Training Run 11 - 9 miles, 14.48 km, 1 hr 14'23''

A tough but enjoyable Saturday morning.  We ran together from Hyde Park, along Birdcage Walk to the Houses of Parliament, then round the corner to Victoria Tower Gardens, once round these and all the way back again.  On the way, while passing through Green Park, we ran in single file, taking it in turns to sprint to the front.  This wore me out considerably and I felt very tired on the run back.  I also forgot to bring an energy gel with me, which I really felt I needed by the time I reached the end.  I might have run quicker if I'd brought one with me, who knows?

Distance: 9 miles / 14.48km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 14 minutes 23 seconds
Conditions:  Cold and damp, but not raining.  Slippery underfoot in places, especially in the park.  My legs ached considerably afterwards, I had an ice bath later in the day though and this seemed to help ease the aches and pains.

Iris Murdoch The Sea, The Sea (1978)

There are many books that have been a real pleasure for me to read.  I derive a great deal of enjoyment from reading, or else I would not have embarked on this project (or stuck with it for so long!)There have also been some books that are mediocre, which I would not say I have enjoyed, and which I would not read again – ones that are written in a not very interesting way, or where the plot is fairly predictable and not very exciting.  Then there are a small number of books which I enjoyed reading for the elegance of their prose, the creativity of their story and the contemplation of ideas that they evoke, but which nonetheless contain characters that are so repulsively vile as to leave the reader with little or no sympathy for them.  The Sea, The Sea is one of those novels that falls into the latter category.

It took me several months to read The Sea, The Sea.  That does not mean that I did not enjoy it, but it was not an easy novel to read.  A combination of dislikeable characters and unhappy events populate the narrative, while its dense descriptive paragraphs and long chapters require commitment and concentration.  Charles Arrowby, the narrator of the tale, moves from London to a little-visited coastal community, in order to escape his past as a well-known theatre director.  The book consists of long but elegantly written analyses from Arrowby’s point of view, where he makes plenty of erroneous assumptions about the people who have populated his life.  He tries to think through his concerns rationally and methodically (Murdoch’s academic career as a philosopher shows throughout this work) but his thoughts are frequently overruled by his strong emotions.  His delusions and fantasies about his previous life are harmless enough initially, but these develop into a maniacal obsession after someone from his past unexpectedly appears.

Murdoch uses the theatre as a metaphor throughout the work, with almost the entire story taking place on the “stage” of his house at Shruff End and a dramatis personae of Arrowby’s friends and former stage colleagues appearing and leaving again at regular intervals.  The story is always from Arrowby’s point of view, so it is as if these characters have left the stage when they leave the house.  Arrowby compares himself to Shakespeare’s Prospero from The Tempest, forsaking the fame and trappings of his previous career in favour of a supposedly simpler life.  Indeed, Murdoch writes Arrowby writing his memoirs with a sense of his own theatricality, as if she is constructing him in the process of constructing a character for himself.

Arrowby’s memoirs and thoughts indicate to the reader that he is not a reliable narrator, drawing as he does remarkably inaccurate inferences of the intentions and behaviours of those around him.   His obsessive jealousy leads to his flawed assumptions about the various other characters who populate the tale.  In addition, he experiences a number of troubling visions, which are never satisfactorily explained; he sees a face on the other side of an internal window when he knows no-one else is there, and he witnesses a dreadful sea monster on a couple of occasions.  Arrowby is just one of a panoply of flawed characters however, all with underlying agendas, and most of whom demonstrate vanity, jealousy and a lack of compassion.  Mary Hartley Fitch is histrionic, her adopted son Titus lacks direction and Arrowby’s terrifying former lover Rosina Vamburgh is portrayed like a vengeful harpy.  These characters are contrasted with Charles’ only remaining blood relative, his cousin James, a mysterious character who has spent time in the military and has extensive knowledge of Tibet and Buddhist practices.  He maintains a Zen-like calm whenever he appears, and acts as a counterbalancing force throughout the novel.  Arrowby finds him superior and is clearly jealous of the cousin who enjoyed a much happier childhood than his own.  Murdoch uses James’ portrayal to demonstrate a different philosophical outlook to Charles – whereas he seeks sensual pleasure and is utterly selfish, James seemingly desires nothing but to help others and to seek true inner knowledge of the world.

What do we learn from The Sea, The Sea?  Iris Murdoch was a philosopher as well as a writer, who spent considerable time thinking about the nature of morals.  The French philosopher Simone Weil, who greatly influenced Murdoch, believed that evil is spread from person to person, and the only way to stop it is for people to selflessly absorb it without passing it on.  We can apply this idea to the novel, where we can think of Charles as the creator of evil, with his disruptive jealousy and covetous personality, and his cousin James as the absorber, who tries to prevent the seeds of his destruction from taking root.  Arrowby is an anti-hero, a character so pompous, selfish and ridiculous that it is easy to consider him a caricature of a certain type of London theatre personality.  Murdoch makes him thoroughly dislikeable, but this does not impair on the enjoyment of the novel.  His attempts to flee his past life fail because of his earlier selfish actions, which come back in the form of his old flames to avenge themselves upon him.  Murdoch’s ultimate philosophical message to be taken from the novel, if there is one, is one that James would recognise from his Buddhist teachings: that of the concept of karma, that every action has a consequence.

Training Run 10

I did not time this one, and as it was a training session there is no measure of distance either.  This was hard work - after an intense warm-up we did a pyramid session, running for 2, 3, 4, 4, 3 and 2 minute intervals.  On each occasion, we had to turn around half way through and get back to the start in time, in order to show that we could maintain a steady pace throughout.  This was challenging, but I was pleased that I was able to almost maintain an even pace on every lap.  The ground was damp and a bit skiddy in places, and it felt very very cold but otherwise the conditions were good for an evening run in January!

Training Run 9 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 2'28''

This felt like quite a quick one.  I ran alone, to Battersea Park and back as usual.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)

Time: 1 hour 2 minutes 28 seconds

Conditions: cold, cloudy but no rain.  Surfaces damp but not slippery.  Good final burst of speed but still not pushing myself hard enough.  I want to be able to do this in under an hour.

Training Run 8 - 11 miles / 17.7 km, 1 hr 39'

The longest run I have done to date!  This was with the Frontrunners again - Manue took us to Hyde Park, along Birdcage Walk to the Houses of Parliament, then along the North Bank of the Thames as far as The Tower of London.  We then turned around and made our way back.

Distance: 11 miles / 17.7km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 39 minutes
Conditions: Cold and sunny - a beautiful day!  No damp or icy surfaces.  Consumed one energy gel near the end, as felt very low in energy.  Had an ice bath at home afterwards - it really helped my muscles and I felt much better than usual the next day.

Training Run 7 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 1'23''

This was a fairly routine Monday night training run.  I ran with the Frontrunners again in a group but I ran most of it on my own.  I noticed that I ran considerably faster than when I run and chat with someone.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 1 minute 23 seconds
Conditions: Cold but clear.  No damp or icy surfaces.  Thigh felt a bit tender after Saturday but was fine by the end.  Good final burst of speed.

Training Run 6 - 9.5 miles / 15.29km, 1 hr 22'36''

Today was my first long run in a long time – 15.29km, or 9.5 miles, which I did with my friends in the London Frontrunners.  We started in Paddington, ran along the Regent’s Canal to Primrose Hill, did a small loop around the park there before running up the hill, around and back down to Regent’s Park, doing a loop of that park before heading back along the canal to Paddington.  I more than felt I had earned my brunch afterwards!  Manu, who organised the run, said that if I was running at this distance now I would be fine for the Reading Half-Marathon in March.  I am very glad I got up so early this morning!

Distance: 9.5 miles / 15.29km (roughly)

Time: 1 hour 22 minutes 36 seconds

Conditions: Cold, with occasional flecks of snow/sleet, clouds breaking at times.  Some icy surfaces in places.  Did not feel particularly long or difficult - did not need energy gel that I brought with me.  I was probably running slower than I usually would do in a race situation though.

Training Run 5 - 4.72 miles / 7.57 km, 37 minutes

I missed my training session with the Frontrunners last night so I got up early before work this morning to run this one.  I am still not used to running early in the morning but this went fairly well.

Distance: 4.72 miles / 7.57 km
Time: 37 minutes (roughly)
Description: 5 laps of Highbury Fields (plus there and back)
Conditions: Dark. Damp surfaces but not raining, overcast, not too cold. I've got much more used to running this distance so it felt fairly comfortable today. I think I may need to up the pace in future.

Training Run 4 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 05'02''

I ran with the Frontrunners tonight, a good training session and a chance to talk with Chris and Gareth, who I ran with for part of the way.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 5 minutes 2 seconds
Conditions: Cloudy and cool but not cold, damp surfaces but not slippery underfoot.  Run felt like it went fine, I am getting used to this distance.

Training Run 3 - 6 miles / 9.66 km, 54'56''

This was my first Saturday training run with the London Frontrunners for over two years.  I am not usually good at getting up early on Saturday mornings!  I plan to do this regularly however, as I am training for the Reading Half-Marathon on Sunday 22nd March.

We ran around Hyde Park and I ran with two people I didn’t know: Andrew, who is new to London Frontrunners having only moved to London from Chicago a week previously, and Gareth, who has been running with the club for two years.  It was a very pleasurable run; we chatted all the way round, although at one point there was a torrential rain/hail storm, with driving wind right in our faces.  This was possibly the toughest weather conditions I’ve ever run in, though it did not last long.  We then went for a well-deserved brunch afterwards.  If only getting up early on a Saturday could always be this much fun!

Distance: 6 miles / 9.66km (roughly)

Time: 54 minutes 56 seconds

Conditions: Cool and overcast initially, with light rain turning into a heavy rain/hailstorm while we were running round The Serpentine.  The wind was so strong it was blowing water into our faces!  All surfaces had good grip though and it did not feel especially cold.  My feet began to hurt a little bit towards the end, a sign of minor blisters, so I’ll need to keep an eye on this.

Training Run 2

I attended my first Wednesday night training session of 2015 with the Frontunners, after a long time away.  This was not timed, simply five ups and downs of Primrose Hill.  It was extremely hard work – my legs ached after only the second attempt and I felt very out of breath.  However, I was able to better control my breathing and my gait on the subsequent laps and they did not feel as tough.  By the time I reached the fifth one I felt that I had it under my control.  There was a brief heavy rain shower during this but it did not last long.  My legs ached considerably afterwards, though the view from the top of Primrose Hill is definitely worth the effort.

Training Run 1 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 04'01''

Happy 2015 everyone!  As promised, I'll be starting the counter back to 1 from the beginning of the year.  I got to 21 in 2014 - I am definitely intending on beating that number of runs (and posts) this year.

My first run of 2015 coincided with the first day back at work after the Christmas and New Year break, and I was feeling optimistic and enthusiastic.  I ran along the South Bank and around Battersea Park with the London Frontrunners, and I accompanied my friend Richard, who I had not seen for months.  My legs did not feel tired afterwards and I felt I really enjoyed it.  Bring on 2015!

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 4 minutes 1 second
Conditions: Cool and overcast but but no rain.  My shoes had a good grip on all surfaces.  We took it at a comfortable pace, chatting all the way round.  I felt as though I was running well within what I am capable of in terms of speed, I need to up the pace more in future but this does no harm for the first run after a two week break.