WHEN I SAY I "MISS" IT......

Another day - another run. That's four eight to nine mile runs in four days under the belt. This morning the sun was out - so it was a nice eight mile trot through Innerwick and then up via the pylon road to Weatherly before the quick downhill section back home (slowing slightly only to look again at the "crocodile").
The "recovery" is coming along nicely and "normal service" can probably be resumed very soon. Which is good news indeed. Good news in as much as I have missed my runs at lunchtime in the "Dear Green Place".
Not that I "miss" the D.G.P. you understand. Hell no. The last people who could say with any true emotion and conviction that they "missed" that dump were the brave lads who piloted their twin engine Junkers 88's over it in the spring of '41.
No I miss the running as it's the only thing that keeps me sane when I'm through there. But now that the taper's over and the recovery complete it's back to my wee jaunts up and down the banks of the majestic Clyde... Oh joy.

BURSTING AT THE SEAMS

The tiny bothy that is the Hay country residence is bursting at the seams.
I have, if not actually surpassed, then got very close to "crisis" point "vis a vis" storage. The storage of CDs ... Jazz CDs to be perfectly honest. I'm up to my ears in them.

Current storage arrangements are, at best, a bit of a mess. I have two sets of drawers in the palatial "main dinning room/function suite". The larger of the two chest is very much the "mother lode" with hundreds of CDs removed from their bothersome "jewel cases" and inserted into space saving vinyl sleeves. These are ordered alphabetically from mainstream trumpeter Bruce Adams through the whole spectrum of jazz to Joshua Redman's organ led trio YaYa3 (no "Z"??).
Next to it there sites the smaller "treasure chest" where oft played classics by Jan Garbarek, Andy Sheppard, Tommy Smith, Courtney Pine, EST and the likes reside.

Upstairs in the luxurious "guest room/office" are two further cabinets where yesterdays idols and lesser works reside. Trouble is, what's a lesser work one week can suddenly turn into a "must hear" very quickly. These CDs I'm saddened to admit are "roughly filed in order". This makes the instant laying on of hands a bit bothersome. Though to be honest the fact that these two storage facilities are in the office has meant I have "rediscovered" a lot of really good jazz while working from home. But that in turn brings about problems, because when I rediscover how good something old is I automatically want to rehouse it back in the mother lode - closer to my "good" quality HiFi. "Harmos" by Barry Guy and the London Jazz Composers Orchestra! Hidden away -  and why? I listened to it and was blown away by how good it was. One piece of music that starts and ends with bitter, angry, almost discordant, disjointed notes but in the middle there is this lovely melodic, charming, orchestral, almost pastoral, passage. You find yourself immersed in this beautiful music and you can't really put your finger on when it emerged from the sounds at the beginning and you cant really grasp when it slips away again - the whole 40 minute piece is organic.
But I digress... Over and above these four storage facilities there are various wooden boxes, cardboard boxes and one steel case that holds about 500. This currently resides in the master bedroom.
I need something that I can access all my music on efficiently and quickly.......
I need one of these........

http://www.brennan.co.uk/

Problem is, if (or when) I get one of these. I'll still have as many CDs (surely you didn't think I'd get rid of them???). But at least I could file them away permanently and access the music I want easily.

Another, perhaps obvious solution, would be to go down the road of a high storage Ipod and quality docking station. But that goes against all my existing prejudices against the horrible bloody cultural hegemony of the Ipod brand and it's sheepish followers. I really do believe there are much better MP3/WMA players out there ... you just can't get the good quality docking stations for them.

Of course the cynical might just say I could buy less.......

DON’T KNOW IF IT’S A RECOGNISED DISORDER ….

Been a bit affected by the "post race blues" this week. A sort of melancholy I suppose. A state perhaps brought about by the sudden realisation that after weeks of preparation, there's bugger all left to aim for (in the immediate future that is).
Ah well. Best, to find something then.. My mind keeps wandering towards thoughts of the rolling roads along Loch Ness in October ..... hmmm, we'll see.

Or perhaps my blues has been caused by Amazon's failure to deliver the new Steve Lodder CD I ordered in time for me to "get into it" during the long bank holiday weekend.
So.. just in case that's what was causing this mild psychological disorder I went out today and bought another new one. The new Keith Jarrett and Charlie Hadden offering. Gets good reviews and I love Keith Jarrett's piano (though his highly audible self accompanying mumbles and humming can grate at times). Anyway. Get a chance to listen to it over the weekend.

On the running side? Yes I have been out a few times since Sunday. Failed to go out a run on Monday though. I really did intend to go a wee recovery run (a gentle 3 or 4 mile trot), but on returning home from work I was overcome by a huge tsunami of "couldn't-be-arsedness".
So, my first run ended up being the club run on Tuesday - a "gentle" (hoho) 9 mile cross country trot through the chicken farm and John Muir country park at a steady 7:20 pace. Which may explain why on Wednesday my legs felt as though they had been put through a bloody mangle!
Managed a nice run up and round by the wind farms today, and, while the legs don't exactly have their old "bounce" back yet, they are getting better.

Got my number today for the Black Rock 5 in a coupe of weeks. Also hope to do the Haddington 5 and the Portobello prom race in June.

ITS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING......

I've tried for a few years now to get a sub 3 marathon, and I've always wondered what it would feel like once I did.
Well, now I know. It's a combination of elation and agony.
I've seen a couple of different reports about yesterdays race that put the temperature between 21 or 25 - but out there on the road it felt a lot LOT hotter.
I'd like to say that I had a plan yesterday and that the race went to that plan and everything just fell into place - but that would be a lie.
While I'm more than happy with my time it was for me what has become a bit of a "signature" race. Paced all over the place, ugly, painful and disorganised.
The "plan" I did have was actually to go for 2:55. So that meant in an ideal world mile splits of about 6:41 (a pace I feel comfortable with in normal conditions). Anyway, what the plan didn't take into account was the sun having his hat on hip-hip-hip-hooray!

First couple of miles were a bit [too] fast and I was off pace already. Did slow down slightly at one point going along the prom at Portobello (6 mile mark ) where volleyball nets had been put into the sand and there was a ladies beach volleyball game going on - always been one of my favourite spectator sports !

From there to be honest I'd like to give a blow by blow account of the race. But I really can't remember that much about it to be honest. It was just a case of head down and get on with the job in hand.

Took a little bit of water at every stop and likewise took a little bit of energy drink at every station where that was available.

Passed through the Pans where Anne and Ian were marshalling feeling good. Past Seaton sands and then into the grounds of Gossford House.

To be honest I felt really good right up till about the 22/23 mile mark .... then the wheels fell off. Sudden retching and the fluid contents said "goodbye stomach" and "hello pavement". Picked up the speed again, though still a bit slower than previously, but the last mile was a slow one, again with the old stomach giving me a bit bother.

Luckily I'd "got enough in the bank". Turned into Musselburgh racecourse onto the mats up to the finish line knowing I'd done it.

For once I think there will be a photo of me crossing the line looking happy! 2:59:11 !!

All in all I was very impressed with the organisation of the marathon this year. Having the baggage buses and "village" out on Pinkie playing fields really made sense.

Got my gear, got changed and then started making my weary way back up the road to meet Anne and Ian at the Pans.

Stopped off at the wee Post Office out by Mrs Foremans for something cold. Looked in the fridge and noticed Ice Poles. I cant remember the last time I had one of those, but on a day like yesterday it was just the ticket. I'd completely forgotten that the shop is owned by Ian Wood of Musselburgh running club - so free ice pole! Top man.

When I got to where the others were marshaling the crowds were still swarming through and you could tell that a lot of people were really suffering in the heat.

Crowds were great though with lots of impromptu water stations set up and garden hoses and sprinklers set out in the road to cool the runners down.

Marshals and first aiders really had their work cut out for them though.

It didn't bother me too much - but I still question the the idea of having an 8:00 half marathon start and leaving the marathon runners till 10:00 to start.

Anyway. That's it. "Job done". Sub-3 obtained.

Immediate plans are to recover, then get back to enjoying running for a wee while (10ks and halfs etc). But what next? Well, I'd like to do it again, but a bit more comfortably.

IF YOU GO UP TO THE WOODS TODAY - TAKE A GUN

Oh lordy.
Don't know if it's heatstroke or if I've been affected by "taper madness" to that great an extent that I've started hallucinating!!
It's bloody typical. Nearly through May and after a year, so far, that can be best described as "crap" the weather takes a turn for the scorching. Expect all the Sunday papers tomorrow to have pictures of corpulent Brits tucking into ice-creams or young ladies in bikinis, all accompanied by "Britain Bakes" and "Phew! What A Scorcher" type headlines.
Spare a thought however for those daft enough to run 26.2 miles in it after training in somewhat cooler conditions. Spare a moment too to ponder the wisdom of setting off those who are running 13 miles at 8:00 in the relative cool of the morning. While those doing the full 26 get the fun of hanging about till 10:00 - just to make sure the sun's really out!

Oh Well. Anyway. Due to the dreaded taper I had already decided that today was a rest day - no running for yours truly.

Decided therefore to go a wee bit of a walk and at least keep the legs moving and also to stave of the boredom or even worse the temptation to watch Saturday afternoon telly!!

Just went out for about a mile... "up the back" from our bit.

There's a pond there. Well, I think it can be classified as a pond - it might just be an immense puddle. Anyway. It's very popular with all the cattle at the moment. A wee place for a drink and a paddle (amazingly, it's also a popular place for some of them to pee - which you would think would greatly reduce the desire for the others to drink and paddle).

It was there though that I first spotted the new wildlife. The crocodile!!

Emerging from the pond, and silently creeping towards the road is the belly-shuffling, beady-eyed, hard-skinned little croc.

I couldn't believe my eyes!

Closer inspection, however, reveals that it's little more than one of those three piece garden ornament type things.

Wonder who put it there? How long has it been there? How long will it stay? And what does it eat!!

HIDE THE MADNESS UNDER COVERS

Trying my hardest to stave off the "taper madness" this week.
Last nights club run was perhaps a "tad" too long and too quick, but nowhere near as bad as the last couple of weeks. And any other run I've done this week has been a gentle 4 mile trot.
So. Nowt to do till Sunday, but sit and wait.

I've also been self-medicating with jazz to try and sooth the old nerves a bit.

First up and very much in a modern groove is alto saxophonist Rosario Giuliani who hails from Italy. Now. I got this from one of those "previously owned" places and thought to myself "never heard of this chap - but it looks good. I'll give it a punt." Well. Shows how much I know - I've already got a few albums that he's playing on. Not "headlining" the albums admittedly but he's appeared on two Guy Barker albums that I own and, given that he's played with Enrico Rava and Michel Petrucciani there's a chance I may have some other bits and bobs by him.
Anyway. Glad I got this one. Saxophone led quartet that is pretty mainstream, but with a decided modern "edge" to it. It reminds me of Chris Potter. Really nice cover of Petrucciani's "Home". The original is really light and joyful; the rhythm section giving a nice pedestrian beat for Petrucciani to, not so much walk along with, but dance in between. Petrucciani's "home" is a place where something wonderful awaits and he is almost child-like in his eagerness to get to it.. This version is just a bit slower and ballad-like, it gives the impression that here "home" may or may not hold wonders, but it is more a journey back to sanctuary from troubles and weariness.
I like cover versions that take a piece of music and change aspects of it, while remaining recognisable. This really fits the bill. Some covers - you want to listen to again and again. Some - you want to listen to the original again and again. With this? Makes me want to listen to both.

I have also decided to plug a gap in my collection. Johnny Hodges. For years Duke Ellington's lead alto player and band leader in his own right.

I don't know if he was against the bebop trend of the 50's, or if he simply stuck to doing what he did best. But as you would expect of a contemporary of Ben Webster, Lester Young and the likes his stuff is a bit "old school" - but it swings. And there's always a place for a bit swing in this world.
Those jolly nice people at "Avid Jazz" have done it again. Not two, not, three, but a stonking four Johnny Hodges albums on two CDs for a mere three and a half pounds! All good stuff. But the first album "Castle Rock" is a real jive/jump/dance album. Of the four, favourite so far is "Creamy" where he's joined by Billy Strayhorn on piano and Clark Terry on trumpet, among others, for some really warm ballads (a few by Strayhorn) before ending it what sounds like a hot ten minute jam session called "No Good Kicking".
The other two albums are "In A Mellow Tone" and "Perdido" which are both pretty standard Ellington covers albums. But these are covers done well by guys who were deemed good enough to be hired by Ellington himself, and that should be a good enough recommendation for anybody.

Mr "OOH... I'M FULL OF THE COLD". THE MARTYR.

Every bloody time! Without fail.
The week running up to a marathon there's always some bastard comes
into the office full of the cold - dripping and sweating all over the
place.
And its usualy the bugger thats usually "off sick" at the drop of a
hat the rest of the year.
Piss off!! Your only a civil servant anyway - not like you actually do anything.