Ordinary + extra = extraordinary

Another minimum mile and a bit this morning.

Have had fun with my friend Steve's jet wash this morning blasting everything that wasn't sparkly clean.

I've just read about a 74-year-old Irish lady who hopes to complete her 100th marathon by this October. She did her first aged 49 and is planning 5 marathons between now and October.

Yet another person who is, by all accounts, ordinary and yet adds that bit extra to make herself extraordinary.

I wonder what my bit extra is?

Coincidences times 2

Just the bare minimum run this morning.

Been up to London today, which gave me a chance to delve a bit deeper into "Life on the Run: Coast to Coast". I now feel I was a bit too hasty in my initial judgement of the book yesterday.

I still think it's quite pricey for such a small book and the layout would not be my chosen design, but I have to say that I'm warming rapidly to the content of the book.

The part about one of the adventurers pleading with his colleagues to give him a new song to sing because he had "High on a Hill Stood a Lonely Goat-Herd" from the Sound of Music going round his head in a loop while at the top of one of the fells, really made me laugh.

That in turn triggered another memory for me of Toby (my son) singing exactly that same song solo on stage at Wimbledon Theatre probably about 20 years ago in the stage production of the show with Christopher Plummer.

The other coincidence I've only just realised is that Matt Beardshall and his colleagues were running (and cycling in 1 case) the exact same route that my brother-in-law and his colleagues are walking as I write this.

Cat alarm

Just under 2 miles this morning and back to the long tee-shirt, brrrrrr.

The cat that seems to have adopted us woke me up first when it jumped on our bed (3am), when it jumped off again (5am), when it scratched at the front door to go out (5.30am - it decided not to go out), when it scratched again to go out (6am - I ignored it) and when it scratched at the door of our spare room (6.15am - someone else got up). My alarm went at 6.30am. Oh joy!

I have now received and have started to read "Life on the Run: Coast to Coast" by Matt Beardshall. My initial impression is that it's a lot shorter than I expected for the price and I'm also not sure of the book design and the writing style, but it's early days and the jury is still out.

I've also received 3 other new books, delivered in their Amazon package on our door step. I do love getting new books!

Barefoot ouch!

Left knee a little sore this morning but only a very minor niggle.

I may have to rethink my barefoot running ideas for a while, apart from maybe on grass. My 13-year-old daughter encouraged me to run with her down to the end of the road and back yesterday, while I was wearing flip-flops. I immediately saw it as an opportunity to kick off said foot apparel and test out my barefoot running skills.

My style was tentative at the best, and pretty much tiptoeing when it came to crossing the handful of driveways. I can certainly see why it's almost impossible to run with a heel strike when you're barefoot

I think my idealistic vision of the joy, freedom and fun of barefoot is much further off than I had imagined.

100 days, 173 miles, 33 hours

100 days, 173 miles and 33 hours is my tally following this morning's glorious sunny run.

Our first breakfast of the year sitting out in the sunshine in the back garden and also the first time my shorts have seen the light of day this year.

I enjoyed my day living in happy valley yesterday and being a beacon. Today's intention is to be kind wherever possible and to start really trying out positive affirmations.

Ordered 4 books on Amazon yesterday with some birthday vouchers, so I'm quite excited about receiving them in the next week or three, and yes, one of them is about running.

I've got a crazy hair-brained idea at the moment - I wonder if I could run the Beachy Head marathon barefoot? I might have to let that one simmer for a few days.