Behind the mic

I made my debut as a recording artist today! Well, perhaps 'artist' is stretching it a little, my performance was more in the style of Hugh Edwards than Placido Domingo but nevertheless, there I was in a small soundproofed room waiting for the red light to come on before reading from my script to my audience of the producer and sound engineer on the other side of the glass. I have plenty of experience of public speaking, and so was surprised to discover how nervous I felt in the intimate surroundings of the recording booth. Fortunately I don't struggle with a stammer like King George VI, portrayed so brilliantly by Colin Firth in 'The King's Speech', but the tension I felt immediately before starting to speak has made me realise even more just how brave King George was in overcoming his impediment, especially as his inspirational wartime speeches were broadcast to a live audience listening on their wirelesses. What's more, unlike Bertie, I had the luxury of being able to start again if I hesitated or stumbled over my words.

So, what was I recording? Let me guess what you're thinking. My blog has been discovered by a famous publishing house, who are in the process of turning it into a bestseller and have contracted me, as the author, to record the audio version of the book in time for the 'humorous stocking filler' market for Christmas. A fierce auction for the movie rights will undoubtedly follow.

Good try, but sadly the reality is a little more mundane, although still interesting I feel. I am currently heading a team writing a new online version of an Open University module and, along with a colleague, was recording audio introductions for each of the 7 study blocks within the module. One of the things that has impressed me throughout my association with the OU (both as a student and subsequently as an employee) has been the exceptionally high production standards it applies across all of its learning materials, whether in print or other media. The OU has been in existence for over 40 years now, and my early memories of it as I was growing up consist of programmes on BBC2 at unsociable hours typically featuring a scruffy bloke with a beard writing incomprehensible equations on a blackboard or trying to explain something scientific using dodgy models made out of polystyrene.

Things are much slicker and more professional looking nowadays. I had worked with Mike, today's producer, and sound engineer Steve when filming some sequences in a primary school in Cardiff earlier in the year, and was extremely impressed with their skill and professionalism. Although freelance, both do a lot of work for the OU, but Steve in particular works much more widely and has recently had assignments at the Royal Wedding and on Doctor Who. His studio, a purpose built extension to his house, is impressive with the full range of knobs and slidey bits.

After my initial stage (or should that be studio) fright, I relaxed considerably and started to enjoy myself. Each section was first rehearsed and then recorded at least twice, enhanced each time by acting on Mike and Steve's feedback - 'a little more inflexion on that word would be good' or 'those two words ran into each other a little, just slow down a fraction at that point'. After finishing all of my bits, Mike got me to do the introduction one final time. He told me that he does this because often people take time to warm to the task and their opening words can sound a bit flat or stilted. Or probably just plain terrified in my case! The end result sounded pleasingly good, even though I say so myself.

All in all, a new experience for me and a fascinating morning. Perhaps I'll branch out into poetry reading sometime soon. Hang on, I can feel a sonnet coming on...

'Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day .......'

Roman Ruin

Part of the original wall surrounding the Roman City of Verulamium

Verulamium Park is a fantastic open space in St Albans, over 100 acres of glorious parkland named after the Roman City of Verulamium on which it stands. Its ornamental lake, meadows and trees are home to a wide variety of waterbirds and countless other wildlife. Across the lake and above the trees visitors can catch a tantalising glimpse of the magnificent St Albans Cathedral and Abbey Church at the top of Holywell Hill.

St Albans Cathedral and Abbey Church from Verulamium Park

The park is popular with visitors throughout the year and hosts many set-piece events including a spectacular firework display in November and various concerts, plays and festival events during the summer. Every June for the past 30 years the park has been home to the start and finish of the St Albans Half Marathon, an event which yesterday became the fifth staging post along my Project Five O journey. It's a event with tremendous local participation, and much more than just the 13.1 mile race. As well as the running half marathon there's a walking version starting two hours earlier, a 5k race and a 1.5 mile children's fun run, and in addition to the traditional medal and t-shirt, ever since the first event all participants have been rewarded at the finish with an ice lolly donated by local ice cream company proprietor Bernard Tominey.

After discovering last year just how difficult the hilly course is, I wouldn't have signed up again this year were it not for the affinity that I already feel for my local event. And when I say difficult, I mean fiendishly so. Whilst the hills are a mixture of long, energy sapping inclines and shorter, steeper gradients, they come incessantly with the descents somehow seeming only to partially compensate for the climbs. Going up is tough on muscles and knees, but coming down can be even more so if you overdo things. As soon as the course exits the park past the Roman Museum, after about half a mile, the first hill begins, with the longest, most energy-sapping climb stretching along most of the third mile.

The self-styled 'Museum of everyday life in Roman Britain'

From the outset of Project Five O I realised that this race wouldn't provide a realistic PB opportunity, and so my plan on the day was quite simple: treat it as a long training run, start slowly and just try to keep going. And that's pretty much how it turned out, although the final couple of hills did finally force me to admit defeat and walk to the summit. I was really hurting by the end and perhaps foolishly attempted to speed up considerably on the long downhill section that precedes re-entry to the park. This caused my calf muscles to stiffen up completely and with the fierce headwind that greeted me as I entered the long finishing straight, I seemed to be going going backwards for the final half mile.

Approaching the finishing line

Nevertheless I was pleased with my time, a modest 2:32:21, which was a whopping 12 minutes faster than last year, reflecting my improved fitness levels as well as a more pragmatic race strategy. Further progress in the right direction.

Another medal for my collection.

Despite being so taxing, I really enjoyed the race. Comprising predominantly of country lanes, the course is pretty (possibly excepting when it passes under and over the M1) and the very heavy drizzle that fell throughout was as welcome to the runners as I'm sure it was to the ducks swimming in the ornamental lake. Unless it's torrential, rain is barely noticeable once you start running and is very helpful in preventing overheating. A large team of enthusiastic marshalls provided welcome vocal encouragement all along the route, and chatting to a number of friendly fellow sufferers along the way helped some of the miles pass a little more quickly. Unbeknown to me beforehand, one of the marshalls was a colleague from the Open University, which resulted in a high five and provided an added boost as I approached the halfway mark.

Lovely weather for ducks in the Verulamium Park lake

Steady precipitation might be the runner's friend, but believe me it rapidly loses its attraction once you're standing still. Having passed the finishing line and enjoyed Mr Tominey's refreshing ice lolly, I had to queue up for fifteen minutes in the open waiting to collect my bag from the baggage tent and the chance to change into something warm and dry. In doing so I became increasingly cold causing every inch of both legs to seize up completely. Making my way back to the car was painstaking and seemed to take for ever. It certainly felt as if the Roman Wall wasn't the only ancient ruin in the park at that moment. When I finally got home, I had something to eat, thawed out in a lovely warm bath before completely flaking out.

However, after a couple of hours sleep I was much recovered and moving well, which is encouraging. Surviving the St Albans Half should stand me in good stead as I step up my training over the summer and start to build for my autumn events.

Veni, vidi, vici!

Un Fin de Semana en Barcelona

It's early on Saturday evening, and we've been in Barcelona since Thursday afternoon. I'm sitting with my laptop on the balcony of our accommodation, El Balcon del Born, trying to get started with this blog post but struggling to decide where to begin - Barcelona is such a wonderful destination that offers more or less everything. So I'm not going to write about all we've done during our visit, I don't have enough time, but I'll do my best to provide a flavour of the city as Juliet, Hannah and I have experienced it these past few days.

I'll start with our accommodation and its location. El Balcon is a newly renovated guest house in the atmospheric old part of the city with its narrow streets flanked by high buildings. It's the latest venture of Pablo, who has been involved in various forms of property development for over ten years now. In fact it's a large apartment in the district of Born in the kind of old block featuring the kind of rather dingy hallway, stairwell and landings that feature in films of a certain vintage. Inside the apartment, though, it is clean and light due to the traditional long windowed doors that lead onto the small balconies of each of the five high ceilinged bedrooms and the dining area.

Juliet outside the front door of the apartments including 'El Balcon'

Pablo is a friendly, helpful and informative host whose company we have enjoyed at breakfast each morning during our stay. The area has a great buzz to it, especially in the evening when the numerous visitors to its lively and distinctive cafes, bars and restaurants really bring the place to life.

Further balconies in the Born district

We learned from Pablo that the neighbourhood is popular with artists and it certainly has a bohemian feel to it. The streets are a hive of activity well into the early hours, and although not raucous, the high spirited atmosphere would probably steer me away from recommending El Balcon to a light sleeper. 

Many seemingly 'regular' streets are suddenly enlivened by the imagination of Gaudi and his fellow Modernistas.

After arriving mid-afternoon on Thursday we took an open-top bus tour around the city to help orientate ourselves in preparation for subsequent exploration. The tour took some time, as Barcelona is larger than I had imagined it, and with a range of architecture even more eclectic than I had been led to expect. Whilst the often outlandishly playful creations of Antoni Gaudi particularly caught the eye, striking and imaginative structures conceived across the years right up to the present boldly demand attention too and undoubtedly will continue to do so into the future. Barcelona feels like a city exploring and expressing its individuality.

The staggering creation that is La Sagrada Familia

It was Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece and perhaps Barcelona's most iconic landmark, La Sagrada Familia', however ,that provided the nearest thing to a disappointment I experienced all weekend. Don't get me wrong, the beauty and sheer audacity of the Cathedral, which was only half-finished when Gaudi died in 1926 and has continued to take shape intermittently in the ensuing decades, is extraordinary. And I suppose its status as a work in progress forms part of its fascination. However, when we emerged from the metro to take a closer look on Friday morning, it felt very closed in by the surrounding buildings and a clear view was hard to obtain through the numerous cranes and extensive scaffolding. In addition the seething mass of tourists snaking around it, of which we of course were a part, and moody overcast conditions, seemed only to add to the lack of a view of the monument in its full glory. We were able to gain better sense of its scale and magnificence the following day from a higher, more distant viewpoint although even this perspective did not fully shake off the impression of a building site. Pablo informed us later that there are plans to demolish some of the nearby buildings to provide the new Cathedral with the surrounding space it deserves. I say 'bring it on!' Having been in the centre of the city during the day, he also remarked that he couldn't remember having seen quite so many people crowding the streets for a long, long time. 

La Sagrada Familia viewed from Montjuic.

It was similarly busy later in the day when we visited the fascinating Gaudi designed Park Guell, created in 1900 when the wealthy Count Eusebi Guell bought a tree-covered hillside just outside the city and commissioned Gudi to conjure up a miniature city for the rich in landscaped surroundings. 

The chocolate box appeal of Park Guell

The effect is a mix of Disneyland and the Chelsea Flower Show with the added bonus of panoramic views across Barcelona. A strange place, but enchanting and in places beautiful nevertheless.

The Bond-esque Montjuic cable car.

An abiding memory of our visit will I'm sure be the stunning views across the city from the cable car to Castell de Montjuic. Our ascent happily coincided with the sunshine finally emerging after a day and a half of overcast conditions. Close to the boarding point for the cable car, part way up the hill are many of the venues for the 1992 Olympic Games including the Estadi Olimpic itself.

No ticket needed to enter this Olympic Stadium!

The stadium, which was originally opened in 1929 and completely overhauled for the 1992 Games, is free to enter and once inside I found myself conjuring up a vivid memory of Linford Christie's gold medal winning performance in the 100 metres whilst I struggled to believe that 19 years ago had really passed since it happened. This was also the stadium where injured British athlete Derek Redmond showed true Olympic spirit to limp across the finishing line of the 400 metres final in considerable pain supported by his Dad, another one of those etched in the memory sporting moments.  My memory was jogged further by the spectacularly located municipal swimming baths across the road, host to the 1992 diving events, which produced such stunning images of airborne competitors against the backdrop of the city skyline. The whole Olympic area felt very special in contrast to the rather grey and anonymous exterior of the Camp Nou across the City. With more time at our disposal I would love to have taken a look inside as part of the 'Camp Nou Experience' as I am sure I would have been wowed, as many have been before me, by the magnificence of the arean from within. Pride in the recent achievements of FC Barcelona was evident all around; in the ubiquitous flags and towels draped over balconies, the famous blue and red stripes worn by countless boys and girls and the enormous billboard posters welcoming the City's conquering heroes home.

Time for a beer on the beach.

In a similar way to the regeneration currently taking place in East London, parts of Barcelona benefitted greatly from the massive investment in facilities and infrastructure required to host the 1992 Olympics. A big winner in this process was the area now boasting the Port Olimpic Marina and the series of beautiful beaches, each with their own tasteful cafes, restaurants, and other public conveniences, stretching into the distance to the northeast of the Marina. Prior to 1992, Pablo informed us, this district was home to crumbling, rat-infested factories. Now it is the perfect place to relax, grab some rays and put your feet up after enjoying the many pleasures of the city. I've been fortunate to spend time in many European cities over the years, all with their own character and highlights, but for me, on top of everything else the city has to offer Barcelona's beaches would probably tip the balance in its favour if I was pressed to name my most loved. On top of which, the public transport system is comprehensive, reliable and cheap with taxi fares very affordable too.

Not that it's without its problems, however. The camp of protestors occupying the Placa de Catalunya, for example, were a timely reminded of the financial challenges facing Spain, and its young people in particular. They also acted as a prompt for me to reflect that in difficult economic conditions across the world, I am very fortunate to be able to afford to enjoy the personal enrichment that international travel brings with it. A major part of this comes from the people and the culture encountered on a trip to somewhere like Barcelona. There is a real elegance and bearing in the people of Barcelona, a self-confidence that makes it seems as though the city is home to an above average quota of beautiful people - women in particular from my perspective.

The different approach to eating was something I enjoyed too with for many the main meal being taken in the middle of the day and evenings out revolving around the much less formal and highly social eating experience of tapas.

Tapas - the 'pick 'n' mix' approach to dining out in Barcelona.

Our  short stay in Barcelona was little more than a 'getting to know you' one. We feel that we now know our way around, but that we really must return before too long to explore in much greater depth the many delights the city has to offer.

As we waited to board our flight home, we commented on how even the departure lounge, which includes an spacious and futuristic outdoor space, was the epitome of style. Excepcional!

Muchas Gracias Barcelona!

London Stalling

(a slightly harsh headline perhaps, but too good an opportunity for a Clash reference to pass over )

Artistic angle of St Paul's Cathedral (aka wonky photo taken whilst running)

Whitsun Bank Holiday Monday - at 6:00 am thirty nine runners took to the roads of central London in a trial run of the route and associated technology for the marathon route for the 2012 Olympics. Just under three hours later, the feedback from the athletes and observers was overwhelmingly positive. The route consists of four laps starting and finishing in the Mall via the City of London, and later in the day, at 11:00 am, one lap of the Olympic course formed the route for the BUPA London 10k contested by 12,000 runners of varying abilities including Mo Farah, Paula Radcliffe, Juliet and myself.

Advance media coverage of the race focused on the long awaited return to competitive action of Paula after 18 months following various injuries and the birth of her second child in September 2010. I say 'competitive' because a couple of weeks earlier I watched her take part in the opening 2011 Race for Life in Battersea Park. Paula acts as an ambassador for Race for Life, which is organised jointly by Tesco and Cancer Research UK, and participates each year in the big launch event. With our Tesco connections, Hannah and I have been able to swan around in the VIP tent at battersea for three years now. The Battersea race was won by the very shapely Nell McAndrew with Paula floating home effortless alongside a runner a few places back before twice heading back along the closing stages to encourage and accompany other participants to the finishing line. What a great feeling that must be!

Paula's second sprint to the finishing line!

Juliet ran a good time, and although Paula didn't accompany her to the finish, she did later kindly agree to pose for a photograph.

Back to today. My pre-race dilemma centred on whether to use this event to further assess my progress and continue my preparation for my main attempt at a 10k PB in September, or, buoyed by three encouraging performances thus far, to launch a full attempt on a best ever time for the distance today. I opted for the latter, which would require sub-6 minute kms from start to finish. Last year Juliet and I ran the event together and crossed the finishing line hand-in-hand in just over 73 minutes (how romantic, I bet you're thinking), so with beating last year's time the goal I advised Juliet not to set out too quickly and to stick to a steady 7 minutes per km. Excellent advice as it turned out.

Blending in with the scenery before the start!

The race got underway and by the 3km mark, having passed though Parliament Square and the tree-lined Embankment with its noisy crowds and inspiring musical bands, just over 18 minutes had elapsed. This was marginally over schedule, but by now the packed mass of runners had dispersed considerably making it much easier to achieve a steady stride and I remained hopeful of stepping up my pace sufficiently to dip below 59:37 at the finish. This was as good as it got for me, however. The fourth km, into the City of London, a steady although by no means steep ascent, coincided with my legs seeming to turn to lead and all spring disappearing from my hitherto bouncy step. Even after entering Cannon street, where the terrain levelled out, my progress remained slug-like and by the time I passed the halfway marker along Crutched Friars in 32:15 my chances of a PB had evaoprated into the increasingly warm Bank holiday sunshine. At this point I switched to more of a jogging mode, resolving to simply enjoy the historic route and the exuberant atmosphere. The boistrous beat of the drumming band within the confines of its ornately covered roof momentarily made my legs feel much less leaden as I progressed through Leadenhall market.

Leaving the Square Mile past the magnificent St Paul's Cathedral and heading back towards Westminster along the Embankment I felt increasingly as though I was grinding to a halt as each km took a few more seconds than the last. Just before the 8km mark, though, I was in for a big surprise that was to provide me with a second wind and enable me to finish the race in a positive glow. It had occurred to me that if Juliet had managed to stick to the pace I'd advised her to follow, I would be in serious danger of being overtaken by her sometime soon. With this thought in mind I glanced behind me and took in a vision in green - it was Juliet running smoothly a few metres back.

'What are you doing here?' she enquired, and so I explained how I seemed to have been going backwards since the halfway point. A few strides further on, though, I started to feel a lot more fluent again and we ran the final two km together passing along Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and a final 400m along the Mall waving to Hannah and her Uncle Nigel stationed 200m from the finishing line.

Entering the Mall through Admiralty Arch - only 400m to go!

It was a thoroughly enjoyable end to the race, and as in 2010, we finished with identical times, 69:04 nearly five minutes faster than last year, although this time achieved via different trajectories.

Applications for 2012 open on 13th June

With that wonderful thing, hindsight, I was probably not quite ready to attempt a PB today and would have fared better by starting more steadily and trying to build gently on my time of 64:26 from Newham, especially as it was extremely hot out on the course. Finishing nearly five minutes slower than at Newham was disappointing I suppose, but overall the event was so fantastic especially with Juliet smashing her previous best time that I wasn't going to let it spoil my enjoyment. It also served to make clear how much more I need to improve before my final 10k of the year at Richmond in September.

However, I wasn't the only one to struggle in the middle of the race today. Whilst Mo Farah sped to an impressive victory in the men's race, hot favourite Paula Radcliffe described her comeback as 'a bit of a disaster" as she finished in third place behind Jo Pavey and Gemma Steel in the ladies event. A tear in one of the discs in her back Paula had prevented Paula from performing to her full potential.

'It wasn't particularly sore in the race' she explained, 'It just felt that I didn't have any power out there.'

I know exactly how you feel Paula - I tried to push on at the 3km mark but my cupboard was bare.

'At 4km I just started to go backwards' added the Marathon world record holder. You know what Paula, I couldn't put it any better myself. Performance-wise, it was just not meant to be for either of us today.






Over-ripe Banana

I stopped work slightly early today and headed off to London to take part in the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)'s 'Beat the Banana' London fun run in Hyde Park. It was time for the third event in my Project Five O race schedule. After entering Hyde Park I was dazzled by a riot of colour as I made my way to the start via the gardens just inside the Queen Elizabeth Gates.

By contrast the scene by the bandstand grew increasingly yellow as the competitors assembled in anticipation of the start.

'Beat the Banana' is a 5k run with a twist. The banana, who was male, looked remarkably fit and possessed impressively muscular legs. He set off 30 seconds before the rest of us, whose task it was to get to the finish line before him. I don't know how many people managed this, but the nearest I got to the banana was during the warm up. When I enquired after his whereabouts at the 3k mark, a marshall informed me that he had passed by a long time since. At a rough estimate I finished around the middle of the 500 strong field, so I would be surprised if more than 100 runners managed to beat him.

A sea of yellow at the start

They really should have had three bananas. A green one one to challenge the serious athletes, a firm ripe yellow one for the slightly less speedy and an over-ripe brown speckled one for veterans and other plodders like myself. I think I might suggest this to the WCRF for next year, as it would have been nice to have a realistic chance of beating a banana given the name of the event.

Nevertheless, for me, the run was a great success. I kept up a good pace all the way round, overtaking many runners half my age in the process. Undeterred by the erratic placing of the km markers that meant I had no firm idea of what my time might be until the finishing line was in sight, my time of 28 minutes 42 seconds was a full 7 minutes quicker than my only previous 5k, which admittedly I'd run wearing a Santa suit whilst feeling decidedly under the weather. 28:42, though, not bad for an over-ripe banana!

So, my first PB of Project Five O - a great feeling even though 5k was always by far going to be the easiest one to achieve. Because of this my real aim for this race was to go below 30 minutes as to do so would give me genuine hope of being able to better my best times for 10k and 10 miles before the end of the year. Cracking 30 by over a minute was especially pleasing, although there's still work to be done. As yet I don't thinkI could maintain today's pace for another 5k but I'm definitely getting there.

If you can't beat it, eat it!

Everyone received a medal and goody bag at the finish line. Amongst other things the goody bag contained a banana, my third of the day.

I chose this event because my schedule required a 5K and it sounded great fun. It scored well on both counts, but I want to finish with a few words about the organisers. The WCRF is part of a global network of charities carrying out and disseminating research on cancer prevention, a key element of which of course is physical exercise. You can read more about their work by clicking on this link. Asking for sponsorship always seems rather awkward, and having raised a total of over £5000 for the Down's Syndrome Association and Breakthrough Breast Cancer from my three London Marathon runs, I didn't feel it appropriate to ask people to sponsor me for a fun event requiring relatively little effort on my part. Instead I have made my own donation to this worthwhile charity over and above the entry fee. Nevertheless, if you do feel suitably moved to throw a few quid the WCRF's way, you can do so via the following link.

Now, how did that song go?   .... Na, na, na, na... na, na, na, na, hey-ey-ey, goodbye ...