Thursday, April 23, 2009

Paris Marathon and Beyond

Well, I did it. I managed to complete my first marathon, in a time that I am very pleased with. I haven't really been running much since the race, mainly because of this chesty cold that I have right now, but also because I thought I'd give myself a rest in the meantime. The meantime being until my next big run that is.



I have marked my sights on a non-competitive goal for my next big run. It will be a circumnavigation of everyone's favourite Mt. Iwaki when Aki and I visit in the summer. This run, while only being a distance of 25 miles, will actually be a lot harder than Paris. It will be hot, since I plan to run around the end of July in all that sticky humidity. And it will also be rock hard, since there are some mighty hills to be negotiated. I'll treat it much like a marathon in terms of the pre-race training that I do, and I'll take it nice and steady making sure to ignore all clocks and watches so as to avoid the temptation of competing against myself.

In other news, my vegetable patch is looking rosy. Most vigorous among the plants are the lettuce and garlic funnily enough. I say funny because last year's garlic showed little signs of vigour whatsoever. I keep meaning to take photos, but whenever I go up to the allotment there are always so many other things that I can think of doing it just slips my mind.

Something that has kept me busy lately is mole-trapping. The friend that I share the allotment with is a pro-gardener and he has his own mole traps which we've recently put into use. I didn't realise but mole-trapping, like deer hunting, is a stealthy art. There are so many necessary steps before you can get your mole, and there's a wealth of mole knowledge - it's quite an eye-opener.



I'll get you for what you did to my onions!!!