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So the bug had struck, I was enjoying my runs much to my own disbelief, my weight was dropping and my stress levels were down. I really was beginning to see all the oft mentioned benefits of exercise and a healthy diet, what's more I wanted to take it further. I discovered the Phedipidations podcast, a podcast that deals with different aspects of
running each episode and is in equal parts serious and light hearted but has a general tone of good humor that I really enjoyed. Though Phedip I discovered the Worlwide Half Marathon Challenge (a virtual race) and at the time I thought that 21Km would be pretty much beyond me. About a week after hearing about the WWHM I saw an article in the Runners World magazine that was examining setting goals and looking at the best training to meet that goal. Well next to the goal for Weight Loss the article recommended that you train for the Half Marathon distance. Things were falling into place. On a whim I checked up on the dates for the Melbourne Marathon and sure enough the MM date was the same date as the WWHM and from that point I was pretty much sold on the idea.

The training plan was set up giving me plenty of time to train, 5 months and I had already got myself up to 30 minute / 5km stretches so I really could see that this goal might actually be achievable. I started to extend out my long runs, keeping my week day runs at around 30 mins. 6 Km on Sunday became 7Km, I had a go at the Galloway Run/Walk method and stretched out to 8km and was really enjoying myself. I guess now, looking back at it, I should have worked out what was going to happen, I had steadily been increasing training since the start of Feb, coming off
a pretty low fitness base and I had not had a break or rest in a bit over 3 months.

I got hurt.

Next: Disaster strikes, Rehabilitation

Back in February I started the Cool Running Couch to 5K (C25K) training program. In short the aim of the C25K program (quite obviously) is to take a newbie runner and to gradually build them up to a level where they are able to run continuously for 30 minute (or about 5Km) over 9 weeks. Without putting a to fine point on it I came into this program a little bit under-done in the fitness stakes and carrying a little extra weight ... OK, I hadn't moved faster than a slow amble for about 15 years and my BMI had me firmly in the obese category. On top of the poor fitness and excess lard I recently slipped over into the naughty forties so a quick call to my doc was in order. Doc confirmed that I should go for it and as such there were no more excuses for me to fall back on.

The C25K program was a roller coaster ride for me, some weeks were easy where I blew through the program goals with no problems at all. Other weeks were painfull, physically debilitating and emotionally draining, I would hit a brick wall on what would be a minor goal and get really dissapointed and demoralised over my inability to achieve even simple goals. As an example, in week 4 the program has 3 running intervals, a 3 minute, 5 minute and 3 minute run with walk breaks in between. When the time came for my 5 minute run I crashed out miserably on every attempt. My confidence plummetted and I was ready to throw the program. I distinctly remember the negative self talk, "I CANNOT do this", "I am NOT a runner", "I'm to old and to fat" and every variation on these themes in between.

At some point after a third failed attempt at the week 4 run I had a mental revelation and I realised that it didnt matter if I couldnt manage the required run right then and there, I could simply try again next week. In short I worked out that  not being able to complete the run was not a failure, not completing the run did not hurt or effect anyone. In fact, the only way I could fail is if I chucked the program and went back to the couch! With this new mindset I simply reset myself and restarted Week 4 again the following week and sure enough I managed it quite comfortably. In the end I had to repeat 3 weeks (W4, W7 & W9) so in the end (and with a weeks holiday in between) the whole program took about 13 weeks.

Over the time I was on the C25K program I dropped about 6kg (12-13 lb) and really felt terrific. I had found something that I could do that I enjoyed that allowed me to lose weight while making me feel good and calmed my stressed out brain. 

NEXT: The middle: A goal is set, Disaster strikes, Rehabilitation

What are the goofy nicknames you have for your pet? Bonus points for sharing a picture of him/her.
Submitted by Papi Chulo.

Please allow me to introduce Cosmo, also affectionately knowns as:

Dog Day Afternoon

Check out this link to a Ye Olde Times photo editor. Cool results & fun to boot.

Found on Flickr here
Original source UserFriendly

Back around Christmas we went up to Ballarat for a family gathering. This shot is of one of the marble statues in the Botanical gardens. I used it as a test bed for using the Calculations approach to Black & White conversion and I’m quite pleased with the outcome. I will try this again when I find a suitable photo to process.

It was an odd year for music, Radiohead tried their download experiment to mixed result, the RIAA continued chasing Joe Average and press for Arcade Fire went through the roof when Harry Potter came out as a fan. Throughout the year though I’ve not found a great deal of music that has really grabbed me. In 2006 there was a great Hold Steady album and a Decemberists release that just blew me away, the Artic Monkeys presented their outstanding debut and we had a Tom Waits triple album. Really 2006 spoiled me for choice.

2007 has been a little more sparse and while I had a tongue in cheek jab at a few albums last week there has been a number of very good albums released. Without further dilly dallying, my Top 5 albums for 2007 are as follows:

#5 Raising Sand – Robert Plant / Allison Krauss
The standout track to my ear is “Gone Gone Gone” which bounces along at a nice clip with a really catchy riff. In the end though this album is all about the unlikely harmonies of Plant & Krauss, a surprise duet that I would never have expected but the results are just brilliant. It’s really strange to hear Plant so contained. The album does get just a little ‘folksie’ in places but is always engaging. Made #24 in Rolling Stones Top 50.

#4 Sound of Silver – LCD Sound System
Ouch, I’m listening to Electronica and enjoying it. "Sound of Silver" is really infectious and pulls me in from the opening track. "North American Scum" is the highlight for me from this album but I find once I start listening to SoS I pretty much go end to end. If you don’t usually listen to Electronic music I’d recommend SoS as a very accessible entry point to the genre. Made #7 in Rolling Stones Top 50.

#3 New Moon – Elliott Smith
This album has been my WOW moment for 2007 and the only reason it’s not further up the list is that I only just got it in the last couple of days. Predominantly acoustic with beautiful guitar work this double album is the sort of record that I can sit back and just listen to as an event in itself. I had never listened to Elliott Smith before and was immediately sucked into this album and will be digging into his back catalog.

#2 GaGaGaGaGa – Spoon
This album was a surprise to me and to be honest it took a while to grow on me but now at the back end of the year GaGaGaGaGa is one of my most played albums of the year. The highlight track for me is definitively “The Underdog” which opens with a nice bouncy acoustic groove and breaks into horns through the chorus, it’s just a fun song…I love this quote from Pitchfork, ‘”Underdog” is a battle cry against succumbing to mediocrity masquerading as a middle finger to the standard-bearers’. One complaint, it’s a bloody short album. Made #10 in Rolling Stones Top 50.

#1 Children Running Through – Patty Griffin
“Children running Through” has been my highlight album of the year. The album opens with a soulful jazz bass and a glorious clear voice through “You’ll Remember” and then the bluesy groove through “Stay the Ride”. There are so many great songs on this album, perhaps one or two fillers that didn’t appeal to me. This is the album has definitely become my favorite for 2007.

Honorable Mentions

Restricting any list to 5 is almost impossible, here are the albums that I just couldn’t fit into my Top 5 but had to give a nod to. If I had gone to a Top 10 these guys would definitely be there. 

• From here we go sublime – The Field
• Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters – The Twilight Sad
• Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace – Foo Fighters

I tend to listen to a lot of music and collect heaps of different CD’s. I don’t consider myself a fan particularly of any one band (with a couple of exceptions) or genre and tend to splash around all over the place. Every year I have one or two of those perfect music moments, you know the ones…those WOW moments, the epiphany that occurs when the music just grabs you and drags you away. In the last few years these WOW moments have given me The Decemberists, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Flogging Molly and The Hold Steady. This post is NOT about those WOW moments. When I was planning this post I was going to do a simple Top 10 type list but going over my list of albums from 2007 I found such a huge range of eclectic stuff that I thought I might do something a bit different first.

 

Most Disappointing Follow Up album of the year

Velvet Revolver – Libertad

Arrgh…this was just frustrating. Contraband was just such a revelation when it was released, it was brainless, stupid, back to basic rock and roll and it was brilliant. There hadn’t been as good a balls out rock record in years. Unfortunately Libertad feels like it’s the left overs from the Contraband sessions, there is nothing really new here. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great rock album but personally I just expected VR to step it up from Contraband but Libertad isn’t that album.

 

 

The “How the hell did I end Up Listening to this?” Award for the most surprising album of the year

Miranda Lambert – Crazy ex Girlfriend

How the hell did this end up on my iPod, I mean it’s everything I usually steer away from. From the opener this album is just brilliant and you cant help but bounce along with it. Sure enough, it has it’s fair share Howdy Jim-Bob Down on the farm C&W specials but hey that’s why there is a skip button on the iPod. Miranda Lambert has a gorgeous voice and can belt out a song that forces you to play it again. This one may well pop up again in my Top 10 list. It still surprises me every time I see it on the iPod though.

 

The “Should have called in sick” award for DOA albums of 2007

This is my bitter & twisted section. There were two albums this year that I was really looking forward to. I would classify as a shameless fan-boy of both these bands, I have the full back catalog of both an listen to all their albums regularly. The thought of new albums from these bands, my heroes was just a huge event on my music horizon for 2007.

Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist

Yes, I am a Billy Corgan fan-boy, and the thought of a new Pumpkins album filled me with delicious anticipation. Leading up to the album release there was a single release of Tarantula and I really thought it captured everything I loved about The Smashing Pumpkins. A second single Doomsday Clock snuck out pre-album release and again, a great track. On the strength of these two great Pumpkins-esque tracks I was almost drooling when I finally got the CD.  With the exception of the two singles Zeitgeist was removed from the iPod.

 

The Cult – Born Into This

I LOVE The Cult. I discovered them via “Electric” in 1985-6 when I was a pretend wanna-be muso myself and have followed them ever since. Like my experience with the SP’s I was soooo looking forward to one of my fave bands releasing a new albums. “Born Into This” sucks pretty much from the outset though and sounds like the band are really just going through the motions. Did not grab me at all.

 

The “Thanks for the Bleeding Ears” Award for the loudest album of the year

Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works

Man this is just so fucking loud! I’m told the album is just great but I don’t know whether I like it or not yet as I’ve not gotten past the first track. I’m told the ruptured ear drums will heal.

 

The “I must be getting old ‘cos I just don’t get it” award for inaccessible electronica album 2007

Stars of the Lid – And the refinement of the decline

Over the years I have had the opportunity to spend time in isolation tanks (float tanks) where you nude up, hop into a fiberglass coffin, close the lid and float for an hour while listening to some monkey pressing random keys on a Hammond Organ. Stars of the Lid captures that float tank experience and transports it to your iPod. Random electronic noises float through space fading in and out. I don’t get it!

Now if I could just get those kids off my lawn

 

The “Bugger the Music, what about those Buns” award for the nicest buttocks on an album cover for 2007

The Donnas – Bitchin’

I’m not even going to mention the music, it isn’t going close to the Top 10. But that album cover does buy a large amount of forgiveness!

 

 

I’m going to do my 2007 Top 10 list over the next few days (see how optimistic I am!) but if you have a WOW recommendation for 2007 I’d love to hear from you.