Head over Hills

It is just after five. My ears pick up the faint audible call in the distance; a call that is slowly echoed by a few more, as the birds start to announce the new dawn. I am already awake and eager to embrace the day ahead. Since I have to leave for work at six, I decide to get up and do the right thing.

www.bloglines.com

Today after work I ran 4 miles. After half a mile of trotting, I ran up and down the hill near where we live. If my guess-timation is right, it is 3/8 of a mile up a 25 – 30 degree incline. I'm nowhere near the league of Rob and Olga, so I did just 3 sets. I felt okay on the way up. The only part I have to think about is the downhill bit – I don’t want to run fast downhill, but it gives me a bit too much time to recover. I ran out the 4 miles on the way home. On days I don't really feel like putting in the miles, I should try hills. Not sure they're that good for knees though; we shall see in the days to come.

The junior school I already teach one day a week at officially advertised teaching postions in the papers today. There were 2 positions available. Having already been in-the-know beforehand, I'd already completed and sent off application forms a few days ago, and by special mail too, so at least I know the head has had my application form on her desk by 1pm yesterday. I really would like to teach there, and I'm really really really (can't say it enough) hoping something turns out on that front. Interviews aren't until the middle of May, so I'll have some time to rustle up a few lesson plans to teach. And have a few days to relax instead of fretting like I have been the past few days.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

Resumes and all that

Let's do the Q-and-A first, shall we? With the exception of a handful, most readers of this blog and I are separated by the puddle we call the Atlantic, which explains why, RR, I am able to watch the London Marathon on the BBC. The BBC, in my opinion, is more than willing to screen live programmes of extensive length, because it saves them from screening yet another re-run of Indiana Jones, or show Ewoks doing fartleks in The Empire Strikes Back. But I've used up my monthly Rant tokens, so I shall have to shut up.

We ran for 30 minutes on Sunday, and this morning I did an extra 4 miles. Pace was under 8 minutes per mile, and I was satisfied with that. Running, at the moment, is not "the break from work", but another item to strike off the to-do checklist.

I've begun applying for teaching jobs. They are for primary/junior schools, which isn't my direct specialism (mine is secondary). But I have experience in teaching younger kids, I have taught in classrooms for many years, I have taught in England, and I have other work experience, particularly in Music, beyond the job description. When I applied for my first teaching job in England many schools simply looked at the fact that I was a teacher from overseas and wrote me rejection letters immediately (probably because the cost of further correspondence would have been too expensive. PS - ever had a job application rejected by email?). I had to plonk myself in this country first before I could progress any further. But if you were a headteacher, and you wanted someone to teach your kids in primary school, and be in charge of Music in the school, do you think I would qualify?

It's quite frustrating at times when people say "But you didn't do your teaching practice in a primary school" when I know my skills encompass that, and whatever I am weak at, I will work at. I know I can do the job, and I hope they see that I can too.

Positive Thinking

I woke up this morning intending to go for a 5-mile trot, but it's raining heavily - good luck to the London Marathoners! - so it may be time to bring out the long-forgotten stepper again. The last time I tried it one of the hydraulic cylinders was a bit funny and sounded like it was done for - instead of a regular foo-foo-foo-foo sound I got k-foo-k-foo. But I still like my stepper. It helped me to keep working out over the cold winter months, my Achilles heel. I might combine it with the repertoire of weights, pressups and ab-work that I also did yesterday perhaps while watching the marathon on TV.

I have to clarify something about my previous post (I had left out the finer details to spare everyone). It wasn't that I was just stuck on a train all that time on Friday (and as it turns out, on Saturday as well, dammit). I can deal with that. The direct train I normally take wasn't available, and the alternative route of getting to work meant taking three different trains to get there. I can deal with that - that's not what I'm upset about.

What I'm upset about, is:
(i) If the train company's "live travel updates" on the internet say a train is running, then please please please make sure that the information is accurate, and that it is running. I don't want to find out only when I get to the train station that trains have not been running for over two hours.

(ii) While trying to make alternative route arrangements, I called the National Rail helpline. Again, two hours into train cancellations, the woman at the other end of the phone could still cheerfully tell me "trains are running as usual". This, when I am at the train station, and only seeing ghost carriages. And I don't want to be directed to take an alternative route at another train station, only to get there and find that those trains aren't running either. And if you give information about alternative journeys, obviously give me the route that is the quickest, not the scenic routes. And some trains get to a certain place quicker, because they make fewer stops. If you're going to do a job and get paid for it, then do it properly.

It's not the fact that I had to spend longer on travelling that irks me as much as being messed around, having to work out journeys on three other trains based on flawed information. I think given the circumstances you would be inclined to agree with me that it was - I can't put it anyway else - a pretty shitty Friday and Saturday. Total time spent travelling - 13 hours. And with the pressure of trying to get to work on time - I can't have children hanging around outside class not knowing what to do - I'm starting to think "get a proper job".

The bright side to all this? At least, if the same thing happens again on Monday, this time I'm f-ing prepared.

Job Rant

Three days a week my work takes me to a different city, where the door to door journey, mainly by train, takes between 1.75 to 2 hours. Well, today it took me an f-ing 3.5 hours to get there, and 3 to get back. That's 6.5 hours spent travelling. If you were religious you might - considering my mental debates of the past few days - treat this as a "sign" to give up whatever I'm doing, career-wise and start over again. The after-work run initally pencilled in for today is not happening.

I might as well rename my blog to Seatbound and Travelling. I repeat the damn journey again tomorrow.

Tailing along

We went out this morning for some retail therapy. I have to clarify that my retail therapy role is synonymous with that of "clothing rail" - simply hold up the clothes by the hangers while someone else does her mixing and matching, colour co-ordinating etc. Me? I'm colour-blind, so I tend to opt for black trousers. Any shirt goes with black. Easy. Occasionally during retail therapy I wear a "banker" hat too.

Did 4 miles yesterday; 8 minutes per mile. I wanted to do 5, possibly 7, but I hadn't eaten properly and I was too hot. It was a balmy 60 degrees and I should have gone in my shorts, but regrettably opted for the jogging bottoms because I was too shy to let anyone see my matchstick legs.

Mainly hourly pressups in the afternoon today. I will have to do more stretching and ab work; I'm really feeling the tightness in my legs and the looseness around my stomach. If only it were the other way around!

I have been toying with the idea of returning to classroom teaching - proper teaching, some might say - although if I ever do it will be with primary schools and little kids, so I have been reading up on the primary curriculum and downloading lesson plans and all. The specific obstacles to that are too long-winded to mention here and best for another time. One of the schools where I teach music at has a vacancy next year - well, the class music teacher herself is leaving - so I might make a few enquiries there.

School starts tomorrow. Yippee! TriSaraTops and Running Rabbit might think I'm nuts, but I can't wait to get back to school. I feel guilty when I don't do any work. Another reason why I probably should go back to classroom teaching, and face the daily stress, so holidays could be appreciated a bit more.

Happy training, everyone! It's crunch time for me.

Back to the Desk?

We went out for short trots on Saturday and Monday. I’ve been beset with a certain level of stiffness that comes on and off without reason, and that – along with the cold and all – made us fear that I’d got meningitis as well (my sister-in-law felt that way to begin with), but thankfully that wasn’t the case for me. I was happy to trot for about half an hour each time. Pace: easy.

A few more days’ break until school resumes again for the Summer term. I’ve been thinking about going back to classroom teaching again full-time. Even though I work in schools, at the moment what I’m doing is best classed as “tutoring”, really. I do enjoy the work, but unfortunately, it is paid on an hourly basis. Each term I get varying numbers of students (hence varying hours), and the financial insecurity and worry, before each term commences and until I find out my timetable, is getting to me. I don’t really fancy going back to teach in a secondary school environment, and would have to retrain as a primary school teacher if I ever wanted to teach. It means a year of being a student again, which would put us under further financial stress. But it will eventually pay the bills, I won’t have to go through job insecurity and guilt over not working during the holidays, and I can enjoy my free time. But then again, after having seen what goes on in schools, I have lost a lot of faith in the education system – a lot of teachers I have seen don’t so much as teach, but kill time by watching the clock and occupying students with meaningless tasks. And I don’t want to become someone like that.

Some degree of soul-searching needed, I think. But for the moment it seems to occupy every single waking hour, to the point where it’s compromising my motivation; to run, or pretty much do anything else active.

Tat-too, Brutus? Then dye, Caesar

Oh, Stymates! How I've missed reading your blogs! Give me a few days to catch up on the gossip and going-ons. I get withdrawal symptoms when I don't get to click daily on your faces; this must be what "terminal illness" is ...

Back after three days up north, back with more than I went up with. That's right, I have a cold. My in-laws live less than two hundred miles from us, as the Garmin crow flies, but the weather in the north of England makes me feel like it is an entirely different continent altogether. Where they live is probably twinned with Siberia. Or Manitoba. Maybe Nova Scotia. All of you who live in cold unforgiving climates, I have utmost respect for how you cope on a daily basis, even though I have no intention of living in a place like yours. Each time I head up to my in-laws I almost certainly get a cold; I'll have to seriously consider loading up on vitamin C two or three days before the next trip. Or it could be the teachers' curse - getting a nuisance of a cold during your holidays. Either way, you know what's coming up on the fitness front. Not a heck of a lot. But I got off lucky. My sister-in-law developed viral meningitis when she got there, and only left hospital the day we left. Babysitting duties for me. Isn’t he a cutie?



Tattooing seems to get everyone talking. The scale at the butchers' in-laws' declares that I am really a wee pig. Since September, I have lost fifteen pounds. Those were fifteen pounds I didn’t want to lose. But I still look the same as I did. Conclusion – is whatever muscle I had, turning to fat? Time to up the ante when this cold goes away.

Happy Easter, folks!

Four more of these and we're there...

Ran 7 miles in 52 minutes flat today. It was my last chance to do some running for a few days as we’re visiting family, so I was determined to put in a run that I would be contented with until the next one. The first two miles were a bit of a warm-up write-off, but overall I am pleased with how everything went. Towards the end I had to alter my stride and take smaller but faster steps to encourage myself to keep going, and that seemed to work. I finished with a heart rate of about 170bpm, but within 90 seconds it was back down to 120bpm. That has happened consistently for some time now, and it got me thinking: if I can run 7 miles and get some breaks every hour, and feel rested, then I could try to do a few sets of 7 miles and eventually a marathon under 4 hours.

Don’t be fooled by the numbers. If you multiply my 10K or half-marathon times you would conclude a sub-4 marathon is no problem, but that doesn’t take into account the muscle fatigue that occurs between 21 and 42K. (Well, mine anyway.) The ideal thing would of course be to do the long runs, and build up to that distance, but I do want to save my ailing knees. If I ever had to make a black and white choice between running a marathon and affecting my knees further, or saving them and live with the dissatisfaction of not having ever done a marathon, there is no question about it. I can live with naysayers, but it's going to be hard, when I'm older, to hobble around with a cane and feel like a winner.

The hourly exercises seem to be working. Especially the abs. I felt strong, and also felt like I ran better because of the exercises. If I develop a bit more muscle and have enough surface area maybe I should get a tattoo...? Question is, what should it be of, and where should I put it?

Ran 5K under 22 minutes this morning, then continued at an easier pace until I hit 30 minutes. It took me until about the first mile to feel warmed up, even though I’ll admit, when running, to being a member of the 20-step warm-up club. For a bit of variety, on the next few runs I’m going to concentrate on distance run within a certain amount of time. For example, I’ll see if I can run a further distance within 22 minutes than I did today. Certainly takes my mind off the minutes-per-mile obsession.

Yesterday we went shopping in the morning ... well, I tagged along with Mrs Try, really. Ever wonder why the cheap-looking, so-called fashionable tack costs more than the proper stuff? Who’d pay for jeans with holes in all places, when you can get proper pants at a lower price?

Another sign that I’m growing old is my left leg. In addition to my knee complaints, I’m starting to feel twitches on the outside of Lefty when I run. More stretching and weights on the menu.

Myself, Mrs Try, and a lady she works with – an operatic screecher I’ve unfairly christened “Chordzilla” – are doing a charity concert next month. Luckily for the audience I’m on piano, and not drums. This is part of my profile as listed in the programme:

… after hearing himself sing, he decided to concentrate on the piano. He studied under J. Walker and later under hypnosis. His other skills that could be vaguely construed as “musical” are page-turning and trills on the triangle…

Should be fun.

I've been weighting for an hour

Gosh, it's Friday already.

On Wednesday I did some weights and then we went running again for about 20-25 mins. I'm quite happy to run at the Mrs' pace - now, it sounds like I'm coasting along, but it isn't all that easy. Pork Chop runs 9 minute-miles. (I sense a slap coming.)

I'm pleased about how weights are going. I'm doing the usual one set of something every hour. My calves, especially, are responding well. Abs are still a bit of a misery, but things don't change overnight. Which - if you look from the other point of view - is a bit depressing considering how I let myself get to that state in the first place.

Nothing much on the horizon, maybe a run in the afternoon later. Unfortunately with Spring break comes Report writing. I have about 60 to do. I've decided on about 25 different types of comments, and will do some Find/Replace-ing on Word; i.e. type "James 2 1 3 4 7 5 13" and replace "2" with comments like "tends to take short cuts when doing his work" etc. I hope to get them done faster than you can say, "Beam me up, Trotty!"

Can I say a final thank you to Richard who's been a great help with some queries I've had on drumming - Richard, you're a star! I had a chance to have a real go on drums during my final day at school, and it seemed okay, so I'm going ahead to take a drum exam in June.

It's that time of day for me to do that hourly set again, so I'm off. Have a go yourself - pick an exercise, do some pressups or calf-raises or something, and do it once every hour over the course of the day, and see if you like it or not.

Have a good weekend, my esteemed Stymates!

Wok's up?

Went for our usual Sunday run, and ever since that it's been weights and a bit of walking. Running-wise, I've been quite content this week to take things a little easy, especially since the 26 miles last week, which represent almost a doubling of mileage. My emphasis this week has been more on strength training, particularly those flabby abs. I think I will have to devote more attention to them, and even possibly run less - because my abs are weak, I tend to arch my back when I run (especially when tired), and I know that can't be good.

Last day of teaching tomorrow - phew! It's time for a break. I'm getting quite fed up of kids and their rudeness, really. All this talking back and attitude - the sad thing is, with today's youth, being polite is being soft, cocky rudeness is mistaken for confidence, and anti-authoritarianism is seen as the only way to carve a niche for oneself. The only attention many youths want to get these days is the disgust of adults, and they will do anything to get the attention. I don't know how society got to the point where people decided striving to be good was too hard, and that they'd rather go as far as possible in the opposite direction. Be bad! Some of my students have expressed their ambitions to me: "I wanna be a gangsta." Great.

I know I will have to catch up on the running, but it's been so nice to take a bit of a break from it, and do other things. I've reiterated before - running is important to me, but it is not the world to me. I like a life away from work, and also running, too, and trying new things.


Like drumming. (Or Trying to)

Soft core

I've spent the weekend on a stretching-pressups-weights-crunches blitz. I've particularly worked on my flabby abs. If pigs can fly, I know where my wings are sprouting from. One of my favourite methods is to do a few sets of an exercise every hour - e.g. two sets of pressups, or one set of crunches etc - which might not sound like much, but it adds up over the course of the day, to much more than what I would do in a single setting. Thirty sets of pressups, fifteen sets of curls, twenty sets of tricep kickbacks, and more ...? Tomorrow I will be nice and tough. Bite me then.

I've done some work on another blog I've started for my students, which is on Rudiments of Music Theory. If you have time, please have a surf over there and tell me what works, or what could be improved. I could do with advice on the visual aspect of the site. It is still quite simplistic, and I believe while you're there you can sense my childhood ambition to be as glamorous as wallpaper.

I've finally got the summer school offer I wanted, which is good news. I won't have to spend the summer lounging around and itching to get back to work. I will only do half days for a few weeks over the summer, which is nice - I didn't want to work for the entire summer period, and I couldn't do with a complete break from work for that long. I don't see myself as a workaholic, but give me a week of complete nothingness, and I'm dying to get back to work by the fifth day.

I've also begun learning the drums. The idea is to take a Grade 4 drum exam in June, and more exams after that, and then eventually teach drums in addition to piano and keyboard so I get more music teaching work. At the moment I am learning drums without the drums - I am tapping cushions with my drum sticks and trying to get my arms and legs coordinated and so it isn't really necessary for me to get a drum kit yet - besides, I can use the ones at the schools where I teach. I tell students who don't have a piano at home to practice their fingering on tables, so I suppose I am getting a taste of my own medicine. Yum yum.

Nothing much else happening then in Hogland, except for the updated picture links to my stymates' blogs. Cool, huh? I'm also waiting to read a few race reports - oh yes, time again for some soft core sets...