Two days to go

And preparations are underway.  Off to Brum in the morning and then on Saturday, I basically run home!

James just sent me this:
http://youtu.be/vuBw39uCT4Q
...for I am a smelly ultra-runner.

Holly will be guest-blogging mid runner to keep my legions of readers up to date.  Boom town.

Calm before the storm

I am serene, with one week until complete bodily destruction...

Rocking a daisy chain

Duckies!

Whilst watching the duckies, we witnessed serious drama - long lost boyfriends, questionable paternity and even attempted rape.  Mrs Duck had a very stressful day.

In other news, I have begun the design of the climbing wall to be installed in the new house:

Me, myself and I

We have bought a house! Or at least had an offer accepted.  Exciting times, and finally heading to completing one of my 2012 goals. But still far from exchanging contracts so I will say no more about it for now.

One thing I have noticed in dealing with people in this industry, both mortgage types and estate agents, is that they have no comprehension of when to use the word ‘myself’. So here is a lesson for them:

I shoot you.

You shoot me.

I shoot myself.

You shoot yourself.

Nick gets canalised

Today was my last long run - 39 very pleasant miles mostly along the canals and up the Lea.  It's a busy old waterway and was interesting to see the mix of very old and very new, plus it passes right by the Olympic Park.

James was kind enough to take this photo, in attempt to keep this blog from becoming a complete borefest.  It wasn't really worth the collateral damage. James, ever the one for a perfectly framed shot decided to take a high vantage point on a small brick wall.  Poorly executing his leap, he skinned his shin on the wall before face-planting into a flower bed in front of a young family.  The dad kindly asked if he was okay, but the expression on his face said something entirely different.  Anyway, here is the shot:

Note: I am not actually this fat

Quaint canal meets absolute shithole.

Today's run, 7hrs 55min

So I can now run along canals.  Mad skills.  Now there is only two weeks to go, a wee reminder:  https://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/nickharvey

Tonight, if I can stay awake, we have Champions League and Aliens all nighter (in anticipation of Prometheus) at Gav and Jane's.  Epic day!

Getting homely

The past week has been busy, unfortunately not with running.  I popped into the bank last Wednesday to dip my toes in the murky waters of mortgages, came out with an agreement-in-principle and then proceeded to see 13 properties in three days.  I don't mess about.


We have seen one we quite like, enough to warrant a second visit anyway, which we had last night.  Blimey, you notice more the second time round!  I am keen on it as it has side access, a driveway, a big brick outhouse and a loft conversion (though accessed by a fixed ladder) - tonnes of storage space and room for a 'training facility' and room to cope with a couple of MiniMes.  We have mainly been looking in Chingford and whilst this place isn't on the best estate in the area, ironically it is near one of the better schools (gotta be future proofed!).  On the plus side (I think) it has been on the market for over six months, so we'd be unlucky for it to suddenly sell, so are going to continue looking.


I should really have run a long way at the weekend, but I didn't - my excuse is a feeling of impending injury, the shins have been niggling and I have a morbid fear shin splints.  A short mileage week will prepare me for a massive run on Saturday, which will be my last long one.


In other news, I got the train home yesterday due to house viewings and I am glad I did.  Jogging home from the station, the squits set in and I actually crapped my pants a little bit.  Can you believe that?  Don't ever say I don't share all with my dear readers.  So that was me at my most mature (future property magnate) and immature (incontinent) all in one day.  Shit happens.


Keep it tight and stay regular, my peoples.

Holly, or as I like to call her, The Grim Reaper, trying to change the duvet cover

(unrelated to my squitish indiscretion btw)

Weekend in Wales

Just back from a weekend in Wales with cadets.  Sometimes it's a good laugh and sometimes they drive me up the wall, but in the main it was a pretty painless trip.  Apart from the cadet caught streaking down the main thoroughfare of the army camp at 11pm - one essay on 'why I am a fool' (or words to that effect) later and he has persuaded me that he should be allowed away on future trips.  What a douche.

For once I managed to avoid walking routes I have done before, though I had to take a lame one down Saturday (and so spent the rest of the day worrying if the rest of the group would do something stupid).

Oh, and my plans of rest this weekend have backfired with me tweaking a hamstring on the easiest walk I've ever done.

Also saw The Avengers again, which I hear has smashed the records for opening weekend in the States - go Whedon!

Cadets rarely think to use paths

Holding hands stops them falling in, they tell me

The cadet was instructed to use the dog-stile, which I then accidentally sat on

I am tired

I thought it time for a wee update after a pretty slow week.  This week, I think, marks my first 70-mile-week, and I’ve done it in five days – though it does entirely consist of runs to and from work.  So I only have do to double that distance in two, rather than five, days.  Easy.

I must admit to feeling a bit battered though and have a few niggles, most worrying of which is on the inside of my left leg, just above the ankle – could be shin splints, maybe? But these pains tend to migrate around my body so I won’t panic just yet.  I finally got a blister too, to practice my skills on.  On the plus side, I think I have earned the weekend off – I am off to Wales to drag stroppy teenagers up hills and wasn’t looking forward to running after a full day of that.

I have ordered a load of new kit – compression shorts, t-shirt, lube, tape for feet, drying powder, race number belt and the ominous scalpel (which cost all of 10p).  Only four weeks to go now. Shit a brick.  I am also recruiting more support runners since I discovered I can have company from 65 miles, not 70.

In other news, I climbed last weekend and I wasn’t half as bad as I expected – it wasn’t good, but it wasn’t embarrassing either (my plan of climbing once a week to tick over isn’t even happening).  This was only inside so doesn’t count anyway.  This will be the latest in the year I have ever started climbing outside, and probably 8 months since I did last, by the time I finally get back on rock.  How I long for it...