Jogging on water

I have achieved a milestone! The 5k Sunshine "Fun" Run was very nearly too much for me towards the end, although I did run the whole way, keeping up a very steady pace. Steady, but not especially competitive (11 minute miles). All the same, I finished before some very thin people who were panting horribly, and some very fit people who were really rubbish at pacing themselves. Some obese people did inexplicably overtake me towards the end, and I was finishing alongside someone who was breathing as if she had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

It was pretty cringeworthy. They had some kind of Geordie Mrs Motivator there to get us warmed up. I didn't participate. I always think myself a good team member, but actually, I'm so self conscious and resistant to things like waving ones hands in the air and clapping as if one didn't actually care, that I reckon people probably think of me as one of the awkward ones. If you weren't all doing really sad things though I might deign to join in. I'd thought that the collective warm up would just be lots of people grunting and stretching their calves. Instead it was some kind of Carry on Camping-style affair. Obscene:



After this is was all about the running. This run served as evidence that Nokia Sports Tracker does over-estimate the distance covered by a factor of 10% (it recorded that the 5k run was 5.5k), which was a truly miserable realisation to make as I lumbered towards the ever-distant Millennium Bridge. Here's the route, which apparently has me jogging on water at times:


On the way back to the Metro home, hauling myself up flights of river-steps, I stumbled across All Saint's Church, which I'd only ever seen from a distance before, and barely noticed. The place, which was built on the site of a medieval church in the late 1700s, has been deconsecrated, and the internet tells me two other things: it is elliptical, which is apparently quite rare, and British Sea Power played a gig there last year. Here's my rather dark but rather lovely picture:


As I limped back, I was wondering what kind of takeaway I could spoil myself with. I decided once I came back and had a shower that I couldn't be doing with going out, so I made myself the largest and most comprehensive salad I've made in years. What a way to use my post-exercise 'high'.


For once I'm looking after myself with Ian away (at a conference). I thought today about what's usually different when I'm on my own:

• I listen to conspiracy theory radio before I go to sleep
• I don't wash up properly
• I often buy cake (although not this time)
• I drink less tea
• I cry all of the time

Well maybe not all the time, but it sure is a bit lonely.