Back in the saddle

First off, nice one everyone for taking the time to read this! It only started off as a blog about a chubby Northern man (Now that I think about it, it still is :/) but I’m currently just over 500 views which I’m pretty chuffed with.

It’s pretty tough to fit in exercise around my work at the moment. My final exams are coming up in 2 weeks so I spend a lot of time in the library. However today I went for a 8km cycle to and from the molecular biology lab to listen to a talk on some research which is on one of the topics I learnt about this year so I sort of combined work and exercise. I also ingeniously set off later than I should have done and had to pedal hard, which I regretted when I realised the talk was up 7 flights of stairs.

It was quite interesting though and once I’d wiped away the sweat pouring into my eyes I found the diagrams useful too so overall a decent day.

I’m going to take a short absence from the blogosphere so that I can focus on my exams (although I’ll still be on Twitter at @JamesCrewdson1 because I’m addicted to it). But don’t worry – once I come around from my Sainsbury’s Basic Champagne-induced coma after the end of my exams, I’ll be back up and blogging and I’ll be leaner, meaner and luminous greener than ever before. Thanks for reading!

#FloorPic

Before I start my ascent to fitness, I thought I should update you on other goings on since the marathon (Also I’ve been a lazy bastard and just sat about eating chocolate for the last week so there’s not much to report fitness-wise). My body has thankfully recovered with no injuries. There was a time when I thought about going to the doctor for whiplash of the belly but it turned out I was just hungry.

 

You may have also noticed that the pictures across the top of the main page have changed. The left picture is everyone’s favourite of me showing off my impressive physique. The right picture is a more relaxed picture of me – I can’t quite remember what I was drinking but it was pre-fitness regime so it was probably a mug of melted butter mixed with fat drippings and pure cholesterol (and Patak’s Tikka Masala Sauce – speaking of which I got sent a voucher from Patak’s for some sauce after sending them a link to my tikka masala blog post- I’m a fully endorsed athlete now).

RUNNING TIP NUMBER 17: IF YOU DO SOMETHING (LIKE A MARATHON), MILK IT FOR ALL IT’S WORTH! THINK OF THE CURRY SAUCE YOU COULD GET! 

I have however been asked why I have included the centre picture which has been taken at an attractive down-top angle to show off my ample man-bosom. The reason is simple. I sent the picture to Ricky Gervais via one of his Twitter accounts (as part of the #FloorPic meme he started) and shockingly actually got a reply from him. As a thank you to him, next time he produces a series I’ll consider actually buying it rather than watching it for free on my laptop (I almost certainly won’t buy it – but I’ll consider it).

My fitness aim for the week is to get back to exercising. I’ve had my recovery time off (and then some) so I really need to get back on it. Don’t hold your breath though (That’s also good advice generally). Thanks for reading!

New Look

It’s been just over a week since my marathon and I’m ashamed to say that I have somewhat reverted to my old ways (much to the delight of Cadbury). It’s exam term here in Cambridge and the ever-present temptation of comfort food is too much and the thought of going for a run after a day in the library is about as appealing as smearing my bollocks with peanut butter and shoving them in a wasps’ nest.

However no longer! I’m determined to get a new sleeker look and so that is what I’ll get. To go with my new physical look, I’ve also gone for a slightly new blog look (only slightly – I’m no techie) and I think the new title ‘The Ultimate Lazy Man’s Guide to Not Being a Fat Fucker’ is just the sort of motivational style I hope will keep me going.

One thing I know about myself is that I need actual targets. Some people can motivate themselves just by wanting to generally make themselves better individuals. However I stuggle to do this as I’m not only ignorant and egotistical but I’m also genuinely perfect and it’s hard to find general ways for me to become better.

So I need to set myself a challenge. My last challenge was the marathon and that worked out pretty well. I’m definitely not running another marathon this year though. I think a marathon is like childbirth – It hurts while you do it and for a while afterwards you would never consider doing it again.

So I have instead signed myself up for a 10km run in August. I know this is a step down from a marathon but to make it a challenge I’m going to try and run it in a decent time. I haven’t decided what constitutes a decent time yet (and I’m open to suggestions) but I’m currently thinking half as fast as Olympic champion Mo Farah (who ran it in about 27/28 minutes) would be a good start point.

The most important thing for me though is that getting a bit fitter and trying to delay the inevitable premature death at the hands of the sludge in my arteries doesn’t get too serious. To combat the scourge of seriousness, I’m also thinking of signing up for the ‘2013 UK Backward Running Championship’ which is a 1 mile race running backwards. Who knows, maybe I could become UK Champion.

Anyway, I’ll no longer bug you about the Stoke Association (apart from now) but if you are interested, there’s loads of info of their website (http://www.stroke.org.uk/) and feel free to get in contact with me. Thanks for reading!