Category Archives: Lifestyle

Before I’m 30…

by Ben

A few years ago (okay, quite a few years ago), I wrote a list of “Things I want to do before I’m 30”. At the time, I imagine that the idea of being 30 was something akin to old age. Those episodes of Friends demonising the age probably didn’t help. I’ve lost that list, though I can remember a few of the things on it. From what I recall, many of them were expensive, and I’ve completed very few of them. But I’m not really worried. For one thing, turning 30 isn’t going to be the end of my life: I’m pretty confident that won’t happen until I’m at least 40(!). For another thing, I’ve still got a bit of time left before I turn 30; just under eleven months in fact.

Have child, tick. Get child obsessed with Lego, tick.

Have child, tick. Get child obsessed with Lego, tick.

Here’s a few of the things I do remember from the list:

  • Get married, buy a house, have kids

Yes, yes, and mostly. I have one child, so I think I can call that a pass, right? Despite being a list that was mostly full of expensive adventure type things, I was pretty certain that I wanted to settle down and have a family. I probably didn’t fully realise that this wouldn’t help with the rest of the goals, as I was probably still in the heady stage of thinking that university graduates earnt gazillions. This was before the economy crashed after all. (And before I got my university results!!)

  • Complete a marathon and a triathlon

I ran a bit while I was at university (I had a three mile loop that I’d run about three times in one week and then not again for two months, but it was running, dammit!) So obviously, I wanted to run a marathon. Since I’ve started running “seriously” I’ve shunned running a marathon in the short-term, choosing instead to focus on improving my speeds over shorter distances. Now that I’m not barely old enough to legally drink, I’ve realised that I’ve got a while yet to build up to marathon distance if I want.

  • Climb a mountain, skydive

There were definitely more along these lines; pretty standard “once in a lifetime” sort of stuff I seem to recall. The main issue with all this sort of thing is the cost. I don’t really like spending money; I’m more of a hoarder I have to admit! I’m one of these sad people that will probably die with thousands of pounds in a savings account because I was too cheap to spend it. So maybe, just maybe, I need to start admitting that if I’m sensible, sometimes spending that money might be worth it for some life experiences. I also need to stop being so prideful. When we were on honeymoon in Hawaii, I knew that it would be an ideal opportunity to take a few surf lessons: who doesn’t want to say that they’ve surfed in Hawaii?? But… I didn’t, I was too worried about sucking.

So what am I going to do? Obviously it would be impractical, and stupid, to try and get all of this done before my 30th birthday next July. In addition, it would be completely pointless, as life doesn’t end at 30. However, I am going to make an effort to do more, and to move out of my comfort zone. It would be nice to get a couple of “bucket list” experiences squeezed in before my next birthday, and then maybe I can fully assess what I might want on my “lifetime goals” list.

Snowdon, credit: Chris Dixon

Snowdon, credit: Chris Dixon

Trip to Snowdon anyone???

The off-season: 11 top tips for things to do during enforced rest

by Ben

This post originally appeared on Ben’s old blog, Running From the Physio.

After the Great West Run in October, I always planned to let my body have a bit of a rest. In fact, I was basically prepared to give it the rest of October and all of November. Now, admittedly, this wasn’t complete rest. Just dropping down to a comfortable three runs a week, totalling about 12-15 miles. Apparently though, my body didn’t appreciate the efforts I was going to, and took matters into its own hands. Or more accurately, lungs.

Which left me with more time on my hands than I expected to have. So here are my 11 top tips for things to do during the off-season.*

  1) Book races
Okay, so I might be ill now, but that’s no reason not to book out the whole of January, February and March with races right? I joked to a friend yesterday that my “long-term planner” is actually just my race diary. It wasn’t actually a joke. I don’t race as regularly as many, but I’ve got three races definitely booked, and another four pencilled in. Just in the first three months of next year. Oops.

  2) Buy winter kit
That first day that you step out the door and think “by jove, it’s cold” (or however your mental voice would phrase it) is the time to stock up on winter running gear. I’ve been pretty good this year, and only picked up a couple of things so far: an extra hi-viz t-shirt, and a compression top that matches my running club vest. Because, you know, I don’t want to clash.

  3) Sort running kit drawer
While we’re on the topic of the kit, is it really still necessary to have four different vests in the drawer? Now that it’s cold I’m surely going to do clothes washing often enough to only need a couple of those right? And where did I hide those gloves away? And what is that?

Okay. I haven’t actually sorted it yet. I keep looking at it
and then finding something else to do. Can’t think why.

  4) Watch a box-set / complete a video game / read a trilogy
Remember that box-set you got for Christmas, but never managed to watch because you were out running? Now you can watch all 24 episodes! Or that video game you started, but then just sort of… forgot about. Or that trilogy that looks really good, but you’re worried that if you don’t read them quickly, you’ll forget who all the characters are. Seriously, I’ve completed about 25% of Grand Theft Auto during this “rest”, and that isn’t a small game.

  5) Volunteer at parkrun
If you can’t run… volunteer! I don’t think that slogan will catch on. Also, it turns out that if you go and volunteer on a cold day with horizontal driving rain, and a chest infection, you then develop a fever to go with it. I don’t recommend the pair, individually or paired up. So, if you’re resting due to illness, maybe skip this idea.

6) Read everybody else’s blogs and get jealous
Actually, now that I think about it, this one isn’t ideal. I mean, it’s great to be able to catch up with what you’re all doing and stuff. But seriously people, why don’t you all take a couple of weeks off too, just to make sure that I don’t get jealous. Thank you.

  7) Write a training plan
New season: new plan. In my case, the new plan is basically the same as the old plan, but with two extra runs added in, and a longer long run. I’m hoping that nobody notices that both of the extra runs have been added on the same day. I’m sure mentioning it won’t make it any more obvious. Ho hum.

On the back of an envelope, obviously.
  8) Write your Christmas list
This probably only works if you’re reading this roughly when it is published. If you’re catching up, or randomly found this on Google and it’s February, maybe give it a miss. But otherwise, start scribbling that list down: new trainers, new Garmin, that swanky Nike top with the thumb-holes in the sleeves…

  9) Eat
Because it’s a proven fact that the next best thing to running is eating. Try out some new recipes: plenty of those that took too long to consider when you had to factor a run in are now perfectly do-able. Of course, you might need to think about going for slightly less calorific options, but that just adds another challenge into the cooking, and might expand your repertoire! Me – I’m thinking Chocolate Fondant and a couple of new curries. Not together. Probably.

Sadly, this is not one I’ve made. Hopefully mine will
look this ace though. (credit: Robin, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

  10) Polish and sort medals
So, they’ve been hung up on the wall for a while now. They could probably do with a dust and polish. Now that I look at them, the display is a little imbalanced too: all the long ones are on one side, which looks a bit odd. But if I move that one over, the colours will clash. This could take a while.

  11) Rest
Oh yeah, I sort of forgot about this one, but I think it’s pretty important. Rest. Whether enforced or not, let the body have a bit of a break so that any ongoing niggles can sort themselves out and you’ll be fit and raring to go for the next season .. next week .. tomorrow.

So there you go, 11 things to keep you going when you’re not running. I’m sure I’ve missed some important things out though, what do you do to stay occupied and reasonably sane during some down-time from running? Do you just go crazy?

* By “top” I mean, the first ones I thought of. And by “tips” I don’t mean suggestions. Actually, they’re just “things”.