Thursday, February 25, 2010

Time on my hands, errr... I mean feet

It is another late night entry into my blog so yet again I will try (I really do try) and be brief.

Tuesday I went north, well north for me at any rate, and visited Andrew, my boss, to get some work done that I couldn't do remotely like install some new computers and hook up printers etc. It was an early start considering I had not yet been in the country for 24 hours and I struggled to get up, especially as my alarm didn't go off due to my mobile phone not auto changing the time to the new zone.

After getting on my way my I had to stop after a mile to fill up with petrol (gas), and while Canadian gas is expensive, British petrol has you beat cold, I think a credit check was run on me before even pulling to the pump. £1.12 per litre (about $1.80 Canadian).

A few quick differences between my journey across North America and driving in England. First off, advertisement free radio is great, Radio 2 oh how I missed you. Secondly, I love 70 mph speed limits after being restricted in Canada and most of the I-90 it was great to be allowed to get up to a nice speed, in fact I almost felt naughty going at that pace. Next even with a 70 mph limit, it does not mean you can do 70, roadworks massive congestion and variable speed limits with average speed enforcements cameras make life a real hassle. I covered over 3,200 miles in 4 days yet going 130 miles took most of my morning. That being said there was some great scenery as I got closer to my destination with rolling hills and farms dotting the landscapes with some lambs in the field made it seem a worthwhile experience.

One last thing on driving, my mantra for the last few days has been clutch, clutch, clutch and also left damn it, drive on the left!

Work was good and I got a lot done and with Andrew converting a lot of his barns into housing and offices for the company it was great to look around the site and see all the developments.

I got treated to some great food and company and even thought my idea of going out for a run in the evening was dashed by some heavy snowfall I still had some fun watching the women's ski cross.

The morning saw too much snow and ice on the ground to run again and after all the good food I keep getting treated too I was starting to get a little worried about the race which is less than 4 weeks away now.

I got all the work assigned for the first visit done and then some and headed off back down to Wellingborough in the early evening. I made better time back and as soon as I arrived I decided to get out for a run even with some crappy weather outside. Martin laced up his shoes too and we headed out for a steady 10 miles (16k). After a few days off it was hard to begin with and the undulating hills took some getting into but I enjoyed the run and was happy at least to cover some ground.

Today has been hectic with getting some of the actually programming work done that Andrew I highlighted during my visit and with the hire car going back it has left me again with out transport which is a real bug bear. I was due to run with the local running club tonight Wellingborough District Athletics Club (WADC) but I really need to get some of my own plan done so instead headed for the old reliable treadmill. I used to do a lot of my work outs in the Waendal Gym but going back in after being away I noticed how incredible hot it was in there. It could be that it is busier than I ever remember but it made for a tough run, which in some ways I really needed but I was absolutely soaked when I finished.

I'm going to try and get a long run in tomorrow before heading off skiing on Saturday, but I am now nervous about trying that in the gym if it is going to be that warm but I will probably end up there as running long outside makes hydration a nightmare for me.

After the run and some food it was getting quite late but I did have time to catch up with some great British TV. I'm a big fan of last man standing where a group of men travel around the world and compete against local tribes in there own fighting techniques and endurance events. Now they have done Last Woman Standing and it is a great show too, although I must say that I don;t think that it was an accident that wrestling was the first show, hair pulling and angry women make good television that's for sure.

On a connected note I caught the opening of the Canada Vs. USA Women's Hockey match, 2-0 when I left it, GO CANADA!

Right off to bed before a ramble on any further.

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