out. And I got to drive home - I'd almost quit drinking altogether for such a luxury.
Prior to race day, a quick run down of the other 4 members of our 6 strong "team":
Murray - met expectations and admitted defeat in his attempts to fit a training schedule round his heavy workload. Is instead aiming for the British 10K in July.
Craig - has done a Craig. Maintained (to me) that he was still doing the run right up until a few weeks ago, after which he went completely silent and failed to respond to any of my texts. Seemingly finds it harder to admit he's quit the run to me than to others, as confirmation was received from Murray and Andy the other night (as if any was needed) that he'd decided he wasn't doing it as long ago as early February.
Andy - also called it quits in early February, with the reasoning that he'd "only entered to make myself start running, and now I am running, so it's served its purpose". Is ranked higher than Craig because, whilst they both decided on the same day, Andy at least admitted it upfront.
Colin - arrived down from Aberdeen late last night in preparation for the run. Went straight out on the piss, finishing around 3am with a 'Samosa Bagel' (I don't know either) substituting for dinner. Woke up on a mate's floor at 11am this morning. Returned to the pub for a few more pints. Met us late this evening for another few beers (Euan and me excepted), before getting a train through to Reading for a night on a mate's sofa - to ensure he's 'fresh' for the run tomorrow.
Colin and I are in the same starting group tomorrow. He may beat me. This is what will keep me awake tonight.
Wish me luck.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Just in case you doubted my rediscovered commitment to the cause
Trainspotting arrives in the cinema
Pulp are top of the hit parade
England is gearing up for Euro 96
and a plucky young lanky, slow, winger made the local paper (in Derry) after falling over "when it seemed easier to fall over the line and score" in our Schools Cup second round victory over Foyle & Londonderry College.
I hasten to add, our eventual quarter final exit at the hands of local rivals Coleraine AI was nothing directly to do with me. Which, in my rugby career, represents something of a result.
Pulp are top of the hit parade
England is gearing up for Euro 96
and a plucky young lanky, slow, winger made the local paper (in Derry) after falling over "when it seemed easier to fall over the line and score" in our Schools Cup second round victory over Foyle & Londonderry College.
I hasten to add, our eventual quarter final exit at the hands of local rivals Coleraine AI was nothing directly to do with me. Which, in my rugby career, represents something of a result.
Happy St Patrick's Day!
Well, the witching hour is upon us in the build up to the Reading Half Marathon, resulting in a far more subdued Pat's day than in previous years. Needed to do my 'final' run tonight - a cheeky wee 8km - so avoided being the token Irishman down the pub at lunchtime and hot-footed it home.
Afterwards, I settled down to watch the Ulster Rugby Schools Cup final, shown live on BBC2 NI and accessible to me via the wonders of satellite telly and the magic in particular of Sky Plus (the game having taken place this afternoon). My old school - as I repeatedly referred to them, my old team - were in the final this year, having seen off the favourites in an epic semi-final.
Nothing prepared me for the match though - easily the most open, exciting game I have seen in a long, long time. I would have simply put it down to the copious amounts of red wine that were guzzled during the game, but having woken my mum from her slumbers to discuss the match at the final whistle, she agreed without prompting that it was more exciting than Ireland's Grand Slam game against Wales last year. High praise indeed.
It's very hard to reconcile the boys I saw playing their guts out on TV today with the team I was lucky enough to be part of way back in 1995-96 (when most of today's crop were around 3 years old). They looked almost professional in the way they played the game. I now have new sporting heroes - heroes who are 14 years younger than me. Callum Patterson, Caleb Morrison, Charlie Simpson, George Dennison - these guys make me want to go out and try to play the game again, so what they will hopefully do for the kids at my old school is anyone's guess.
And to top it all, in a bizarre twist that will mean very little to most of you, "Ballymena Academy" was trending on Twitter for a short time today.
Well done to all involved with the team - best St Paddy's Day for ages!
Afterwards, I settled down to watch the Ulster Rugby Schools Cup final, shown live on BBC2 NI and accessible to me via the wonders of satellite telly and the magic in particular of Sky Plus (the game having taken place this afternoon). My old school - as I repeatedly referred to them, my old team - were in the final this year, having seen off the favourites in an epic semi-final.
Nothing prepared me for the match though - easily the most open, exciting game I have seen in a long, long time. I would have simply put it down to the copious amounts of red wine that were guzzled during the game, but having woken my mum from her slumbers to discuss the match at the final whistle, she agreed without prompting that it was more exciting than Ireland's Grand Slam game against Wales last year. High praise indeed.
It's very hard to reconcile the boys I saw playing their guts out on TV today with the team I was lucky enough to be part of way back in 1995-96 (when most of today's crop were around 3 years old). They looked almost professional in the way they played the game. I now have new sporting heroes - heroes who are 14 years younger than me. Callum Patterson, Caleb Morrison, Charlie Simpson, George Dennison - these guys make me want to go out and try to play the game again, so what they will hopefully do for the kids at my old school is anyone's guess.
And to top it all, in a bizarre twist that will mean very little to most of you, "Ballymena Academy" was trending on Twitter for a short time today.
Well done to all involved with the team - best St Paddy's Day for ages!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Thank you and Good luck to Simogen
Just wanted to shout a massive "THANK YOOOOOOO" to my friends Imogen and Simon for the most generous donation to the charity so far... Im stumped up £20 the other day, which over-whelmed us as she is due to give birth any day now and surely needs all the nappy-cash she can get...
Then , due to what I thought was no more than an embarrassing clerical error on behalf the Elkin-Martin accounts department, Si weighed in with a meaty FIFTY QUID! That's a hella lotta rusks for junior. I've half a suspicion that their stupendous generosity may be more designed to ease the pain of telling me that their newborn son won't be called after me. It's worked. Just.
But either way, it's amazing and we're already 10% of the way to our target!
Then , due to what I thought was no more than an embarrassing clerical error on behalf the Elkin-Martin accounts department, Si weighed in with a meaty FIFTY QUID! That's a hella lotta rusks for junior. I've half a suspicion that their stupendous generosity may be more designed to ease the pain of telling me that their newborn son won't be called after me. It's worked. Just.
But either way, it's amazing and we're already 10% of the way to our target!
Routemaster
Have been out frolicking in the sunshine today for the first time since last autumn, but am now back home watching the last of the sun dipping behind the local estate and steeling myself to work out what route we're going to take.
We know where we're starting (obviously) and where we're going (the name of the rally being a bit of a give away) but the bit in the middle is still giving us a headache. Am spending the evening trying to see if anyone has gone to Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan before (seems to involve doubling back on ourselves) or whether we go for the full on, ultimate road trip through Turkmenistan instead. That may involve a week stuck in Baku waiting for a ship to take us across the Caspian - an adventure in itself, but one that with our limited time frame we can't really afford....
Thursday, March 11, 2010
May be over-doing the training
I've worn a perfect hole in my foot. Considering emailing it to everyone to try and encourage sponsorship: "Give Go Help money or I'll send you a different raw body part each week". Could work.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
We got one!
I tried to find a suitable Ghostbusters clip, but to no avail...
So imagine, if you will, a lady in '80s glasses whacking a bell and screaming.... "we got onnnnneeeeee!!!!"
Yup, my mass email of everyone in my Hotmail address book (updated c.2005) has resulted in our first sponsorship!
The beautiful, talented, exotic and wonderful Julie-Anne has sponsored us a whopping £25 for the rally! Well, her and her bogan of a husband John, for whom the sane adoring adjectives obviously apply. As if by magic or design, whilst out running last night (18km, baby), just as my blisters started biting, Smashing Pumpkins' "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" came on my Ipod - a song I for some reason always associate with Julie-Anne. It was like fate or some shit. I don't have a 'song' for John, but am determined to get some Acca-Dacca on the play list for the run in his honour.
The rush you get when the first sponsorship comes in is amazing. It makes it all seem worthwhile. So come on, the rest of you! What are you waiting for? Give Go Help money RIGHT NOW!
justgiving.com/steppebysteppe
So imagine, if you will, a lady in '80s glasses whacking a bell and screaming.... "we got onnnnneeeeee!!!!"
Yup, my mass email of everyone in my Hotmail address book (updated c.2005) has resulted in our first sponsorship!
The beautiful, talented, exotic and wonderful Julie-Anne has sponsored us a whopping £25 for the rally! Well, her and her bogan of a husband John, for whom the sane adoring adjectives obviously apply. As if by magic or design, whilst out running last night (18km, baby), just as my blisters started biting, Smashing Pumpkins' "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" came on my Ipod - a song I for some reason always associate with Julie-Anne. It was like fate or some shit. I don't have a 'song' for John, but am determined to get some Acca-Dacca on the play list for the run in his honour.
The rush you get when the first sponsorship comes in is amazing. It makes it all seem worthwhile. So come on, the rest of you! What are you waiting for? Give Go Help money RIGHT NOW!
justgiving.com/steppebysteppe
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Like a puppy knowing it's being taken to the vet, my car's battery has miraculously held its charge for the first time all winter, just before going for its MOT.
I'm in the slightly uncomfortable situation of experiencing paternal feelings towards a Renault Clio, and am concerned at it being locked in a strange garage overnight before being probed and prodded by strange blokes in overalls. I had to resist the urge to give it a little pat for reassurance as I left Kwik Fit earlier this evening. Odd.
I'm in the slightly uncomfortable situation of experiencing paternal feelings towards a Renault Clio, and am concerned at it being locked in a strange garage overnight before being probed and prodded by strange blokes in overalls. I had to resist the urge to give it a little pat for reassurance as I left Kwik Fit earlier this evening. Odd.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Just done a sample exam for tomorrow
88%
Eat my Risk Management Strategy!
May sleep a wee bit easier now
Eat my Risk Management Strategy!
May sleep a wee bit easier now
Back to Skool
I'm cross eyed with confusion after spending the past few hours cramming for my Prince2 project management exam tomorrow. I haven't really sat an exam for 10 years, so I'm a little concerned, particularly as "no one fails the foundation course". The thought of being sent back to work tomorrow afternoon as our first failure is at the forefront of my mind.
Failing (or, err, I mean, "passing") that I'll be back in the classroom til the end of the week to sit the next stage of the qualification - by all accounts tougher and much more likely to result in a tail-between-the-legs return to the office. Fingers crossed I'm not the first to return empty handed.
Away from all the fun of the classroom, we're moving flat! As of next month we'll be in a bigger place with two bedrooms - and a bathroom which isn't accessed via the end of the bed - thanks to a couple of friends moving out of their place and recommending we move in. Pure luxury you'd think, after 16 months in our current place, but you would reckon without both J's and my tendency for sentimentality. First flat together, lots of memories, great view and, well, it's our wee flat. There will be tears in a few weeks, of that there is no doubt. Hopefully they'll only last as long as it takes for one of us to get lost in the new place trying to find the bathroom in the dark.
Second conference call for the rally on Sunday - we are still doing it, in case you were wondering. Real life is getting in the way something chronic at the moment, but we'll be back on it as of next week.
As for fundraising event number one - am up to around 17km now in training for the half marathon - a 19k run is scheduled for Saturday (as is a trip to Homebase to peruse paint and vinyl flooring samples - am moist with anticipation) and then the wind-down to the big day starts. Can't wait for it to be over so I can reclaim about 8 hours of my week back. And experience all those endorphin-fuelled feelings of self-worth, obviously.
Failing (or, err, I mean, "passing") that I'll be back in the classroom til the end of the week to sit the next stage of the qualification - by all accounts tougher and much more likely to result in a tail-between-the-legs return to the office. Fingers crossed I'm not the first to return empty handed.
Away from all the fun of the classroom, we're moving flat! As of next month we'll be in a bigger place with two bedrooms - and a bathroom which isn't accessed via the end of the bed - thanks to a couple of friends moving out of their place and recommending we move in. Pure luxury you'd think, after 16 months in our current place, but you would reckon without both J's and my tendency for sentimentality. First flat together, lots of memories, great view and, well, it's our wee flat. There will be tears in a few weeks, of that there is no doubt. Hopefully they'll only last as long as it takes for one of us to get lost in the new place trying to find the bathroom in the dark.
Second conference call for the rally on Sunday - we are still doing it, in case you were wondering. Real life is getting in the way something chronic at the moment, but we'll be back on it as of next week.
As for fundraising event number one - am up to around 17km now in training for the half marathon - a 19k run is scheduled for Saturday (as is a trip to Homebase to peruse paint and vinyl flooring samples - am moist with anticipation) and then the wind-down to the big day starts. Can't wait for it to be over so I can reclaim about 8 hours of my week back. And experience all those endorphin-fuelled feelings of self-worth, obviously.
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