Pleased to report that all my plates are spinning
very nicely
but unfortunately -
I've just dropped all the balls!
very nicely
but unfortunately -
I've just dropped all the balls!
Running for health, happiness and a good laugh whatever your age, size or fitness level
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Monday, 25 June 2012
Plate Spinning and Juggling
As you know, I like a quote, and one that I heard sometime ago that I particularly liked was this:
'You're never happier than your least happy child'
It's so true, someone in some article I read many years ago, also said that if you have more than 2 children then it doesn't really matter how many you have because it's chaos anyway - that too is very true, at least it is in our house.
Anyway, I liken it to plate spinning, you just get all 3 plates spinning nicely, albeit on possibly shorter sticks than you would have liked, but spinning nonetheless when, out the corner of your eye you catch one doing that wobbly dance. Instantly you feel responsible and you rush to try and catch it or, at the very least, cushion the fall.
Some people though appear, with very little effort to have plates that spin away endlessly on giant sticks and never seem to do the wobbly dance, their parents make the tiniest of adjustments very rarely and the spinning just goes on while the rest of the world stands back and admires the brilliance and height of the plates. Others, me included, dash about like lunatics frantically trying to keep our plates spinning whilst at the same time making massive efforts not to drop the many balls we are juggling at the same time.
I guess the difference in plate spinning ability is in fact the holy grail of parenting.
Anyway, I had all 3 plates spinning quite well then, just after Christmas I became aware of a little slowing of one of them but I wasn't unduly concerned. The plate along with piles of washing returned from uni some weeks ago and I knew before it started that the plate, middle child, was running into a problem. The long and the short of it is that he doesn't want to return to uni in the Autumn and to be honest I, we, do get where he's coming from. For the thousands of pounds of debt he is stacking up he receives 9 hours a week of actual tuition over some 27/28 weeks of the year. Forgetting the fact that the course is not quite what he hoped it would be you do have to wonder just what the true value of some of these degrees is. He would, along with millions of other kids leave uni with a 'media' degree and a huge debt.
'You need a plan' I told him,
'you know what God does to people who make plans?' said Andrew
'what?' I asked
'he laughs!'
Funnily enough, on the flip side of all this, eldest child, who has until now made it his life's work to fulfil as little of his potential as it was possible to do, has begun to see that there is more to life than fixing office equipment. The text I had been waiting for over many years finally arrived a few weeks ago while he was on holiday in Cyprus.
'Think I might go and get a couple more A'levels' it read - off I went, googling frantically, do you know you can't get an A'level at evening classes these days - dog grooming, signing, tai chi and cookery are all available but if you are serious about getting back into higher education you have to give up your job, is it just me or is that ridiculous?
I am surprised but so pleased to report that 2 or 3 weeks on he is still determined to do this whatever it takes and we are making progress to make it happen, surprisingly too we haven't had to do very much, he has sorted it all pretty much himself.
My middle plate is still wobbling and not too sure which direction it needs to be going in but I guess we just need to believe it will come good in the end and he'll find his way, until then we'll just have to keep supporting the plate to keep it spinning and attempt to keep our own balls in the air!.
'You're never happier than your least happy child'
It's so true, someone in some article I read many years ago, also said that if you have more than 2 children then it doesn't really matter how many you have because it's chaos anyway - that too is very true, at least it is in our house.
Anyway, I liken it to plate spinning, you just get all 3 plates spinning nicely, albeit on possibly shorter sticks than you would have liked, but spinning nonetheless when, out the corner of your eye you catch one doing that wobbly dance. Instantly you feel responsible and you rush to try and catch it or, at the very least, cushion the fall.
Some people though appear, with very little effort to have plates that spin away endlessly on giant sticks and never seem to do the wobbly dance, their parents make the tiniest of adjustments very rarely and the spinning just goes on while the rest of the world stands back and admires the brilliance and height of the plates. Others, me included, dash about like lunatics frantically trying to keep our plates spinning whilst at the same time making massive efforts not to drop the many balls we are juggling at the same time.
I guess the difference in plate spinning ability is in fact the holy grail of parenting.
Anyway, I had all 3 plates spinning quite well then, just after Christmas I became aware of a little slowing of one of them but I wasn't unduly concerned. The plate along with piles of washing returned from uni some weeks ago and I knew before it started that the plate, middle child, was running into a problem. The long and the short of it is that he doesn't want to return to uni in the Autumn and to be honest I, we, do get where he's coming from. For the thousands of pounds of debt he is stacking up he receives 9 hours a week of actual tuition over some 27/28 weeks of the year. Forgetting the fact that the course is not quite what he hoped it would be you do have to wonder just what the true value of some of these degrees is. He would, along with millions of other kids leave uni with a 'media' degree and a huge debt.
'You need a plan' I told him,
'you know what God does to people who make plans?' said Andrew
'what?' I asked
'he laughs!'
Funnily enough, on the flip side of all this, eldest child, who has until now made it his life's work to fulfil as little of his potential as it was possible to do, has begun to see that there is more to life than fixing office equipment. The text I had been waiting for over many years finally arrived a few weeks ago while he was on holiday in Cyprus.
'Think I might go and get a couple more A'levels' it read - off I went, googling frantically, do you know you can't get an A'level at evening classes these days - dog grooming, signing, tai chi and cookery are all available but if you are serious about getting back into higher education you have to give up your job, is it just me or is that ridiculous?
I am surprised but so pleased to report that 2 or 3 weeks on he is still determined to do this whatever it takes and we are making progress to make it happen, surprisingly too we haven't had to do very much, he has sorted it all pretty much himself.
My middle plate is still wobbling and not too sure which direction it needs to be going in but I guess we just need to believe it will come good in the end and he'll find his way, until then we'll just have to keep supporting the plate to keep it spinning and attempt to keep our own balls in the air!.
On the right track . . . maybe?
Well I think it's maybe going rather well. I have tried to adopt this new running technique and gradually and in 'fits and starts' I seem to be getting it and it feels ok although I do now have aches in some very different places. I have been racking up the pace to my target 9.7 km an hour for one minute at a time. This is ever so slightly under a 10 minute mile and I really don't think I am going to go very much faster.
Tonight I managed to do 5 km's in 40 and a half minutes, I did 14 of those minutes at 9.7, the rest between 6 and 6.5. This was a big improvement on yesterday and I'm going to try and keep doing more and more at my target speed, using my new technique until I can do the whole 5 km's at 9.7, should take me around 33 minutes!.
Tonight I managed to do 5 km's in 40 and a half minutes, I did 14 of those minutes at 9.7, the rest between 6 and 6.5. This was a big improvement on yesterday and I'm going to try and keep doing more and more at my target speed, using my new technique until I can do the whole 5 km's at 9.7, should take me around 33 minutes!.
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Proprioceptive Cues!!!!!!!!!!
I decided at the start of this week that while I wait for every one of my red blood cells to return I would try walking for a reasonable amount of time just to keep everything moving, this worked well on Tuesday, I walked for an hour and covered 6.29 kilometres which I was pleased with.
Yesterday, without warning, my personal black cloud descended and everything was just pointless so nothing, other than the absolute 'must do's' got done. When I went to bed I found something suitably dull to read to fill the thinking space in my head. I chose the chapter in my book called 'Pursuing the Perfect Stride' this chapter is 18 - that's 18 pages long!. I had no idea there was so much to this but evidently 'the stride is everything' but then when your running, what else is there?.
There are 5 characteristics of good running technique: No 1 'stiffness' it would appear that you have to try to lock the knee of the foot that is about to hit the ground. No 2 'compactness' now this has to do with where your foot lands and it should land directly under your hips to avoid overstriding, you should land flat footed (not with the heal first). No 3 'Ballistic Action' this is all about using energy evenly throughout the stride, it seems you stiffen your leg before footstrike, drive your foot into the ground, stroke the ground quickly before launching yourself into the air where you relax as you float through the air. There's also alternate muscle clenching going on just before impact. No 4 'Stability' this is something to do with preventing 'joint collapse' which to my mind is a bit essential but evidently the best runners manage to avoid this. No 5 'Symmetry' this is about trying to get your right side to do the same as your left - now really!
The Chapter goes on to suggest what they call Proprioceptive Cues, these are things you should be thinking about for the entire length of the run - yes, all 7 hours, which will help you achieve the perfect stride. There's 'falling forward' this is the leaning forward from the ankles, then 'navel to spine' if you pull your stomach in it helps with something. 'Running on Water' this is supposed to make the time your foot is on the ground much shorter and the time you spend in the air much longer. 'Pulling the Road' imagining pulling the road backwards under your feet. 'Scooting' this is to minimize vertical oscillation????. 'Pounding the Ground' hitting the ground forcefully. 'Driving the Thigh' something forceful again. 'floppy feet' keeping all 27 bones in each foot and all the many muscles relaxed as you run. 'Butt Squeeze' this is the alternate muscle clenching. 'Feeling Symmetry' concentrating on doing the same on the left as you're doing on the right. 'Axle Between the Knees' you have to imagine something between your knees to push them half an inch further apart than normal. 'Running against a Wall' imaging a moving wall infront of you and you have to shorten your stride so you don't hit it.
There then follows some very odd 'running drills' which include running with no arms, one-leg hops, bounding and stiff-legged running. Totally mind blown I went to sleep very quickly!.
Today, I made the decision that I would use this period of time to attempt to perfect this technique or at least give it a go and see if it helps. I walked/ran for around 40 minutes and every now and then I turned the speed right up to my target of 9.7 km per hour and I tried to work on the stride, I think it's going to take a little time!!!!!, the falling forward was ok for short spells as was the driving the foot bit, it was the stiff legs and the muscle clenching that I really struggled with and when I also added the pulling my stomach in I felt like a reject from a Mrs Universe competition, it was hard to clench bits while relax others and at the same time stiffen each leg just before it hit the floor. Andrew and Charlie who were watching the football must have wondered what on earth I was doing, the speed was turned up high and I was jerking and twitching, one second stiff as a board the next floppy and in danger of 'joint collapse' as I went through the 'Proprioceptive Cues' one by one. When I had finished I tried to explain and demonstrate slowly up and down the lounge but in need of many more hours practice it's a case of one cue or another, I can't get it all going at the same time, so I ran in one direction with 2 stiff legs and back again like a human jelly. Their reaction - he's having a laugh!!!!!.......
I shall keep trying and in the word of an old, very daft saying 'I may well be laughing on the other side of my face' in a week or 2!
Yesterday, without warning, my personal black cloud descended and everything was just pointless so nothing, other than the absolute 'must do's' got done. When I went to bed I found something suitably dull to read to fill the thinking space in my head. I chose the chapter in my book called 'Pursuing the Perfect Stride' this chapter is 18 - that's 18 pages long!. I had no idea there was so much to this but evidently 'the stride is everything' but then when your running, what else is there?.
There are 5 characteristics of good running technique: No 1 'stiffness' it would appear that you have to try to lock the knee of the foot that is about to hit the ground. No 2 'compactness' now this has to do with where your foot lands and it should land directly under your hips to avoid overstriding, you should land flat footed (not with the heal first). No 3 'Ballistic Action' this is all about using energy evenly throughout the stride, it seems you stiffen your leg before footstrike, drive your foot into the ground, stroke the ground quickly before launching yourself into the air where you relax as you float through the air. There's also alternate muscle clenching going on just before impact. No 4 'Stability' this is something to do with preventing 'joint collapse' which to my mind is a bit essential but evidently the best runners manage to avoid this. No 5 'Symmetry' this is about trying to get your right side to do the same as your left - now really!
The Chapter goes on to suggest what they call Proprioceptive Cues, these are things you should be thinking about for the entire length of the run - yes, all 7 hours, which will help you achieve the perfect stride. There's 'falling forward' this is the leaning forward from the ankles, then 'navel to spine' if you pull your stomach in it helps with something. 'Running on Water' this is supposed to make the time your foot is on the ground much shorter and the time you spend in the air much longer. 'Pulling the Road' imagining pulling the road backwards under your feet. 'Scooting' this is to minimize vertical oscillation????. 'Pounding the Ground' hitting the ground forcefully. 'Driving the Thigh' something forceful again. 'floppy feet' keeping all 27 bones in each foot and all the many muscles relaxed as you run. 'Butt Squeeze' this is the alternate muscle clenching. 'Feeling Symmetry' concentrating on doing the same on the left as you're doing on the right. 'Axle Between the Knees' you have to imagine something between your knees to push them half an inch further apart than normal. 'Running against a Wall' imaging a moving wall infront of you and you have to shorten your stride so you don't hit it.
There then follows some very odd 'running drills' which include running with no arms, one-leg hops, bounding and stiff-legged running. Totally mind blown I went to sleep very quickly!.
Today, I made the decision that I would use this period of time to attempt to perfect this technique or at least give it a go and see if it helps. I walked/ran for around 40 minutes and every now and then I turned the speed right up to my target of 9.7 km per hour and I tried to work on the stride, I think it's going to take a little time!!!!!, the falling forward was ok for short spells as was the driving the foot bit, it was the stiff legs and the muscle clenching that I really struggled with and when I also added the pulling my stomach in I felt like a reject from a Mrs Universe competition, it was hard to clench bits while relax others and at the same time stiffen each leg just before it hit the floor. Andrew and Charlie who were watching the football must have wondered what on earth I was doing, the speed was turned up high and I was jerking and twitching, one second stiff as a board the next floppy and in danger of 'joint collapse' as I went through the 'Proprioceptive Cues' one by one. When I had finished I tried to explain and demonstrate slowly up and down the lounge but in need of many more hours practice it's a case of one cue or another, I can't get it all going at the same time, so I ran in one direction with 2 stiff legs and back again like a human jelly. Their reaction - he's having a laugh!!!!!.......
I shall keep trying and in the word of an old, very daft saying 'I may well be laughing on the other side of my face' in a week or 2!
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Singing for the Soul
So, it's been a little quiet in my world recently and to be honest I haven't found anything terribly interesting to blog about. I gave blood on Tuesday for the second time (which I thought was incredible until I overheard someone say it was their 50th visit!) so, after my experience last time, decided not to even try to run because I know I just can't until I've got every one of my red blood cells back - it just won't work!.
Anyway, last night I finally had something to shout about again. Discord had been asked to perform at Proms in the Park in Diss, an event that for the past many years has unfortunately been marred by really bad weather. It only occurred to me as I drove home on Wednesday evening that apart from time I spend with my family, my time at discord is the only time when I don't 'clockwatch' I spend 37 hours a week wishing the minutes away - I think I've got something wrong somewhere.
We willed the storm clouds away and the sun shone for us, not only that but some of the ladies from The Wattisham Military Wives Choir joined us for the jubilee song 'sing' it was a brilliant evening and wonderful to be able to be a part of something that sounds fantastic even though singularly I'm hopeless at it!. Just a couple of weeks ago these lovely ladies from Wattisham were performing in front of the Royal family outside the Palace and last night I shared a stage with them!, even if no-one could actually see me, I was there and I'm sure I made a difference?.
Andrew got some lovely photo's, but unfortunately, again, none of me!
Anyway, last night I finally had something to shout about again. Discord had been asked to perform at Proms in the Park in Diss, an event that for the past many years has unfortunately been marred by really bad weather. It only occurred to me as I drove home on Wednesday evening that apart from time I spend with my family, my time at discord is the only time when I don't 'clockwatch' I spend 37 hours a week wishing the minutes away - I think I've got something wrong somewhere.
So . . .
We willed the storm clouds away and the sun shone for us, not only that but some of the ladies from The Wattisham Military Wives Choir joined us for the jubilee song 'sing' it was a brilliant evening and wonderful to be able to be a part of something that sounds fantastic even though singularly I'm hopeless at it!. Just a couple of weeks ago these lovely ladies from Wattisham were performing in front of the Royal family outside the Palace and last night I shared a stage with them!, even if no-one could actually see me, I was there and I'm sure I made a difference?.
Andrew got some lovely photo's, but unfortunately, again, none of me!
The Fabulous Mr Dann!
Discord
The lovely ladies from Wattisham
Somewhere around the middle, right at the back, behind someone very tall!
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
Love Tennis
As I'm writing I'm watching the Djokovic, Tsonga match at the French open. I just love tennis, in a good match like this one it's like a whole lifetime played out on a court in an afternoon. I love the way that it swings from one to the other. There are very few times when you can write one player off or assume that one 'has it in the bag' nothing can be taken for granted. The top players have so much grit and determination and so much of the battle takes place in their heads.
For me it's the best sport because it has everything and the players just have everything in terms of fitness, agility and mental stamina. I think this one is going to go on for a very long time, neither is ready to let go and we could be headed for a 5th set, yes, there will be a 5th set . . . love it!
For me it's the best sport because it has everything and the players just have everything in terms of fitness, agility and mental stamina. I think this one is going to go on for a very long time, neither is ready to let go and we could be headed for a 5th set, yes, there will be a 5th set . . . love it!
A New Book
I felt the time was right for a new book and after looking at many reviews I decided that 'brain training for runners' was the one for me. It's heavy reading - small words, big pages and words I have to keep looking up but, between the clever writing there are some interesting bits. As I always do I turned immediately to the training schedules at the back, I go through the Sundays first because they are always the hardest days and was instantly disappointed - running, more flippin' running!.
For the first time I questioned this disappointment, what exactly was I hoping to see?
Week 1 - 'spend a couple of hours in a spa, go on, you've earned it'
Week 2 - 'if the sun is shining get yourself down to the beach for a days sunbathing'
Week 3 - 'quick jog out to pick up the Sunday papers then put your feet up and watch a good film with one or two glasses of your favourite wine'
. . . . it's not going to happen, doesn't matter how many books you buy or schedules you seek out on line then Viv, for the love of God . . . there will always be running, lots and lots of running!!!!!.
Now that I've got that sorted maybe I can get on . . . .
At the moment I'm reading about the brain, seriously, the bits that make up the brain and what bit controls which part of the things we do, there are diagrams with arrows and long names, the kind you had to memorise at school, the kind that totally turned me off of anything to do with science. I'm trying to stay with it though because eventually I'm hoping to get to the bit that will teach me how I can take control of my brain in order that it can work with me rather than against me as it has been doing for so many years. I want to find the off switch to the little narrator in my head that despite any amount of ambition, hope, training and hard work recites to me, on a loop, 'you can't do it' - 'I know you can't do it'
The book also includes some very silly looking exercises but I do feel they are all designed to make you stronger from the inside and I think I need a bit of that.
One of the most interesting bits in this book is a list from 1 to 50 giving you your target times for 5k, 10k, half and full marathons. If I tell you that the marathon target time at number 1 is 2 hours 9 minutes and 2 seconds it gives you some idea of the target audience for this book. I decided to go for a 'TPL' (that's what they call it) of 46 but following this mornings first session of week 1 of an 18 week schedule to a 10k race at 'base pace' I have had to downgrade myself to a 'TPL' of 50 and even then I'm a bit off the pace. Even at 50 though I'm looking at a marathon target time of 4 hours 49 minutes and 17 seconds, a massive 2 hours and 2 minutes off my PB!!!! and I think anything under 5 hours would be amazing, so I'll go with that, it gives me a 10k target time of 1 hour 3 minutes and 46 seconds - that sounds quite quick at the moment.
Anyway, I'm on my way, just need to find a 10k race in 18 weeks time.
For the first time I questioned this disappointment, what exactly was I hoping to see?
Week 1 - 'spend a couple of hours in a spa, go on, you've earned it'
Week 2 - 'if the sun is shining get yourself down to the beach for a days sunbathing'
Week 3 - 'quick jog out to pick up the Sunday papers then put your feet up and watch a good film with one or two glasses of your favourite wine'
. . . . it's not going to happen, doesn't matter how many books you buy or schedules you seek out on line then Viv, for the love of God . . . there will always be running, lots and lots of running!!!!!.
Now that I've got that sorted maybe I can get on . . . .
At the moment I'm reading about the brain, seriously, the bits that make up the brain and what bit controls which part of the things we do, there are diagrams with arrows and long names, the kind you had to memorise at school, the kind that totally turned me off of anything to do with science. I'm trying to stay with it though because eventually I'm hoping to get to the bit that will teach me how I can take control of my brain in order that it can work with me rather than against me as it has been doing for so many years. I want to find the off switch to the little narrator in my head that despite any amount of ambition, hope, training and hard work recites to me, on a loop, 'you can't do it' - 'I know you can't do it'
The book also includes some very silly looking exercises but I do feel they are all designed to make you stronger from the inside and I think I need a bit of that.
One of the most interesting bits in this book is a list from 1 to 50 giving you your target times for 5k, 10k, half and full marathons. If I tell you that the marathon target time at number 1 is 2 hours 9 minutes and 2 seconds it gives you some idea of the target audience for this book. I decided to go for a 'TPL' (that's what they call it) of 46 but following this mornings first session of week 1 of an 18 week schedule to a 10k race at 'base pace' I have had to downgrade myself to a 'TPL' of 50 and even then I'm a bit off the pace. Even at 50 though I'm looking at a marathon target time of 4 hours 49 minutes and 17 seconds, a massive 2 hours and 2 minutes off my PB!!!! and I think anything under 5 hours would be amazing, so I'll go with that, it gives me a 10k target time of 1 hour 3 minutes and 46 seconds - that sounds quite quick at the moment.
Anyway, I'm on my way, just need to find a 10k race in 18 weeks time.
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