Lottery

Decidedly groggy this morning. Ryder was at my mum and dads last night with his cousin Freddie (for Gruffalo concert) and the house seemed very quiet. Packed the boys off on their bikes and J and I went to grab coffee.
We stopped into see my old mate Latesh who told his unbelievable lottery story.

Last week one of his regular old boys came into the shop and whispered in his ear that 'he had cracked it' (he had the winning Lotto numbers). Latesh sent him home to recheck with his Mrs to be on the safe side. 2 hours later he came back and whispered again that 'he had cracked it!'. Latesh has seen this 80 year old gent every day for the best part of 40 years and for the last 20 years he has religiously bought his weekly lottery ticket. Then all of a sudden he disappears. 2 weeks go by and then today the National Lottery company came by and presented him with the winning certificate for his shop. Turns out the old bugger won £5.7m (about 200 million aussie using current rates!!). Latesh is still none the wiser if he is ok - and hopes he did not have a heart attack. 

Managed a hungover 10k in the late arvo and then as soon as I got home I checked the footie scores. The pre-game ritual of sticking Timmy's Stoke dvds in the bin worked!!!! 29 points after 17 games. Champions League here we come. 

And no better club to support evidenced by Pardew out drinking with the Palace fans after last week's win. Tell me where else does that happen? 

Black eye Friday with Jeremy

They call this back eye Friday in the UK. When people bash each other ahead of Christmas.

Out with Jeremy. I have not caught up with him for months. Basically drank wheat beer after wheat beer in Covent Garden. Then stumbled out to get UBER home. I love fact that I have not seen this guy properly for months but because I have known him for 30+ years it does not matter. He is in a good space as always.

Managed 7k at lunch. 5k at 4minks then 2 @3.29.

Worn out from a truly crazy year on all fronts.

Pic from UBER on way home at 1am of family (incl boys the age of my lot) eating fried chicken.  Only in South London.

Crawling to Chrimbo

Standard day in office but found a window at 2.30 so legged it downstairs to the gym. I literally had 50 mins to get back to my desk so hammered out 5 x 3.38 ks and then 2 k jog followed by another 3k at 3.38s. Got back to my desk drenched. Left adductor still really tight but has loosened a little with stretching. I have been meaning to go see my Chinese needles man (acupuncturist) but had zero time.

* The ginger shots sorted my cold out. It is incredible stuff.
** Work is relentless.
*** Boys are hanging for Christmas. Jeff their uncle (J's kid bro) has bought us tickets for Star Wars on Boxing day. I am a little excited.

Flu'ey

Lergie doing the rounds. Going to blast the ginger.

Left side

Left side still sore but ran at lunch. More sore than yesterday.  An easy 35 mins in 4.08s. Last night with the Letchfords before they leave for Switzerland in the morning. Ryder in morning.

Double

Lunch 10ks at 3.45 and then ran the 17k home in 4.15s. Nigh on 27ks for the day at a clip just over 4 min ks. After my kop out yesterday it was my substitute long run.

Left hip and left side of groin a little tight.

Letchfords

Up late and then ran to Jack's game. It was the best he has played for a little while. Lots of dribbling and scored sweet free kick. But they lost 4.3. 11ks in 4.30s.

The Letchfords arrived in the afternoon from Australia, one of the Manly families where we lived in Sydney. Great to see them.

Super Saturday

Another huge day.
1. Park Run. @2 place in c.17.50. 2 very muddy sections. Pleased with that. Simon Fox who ran 240 at London last year was 10m in front.
2. Christmas shopping (and x4 haircuts for boys) with all 6 of us.
3. Palace vs Southampton with Lukie. Bolasie on fire. He is my favourite player by a country mile and was unplayable. He always plays with a smile on his face. Was a really nice afternoon with all of the Highfield school dads and boys (pic of boys below). Had a few beers in the season ticket holder bar 'Crystals' before game with Graham and the other dads. 
4. Mia's 40th family dinner at pizzeria with all siblings, mum and dad and all grandchildren. More beer and wine...
5. Jeremy's Christmas party in Peckham. Everything started getting a little hazy at midnight.

Exhausted.

Messi keen to run long in the morning. Will need to skip.

Home

Decided on being home and took  morning calls from there after taking my little Elf to school (suits him better than the angel tag).

Combined a late lunch with picking Lukie up from school. By that time I had ran 10ks around the streets of Beckenham. I grabbed his rucksack and then we jogged the 1k home together. Safe to say that I was the only parent picking their child up in shorts. Circa 11k in 4.10s. It will do.

Grossed out

At work early and made time for another 10 tempo in 3.45s. Never felt great but another one done. Worked late and missed Christmas party.

* On train journey home a lady vomited in packed train. The one that was delayed and then was stopped due to another delay. It was like the scene out of Stand by me.

Weekend cannot come quick enough - looking forward to Palace Southampton. I never was one to pine for the Saturday footie but that's changing.

Just tempo ten

Made time at lunch. Given had not ran in 3 days decided to graft and so settled on another 15k tempo at 3.45s as per last week but was struggling already at 3k and so only managed 10 in 37.30.

Then swam against the tide for the rest of the arvo - my Inbox is out of control. Not helped by feeling run down and having a sore throat.

This morning Jacqueline said to me 'look at our angel'. Did not realize at the time that she meant it literally! It now makes sense.

No time

No time so no run today. 2nd day in a row. Must jump back on again tomorrow.

James Cracknell

J struggling with all 4 boys at the minute. They are a real handful. Decided that I would take boys to school and start work a little later and that's what I did. The final straw was last night when Ryder asked me why I was never home during the week.

Relentless day but stayed firm on joining the James Cracknell panel discussion. 

When I ran my first sub 3 hour London marathon in 2006 was when our paths first crossed on Tower Bridge. I still have the photo at home somewhere showing us running shoulder to shoulder. At the time I was oblivious to the fact. I have been following him ever since and his quest to go sub three hours. If I am not mistaken he missed several times by literally seconds.

Then this year he ran 2.50. I know because I high fived him at the finish. He finished one place ahead of me. All the more remarkable when you realise what this guy has been through over the last few years. In 2010 he was on his Discovery Channel funded adventure running, cycling, rowing, and swimming across the United States when he got hit by a truck and spent the next month in a coma. You can tell that there is still something missing, a certain vagueness. Whilst being interviewed by colleague Garry Herbert (gold medal olympian cox at the 92 Barcelona games) he spoke very openly of his resulting seisures and epilepsy and the drastic effect on the relationship with his wife and kids. I have the upmost respect for the man. 

James won the Olympic gold in the rowing 4s at the Sydney Olympics (Foster, Pinsent, Redgrave) and then at Athens 4 years later. Garry aked him why he went another 4 years and he said because he wanted to do it 'without Redgrave'.

He spoke also of the lessons that rowing have taught him to allow him to eek out his new 'adventure life' including rowing the Atlantic, Marathon De Sable (#14th), the South Pole race across the artic:

1. A good set of lungs

2. Faith in your body

3. Ability to stay positive in bleak situations (this resonated with me) 

4. Propensity to prove people wrong 

There was an incredibly moving video with his wife who candidly told how she and their kids have coped with his new illness. They have been to hell and back. Garry asked him what he wanted to now achieve and he said for one day his wife Deb to say that 'he was back'. He then went onto say that he does not define himself by what he has achieved but rather who he is now.

Afterwards when everyone left I went up to him to congratulate him on his 10 minute PB. You could tell he was like 'who the hell is this bloke!'. I then retold the story of me high giving him at the finish line. He must have thought I was stalking him when I retold the Tower Bridge photo. He was though genuinely happy to hear my stories. We then chatted about some more of his experiences. I then said why the PB now? 'Weight loss' he said, 'I am 10ks lighter'.  * On that note see my post on Froome a few days back. 

I always did say that only with my fellow 80kg+ guys is running a level playing field. We never have any chance with the blokes who weigh 20kgs less. Reason I go better on bike vs. on my feet.

I am going to buy his book. Super nice guy and modest. Here are the photos - it was a real pleasure meeting him:

Palace vs Millwall

Up early for respective games. I took Jack to Millwall and J went with Lukie to his cup final. Whilst Jack was warming up I knocked out a laboured 12 x 400ms. Nothing much of note but very windy again. Jack did ok against very physical Palace side. In Australia he was old in his year now he is the youngest. It shows. At u11 level they play 4 quarters of 20 mins. Palace won 2, Millwall winning 1.  Jack (number 10) had a good tussle with number 13 who was quicker and stronger.

Lukie lost his final 3-2 after leading 2 nil at half time. Hey Ho. 

Mi's 40th

Groggy again his morning but was allocated all 4 boys as J was at a funeral. Tragically one of the school mum's passed away. They have kids in the same class as Ryder #5 and Jack #10. Put simply, it does not get any worse.

We were all in sombre mood as a result coupled with London being overcast and windy as fu#k. Took all 4 boys with to Jack's Millwall training and then decided to take them on the Woolwich car ferry across the Thames.  It got greyer as the morning went on.

Tired after yesterday's exploits but managed a 9.5k run in 4.13s before chipping up town with Jacquers for my sis' 40th party at Archer Street in Soho. Lots to drink and then stumbled home.

Lukie has his final in the morming and Jack playing for Millwall vs Palace.  Not sure will cope.

Last pick of my siblings, only D left to hit the #40 mark:

15k TTT

Groggy this morning but sunny day in London town.

Had a window at lunch and decided on a 15k treadmill time trial (TTT) at 3.45s. At 9k was beginning to get ragged but held on. It was not pretty. The new found optimism continues though been here many times before.

I think this run even surpasses my 17.10 5k TTT last week. Am not naive enough to suggest that is indicative of outdoor times but it's a start and confirms relative improvement. Even before the marathon this year I could barely run 10k at 3.45 let alone 15 and ran 2.51. This time last year I was not running and was when I had the cortisone injection. It meant that at Christmas 2014 I was unfit.

* The ankle is sore from drinking too much and that remains a worry.

This Christmas period is going to be absolutely critical if I am to start on any 2.40 curve. It's the only time of the year where work is genuinely quiet and need to make the most of the time. I have negotiated with myself to run every day and to hit 100k weeks.

Am going to die trying.

Fotheringham in the Guardian:

"Froome’s weight loss over the years was also a factor in his success, with a 2007 test carried out on behalf of the World Cycling Centre at Aigle, Switzerland, showing him at 76.5kg compared to his 2015 Tour de France weight of 67kg. His power output remained essentially the same over those years, pointing to a rise in power-weight ratio as a key reason for his improvement."

Tweet from Daniel Friebe: "So Chris Froome's a black belt at cycling. Right, back to work, everyone."

Andaz Hotel

Last night was another late one with dinner at the boutique Andaz Hotel (only 12 of them around the globe apparently), the Bluespoons restaurant.

Out of bed super early again for 45mins around the horse shoe streets of Amsterdam. Ended up with c.10ks and dark the entire time. Only 2 near misses with cyclists this morning. 

* Left ankle is always sore with running early doors and boozing the night before but did manage an earlier flight home.

Amsterdam and the Andaz Hotel:

Amsterdam

Forced myself out of bed at an ungodly hour to give myself a running window. Ended up plodding on the hotel treadmill for c.30 mins (7k). Then it was a dash to board meetings.

Then flew to Amsterdam in the evening for dinner with team there.  The last thing I need is another late night and another 25 course dinner. I am massively sleep deprived.

3 weeks to Christmas. The last few weeks feel like that final 8k slog in a marathon. Nuff said.

15 years (Lux)

Today was my 15th anniversary at my firm. The day also marks the day that I met Jacqueline. 3 countries, 4 boys and 2 emigrations later we are still going strong. Life is extremely busy for us 7 days a week but somehow we make it work. I love her dearly and there is no way I could have managed it without her.

Worked late last night and then up at 5 to get to Lux. 

Nice evening spent with the Lux team at Le Sud (Michelin * restaurant). Lux is a microcosm of what Europe stands for. In the team we have a motley crew of Germans,  French, Portuguese, Dutch and Skandinavians. I really enjoy the diversity. We spoke about how the population swells every day by 20% with people coming across the border from neighbouring Germany and France to work. The Australian government would have a heart attack at the mere thought. It's a nice place Lux and lucky to come here often.

Before dinner I snuck out to the hotel to put the running shoes on. It was cold and wet so decided on the treadmill.  The only problem being that it was 50dc inside as was next to the sauna and indoor swimming pool. At 3k I was sweating buckets and by 8k I was totally dehydrated. Held on for 10k in 3.59s.

Pics below of the Christmas markets and the final course at dinner (600 gateauxs). I rolled out of the restaurant.