The rest of 2007
As I write, I come to the end of my Christmas break. I've had eight days off, and apart from going running every day, have done nothing constructive at all. I had a lovely day on Christmas day with my family, and had a long overdue night out with Graeme at the weekend after seeing I Am Legend, but apart from that I've done nothing at all except sit in my armchair, drink beer/wine/whatever else I fancied and occasionally piss around on facebook (I guess the novelty will wear off soon). And boy, did I need it. I must have done, otherwise I'd have got bored.
The fact is, 2007 was a good year all round, but very busy, very crowded, and at times extremely stressful. I haven't updated this blog since I ran the London marathon for a couple of reasons; firstly, that seemed a logical point to draw a line under the blog as it had mostly been about the build up to that wonderful day. Secondly, it was time for me to concentrate on my course with the writers' bureau, which has gone well, but still needs a lot more of my time and commitment.
So anyway, here's a little about what I got up to since the 2007 London Marathon. As there's quite a lot I'll divide it up by area.
Running/Training
I got back into training pretty much immediately after London, which was possibly a mistake. Looking back I should probably have had a week on a beach somewhere, and let my body recover fully. I started racing roughly a month after London, and much to my frustration my times have not improved at all, in fact they've got worse. I have not been able to improve on any of the PBs I set in the build up to London, but to be fair there are reasons for this. I haven't been as motivated since London, which is understandable as nothing I was going to do again in 2007 was going to match it. I tried a little too hard to motivate myself I think, and entered too many races to try and keep myself motivated. It didn't work, and I ended up injuring myself. A hamstring strain I had been struggling with was aggravated in the last few miles of the Bristol half marathon and meant I didn't do myself justice at the Swindon half and had to miss the Snowdonia marathon in October.
The absolute nadir of my running career came at the Cricklade half marathon when I actually came home and cried after the race because a) 1:55 was a terribly slow time for me on a flat course b) my hamstring really, really hurt and c) I knew I was going to have to miss Snowdonia and possibly Swindon. I hope I never go through that again.
Ali O'Hara was an absolute star at the time, as he has been all year (he does my sports massages, teaches my body pump classes and I have far too infrequent PT sessions with him to work on my core stability). He was quite strict with me, exhorting me to rest for a few weeks and let the injury heal. He has also been trying his best to help me with my weight which has been an issue for too long. My body composition has definitely changed, probably as a result of taking supplements to aid recovery, but I still need to lose about a stone to get down to an ideal weight and look a bit more like Daniel Craig and less like Homer Simpson. This has to be top of my agenda in 2008 now the leg is better.
Work
Funny this. I used to have a dream where I kept turning up for an exam without having revised or been to any of the classes. I think this was my brain's way of saying "How can you be doing so badly in your career when you did so well at school and went to Uni?". Last night I had a dream where I picked up my degree results and did better than expected.
I've worked incredibly hard at my job this year, especially in the last few weeks, and other areas of my life have suffered. I wanted to do it though; I've been determined to impress my boss, and I think myself, for the following reasons. If I don't get the pay rise I need and deserve (which now seems likely) I'm going to have to get a job at Honda or something else menial but well paid. On the flip side, if my writing career takes off, I may not even need a career in the commercial sector anyway, in which case I'd rather have done at least something of note in it, rather than it just being an abject failure.
Time will tell how it pans out. In the meantime, I have had words with my boss and my salary/grading is under review for all the right reasons. I've also had a couple of trips to Germany since my holiday which were tough but enjoyable. The question of whether I would consider working and living out there again, if the offer was right, has also been raised. Re-arrange the following words to form a sentence: heartbeat in a.
Running the house
I can't afford not to have lodgers any more - like most people I've been feeling the effect of rate rises in 2007. In any case, I didn't buy a four-bedroom house to rattle around in it on my own. I've not managed to rent out all three rooms all the time, but I have had at least two lodgers most of the year. It isn't easy, finding and keeping the right people, so I think I've done well. If anything, maybe too well; I enjoyed having Hamdullah here so much, and got on so well with him, I kind of resented the guy who replaced him (Santhosh, again a lovely guy), in the same way people never warmed to George Lazenby. Why can't they all be like those two?
Hols
Even though I don't feel like I've had a holiday all year I did in fact get two. In June I had a few days in Bochum, Germany, visiting my friend and former lodger. It was a great few days and made me realise how much I miss the place. Everything is better value out there, you don't get ripped off as you do in Blighty. We also travelled up to Amsterdam for a night out. I'll spare you the details, but I can see why one of my closest friends famously refused to take me on his stag weekend there.
I had a lovely weekend in Crete in September, just after the Bristol half. I stayed at a fantastic 4 star hotel, King Minos Palace, in Hersonnisos. Can't fault the hotel; it was half board and the food was great, staff all really friendly and I got on famously with the rep, a young scottish girl called Becky. Unfortunately the resort has become a tad too 18-30 since I went there with Pete in 2000, and I ended up longing for a few quiet bars where I could have a pint and read my book. I was on my own again, but I don't mind this too much as it enables me to catch up on some reading. The two stand-out books this year were 31 Dream Street by Lisa Jewell and Wish You Were Here by Mike Gayle (the latter aptly about 30-something males on holiday in Crete!) I loved them and it was worth the holiday alone to read these two.
My own writing
I've been doing more on my coursework with the writers' bureau this year, and the feedback I've received from my tutor has been very positive, especially for the last batch of assignments. I was hoping to get my curent assignment completed by Christmas but my work on the price file has put paid to that. The current assignment basically is a) write the synopsis for a novel you plan to write and b) write a short story for a magazine. I've finished part a) and am starting on part b) so watch this space!!
Cultural stuff
I've still managed to go the theatre in London a few times this year, mainly with my works sports and social club (I'm now on the committee and will be organising events in 2008). Trips I've enjoyed have been to see Dirty Dancing, Sound of Music, Joseph and Lord of the Rings. I also managed to see Boeing Boeing, which was great and starred my old friend Jennifer Ellison.
I think 2007 will be remembered as a year when I bought some great CDs. Needless to say I bought the new Sugababes CD as soon as it was released (About You Now always reminds me of the day after the Bristol half when I nursed a hangover, a torn hamstring and drove down to Gatwick to go on holiday). I've become a big Rihanna fan and a couple of weeks ago me and my running buddy Andy had a top day out in London seeing her perform at Wembley. I'm not an R&B fan but the album Good Girl Gone Bad is an absolute gem. Britney Spears CD got such good reviews I was forced to buy a copy and was not disappointed. I just hope she sorts herself out, bless her.
The unexpected surprise was Orson's Culture Vultures. Again, a review in The Times persuaded me to buy a copy and it was worth every penny. If there's justice in this world, Broken Watch will be at number one in 2008 for as many weeks as Umbrella was in 2007.
Cricket
Ah, now I know why I'm so knackered. Following the England team this year is enough to break most men. Following the Ashes debacle, there was the infamous Fredalo incident, being dumped out of the world cup, losing to India at home, losing 3 games out of 4 in the twenty20 world cup, and then losing 1-0 to Sri Lanka. Which should have been 2-0. I firmly believe, however, that they play far too much cricket and even I was relieved when they finally got a break. The fact that player rotation has been mooted just reinforces this, and who can really blame Paul Collingwood for going to a lap-dancing bar in South Africa?? I'm sorry but he is a human being at the end of the day and anyone who is away from home for that long is going to want to see some tits at some stage!! I'm sorry but they are!!
The only real highlight, apart from a slight improvement in the performances of the one day side, has been the return of Michael Vaughan who looked imperious in the summer after an injury which threatened to end his career prematurely. He should have been nominated for Sports Personality of the Year for that. Let's just hope Flintoff can do the same in 2008, or the Ashes series in 2009 probably won't be worth tuning in to.
Yep, I think it's fair to say 2007 was a busy year for me. Let's hope 2008 is just as eventful!
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, January 2008
The fact is, 2007 was a good year all round, but very busy, very crowded, and at times extremely stressful. I haven't updated this blog since I ran the London marathon for a couple of reasons; firstly, that seemed a logical point to draw a line under the blog as it had mostly been about the build up to that wonderful day. Secondly, it was time for me to concentrate on my course with the writers' bureau, which has gone well, but still needs a lot more of my time and commitment.
So anyway, here's a little about what I got up to since the 2007 London Marathon. As there's quite a lot I'll divide it up by area.
Running/Training
I got back into training pretty much immediately after London, which was possibly a mistake. Looking back I should probably have had a week on a beach somewhere, and let my body recover fully. I started racing roughly a month after London, and much to my frustration my times have not improved at all, in fact they've got worse. I have not been able to improve on any of the PBs I set in the build up to London, but to be fair there are reasons for this. I haven't been as motivated since London, which is understandable as nothing I was going to do again in 2007 was going to match it. I tried a little too hard to motivate myself I think, and entered too many races to try and keep myself motivated. It didn't work, and I ended up injuring myself. A hamstring strain I had been struggling with was aggravated in the last few miles of the Bristol half marathon and meant I didn't do myself justice at the Swindon half and had to miss the Snowdonia marathon in October.
The absolute nadir of my running career came at the Cricklade half marathon when I actually came home and cried after the race because a) 1:55 was a terribly slow time for me on a flat course b) my hamstring really, really hurt and c) I knew I was going to have to miss Snowdonia and possibly Swindon. I hope I never go through that again.
Ali O'Hara was an absolute star at the time, as he has been all year (he does my sports massages, teaches my body pump classes and I have far too infrequent PT sessions with him to work on my core stability). He was quite strict with me, exhorting me to rest for a few weeks and let the injury heal. He has also been trying his best to help me with my weight which has been an issue for too long. My body composition has definitely changed, probably as a result of taking supplements to aid recovery, but I still need to lose about a stone to get down to an ideal weight and look a bit more like Daniel Craig and less like Homer Simpson. This has to be top of my agenda in 2008 now the leg is better.
Work
Funny this. I used to have a dream where I kept turning up for an exam without having revised or been to any of the classes. I think this was my brain's way of saying "How can you be doing so badly in your career when you did so well at school and went to Uni?". Last night I had a dream where I picked up my degree results and did better than expected.
I've worked incredibly hard at my job this year, especially in the last few weeks, and other areas of my life have suffered. I wanted to do it though; I've been determined to impress my boss, and I think myself, for the following reasons. If I don't get the pay rise I need and deserve (which now seems likely) I'm going to have to get a job at Honda or something else menial but well paid. On the flip side, if my writing career takes off, I may not even need a career in the commercial sector anyway, in which case I'd rather have done at least something of note in it, rather than it just being an abject failure.
Time will tell how it pans out. In the meantime, I have had words with my boss and my salary/grading is under review for all the right reasons. I've also had a couple of trips to Germany since my holiday which were tough but enjoyable. The question of whether I would consider working and living out there again, if the offer was right, has also been raised. Re-arrange the following words to form a sentence: heartbeat in a.
Running the house
I can't afford not to have lodgers any more - like most people I've been feeling the effect of rate rises in 2007. In any case, I didn't buy a four-bedroom house to rattle around in it on my own. I've not managed to rent out all three rooms all the time, but I have had at least two lodgers most of the year. It isn't easy, finding and keeping the right people, so I think I've done well. If anything, maybe too well; I enjoyed having Hamdullah here so much, and got on so well with him, I kind of resented the guy who replaced him (Santhosh, again a lovely guy), in the same way people never warmed to George Lazenby. Why can't they all be like those two?
Hols
Even though I don't feel like I've had a holiday all year I did in fact get two. In June I had a few days in Bochum, Germany, visiting my friend and former lodger. It was a great few days and made me realise how much I miss the place. Everything is better value out there, you don't get ripped off as you do in Blighty. We also travelled up to Amsterdam for a night out. I'll spare you the details, but I can see why one of my closest friends famously refused to take me on his stag weekend there.
I had a lovely weekend in Crete in September, just after the Bristol half. I stayed at a fantastic 4 star hotel, King Minos Palace, in Hersonnisos. Can't fault the hotel; it was half board and the food was great, staff all really friendly and I got on famously with the rep, a young scottish girl called Becky. Unfortunately the resort has become a tad too 18-30 since I went there with Pete in 2000, and I ended up longing for a few quiet bars where I could have a pint and read my book. I was on my own again, but I don't mind this too much as it enables me to catch up on some reading. The two stand-out books this year were 31 Dream Street by Lisa Jewell and Wish You Were Here by Mike Gayle (the latter aptly about 30-something males on holiday in Crete!) I loved them and it was worth the holiday alone to read these two.
My own writing
I've been doing more on my coursework with the writers' bureau this year, and the feedback I've received from my tutor has been very positive, especially for the last batch of assignments. I was hoping to get my curent assignment completed by Christmas but my work on the price file has put paid to that. The current assignment basically is a) write the synopsis for a novel you plan to write and b) write a short story for a magazine. I've finished part a) and am starting on part b) so watch this space!!
Cultural stuff
I've still managed to go the theatre in London a few times this year, mainly with my works sports and social club (I'm now on the committee and will be organising events in 2008). Trips I've enjoyed have been to see Dirty Dancing, Sound of Music, Joseph and Lord of the Rings. I also managed to see Boeing Boeing, which was great and starred my old friend Jennifer Ellison.
I think 2007 will be remembered as a year when I bought some great CDs. Needless to say I bought the new Sugababes CD as soon as it was released (About You Now always reminds me of the day after the Bristol half when I nursed a hangover, a torn hamstring and drove down to Gatwick to go on holiday). I've become a big Rihanna fan and a couple of weeks ago me and my running buddy Andy had a top day out in London seeing her perform at Wembley. I'm not an R&B fan but the album Good Girl Gone Bad is an absolute gem. Britney Spears CD got such good reviews I was forced to buy a copy and was not disappointed. I just hope she sorts herself out, bless her.
The unexpected surprise was Orson's Culture Vultures. Again, a review in The Times persuaded me to buy a copy and it was worth every penny. If there's justice in this world, Broken Watch will be at number one in 2008 for as many weeks as Umbrella was in 2007.
Cricket
Ah, now I know why I'm so knackered. Following the England team this year is enough to break most men. Following the Ashes debacle, there was the infamous Fredalo incident, being dumped out of the world cup, losing to India at home, losing 3 games out of 4 in the twenty20 world cup, and then losing 1-0 to Sri Lanka. Which should have been 2-0. I firmly believe, however, that they play far too much cricket and even I was relieved when they finally got a break. The fact that player rotation has been mooted just reinforces this, and who can really blame Paul Collingwood for going to a lap-dancing bar in South Africa?? I'm sorry but he is a human being at the end of the day and anyone who is away from home for that long is going to want to see some tits at some stage!! I'm sorry but they are!!
The only real highlight, apart from a slight improvement in the performances of the one day side, has been the return of Michael Vaughan who looked imperious in the summer after an injury which threatened to end his career prematurely. He should have been nominated for Sports Personality of the Year for that. Let's just hope Flintoff can do the same in 2008, or the Ashes series in 2009 probably won't be worth tuning in to.
Yep, I think it's fair to say 2007 was a busy year for me. Let's hope 2008 is just as eventful!
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, January 2008
posted by Jon | 6:18 pm
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