Running in the dark, the rain, and the fog tonight...

"I never regret it when I do it - but I always regret it when I don't."

Cracking run!

Time to get amongst it...

...well nearly anyway!

11th of July is kick-off day for myself and a friend to stop making excuses and get amongst it.  A few things have distracted me since getting back from America - work, proper food, hiking, you name it, and ultimately some things just keep me from training:

Yup, I've really enjoyed relaxing as you can see...

... but it's really time to crack on and shift some poundage - watch this space!

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

What a difference a day makes...

Had a great run today - maybe it's being back on a relatively cool Long Island after the rolling boil that this Englishman felt in Florida? One has to hope that back in Blighty, positively freezing after being in the States, I'll run like the wind... hmm, we'll see!


Running in Florida was great and I enjoyed trotting along the beach, particularly at sunset. Having birds swoop and around you; passing couples and families strolling up and down enjoying the atmosphere and each other's company; a warming environment in every sense, even while I missed the challenge of navigating and varied terrain. Who could argue that this doesn't look like fun:

A far cry from the wind swept beaches in Northumbria, one of my favourite parts of the English coast.  I hope to be back there this weekend with my wife; after a month of being away I'm sure she'll be pleased that one of my highest priorities is getting us both out running together...  ideally up on the beach near where we married, which is a tenuous link so that I can gratuitously post a shot of our wedding day since I'm missing her, and home:

Today's run was a lot of roadwork basically to get me about ten minutes in some woodland - the kind of area I love running most.  In the last 24 hours I've started the journey home and got the chance to hear the rustle of leaves in the trees and underfoot; I can hardly contain the joy I feel at knowing I'll soon have my lovely Jennifer join me doing the same.  Truly, what a difference a day makes...

“Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things, in which smiles, and kindnesses, and small obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the heart and secure comfort” - Sir Humphry Davy

The gym - genuinely as bad as I feared...

...but perhaps only because the air-con wasn't working!


As usual I completely failed to get out of bed when I wanted to and decided to indulge in a good breakfast when it was clear I wasn't getting to the park for a run in the early hours.  That I wanted a long run kept niggling at me though, so I decided I'd give the nice cool gym a try out since that's what everyone out here keeps telling me to do.  


First I was surprised that the treadmill would only let me run for an hour at a time, then I was horrified to see just how rough I looked in the mirror!  It was interesting to watch the patterns of moisture form and work towards each on my tee-shirt though - up till I felt I might as well have been running in a wet towel.  When I was done there were only two tiny patches of shirt left that weren't wet - I'm convinced if I'd ran outside I'd have been cooler and drier!  Heyho, 10 miles done and I'm quite happy with that; day off tomorrow and then I'll set at least 3 alarms to try and get me up at a good hour on Wednesday...

You can just make out the dry bits on my arms!

Fast forward a few hours and I was chatting to a friend who is getting into exercise herself.  Have passed on the dailymile wisdom and links to a few blogs I've enjoyed.  She seemed really buoyed and it was a great feeling to put her in touch with some of the same inspiration that has driven in these past three weeks.  So thanks to all those bloggers who've inspired me - it's been great to pass it on.  


“Running has given me the courage to start, the determination to keep trying, and the childlike spirit to have fun along the way. Run often and run long, but never outrun your joy of running.” - Julie Isphording

Got out there - and found 'out there' quite unkind!

So the plan was to double yesterday's mileage - that didn't quite work out!  Despite running earlier it was actually hotter (35 celsius/95 fahrenheit) and the first part of the route was open sandy scrubland.  I was just baked!  Had a good bit of water and a refill ready for the second lap but 40 minutes in I was clearly not going to be pushing on.  Loved it anyway - I found solitude on this route, amidst some of Florida's best natural beauty.  Needed shade when I was done...

I think a trip to the barbers's tomorrow - surely all this unnecessary facial hair can't be helping!


In the solitude I found time to reflect properly on some things and what hit me most about the past few weeks is how without the running I'm like a sponge for the company I'm in.  I've soaked up negativity and frustration and despondency when in fact there's no need.  I'm learning things, travelling, working independently and flexibly, finding time to train despite a busy schedule - all of which is what I want from life.  Sure, there are things that aren't great and individuals are having a hard time on the project, but hey, t'was ever thus and ever thus will be.  It's only through finding solitude, which a good run brings me, that I really focus on my own feelings amid everyone else's.


After the run I wandered around the Highland Hammocks again looking for 'gators.  Found a couple - the second didn't worry me so much as the first:

I wonder what other people take from running?  Is it an event that you chart or reflect on, or a means for reflection itself?

“The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.” - Brian Tracy

Getting out there - easier said than done?

Reading a good few running blogs lately, it's been genuinely inspiring.  To see how other people fit runs into their busy lives really makes me think how easily I've allowed myself to say 'nah, not today'.  


Been having a tricky time lately but getting back into running has helped enormously and one of the key things I guess is realising that if I am beat, just doing a 30 minute trot really picks me up.  Sometimes I'm actually physically too tired and that's okay, but most of the time I just don't see where I could possibly find time to get out there - the truth is there's invariably time, but I choose to use it to for things don't pick me up.  No more (I hope)!


So while I'm busy writing about being healthy, here's my fridge last night when I arrived at Sebring, FL:

But you know what, after a few of these and a 12 hour sleep I was in such a better place today and knocked out just over 5 miles in Highlands Hammock State Park.  Only saw one 'gator but was a superb run - I'll be back tomorrow I think, to double the mileage at a more sensible hour.  At 2pm and 32 degrees I wasn't going anywhere in a hurry!  A lot of the running was along these kinds of trails:

It contrasts nicely with some of the running I did just a few days ago over in Tampa, when I was absolutely bushed and just wanted to get into bed.  Those looked a little more like this:

Different runs but both helping me realise how just getting out there - whether full of beans or not really makes my world a better place.  Reading other blogs, it's great to see how this holds true for so many people!

“Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.” - Lowell Thomas

Hell of a week...

...so this is brief 'cos I just need some beer.


I was tempted to skip the run and head to the bar; so glad I didn't.  A good few miles and some upper body at the park - I'm ready for the world now, or at least one or two drops of knockout juice!

“My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy.” - John Bryant