03 January 2011

Of mixed up music and irritating speedhumps!

We did the same 5 mile walk this morning that we did yesterday but this time we convinced our youngest son to join us.  Fleet, our dog, did lots of running chasing lots of sticks some of which were really to big for him!We had a great time and stopped off at a local pub for a bite to eat called The Bounty which is right next to the Thames.  It is a relaxed pub with a very welcoming atmosphere - I shall take some photos next time. It's really worth a visit  and extremely popular with the locals.  I'm tired of posting scenic photos, here's a photo of me and my youngest son who is 13. 


So ... after we returned home I started thinking about a run.  Now my youngest son has really got into Janathon so he's giving me a push.  The problem is that we don't have many daylight hours, off I went later in the afternoon knowing it was going to be dark when I returned, sigh!  I did the same run down to Maidenhead and along the Jubilee River and back again.

After sunset it started getting quite cold, I might need a few more layers in the future.  There were even a few snow flurries, brr - I couldn't talk properly when I got inside as my face was so cold!

I used my new iPod that has playlists (unlike my old iPod Shuffle), the problem is that I can't easily forward songs like on my iPod Shuffle and I haven't organised the playlists properly.  No problem, I thought, I'll play my 25 most played songs and i'll set it to shuffle.  Now I have sung in a choir and often listen to pieces to etch them in my memory (I can't read music very well) and my most recently played songs only apply to iTunes and not my iPod Shuffle.  This meant I ended up listening to a mix of Electronic/Dance music and Rutter/Chilcott Choral pieces - not everybodies taste but worked rather well, it kind of boosted and then made you float along (ideal for Janathon where knee conservation running is a high priority).  Sean, remember it was my idea first - AudioFuel with a twist of Choral Music (somehow I don't think it will take off).

One other thing, speed humps are not very good for cars but they're not very good for runners with headtorches either! I really struggle to spot them, I know they're there, I'm looking out for them and then trip, stagger, 'umph!', I've hit one!!

The run was 14.44 miles, which includes 0.4 miles when my Garmin was off.  I don't know if I switched it off during a rest/headtorch adjustment, and then forgot to switch it back on or if my glove switched it off.  Anyway I came home and worked out what I'd missed - it's the second time it's happened.  I might try the auto off function when you stop and see if it's me forgetting switch it back on.  

5 comments:

Cakey said...

Epic run and eclectic soundtrack! I once saw someone face plant on a speedhump in a race - poor girl - impossible to see them in a crowd of people, let alone the dark!

Erin Conley said...

I don't even need speedhumps to fall flat on my face while running at dusk...I do a good enough job tripping over my own feet, or a raised part of the sidewalk. I've got a couple good scars on my knees to prove it. Thank goodness my knees were never really pretty anyway! I like your music selection, too...maybe I'll try something like that sometime. Nice work so far with Janathon!

JL said...

Great effort today, and inspiring start to the Janathon - well done!

auswomble said...

ah, I remember running in Surrey snow. I once got home and my missus burst out laughing after opening the door for me (my hands were not working.) I had a small dusting of snow settled on my head and shoulders. Happy days :-)

Anonymous said...

So true about the ipod shuffle settings - can really produce some interesting listening. Think I night have to pinch that to feature in a future blog post. I shall reference you when I do.

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