Simon Peevers is fundraising for British Heart Foundation - JustGiving

Simon Peevers is fundraising for British Heart Foundation - JustGiving

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The Snow Runner

This was the scene in Bristol over the past couple of days and if it had been any other time in my life there is no way I would have considered pulling on my running shoes and going for little jog.

But of course, training for the marathon means that you get your sorry ass out there come rain, shine, snow, hurricane, whatever. There is no day off, not even at Christmas.

That is how I found myself at about 7pm this evening trotting carefully round the Downs, wondering if I would make it home without any broken bones.

In the fantasy movie that runs in my head most of the time, I thought that the name Snow Runner might be an appropriately wistful and romantic name for the main character who bravely takes on the snow and ice while all others wrap up warm and stay inside.

The Snow Runner was the only one with skill and courage to negotiate the lethal icy paths of Bristol as he trained for the 50 mile mega marathon that he was running to save a village from destruction by an evil multi-corporate oil company. It all rested on the idea that I was the only person in the city dedicated/stupid enough to go running tonight. But in fact I probably saw about a dozen others so it turns out I'm not really the movie hero I thought I might be.

It wasn't a bad run because it wasn't really as cold as I thought it might be. Don't get me wrong, I was wrapped up in woolie hat, three layers on top including gloves, and tracksuit trousers below, with two pairs of socks. At no point did it get warm enough to remove any of those layers. But there was no wind and that makes such a difference, the cold does slice through you and you can warm up enough by running. It was however very, very slippery. I came out of my house and onto Cranbrook Road and actually thought there was no way I could go running as I could barely walk without slipping. I tried a few yards and found that it was okay as long as I took careful small steps, which was a shame because I really did want it to be too hazardous to go out and risk injuring myself.

In truth, it was too hazardous and there were a few points when I felt the world slip from under what I thought was a sure step along the pavement and wondered about the sense of being out there at all. As I went on it got a little easier and there were plenty of points which weren't too slippery. Going up or down hills was a bit dicey mind you.

At one point though I made myself laugh as I was running past the downs and could see the lights of four off-road cyclists coming in my direction but on the grass. I thought they must be a bit sad to go off-road cycling in these conditions and had to remind myself of just why I was out in these conditions and nothing could be sadder than going for a jog in sub-zero temperatures just to stick to a schedule.

I did 45 mins in all, with a big hill, which is what I am down to do on the master plan, so I'm pleased I managed to get the run in as I'm not sure what's going to happen to the schedule during Christmas week.

I am planning to go out on Thursday morning and perhaps leave it until the weekend.

I went out on sunday for 90 mins which was a really good run, down the Portway and up Bridge Valley Road. It was good mainly because I never thought I was much good in the mornings at running but it turns out I was more than able to crack on with it, and it was a beautiful sunny morning. So I'm hoping for more of the same on Christmas Eve.

But I have decided that I'm not going to go running on the ice again. It was pointed out by my much better half that missing a couple scheduled runs is one thing, missing the marathon because you're stupid enough to go running on ice and slip and break your leg, is quite another.

As fun as it was tripping through the snow, I fear I may have been lucky not to at least sprain an ankle, so I'm going to wait for the thaw. That said, it might be quite nice to have a few days off the training, so let's hope the cold snap is here for a little longer.

Being bad feels good.

Even angels take a day off once in a while right? Not that I'm comparing myself to one of God's messengers of course, but I do feel like I've been behaving very well in recent weeks with not so much as a drop of booze, a block of chocolate or handful of crisps has past my lips.
In fact I've been eating so much salad that lettuce growers in the Kent mega-green houses are complaining of working overtime to keep my local shops stocked.
I bought a tuna salad for lunch yesterday which was so full of dry, bland-tasting tuna chunks out of a tin, that I was worried I might be prosecuted for exceeding European fishing quotas.
About the only other things in the salad was onions. They should have called it the 'Want to drive everybody away with fish and onion breath Salad' instead.
So tonight, I had a bit of a blowout, I've taken a day off. After running my ass off at the weekend in the Weston 10K, I've been feeling a bit worn out and the perpetual cold and rain has really not inspired me to go running this week.
Tonight instead of my now usual fayre of boiled potatoes, beans and fish, I opted for a couple of chicken and salad pittas, which aren't bad in themselves, but I accompanied that with a tube of Cheese and Chive Pringles, the best kind, and followed it with a Kit Kat chunky, oh yes, it was dirty food, and it felt good.
I didn't go for a run either, I just sat in front of the telly munching my Pringles and enjoying the indulgent.
What's weird though is that I feel quite guilty for my binging, but compared to what I used to eat on a daily basis it compares worse than a weakened Wolves side taking on Man United.
Last night I did some more filming with Kirsty and we looked at what I was eating at the start of this challenge in April and it is really no surprise that I got as fat as I did. I was eating about five meals a day, plus snacks.
I actually felt a bit sick looking at it all. Then we looked at my typical daily intake now and it's possibly a third of what it used to be. Three meals a day at the most, with bits of fruit to stave off hunger, rather than entire packets of cookies or sandwiches between meals.
And even though I may have gorged myself tonight, the fact is for breakfast all I had was a banana and fruit and nut bar, with a chicken and cous-cous salad for lunch, with no snacking inbetween.
So perhaps I shouldn't feel too guilty, there's a good chance I haven't even exceeded the recommended calorie intake for the day. Although I feel a bit sick and having cut out the really processed crappy foods, tonights 'treat' doesn't really sit well.
I bet I put three pounds back on as well, in which case I think I may have to go for a run tomorrow night just to counteract the effects of it. It's quite galling to think I may never be able to have a blowout again without having to go for a five mile run to work it off.
Still, there's clearly much worse things to live with and to be honest I'd trade a fit and healthy lifestyle for the odd curry or tube or Pringles.

Weston Xmas Cracker 10K

Had a great run today at the Weston Xmas Cracker 10K. It was a bit cold of course, but conditions really weren't that bad, and once I started running I soon warmed up.
I did it in 1hr 15mins, which I'm really pleased with as I did the Bristol 10K in May in 1hr 36mins, so it's obviously a huge improvement.
I made a little video with the help of Amy, click on the link below:

Weston 10K

Film of my life

Spent the morning at glamorous Cabot Circus and Quaker's Friars doing some filming for the documentary version of this blog, which is being made very professionally by the exceedingly talented Kirsty Hemming, of Boxing Bear films.
I decided before I launched myself into this mission that it might be good to film this 12 months in a documentary, because obviously the idea of making a film about my life is far too tempting to resist, but also I thought that if I succeed in all I'm trying to do then it will be worth recording and hopefully could be used to help others in a similar position rise to their own challenges.
So as well as the video diary bits that I have been doing myself, Kirsty has been doing proper filming, with the assistance/help/collaboration of the equally talented Richard Nicholls.
Since day 1 she has been recording everything from sitting on my arse watching the marathon in April talking up the idea of running it next year, to training runs, visits to the doctor, working out in the gym, my elation at completing the 10k in May, my depression at my dismal performance in the half marathon and lots of other things.
Today we were looking at the wider issues related to being overweight and that fat blokes can feel uncomfortable and isolated walking round clothes shops where you have to be a skinny 16-year-old boy to get into any of the clothes.
I can't remember if I've said this before, but I bitterly remember one time going into John Lewis to buy a new suit as I was heading to the wedding of a very good couple of friends. I wanted to get a shirt that fitted properly so the 19-year-old rake-like sales assistant measured my neck, which at the time admittedly was as wide as the Sargasso sea. When he looked at how far the tape measure had gone he looked at me and said: 'It says 18.5", I don't think we do shirts that big'. This was a few years ago and I was still very much in denial and the thought that I had outgrown the entire shirt stock of the John Lewis store at Cribbs Causeway caused me some hurt as well as mild embarrassment. So I headed to M & S instead, where they know their customers and had a fine array of shirts for short fat men.
It was that sort of thing that made me realise for the first time just how far out of the norm you get when your weight goes up through the late teens.
I did buy a new suit, and a new shirt and tie, and funnily enough it just looked like a fat man in a very large suit. The jacket was made with so much material that refugees were pitching camps in it waiting for the winter to pass.
But getting clothes to fit properly and accepting I needed to buy bigger clothes, was a much better approach to dealing with obesity than pretending it wasn't happening and wondering why my trousers would burst at the button or split at the back with the merest movement. Wearing black t-shirts only goes so far, in the same way that building a zeppelin airship in black does little to reduce the appearance of mass.
I have to say that it is only very recently that I have felt confident in going out socially again. For many months, if not years, I felt insecure and awkward going out to the pub or to parties, although I would always be happy to go and see friends for dinner, not just to eat. I couldn't stand going out with people I didn't know because in my mind when they met me for the first time all they would think about is meeting that fat bloke, not who I am.
I don't know for sure, maybe that's all in my head, but it's how I felt. And it's the same going into clothes shops, trying things on and knowing they're really not designed for somebody my size. So you stay out of them and continue to wear big baggy shirts and tracksuits which really don't do very much for anybody.
Of course, the answer to all this is to stop whining like the fat kid in the playground and do something about it, which is what I am doing. And that is also why I'm looking forward to spending a fortune in trendy clothes shops once I've completed the marathon training.
The filming went well this morning and after that I did almost all of my Christmas shopping, in Broadmead! So much for Cabot Circus and QF, get down the 'mead where it's a proper job!

Monday's weigh-in

The good news is I seem to be ripping through the 15s as I went to my Weight Watchers weigh in and I'm now down to 15st 5.5 lbs.
That's about eight pounds in a month, which is a good healthy rate I think. Since September last year I have lost a total of three and a half stone.
It's obviously down to the increase in training and cutting chocolate out of my diet, hardly rocket science.
I definitely feel slimmer as well, more than perhaps my actual weight reflects because everything is more toned which means I am able to fit into some of the clothes I haven't worn for a while.
Training is getting quite tough though. Last night it was so cold that by the time I had finished my run and got back to the house I could barely hold the key in my hand to unlock the door. I have asked for some gloves for Christmas which I hope will help that.
This week I have to find something suitably festive to wear during the 10k on Sunday in Weston, where most people dress up as Father Christmas, crackers, puddings or other similarly daft costumes.
Must take advantage of a break in the rain this afternoon and go running in the winter sunshine.

Return of the Mac

Blimey, winter's here then!
It's as if with the turn of the calendar onto Dec 1 the frost has arrived right on cue.
It's not making for very pleasant running conditions as the video in my last blog will testify. I'm still recovering from Sunday's run. I measured it on one of the Google pedometer things and it was just over nine miles in total.
I thought I had run ten, so I'm a little disappointed as it means I am a long way off the ten minute mile pace I am aiming to hit for the day itself. But still got time to get to that.
It was the first two hour run of my training though, which is an important milestone. It was crazy conditions though as parts of the Portway, the road that runs along the river at the bottom of the gorge, was ankle deep in water. I couldn't get any wetter if I'd been at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean taking a shower.
But it is definitely paying off in terms of increasing fitness levels and losing weight.
I weighed myself at home yesterday, as I couldn't make the official Weight Watchers weigh in, and I'm down to 15st 8lbs, which is great progress.
One of the real bonuses of the week is that I dug out a winter coat I bought at my slimmest a few years ago, which has been hibernating at the back of the cupboard along with all those 15" collar shirts and 32" waist jeans.
But I'm pleased to say it fits again, it's the return of the mac, as it were. To be fair it's a little snug and I can't wear it with the lining in it, but I can wear it over my suit and just about get the buttons done up. Crucially it doesn't look like I'm bursting out of it.

Managed to do the 35 minute run that is down on my training plan tonight, although it wasn't very pleasant. Wasn't really in the mood for it, but it's done.

I've just been offered a place in the Weston-super-Mare Christmas Cracker 10K which is in about ten days, so I'm a bit excited about that. I've seen them doing it for years, but never had a go myself. I think it will be good to enter it and put myself to the test, especially as it's along the beach and will probably be foul conditions. Bring it on I say.