team eye of the tiger

Photos

2006-10-14T23:17:00.000+01:00

As promised, here are a few piccies of the day. There should be some more coming soon as well.

Waiting at the start.

The crowds gather at the start.

Turning onto the seafront for the last mile.

Approaching the finishing line. Looking pretty knackered.

Waving to the crowd. In high spirits.

Finished!

Also, check out my flickr page and the Team Eye of the Tiger flickr page.

I did it!!!

2006-10-05T15:18:00.000+01:00

Oh , yes I did! Despite my previous reservations about taking part this year and not knowing whether I would be able to do myself justice I'm very pleased to announce that not only did I complete the course but I also made it in a reasonable time!

Last year, I managed the rather impressive (I think) time of 2hrs 00mins, beating my nearest fellow Tiger by 20 minutes. This year, I didn't expect to do nearly as well, and even though I was indeed slower, I still managed what I consider to be a very good time of 2hrs, 16mins! A time which not only means that a) I didn't embarrass myself, b) still beats all of my fellow Tiger team mates from last year and c) beat my sister! (The only reason I can see how this happened is that I have long legs, shes is considerably smaller than me and therefore found it harder to match me stride for stride.) She still managed a highly respectable time though, 20 minutes behind myself at 2hrs 36mins.

I'll be providing a full report on the day along with some pics very soon.

Its nearly here! Again!

2006-09-28T14:55:00.000+01:00

Oh my. Only 2 days to go! This is the post I never thought I'd would end up writing. Don't worry- I'm not breaking up with you, even though thats what it may have sounded like I was about to do. No, this isn't that bad but I simply can't believe that in three days time it will all be over. For the second time.

I remember thinking after the first race last year that there would be very little chance of me "doing that again", yet here I am, once more filled with the apprehension of the forthcoming weekend, not only the race itself but the logistics of the weekend. Just how will it all work out? Its not being helped by the fact that my Race Pack got lost in the post so I have to collect my race number and timing chip on the Saturday at the exhibition thats put on for runners and guests. I'm the sort of person who likes to be prepared (I was a model cub scout!) so after last year where every aspect of the run and the event in general was prepared well in advance I feel that this year theres been no preparation whatsoever. Perhaps its the fact that this year I'm on my own, I can't rely on other people to make any arrangments or share the worrying around. Nope, its all down to me, and whilst things have eventually been sorted out its all seemed a bit slapdash and rushed. Be it the planning, the travel or the training.

The training! oh, the training hasn't been what it should this year. I look back to last year to see myself as the picture of health I was, probably the fittest I have or ever will be. Now, I'm not saying that this year I've really let myself go or have been feasting a Mcdonalds every lunchtime, in fact I've tried to keep the diet fairly healthy over the past few months but its the actual pounding of the pavement which hasn't been what it should. Again, using last year as a comparison, I was doing at least 2 or 3 good runs each week, and by good runs I mean 3-4 miles each. This year? Well, i've been lucky to do 1. I have tried to keep up with doing at least 1 run into or out of work (3.5 miles) each week and this I have achieved. But it just doesn't seem enough.

On the Saturday just gone I actually did a run with my sister who will also be running in Newcastle. It was the first time we'd been able to co-ordinate ourselves and meet up with our kit and caboodle. It was nothing too vigourous, due to an impending luncheon appointment, but we probably managed a good couple of miles on an unseasonably hot day around some rather nice country lanes (certainly a more enjoyable run than the gauntlet of running through central London during the rush hour!) and we both felt pretty good about it.

I know its childish, but sibling rivalary seems to have taken hold I really do want to try and beat her. I doubt I will because shes been doing a lot more preparation than me (first timers eh?) but now I'm so sure I won't beat last years time of 2 hours that beating her seems to be my only real aim. I mean, she will probably beat the 2 hour mark if she runs like she has during training but I know that pace is a deceptive thing during race conditions and if you're not careful you can coast along well underpace and end up regretting it. Its the sort of thing that makes you miss out on your 2 hour target by 54 seconds! Not that I haven't come to accpet that now, after all its has been a year.

So, its two days to go, theres very little chance of me actually updating this before the race now so its time to sign off, wish me luck and I let you know how I got on!

Sponsorship

2006-09-06T16:20:00.000+01:00

It's been some time since the last update, for which I shall apologise. I have been busy, unfortunately its not the training that's been taking up my time but life in general. However, some training has been done. More of that in a bit, firstly: Team News.

Its confirmed that I am now the sole entrant from Team Eye of the Tiger for this year's Great North Run. We always knew that Andy and Dan would not enter because of "injuries" and a lack of enjoyment at last years event but there was a real chance of at least 60% of the team making it with Rob and Ste, both respectable runners, willing to give it a go. Unfortunately, Ste pulled out after being unsuccessful in the ballot, unsure of whether he would be able to raise the required sponsorship, and now its been confirmed that Rob is also out. Despite a successful ballot entry, he has now withdrawn due to a lack of fitness, money and time. It means that I alone represent the expections of TEOTT for 2006. A mantle I am somewhat reluctant to take on.

The reason? My own lack of preparation. Now I am definately going to give it a go, I've not done as much training as I did last year but I reckon I have an outside chance of doing just as well. As I said I would in my last update, I was going to take advantage of work being 3.5 miles away. I've managed at least 1 run per week into work (and this week I plan two!) and have been walking nearly all my other journeys, probably about 7 out of the 11 others. When I do run the 3.5ish (maybe just under) miles it takes me approx 28 minutes, therefore if I could keep this pace up I could easily get the 13.1 miles of the GNR doen in under 2 hours. But of course, there will be some flagging and slowing down on the longer distance so I reckon I'm on course for somewhere around the 2 hour mark, I'll probably miss out on the "Golden Time" of 2 hrs, 0 mins, 53 secs but I'm going to give it a go!

My running route, Angel Islington- like on monopoly.

In other news, I have possible accomadations sorted out for me and the missus when we travel up to Newcastle, one is a hotel about 10 miles of Newcastle which will cost around £60 a night, the other a flat of a friend in the middle of south Shields near the finish line which would be free. Guess which one I'd prefer.

Also, I have made the decision to ruin for Mind, Ther Mental Health Charity this year. Its a really good cause and it means that me and my sister will be running for the same cause. You can sponsor me here: http://www.justgiving.com/jamespeebles

Up and Running

2006-08-09T17:30:00.000+01:00

In my last blog, (below), you'll see that I was worried. Seriously so. And with good reason.

Training was not going to plan, I hadn't done anything towards sorting myself out before the big day and to be honest a few question marks as to whether I'd end up doing the GNR at all had started to appear. I wasn't happy. I needed to sort things out. So I have. Sort of.

The heatwave lasted a bit longer than first thought and it took a couple of weeks to sort out new working hours but despite the still (relatively) hot conditions I now have a working day that allows for running to be partaken in. So this is my new schedule:

Everyday, will see either a walk or run into work. Its about 3.5 miles from home so provides a good walk and an even better run. I will endevour to run into work at least twice a week. Some days I will walk back from work too, meaning a total distance of 7 miles a day.

I have approx 7 weeks to get into shape. Hmmm, I think the goal of under 2 hours has slipped from my grasp.

In other news, its been confirmed that Ste will not be running this year and Rob is in two minds. It appears his training has not been "going to plan" and he may give it a miss. So I have a duty as the only remaining member of TEOTT to run this year. Hence the stepping up of the training- the brass tiger shall remain my prize!

Also, I've heard that Honourary Team Member Erica is doing exceptionally well with her training I have conceded defeat already. No sibling rivalry here!

I have also been running on some local roads around the flat, including running around Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium.

The Gooner's new home

Worried. Seriously worried.

2006-07-04T22:23:00.000+01:00

I'm now getting seriously worried, as the title of this post may suggest. Why am I worried you may ask? Its a valid question so I will answer.

I'm worried because there is currently only 88 days to go and my training regime is about as active as this blog! Since about April, I decided it was time to do some running after a winter of neglect. I started to do some runs, nothing too intensive, just to get back into the feel of things before stepping up to something more intensive. I signed up to a new doctors in May and said I ran once or twice a week. I felt good.

But the truth of it is my runs got less and less often and I now struggle to fit them in at all. I have a confession I've not been for a run for about 4 weeks! This time last year, I'd already been training for 7 months and was approaching the peak of physical fitness. And now? Well, lets talk about something else. The problem I have is that its difficult to fit it all in, I work now long hours in the week, and after getting in at gone 7 in the evening having been out for 12 hours, the last thing I want to do is get my shorts on and go running around the park. Add to that the current heatwave and theres just no chance! So whats to be done?

Ok, well, hopefully I'm going to be changing my hours. With a bit of luck I'm going to wrangle starting work at about 11am so that will free me up time in the morning to go running. Also, the heat should be back to more normal tempatures by the end of the week. So I hereby announce that I'm going to now start putting in the effort- at least 2 runs per week from next week and no more excuses!

Oh, and I need to sort out a charity to run for and book a hotel, and work out how to get there and find out whose coming, oh and try t oupdate this more often. SO many more jobs.

Baby steps, baby steps....

Neglect

2006-05-24T11:18:00.000+01:00

I must make a big apology to all Team Eye of the Tiger fans out there.
Sorry.

Im sorry if youve been checking the page eagerly every day for the past month awaiting news, gossip and other training related tidbits.

In order to go some way as to making amends, here is a pic of me looking like a seventies tennis player.

(its my new training aid- a sweatband to keep the hair... erm... i mean sweat out of my eyes while jogging)

Stuff has been going on in the background, if a little slowly. To be honest both my training and this blog have been suffering from a touch of neglect of late. But all thats going to change!!

Yes, with only 4-ish months left till the big event (GNR 2006), training will have to be stepped up a notch (maybe a couple of notches, in fact probably cranked up to the max). And with that will come a whole load of new posts.

I for one shall be updating a lot more regularly as to how things are progressing, and hopefully so too will James.

Also im gonna whack one of those flickr boxes up so you can all have a squiz at the photos from last years event and some other "team building excercises" we may have experienced.

round the block.

2006-04-19T09:14:00.000+01:00

Since Ste is currently "not bothered" about doing this years GNR, my training regime has consisted of me running around the block.

This is now getting a tad boring. The block is not a piece of wood or stone. I am referring to the block of terraced houses where i live. 3 streets which make up a kind of large triangular circuit, about half a mile round.

Running round the block does have its advantages. I dont have to cross any roads. Im always in close proximity to my house and I know that it will only take me roughly 5 minutes to complete one lap- therefore i can leave the door on the latch and the oven on without worrying too much.

However running round the block can get a bit tedious. Theres only so much you can do to vary the experiance. Like running in the opposite direction for instance.

Back in the glory days of training for the 2005 GNR, when Ste was fully on board and commited, we would train in various and exotic locations. Sheldon Country Park and Chelmsley running track to mention but two. Ste would drive in his car named Bruce. We would listen to choons and discuss training tactics on the journey. We would take big bottles of water to quench our thirsts. I would take a towel to wipe away my sweat. Sometimes we'd get an ice cream if there was a van about.

I cant do that on my own. I dont have a car. I have a motorbike, which i dont fancy riding down to the park with my running kit on. And its too far and awkward to get anywhere decent on the bus. I used to go to the gym to vary things a bit, but i quit that hole of a place.

So now i run around the block.

When the boredom finally defeats me, then i will probably run across the road and find a new route.

1st prize presentation ceremony

2006-04-03T16:20:00.000+01:00

This picture was taken at the handover ceremony for the 1st place prize for the Team Eye of the Tiger Great North Run 2005.

Only about 6 months late, but the prize was finally awarded in a low key presentation event in Islington this weekend.

As you can see, James was delighted to receive his weighty prize of a Tin Tiger. It is now taking pride of place on his shelf.

I quit the gym

2006-03-24T10:46:00.000Z

Thats right. I quit the gym.

But why would a person in training for a 13 mile run quit an organisation dedicated to improving his fitness? Heres a coupla reasons.

I shall not be joining another gym for the foreseeable future due to the fact that im a poor student. Instead i shall be putting in the hard yards on the tough streets of Birmingham. Pounding the tarmac. Hitting the open road. Panting on the pavement.

I will probably visit the local council gym now and again, on a pay-as-you-go basis, in order to vary my training a bit. They say its important to do other forms of excercise in preperation for a big run, in order to prevent injury from the high impact of running on the street.

A big problem with splashing out £30 a month on the gym, was that i felt obligated to go fairly often. Id go 3 or 4 times a week in order to "get my moneys worth". But once id done those sessions i thought it was enough, and i wouldnt have to get out onto the road. I didnt do enough road work last year, because i was always going to the gym. This time round the focus of training will be switched to heavily bias in favour of the road.

An old favourite

2006-03-14T19:27:00.000Z

The clock is back! Last year it steadily counted us down to the GNR 05, and this year is no mistake. Once more it will countdown to our impending doom, I mean day of glory- as I write this it says "200 days" exactly!

Once again, its official, there's definately no backing out now. The countdown is really on....

training regimes

2006-03-09T17:43:00.000Z

My Heart Runners pack arrived the other day. Its a folder full of bits and bobbins from the British Heart Foundation. Advice on how to raise money mostly, but a handy training guide is included.

As well as general tips there are several plans for whatever type of running event you are training for.
I think i might actually try to follow the plan this year. There are 2 guides for half marathons, one for beginners and another for intermediates. Both are based on a 14 week time period before the big event and are broken down telling you what you should be doing on each and every day of the 14 weeks.

The beginners plan is designed for people with an expected completion time of over 2 hours. The intermediate is for people looking to finish sub 1 hour 50 mins.

Im not sure which i should aim for.
Last year i did the run in 2hrs 25mins.
Obviously i want to improve on that, and reckon i should be able to. The month before last years race i was plagued with injury. So i would expect that this year, with experiance, better preperation, effort and a bit of luck i would hope to do it in about 2 hours.

The problem is if i go for the harder plan will it be too hard? will i be put off and just give up on the whole idea of following a dictated regime?
If i do the easier schedule im more likely to stick to it the whole way through, but it might not be as challenging and bring out my full potential.

any advice?

Update-tabulous

2006-03-01T16:58:00.000Z

Even hotter off the presses news!!!!

bob (thats me) is now 100% confirmed and definately running in the 2006 GNR.

I got an email from the good folks at GreatRun.org informing me that id successfully secured a place in the final entry ballot. That means i got a free place (well almost, i still have to pay an entry fee that covers insurance and bobbins) and so dont have the pressure of raising heaps of dough for charity.

However i will still be running for charity (is this making sense?).

I'll explain. The entry system is a bit complicated, i cant remember if its been explained here before.

The way it works is this. The event can only hold a certain number of competitors. Say around 50 thousand. The organising body (GreatRun.org) will give most of these entry places away to various charities. The charities will then invite people to run on their behalf in exchange for a pledged amount of cash. Since their are so many people wanting to run in the event the charities can pretty much set the amount of pledged cash that they demand from a runner in return for a guaranteed starting place.

The few remaining places that the organisers hold onto are given away to individual runners in a ballot system. Kind of like a lucky dip. You put your name in and hope that you will get a free place in the run. What i didnt realise until the other day was that there is more than one ballot. and i was successful in the 2nd and final ballot.

So ive got me a place.
But im still going to run for charity.

You see, the charidees provide you with much more than a guaranteed place.
They also give you support in the form of advice, a free running vest and a tent full of refreshments at the end of the race.

When i didnt hear anything after the 1st ballot i thought id been unsuccessful. So i applied with the British Heart Foundation (who i ran for last year). Their minimum pledge is £300. They offered me a place with them, but also stated that if i was to get a place through the ballot then i could still run under their umbrella. I will still get all the support but wont have to make a fundraising pledge. They will get another bloke running around with their shirt on and i will raise whatever i can for them but theres no pressure to meet a minimum target. (and they can sell off the charity place they were going to give to me to some other dude)

Best start training properly then.

chin- any chance of getting that "count down to the big day" thing on the blog again?

TEOTT Update Flash! Swoosh!

2006-02-28T15:13:00.000Z

Time for a Team Tiger update. And Team Tiger is growing. So far, this is the situation, team mate by team mate:

James - CONFIRMED as running the Great North Run 2006. Unsure of which charity to run for, open to suggestions.

Rob - UNCONFIRMED. Unsuccessful in the ballot. Currently in two minds as to how to go forward. Looking into charity places.

Ste - UNCONFIRMED. Unsuccessful in the Ballot. Rejected by the BHF for a place running on their behalf. Looking at options.

Dan - LAME. Choosing not to run. Not even trying to re-prove himself after finishing last (member the team) in 2005.

Andy - LAME. Choosing not to run. Blaming dodgy knees and lack of time to train.

Honourary Team Mate Duncan - UNCONFIRMED. Newly interested in running this year, thanks to the performance of Team Tiger last year. Unsuccessful in the ballot, currently seriously considering whether its really all worth it.

Honourary Team Mate Erica - CONFIRMED. First female member of TEOTT. Sister of James. Unsuccessful in the ballot, but running on Behalf of 'Mind'.

The challenge continues.....

Bring It On! Its Official!

2006-02-09T09:19:00.000Z

Oh Yes, the results of the ballot are in. And the scores from the Newcastle Jury please:

I'm In!! Sweet. Here's to the new regime and another year of training and torture. But how have the other fellas got on??

whats the collective name for a group of tigers?

2006-02-01T08:53:00.000Z

another Tiger has confirmed his interest for the 2006 Great North Run.
James has entered the ballot!

Thats 3 Tigers who are definately up for a repeat of last years challenge.
Coincidentaly perhaps, it is the 3 Tigers who crossed the line first last year.

We are all keen to beat our times and build on the amounts rasied for charity. So far Dan has been fairly quiet on the subject, while andy is flat out refusing giving some lame exscuse about his fat knee.

Game on!!!!!!

2006-01-22T12:35:00.000Z

The spirit of the Tiger lives on!

I have entered the ballot for the 2006 Great North Run! ok, not quite the marathon that we'd planned all those months ago when the idea of running first came up, but i just dont think im ready for it yet. Another half marathon is the right thing for me to aim at now. ive really let myself go since the last time. Im nearly 15 stone now, up from just over 13 at my peak before the race in September. Much training is needed.

Ive also entered to join the British Heart Foundation team again, in case im not successful in the free ballot. So i'll probably be raising money for charidee again.

Ste has also entered the ballot. Ive not heard plans from James or Dan.

But it looks like we've had a tiger poached. Andy has stated on several occasions that he just doesnt want to run this year. Many excuses have been offered by this lame tiger; gammy knee, work commitments, not enjoying running etc.

oh well. we'll work on him.

So it looks like this here training blog will be a bit more active again.

Team Tiger Awards Ceremony

2006-01-03T16:26:00.000Z

Last week saw the Team Tiger presentation ceremony, held at the auspicious venue of the Wellington pub in town.
It didnt go to plan.

Over the past several months i have been tramping around local shopping centres in the birmingham suburbs, searching charity shops (or Opportunity shops if youre an Ozzy) for suitable Tiger related prizes for members of the team.

Although it is 4 months since the great run, i thought it would be an opportune time to make the presentation since most people seem to return to Brum to see family and friends for chrimbo. I thought that i would be able to arrange at least one night where everyone could make it out at the same time. Alass, it was not to be, although all members of the team did commit to coming along, circumstances conspired that not all of them could make it in the end.

I did give out the prizes for the members who turned up, cuz i couldnt be arsed lugging them home and then holding onto them for another 6 months till we all happen to be in the same place at the same time.

So to the prizes.

1st place was awarded to Mr James Jeremiah Peebles

The Tin Tiger. I think its real brass, and it weighs a tonne. Bought from a charidee shop in Kings Heath (where all the best shops are) for a mighty £4.99, it really is deserving of 1st place prize. Once bought i looked for a similar one on ebay and they were going for upwards of twelve english pounds minus postage and packing.
James has yet to collect his prize so i am keeping it safe for him till his next trip back to brum from the big smoke.

2nd place prize was awarded to Stephen Cornelius Gant esquire.

Yes, it was the plastic action figure tiger with moveable head and tail. It cost about 50p i think. Bargain. It looks fierce, which is appropriate because ste put in such a fierce display of running up in Newcastle.

I came third, and i didnt think it appropriate to buy my own prize, but andy reckons he'll keep his eye open for one.

Fourth place prize was a mini cuddly tiger toy, given to Andy on the night. It sported a dashing black bow tie and looked pretty smart. Unfortunately i dont have a photo of it but will endeavour to get one off andy and post it at a later date.

Fifth place prize for Daniel Bakingfield.

The Camp Tiger, complete with pink bowtie. Daniel was unable to collect his prize but i am holding onto it, along with his dungeons and dragons CDs which ive had for a while now as well. If Dan would like them then all he has to do is leave his flat and come to the pub sometime.

Discussion was had as to weather prizes should be kept in perpetuity or be up for grabs with each team tiger event. It was agreed that prizes will act as mascots or talismans on team tiger trips; being displayed proudly in team tiger transport cars, accomodation and many photos to be taken of them on location.

Some More Pics

2005-12-05T21:47:00.000Z

Its been a while since an update. My fault, I moved away from the rest of the team and they can't cope without me.

So whats the latest TEOTT news? Well, there isn't very much. Training schedules have gone out of the window, runs outside have been culled due to lack of point and cold weather. Mind you, there is muted talk of a possible GNR'06 TEOTT challenge. Shhh....

Anyway, here's some new old pics of the '05 race:

James and Rob kissing the medals with Pride!

Dan kissing his medal.

Dan, Andy, Rob looking fresh at the start.

James and Ste also looking particularly fresh.

In the pub after it all. Too tired to move and drink! (apart from me- Thumbs!)

More Soon....... (maybe)

keep it going

2005-10-13T10:38:00.000+01:00

although the Great North Run is gone, it is by no means forgotten.
We are all still collecting our sponsorship money in, the deadline is mid-november.

Over the next few weeks im going to post a few photos of the event and its aftermath here.
i might also update the site irregularly on topics such as my own personal fitness, possible future events and what other members of the team are up to.
I thinks its a shame to let the site go idle.

Done it!

2005-09-21T11:27:00.000+01:00

We did it!!!

It's taken 2 days to recover but we did it! All of us did it! Some of us better than others, but we did it!

I'm sure there'll be plenty of photos and stories coming soon but first: the RESULTS!

1st Zersenay Tadesse - 00:59:05
6th John Mayock (1st Brit) - 01:03:28
67th Deratu Tulu (1st Woman) - 1:12:04
354th Christopher Eccleston (Dr Who) - 01:27:19
1669th Nell Mcandrew (hot) - 01:39:18
6932nd John Inverdale (BBC sport) - 01:55:55
9420th JAMES PEEBLES (TEOTT) - 02:00:53
12862nd Penny Tranter (BBC Weather) - 02:07:36
17767th STEPHEN GANT (TEOTT) - 02:16:26
17898th John Motson (BBC Sport) - 02:16:42
18292nd Ray Stubbs (BBC Sport) - 02:17:25
22756th ROB FRANCE (TEOTT) - 02:25:51
33556th ANDEW GALLON (TEOTT) - 02:56:50
33558th DAN BAKER (TEOTT) - 02:56:51

Well Done Everybody!!!

Ho'way the Lads!!!

2005-09-17T13:20:00.000+01:00

Its tomorrow. Its less than 24 hours away! This time tomorrow it'll all be over. So this is just quick note to say thank you to all those people who have sponsored us, supported us and shown an interest in us over the past 10 months. It is really appreciated and we couldn't have got to where we are now without it.

Once we start our rovery process I'm sure we'll be able to regale you with stories of the day and hopefully some photos too!

Look out on TV for runner number 39268, thats me! I'm in the red top.

One Week to Go

2005-09-10T19:23:00.000+01:00

Aarrrrggghhhh!!! One week to go. This time next week we'll all be up in Newcastle quite literally soiling ourselves about the fact that the countdown will not include days anymore, only hours and that 10 months of preparation will nearly be reaching fruition.

There's even Bupa adverts on tele now about the GNR and the BBC did a big feature about it on Grandstand today. It's nearly upon us.. Just look at that clock!! Right now it says 7 days, 15 hours and 17 minutes. Oh God.........

Running tops

2005-08-25T12:11:00.000+01:00

Today it finally arrived! My actual Heart Runner runing top. Yes, the very one that I will be runing in in 23 days time. I thought it would just be a basic red t-shirt but its got lots of BHF branding on it and seems top quality. I presume the other lads must have received theirs in the post today as well, so come on boys- lets see 'em!!

Good Week

2005-08-19T19:22:00.000+01:00

It seems that I always define how weeks have been by putting them into one of two categories; good week or bad week. This week was a good week.

5 days- 3 good proper runs. Monday saw the monuMENTAL run Right up the Cut. Then two days rest- I did ache quite a bit I freely admit. So back into it on Thursday with a half that distance run (4 miles) on the same route, just turning around at the halfway point (Smethwick Pumping Station). And then today, with a change of route planned, something new to keep the interest there, I went on a run down 'the cut' the other way, cutting across a few roads and then a lap around Edgbaston Reservoir and back again.

It sounded like quite a distance in my head but in reality it was only 4 1/2 miles. Ha! only 4 1/2 miles! Still doesn't sound right when I say it.

A good week. (So far...)

Lovely Edgbaston Reservoir

Right Up the Cut

2005-08-17T12:34:00.000+01:00

Monday saw the best run yet! I don't mind admitting that I'm a bit chuffed about it.

I didn't set out to do anything particularly strenuous but ended up running a full 8 miles outdoors, no treadmill nonsense! I decided to once again take advantage of the 'cut' that runs down near the flat but instead of going into town as before, I ran out of town towards Smethwick, just to see where it went really as I'd never gone down that way before.

After about 5 minutes I came across a map showing another canalway running from the main stretch and rejoining it a bit further down, "Great!" I thought, "I'll run down the main canal and then back up along the other". Here was the mistake, the map had no distances on it, what appeared to be a small loop of maybe a mile or two, actually turned out to be nearer six! I didn't know this at the time, so I was running further and further away from home and anywhere I recognised without a clue as to how far away it was to the point where the other canal rejoined! After about 25 minutes and nearly turning back a couple of times, scared I was getting more and more lost -without money or a phone- and would end up being ridiculously late for work, I perservered and was on the point of giving up for a third time when the other canal came into sight. It was one of the happiest sights of my life!

The route back though proved even tougher, I starting to ache a bit and the ground below me was rubbish: mid-length grass; muddy potholes; slippy slimy concrete. But it was thoroughly worth it because not only did I end up doing a real good outdoor run covering a lengthy distance but also saw some sites of local interest that you just wouldn't see otherwise. These included:

The top lock of Smethwick Locks

Galton Bridge now a Grade 1 Listed Building. When built it was the longest single span bridge over what was claimed to be the largest earth works in the world. It spans some 70 foot over the surface of the canal.

Smethwick Pumping Station

Where the canal runs under the M5

For more information on the canal network click here

Up the Cut

2005-08-15T19:43:00.000+01:00

After the other week's poor performance, I made a vow that last week I would step the trainign up a notch, indeed do some training everyday. I made it a serious challenge to myself so made sure that I planned my time well and did the business. And surprisingly I actually managed to so it! So last week rigorous schedule went as follows:

Monday. Gentle start - 3.5 mile run at the gym

Tuesday Getting going - 2.5 mile outdoor run

Wednesday Sustained effort - 2.5 mile outdoor run

Thurday And again - 2.5 mile outdoor run

Friday Different route, surprisingly same distance - 2.5 mile outdoor run

Well, thats the stats, what whats the story? Well, the Monday at the gym speaks for its self really (as is mentioned here). I stood on a treadmill watching TMF or The Hits or some other ungodly rubbish pop music channel that the gym insists on piping in. Pretty straight forward really. Now the midweeks runs, were all the same type of run, each one running from work to home via the canals, or going 'up the cut' as the yokel locals may say. I thought the distance was around 3 miles but have done some calculations and found out its only about 2.5 miles, but its still a nice little run, through some of the more recently renovated parts of Birmingham City Centre and out into the suburbs. Its a run I can easily fit into my daily schedule so should prove useful on those busy days.

Friday was also a good day, more running 'up the cut' but a slightly different route and the bonus of some running mates! I may have mentioned before that an old friend LS is also running the GNR this year and we've gone for a run before, well, she happens to work at the BBC and has formed an informal running club woth some of her work mates - from now on they shall be known as the BBC Running Team or 'BBCRT'. A friendly group of 5 who enjoy their running. LS had been kind enough to let me join them so partake in Fridays run. All I knew was canals and the Mailbox as a starting point was involved...........

here

..........and it emerged that the route was basically back down the canal to within a hairs breadth of my own home (after spending half an hour to get into town on the bus!) and back again. It was good run though and will be undertaken again hopefully this week.

After 5 days of at least some sort of running, I took the weekend off. I know, a bit lame, but rest days are important too!

chelmsley track

2005-08-13T17:09:00.000+01:00

Last night saw the first official track meet for the southern contingent of Team Tiger.

thats right. Me, Ste and Gallon went down to the running track at "North Solihull Sports Centre". (its in chelmsley wood really).
Bored of running down the park, and with the idea that track running would be just that little bit easier, impact wise, on our aching limbs we headed down for an evenings hard-core training.

I ran exactly five thousand, six hundred metres.
Thats 3 and a half miles (ish).

How can i be so accurate?
well we were running on an athletics track, with markings, and each lap is a handy 400 metres.
I did a staggering 14 laps.
Sweet.

I didnt do all 14 laps at once, mind.
No i did 4 laps to warm up. a 5 minute break. Then 5 laps. a quick 3 minute or so break. Then another 5 laps.

I was knackered, but my injury did not flare up, and i didnt want to overdo it at such a crucial time.
Slow and steady wins the race. Nice incremental steps. I will run within my limits.

Im lovin the track and cant wait till the next trainin sesh down there. Its a lot more motivating knowing how far you have run. Its easier to set a pace and to set targets.

Two Thousand Hits!

2005-08-13T14:44:00.000+01:00

It's the big two-oh-oh-oh. Its only been 4 and half months or so that this website has been up and running and yesterday we recieved our 2000 hit! A big thanks to all those people who have visited us here and an even BIGGER thanks to those of you who keep coming back, your support is very important to us.

Hopefully, not only has the clever blend of life commentary, heartache, statistics and subtle comedy entertained, informed and brought a little sunshine into your lives but also inspired you to achieve the prevously-thought unacheivable. I mean if we can do it, so can you!

And remember: this thing is far from over. Far from it. In fact, with only 35 days to go until the GNR, its only the beginning.....

The Bunkhouse

2005-08-12T19:16:00.000+01:00

Now the first piece of advice I was always given when I told people that I was running the GNR wasn't about training, or how to apply myself, or how to always warm-down, it was always something along the lines of "Ooooh, you'd better book a hotel up, they'll be gone quick as a flash they will." "Yes", I'd agree, "I'll get right onto it, straight away." Now, the question is Did I? Short answer- no.

As ever, it was one of those things that I, and all members of the team, are guilty of - complacency. The 'I'll do it tomorrow' attitude which always crops up with these sort of things.

Well this week we finally got around to it and have managed to get somewhere relatively near. Relatively being the appropriate term, as you can imagine most places booked up months ago so we've had to go a bit further afield, about 35 miles further afield actually. So where, and what, have we got?

Well, we've managed to book 2 nights accomodation, both the Saturday night and Sunday night, at a Bunkhouse- yes, a 'Bunkhouse'. It basically a small hostel out in the Northumberland countryside, near Hadrian's Wall and the Pennine Way. It doesn't have a website unfortunately but is located near the village of Once Brewed, a truely stupid and only-could-be-English name, convieniently located near to Twice Brewed. Nice. Its also only a stones throw from the ancient Roman Settlement of Vindolanda, so maybe some historical exploring will be undertaken. And if we ache to much, we can sit on the wall!

Some of the ruins at Vindolanda.

It seems to be cheap and cheerful. A bit like us then.

lacking

2005-08-12T10:50:00.000+01:00

chin, my effort has been lacking.
my confidence has been knocked by the recurrence of my leg injury, which i thought i had gotten rid of.

i have been going the gym, and the odd run on the road, but nothing spectacular, just the odd 15 minute jog here and there to keep me ticking over.

wheres my motivation?

have you booked the accomodation yet?
i reckon you should tell the public about the magical hostel we are staying in.

Effort

2005-08-09T14:22:00.000+01:00

Effort. The contrast of two weeks.

Last week, the effort was lacking. Only 2 proper training sessions, one indoor (6.5 mile) and one outdoor (4km) run and that was it. Truely rubbish. After a good week the week before, what with the "Team Tiger Trek" on the Sunday and all, I'd took a couple of days off at the beginning of the week to allow my (somewhat aching) left leg to recover. Add to that some other things that needed doing and going away for the weekend it meant only enough time for two paltry training sessions. So how do I get back on the straight and narrow? Simple: put the effort in this week.

I've come up with a plan of doing some training each and every day this week. It's Tueday today, or Day 2, and I just finished a 3.5 mile outdoor run along the canals of Birmingham City Centre, and yesterday, Monday (or Day 1), I did a 3.5 mile indoor run for the first time using the Hill function on the treadmill (I usually just run at a steady incline of 1.5- although I'm not sure what that means in real terms) and climbed over 650 feet on the way. Run, run, run - thats the rest of the week.

Part of my running route, Cambrian Wharf, (Not me pictured)

And what are you other guys up to? To coin a footballing phrase- "It's all gone quiet other there".

Weekends Not Wasted

2005-08-01T20:01:00.000+01:00

Last week I made a promise not to waste my weekends like I usually do. This week I didn't and I am more than pleased with myself. In fact, it was a good week altogether I feel. Obviously there was Sunday's big walk and Saturday also saw a good outdoor run; this time in a new place with a new friend. The place? Cannon Hill Park. The friend? Lisa, old uni pal and fellow GNR-er. Both of us performed well on the run which took place on Saturday afternoon, a good run was had around the perimeter of Cannon Hill Park- one of Birmingham's finest and most famous parks. And afterwards we hit the pub and drank some non-alcoholic beverages (how students change!).

The week itself, also saw 2 good indoor runs of 4.5 miles and a decent outdoor 6km run. Yes- five seperate days of training in one week! Another new record.

I've had today off tho, my leg has a twinge after all that walking, hope its better tomorrow....

THE WALK

2005-08-01T14:57:00.000+01:00

im still recovering from the epic team walk yesterday.

The idea was to drive out to the country, walk along the canal for a coupla hours, find a pub, have lunch and then walk back to the car. This would give us an idea of the distance we would have to cover for the GNR and also be a good team bonding sesh.

We ended up being out for a whole 7 hours, a good 5 of which was spent trudging along the canal towpaths- all in high spirits.
the weather was good, the only shower all day was fortunate enough to fall while we were having our "lunch".
I dont know exactly what distance we covered but it felt like a bloody long way, from Catherine de Barnes to Lapworth and back again.

Along the way we saw many interesting things including; ducks, swans, fishermen, locks and narrow boats by the dozen.
heres a picture of me on a lock

after about an hour and a half of walking we happened upon our first canalside pub, The Black Boy in Knowle. a discussion was had about stopping for a beverage or lunch, but consensus had it that we march on in the direction of Lapworth as it was still early, we were all full of beans and there were plenty more pubs ahead.

Some considerable time later and we still hadnt found another pub. Some members of the group were growing restless, some faint with hunger pangs. Eventually we came to some sort of canal interchange where two different canals meet. We consulted the maps provided and decided upon a path that promised to take us to a welcoming hostelry.

After what seemed like an eternity we entered "The Boot" a Lapworth gastro-pub, which turned out to be like a mirage in the desert, taunting us, as the kitchen had just closed (at 3 o'clock on a sunday! i know!). Never fear, we had a cooling drink, then to the local Newsagents for provisions to keep us going till the next pub.

The Navigation. Again the kitchen was closed and would not be open till 6. Undaunted we headed back in the direction of home, hoping and praying that the doors to the Black Boys kitchen would still be open. Our faith was rewarded. It was kicking on for 5pm before we sat down at the Black Boy for the lunch of champions. Even the hordes of wasps that buzzed around our table searching for lemonade could not dampen our enthusiasm, nor could the rain which it seemed might accompany us on the final leg of the trek home.

All in all it was a bloody long, but bloody good day out. heres the rest of the gang, next to a sign pointing out the dangers of fishing next to overhead power lines.

team walk

2005-07-30T09:30:00.000+01:00

alright then, if nobody else is going to talk about it then i will.

This sunday, the canal towpaths of the North Warwickshire countryside will play host to the Team Tiger Half Walk-athon.

Thats right. The dedicated members of Team Eye of the Tiger will be power walking a 13 mile route (planned by JP) in order to suss out the actual distance we will be covering on race day. I dont think ive ever walked 13 miles in one go, let alone run it, so sunday will give us all an idea just how far 13 miles really is.

I might take some bread along to feed the ducks. We may stop at a country pub afterwards to re-fuel. Team bonding and all that.

Another weekly report

2005-07-25T20:11:00.000+01:00

Yes! Its another weekly report, a chance for you to catch up on how I (James) am doing. The joy! Right, its only a quick summary cos I'm at work again (tut tut).

As previously mentioned in my last update, Monday saw a real good 6.5 mile indoor run and Tuesday saw a pretty good 6 km outdoor run, so I won't bother you with the details again. Wednesday was, as is becoming customary, my midweek rest day- no running but a bit cycling into and out of work just to keep me ticking over. So onto Thursday, and it was a momentous day, oh yes, after months saying I was going to do it, I finally did. What? Why, run into and out of work of course! Now, it actually isn't as hardcore as I've made out before. It's only about 2 to 2.5 miles away so running there and back was a maximum of 5 miles and probably more like 4.5 and thats with a 5 hour rest in between. But still, I did it, and to be honest did it quite easily, with minimum fuel intake or tiredness, although there is one very steep hill I had to climb that did nearly kill me, both while running up and falling down it- it was that steep! I also learnt that I should take my change of clothes for the office beforehand and not put them in a backpack and run with that on. And to round off the working week on Friday I did a solid 4.5 mile indoor run on the treadmill at the gym.

In fact, its only the weekend where I've let myself down again. 2 whole days, not even a trip to the gym or a run around the park! My new resolution is to stop wasting the weekends; after all, these are the only days where I haven't got the restrictions of work to fit my running around so I should be making the most of them.

I've also tried to make the TEOTTGNRCCD (countdown) a bit bigger but then if I do then can't change the colour! So forget it! Its small and we'll just have to deal with it.

back in the swing

2005-07-25T11:55:00.000+01:00

Well, this morning i got back in the swing of things with a nice trot on the treadmill at the gym.

As predicted the weekend didnt see much running from me. but it saw plenty of eating.
I had one run; up a big hill in a park, and then around its plateau a few times before running back down it and to the comfort of a sofa. i was knackered. my lungs couldnt cope after a full week of doing nothing (resting my injury).

Oh, and the food. i lived like a king.
Do you know what "Yum-Yums" are? they must be a northern thing because ive never seen them round these parts. Imagine an oblong doughnut, twisted and coated in an icing sugar type substance. 5 for a pound at many a local bakery. Dangerously nice.

Add to that fish&chips, pasties, fry-ups, indian take aways and plenty of cake and what you get is my belly- an expanding mass of blubber. I reckoned that i would have put on about 2kg at least but according to the scales at the gym im roughly the same as before i went away.

The run this morning was ok. I was breathing a lot harder, sweating more and generally it was a lot harder than the typical 30 min treadmill runs ive been doing. The good news is i didnt feel any pain in my leg. Touch wood its better.

Injured

2005-07-22T15:05:00.000+01:00

I am now the third member of the team to be injured and have to take a break from training!!
I have picked up an injury to my neck and right shoulder and upper back area.
It occured on tuesday, the day started well goin for a run with JP in his local park officially now called winson green park. We did 9 laps of the track which approx 6km, this was a good run.
As i had the whole day off i was feelin a little bored later so thought i would do somethin slightly constructive and go to the golf driving range at lea marston and whack a few balls about.
This was soon to be a bad idea, after hitting a few good uns and some bad uns i struck another and something just went in my back/shoulder/neck area i didn't know what it was but it bloody hurt.
Some how i managed to drive home, i thought after a bit of a rest it would be ok and i might have just pulled something.
Wednesday night though i was still in a lot of pain and could hardly move. When i woke up on thurs it was a little better but still not good and still quite painful. So i thought i best do something about it and booked an appointment at a chiropractor.
Didn't think a doctor would do much except give pain killers and say just rest so went straight to the bak specialist.
There i had a examination and a scan by an aussie doc then he proceeded to pull and push me about to try and put me back in the right position. This did actually help, even though some of it was quite painful with parts of me clicking and craking. He gave me some excercise's to do and i purchased a gel ice pack to put on every now and again which is helping. Even though it helped seeing the aussie doc for about half an hour cost my dear father £70!!
It is slowly getting better now and i have another appointment with the aussie doc on sat mornin hopefully that will help even more and i won't be out of training for too long.

The week (so far)

2005-07-20T13:16:00.000+01:00

Yesterday saw another good outdoor run. The indifferent weather meant almost perfect running conditions (bar the somewhat strong westerly wind), which me and Ste took advantage of. Rob was going to join the proceedings but what with his SRI he was a no show, the others had the convenient excuse of working regular 9 - 5 jobs.

So me and Ste took the pleasure of running a solid 6km, averaging a pace of approx. 6mph, around the park down the road (from now on known as WINSON GREEN PARK). It was a solid performance by both parties with only a mild ache of the legs as a result.

This was building on another good run on Monday down the gym where I 'clocked' the treadmill, doing an full hour's run followed by a warm down, completing a distance of 6.5 miles. That's half-distance of the GNR. Another milestone hit.

Also this week I plan to run into and out of work, and am going to discuss going for a run with another GNR participant but non-TEOTT member known for now as LS. Maybe go for a run around Edgbaston Reservoir?

Edgbaston Reservoir (and car park)

I also think a full team run is in order this weekend, maybe go for a run in Sutton Park? Its big, and green and has a lake.

See? I told you.

Donkey

2005-07-19T19:53:00.000+01:00

My leg hurts too you know.
its been hurting for about 3 weeks. Before that it was my foot, but that spontaneously healed itself while i was still training on it. The leg hasnt. So im resting it. Havent run since saturday when i nearly broke down through the pain.

Before it would only start to hurt after about 5 minutes running. It wouldnt hurt at all during general everyday usage. But now it hurts immediately as i start running and gives me the odd twinge during normal use.

Ive tried ice.
Now im trying rest.
I shall not run again until thurday night, when i shall be at the beach! Thats right im heading up Naarth, to visit my sister for a couple of days. She lives in Scarborough. Im hoping some beach running will be a bit less impact than the roads, and also ive heard that its quite tough on the old lungs, so hopefully if my leg is healed and (touch wood) i dont get any more niggles, then a good weekend of running shall get me back into shape.

Im hoping that is what happens. However, what i fear may occur is; i get to scarbro, its really hot and nice, i do one run and my leg explodes in pain, i end up spending the entire weekend eating fish and chips followed by ice cream and doughnuts, and the only time i spend on the beach is sun bathing and riding donkeys.

nice clock by the way james. Its a bit small though. any chance of making it bigger and bolder?

Its The Final Countdown....

2005-07-19T10:16:00.000+01:00

...der der der derrr, da-da-da-da-derr...

Oh yes, thanks to some free Javascript coding I've now gone and struck the fear of God into everyone by providing the "Team Eye of the Tiger Great North Run Countdown Clock" or TEOTTGNRCC for short. If you look to the left underneath our shiney happy faces you can see it;

"Telling the time, steadily, sensibly, never too quickly, never too slowly. Telling the time... for TEOTT!"

As I write this it says 61 days, 0 hours, 25 minutes and 7 seconds. Sooner than we realise its going to say 0 days, 0 hours, o minues and 0 seconds and me and the rest of my buddies will be in the process of a slow and painful death. Admittedly, thats a worse case scenario.

The Countdown: It begins....

Hot Hot Heat

2005-07-15T20:19:00.000+01:00

Yes it has been hot this week, too hot for running. As Bob pointed out here an attempted run by three members was curtailed due to the intense heat of the past couple of days. But at least they tried, I didn't even attempt a run. In fact I took two days off using the heat as a perfect excuse. But with Friday came the cooler weather (its only about 20 degrees now, not 30!) so kick started back into the regime.

You see on Monday and Tuesday I had good runs- Monday 5 mile indoor, Tuesday 4km outdoor (apologies for not standardising my distances) and was feeling good about the forthcoming week. In fact, a strange thing happened to me on Tuesday. I had finished my run, gone home, changed, showered and was thinking about going to work. I suddenly thought "Why don't I run to work? I would like that." And it was true, I would have. But I quickly dismissed it and got the bus. Then at work the thought popped in again: "I could run home from work, how good would that be?". Then I realised, for the first time since this all began, I actually wanted to go out and run! This made me a little uneasy, and not like my usual self but I thought it would mean I could do a run every day this week.

Not so. Wednesday was so hot it was a joke and I realised that it would not be a good idea, and on Thursday I didn't really have time to fit a good run in. So after two days rest I decided that a proper good proper run was in order. And thats what I did, today I ran 6 km outdoor, my longest outdoor run by far. I am feeling quite good again, it fact I could run home from work.......

lacklustre

2005-07-15T09:57:00.000+01:00

It was a lacklustre training session for the South Birmingham contingent of Team Tiger last night.

Ste, Andy and myself hauled our asses down to Elmdon in an attempt to put in the hard yards. but it was just too muggy and hot for me. Ste managed a good couple of laps of the nature reserve. Andy managed his obligatory one lap followed by a walking half lap. I did one whole lap and then an "easy" lap using the shortcut.

even our warm up and cool down laps round the lake were cut short as some football squad was using it to train. meaning several near collisions with people in Coventry City FC replica kit. i dont think it was the actual Cov city team, but you never know, it might have been their reserves or something.

we had a little kick about ourselves afterwards. but overall im pretty dissapointed in the session overall.
However it was very hot, and i did go to the gym in the morning, just for a weights sesh, and a bit of a row/cycle. so i reckon that took it out of me a bit. but overall i just wasnt motivated or up for it at all.

Team Button

2005-07-12T21:57:00.000+01:00

Today is the official launch of a new exciting Team Eye of the Tiger product. Rob in his infinite wisdom has made a rather snazzy Team Tiger button, I'm sure you'll agree its a quality product.

Ok, so here's what you do. Show us your support by getting a button for your website, simply place it somewhere on your own site/blog and as a 'Thank You' you can become an official Running Mate and get a link to your website. One big Team Tiger community. To get your button simply copy and paste the HTML code below into the source of youe site/blog:

*<*a href="http://teameyeofthetiger.blogspot.com"*><*img src="http://www.jamespeebles.co.uk/tiger/button.JPG"*><*/a*>

Then delete each of the stars from the above code (i've only done the whole stars thing because i don't know how do show you code without it being coding). So if anyone knows how to display HTML code without it actually being coded please let me know so I can make the whole process much easier. Cheers.

Disappointing

2005-07-11T19:58:00.000+01:00

Yes, disappointing, that is the word for it. The word for last week. Training and last week did not go hand in hand particularly well. But not for a want of trying. You may remember that my last update ended with the phrase "My foot hurts today...". Well it did. It did a lot. So much so in fact that I've not been able t to train as I wanted. After the last couple of weeks where I feel I was really starting to push up my levels of work and really feel like I was actually training for a marathon, this week my first official "Training- Related- Injury" (TRI) meant I had to be rubbish.

So what happened? Well, last Sunday saw the team go for a team run, nothing too strenuous, about a 2 mile run in total around Elmdon Park following by a game of footie. All was good, no problems, feeling great. On the long journey home I ended up walking fro mthe Birmingham City Centre to the Flat, about 2 and a half miles or so. Again nothing uncommon about that, I quite often walk that distance to and from work (that's if I'm not cycling it in and out!). When I got back I had a dull ache in the lower leg / ankle area. By Monday morning it was really throbbing so a rest day was decided upon and no gym activity taken part in. It didn't get better. Tueday it still hurt but determined to continue I cycled to work and went to the gym. Mistake. I planned to do about 4 miles on the treadmill. After 2 miles I had to stop, it wasn't so much the pain in my foot, simply that my leg wouldn't bend the way it should. I stopped. Gladly.

Starting to get slightly concerned about the aching I consulted my medical journals (ok, so I googled it) and self diagnosed that I had somehow strained my Tibialis Anterior, prob during the footie game, and it now hurt like hell.

The offending muscle

So the course of action taken? Another day of rest and to not be silly by trying to run 4 miles on it. Wednesday came and went, then Thursday came along and I decided to do my 5 mile cycle route as it had begun to feel a bit better. It was Friday when I ventured into the gym once more to try and "do a bit of running". I felt almost back to normal, still the odd little ache but definitely better for the few days rest. A steady jogging pace and 4 miles was completed; I felt much happier, my tibialis almost normal and I was back into the swing of things.

Over the weekend I did nothing. Nothing at all. I try to tell myself that they were rest days because of the T.R.I. but I know that all I'm doing is lying to myself, I was just busy and didn't get time to do anything. To make up for this today I clocked up a 5 mile run on the treadmill at the gym, and feeling much better, both physically and mentally, for it. More outdoor running needs to be done this week!!!

hard slog

2005-07-08T16:33:00.000+01:00

well the week for me (bob) has been a bit of a hard slog. After Sundays park run ive been to the gym every day except Wednesday. This has meant all my work has been treadmill based apart from the walks to and from the gym, which i find a useful warm up or cool down (its about a 40 minute walk each way).

im growing to like the treadmill. its not all that boring. ive managed to clock up a fair distance this week i reckon. Cant remember how far i went on monday or tuesday, but i never do less than 3km when i get on the machine now. Yesterday i did an easy 6km. i felt like i couldve done a lot more, but knew that i would feel it today if i did. This morning i banged out another 5km. it didnt hurt but it wasnt easy. I reckon it was harder not just because of the amount of work ive done this week, but since i was on my own i didnt have as much motivation plus i had to walk to the gym and back.

i know i should be getting out on the roads a lot more, but im just loving the gym so much. i can watch 9 TVs at once, theres always a few hot ladies walking about, the showers are nicer than mine, they have a sauna and i can bang out a few weights if i feel like it. meanwhile the roads round by where i live are full of scallies who like to throw bricks at moving objects such as fire engines, police cars and joggers.

Last Week

2005-07-05T10:08:00.000+01:00

Ok, so its the (semi) regular weekly report. I'm at work -tut tut- so here's only a quick summary:

Monday 5 mile cycle, 3.5 mile indoor run

Tueday 5 mile cycle, 2km outdoor run

Wednesday 5 mile cycle, 4 mile indoor run

Thursday 4km outdoor run

Friday 5 mile cycle

Saturday Rest Day

Sunday 2 mile team outdoor run, 3 mile outdoor walk

My foot hurts today....

Team mascot

2005-07-03T16:20:00.000+01:00

introducing Henry, my sisters new kitten and our new team mascot.

Henry is only a few weeks old and is apparently a rare breed. being three-quarters Bengal. the other quarter is some other fancy-dan cat breed.
apparently the full Bengals can cost up to 2 grand. This little fella cost 200 squid which is still a lot of money in my book for a cat.

Henry is litle bigger than my hand at the minute and all he does is sleep, eat, play and poo. However he does have a mighty roar when he is hungry, and apparently he will grow up to be a lot bigger than your average cat.
A few metaphores for team tiger there maybe?

race pace

2005-06-30T11:00:00.000+01:00

lets just stop the sillyness about running times and stuff.
James im not questioning your maths, im questioning Birmingham City Councils measurement ability. Is your park lap length indicator truely accurate? And if we keep it all in Kilometres and minutes for a while- my best ever time for 2km on the treadmill (which as we all know is easier than the road) is 11 minutes, and that left me totally knackered, gasping for air. Thats a whole 2 minutes longer than your 9 minutes, which is why im slightly questioning of your figures.
Me and ste will have to come up to your park one lunch time and run it with you, just as you will have to come to elmdon one day.

team solidarity.we should be training together more.
i like the fact its getting a bit competitive and we are all spurring each other on (even andy has been hitting the gym hard this week) but lets not descend into sillyness.

anyway....
i found this good thing on a website. its a performance indicator. you put your best times at any distance in (kms or miles) and it predicts what you should be able to achieve over a different distance.

For instance yesterday i did a 10km run on the treadmill.
it took me just over an hour- i had a couple of little breaks.
well the predictor reckons that for a half marathon i have the potential of completing it in 2 hours 23 mins.
cool

Theres also a handy pace calculator which works out the splits you should be running on the way round at your chosen distance, depending on your desired completion time or chosen pace.

Do the Math

2005-06-29T22:21:00.000+01:00

Now Bob and Ste recently brought into question my mathematical skills regarding my park runs, now not totally convinced by my own mathmatical prowess I decided to do some checking. I reckoned that during my park runs I'd run 3 laps, which is 2 km, in approximately 9 minutes. Not possible? Let's 'Do the Math'!

Ok, so 2 km is 1.24 miles. 1.24 divided by 9 minutes equals 8.25. So that's a running speed of 8.25mph. Which is the top end of the speed of my runs in the gym on the treadmill - the enthusiasm of the outdoors, the sunny weather, the novelty of the new, all possible contributors to the pace? Maybe, and I was pushing it a bit, especially in the heat.

Now let's just say, I was able to keep that pace up for 13 miles, how long would it take? Well, how many minutes a mile? That's 60 minutes divided by the speed, so 60 / 8.25 = 94.5 minutes. That's just over an hour and a half! But hang on, I'm not so niave as to think that'll happen, thats just for fun! I mean I'll be happy to finish in two and a half hours.

Today also saw a trip to the gym, on the treadmill I managed a relatively comfortable 3.5 miles in 31 minutes. So....let's 'Do the Math'! 31 / 3.5 = 8.85. So 8.85 minutes per mile x 13 = 115 minutes. Still under 2 hours. Sweet. Allow for some fatigue, still on target.

Effort

2005-06-29T18:59:00.000+01:00

After the last couple of weeks of very little effort in training for the big race I thought it was about time I put some real effort in, especially as BOB and JP seem to be making a large effort with big sessions in the gym and also some road runs.
So the week started with a trip to the gym on Monday with bob, having not been for a while 15 mins on the treadmill took its toll, then pushing weights also needed a lot more effort than usual.
I then realised I was going to have to raise my game with the run getting ever closer.
On Tuesday I wanted to do some training but having been to the gym on Monday didn't fancy going again and as had work in the afternoon thought a park run would be good, but maybe 1 o'clock in the afternoon in the scorching heat wasn't the best idea! At the start tho it didn't seem too bad, after 1 lap of the lake myself and bob ventured to the nature trail track, we then embarked on 2 straight laps in approx 16mins which was v hard!
After a quick water break we then managed another 2 laps of the lake before nearly dyeing!!
Then today I hard a hard session in the gym which consisted of 6 mins on the cross trainer as a short warm up, a quick stretch then onto the treadmill for a 5km run in 35mins, then onto the weights trying to do as much as usual which was quite hard. Then just to finish me off and make me sweat that little bit more I thought I would have a go at the navy test on the treadmill which bob had told me about, 2.4km at an incline of 1 as fast as u can, I managed somehow to complete it in just over 12 and a half minutes, which according to the machine is satisfactory-high standard, not bad I thought after the earlier effort.
For the rest of the week I'm hopefully planning at least 1 more outdoor run and another hard session in the gym and hopefully continue in this way till the big race in September.

....go out in the Midday Sun

2005-06-28T21:36:00.000+01:00

It is not only Bobert and Ste who are the proverbial mad dogs, I also treated myself to a run in the park this very afternoon. A different park though, no lake in mine. And as Bob said, it was hot, bloody hot. Again. So today saw only a 2km run, is this hot weather a conveinient excuse to cut down the kms? I hope not. Anyway, today I had an assistant, ML was there to be official time keeper and looker-afterer of keys, wallet, phone etc.

Today felt like a good run, not overly paced, but speedy enough. I've come to the conclusion that if I can keep each lap to about 3 minutes then I'm doing well. This would mean 2km takes approx 9 minutes, therefore 10km would take (5 x 9) 45 minutes. It also means that I can set my pace a bit more easily. So todays results as recorded by ML:

Lap 1 - 2 mins 58 sec

Lap 2 - 3 mins 10 sec

Lap 3 - 3 mins 01 sec

Surprising results really, I thought that my first lap would be slowest and the middle lap the quickest, not the case. More runs planned this week, proper runs.

mad dogs and Englishmen

2005-06-28T15:47:00.000+01:00

...and so it was that Cornelius and my good self ventured into the park of Elmdon at one hour past the noon.
the sun burnt bright and high in the sky above.
the wind was harsh and dry as if sent by the dessert gods to dessicate our bodies.
wee beasties did fly about our personage trying to suck blood from our very veins.

Now some might say that a run around the park at 1pm on a blazing hot day is not so wise. However me and ste reckoned it was a very good idea, since all them top athletes do warm weather training, and you never know, we might get an Indian summer in Newcastle this September.

Suffice to say we sweated our collectively huge nads off.
2 laps in a row of the nature trail took over 15 minutes, but it didnt feel as bad as i wouldve thought. we also managed 3 individual laps of the lake.

i'll let you into a training/recovery method that ive started to use.
its called "the wet towel" and its bloody effective.
When youve just run up a sweat and are near collapse, stop, get yourself a towel and a bottle of water. Pour the water over the towel and place towel on your face.
it feels nice.

hardcore

2005-06-26T13:46:00.000+01:00

how hardcore am i?

this hardcore:
- Saturday morning i passed the treadmills Navy Fitness Test to a satisfactory/marginal standard (i failed it on thursday)
- Saturday night 13 shots of vodka over a space of 4 hours, stayed up till 5am, slept for 2 hours.
- This morning- a Maccy D's brekky and off to the gym before mid-day; a 3km run, 5km bike ride and some weights, followed by a 45 minute walk back to my house as a cool down.

The Week

2005-06-26T13:02:00.000+01:00

Right then. The other week my training was rubbish, really rubbish. Woefully bad. A concerted effort was need this week, and thats exactly what was given. I constructed a plan of action and completed it to the hilt. Oh yes, I have laid to rest the demons of the other week, and its wasn't as bad as i thought it might be. So here's a brief outline of this weeks activities:

Sunday Approx. 10 mile walk

Monday 5 mile cycle

Tuesday 5 mile cycle and a park run

Wednesday 5 mile cycle and a trip to the gym

Thursday 5 mile cycle and a park run

Friday 5 mile cycle and a trip to the gym

Saturday A trip to the gym.

Grrrr....

It's got nothing to do with your Vorsprung Durch Technik...

2005-06-23T19:46:00.000+01:00

....Parklife!

And it's not about you joggers who go around and around and around.....

Well, actually it is. You see today I started my park running regime as outlined in my previous update. After Monday's "test run" today came my first run proper. Complete with stopwatch, water drink and sunglasses. The original plan was a 4km run, thats 6 laps with a small rest break half way thru. That didn't happen, the reason? It's hot. Bloody hot. Another day where its 30 degrees celcius, not a cloud in the sky- not ideal running weather, especially for me. So 3 laps only was decided upon. These are my times:

Lap 1- 3min 11sec
Lap 2- 2min 55sec
Lap 3- 2min 59sec

The problem is though, I don't know whether thats any good or not, I mean what is a good time to run that sort of distance? What affect should the heat have on my time? Am I overdoing it or is that slow? How do I know what pace I should set myself at? Any ideas? In many ways I've raised more questions than I've answered. But there's lots of positives too, to start with I actually enjoyed the run. Out in the sun, amongst grass and the like- very peaceful and calming. I feel like it was doing me good too, maybe again the weather was causing me to feel optimistic (I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed doing it in the rain) but my body felt like it responding when I kept on pushing. So much so that I even did an extra lap (Lap 4- 2min 59sec).

So a quick recap, 4 laps - total time 12min 05 sec. That would mean running 10km would take 33mins. That to me sounds pretty good (although stamina levels would drag that down a bit). Still a good start. More park running at the weekend? Maybe.

Round and around and around.....

The Park - Mark II

2005-06-22T14:18:00.000+01:00

Now you may be aware that most of the team members live relatively close to one another on the east side of Birmingham. That is except for me, last year I moved over to the west side of Brum. This is why they all go to the same gym and I go to a different one; and why they can all go for an impromtu run around Elmdon Park and I cannot. However in my last update when I went on about how Rubbish my training was last week I mentioned running around the park. This is because I have taken the plunge and started my outdoor running regime. I now have my own park, it doesn't seem to have a name but its only a 2 minute jog from my house.

This is the park. It has a bench to sit on too.

Now the beauty of this park is that it has a walking/running track around the perimeter, and council have been good enough to put up posts indicating that 3 laps of the park equals 2km. How good is that?? Even I can do the maths with that. 6 laps is 4km, 9 laps is 6km and so on and so on. So far this week I have done one introductory run of the park (2km) and have another run planned for tomorrow. This week's training regime is currently on track with trips to the gym also completed. Maybe the incredibly hot weather is making me want to go outside and run around a lot. Maybe its the sun bathed canals that have got me quite happily riding my bike to and from work each day. Maybe its Wimbledon on TV thats making me want to go out and play tennis. Who knows, but things are looking up.

Thank you Birmingham City Council

in the navy....or army or airforce or marines

2005-06-22T12:17:00.000+01:00

Well, its another first for Fitness First, my local gymnasium. Theyve gone and bought a whole load of swanky new equiptment, including about 30 new treadmills, or as i like to call 'em "runners".

These state of the art machines have a variety of settings and modes to keep the fitness enthusiast interested. Of these, my favourite has to be the fitness test. It gives a number of different tests including military style ones. It has army, navy, air force, marines and some other one ive never heard of, standard running tests.
You enter your age, weight and gender and it sets you a runnin. It has a little map thing on the screen and at the end you get a score.

What this score means- i have no idea. It doesnt tell you if youve passed or if youd get into the armed force of your choice, so all in all its pretty pointless but i love it anyway- just for the thrills of being able to say youve completed the army fitness test.

1000 Hits!

2005-06-20T20:16:00.000+01:00

Wa-hey! Today is a red letter day. As you can see by the counter at the bottom on the left we're celebrating Team Eye of the Tiger having recieved over 1000 hits, and all in less than two months! A big thank you to everyone who's visited us here and especially to those who keep coming back, we're glad to be of service. And as you can see from the Pie Chart we've gone truely global, admittedly the majority of interest has understandably come from the UK, but as well as the sustained interest from these countries we've had the odd hit as exotic as Peru, Portugal, Netherlands, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Italy.

Hits from:

Great Britain (UK) - 794 hits - 82%

United States - 64 hits - 7%

Israel - 39 hits - 4%

Canada - 22 hits - 2%

Others - 100 hits - 5%

First Page View Sat, Apr 23, 2005 at 04:42:37 pm

Last Page View Mon, Jun 20, 2005 at 08:06:14 pm

Total Page Views To Date 1,012

Total Visitors To Date 393

Date of Highest Page Views 50 (Thu, May 12, 2005)

Vote now

2005-06-19T12:08:00.000+01:00

Team Tiger on Tour

2005-06-17T20:14:00.000+01:00

The team on the sea front at Cowes

The team on a boat trip around The Needles

Rubbish

2005-06-17T20:09:00.000+01:00

My week of training in metaphor form

This has not been a good week for the training. In fact, this has possibly been the worst week yet. I'm ashamed of myself to be honest. After the frivolity of the weekend and my devil-may-care attitude to all kinds of physical training, apart from the careful limited consumption of only 2 ice creams in 5 days of sun soaked holiday- AG take notes, I had planned a week of getting back on track and compensation for a lost weekend.
That didn't happen.

Trips to the gym planned? Three
Trips taken? One

Runs arounds the park planned? Two.
Runs taken? Zero.

The shame.

The only positive thing about this week in fact has been the return of cycling into and out of work. Three times this week, and thats in a four day week. My new plan is to cycle everyday. Doing a road based trip in and a canal based trip back home means a total 5 mile round trip- thats 25 miles a week. This is scant consolation though. A concerted effort is needed next week.

Running Mates

2005-06-14T19:18:00.000+01:00

Positive Mental Attitude. PMA.

A key factor in the challenge. Ok, so we can train our bodies but can we train our minds? This is an important factor oft overlooked upon embarking upon this kind of venture. Now PMA is very much in our minds at the mo (more details of the 'team building' weekend in the Isle of Wight later) and the best way to gain a PMA is thru support and encouragement, thru bonding and gamesmanship. So it is in that spririt that TEOTT's 'Running Mates' program has been introduced.

Now you may notice the links under the appropriately title 'Running Mates' header to the left. These people are our friends. They are beautiful people. People who encourage us in our plight and hopefully we encourage them in theirs. So welcome our first three official 'Running Mates':

The Running Blogfather

Otherwise known as Mark, a running authority, he's Canadian but we won't hold it against him.

The Ultimate Olympian

Otherwise known as John, currently trying to compete in every Olympic event he's eligible for before Beijing 2008- all in the name of charity.

Michelle M

Otherwise known as erm... Michelle, a stalwart marathon runner and wise sage. She's a lady.

So please help support us by supporting them too, by working together the most ordinary people can do the most extraordinary things. And we're certainly ordinary.

Want to become an official 'Running Mate'? Simply get in touch and show us your support.

team tiger go south

2005-06-07T19:49:00.000+01:00

Thursday morning, bright and early, the five members of Team Eye of the Tiger shall be packing up their camping gear for the long car and ferry trip south to the mystical Isle of Wight.

The reason?
This years ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL.
Its gonna be sweet dudes.
The likes of Snow Patrol, Embrace, REM, Idlewild and Razorlight will be playing over the course of 3 days, while Team Tiger shall be cheering on from the fields.

...and maybe a little run on the beach?

Team Tiger- Official Team Photo

2005-05-31T22:17:00.000+01:00

from left to right: Ste, Andy, James, Bob and Dan

Jim's Gym

2005-05-31T20:06:00.000+01:00

The Gym. Its a strange and confusing place. Back when this challenge started I had to undergo a radical life transformation. Ok, so that's embellishing it a bit but I did have to join a gym, which is something I had always had an aversion to doing. I don't think they are bad places full of bad people, I mean getting fit and healthy is a good thing, it's me that's the problem. I'm just not a 'gym person'.

This is something I've had to reassess in light of the challenge. I've now been a fully signed up member (albeit at staff rate- God Bless the fact Hilton owns a gym chain) of the Livingwell Premier gym just around the corner from work for 6 months and I've got a personal fitness plan tailored to my specific needs. Sweet.

The fitness plan is as follows:
4 mile run on the Treadmill
750 strides on the Cross Trainer
1500m on the Rower
50 lengths a week of the pool
Various weights inc. shoulder presses, lat pulldowns, chest press, dips and 21's
And a couple of miles on this bad boy....

The Glorious Recumbant Bicycle. I think this is my favourite piece of equipment. It used to be the rower, all that sliding about and all, but now its definately the Recumbant, you're practically lying down!

Now this training regime is to be completed at least times a week, and it never proved to be a problem. But in the last few weeks its been harder and harder to fit in for various reasons and the improving weather is making me want to get outdoors more. So now i'm caught in a dilemma, do I sacrifice time at the gym, scale down the program and combine that with an new exciting outdoor activities into a new fully regimented program? Or do I continue with the current program and add in any 'al fresco' exercises as and when the opportunity occurs?
Your thoughts....

Hot. Bloody hot.

2005-05-28T13:22:00.000+01:00

Its hot. Bloody hot.

This is not good running weather.
Its muggy.
It breeds profuse amounts of sweat.

Im more of your Siberian or Arctic tiger, rather than the heat lovin Bengal or Sumatrans of the species.
Im more comfortable in the cold. I find it easier to breathe in nice cool air, better than the pollen laden, heavy, warm air that is about at this time of year.

Big trainin run tommorow morning at Elmdon park.
Me, Ste and Andy G have already had a coupla runs around the place.
Theres a sweet little loop around the nature trail at the top of the park. It takes about 7 minutes at a good pace. We also have a nice easy run around the lake, about 3-4 minutes at a steady tilt. And then theres the infamous hill. Its big. Its steep. Its scary.

shamon.

Kick 4 Malawi

2005-05-24T14:09:00.000+01:00

Time to leave Team Tiger news for a minute because I want to tell you about something that friends of a friend of mine are doing. Its called Kick4Malawi, and involves 2 brothers running 250 miles across Africa in ten days, and whats more they are going to be kicking a football the whole way. They are already underway and raising loads of money for the fight against Aids in Africa. If you've got a minute then please give them a visit at www.kick4malawi.co.uk and donate what you can.

The park

2005-05-22T19:01:00.000+01:00

Today was the first park run for 3 of the team. Myself, Bob and Andy went to a local park called Elmdon park for a run. Elmdon park is massive bob has previously blogged about so you may know about some of the stuff that is there. I hadn't been there for a long time, I used to go there as kid back in the day, it was especially good when it snowed due to the big hills that are v good for sledging. On the way there it started to lash it down with rain but we thought what the heck might as well still run anyway cos it might rain on the big run in September so might as well get used to it. We started off running round the lake then ventured up a hill and into the nature reserve which we also did a lap of. After a little swing we headed back to the car grabbed a quick drink and not feeling too tired went for another run round the lake even though Andy wasn't too keen to go again he did none the less. All in all it was a good little running session and I think it will be the start of many more outdoor runs.

Time off in Spain?

2005-05-22T14:36:00.000+01:00

(Oh alright, here's a quick translation.)

Not likely. Despite having just spent a week in Spain you'll be pleased to know I've not been letting the side down. Not solely a chance for some rest and recuperation- in fact I spent much of the time building a rockery and shovelling around seven tonnes of gravel. Nice. But I did manage to fit in some running and where better to start my outdoor running regime than this beautiful beach?

Its a bit difficult to make out due to my rubbish camera phone but there's a breakwater a couple of miles down the beach and that was my target. Get there. Have a rest. Get back.

This is me at the halfway point, looking pretty hot and bothered (it was about 30 degrees centigrade - hot!).

And this is looking back to the start point from the halfway mark. As you can see the beach was very busy. My original plan was to do this run at least a couple of times
but there just was not the time, too much gravel the previous couple of days. But look, it was worth it. What a lovely rockery!

¿Tiempo apagado en España?

2005-05-21T16:14:00.000+01:00

No probablemente. A pesar de apenas pasar una semana en España usted estará satisfecho saber que no he estado dejando el lado abajo. No solamente una ocasión para un cierto resto y recuperación en hecho pasé mucho del tiempo que construía un jardín de rocalla y que traspalaba alrededor siete toneladas de grava. Niza. ¿Pero manejé caber en alguno que funcionaba y cuando sea mejor comenzar mi régimen corriente al aire libre que esta playa hermosa?

Su un pedacito difícil de hacer hacia fuera debido a mi teléfono de la cámara fotográfica de los desperdicios pero allí es un rompeolas a los pares de millas abajo de la playa y ésa era mi blanco. Consiga allí. Tenga un resto. Consiga detrás.

Éste es yo en el punto intermedio, mirando caliente bonito e incomodado (era cerca de 30 grados de centígrado - caliente!).

Y esto está mirando de nuevo al punto del comienzo de la marca intermedia. Como usted puede ver la playa estaba muy ocupada. Mi plan original era hacer este funcionamiento por lo menos un par de épocas pero apenas no había el tiempo, demasiada grava los pares anteriores de días. Pero mirada, la valió. ¡Un qué jardín de rocalla encantador!

Running Barefoot

2005-05-15T18:11:00.000+01:00

So, apparently running barefoot is better for you.

Shoes restrict your foots natural cushioning function. In fact shoes weaken the foot because we arent using our own support muscles, we are relying on the shoe to do it for us.

If you run barefoot then the foot gets stronger and the joints are allowed to articulate in all the normal ways. Kenyan athletes, by all accounts, dont wear anything on their feet till aged 15.

However, because we have all been wearing shoes for 12 hours a day for most of our lives our feet arent up to the job of running naked straight away for any long periods of time. If you were to go out and start training barefoot this minute, then you would be at risk of tissue injuries such as shin splints.

So nike have come up with an intermediate solution, and youve probably seen the adverts on telly already. You know the one with Sharapova looking hot? They call their new trainer "Free". Basically i think its just less material so you are in closer contact with the ground.
But they look bloody cool, you can fold 'em up and stuff.

Im sold already.
All it takes for me is a bit of hype, some clever marketing (hot women) and a bit of psuedo sports science.

Links
look at the trainers
Times article
barefoot running site

running heaven

2005-05-13T19:31:00.000+01:00

Ive found a new place to run.
Elmdon park
I never new this place existed till last week.
Id heard the name before, but thought it was just another park, you know- coupla footy pitches, maybe the odd swing or roundabout.
But its only like the bloody best park in the world.... ever!

I mean, its got a green flag award for a start off.
Its massive. Rolling hills, Oak trees, wild grass meadows, theres even a river that runs through it! (well a brook, which is almost a river)

Theres an adventure type playground with monkey swing bars.
Theres a lake with ducks and swans and geeses and stuff.
At various points around the place there are pieces of fitness equiptment such as "dips" bars and chin-up bars.

Theres loads of wildlife too- Theres a sign up telling you about all the different birds and dragonflies that live there. And i saw a big orange fungus growing on a tree. And theres rumours that badgers have been spotted there.

Quality.
Gotta go run around it now.

A Big Thanks!

2005-05-09T15:40:00.000+01:00

This is a big thank you and personal tribute to a very special lady- my very first sponsor, the heavily pregnant Becca! She's become the first sponsor to use my newly set up online donation page (new catchphrase- "So easy, even Becca can use it!") visit it for yourself by clicking on the title of this post.

As a little reward for her I've posted a picture of her wearing a sombrero (the very same I wear in my pic in fact- just in case you were thinking we've all got matching sombreros or something.)

Thanks again Becca.

Sponsor me in particular

2005-05-09T10:40:00.000+01:00

I now have my own on-line sponsorship page at the BHF website, where you can donate safely and securely using a variety of payment methods.

The link can be found in the title of this posting.

Im going to add a decent pic, and a bit more description to it a bit later but ive had a massively tiring weekend at my sisters wedding, where i was an usher, and cant be bothered to write much for now.

Now u can see me

2005-05-05T14:32:00.000+01:00

I didn't put a picture on my first posting as i didn't know how to but thanks to robs instructions i now know so here i am.
This photo was taken at the back end of last summer by another member of the team Mr james peebles, it was taken on top of the eiffell tower on our short holiday there last year.

Ride that Tiger

2005-05-04T19:34:00.000+01:00

Training vs Team Bonding. Ok, so whats more important for the team? Training the body for the physical experience and hardships of running 13+ miles? Or training the mind for a team mentality which is needed to run in the first place? Well, when the training of the mind involves three high profile members of the team going to Drayton Manor Park and Zoo there's no competition is there? Forgetting all about the ice creams involved that is. And not only is there all the fun of the fair but a zoo, and what do zoos mean? TIGERS!

Yes, tigers, our inspiration. Not King Raj but Sonnie and Cher, well thats what we Christened them anyway, two lovely, if slightly anorexic looking tigers. And they can't half wolf down a cow leg. And there's a plastic tiger too, which as you can see we took full advantage of.

Running routes

2005-05-02T11:21:00.000+01:00

There are no excuses anymore for us not to be running on real ground instead of those fake treadmills at the gym. The weather is fine, the nights are long and the mornings bright.

For my part i shall be running along the paths of the Grand Union Canal (trying not to fall in), as there is an access point about 200 yards from my house. If i had the time and energy i could run all the way to London if i wanted to. But i will probably just run as far as Olton to start with.

There are a few good things about running on the canal banks.
-Firstly there are distance sign posts located at various points, for instance at the Yardley road bridge it tells me how many kilometres it is to The Richmond road bridge, Solihull and Knowle in one direction and to Birmingham town centre in the other direction.
-It is quiet. You get the odd dog walker (ive not run into Stan Collymore yet), the occasional cyclist and maybe some local "youth" up to no good- but you get them everywhere. You get to see ducks and swans floating along and wave at passing pleasure barges.
-Its low impact. The track isnt hardcore tarmac, its mostly this kind of gravel pressed into the soil. Some parts are just grass and there are various other surfaces which makes for a more interesting run.
-You can jump on and off at loads of places and get back onto the roads if you are bored. You can also get to cool places like the Ackers trust. If you go far enough, about 5 miles south, you end up in the proper countryside.

Where are you going to run to?

Me and my first blog

2005-05-01T21:52:00.000+01:00

Hi i'm stephen part of the team "eye of the tiger" first a little about me, i'm 24 quite similar to the other members of our team in various ways like taste in music, films etc. I have a beautiful girlfriend called Donna or tits as rob sometimes refers to her. At the moment i work at the Hilton Birmingham metropole hotel by the N.E.C as a banqueting senior supervisor where i have worked for nearly 7 years! which is far too long. When not there i can usually be found at home not doin a fat lot or out and about at various places. The gym is sometimes one of those places where i am trying to frequent more often at the moment not because i am overweight but because of training for our "challenge" which you should know about if you have read the read of the blog. The "challenge" is going to be hard i thinks, it all starts with a one of the biggest half marathons in the world in Newcastle more commonly known as the great north run, then hopefully progressing onto a full marathon next year if we can make it that far!
The training at the moment is consisting of going to the gym as often as possible which is generally about 3 times a week, but hopefully when the weather picks up as it should soon we shall start pounding the streets of solihull as well so as too prepare better for "road running".
I think that is long enough for my first ever blog so if this works i will no doubt be blogging again in the near future and keep you all updated on the training progress .

My first ever blog

2005-05-01T17:05:00.000+01:00

Blogging, great. never done it before, and if my brother takes another 6 months to fix my computer I wont be doing it again for a while. News on my progress, Im working hard at slimming down, the first stage of my training. Since giving up beer ive lost over half a stone. I will need to lose a significant amount before I will be able to achieve a good time for 13 miles, let alone 26. Tomorrow we are planning our first road run. Having spent all my time so far in the gym, putting in the hard miles. Will keep everybody up to date on my progress on speed and weight, thus ends my first ever blog

Cheapness

2005-04-27T10:06:00.000+01:00

My quest for a new pair of cheap runners has taken me far and wide. Its difficult for me because i am quite well endowed in the foot department (UK size 12).

Ive eventually managed to source a budget pair of shoes in my size from wiggle. They are a very reliable and cheap company, i used to get a lot of my cycling gear from them.

The shoes are very cheap but should do the job for now until the serious training starts in the last month or so before the event, when i reckon i will splash out on a really decent pair.

These "Puma Sub Sum" will be used for my road running. I shall continue to use my existing pair of nikes for gym work.

If you are looking for a cheap pair of runners why not try these sites:
Sportsshoes unlimited
M&M sports

Foreign Friends

2005-04-26T21:12:00.000+01:00

Team Eye of the Tiger Go Global!

Thanks to the good folks at Webstat, I've found out that in the last three days we've had a couple of visitors from Canada and one from Israel! To celebrate our cause going worldwide here's some facts about each of those lovely countries:

Canada
Highest Point: Mount Logan 5,959 m
Fact: second-largest country in world (after Russia)
Population: 32,507,874 - 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border
Electricity Production: 566.3 billion kWh per annum
Exports: motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum
Roads: 1,408,800 km (paved: 497,306 km; unpaved: 911,494 km)
Airports: 1,357
Have I Been? Yes. To Vancouver. It's very nice

Israel
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey, US
Natural resources: timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Population growth rate: 1.29%
GDP - per capita: $19,800
Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2
Heliports: 3
Railways: 640 km
Have I Been? No. But would if I got the chance.

Are you our mystery Canadian/Israeli visitor? If so, let us know. More World facts here

team tiger news

2005-04-26T18:43:00.000+01:00

So why have no other members of team Tiger (except me and chin) contributed to the blog yet?

Ste told me that he had tried but failed. He doesnt understand how to put a post up yet, so we are going to have a little teaching session one day. In fact, this reminds me of a nickname we once had for ste, before he got a computer last year; "Amish Ste". His aversion to modern technology (apart from the mobile fone) is somewhat legendary round these parts.

Andy. He hasnt posted because his little brother is fixing his computer, and has been doing so for the past 6 months. But we are assured that he will be back on-line shortly and contributing to the fun.

Dan- I think he has little exscuse, seeing as he sits at a desk for most of the day in his job, sending out random emails to all of us at regular intervals.

in other news:
Training for me has been going ok. Im concentrating a bit more on general fitness work at the gym lately, in order to lose a few pounds and get the old heart and lungs prepped for some major league road runs when the weather gets a bit more stable. Been doing a lot of rowing and cycling. Ive also been gravetatng towards the weights section of the gym to put on a bit of upper body muscle tone for the summer months- good news for all the ladies out there when i hit the beach.

Im after a new pair of running shoes, and have been looking around the net for bargains. Came across this little site which is a mine of information on all aspects of running. Take the "wet foot test" to see what foot type you are and what type of shoe would suit you.

Your Comments

2005-04-26T18:36:00.000+01:00

Thanks for visiting us here at Team Eye of the Tiger. All of the team think you are a very beautiful person indeed and as such your opinions and thoughts really matter to us. Lets us know what you think about us or our challenge by leaving a comment below. Just click on the 'Post a Comment' button below and type away. Maybe you've some words of advice for us novices or perhaps you've got a million and one unanswered questions. Anything! Just get involved and let us know you were here.

Many thanks, from all of the Team.

What's in a name?

2005-04-23T22:38:00.000+01:00

The first question you're bound to ask yourself, possibly, is "Why call yourself 'Team Eye of the Tiger'?". The name has come direct from Bob's head, he himself will have to provide the exact reasons for deciding upon the name, but its origins date back to the big fella above, King Raj - or Diamond- as he is really called. He's the face of The Isle of Wight Zoo, he's a Boo-tiful tiger. It all dates back to the Isle of Wight Festival at which myself and Bob attended last year- and will be again this- when his face adorned a leaflet advertising the tourist spots of the isle. I'll post that pic up here sometime soon, when I've dug it out. He's not the best looking tiger in the world, but that's his greatest charm, and its his struggle in the face of adversity that is our inspiration for the challenge.

According to the zoo, Diamond is "totally unflappable and spends the majority of his time lazing around just watching the world go by." So with hindsight, maybe not the most inspirational figure after all. Still, I'm sure you'll agree he's the coolest tiger you've ever seen. And all tigers are pretty cool.

Want to adopt Diamond? You can here

Introducing El Chin

2005-04-21T19:59:00.000+01:00

.
Hi I'm James.
Or known to some as 'El Chin'. But thats mostly just to Bob.
And I'm proud member number two of Team Eye of the Tiger.

You know the basics of who we are and our challenge, so this bits just about me. Of all of us, I'm probably the most unfit of the lot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an incredibly unfit person, the sort of person you may laugh at in the street when they walk past, but basically I'm just quite lazy. As a child I used to play football, ride bikes and climb trees, but as maturity sank in the laziness increased, the alcohol intake increased (I was a student after all) and before I knew it, I would be out of breath running for the bus, so I stopped running for the bus.

I reckon this is what happens to most people. Thats always been my excuse.

I feel that this challenge of ours, while not being excessively extravagent for some, I think for us lot, and particularly me, is going to take some doing.

But who am i? Well, i'm 24 years old, live in Birmingham (UK, not Alabama) and work in radio, providing the UK with much needed travel information. This involves sitting at a desk for 8 hours day, early mornings and late evenings, certainly no running about involved. When not informing the nation, I enjoy films and comedy, music and television. Again, no running involved there then.

That's the basics covered, if you want to find out more, then you can click on the link to your left or visit my website, a link to which is contained in the title of this post (sic bob).

I realy can't wait to give this a go, the Great North Run shall be an event of epic proportions and from there who knows, maybe this fitness malarky will become a whole new lifestyle. Lets see how we go.

Taking Shape

2005-04-21T09:21:00.000+01:00

The eagle-eyed ones amongst you may now have noticed that the site is taking shape. Updated introductions, lots of links to your left- some of which are working, some of which are still a work in progress. Links in the sidebar to the left that are underlined are fully working so check out whats there, and the others shall be up and running soon. Also there will be some lovely smiling photos along with some team member info, and a few other bits and bobs appearing in the near future. But i'm sure you'll agree that its actually coming together rather nicely, its starting to look like a website now I've worked out how to do things. Come On!

The site should be updating thick and fast from now so keep checking back.

introducing Bob

2005-04-19T16:17:00.000+01:00

Hello im bob.
Im a proud member of Team Eye of the Tiger.

As a first post id just like to introduce myself.

Like the other members of the team im training for the Great North Run this year and eventually for a full marathon next year. Its going to be tough, but i think the charities that we are running for are well deserving of the effort.

Im 23 and a full time student nurse. Ive worked on various hospital wards in Coventry and Warwickshire, but most recently at the Critical Care Unit at Rugbys St Cross Hospital, which highlighted for me the vast amount of work that has been and still needs to be done by the British Heart Foundation in the area of Coronary Care.

I used to be pretty fit and would regularly cycle 20-30 miles a day, but since coming to university ive let myself go a fair bit and its going to be one hell of a challenge for me to get back on form. You see being a student i do a lot of drinking, and being a nurse i get plied with a lot of choccys as thank you gifts. Then theres all that studying and sitting in front of a computer that i have to do. Its all taken its toll, lets just say that ive gotta lose a few pounds by the time the run comes around.

More about me. Well, i own a motorbike (but its only a baby 125cc at the mo), i like my indie rock music, footy, going out, watching telly (especially neighbours and Home & Away)- all the usual stuff. I can cook. Im housetrained. Tall. Athletic. Caring. Well educated. Single. In fact im a thoroughly good prospect for all you keen ladies out there.

You can read more about my life and goings on over at my personal blog, a link to which is contained in the title of this post.

Hopefully we are all going to raise a whole heap of spondooliks for good causes, have some fun and get super fit on the way.

Getting Set Up

2005-04-19T14:13:00.000+01:00

Ok, firstly I'll introduce myself. I'm the adminstrator for this site and am in charge of running it; everything on here goes by me. Secondly, I'm James, one of the members of "Team Eye of the Tiger" -or "The Team" as I'm going to have to start calling ourselves for fear of typers cramp!

We've decided to set up an online presence to not only publicize our causes but also to provide some information about us and what we're up to, and hopefully make the whole experience that little bit more enjoyable. And you never know, maybe help raise a little bit more money for our charities.

So who are we?? What does we?? and Why? All these questions shall be answered very soon.

I'm still fiddling with getting this Blog malarky right and by typing this I should have changed something. I hope. Things are slowly coming together.

The First Entry

2005-04-19T12:23:00.000+01:00

Ok, so this is the first entry of hopefully many to come regarding the latest news of the efforts of five normal blokes from Birmingham in the UK, hoping to triumph over adversity and take part in a marathon, raising lots of money for charity in the process. I'll provide more information later but for now I'll sign off.

which tiger do you think will cross the line first at the Great North Run?
	James Jeremiah Peeballs aka Chin
	Bob Francisco
	Stephen Cornelius Gant esq
	Andrew Donald Gallon
	Daniel Bakes Bakingfield

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