…which was later followed by a four-mile walk and a 25-minute yoga session. I’m doing a lot of extra cross-training this week, as I mentioned yesterday, to try and help with my fitness in the lead-up to my autumn challenges. The walking is being helped along by an online game I’m playing where you need to collect items en route!
I also got a bit of day job work done for a client, and caught up with some admin. Looking forward to a quiet night reading now!
My Fetchpoint game score has dropped significantly due to the fact I’ve not played for several months and my penalty items have been building up. Hoping to clear them all through walking by the end of the week!
Today’s earworm playlist:
3 Daft Monkeys – ‘Paranoid Big Brother’ Rizzle Kicks – ‘Down With The Trumpets’
…as the London Marathon decision (which was announced yesterday evening) worked out really, really well for me.
First of all, I will be taking part in the (Virtual) 40th London Marathon in a slightly altered form. Participants have 24 hours (from midnight to midnight on Sunday 4th October 2020) to complete the virtual race, and are allowed to take breaks. As such, I will be combining it with a challenge I’ve wanted to do for a couple of months but couldn’t commit to until I knew what was happening with the marathon – I will be running one mile an hour for 24 hours on 4th October! (My usual ‘mile’ route is closer to 1.2 miles so I will be running around 28.8 miles in total – more than enough to complete the Virtual London Marathon.)
I’m thrilled about this – it feels like a challenge I can really have a good go at this year, seeing as I run that route most days and could do so in my sleep – whereas my ‘training take two’ for the full marathon was not going as well as I hoped due to the general uncertainty of the pandemic, and I don’t think I would have run to my full potential had the physical race gone ahead this October. It also enables me to raise a bit of money for the RNLI (here’s my JustGiving page if you’d like to donate!), which I’ve not been able to do this year due to all my races being postponed, and it will be something exciting that I’ve not done before. I really feel motivated now, and am considering entering the Virtual Great North Run as well in order to give me a good training base for the challenge!
(I’m also quite looking forward to watching the special biosphere-protected elite race on TV in between mile runs on Sunday 4th October, as that will hopefully provide some inspiration!)
Secondly – assuming that COVID-19 is no longer cancelling races by next autumn – I will be running the next in-person mass race at the 41st London Marathon in October 2021 (they’ve delayed the usual April date to give the pandemic a better chance of clearing off). My place for the 2020 race was a ‘back of the pack’ place, which was generously given for free to all runners who took more than seven hours to complete the race in 2019, due to the problems that arose at the back of the pack that day. All ‘back of the pack’ places are being deferred to 2021 – so, unlike ballot place runners, whose places will be spread over a couple of years, I know for definite that I will be on the start line in October 2021 (again, assuming that COVID-19 is thoroughly in retreat by then!). I am really grateful for this additional certainty, although I do feel for other ‘back of the pack’ runners (and other groups of runners who won’t be allowed to defer to 2022 for various reasons) who can’t run an autumn marathon due to calendar issues.
In general, then, I’m on a real high about my running plans for the rest of the year. I’m even going to be swapping out some of my weekday one-mile runs for two-mile runs in order to build more of a mileage base! Following the 24-hour challenge, I’m planning to work hard on my 10k pace over the winter in the hope of getting that sub-hour result at the Sunderland City 10k in May (pandemic depending) and then start building up the distance again with the Edinburgh Half Marathon, also in May (pandemic depending).
(I really, really hope that we can have races as normal again in 2021 and that all of this planning will come to fruition.)
Anyway, in only-semi-running news (as far as I’m concerned walking is good training, and it was related to Geth’s running anyway!), Geth and I went for a nine-mile walk this afternoon to scope out a new section for Geth’s long run. Geth is hoping to run the Yorkshire Marathon in autumn 2021 (if we can get in – what’s happening with Yorkshire is a whole other kettle of fish that deserves a post of its own!), and so is gradually building up his distances for the long run he does every second Sunday, thus requiring additional loops for his route. It was a warm, muggy day and so we appreciated a stop-in at Brinkburn Street Brewery in south Byker – it was our first time in a pub since March, but we both felt really comfortable there. They are managing their distancing admirably – we only had to wait a short time before being shown to the beer garden, where we had plenty space to ourselves and didn’t feel encroached upon by other customers (some of the beer gardens I’ve walked past lately are not like this at all!). I would definitely stop in again on a quiet weekday afternoon, though I’d probably book next time as I think we were quite lucky to get a table.
A very quiet evening now, with both of us collapsed on the sofa in front of some YouTube!
A ‘pace run’ tomorrow morning, though after today’s exertions I doubt it’ll be that pacy. I’ll post my running vlogs over the weekend as usual and do another update on Monday.
Back to the random flavours of Fentimans that you get in pubs (so possibly look out for some new Booze Alternative posts soon!). It was nice to have a bit of semi-normality this afternoon.
Today’s earworm playlist:
ACE+ – ‘Riki The Legendary Heropon’ Meat Loaf – ‘You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)’ Abba – ‘I Have A Dream’ Vangelis – ‘Chariots Of Fire’
…and I’m starting to feel bad about not getting out for longer runs, but at least I am still getting out. I’ll definitely do three miles on Friday if not before.
I also went for a fairly long walk today so that I could visit one of the bigger supermarkets near us and pick up some supplies for Geth’s birthday on Thursday. Passing through parks and the like, with people milling around and not always keeping their social distance, feels more and more unreal and uncomfortable these days; I’m not sure how being within two metres of anyone is ever going to start feeling ‘normal’ again.
Other than that, I’ve been getting on with admin and a bit of day job work – will be returning to my game creation stuff this evening.
Summer always smells nice, even on a cold and grey day. This woodland near us makes for a good pretend jungle.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Hiroyuki Sawano and Gemie – ‘Ashes Suite’ Taylor Swift – ‘You Need To Calm Down’
…but given that today I also did a RingFit Adventure level, a YouTube yoga session, and a long bank holiday walk, I feel I’ve been quite active, really!
I also spent a couple of hours enjoying the sunshine in the back garden, keeping Geth company while he was doing his tree-hacking. The trees are growing quite quickly at the moment, but Geth is doing a good job of keeping them trimmed back. The grass in both gardens is a bit parched, though, so we need to get a sprinkler attachment for the hose next time I take the car for a spin to B&Q!
After all of that, I’ve not had time for much else today. Will get back to the coding tomorrow.
I know very little about plants and so I’ve no idea what this thing is called, but the flowers on it are very pretty.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Alvin & The Chipmunks – ‘We’re The Chipmunks’ Henry Mancini – ‘The Pink Panther Theme’ Ollie Wride – ‘Back To Life’ Tyler Lyle – ‘Lost And Found’ [The Midnight Remix] RingFit Adventure – ‘Warmup Theme’ Sesame Street – ‘Sesame Street Theme’ Duran Duran – ‘White Lines’
…because Geth wants to start doing intervals, so he came running with me this morning to observe how they work. I only did half the number of sets I was doing a few weeks ago though!
It’s not been a great day. I had an absolutely terrible night’s sleep last night – partly due to the muggy heat and partly due to ongoing stress – and then we had some bad news this afternoon. I had hoped to get some work done on my next adventure game today, but there have just been too many distractions. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to lose myself in it a bit.
On the plus side, we did go for a walk in the glorious warm sunshine, largely because we needed to get out of the house. Spring has felt a bit sudden this year due to the lockdown; the world has been on hold, but obviously the seasons haven’t. I’m looking forward to doing a lot of walking over the summer, even if we can’t do much else.
My ukulele family has expanded this week, thanks to a generous gift from Dad! Looking forward to having a good strum over the weekend.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Ollie Wride – ‘Back To Life’ Daniel Bedingfield – ‘If You’re Not The One’
…and then the same kind of cross-training that I did yesterday. It’s nice to be getting some non-running exercise in this week.
Speaking of non-running exercise, I still haven’t been for any of the walks that I planned to do when the exercise restrictions were relaxed last week. It’s really nice weather out there, and I know it’d be an enjoyable thing to do, but I’ve just been too busy. Things are taking longer than they should during the day because I feel sluggish and distracted by various situational stresses, and then in the evening I’m burnt out and just want to play videogames (and to be honest I’ve not even had the energy for that the last couple of nights).
In short, it’d be nice to get a walk in, but I’m not sure when I’ll manage it, because other things take priority.
A different kind of run tomorrow, and hopefully also some writing.
I’ve been enjoying RingFit Adventure the last couple of days as a quick bit of cross-training after my shorter runs.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Michael Land – ‘Edward van Helgen’ September 87 – ‘Bad Dream Baby’ Ollie Wride – ‘Back To Life’
…and my legs were pretty thankful for a short recovery run after the last few days!
I’ve been finding it really difficult to concentrate today. I slept very badly last night because I can’t stop worrying about everything that’s going on, and there are various COVID-related stresses that are really starting to get to me. I find myself kind of wishing the next two months away, simply because (I would hope) there will be a bit more certainty by then in terms of some of the things I’m concerned about.
In the meantime, I’ve just been trying to get on with my routine as best I can. I’ve planned out my next competition writing project, which I’ll be working on over the next few weeks, and I’m trying to keep on top of my admin and housework (not always successfully, but it’s nice when it happens).
Videogames have been my absolute salvation in all of this. They’re the only thing that allows me to relax properly at the moment – I drift off in my own thoughts if I’m just passively watching a film or TV show, and even sometimes when I’m reading. Writing, meanwhile, though it’s my passion, is tiring and requires brainspace, so I try and keep it for the ‘work’ hours of the day. Videogaming is just brain-engaging enough that I can lose myself in it without feeling like it’s tiring me out – it strikes the perfect balance.
I’m hoping to feel better tomorrow. The exercise restrictions are being lifted slightly, so though I’m still being cautious about going outside, I have an afternoon walk planned in addition to my morning run. It’ll be nice to get a bit of extra fresh air.
Now that it’s May, the blossom has disappeared from our front garden trees along with all the others. As such, it was a good time to have them professionally trimmed back! Our tree worker came and did them today, and they look a lot tidier now.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Revo – ‘The Land Of Beginnings’ Bucks Fizz – ‘Making Your Mind Up’
I’ve not had a lot of time for running over the last couple of weeks, but for the last few days, I’ve certainly been getting my daily step goal met! I doubled it between yesterday’s parkrun and dancing to Adam Ant last night, and tonight Geth and I were back at the Sage Gateshead to see Shakespear’s Sister – a slightly more sedate gig but still a very enjoyable one! I also managed to fit in a vintage fair trip today, which was fairly successful.
I had originally planned to go to Manchester tomorrow to see a talk at the Central Library, but given that I’ve had zero time for NaNoWriMo the last few days, it’s sadly looking unlikely. I think I’ll be having a quiet day with my project (and my text adventure updates) instead!
Not an OOTD: it’s a bit faded now, but I do like the hand stamp you get at Judy’s Vintage Fairs.
Today’s earworm playlist:
The Midnight – Shadows In The City Adam & The Ants – Antmusic Kygo and Whitney Houston – Higher Love The Knack – My Sharona Shakespear’s Sister – Stay
Just got off the treadmill, having done my nightly ninety minutes to get my steps in. It’s a good thing I decided to set my daily step goal as an October target, because I’ve been so busy with my text adventure this week that I doubt I’d have got any exercise in otherwise! Didn’t even make it to ukulele class this evening, although I will be back with a vengeance next week.
Eight and a half hours to go until the jam deadline – and I expect I’ll be up for quite a few of those hours getting everything finished off!
Busy day tomorrow too…
Not an OOTD: I’m still loving making my pixel turnip lanterns! Much easier to make on the computer than hollowing out the real thing…
Today’s earworm playlist:
Michael Land – Lucre Island Lawyers Jimmy Eat World – The Middle Fleetwood Mac – Big Love Duran Duran – First Impression Michael Land – The First Church Of LeChuck…Orthodox Duran Duran – 911 Is A Joke
Last few days before Hallowe’en. I’ve still got a lot to do, the main thing being to get my text adventure game finished! It’ll be a bit of a squeeze but I’ll get it done. I’ve also got an article to finish, some editing to do for a client and a poem or two to write – not to mention a lantern to carve and a lot of TV and films to watch! Going to be a busy few days.
I’ve mainly been coding and walking today (still getting those steps in every day). Up early tomorrow to get started again!
Not an OOTD: my pumpkin is still uncarved, and Geth has put some boardgames on the table that we will probably be selling next year, including Fury of Dracula (the cover of which is now annoying me because I’ve only just noticed that despite the game’s title, Dracula actually looks really happy on the box artwork!).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Michael Land – The Smugglers’ Cave Michael Land – The Scumm Bar (MI4) Blancmange – Living On The Ceiling Squeeze – Tempted Duran Duran – Secret Oktober
