Eating Disorders

My legs are ok this morning, so I must be relatively fit but then I haven’t been forbidden from running by half a dozen different medically qualified experts... L has a bit of a hobble today.

She asks if my colleagues were impressed? If headshaking means they were impressed then yes, very.

Doggo obviously enjoyed his weekend as he didn't eat a scrap of food this morning despite a sprinkling of cheddar on his breakfast but then it wasn’t the tinned dog food like we got him at the weekend. While shopping for ourselves for the Thunder Run we had this bit of a brain wave and came up with a novel way to break his fasting, buy him some tinned dog food! Genius. It’s was an inspired idea that, if it worked, could save us a small fortune on fresh chicken, best cheddar, wholemeal basmati rice and goodness knows what else. He loved it.

So at lunchtime, after getting the shopping and while I was picking up our sponsor’s dog food for our show this weekend from Kennelgate, I bought him some really buy posh tinned dog food. Well, something that actually has real meat in it. It’s so posh that it’s not tinned, it comes on a tray and looks a bit like Shepherd Pie.

He loves this even more than the tinned stuff and so too, by the jealous look on his face would MD, given the chance. So expect him to develop his own eating disorders some time soon.

(Monday 24^th July)

A Frustrating Dog

It’s a wet day, so I don’t bike and take the car instead. I take the opportunity to go to the local Kennelgate to try to convert the vouchers that the sponsor of our upcoming dog show has given us into dog food. Usually they courier us 24 bags of dog food but this year we just have an envelope full of paper. Saves on costs I suppose, for them at least.

Kennelgate are happy for me to purchase 24 bags of dog food with my 24 vouchers, although each one has to be a separate transaction which takes a while and they also don’t have enough in stock, so I need to come back next week to collect it but at least its all sorted (almost).

Talking of dog food... Our frustrating dog, Doggo, still will not eat on a regular basis. We know that being frustrating is his speciality but he’s starting to fade away. L is doing him chicken and rice tonight, probably curried, probably the same as what we’re having in fact with naan bread.

It’s tennis tonight and, given the weather, it’s probably a good job we’ve already practised in the wet this season. Although, they do say its supposed to be fining up and it will be a nice evening...if you believe that sort of thing.

For once, the forecast is right and we even sit outside The Crown afterwards in the sun. L runs to the pub and beats us there.

(Thursday 20^th July)

One Hundred Up

 

It’s the 1^st November today, it isn’t Christmas. Although even L is talking about the jingle bell collars she spotted in Kennelgate yesterday. Poor dogs...

Talking of which, one of them, Doggo scarpered and hid under the computer table in the back room this morning. This was after L shut the gate to stop his escape upstairs, so he went for the next best option rather than go as required into the front bedroom. He’s resourceful isn’t he?

Day 23... The builder rings and asks if I want the pipework behind the toilet boxing in with tiles, wood or plastic panels. I’m tempted to say ‘just ******* finish it’ but politely go for plastic.

Finishing date is currently still (officially) today until he rings again later and says ‘see you tomorrow’ so not today then.

I’m on the bus as I’m out of on the razz this evening. We start off, as ever, in the Brunswick where I have my

100th dark beer since I started the challenge back on my birthday in April and I couldn’t really have picked a better beer to celebrate with. Dogbolter!

Dogbolter was created by David Bruce back in 1979 and of course became notorious across the Firkin pubs. It was allegedly a copy of Old Peculier and now this is a copy of the copy with the brew now produced by Gadds, brewed by one of Bruce's staff from back in the day. It doesn't appear to have been tampered with and still tastes terrific.

There is no food on Tuesdays at Brunswick so we then head to the Babington to eat.

On the way home I am told first to find Doggo tied to a lamppost in the Spinney then I am told it will be MD who will be strapped up there. In the end L walks both of them up to meet my bus.

 

(Tuesday 1^st November)

Off The Pace

The clocks go back this morning so this gives us an extra hour in bed to mentally prepare ourselves or otherwise for today’s Sheffield 10k. This is a different Sheffield 10k to the Great Run organised one and is run by Run For All, they of the Jane Tomlinson Foundation, and it’s sponsored by Asda.

These folk also organised the Sheffield Half which I ran earlier this year and the course takes the same route out along Ecclesall Road but then instead of disappearing up a big hill into the Peak District it skirts around Endcliffe Park before return back along Ecclesall Road.

Despite the omission of the ‘Peak District’ this is still a seriously undulating route and a real challenge. Although the biggest challenge of all is keeping up with the 45 min pacer which shouldn’t really have been a problem for me considering my current form.

The pacer, however, sticks to his 4:30 per km pace with metronomic precision even on the kilometres that are completely uphill. This means that his initial group of around 30 runners is gradually reduced attritionally to, well, probably nothing. I'm guessing here as I hung on longer than most but couldn’t stay the distance either.

The inverse of this is that when the course starts heading downhill later on he is hamstrung by his 4:30 pace meaning most of us catch him and pass him. I finish in 44:55, so who needs dodgy pacers. Perhaps we should have paced him?

After I have finished, I notice there is no queue at the massage tent which is a rare thing indeed. I quickly go and get my rucksack back from the baggage area, which works seamlessly this time, then I sign up for a session on my calves. I must say that I get outstanding service from Sheffield Hallam’s physiotherapy department who supply a girl for each leg and it’s well worth the £2 charity donation I give them.

Just a word for the goodie bag which was excellent and weighed down with snackie things.

On the way home we detour via Kennelgate where we attempt to solve the ‘can’t see the dog ball in the dark problem’ without success. They don’t have either a flashing or glow in the dark dog ball. 

Then we head off to Leamington for meet Son and his gf for a meal in the White Horse. I like the Horse but their food menu veers annoyingly from arty to burgery without having much in between. The saving grace is always their Sunday lunches but we are told today that they have none left.

Son tells us he is handing in his notice at his job. That'll keep L busy. Now she will be busy job hunting for both Son and Daughter.

(Sunday 30^th October)