Medical III

Just before the Christmas holiday I visited the doc again.

This was the moment of truth - finding out what effect four and a half months of regular exercise and disciplined eating - a little bit of bread and no cheese - had achieved.

A great deal.

1. Blood Pressure - down by 20 points on both measures to within normal levels
2. Weight - down 7.5 Kilos (that is about a Stone in old money)
3. Height - unchanged
4. BMI - down 3 points to a more satisfactory score appropriate for my age and build
5. Cholesterol - down on all measures - minus 1.1 overall. Still not low enough for Government purposes but on the way there.

The doc admitted that Statins would only reduce cholesterol levels by about 1 point - the amount that I had achieved using diet.

And this progress achieved by a gentle jogger not an elite runner.

I think she was impressed.

Elite runner at Goodwood

Santa Arrested

WikiLeaks has revealed that a Mr Nicholas Klaus - President of Worldwide Instant Logistics Company (WILCO) - had been pulled over by the Metropolitan police for driving recklessly in an overloaded vehicle.

The driver claimed he was on his way to make early deliveries of Christmas presents around the world via Heathrow Cargo Terminal. His usual vehicle - a hypersonic flying sledge and reindeer team - had broken down due to a failure in the space-time matrix. He was therefore using a more reliable form of transport - an Austin Lichfield - that he had borrowed from outside a house in west London. However, as it was unable to reach the unfeasibly high speeds of his flying sledge he had to make special arrangements in advance of Christmas.

What attracted the attention of the police was that the car and driver both appeared to be “lit up” and were travelling at what an officer described as “a reckless but not illegal speed” in a narrow icy lane. A breath test was negative. After the owner of the car was contacted the police released Mr Klaus with a formal warning and no other penalty.

It has emerged that the Backup Christmas Present Distribution System makes use of markets around the world and employs fathers to make the final delivery and that this system has been used frequently in the past. Indeed the hypersonic flying sledge has become so unreliable that the “backup” system has become the normal means of Christmas present distribution and for many years Mr Klaus has chosen to use an Austin Ten to make deliveries to his primary distribution points.

Until now the system had remained secret - with good reason. According to the leaked document the US Ambassador to London reported to President Obama that “The contract between Mr Klaus’s company WILCO and TESCO for deliveries in the USA contains no sanity clause and therefore appears to be in direct breach of US Federal Law - The Bros-Marx Act of 1935."

However, he warned that legal action“Could undermine belief in The American Dream” and “Damage the World Economy by throwing thousands of little people out of work”.

When contacted at Hamleys and asked to comment Mr Klaus said “Ho Ho Ho.”

Santa Sledge Shock

Santa photo by Monty Mumford

Story courtesy of the Editor - Austin Federation Newsletter.

"If it falls to me to start a fight to cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism in our country with the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play, so be it. I am ready for the fight. The fight against falsehood and those who peddle it. My fight begins today." Jonathan Aiken

"Wellington and Brasenose College, Oxford" - Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare

"Everything in this blog is true. I should know, I made it up. Only the names have been changed to protect the guilty" Westonbloke

"These lies are like the father that begets them; gross as a mountain, open, palpable." Henry IV Part 1

New Benchmark

Global Warnings Advorkaat
Recently we have been having snow and freezing temperatures over a larger area and earlier in the year than in living memory.

Well in my lifetime anyway.

We have not got Frost Fairs on the Thames - yet.

Apparently this is caused by worldwide Warner Bros or some-such human activity. All that hot air arising over Cancun causes a reverse of the usual weather patterns - if I have understood it correctly.

“His reasoning was specious and so he convinced me”. - Bertie Wooster.

Jack Frost

Snow Running
The impact on runners has been two-fold. Some have not gone out because of the danger of falling over on the snow and ice. Others have put on shoes with studs or clipped on gripper devices - wrapping up in extra layers - to get out for some runs despite.

As something of a Shamateur, mindful of injury, and lacking the technical kit, I have been in the former group and stayed warm indoors - decorating.

Snow Stream

Pushing The Envelope
In the mild gap between ice ages I have managed a few runs. More than just keeping the training ticking over. I have tried to stretch my stamina in several ways:-

• Shorter faster
• Hill climbing
• Longer slower
• Rest days

My short loop of just under 4 miles I have been going round in about 33 minutes. This is not quite the speed I managed in the Swindon 10k race - illustrating the booster effect that running with others can generate. Though my route is more constricted, is hillier and has roads to be crossed. And kids with whirling scarves to be dodged.

One day when I had severely limited time I tried what I called “Hill Starts”. This involved repeatedly running up a steep hill with a rising gradient to see how far I could get. Walking back down to the starting point for the next attempt. I managed to increase the distance up the hill on all but the last run. Running uphill improves my running technique - like most beginners I am a heel jogger and rarely get onto my toes - as well as stamina.

Since Swindon I have managed three runs of more than 7 miles - the two most recent longer than 8. The idea is to stretch my distance gradually so that before I have to run the Half Marathon for real I have actually covered the distance in a single run in training. So far I am about 60% there with a couple of (winter) months to go.

Tendency to ache for a day and night after one of these longer runs - so planning in more rest days for recovery is important.

Benches placed beside the path provide a convenient half-way marker point at which to turn for home. Today I achieved a new benchmark. 8.38 miles in 1h 24m 02s. Not very fast - but even so it suggests my target of under 3 hours for the Half Marathon is not ambitious enough.

Should I be aiming for 2 and a half hours or even 2hrs 20min?

Food and Drink
It is noticeable that the last third of my runs are much harder work than the first two-thirds. Always glad to get home to that shower bath.

With these longer distances it is likely that I am depleting my energy reserves and that is why the last bit is so tiring. As a cyclist I used to experience this - but the bike carries the weight of the water and food.

Looks like time for a Nutrition Plan for my training runs. Banana in back pocket?

Shower Bath - Castle Drogo NT