Guess who's back?

Well my foot is now mostly healed but I've got only two months before the half-marathon and I'm back to square one. Booooo.

Started my return to training with a leisurely 3 miles round Clissold Park alongside my brother's girlfriend Claire.  Once again the heat was stifling but it was a good jog and it's always more fun to run with a partner.


Location = Clissold Park
Ran 3 miles = +3 XP
Time was not recorded = +0 XP
Total = 3 XP

Grand Total = 39 XP

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Too busy chatting to Claire to do much gold-spotting...

3 miles = 15 GP
Running in heatwave = +3 GP

Interesting things:

A very yummy mummy parading for the doting dads +1 GP
A whole heard of brown-paper llamas +2 GP
A poor ginger child with a dandelion haircut (what evil parents he must have) +2 GP

Total = 23 GP

That's 46 gold in total.  Now I can buy the damn trainers!  I'll change back into my running gear to celebrate.

LVL: 3

XP: 39

Gold: 1

It turns out Friday at 6pm is not the quietest time to go swimming

You may have noticed a prolongued absense on my part.  I promised that I would go running this week but alas my foot is still swollen.

Instead I decided to do some exercise that was less foot-pounding-intensive so I popped to Highbury pool and did a few lengths.  I think I did 44 lengths but I can't be sure as halfway through an extremely pretty and shapely french girl wearing the most inappropriate strapless peach bikini joined my lane and started swimming just in front of me.  The view was so stunning I forgot what length I was on, where I was and what my name was.

Location = Highbury Pool
Swam 44 lengths at 25m/length = 1100m  = +2 XP
Total = 2 XP

Grand Total = 36 XP

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I'm going to include things seen on the way too / from the pool in terms of gold earned

1100m swam = 11 GP

Cute female joggers (x3) = +6 GP (in the space of 2 minutes! I can thoroughly recommend Highbury Fields on a Friday afternoon)

Interesting things:

That peach bikini +3 GP

Total = 20 GP

Leaving me on 35 gold.  Still not enough for the cushioned trainers.  I'm going to have to shell out 7GP for the goggles as I couldn't find mine and had to buy new ones.  As I was swimming I shall swap my jogging outfit out for my swimming outfit - namely the goggles and the Wrinkled Beach Shorts [wet] (5GP) so I'll bank the remaining 23GP.  Of course I'm also inflicted with the Swollen Foot of Drunken Dancing.

LVL: 3

XP: 36

Gold: 23

Self-inflicted injury

In case you were wondering where I'd got to (assuming anyone still reads this of course) I managed to rather badly twist my ankle while out dancing on Saturday night.  This was compounded by the fact that under the influence of a bucketload of alcohol I continued dancing on it for the rest of the evening.

When I woke up on Sunday my right foot was twice it's natural size and I wasn't able to walk.  It's almost cleared up now but I won't be running anywhere on it just yet.

As dancing is technically exercise I suppose I could say the injury is 'sports-related' but I think it's more accurate to describe it as 'booze-related'.  So, no bravery XP or GP for injury in the line of duty, but no XP penalty for not running this week.  Hopefully it'll have cleared up by Monday and I'll be able to get back to my not-exactly-regular running schedule.

You don't know, man! You weren't there!

I've been noticably unmotivated recently, I only ran today because if I didn't I would lose an XP point (So I guess the system works).  It was really humid and incredibly hot and running through the wooded areas of the park felt like traipsing through swampy rainforest.  It really sapped my energy and that combined with my general lack of morale made feel like I had a bit of a glimpse into jungle warfare conditions (Except the, you know, 'being shot at' thing).  I couldn't really focus on much beyond getting that next ten paces so very little gold won this run either.

Location = Clissold Park
Ran 3 miles = +3 XP
Time was 28.44 = 9min35secs/mile = +0 XP
Total = 3 XP

Grand Total = 34 XP

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Not good on the gold front - wet afternoons kept the cute girls away.

3 miles = 15 GP

Interesting things:

The horror, the senseless, unending horror of it all +1 GP

Total = 16 GP

Leaving me on 30 gold.  Not enough for the cushioned trainers yet but I made the mistake of wearing jogging bottoms today so I'll buy those (15 gold).  I won't sell the shorts though.  I shall also don the Vestements of the Jungle Vet.

LVL: 3

XP: 34

Gold: 15

Speed test - NEW LEVEL

I decided to go for the fastest time I could today.  I did the first mile and a half in under 13 minutes but I slowed quite a bit on the second, coming in just under 27 minutes again.  I'm going to see if I can't get down to 25 and a half minutes for the three miles - that'd be 8 and a half minutes a mile.

Location = Clissold Park
Ran 3 miles = +3 XP
Time was 26.50 = 8min56secs/mile = +2 XP (Hurray!)
Total = 5 XP

Grand Total = 31 XP

Hooray, new level! 
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Gold-wise...

3 miles = 15 GP

Cute female jogger (x2) +4 GP

Interesting things:

Almost tripped by an overenthusiastic black labrador (saved, perhaps, by the Stick of Dog Distracting) +1GP

Total = 20 GP

Plus the 9 from last time gives me 29 gold.  I'll just buy some running socks (15GP) and save the rest for some cushioned trainers next time.  The Manga sweat drop has gone and a level 3 hair trim replaces it.

LVL: 3

XP: 31

Gold: 14

On track mind

Good run today, you may notice from the 'interesting things' section that there was a certain theme going on.  Alas filthy thoughts and good running times don't always go hand-in-hand or I would be training for the England 2012 running team by now.

Location = Clissold Park
Ran 6 miles = +7 XP
Time was 53.51 = 8min58secs/mile = +2 XP (Hurray!)
Total = 9 XP

Grand Total = 26 XP

That means I should go up to level 3 next time.
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Gold-wise...

6 miles = 30 GP

Cute female jogger +2 GP

Interesting things:

Hardcore full-frontal girl-on-girl hand-holding +1GP
A pair of '50s fillies on '50s bicycles, enjoying the good vibrations +2GP

Total = 35 GP

So that's 37 gold in all.  I think today's time broke the Curse of the Overheating Fat Bloke so I'll get rid of that and buy myself some proper jogging shorts (20 GP) selling the old shorts for 2 GP.  I've also just weighed myself and I'm under 15 stone so to celebrate I'll buy a Belly Bulge reduction (10 GP) leaving 9 gold in the bank.  Given my mindset I'll have to bear the Oversize Manga-Style Sweat Drop of Friskiness for now.

LVL: 2

XP: 26

Gold: 9

Bake at Gas Mark 4 for 29 minutes

Dear god that was hot.  I had planned the full 6 mile run to make up for a lack of mid-week jogging last week but the heat defeated me.  The first lap was fine and I was looking forward to a nice sunny hour of running but by halfway through the second lap my head was swimming and I was slowing down rapidly.  I decided to cut it to the 3 mile run at that point and I'm glad I did - look at my /mile time!

Location = Clissold Park
Ran 3 miles = +3 XP
Time was 28.47 = 9min35secs/mile = +0 XP (bloody hell that's slow)
Total = 3 XP

On Saturday I cycled to Hampstead Heath and back (3.8 miles each way) +1 XP



Grand Total = 17 XP

Not much in the way of gold either, I put it down to lack of concentration due to the heat..

3 miles = 15 GP
Running in Heatwave +3 GP

Cute female jogger +2 GP

Interesting things:


Little Orphan Annie-alike playing dead for Dad +1 GP
Dicta-jogging - multitasking gone mad +1 GP
A snowstorm of silvery seeds +1 GP

Total = 23 GP

Leaving me with 28 GP including what I banked last time.  I think I'll use most of it on the wraparound shades (25GP) then buy a bottle of water (1GP) as I certainly need it.  I'll also have to endure the Curse of the Overheating Fat Bloke (-1 to endurance).

LVL: 2

XP: 17

Gold: 2