Day 6: F is for Fat, Farts and Family

Had to squeeze in a shortish run today, didn't fancy running along the river bank in the dark so did my normal circuit until the river, then did a loop and came back again. This did have the advantage of avoiding the final C***ing Hill. Or the F***ing C***ing Hill seeing as it's "F" day today.
I thought it would be easier since I've had 36 hours off, but it wasn't.  I don't know how I expect to be much fitter in only 6 days - lack of patience I expect.  Run was enlivened part way through when CakeOfGoodHope texted me with "Run Badger: Run!!" because she'd spotted my 'live run' on runkeeper.com.  Quite by chance this brings my total so far to a full marathon distance!

Anyways... F is for:

Fat - Once upon a time, many many years ago now, I was "officially" weighed at 8st 2lb - which is around 51kg.  OK I was a rowing cox and I was on a diet, but my "normal" weight was around 9 - 9.5 stone (around 60kg).  Now it's a positively bloated, post-christmas 76kg.  That's basically 16 KILOS of fat that I'm having to drag around. I can't help thinking that if I wasn't carrying all that lard, my knees might hurt less. I'm also wondering if I was a bit more committed to exercising constantly rather than in great fearful binges in the run up to a semi-annual half marathon, I might not have to carry it all. Or I could eat less. ... Nah.

Farts - Running does something to my insides.  Mrs Badger will confirm that I'm parpy enough at the best of times, but running takes it to a whole new level.  I'm so used to it now that I don't think too much about it, apart from a surreptitious glance about when I'm about to let one off. The silent ones are OK because, well, I'm long gone so the smell can't catch me up, but you can never truly predict the volume, and on a couple of occasions during a crowded half marathon I've let rip with a buttock-trembler measuring 6.9 on the richter scale.  This doesn't really affect the "fun" runners (like me) who run-on oblivious - lost in their ipod motivational playlist; but the "serious" runners shy away like startled ponies - it's quite an effect. I'd love to see it from above.

Family (Urban) - Pretty much everyone has a family unless they are extremely unfortunate.  I am doubly fortunate because I have a family, and an Urban family.  You know the saying "you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family". Well my friends are such good friends that they are the family that I would choose if I could.  We have a special Christmas Dinner every year a week or two before we have to go to our "real" families, and it's so brilliant I look forward to it from, well, about February.  Two of my urban family are doing Janathon, and I just wanted to say here how much I appreciate what brilliant mates they are - and the rest of the Urbans too.

Janathon Stats:

Today:
Distance: 5.52km (3.43 miles)   Time: 30:20    Avg Pace: 5:30/km  (8:51/mile)

Overall:
Distance: 42.18km (26.21 miles)    Time: 3:56:19  Avg Pace: 5:36/km (9:01/mile)

A whole marathon!!!! Go Badger!!