A less than great advert for Burgess Hill

Some 18 months ago, I commented on the signage that welcomes most people to Burgess Hill and since then have commented on it several times to the leader of the Burgess Hill Business Parks Association.

This morning I had cause to run past Sheddingdean Industrial Estate again and found that a really discreet sign had indeed been added, albeit placed after the turning on the other side of the entrance road where it must be pretty useless to someone actually trying to find the estate.  Not that you could really miss the turning as the original, decrepid monstrosity had been left in place as before, only a little more dank, dirty and weathered.

It strikes me as odd that, with an economic down-turn starting to bite, the people who should be taking a pro-active and strategic approach to encouraging commerce in our town, should allow this advert for despondancy to remain.  Aside from which, this is surely not a great advert for ANY of the businesses on this sign?

Come on Peter, can’t you bang some appropriate heads together and do Burgess Hill a REAL favour before this sign does any more damage to the fortunes of the town?


Eulogy to a dear friend

[Edited slightly from the original to protect the innocent]

As family and friends, colleagues and clients, I suspect that we have each seen different sides of Richard, and each carry a different version of this remarkable man around with us.  I sincerely hope that, if you knew him, you might feel inclined to compare and contrast your memories of him, in the same way that you might have swapped Top Trumps cards as children.

Having known him quite literally all of my life, I thought that you might like to hear some short tales from his more formative years.  You may like to close your eyes, in order to better imagine the Kodak coloured seventies… two young boys standing on the main road, before it was busy, naming the make and model of every car that came towards them.

Here was a man who shared his parents love for cats, showing me how to gently handle them from an early age.  He would teach the kittens to run at the back door, encouraging them to jump higher and higher up his Mum’s pristine net curtains.  As they got older, and heavier, he would then feign ignorance as to the circumstances surrounding the ripped curtains, demonstrating how mischievously irreverent he could be.

From an early age he was an amazing chess player, chosen to play for our primary school team.  In all the innumerable times he and I played chess as children, he beat me every time.  Except once.  We would sit at a child-sized table & chairs in the storeroom beneath his house.  Two inevitable moves from his one and only thrashing at my hands, he deftly upset the table with his knees, sending board and pieces flying and demonstrating both a highly competitive nature and a natural flair for thinking outside the box.

He seemed to gain a sense of the intrinsic value of money at a really early age, saving hard-earned cash from a part-time job to buy a really smart racing bike to replace his cherished Raleigh Chopper.  Even before this stage he showed how discerning he was in his choices and how very careful he was to retain the value in things by looking after them; keeping them spotlessly clean and well maintained, adding well considered accessories.  Here was a boy who knew exactly what he wanted, was prepared to work very hard to get it and would then work equally hard to keep it looking like new.

This process was repeated when he graduated to a moped, a treasured, unregulated Suzuki, and again when he purchased his gleaming Honda, some number of weeks ahead of his 17th birthday when he would be legally able to ride it.  His parents used regularly to go out dancing and he and I would sit in the garage, cleaning the bike and listening to its Yoshimura exhaust.  Knowing his son really well, his Dad would leave his car in the garage, blocking the exit, to ensure both son and bike stayed put while they were out.

To start with we merely pushed the car back a little to give us more space with the bike.  As time went by, we would push it back up the drive, with great effort, to allow a small gap to get the bike out so that he could ride it around the block: returning both it and the car before his parents got home.  His Dad came into the garage to chat to us one evening and commented that the bike was really hot.  Cool as a cucumber, he explained that we had just been running it in situ to listen to the pipe:  Keeping a straight face was a skill that would set him in good stead as a lawyer.

To save energy, one evening he started the car, reversing it up the drive and on to the road.  Waving for me to occupy the passenger seat and much to my consternation, he then drove off along the road towards a rise, at the top of which is a T-junction.  Unsure quite what to do at this point, he pumped the gas, swung the wheel left and, having cut across the pavement, braked to a sudden halt in the middle of the road. 

I should point out, that in these early years, there were very few cars in the street and no traffic, but my heart was beating like a steam train and we sat there, petrified, for some moments.  Then he returned, more slowly, back to the house and dropped me off, still shaking, before rolling into the garage, misjudging the brakes and slamming noisily into his treasured bike.  Fortunately no damage was done.

He famously passed his motorcycle test just 11 days after his 17th birthday and got his car licence after only a few short lessons.

He went to secondary school and whilst there, started saying some really strange things.  You may have heard him say any of the following, though they will have made very little sense: byemate, seeya, Boit denissan semiflourick galootube, dehennaway, incredible eh Adrian, bvort.  These were words and sounds that were common parlance to him and those closest to him.

I went to secondary school in Falmer and he would arrive to collect me on his bike, generally riding off with the flourish of a well-executed wheelie.  He did this on one notable occasion and caught me not holding on: I rolled back fully to kick him hard under the armpits, as I stared backwards and upside-down at the front wheel of a friend following us on his Yamaha. 

This aside, he was the smoothest of riders and later, the silky smoothest of drivers too, with cars and bikes remaining as a passion throughout his life.

These are personal memories, but I suspect that your own experiences might chime with some of mine:  His honour and sense of fair play, especially for the under-kitten; His mischievous dry humour and gentle irreverence; His highly competitive nature, sense of value, love of detail, care and nurture of those things and people most precious to him; His passionate love of his wife, cars, motorcycles.  And oh, how much he truly adored his children.

I have spent countless hours with him in various garages, and on driveways, surrounded by motorbikes & cars and I personally shall always feel closest to him there, amongst the buckets and sponges and polishing cloths.  That place that we shared so much time and ultimately, where he felt most comfortable.

I am truly honoured to have counted him amongst my very few close friends and I hope that his children will forever feel proud to have had such a truly remarkable man as their father.

On deep loss

What do you say to the friends & family, the spouse, children, parents or siblings, of a close friend who has died in tragic circumstances?  Especially when you have your own personal thoughts, emotions, memories.

This is a question that has been omnipresent over the last few days and it continued to mull around in my head while I ran this morning.

We go through a fairly similar set of emotions for any major change situation, whether it be to do with work, life or death.  It starts off with shock, confusion, disorientation, immobilisation.  This gives way to denial as our minds struggle to assimilate the information.  We then experience anger, frustration and hurt, often lashing out at those closest to us.

Only at this stage do we really start to confront the reality but this leads to depression, helplessness, hopelessness.  We can often feel victimised too, but it is normal for us to experience these feelings as we only now start to really acknowledge what has happened.  

As we begin to get our heads around the reality, we start to form new frameworks for life and we finally reach acceptance.  Accepting what has happened does not mean that we understand it or like  it in any way, just that we are now more grounded.

It is important that we go through the whole range of these emotions, as people can be left with dysfunctional behaviour when they get stuck somewhere en route.  This is easy to write, of course, less easy to say to someone who is grieving.

Even having become more grounded, we are always susceptible to those surprising moments that remove our composure.  I lost a very dear friend to cancer in 1998 and some months later, as I listened to a beautiful new CD by an artist we had both liked, I found myself in floods of tears.

I had a pause for thought during the run today as, waiting to cross the road outside Sporting Cars of Brighton, around 20 Harley Davidson’s growled their way somberly past.  This vague coincidence will not mean anything to people reading this, but I found myself smiling at happy memories despite the sadness of losing another very close friend.

My run today took me south-east out of Burgess Hill, across the fields and through the chicken runs to Ditchling.  It was a glorious day, but not stunningly hot and it took me 25 minutes to shed my jacket and hat.  The 42 minute mark found me at the bottom of the Beacon track and it took ten minutes for me to reach the top from there.  It seemed easier after my mid-week speed work, but at the top I retched intermittently for about five minutes as I tried to recover… is that too much information?

I then headed east along the top but quickly dropped down the first winding path as I had a plan to overcome the potential emotional baggage of feeling queasy from the hill-climb… which was to do another one.  This time the path up from the bottom was steeper still, but the climb seemed yet more effortless.  I didn’t even pause for breath at the top, despite a strenuous round trip that had taken me fifteen minutes and I heading off down the first stony track I had run up, dodging two separate mad-women on horses on my way down… and one more relaxed one on the level ground at the bottom.

This put me at Sporting Cars in Ditchling and after waiting to cross the road, I headed up East End Lane and back across the fields to the north.  At the common I took the Magical Path and was surprised to find other people walking along it… rare indeed, but it was a lovely day.

The 12.2 mile run took me two hours and five minutes and I feel relaxed about the 5.85mph speed in view of the two scarp-slope climbs I threw in.

On going faster

I ran my current default circuit of 5.2 miles in 42 or 43 minutes today and whilst I wasn’t that impressed with the two or three minutes less that I took compared to last time I ran it, it did increase the speed to 7.3mph or thereabouts.

I spent the run thinking about how we run more quickly and have come up with this quick (and certainly not exhaustive) list.

  • You have to want to run faster (and I seldom do, as I enjoy the act of running more when I’m not racing)
  • You have to be fit enough to push a bit harder
  • The conditions need to be favourable –  it rained a little last night so the going was springy and quite flat, but trying to run fast on a rutted surface, or in a gluggy mud-bath, would not be so sensible
  • You have to keep focused on going faster – you need to maintain the pressure all the way round otherwise you can end up losing any extra ground you’ve made.

I didn’t particularly want to run this morning and it was hard going at first, but the springy mud was so delightful to run on that I decided to up the pace a little.  I then kept the pressure on, especially in the uphill sections, chose faster lines through corners, stretched my legs out down the hills and kept focused.  Made a game of it, really.

I didn’t enjoy the run as much as normal, but it was rewarding in a different way, once again to do with resiliance… being able to complete a task you’ve set yourself.  

And as usual there are a whole host of other things that you can apply this thinking to, from my peers and I putting ourselves out to take further education in our forties, despite busy jobs, to my mother fighting to learn Tai-Chi to improve her balance at 79.

What new way can you find to stretch yourself today?

New starters & runner-returners

For those of you getting into running, or back into running, here are a few tips.

First & foremost, get some decent gear.  This will make the whole running experience WAY more enjoyable and whilst you don’t instantly need to go to the expense of breathable fabrics and gore waterproofs (although they do help with the desire to go running in inclement conditions), a decent pair of runners is essential.  We swear by Run in Hove (you hadn’t guessed?), but any small running-focused store staffed by enthusiasts rather than shop assistants is probably okay.

We took Kim’s son Jason into Run yesterday for a pair of trainers and having assessed his needs, Kurt explained why Jason sometimes experiences painful knees.  He then offered a specific choice of shoes that would help him prevent injury, the chosen pair (above) weighing in at less that the price of a run-of-the-mill pair from a high street chain, despite being the latest technology.

So now you can go running, right?  Yup, it’s that easy and having warmed up gently, there are three things that are worth focusing on: your breathing, the point of contact and relaxing your jaw.  This is not exhaustive, but it’s good to have a simple, initial focus.

Breathing.  To start with, try to run no faster than you can while breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.  Aside from helping prevent over-exertion, this means you get into a good breathing habit early on.  Later, when you want an additional burst of speed, you can breath in through your nose and mouth together and will really notice the effect.

Point of contact.  Your heels and modern running shoes are generally designed so that you land on the outside corner of the heel.  The foot / shoe is then rolled onto its sole before departing from the toe.  When running, focus on the heel landing and the big toe departing as this will help you adopt a good running gait.

Relax your jaw.  In order for your jaw to be relaxed, you have to relax your shoulders, arms, hands and upper torso and since most of the running power comes from the legs, there is no need for the rest of you to be tense.  Later, when you want an additional burst of speed, you can straighten your fingers and with your hands pointing forwards, pump your arms forward and backward.  You’ll see what I mean when you try it.

You can look on the running blogs for more things to focus on as you start to get the running bug, but for now there is just one other thing that will make your experience a positive one.  Stretching.  

It’s a great habit to get into when you’re doing anything physical and especially running.  Start as soon as you get back, while your muscles are all still warm.  The key muscles to focus on are the calves, the quads, the buttocks and those tricky muscles that seem to join the two legs together, which I get to by squatting down, knees apart with my hands on the floor and elbows propped against the inside of my knees.  As I transfer the weight forward onto my hands, the elbows push the knees apart and stretch the said muscles.

Get someone to show you the other stretches (I could be here a long time trying to explain them without a diagram) and get into the habit of spending five to ten minutes stretching after each run.  Running and stretching both release endorphins so you should feel GREAT by the time you’re done.  

And if you then go and eat some protein, it will help to build the muscles that you’ve just been working, ready for next time you go out.

Enjoy!

Happy Niu Year

Hot on the heels of Burns Night this year comes Chinese New Year, or rather Niu year as it’s the Year of the Ox.

The calender, started by the Xia people circa 2,205 BC, is based on astronomical observations and celebrates the start of the Lunar New Year.  Each new year commences on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice.  The Winter Solstice is when the apparent path of the sun reaches it’s lowest point to the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere, which is around December 21st.  Depending on the “age” of the moon at this point, the second new moon could arrive any where from 30 to 59 days later.   

In the calendar, days are measured by the duration of one self rotation of the earth, months are measured by the duration of the rotation of the moon around the earth and years are measured by the time it takes for the earth to rotate around the Sun.

Most people agree that this year is the 4706th year of the calender (or if you really want to be confused, it could be the 4705th or even the 4645th), but it is fortunately not recorded as a straight number, rather being broken down into two main cycles, one of 12 years (the Chinese animals) and one sexagesimal or of 60 years.  

The 60 year cycle is a combination of the 12 animals (Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Monkey, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Snake, Sheep, Rooster, Pig),  the five elements (metal, wood, earth, fire and water) and either Yin or Yan.  

This year, starting 26th January 2009, is Ji Chou, the 10th year of the cycle and is Yin, Earth and Ox.

According to Feng Shui experts, it should be a much better year than 2008.  Last year (Earth Rat) was (apparently) marked by the instability of earth over water, whilst this year combines like elements, which portend peace, harmony and recovery.  It is a time for healing and reconstruction of the previous damage done to human relationships, ecology and economy.  Phew!

All that is left is for me to wish you Kung Hei Fat Choy… Congratulations and be Prosperous!

For further reading, look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calendar

Happy Burns Night

The prolific Scottish bard, Robert Burns, died on the 21st July In 1796, but is celebrated each year on the date of his birth, 25th January 1759.  250 years ago today.

I hope that the purists among you will forgive me for joining in with the following toast:

Happy Burns Night, mi gud Scottish lassies and laddies

‘joy ya’ haggis wi’ bashit neeps an’ champit tatties

Gud health ta all ya typsy lowland an’ highland lairds

An’ may the morning break easy on ya whiskey heads!

Ta the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns! 

At the closing of the year

More than two weeks have passed sans run, yet I am unrepentant… I have all my excuses neatly lined up.

I thought that I would add a little more to these pages before the closing of the year, but now I’m actually here, I can only report that Christmas went in a blur.  

Along with 2008.

May 2009 bring good fortune, health and happiness to you all… along with great running conditions!

And for those of you having parties during the year, especially if you also will be 45, remember to invite us!

Tootle pip!

Friday for a change

I had sat through a talk by John Dodds of BERR (the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) on Thursday night and realised how little common sense the politicians & civil servants, who churn out the policy that affects us and our businesses, appear to have. Quite honestly, it profoundly depressed me and I awoke in the morning with a real desire to curl into a ball and shun the day.

However, Meester Broom, who also didn’t really feel like running, pitched up to save me from my reverie. Despite being woken up by his kids a number of times at strategic points through the night.

We begrudgingly trudged (is that betrudged?) off into a chilly morning (apparently zero degrees by the gauge in Nick’s car) and I was soon warming (in a number of ways) to the theme of government policy incompetence.

Of course, we understand only too well that one of the key reasons that it is just SO frustrating, is that we have no control whatsoever over it. We can elect a political party into or out of office, but the bureaucrats remain in their twenty-two (or so) well-defended silo’s, their names never appearing against the latest piece of legislation to darken our doors.

For example, in the last 11 years, BERR has created 678 new offences – it is my contention that entrepreneurs and people running SME’s either spend a fortune complying with this endless diarrhoea of legislation, with the cost of lost opportunity as an incalculable additional amount, or stick their heads in the sand and ignore it. The latter might not be such a silly strategy after all, as it’ll be changed again tomorrow (admittedly, if you’re incredibly lucky) after the legislators have seen the misery of the side-effects.

I remember Jeremy Clarkson talking about the car maker TVR, of old, which appeared to design, build and sell a new car before getting their customers to do the product testing. Having had an almost new TVR Cerbera (which was off the road for a total of 6 months out of the 16 months I had it), I know exactly what he meant. The 22 Departments seem to have adopted the very same approach and it sucks!

I would be quick to admit that not all civil servants should be tarred with the same brush, but anyone that uses ‘no legislation’ as a frankly cringe-worthy excuse for ‘over regulation’, will find it hard to convince me that they are really part of the solution.

My internal hot air kept the temperature outside at bay very effectively and I hardly even noticed the run itself. We went out to the Royal Oak, up through the woods and back via the magical path. 5.2 miles took us 47 minutes (6.6mph) and was only really notable for the fact that it was a collaborative affair, even down to the final charge to the finish that we ran shoulder to shoulder.

Though I’m guessing that the run, which felt to me like it was over in a flash, probably seemed an eternity to Nick’s ever-patient ears!