Day 7: of London to Brighton Training:
Today is my birthday, but unlike some slackers, shirkers and procrastinators, I have not neglected my training regime.
No.
I did that for the preceding two days.
I had to spend a day in our office in Norwich on Thursday, which necessitated a 5am start to my day and not getting home until 1am, so I felt reasonably vindicated in not dropping to the floor of the boardroom and running, or indeed strolling, through an exercise regime. However, I did eschew the rather wonderful-looking ciabatta melts that my colleagues tucked into in favour of some soup and a tuna salad and at dinner that evening, had my burger sans bun and chips, replaced with another salad.
So all-in-all, I started yesterday feeling relatively virtuous (aka smug and self-satisfied) and ready to resume my resume my training regime. The plan was, having realised that I needed some shopping, to walk to Tesco at Lunchtime, pick up the LIGHT things (in terms of physical mass rather than supposedly lower in fat) and walk home. This would give me a 4 mile walk, an exceedingly mild upper body workout AND the coffee pods whose absence causes my pulse to raise more than any aerobic exercise.
Good plan.
Alas, like most plans, it rarely goes that way. A number of prolonged phone calls and online meetings, rectification of an error and the lack of the aforementioned coffee pods all conspired to a later start than expected. But that would phase the old Richard. Not the new, inspired, committed and motivated Richard. No siree (N.B. this is the Southern US expression and not me arguing with my iPhone), takes more than small setbacks like that to put the new Richard off.
And then it rained.
Actually, it didn’t so much rain as take a small inland sea and invert it over my flat.
The new inspired, committed and motivated Richard hasn’t quite got the hang of enjoying walking in the rain, of being cold, damp, miserable. Of having water trickling down the back of his neck, or other places that you really don’t want getting sore when walking.
Note to self: Buy waterproof socks.
So yesterday really didn’t go according to plan at all and, given that I live in England during a period in which more water has fallen since ET died, until I overcome my fear that I will emulate the Wicked Witch of the West and melt away in the rain, things are unlikely to change. Incidentally, if anyone knows of some waterproof clothing that does not simply replace rain for condensation, available for less than the gross national product of Bali, I’d be interested.
So I need to compensate for the last couple of days today and have therefore been online, investigating something called ‘Nordic Walking’. Apparently this involves walking with poles (rather than walking with Poles) in a way that exercises your upper body as well as your legs, although opinions seem to differ as to whether this makes walking harder, easier or simply more effective, although nobody seems to explain what ‘more effective’ means. Do I get there more quickly? I’m also unsure as to whether I walking along the local street with two poles will prove too embarrassing. If I lived in the Andes it would be ok, but I do worry whether I will look like I’ve lost my Sherpa as a I walk to Tesco (assuming it’s dry).
Now I think of it, if I get a Sherpa, I can get all my shopping. Be right back…..
….Typical. 24,588 results on eBay and not one of them is what I wanted.
Today is my birthday, but unlike some slackers, shirkers and procrastinators, I have not neglected my training regime.
No.
I did that for the preceding two days.
I had to spend a day in our office in Norwich on Thursday, which necessitated a 5am start to my day and not getting home until 1am, so I felt reasonably vindicated in not dropping to the floor of the boardroom and running, or indeed strolling, through an exercise regime. However, I did eschew the rather wonderful-looking ciabatta melts that my colleagues tucked into in favour of some soup and a tuna salad and at dinner that evening, had my burger sans bun and chips, replaced with another salad.
So all-in-all, I started yesterday feeling relatively virtuous (aka smug and self-satisfied) and ready to resume my resume my training regime. The plan was, having realised that I needed some shopping, to walk to Tesco at Lunchtime, pick up the LIGHT things (in terms of physical mass rather than supposedly lower in fat) and walk home. This would give me a 4 mile walk, an exceedingly mild upper body workout AND the coffee pods whose absence causes my pulse to raise more than any aerobic exercise.
Good plan.
Alas, like most plans, it rarely goes that way. A number of prolonged phone calls and online meetings, rectification of an error and the lack of the aforementioned coffee pods all conspired to a later start than expected. But that would phase the old Richard. Not the new, inspired, committed and motivated Richard. No siree (N.B. this is the Southern US expression and not me arguing with my iPhone), takes more than small setbacks like that to put the new Richard off.
And then it rained.
Actually, it didn’t so much rain as take a small inland sea and invert it over my flat.
The new inspired, committed and motivated Richard hasn’t quite got the hang of enjoying walking in the rain, of being cold, damp, miserable. Of having water trickling down the back of his neck, or other places that you really don’t want getting sore when walking.
Note to self: Buy waterproof socks.
So yesterday really didn’t go according to plan at all and, given that I live in England during a period in which more water has fallen since ET died, until I overcome my fear that I will emulate the Wicked Witch of the West and melt away in the rain, things are unlikely to change. Incidentally, if anyone knows of some waterproof clothing that does not simply replace rain for condensation, available for less than the gross national product of Bali, I’d be interested.
So I need to compensate for the last couple of days today and have therefore been online, investigating something called ‘Nordic Walking’. Apparently this involves walking with poles (rather than walking with Poles) in a way that exercises your upper body as well as your legs, although opinions seem to differ as to whether this makes walking harder, easier or simply more effective, although nobody seems to explain what ‘more effective’ means. Do I get there more quickly? I’m also unsure as to whether I walking along the local street with two poles will prove too embarrassing. If I lived in the Andes it would be ok, but I do worry whether I will look like I’ve lost my Sherpa as a I walk to Tesco (assuming it’s dry).
Now I think of it, if I get a Sherpa, I can get all my shopping. Be right back…..
….Typical. 24,588 results on eBay and not one of them is what I wanted.
So, emails to Nordic Walking instructors (none of whom
appear to be Nordic) sent, a few phone messages left, research done on the
different kinds of poles (HOW MUCH??????) and I’m ready to face the rest of my
birthday, which may include a brief bike ride.
No silly, a motorcycle.
Happy my birthday to you.
No silly, a motorcycle.
Happy my birthday to you.
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