One of the key features of any endeavour is having a goal to aim at. It can keep us motivated and direct our efforts towards the final achievement. I have been lucky to combine 2 of my bucket list activities into one. I love travelling, and I enjoy running, so I have decided to run a half marathon in a different country, one I've wanted to travel to for a long time.
Next year, Caroline and I will travel to Nepal. I was originally thinking of playing in a chess tournament there, but I've changed my mind. The Kathmandu marathon takes place on April 25th, the anniversary of the 2015 earthquake and profits go to organisations which are helping to rebuild in the aftermath of that natural disaster which killed about 9000 people and injured over 20,000.
So it's time to plan an itinerary which we will be able to undertake including being in Kathmandu for the marathon. And it's time for me to start training for running 20+ kilometres at 1400m altitude. Exciting times!
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Run Melbourne Half Marathon
Over the past couple of years I've got a real buzz from running. I've gone through periods of regular training and had times when I don't do any for a while. So I decided to motivate myself by entering a half marathon. This was a great idea as it has kept me focussed on training and taken me from the 10 km runner to the longer distance.
My history as a runner is fairly recent. In fact 5 years ago, as an unfit smoker, the thought of running even 1 km would have been daunting. I started with a build up to 5 km, found that I enjoyed running and moved up to 10 km. I then had a go at the Puffing Billy, Great Train Race which I found too hard because of the hilly terrain. Perhaps that put me off running a bit. I caught a chill after the first time I ran against the train, and stopped training for about 2 months, maybe more.
I guess once I'd completed the Great Train Race, it was like there was nothing more to aim at as I hadn't set a further goal. I think that even as a casual runner it is important to set a goal, whether it be to do with time, distance, weight loss or some other random factor. Anyway, this year at the start of May I ran Puffing Billy again, and after it I immediately set myself the challenge of raising the bar. Puffing Billy is 13.5 km, and I entered the Run Melbourne half marathon of 21.1 km.
I trained sporadically after Puffing Billy, but managed to get myself comfortable at 15 km and perhaps a bit more. My longest run before today had been 19 km, but I only managed to go just over 17 km without stopping. So it was with some trepidation that I rocked up to the start line of the Run Melbourne half marathon this morning. The start was a bit of a shambles. I started in the third wave of runners, and we were lined up on the east side of St Kilda Road, opposite the Art's Centre which is where the race was to begin. We had to wait for the the faster runners to set off and then cross the road for our own start. However, by the time the first 2 waves had been set off, the fastest runners were doubling back up the road towards us, and my wave of runners found we couldn't cross the road. It took a while, but eventually we started, about 20 minutes after the lead runners. No matter, the timing for the race is based on a chip, so everyone gets a time based on when they started compared to when they finished!
The race started at 7 am, while I crossed the start line about 7.20 am. However, the morning started for me at 5 am. There was no public transport early enough to get to the event, so I drove to within a couple of km of the run start. After the walk into town I waited around for the start, soaking up the atmosphere in Federation Square before the start of my first half marathon. There were lots of stalls representing different charities and organisations which partner the race. I was running for the charity Beyond Blue which promotes the issues of anxiety and depression, to some extent invisible illnesses which mean a lot to me
After the starting hiccup, running in a big group was really helpful, and was thoroughly enjoyable. The route took 2 laps around the south of the CBD and Botanical Gardens, and I found the first half, about 11 km, fairly comfortable. At about 13 km things began to get tough, and by the 16 km I had slowed considerably. I stopped at a drink station and even had to walk a little around the 18-19 km mark, but all told I had a good first effort.
I was hoping to get inside 2 hours 15 minutes, but ended just outside at about 2 hours 18 minutes, which all told means that I ran at a pace of about 6 minutes 30 seconds. I would very much like to improve this time, and I believe that if I worked towards it I could get inside 2 hours 10 minutes, and maybe even faster. So I'm setting myself a new goal of breaking 2 hours 10 minutes in an official half marathon. The question is which will be my next half marathon? I'd like to run 2 a year from now, but I doubt I'll be doing another in 2015, so I'll be looking for a new run in autumn 2016. Any suggestions?
My history as a runner is fairly recent. In fact 5 years ago, as an unfit smoker, the thought of running even 1 km would have been daunting. I started with a build up to 5 km, found that I enjoyed running and moved up to 10 km. I then had a go at the Puffing Billy, Great Train Race which I found too hard because of the hilly terrain. Perhaps that put me off running a bit. I caught a chill after the first time I ran against the train, and stopped training for about 2 months, maybe more.
I guess once I'd completed the Great Train Race, it was like there was nothing more to aim at as I hadn't set a further goal. I think that even as a casual runner it is important to set a goal, whether it be to do with time, distance, weight loss or some other random factor. Anyway, this year at the start of May I ran Puffing Billy again, and after it I immediately set myself the challenge of raising the bar. Puffing Billy is 13.5 km, and I entered the Run Melbourne half marathon of 21.1 km.
I trained sporadically after Puffing Billy, but managed to get myself comfortable at 15 km and perhaps a bit more. My longest run before today had been 19 km, but I only managed to go just over 17 km without stopping. So it was with some trepidation that I rocked up to the start line of the Run Melbourne half marathon this morning. The start was a bit of a shambles. I started in the third wave of runners, and we were lined up on the east side of St Kilda Road, opposite the Art's Centre which is where the race was to begin. We had to wait for the the faster runners to set off and then cross the road for our own start. However, by the time the first 2 waves had been set off, the fastest runners were doubling back up the road towards us, and my wave of runners found we couldn't cross the road. It took a while, but eventually we started, about 20 minutes after the lead runners. No matter, the timing for the race is based on a chip, so everyone gets a time based on when they started compared to when they finished!
 |
| An early start, runners milling around Federation Square before the 7 am start |
The race started at 7 am, while I crossed the start line about 7.20 am. However, the morning started for me at 5 am. There was no public transport early enough to get to the event, so I drove to within a couple of km of the run start. After the walk into town I waited around for the start, soaking up the atmosphere in Federation Square before the start of my first half marathon. There were lots of stalls representing different charities and organisations which partner the race. I was running for the charity Beyond Blue which promotes the issues of anxiety and depression, to some extent invisible illnesses which mean a lot to me
After the starting hiccup, running in a big group was really helpful, and was thoroughly enjoyable. The route took 2 laps around the south of the CBD and Botanical Gardens, and I found the first half, about 11 km, fairly comfortable. At about 13 km things began to get tough, and by the 16 km I had slowed considerably. I stopped at a drink station and even had to walk a little around the 18-19 km mark, but all told I had a good first effort.
 |
| Tired, but happy to have completed my first half marathon |
 |
| A beautiful morning for a run, which went past Flinders Street Station |
 |
| The view from Elizabeth Bridge, the start of the Race |
 |
| Degraves Street, a good spot for a post run coffee |
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Sunday Evening Thoughts
It's been a long week at work for me, as the first week of a school term always is, but it's Sunday evening and I'm sitting relaxing with Caroline, our 2 cats Alice and Candy, and our Budgie Beau. I'm splitting the evening between chatting on social media, reading, talking to Caroline and laughing at our pets who are going crazy then crashing out. (Anyway, here are some gratuitous cute cat photos to grow readership on my blog!)
I'm getting more and more into Twitter these days, and I use it rather than a newspaper or TV news station as they are all terrible in Australia. I subscribe to a load of world news feeds and follow stories that interest me. The story that has been plastered all over Twitter the past few days has been the expenses claimed by politicians, with especial treatment coming for Bronwyn Bishop, the current Speaker of the House of Representatives. There's been a call for her resignation as it came to light that she spent over $5000 to charter a helicopter to take her 75 kilometres down the road to Geelong, claiming it in expenses (tax payers money) even though it was to attend a private party fundraiser. Since then, a whole range of expenses claims have followed, and not just of Bronwyn Bishop. The most amazing in my mind was while on a European trip, she and 2 aides racked up food and accommodation expenses of about $25,000 in 2 weeks. The whole trip cost around $88,000!
I'm looking forward to my European trip with Caroline which will be in September, and will cost less than a tenth of that of the expenses hungry politician. We plan to hire a car, drive round France, nip into Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Spain on the way and go visit relatives in England. Just like any holiday I've been planning, readers of this blog will probably get bored of hearing about it before I've even left the country! By the start of September, this blog will become a very Francophile place, as I'm looking forward to experiencing the culture, food and history of rural France. The current Tour de France only helps to whet my appetite and it is great to see a tough battle being fought with the British SKY team leader, Chris Froome in the Yellow Jersey.
Of course my own endurance effort is coming up soon. Next Sunday I will be running the Age Run Melbourne half marathon. I went for a short jog today, but that is the last run I'll be doing before the start next Sunday morning. This week I'll be having some light cross training on my exercise bike, and then stocking carbs at the weekend. Hmm, maybe Bronwyn Bishop's food expenses were due to her carb stocking for a marathon! I wonder just how many carbs you can stock for $25,000!
 |
| Alice |
 |
| Candy |
I'm getting more and more into Twitter these days, and I use it rather than a newspaper or TV news station as they are all terrible in Australia. I subscribe to a load of world news feeds and follow stories that interest me. The story that has been plastered all over Twitter the past few days has been the expenses claimed by politicians, with especial treatment coming for Bronwyn Bishop, the current Speaker of the House of Representatives. There's been a call for her resignation as it came to light that she spent over $5000 to charter a helicopter to take her 75 kilometres down the road to Geelong, claiming it in expenses (tax payers money) even though it was to attend a private party fundraiser. Since then, a whole range of expenses claims have followed, and not just of Bronwyn Bishop. The most amazing in my mind was while on a European trip, she and 2 aides racked up food and accommodation expenses of about $25,000 in 2 weeks. The whole trip cost around $88,000!
 |
| Fabulous Twitter meme from @WhereMyOstrich |
I'm looking forward to my European trip with Caroline which will be in September, and will cost less than a tenth of that of the expenses hungry politician. We plan to hire a car, drive round France, nip into Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Spain on the way and go visit relatives in England. Just like any holiday I've been planning, readers of this blog will probably get bored of hearing about it before I've even left the country! By the start of September, this blog will become a very Francophile place, as I'm looking forward to experiencing the culture, food and history of rural France. The current Tour de France only helps to whet my appetite and it is great to see a tough battle being fought with the British SKY team leader, Chris Froome in the Yellow Jersey.
 |
| Warming up and putting on the tights is usually enough for me! |
 |
| At the end of Puffing Billy, I'm in the green looking one step from death, and that was only 13.5 km! |
Of course my own endurance effort is coming up soon. Next Sunday I will be running the Age Run Melbourne half marathon. I went for a short jog today, but that is the last run I'll be doing before the start next Sunday morning. This week I'll be having some light cross training on my exercise bike, and then stocking carbs at the weekend. Hmm, maybe Bronwyn Bishop's food expenses were due to her carb stocking for a marathon! I wonder just how many carbs you can stock for $25,000!
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Running Update
It's been almost a month since I ran the Puffing Billy Race, so it's time for a quick update. To keep the momentum going, I entered the Run Melbourne half marathon at the end of July which I had to start training for straight away. The week after Puffing Billy I ached and couldn't get motivated to run much. The hills had taken it out of me, and I managed one short jog. But since then, I've trained pretty well.
My plan is to run 3 times a week. I'm going to try a shortish run (5-8 km) at a pace that is faster than normal, a middle distance run (10 km) at a reasonable pace for me, and a long run at any pace I can manage. This last run will hopefully build up to 20 km, as I'm a big believer in getting the distance under ones legs before going for the run.
The week after Puffing Billy was perfect. I ran 7 km on Monday 11th at 6 minute pace, followed ths up with 9 km on Thursday and just under 12 km at the weekend. Actually, since then things have been going absolutely to plan, with the short runs getting a little faster, and the long runs further. I now seem to be able to run 8 or 9 km in 5.50 pace comfortably. Of course, I'd like to bring that down further, perhaps towards 5.30 pace, but I'm not sure how realistic that is for this upcoming run in July.
Today, I went further than ever before at just under 17 km. Though I was going at what felt like an easy pace, the first 5 km were quite reasonable for me, at 28.53, and this continued through to 10 km which took me 58.41. I took a drink break at about 13 km, and was suffering a bit from then on, but still managed to keep going at an average of under 6 minute pace for the whole thing.
I am utterly amazed and thoroughly happy about this run and the progress I've made since Puffing Billy. I was running heavy for Puffing Billy, but I'm over 2 kg lighter now, and would like to lose another 1-2 kg before the half marathon. This might partly explain why I found the hills of Belgrave so difficult this year and faded in the last few km of the Great Train Race.
So with 2 months to go, I intend to crank up the mileage for the next few weeks, and then concentrate on regular speed and strength work after that. After today's run, I feel that a half marathon in uner 2 hours, 10 minutes is possible, and I can even see me aiming for under 2 hours in the future.
My plan is to run 3 times a week. I'm going to try a shortish run (5-8 km) at a pace that is faster than normal, a middle distance run (10 km) at a reasonable pace for me, and a long run at any pace I can manage. This last run will hopefully build up to 20 km, as I'm a big believer in getting the distance under ones legs before going for the run.
The week after Puffing Billy was perfect. I ran 7 km on Monday 11th at 6 minute pace, followed ths up with 9 km on Thursday and just under 12 km at the weekend. Actually, since then things have been going absolutely to plan, with the short runs getting a little faster, and the long runs further. I now seem to be able to run 8 or 9 km in 5.50 pace comfortably. Of course, I'd like to bring that down further, perhaps towards 5.30 pace, but I'm not sure how realistic that is for this upcoming run in July.
Today, I went further than ever before at just under 17 km. Though I was going at what felt like an easy pace, the first 5 km were quite reasonable for me, at 28.53, and this continued through to 10 km which took me 58.41. I took a drink break at about 13 km, and was suffering a bit from then on, but still managed to keep going at an average of under 6 minute pace for the whole thing.
I am utterly amazed and thoroughly happy about this run and the progress I've made since Puffing Billy. I was running heavy for Puffing Billy, but I'm over 2 kg lighter now, and would like to lose another 1-2 kg before the half marathon. This might partly explain why I found the hills of Belgrave so difficult this year and faded in the last few km of the Great Train Race.
So with 2 months to go, I intend to crank up the mileage for the next few weeks, and then concentrate on regular speed and strength work after that. After today's run, I feel that a half marathon in uner 2 hours, 10 minutes is possible, and I can even see me aiming for under 2 hours in the future.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Puffing Billy Run
Today I went out with a group of friends to the picturesque Dandenong Ranges to run the 34rd annual Puffing Billy Race. The course winds through over 13 kilometres of the hillsides with the added bonus that the steam engine, Puffing Billy, competes in the race. I'd run this once before, 3 years ago, started well, but struggled to get up the second hill, which is a long drag of over a kilometre at about an average of 4%.
I set my goal as making it around the course, up the hills, without stopping. I have been on a sort of training plan, but it has had more emphasis on my fitness level, rather than to achieve the fastest result in a race. This time round the hills didn't cause any undue problems for me and I was able to climb ok. I'd done a run the week before through the hilly suburb of Mt Waverley which probably helped a bit with my uphill performance. My time was 1.31.13 which is actually 10 minutes slower than the last time I ran! Saying that, I haven't trained as much and was running with a friend.
Again, it was very enjoyable, a challenge and great to run with friends. I usually train alone, and will be training more in the coming weeks as I've signed up for the Run Melbourne Half Marathon at the end of July. Although this is a further 8 kilometres on what I did today, it is nowhere near as hilly so I'm hoping it won't be much harder than today's run. Anyway, I have a plan and am setting some goals which will hopefully direct my training over the next couple of months. I'll write a bit more about my running and training for a half marathon over the coming months. I'll see if I can get under 2 hours 10 minutes for the half marathon, though this will be tough for me.
Anyway, here's the team of Kids Unlimited after the race, still smiling....almost!
 |
| I'm smiling, and with a coffee, before the run. Won't be smiling much longer... |
Again, it was very enjoyable, a challenge and great to run with friends. I usually train alone, and will be training more in the coming weeks as I've signed up for the Run Melbourne Half Marathon at the end of July. Although this is a further 8 kilometres on what I did today, it is nowhere near as hilly so I'm hoping it won't be much harder than today's run. Anyway, I have a plan and am setting some goals which will hopefully direct my training over the next couple of months. I'll write a bit more about my running and training for a half marathon over the coming months. I'll see if I can get under 2 hours 10 minutes for the half marathon, though this will be tough for me.
Anyway, here's the team of Kids Unlimited after the race, still smiling....almost!
 |
| l-r. Carl (me), Kate (who I ran with), Tim, Michael, Alana (spelling?) and David |
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Still Around
The last month or so have been a bit difficult for me, and this blog has suffered. I need to start it again, and there's a lot to write about.
First, I'm travelling to England later in the year, partly as a holiday and partly to see family. My Dad has not been well recently and it's time to go back and see him and the rest of my family. I'll be travelling with Caroline, and we'll be spending some time in France as well as England, and popping into some other countries as well. There'll be some plans about this trip, and some Francophile posts coming up in the build up to this trip.
I've also signed up for the Puffing Billy run that I took part in a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, a couple of days after signing up, I cracked a toe and couldn't run for the best part of 2 weeks. Thankfully, today I managed to run 6 km, albeit pretty slowly. Still, it's a start and I'm hoping that I'll be able to make the 13 km distance of the Puffing Billy run without too much hassle. Last time, I didn't quite make it all the way up the second hill, and ended walking for about 2 minutes. My aim this time around is to run non stop, whatever the time I run. I will use this as a stepping stone, as I try to run the half marathon distance. I'll be filling pages of this blog with runs, kilometres, aches etc.
However, this blog is mostly about coffee and chess, with chess winning out.I'm currently working like mad for Chess Kids, and playing at 2 chess clubs in Melbourne, Glen Eira Chess Club, and the Melbourne Chess Club. I'm currently publicity officer at the MCC, and Secretary/President/Treasurer/Arbiter/general dogsbody of Glen Eira Chess Club, so I'd better start writing some material for these clubs here. I've had a few interesting positions in these events so far, and done pretty well. I'm on 4/5 at the MCC Championship, and 3.5/4 in the Glen Eira Summer Swiss. I've been lucky that much of the preparation I did for the Australian Masters in December, and the subsequent work after, has allowed me to get into some ok positions.
Here's a position that could have happened in one of my games from Glen Eira. I'll admit I was trying to calculate a winning line for white but couldn't quite see to the end. Would I have played the winning line? Hopefully, though this position was never reached and the question was never asked of me. But I'll ask it of you:
First, I'm travelling to England later in the year, partly as a holiday and partly to see family. My Dad has not been well recently and it's time to go back and see him and the rest of my family. I'll be travelling with Caroline, and we'll be spending some time in France as well as England, and popping into some other countries as well. There'll be some plans about this trip, and some Francophile posts coming up in the build up to this trip.
I've also signed up for the Puffing Billy run that I took part in a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, a couple of days after signing up, I cracked a toe and couldn't run for the best part of 2 weeks. Thankfully, today I managed to run 6 km, albeit pretty slowly. Still, it's a start and I'm hoping that I'll be able to make the 13 km distance of the Puffing Billy run without too much hassle. Last time, I didn't quite make it all the way up the second hill, and ended walking for about 2 minutes. My aim this time around is to run non stop, whatever the time I run. I will use this as a stepping stone, as I try to run the half marathon distance. I'll be filling pages of this blog with runs, kilometres, aches etc.
However, this blog is mostly about coffee and chess, with chess winning out.I'm currently working like mad for Chess Kids, and playing at 2 chess clubs in Melbourne, Glen Eira Chess Club, and the Melbourne Chess Club. I'm currently publicity officer at the MCC, and Secretary/President/Treasurer/Arbiter/general dogsbody of Glen Eira Chess Club, so I'd better start writing some material for these clubs here. I've had a few interesting positions in these events so far, and done pretty well. I'm on 4/5 at the MCC Championship, and 3.5/4 in the Glen Eira Summer Swiss. I've been lucky that much of the preparation I did for the Australian Masters in December, and the subsequent work after, has allowed me to get into some ok positions.
Here's a position that could have happened in one of my games from Glen Eira. I'll admit I was trying to calculate a winning line for white but couldn't quite see to the end. Would I have played the winning line? Hopefully, though this position was never reached and the question was never asked of me. But I'll ask it of you:
White to play and Win
(answer on Tuesday)
Sunday, December 14, 2014
It's Not All Chess
There are times when you can get so caught up in something that it seems to completely take over your life. That has been the case with me and chess over the past 6 months. My work has cranked up to more intense levels, and helping to set up and run a chess club has taken a lot of time. I also follow chess news and still try to analyse a bit myself, though not as much as I'd like. This blog will soon be taken over by chess as I play in the Australian Masters starting this Saturday and report about it here. So I thought it time to look at some non chess things, just to prove that there are other things to me than chess.
Combining a love of reading with a love history, I recently read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I'm not usually a big fan of historical fiction, but when a book is written as well as this, about as interesting a subject as the rise of Anne Boleyn in Tudor England, it is a sure winner. I can't really say I've deeply studied Tudor history though I did quite a bit of deep study into the Stuart period and that necessitated some background into Tudor times (there's always Blackadder if all else fails).
Now I can't say I'm much of a TV or film watcher, but the new TV adaptation of Wolf Hall is certainly something I'd be interested in seeing. I also get the urge to read more history. The only trouble is that whenever I get some spare time, non fiction is not really what I want to explore. I guess that is a consequence of examining so much non fiction in the form of chess literature. The program is due to air on BBC 2 in the UK early in 2015, and hopefully it won't be long in coming to Australia. I'll probably have read the sequel, Bringing Up The Bodies by then.
Are you a dog or a cat person? This question always amuses my wife Caroline, as I have claimed to be a dog person. We currently have 2 cats which I've become pretty soppy over and Caroline likes to remind me of my claims of being a dog person. She rightly wonders why we can't just all be animal lovers. And, of course, Caroline is absolutely right. The pets that we have had have come from animal shelters and I admire those who work at shelters, or advocate for them. With Christmas coming up, the usual problem with unwanted pets will no doubt come about, something which really angers me. Not all people are capable of looking after an animal, for one reason or another. Some of those do the right thing and don't try to keep a pet, while some carry on regardless, start to build a bond with an animal which then gets broken when the animal is sent away.
Last year Caroline and I decided on a gift at Christmas of animal adoption, and bought our good friends Nick and Zoe a gorilla sponsorship. This is the sort of gift that I'll be giving again, making a donation to an animal charity/sanctuary on behalf of someone else. A little bit of research is needed to make sure the organisation is worthwhile, and local organisations are always better to support to my mind.
While chess certainly promotes mind fitness, I also like to run for general fitness. Don't get me wrong, I'm no racer, but I do keep fit by stepping out the front door and running between 5 km and 12 km. I want to extend this to 20 km, but it is a long and slow process. I try to run 3 times a week, with one of these being a long run, usually at the weekend. I've been hampered by a time consuming work schedule, and a bout of some gastro type illness in the past couple of weeks, but I've still managed to get out a bit. The plan when I started this around early October was to get up to a distance of about 20 km by Christmas. Well, I'm a bit behind schedule, and I think 15 km is a more reasonable target. I'll just have to wait until the summer hits full temperature before I go for the big 20 km run!
This post has taken me a week to write, I've just had such a heavy workload, and awful time management and energy levels. Today was a good day where I was bale to spend much of it with Caroline. We spent a nostalgic few minutes at one point today having coffee and thinking about places where we've visited and where we want to go. The upshot of that is that we're going to try to read novels set in places where we've been. This should help us remember those places. Our holidays over the years have taken us to diverse places, including New York, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Salzburg, Budapest, Kuala Lumpur, New Zealand and the Canary Islands. We've been to many other places in the UK and Australia, and individually, we've covered much of Europe, but the idea is to read novels which take us back to those places we travelled to together. I'll keep this blog updated about this little project next year. Now I'd better get some Christmas cards written.
Combining a love of reading with a love history, I recently read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I'm not usually a big fan of historical fiction, but when a book is written as well as this, about as interesting a subject as the rise of Anne Boleyn in Tudor England, it is a sure winner. I can't really say I've deeply studied Tudor history though I did quite a bit of deep study into the Stuart period and that necessitated some background into Tudor times (there's always Blackadder if all else fails).
Now I can't say I'm much of a TV or film watcher, but the new TV adaptation of Wolf Hall is certainly something I'd be interested in seeing. I also get the urge to read more history. The only trouble is that whenever I get some spare time, non fiction is not really what I want to explore. I guess that is a consequence of examining so much non fiction in the form of chess literature. The program is due to air on BBC 2 in the UK early in 2015, and hopefully it won't be long in coming to Australia. I'll probably have read the sequel, Bringing Up The Bodies by then.
Are you a dog or a cat person? This question always amuses my wife Caroline, as I have claimed to be a dog person. We currently have 2 cats which I've become pretty soppy over and Caroline likes to remind me of my claims of being a dog person. She rightly wonders why we can't just all be animal lovers. And, of course, Caroline is absolutely right. The pets that we have had have come from animal shelters and I admire those who work at shelters, or advocate for them. With Christmas coming up, the usual problem with unwanted pets will no doubt come about, something which really angers me. Not all people are capable of looking after an animal, for one reason or another. Some of those do the right thing and don't try to keep a pet, while some carry on regardless, start to build a bond with an animal which then gets broken when the animal is sent away.
 |
| Proving I'm a not just a dog person |
 |
| Gratuitous cute cat picture! |
While chess certainly promotes mind fitness, I also like to run for general fitness. Don't get me wrong, I'm no racer, but I do keep fit by stepping out the front door and running between 5 km and 12 km. I want to extend this to 20 km, but it is a long and slow process. I try to run 3 times a week, with one of these being a long run, usually at the weekend. I've been hampered by a time consuming work schedule, and a bout of some gastro type illness in the past couple of weeks, but I've still managed to get out a bit. The plan when I started this around early October was to get up to a distance of about 20 km by Christmas. Well, I'm a bit behind schedule, and I think 15 km is a more reasonable target. I'll just have to wait until the summer hits full temperature before I go for the big 20 km run!
This post has taken me a week to write, I've just had such a heavy workload, and awful time management and energy levels. Today was a good day where I was bale to spend much of it with Caroline. We spent a nostalgic few minutes at one point today having coffee and thinking about places where we've visited and where we want to go. The upshot of that is that we're going to try to read novels set in places where we've been. This should help us remember those places. Our holidays over the years have taken us to diverse places, including New York, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Salzburg, Budapest, Kuala Lumpur, New Zealand and the Canary Islands. We've been to many other places in the UK and Australia, and individually, we've covered much of Europe, but the idea is to read novels which take us back to those places we travelled to together. I'll keep this blog updated about this little project next year. Now I'd better get some Christmas cards written.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Another Year Flies By
Yesterday was my birthday. I was born October 18th 1966 which means I turned 48, getting closer to the dreaded 50. As the years pass I notice time moves quicker and quicker, and I suppose it means that I am more concerned with making sure that I fill my time up productively. Saying that, my ideas of what is productive has certainly changed over time. Of course chess is a big part of my life, but it might just be that my view of chess has changed somewhat too. It's time to reflect on the last year, and make some goals for the remaining years in my 40's.
To be honest, there isn't that much that the average person can do in 2 years, but every little thing counts. I mean, some people have some amazing goals. Take a look at this bucket list of Photographer Alon Dande. While there are a few things on that list I'd love to do, let's get real. I have a finite amount of money and time. Much of that bucket list involved travel, and I also want to see new places and experience new things. This year has been good for travel with trips to Hong Kong and New Zealand. Having emigrated from England, these places seem like trips of a lifetime on the other side of the globe, though now I'm an Aussie citizen these places are relatively short hops.
I'm not sure I'm going to be able to top the beauty of New Zealand's south island, or find a city to top Hong Kong's vibrancy in the next two years, but there are certainly some plans that Caroline and I are making. While there's plenty of Australia still to explore, not too far away Singapore, Japan and India are all appealing, while next year we plan to visit relatives in England and spend some time in France. At some stage in the not too distant future, Caroline and I want to revisit North America and spend time in Glacier National Park and up into Canada. Hopefully, there will be scenery to challenge that of New Zealand. This site is seriously whetting my appetite.
While travelling is so important for Caroline and I to plan and do, there are other things that I love to do. Reading is one of those joys. I probably spend too much of time reading fiction, but I can get so absorbed in a book, unlike TV or film which tends to wash over me. A few days ago I finished reading this year's Booker Prize winner, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, by Australian author, Richard Flanagan.
Now I've read lots of good novels, as well as a fair amount of mediocre and bad stuff as well. I enjoy books of almost all genres, crime, thrillers, fantasy, dystopian, historical, romance and many other things that I struggle to categorise. If I was pushed to make a choice, which is something I rarely like to do (typical Libran personality, though I have no belief in astrology), I would have said my favourite novel was The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, another Booker Prize winning novel. However, as Narrow Road is sinking in more each day, it is gradually replacing Remains of the Day as my favourite novel. It reminds me much of another novel that I loved, Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. Flanagan explores a number of basic human emotions, such as love, hate, fear and uses the gruesome story of the building of the Burma railway during World War 2 as his centrepiece in the plot. The writing is amazing, the techniques bring the stories and plots to life in a way that I've rarely read before. If I could read another book anywhere near as good as this by the time I'm 50, I'll be very happy.
One part of my life that has sadly lapsed over the past 12 months has been keeping fit through running. I had managed to get up to about 15 kilometres and then just let I pulled a back muscle and stopped running for a couple of weeks. I then procrastinated, and let all the good work go to waste. Well, I have now decided to stop procrastinating (not just regarding running) and just to get on with it. Actually, I've been running a few times since coming back from New Zealand a couple of weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't too bad. I can still run 5 kilometres without much problem, though not quickly, and this gives me a base to start building up again. The plan is to get up to half marathon distance, though I'm not concerned with speed. If all goes well, I would like to run the Great Ocean Road half marathon over the weekend of 16th May 2015. That is 6 months to get myself in shape and to get to the distance under me. Having a goal certainly helps to motivate me to get out and run, especially in these early days when it is still a bit painful. I'm not sure whether I'll follow a training plan, of which there are many. However, the main gist of all these plans is to take one long run each week, and back it up with shorter runs or some form of cross training. I think I should be able to manage this, and starting running again has reminded me just how much I enjoy it when I'm out doing it.
I also intend to write this blog more often. I'm coming up to 500 posts, but lately the posts have been few and far between. I like writing and another life goal would be to write a book. I guess I am most qualified to try to write a book about chess, but the inspiration doesn't seem to come. For now, I'll post more on this blog, with some chess posts coming up for the rest of this week. I guess I should do this sort of thing for chess too. Unfortunately, my students have had far better years than I have, which in some respects is good. For now I'll leave it there. Travel, read, and run. Sounds like a plan, as long as there is some good coffee thrown in.
To be honest, there isn't that much that the average person can do in 2 years, but every little thing counts. I mean, some people have some amazing goals. Take a look at this bucket list of Photographer Alon Dande. While there are a few things on that list I'd love to do, let's get real. I have a finite amount of money and time. Much of that bucket list involved travel, and I also want to see new places and experience new things. This year has been good for travel with trips to Hong Kong and New Zealand. Having emigrated from England, these places seem like trips of a lifetime on the other side of the globe, though now I'm an Aussie citizen these places are relatively short hops.
 |
| Stunning scenery of Fjordland, New Zealand |
 |
| Cruising Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, on a junk. |
 |
| Just over a year ago Caroline and I saw Buffalo close up in Yellowstone |
 |
| 2014 Booker Prize winning novel |
One part of my life that has sadly lapsed over the past 12 months has been keeping fit through running. I had managed to get up to about 15 kilometres and then just let I pulled a back muscle and stopped running for a couple of weeks. I then procrastinated, and let all the good work go to waste. Well, I have now decided to stop procrastinating (not just regarding running) and just to get on with it. Actually, I've been running a few times since coming back from New Zealand a couple of weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't too bad. I can still run 5 kilometres without much problem, though not quickly, and this gives me a base to start building up again. The plan is to get up to half marathon distance, though I'm not concerned with speed. If all goes well, I would like to run the Great Ocean Road half marathon over the weekend of 16th May 2015. That is 6 months to get myself in shape and to get to the distance under me. Having a goal certainly helps to motivate me to get out and run, especially in these early days when it is still a bit painful. I'm not sure whether I'll follow a training plan, of which there are many. However, the main gist of all these plans is to take one long run each week, and back it up with shorter runs or some form of cross training. I think I should be able to manage this, and starting running again has reminded me just how much I enjoy it when I'm out doing it.
I also intend to write this blog more often. I'm coming up to 500 posts, but lately the posts have been few and far between. I like writing and another life goal would be to write a book. I guess I am most qualified to try to write a book about chess, but the inspiration doesn't seem to come. For now, I'll post more on this blog, with some chess posts coming up for the rest of this week. I guess I should do this sort of thing for chess too. Unfortunately, my students have had far better years than I have, which in some respects is good. For now I'll leave it there. Travel, read, and run. Sounds like a plan, as long as there is some good coffee thrown in.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Inspirations
What is it you want to do? And where do you get your inspiration from? I obviously have a passion for chess, and I remember seeing a program on TV in the 1970's called The Master Game which inspired me to carry on with the game through my teenage years. Yesterday I was also playing chess, but inspiration came from a different event. Yesterday the Melbourne Marathon was being held. Nearly 7000 people participated with the best runners producing world class results. It has been a while since I last ran, but I took inspiration from yesterday and went for a brief jog today after work. It was hard work, as I knew it would be, but I enjoyed it immensely, and plan to carry on with running in my own modest way.
Setting goals and then making plans is always a good way to achieve results. I have set myself 2 targets. One is simply to lose the weight that I gained on holiday in America, and since getting back when I did very little. This is about 3 kilo's, though the more the merrier. The other is to run a half marathon, and I've set myself the target of running the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon which is held in May. That gives me 7 months to build up to the 21 km distance and I currently feel pumped up to take it on, even if I am a little puffed after my 5 km run earlier.
I also read a fair amount of fiction and am inspired to read new authors and new titles. Joining the online site Goodreads was great for building up ideas, and I must admit that I've read novels this year that I wouldn't have done if not being a member of a book club on Goodreads. If talking about books with other book lovers, comparing ideas and critically discussing books isn't inspiration enough, tomorrow sees the 2013 Man Booker Prize winner announced. While I'm not usually swayed by what awards novels and their authors may have won I must admit that I've hardly ever read a novel shortlisted for the Booker Prize that I haven't enjoyed. Kazuo Ishiguro's Booker Prize winning "The Remains of the Day" is still my favourite novel, and I'm currently reading "The Yips" by Nicola Barker which segues between acerbic dialogue, strange encounters, and some of the most beautifully written descriptions I've ever read. In fact, earlier today I was stunned by the power of feeling that a particular passage evoked. And this novel wasn't even shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2012. In fact neither was "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce which is probably the best novel I've read this year so far.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a literary snob who only reads award winning high literature. I'm happy to read novels from almost any genre: historical, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, detective, thriller etc. In fact, labeling novels under certain categories can sometimes be a little misleading. I guess a good example of this is the rise in stature of books labeled 'Young Adult'. This covers a massive range of books, spanning all kinds of subjects and genre. Earlier this evening on Twitter, I discovered that one of my favourite authors, Joanne Harris was labeled as 'Chick-lit'. Before seeing her tweet I never even knew there was a chick-lit genre, let alone what it entailed. Joanne Harris' reply to this categorisation has been my final inspiration for this evening. Don't just sit there and take the crap that people give you.
Sorry, did I say my final inspiration? I just found out it's National Chocolate Week in the UK. As an expat I feel it would be remiss of me not to participate. Unfortunately, I was unaware of International Chocolate Day which was on September 13th, but it's in my diary for 2014 and next September 13th will be eatchocolatetillimsickday!
Setting goals and then making plans is always a good way to achieve results. I have set myself 2 targets. One is simply to lose the weight that I gained on holiday in America, and since getting back when I did very little. This is about 3 kilo's, though the more the merrier. The other is to run a half marathon, and I've set myself the target of running the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon which is held in May. That gives me 7 months to build up to the 21 km distance and I currently feel pumped up to take it on, even if I am a little puffed after my 5 km run earlier.
I also read a fair amount of fiction and am inspired to read new authors and new titles. Joining the online site Goodreads was great for building up ideas, and I must admit that I've read novels this year that I wouldn't have done if not being a member of a book club on Goodreads. If talking about books with other book lovers, comparing ideas and critically discussing books isn't inspiration enough, tomorrow sees the 2013 Man Booker Prize winner announced. While I'm not usually swayed by what awards novels and their authors may have won I must admit that I've hardly ever read a novel shortlisted for the Booker Prize that I haven't enjoyed. Kazuo Ishiguro's Booker Prize winning "The Remains of the Day" is still my favourite novel, and I'm currently reading "The Yips" by Nicola Barker which segues between acerbic dialogue, strange encounters, and some of the most beautifully written descriptions I've ever read. In fact, earlier today I was stunned by the power of feeling that a particular passage evoked. And this novel wasn't even shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2012. In fact neither was "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce which is probably the best novel I've read this year so far.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a literary snob who only reads award winning high literature. I'm happy to read novels from almost any genre: historical, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, detective, thriller etc. In fact, labeling novels under certain categories can sometimes be a little misleading. I guess a good example of this is the rise in stature of books labeled 'Young Adult'. This covers a massive range of books, spanning all kinds of subjects and genre. Earlier this evening on Twitter, I discovered that one of my favourite authors, Joanne Harris was labeled as 'Chick-lit'. Before seeing her tweet I never even knew there was a chick-lit genre, let alone what it entailed. Joanne Harris' reply to this categorisation has been my final inspiration for this evening. Don't just sit there and take the crap that people give you.
Sorry, did I say my final inspiration? I just found out it's National Chocolate Week in the UK. As an expat I feel it would be remiss of me not to participate. Unfortunately, I was unaware of International Chocolate Day which was on September 13th, but it's in my diary for 2014 and next September 13th will be eatchocolatetillimsickday!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Jet Lag
It's that feeling you get when you've traveled a long way, especially across time zones. Jet lag is a condition which many people suffer from after long flights and it's basically to do with our internal body clocks and biorhythms. Since I returned from the USA 4 days ago, I've felt tiredness, a bit groggy at times, occasionally disoriented and lethargic. Apparently it takes about 1 day for every time zone crossed to readjust. How this works with going across the International Date Line I'm not sure. All being well, I hope to bumble my way through this week and then be ready to start life properly again next week. Luckily I have had a staggered start back to work, so things haven't been that hectic for me, though from next week things look full on. Apparently scientists in Japan are working on a pill to remedy the effects of jet lag, though I'll believe it when I see it.
I am presently using the tried and tested method of "grin and bear it" to make it through the week. Meanwhile my running program has been put on hold, but will be renewed this weekend as I become inspired by the Melbourne Marathon which is on Sunday. I have no great desire to run a full marathon, but I would love to give a half marathon a go. Maybe I need to set myself the target of 2014 Melbourne Half Marathon? Meanwhile I have friends who are cycling the week after in the Round the Bay in a Day event. Caroline is putting me to shame by riding in a women's group that are taking on a 50 km ride, while David is going for the full thing I think which is well over 200 km. I'll be a cheerleader for them, before sneaking off for a coffee in a non bay suburb!
What I have been able to do is read a lot. While gradually wading through a 1000 page fantasy novel, I am breaking things up by reading other books at the same time. I just finished a book called Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman. I bought the book in a second hand bookstore in Flagstaff. We had just passed through the Navajo nation on our roadtrip and a detective novel set in modern day America but based around the Navajo culture appealed to me. This novel also touches on the religion and culture of the Zuni and coincidentally, I bought another book from that shop on Zuni Fetishes.
As for chess? I'll be posting about that next, but I was interested to see Kasparov throw his hat in the ring for the 2014 FIDE leadership campaign. If you're not into chess, then FIDE is the world governing body of chess, and our president is a crazy guy who claims to have been abducted by aliens, and who chummed up to General Gadaffi so as to hold a chess tournament in Libya (among other things). Suffice to say there is a lot of discontent with the current leadership of the chess world, much as in the real world of politics. Will Kasparov make a difference? No doubt he will, though since retiring from chess the ex world champion has been trying his hand at politics in his native Russia. However, he has found that Putin doesn't play fair, and Kasparov is now one of his biggest critics. If the last election campaigns was anything to go by, these will be great fun to follow over the next year. :)
I am presently using the tried and tested method of "grin and bear it" to make it through the week. Meanwhile my running program has been put on hold, but will be renewed this weekend as I become inspired by the Melbourne Marathon which is on Sunday. I have no great desire to run a full marathon, but I would love to give a half marathon a go. Maybe I need to set myself the target of 2014 Melbourne Half Marathon? Meanwhile I have friends who are cycling the week after in the Round the Bay in a Day event. Caroline is putting me to shame by riding in a women's group that are taking on a 50 km ride, while David is going for the full thing I think which is well over 200 km. I'll be a cheerleader for them, before sneaking off for a coffee in a non bay suburb!
 |
| Engrossing reading, detective novel, Navajo style |
What I have been able to do is read a lot. While gradually wading through a 1000 page fantasy novel, I am breaking things up by reading other books at the same time. I just finished a book called Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman. I bought the book in a second hand bookstore in Flagstaff. We had just passed through the Navajo nation on our roadtrip and a detective novel set in modern day America but based around the Navajo culture appealed to me. This novel also touches on the religion and culture of the Zuni and coincidentally, I bought another book from that shop on Zuni Fetishes.
 |
| Flagstaff, Arizona's cool second hand bookstore (image from yelp) |
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Fitness and Charities
Over the past couple of years I've enjoyed taking up running as physical exercise. I used to run a bit when I was younger, but not like I am now. I try to get out 3 times a week and my main aim is to get fit enough to run a half marathon. I've run 15 km before so I've only got another 6 to find! I've had a few breaks from running in this 2 year period, mainly due to being unwell, but have got back into a rhythm and have found a way of fitting my 3 runs in each week during my very full timetable.
Eventually, I'd like to be a regular race runner, not for competitive reasons (I'm never going to be fastest anything!!) but for the challenge and hopefully to collect for a worthwhile charity. We are all individuals who's lives have been through many things, and because of this, each person may find certain charities more important than others. For instance, my father has diabetes, so that is a cause I feel that I would be happy to donate to and collect for. Also, as an animal lover, I know the need for income form the various shelters who do a magnificent job of looking after stray animals and fining them new homes. So beware, because I may be asking you to donate in the future!
Funnily enough I remember driving along the beach road earlier in the year on a public holiday and there were some pretty crazy drivers down there, trying to impress I don't know who with their dodging and manouvering, overtaking and undertaking! But that day the major intersections saw collectors shaking tins at the parked cars and almost everyone, boy racers included, rolled down their window and threw some coins in. Of course, it was Good Friday and the Children's Hospital is a charity that most people will want to help.
There are of course many people already doing this and a group has come to my attention who are taking the challenge with the Ride to Conquer Cancer and if anyone wants to donate they can follow the easy instructions in the link. Even if you don't donate, then please read the story on the page because people who do these things usually have a reason for doing them and this story is as heartfelt as can be.
Cycling has never really been my thing, but my wife, Caroline loves it and will be going for the Round the Bay in a Day which happens in the Spring here in Melbourne. I'm not sure what length of ride Caroline is planning on doing or whether she will collect for charity (as a nurse she already does her fair share for society, besides donating regularly to charities), but she has started her training program and all going well will give it her best shot.
Eventually, I'd like to be a regular race runner, not for competitive reasons (I'm never going to be fastest anything!!) but for the challenge and hopefully to collect for a worthwhile charity. We are all individuals who's lives have been through many things, and because of this, each person may find certain charities more important than others. For instance, my father has diabetes, so that is a cause I feel that I would be happy to donate to and collect for. Also, as an animal lover, I know the need for income form the various shelters who do a magnificent job of looking after stray animals and fining them new homes. So beware, because I may be asking you to donate in the future!
Funnily enough I remember driving along the beach road earlier in the year on a public holiday and there were some pretty crazy drivers down there, trying to impress I don't know who with their dodging and manouvering, overtaking and undertaking! But that day the major intersections saw collectors shaking tins at the parked cars and almost everyone, boy racers included, rolled down their window and threw some coins in. Of course, it was Good Friday and the Children's Hospital is a charity that most people will want to help.
There are of course many people already doing this and a group has come to my attention who are taking the challenge with the Ride to Conquer Cancer and if anyone wants to donate they can follow the easy instructions in the link. Even if you don't donate, then please read the story on the page because people who do these things usually have a reason for doing them and this story is as heartfelt as can be.
Cycling has never really been my thing, but my wife, Caroline loves it and will be going for the Round the Bay in a Day which happens in the Spring here in Melbourne. I'm not sure what length of ride Caroline is planning on doing or whether she will collect for charity (as a nurse she already does her fair share for society, besides donating regularly to charities), but she has started her training program and all going well will give it her best shot.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sleepy Sunday
I've had a really tough time getting myself going today. It's been a stereotypical sleepy Sunday. I woke up, and dropped off back to sleep, then got up a lot later than I normally do, and later than I wanted to. I'd planned to start running again today, but that never happened. Instead I just thought about it a lot. I took myself to South Melbourne and walked around the market, but couldn't get inspired. I had a coffee in Port Melbourne (smooth with a slightly sweet flavour and holding the crema perfectly, from Third Wave Cafe) and took a little walk but nothing special. I then came home and have pottered around for the day. Not particularly productive, I must say!
But then again, we all need times to recharge. We need days, or even weeks, when we relax, de-stress, and replenish our energy stock. I usually find that on days like this, I tend to do little, but start to plan for what I want to do. It is a time of organising my near future. So these are the plans that I have.
Firstly I have felt really guilty about not running recently so exercise is a high priority. I have set myself a goal which is to run 20 km before I go on holiday to the USA in mid September. I have created a program and will try to stick to it. When I am running I really love it, and it's great for keeping my weight down which is something I need to keep check of as I get nearer to 50 years old as there is a history of diabetes in my family. So the good news is that my back is feeling better and I think I'll be able to start running this week. The bad news is that I haven't run for the past 3 weeks and will not be able to compete in the Puffing Billy Run which I signed up for. The race is next week and I will go to watch, but I won't be able to make the 13.2 km distance which is a shame.
Of course, when I'm running I'm out and looking around at the beautiful scenery around Melbourne. Currently the autumn foliage is bringing a new vibrancy to many Melbourne suburbs. I've decided I need to explore more and so will be trying out different places, looking for new coffees, new experiences and seeing new things. Melbourne has so much to offer, let alone Victoria and Australia. I've only just scratched the surface.
Besides chess I suppose my 2 fondest pastimes are reading and cooking. I have no shortage of books in the house that I need to read but earlier this year I said that I intended to only read books that I've never read before this year. That has been difficult as I pass the bookcase and see some old favourites there. However, I am enjoying (mostly) the books that I'm reading this year. And I have also discovered that I prefer paper to kindle. Kindle may be more compact, but I guess the tactile nature of a book, the actual turning of the pages is something that I value. I also like to share books and that is something that is annoying about the whole kindle thing. I have read books on the kindle that I know Caroline would love to read, but I can't then pass the book to her and say "You have to read that!" So books are back on the agenda for me, which means browsing bookshops, another favourite pastime and one that I'll share here from time to time.
I absolutely love cooking. I don't know why, but I do. I find it relaxing and constantly amaze myself that I can actually produce things which aren't only edible, but which taste pretty good too. I've never really got the hang of breads and cakes, but I can see me giving it a go soon. My latest fad has been chutney. I'd have made it long before if I'd known how easy it was to make. I've even started following food sites to get ideas of things to try out. My absolute favourite is this blog but I also follow this one as I had the pleasure of tasting the food that is made.
Of course, I've also thought about chess today....but not for long as I didn't want to think about work.
But then again, we all need times to recharge. We need days, or even weeks, when we relax, de-stress, and replenish our energy stock. I usually find that on days like this, I tend to do little, but start to plan for what I want to do. It is a time of organising my near future. So these are the plans that I have.
Firstly I have felt really guilty about not running recently so exercise is a high priority. I have set myself a goal which is to run 20 km before I go on holiday to the USA in mid September. I have created a program and will try to stick to it. When I am running I really love it, and it's great for keeping my weight down which is something I need to keep check of as I get nearer to 50 years old as there is a history of diabetes in my family. So the good news is that my back is feeling better and I think I'll be able to start running this week. The bad news is that I haven't run for the past 3 weeks and will not be able to compete in the Puffing Billy Run which I signed up for. The race is next week and I will go to watch, but I won't be able to make the 13.2 km distance which is a shame.
 |
| Beautiful autumn colours |
Besides chess I suppose my 2 fondest pastimes are reading and cooking. I have no shortage of books in the house that I need to read but earlier this year I said that I intended to only read books that I've never read before this year. That has been difficult as I pass the bookcase and see some old favourites there. However, I am enjoying (mostly) the books that I'm reading this year. And I have also discovered that I prefer paper to kindle. Kindle may be more compact, but I guess the tactile nature of a book, the actual turning of the pages is something that I value. I also like to share books and that is something that is annoying about the whole kindle thing. I have read books on the kindle that I know Caroline would love to read, but I can't then pass the book to her and say "You have to read that!" So books are back on the agenda for me, which means browsing bookshops, another favourite pastime and one that I'll share here from time to time.
 |
| Homemade mango chutney |
Of course, I've also thought about chess today....but not for long as I didn't want to think about work.
Monday, March 11, 2013
The Last Day at Ballarat
It was a beautiful morning in Ballarat. I went for a run at sunrise helping me to wake up, and getting some hill practice for my race against Puffing Billy later in the year. I have to admit, I felt pretty terrible after the run back up to my apartment in Sovereign Hill but it will help me later in the year. Getting better at anything involves practice and training which as close as possible follows the activity you're taking part in. The same can be said for chess, and I will repeat as in an earlier post, it is vitally important to work on your endgames. But more about this later!
The top of the tournament is thinning out, and it is being dominated by youth. After 3 rounds, there are only 3 players on 5/5, FM Chris Wallis, IM James Morris, and last year's joint winner, Brodie McClymont. Youth is the order of the day, as Zachary Loh, Yi Liu, Karl Zelesco, Justin Tan, Ari Dale, and Jack Puccini all find themselves on the top 10 boards. Round 4 saw the clash we were all waiting for as the 2 top IM's went head to head. The result was a win for James Morris against Stephen Solomon. I asked James if he could sum up how he won. He just replied, "Endgame!" James apparently won a drawn opposite bishop coloured endgame against one of last year's winners, Domagoj Dragicevic, while against Solomon he went inot a rook ending a pawn up and converted the material advantage to a win.
Sticking with the theme of youth, the youngest player in the top 10 boards is 11 year old David Cannon, who in the past has been Australian under 10 champion. David is moving around with crutches at the moment because of a badly sprained ankle which makes it even more remarkable that he is able to focus so well. Let's hope he continues his good form, and gets well soon! Also 13 year old Karl Zelesco is right up there, after having to go through a difficult game when the accelerated pairings came off in round 3. Karl was expecting a really tough opponent in round 3, perhaps McClymont. The draw put him against 1000 rated Regan Crowley. This came as a disappointment to Karl who was revved up for a big game, but his reaction was perfect for the situation. Apparently, according to Karl's dad, he just worked out that he needed to knuckle down, win this game and then he would get his reward of a tough game. This is incredibly encouraging, as one of the problems that many people suffer from is not being able to get fully enthused for lower rated opponent's (in fact, Regan is a fast imroving player and not to be taken lightly). But, of course, the danger then is that the dreaded upset will happen, and most of us have been in that position!
The top of the tournament is thinning out, and it is being dominated by youth. After 3 rounds, there are only 3 players on 5/5, FM Chris Wallis, IM James Morris, and last year's joint winner, Brodie McClymont. Youth is the order of the day, as Zachary Loh, Yi Liu, Karl Zelesco, Justin Tan, Ari Dale, and Jack Puccini all find themselves on the top 10 boards. Round 4 saw the clash we were all waiting for as the 2 top IM's went head to head. The result was a win for James Morris against Stephen Solomon. I asked James if he could sum up how he won. He just replied, "Endgame!" James apparently won a drawn opposite bishop coloured endgame against one of last year's winners, Domagoj Dragicevic, while against Solomon he went inot a rook ending a pawn up and converted the material advantage to a win.
Sticking with the theme of youth, the youngest player in the top 10 boards is 11 year old David Cannon, who in the past has been Australian under 10 champion. David is moving around with crutches at the moment because of a badly sprained ankle which makes it even more remarkable that he is able to focus so well. Let's hope he continues his good form, and gets well soon! Also 13 year old Karl Zelesco is right up there, after having to go through a difficult game when the accelerated pairings came off in round 3. Karl was expecting a really tough opponent in round 3, perhaps McClymont. The draw put him against 1000 rated Regan Crowley. This came as a disappointment to Karl who was revved up for a big game, but his reaction was perfect for the situation. Apparently, according to Karl's dad, he just worked out that he needed to knuckle down, win this game and then he would get his reward of a tough game. This is incredibly encouraging, as one of the problems that many people suffer from is not being able to get fully enthused for lower rated opponent's (in fact, Regan is a fast imroving player and not to be taken lightly). But, of course, the danger then is that the dreaded upset will happen, and most of us have been in that position!
 |
| Zac Loh on board 3 |
 |
| Karl Zelesco has a great attitude |
 |
| David Cannon performing strongly despite an injury! |
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Running Update
That is such a funny title as my running update is basically that I haven't done any for a couple of months! The last time I was running was in early December, then I traveled to England where friend and family commitments got in the way. When I came back to Australia I was initially jetlagged, and then came down with a heavy cold where I found it hard to breathe. That's been gone for about a week or a little longer, so there is no excuse but to start the exercise regime again. And there is no better motivation than a set goal (but more on that later!).
When I was last regularly running I was working out for up to 1 hour 30 minutes and going distances up to 15km. I was running 3 or 4 times a week averaging about 5.30-5.45 minutes per km. I was never too much concerned about pace, but distance is my main goal, and I would dearly like to run a half marathon (21km). Today, I went out for the first time in 2 months, ran about 3km (and that was exhausting) for a 20 minute workout which was made easier because I stopped to take a phone call after about 2km! Like all people who have lost fitness will know, when getting back to it, it is always the first week that is the hardest to get through. There is a mental hurdle to overcome just to get out, and then the disappointment with realising just how unfit you've become. After the first few sessions expect some aches because they will come! But of course it is not all bad. Once begun improvement comes quickly as you find a routine and progress to greater workouts.
To be honest I had been putting this awful day of pain off. I knew it would be tough and had made excuse after excuse not to work out. But this changed today when I received an email from the Puffing Billy Railway notifying me of their 2013 edition. Last year I ran the race, and I have set myself the goal of running it again this year. In fact I just entered before starting this blog post. The race is just over 13km and there are a couple of painful hills, but there is also some beautiful countryside through the Dandenong Ranges and the fact that you are not only running with/against other people, but also against the steam engine Puffing Billy itself! Having entered the race, I now have to sit down and write a plan of how I will get myself into shape to actually run over 13km. I have just under 3 months to do this as the race is on May 5th. This week I have set the target of 3 running workouts with an aim of being able to walk at the end of the week. Next week I'll start building on this, but the progress will be careful to start with as the last thing I want to do is overtrain and cause an injury.
When I was last regularly running I was working out for up to 1 hour 30 minutes and going distances up to 15km. I was running 3 or 4 times a week averaging about 5.30-5.45 minutes per km. I was never too much concerned about pace, but distance is my main goal, and I would dearly like to run a half marathon (21km). Today, I went out for the first time in 2 months, ran about 3km (and that was exhausting) for a 20 minute workout which was made easier because I stopped to take a phone call after about 2km! Like all people who have lost fitness will know, when getting back to it, it is always the first week that is the hardest to get through. There is a mental hurdle to overcome just to get out, and then the disappointment with realising just how unfit you've become. After the first few sessions expect some aches because they will come! But of course it is not all bad. Once begun improvement comes quickly as you find a routine and progress to greater workouts.
 |
| The Train also races! |
To be honest I had been putting this awful day of pain off. I knew it would be tough and had made excuse after excuse not to work out. But this changed today when I received an email from the Puffing Billy Railway notifying me of their 2013 edition. Last year I ran the race, and I have set myself the goal of running it again this year. In fact I just entered before starting this blog post. The race is just over 13km and there are a couple of painful hills, but there is also some beautiful countryside through the Dandenong Ranges and the fact that you are not only running with/against other people, but also against the steam engine Puffing Billy itself! Having entered the race, I now have to sit down and write a plan of how I will get myself into shape to actually run over 13km. I have just under 3 months to do this as the race is on May 5th. This week I have set the target of 3 running workouts with an aim of being able to walk at the end of the week. Next week I'll start building on this, but the progress will be careful to start with as the last thing I want to do is overtrain and cause an injury.
 |
| Me before the 2012 Puffing Billy Run |
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Running Diary 7/12/2011
Today I was scheduled to run, but it was one of the hottest days of the summer so far. Even now, at 9.30pm it is 22C, but earlier it reached 33C. Now I'm not saying that it was 33C when I went out to run, but it was still pretty warm, and I'm not really used to it.
So I took it pretty steady. Even so, my legs felt heavy to begin with. I dropped into a nice rhythm, but knew fairly early on that 10km was going to be a tall order today. I ran 5km in about 29.30 and then stopped for a couple of minutes to just enjoy the view of the bay. I then took a slower run back home, about 3.5 km. So all in all, I managed about 8.5km, which is more than I thought I would reach.
This means I'm definitely getting stronger and fitter. However, this is just the start of the summer, so I guess I'm going to have to prepare for the conditions. One thing I didn't realise is that one runs slower at hotter temperatures. I knew that running in heat was harder, but didn't realise that it actually slowed you down. I also didn't realise just how cool it needs to be for better running conditions. Apparently, if the temperature is 13C or above, you are likely to run slower through heat build up. There are plenty of interesting articles on this subject.
I am now having a bit of a break from running as I am going away this weekend, so my next run is not scheduled until Monday. That should give my body plenty of recovery time :)
So I took it pretty steady. Even so, my legs felt heavy to begin with. I dropped into a nice rhythm, but knew fairly early on that 10km was going to be a tall order today. I ran 5km in about 29.30 and then stopped for a couple of minutes to just enjoy the view of the bay. I then took a slower run back home, about 3.5 km. So all in all, I managed about 8.5km, which is more than I thought I would reach.
This means I'm definitely getting stronger and fitter. However, this is just the start of the summer, so I guess I'm going to have to prepare for the conditions. One thing I didn't realise is that one runs slower at hotter temperatures. I knew that running in heat was harder, but didn't realise that it actually slowed you down. I also didn't realise just how cool it needs to be for better running conditions. Apparently, if the temperature is 13C or above, you are likely to run slower through heat build up. There are plenty of interesting articles on this subject.
I am now having a bit of a break from running as I am going away this weekend, so my next run is not scheduled until Monday. That should give my body plenty of recovery time :)
Monday, December 5, 2011
Running Diary 5/12/2011
My reward at 6 km!
I wasn't supposed to run today, but I came in from work, it was a beautiful day outside, and I felt good so I thought I'll have an easy run. It has been nearly 36 hours since my last run, so I'm more or less sticking to the recovery program. And after this I will not run for 48 hours. I put myself under no pressure and ran a different route to the normal ones I take. One of the good things about running longer distances, is that it gives you a wider choice of places to go! I still ran to the bay, but took a more round about trip to get there.
Elwood Beach with the West Gate Bridge in the distance. My 6 km point today
And I still have to go round the bay to Brighton, about half way on the far prom.
After running this evening, and the other morning, it suddenly dawned on me that there might be better times for me to run. Amazingly, there are, and these have something to do with circadian rhythms....ok, I haven't really got any idea what these are about, but basically the body has natural rhythms which make it function at certain activities better at certain times of the day. There is a great article that explains it better than I can :)
And last, there was a bit of excitement on the run home from the bay, when I was diverted by a policeman from going down my usual road. I ran round the block and there were dozens on police, armed and with protective gear on. Don't know what was going on, and I didn't hang around to find out. I'll check the news later like everyone else!
Armed Police block the road off, but even that doesn't stop me running!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Running Diary 4/12/2011
After running a fairly quick 10 km last time (quick for me, anyway) I decided to take it easy with a free run of whatever distance felt good to me at the time and whatever speed felt comfortable. I didn't want to push myself at all. I still managed a bit over 6 km and ran at various speeds, sometimes faster, sometimes slower. I tried to concentrate on a regular breathing rhythm, and running with looser arms than I usually do.
The more I run, and the more I read about it, the more I realise that exercising is as much about recovery and looking after your body when you're not training. Cooling down after exercising can help to reduce, or even avoid sore muscles. A few weeks back, I was getting some pains in my lower back and backside after exercising, but I now ensure that my run finishes short of home, so I have to do a cooling down walk. Since then, I've started feeling better after running.
Today when I started to run, my legs felt a bit heavy which was one reason that I didn't push things too much. Recovery training is an important part of an exercise regime and my last run had come just 36 hours before this run, so I took it easy. As it was, my run today felt pretty good once I'd shaken the cobwebs from my legs. And, of course, if the views are good when you're running, then it is an extra incentive to get out!
The more I run, and the more I read about it, the more I realise that exercising is as much about recovery and looking after your body when you're not training. Cooling down after exercising can help to reduce, or even avoid sore muscles. A few weeks back, I was getting some pains in my lower back and backside after exercising, but I now ensure that my run finishes short of home, so I have to do a cooling down walk. Since then, I've started feeling better after running.
Today when I started to run, my legs felt a bit heavy which was one reason that I didn't push things too much. Recovery training is an important part of an exercise regime and my last run had come just 36 hours before this run, so I took it easy. As it was, my run today felt pretty good once I'd shaken the cobwebs from my legs. And, of course, if the views are good when you're running, then it is an extra incentive to get out!
Melbourne CBD in the distance on the left. This was taken from the end of North Road near Brighton, with Elwood the nearest beach.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Running Diary 2/12/2011
My first run of December was a good one. I felt really good and was able to keep a steady pace for 10 km. My aim for December is to run 100 km and I've joined the same challenge on Endomondo that I tried in November. Last month I only just made it, running about 103 km. This time I'd like to add a few more kilometres to the tally.
Today I also reached a personal goal running 10 km in less than an hour. However, one end is only another beginning and my next goal will be to run under 55 minutes for 10 km. This will be a stern test as I will have to run at a pace that is quite quick for me for a long period of time. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, and it's not as if I have to do it tomorrow!
Exercise has been for me a combination of fitness gain and weight loss. Besides building my fitness level, I was overweight when I started running, but I'm coming down to my correct level. I have a little bit more to lose, but feel great and am confident that it will happen sooner than later.....of course, Christmas goodies might have something to say about that, but my running will not stop through the holiday period. Reading about disease risk associated with being overweight is enough to make anyone think about their body. When, like me, 50 is not that far away, and diabetes has been in both sides of your family, it is even more important to make sure that your body is healthy and your weight is correct.
Today I also reached a personal goal running 10 km in less than an hour. However, one end is only another beginning and my next goal will be to run under 55 minutes for 10 km. This will be a stern test as I will have to run at a pace that is quite quick for me for a long period of time. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, and it's not as if I have to do it tomorrow!
Exercise has been for me a combination of fitness gain and weight loss. Besides building my fitness level, I was overweight when I started running, but I'm coming down to my correct level. I have a little bit more to lose, but feel great and am confident that it will happen sooner than later.....of course, Christmas goodies might have something to say about that, but my running will not stop through the holiday period. Reading about disease risk associated with being overweight is enough to make anyone think about their body. When, like me, 50 is not that far away, and diabetes has been in both sides of your family, it is even more important to make sure that your body is healthy and your weight is correct.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Running Diary 30/11/2011
I had set myself the challenge of running 100 km's in November and I achieved that today. Using endomondo I was able to track the distances I ran, and I came out at about 102 km's total. I'm pretty happy with this, and I'm going to set the same challenge in December and gradually build my strength until the next step up is possible, where I might go for 150 km's in a month. I'm not sure I'm ready for that quite yet, though.
Today's run was a bit of a shock though. I decided to go out for a short sharp burst, but surprised myself with the speed I went. I ran 5 km and I have set myself the aim of running this distance in 25 minutes. So far, my best time has been just under 28 minutes, and an interim goal was to get down to under 26 minutes, beating the world record for double this distance, 10 km! My run today was recorded at 25.40 for 5km, which is a lot quicker than I'd run before. I suspect that my GPS was being a bit generous to me, but even so I was running faster than I had ever run before, and even if the GPS was a minute off, I still ran 5 km in under 27 minutes.
I had 2 worries as I was running today. Firstly, there was the natural phenomenon of being short of breath. I sometimes wear a heart monitor with the idea of staying within a zone. I am usually trying to stay within 60-70% of my maximum heart rate. There are many good sites to learn about this king of thing. Obviously, I was pushing a little harder today. The second worry was what we commonly know as a stitch. For most of the last kilometre I was running with a stitch, though it wasn't too bad. After reading about the causes, I guess the most likely explanation for me developing a stitch is lack of fluids. I try to drink before running, but don't drink much on the run itself. Still, it is just a little discomfort that I endure during my fitness program which is helping me lose weight, and get fit! It could be worse
Today's run was a bit of a shock though. I decided to go out for a short sharp burst, but surprised myself with the speed I went. I ran 5 km and I have set myself the aim of running this distance in 25 minutes. So far, my best time has been just under 28 minutes, and an interim goal was to get down to under 26 minutes, beating the world record for double this distance, 10 km! My run today was recorded at 25.40 for 5km, which is a lot quicker than I'd run before. I suspect that my GPS was being a bit generous to me, but even so I was running faster than I had ever run before, and even if the GPS was a minute off, I still ran 5 km in under 27 minutes.
I had 2 worries as I was running today. Firstly, there was the natural phenomenon of being short of breath. I sometimes wear a heart monitor with the idea of staying within a zone. I am usually trying to stay within 60-70% of my maximum heart rate. There are many good sites to learn about this king of thing. Obviously, I was pushing a little harder today. The second worry was what we commonly know as a stitch. For most of the last kilometre I was running with a stitch, though it wasn't too bad. After reading about the causes, I guess the most likely explanation for me developing a stitch is lack of fluids. I try to drink before running, but don't drink much on the run itself. Still, it is just a little discomfort that I endure during my fitness program which is helping me lose weight, and get fit! It could be worse
Monday, November 28, 2011
Running Diary 28/11/2011
Today was a tough run. It was very humid and I didn't sleep well last night. However, I came home from work (which involved a 300km round trip today!) and was determined to rum. I had missed out on a work out at the weekend and was itching to get out.
So I started off at a reasonable pace with every intention of getting to 10km. Then the first issue was that my GPS didn't kick in and I ran for about 1.2km without endomondo registering it. So my goal of reaching 100km for the month of November would take that little bit longer (in fact this is the second kilometre I lost this month!). But although it's a bit annoying, it still didn't stop me from running, so I carried on and just tried to stick to a pace. At about 5 and a bit kilometres, I had to stop for a drink at a water fountain, and was more tired than I really should have been for the time I'd run.
So I had a drink and then ran for about another kilometre and a half and found my legs just turn to jelly, and I felt a little light headed. So I stopped and walked a bit, then took off again for a final kilometre and a bit before I had to just give up and walk home. I stopped at a shop and picked up a Gatorade, but I was pretty peeved with having to quit short of my goal, but was very happy that I take a small amount of money with me just in case of this happening.
It's getting dark as I run by the bay. In the distance the Spirit of Tasmania ferries out of the bay.
Since coming in, showering, and cooling off I've had time to think about things. In reality, instead of regretting not making 10km, I should really be congratulating myself on running about 9km, which is no mean feat. A month ago, this would have been well beyond me, so I've come a long way. :) And another positive is that I forced myself to run when the easy thing was to cry off claiming tiredness. Running is a fun pastime, so I'm going to try to take the positives from it whenever I go out.
So I started off at a reasonable pace with every intention of getting to 10km. Then the first issue was that my GPS didn't kick in and I ran for about 1.2km without endomondo registering it. So my goal of reaching 100km for the month of November would take that little bit longer (in fact this is the second kilometre I lost this month!). But although it's a bit annoying, it still didn't stop me from running, so I carried on and just tried to stick to a pace. At about 5 and a bit kilometres, I had to stop for a drink at a water fountain, and was more tired than I really should have been for the time I'd run.
A much needed refreshment on this run.
So I had a drink and then ran for about another kilometre and a half and found my legs just turn to jelly, and I felt a little light headed. So I stopped and walked a bit, then took off again for a final kilometre and a bit before I had to just give up and walk home. I stopped at a shop and picked up a Gatorade, but I was pretty peeved with having to quit short of my goal, but was very happy that I take a small amount of money with me just in case of this happening.
Since coming in, showering, and cooling off I've had time to think about things. In reality, instead of regretting not making 10km, I should really be congratulating myself on running about 9km, which is no mean feat. A month ago, this would have been well beyond me, so I've come a long way. :) And another positive is that I forced myself to run when the easy thing was to cry off claiming tiredness. Running is a fun pastime, so I'm going to try to take the positives from it whenever I go out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)