Janathon Catch Up

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Janathon update? Well, I walked the streets of Dublin at the weekend. That`s a Janathon activity, right?

While there, I made my annual pilgrimage to the Turner exhibition in the National Gallery. His watercolours are only exhibited for the month of January, in keeping with a stipulation in the donor`s bequest.

And, just for the fun of it, I rambled down to the Royal Hibernian Academy afterwards. The Micheal Farrell retrospective is in full swing there. You can catch it right up until the 23rd of February.

Ran four miles on Sunday. Had hoped to run six but then I discovered that when the sign reads Keep Out and Deep Excavation…

… it actually means Landslide About To Happen…

..and if you run on past that threat, well the muck ensure the route is impassable anyway.

At least I got to enjoy the views and the fresh air…

…and the riverside views…

….

…and a heron in flight, too.

Ran three miles yesterday.

Hoovered  and mopped today. That counts as a Janathon activity too, right?

Progress

I`d a very pleasant surprise tonight. Well, two actually.

First of all Teen Girl actually asked to go running. How good is that, eh? Damned if I`d ever have asked my mother at her age. And, for two reasons: one, it just wasn`t the `thing`in those days for mothers to be seen running, and two, damned if I`d be begging anyone to run anywhere, anyway.

The next surprise came within the run itself. Teen girl likes to take her time. And I am literally with her in all of that. She`s a calmer individual than I am. She won`t beat herself up any time soon on just how fast her last run was, she`ll just run at a gentle pace and stop if the going just gets a little too tough. I can see that method is really working for her. Her times and distance have increased-without her even noticing that-and she`s not all worn out from the sheer effort.

Granted, she`s a teen and not an oldie. Still, there`s a lesson in there somewhere.

But yes, the run… Well, we did three miles. Pain Less Ly. We actually thought we`d run about a mile, checked Runkeeper and Oh my 1.5 done! We`d already planned on doing another loop and did just that. And it was extremely pleasant.

Janathon mileage now stands at the forty. I may be missing a 1/2 km in there somewhere. But, since I`m at the bottom of the Janathon pack in terms of mileage(oh, and speed and form, I`m pretty sure) you won`t mind if I round things up, will you?

Oh, and more good news…

I`ve finally surrendered to the might of the Garmin Gremlins. I`ve tried everything to resurrect the darn thing including hard reset, soft reset, tweaking with all the buttons, letting it charge up and down and retweaking all over again. Got through to the support crowd today and they`re replacing it For a fee, of course, since it`s out of warranty. But at least it will be done.

So yeah, Janathon Day 24 done and I`m seeing a little progress.

 

Night Skies

Orion the Hunter

Perfect running weather last night. At just above freezing point along the seafront, the skies were clear enough to reveal glittering constellations. Yet, the paths were free of ice.

Had perfect views of Orion on my mile and half outward journey, and lovely views of The Plough on my return.

So three miles under starry skies. Yes, it was very pleasant.

For tonight`s run, the skies had clouded over. But at least it was dry and not too cold. Added another four miles to my Janathon total too so yes, maybe some proper training is beginning to kick in at last.

As most of my Janathon runs happen at night, I`ve decided to take the chance to learn at least a couple of more constellations while I`m out there. I can identify Pleaides, Casseopia and Little Bear along with the aforementioned Plough and Orion. But that`s about it.

Can any of you name any other ones?

 

Picture of Orion from http://www.wired.com/geekmom/2011/03/meet-the-constellations-orion/

 

 

A Janathon Alien in Skerries

I am back in the Janathon groove. Almost.

Friday, according to Hal, was crosstraining day. So I dived back into a little yoga. It`s been a while. Waaayyy too long, in fact. Which is a shame, as I enjoy all that pose holding and stretching, along with the opportunity to meditate.

Any excuse to whip out a candle, sit cross-legged on the floor and go “Ohmmmmm“.

Saturday saw me braving the rain to trot a little four miler around town. Miserable weather, but, since Jogathon asked, I`ll let you all know my brand new weapon in this miserable state of affairs: a well-fitting beanie.

There I was, slogging along for years in any old cap. As if I didn`t look bad enough. Anyway,through some lucky fluke,  I left all my old caps at home last week and had to grab one in the nearest sports`store. Came away with a perfectly fitted Karrimor beanie, complete with reflective bits.

Gosh, the difference it makes to have my head perfectly covered.  I realised that I don`t actually mind being drenched to the skin, I just need my head to feel warm and dry. And the cap needs to feel snug. Not like it`s going to blow away any second.

Prior to this, my regular cap made me look like some kind of Dalek with an extra piece of skull attached to the top of my actual head.

No, not my very best look.

Breatheable gear? Waterproofs? I have none. Never found anything to suit. I can`t bear to be hot when I run so that`s parked all rain jackets for me. Instead, I wear my usual fleece and reflective gear.

But now, the cap fits and that makes all the difference.

Today, I combined a little photography, with Teen girl quality time, and my Janathon duty, to run two miles. The venue was Skerries, North County Dublin, which, as my regular reader will tell you, I go back to again and again.

Today was rather pleasant in this neck of the woods. No rain, but with temperatures hovering above freezing, I availed of the opportunity to flash my new beanie at the bewildered locals.

And there were plenty of locals about. The harbour and promenade were buzzing. Good to see, particularly in January.

Indeed,they might all be Janathoners, for all I know. Perhaps Janathon HQ is located in this quaint North County Dublin village? Or maybe there`s a secret convention of Janathoners cloistered within the village for the month? Or Janathoner aliens who`ve plopped into Skerries for their Sunday run, just like me.

Knew I should`ve worn my Dalek beanie….