Alastair Reynolds's Blog, page 3

Days 19 and 20 of RED January

 I put in a treadmill run yesterday, then a nice road run today, relatively brisk by my standards.

Musical accompaniment: Paramore!

Thanks again for the support.

RED January

Al R

Days 17 and 18 of RED January

 Still going well. It's more of a mental challenge at the moment as there's no doubt that running the same combination of routes day after day can become a bit of a grind. I certainly need to change my music selection - I've been running with the same dozen or so albums since the summer! However the post-run satisfaction is good and I'm not feeling any issues with joints, muscles etc. Onward!

Thanks again for supporting RED January and Mind Over Mountains.

Al R

Day 16 of RED January

 Yesterday's run:

I'm getting on well with the challenge, so thanks again to all who have supported me so far with RED January and Mind Over Mountains. For those who haven't been following, RED January is a mental health initiative aimed at getting some physical movement done on every day of the month, to boost mood and wellbeing. We all set our own goals, mine being to run between 3 and 5 K each day. Any movement is beneficial, even just a little exercise around the house or a walk around the bl...

Day 15 of RED January

 We're nearing the middle of the challenge today, and as it was a beautiful crisp clear afternoon, I went for a longer run. For the last year and a half or so, one of my preferred runs has been blocked by the closure of a pedestrian railway crossing due to electrification work on the valleys lines, but a new footbridge has been put in allowing me to pick up the route again.

Today's musical accompaniment included Ladytron's most recent album, "Time's Arrow". Jolly good!

Day 14 of RED January

 There's a welcome hint of lighter evenings to come now that we're into mid-January. One of my preferred running routes has a few unlit stretches and only a few weeks ago I would have had to set off a fair bit earlier than I was able to this afternoon. This is a really nice run which affords opportunities to spot kingfishers, although I haven't seen one for a few months. Always worth a look-out though.

Today's musical accompaniment was Editors, with their second album. I feel I need to give their...

Day 12 and 13 of RED January

 Many thanks for the support so far, it has really helped motivate me. I did a slow 5K yesterday, then a gentle 4K treadmill run today. Thank you all!

Today's musical accompaniment was "Chrome", the 1993 album by Catherine Wheel. This is a really stonking record which I haven't really tired of hearing over three decades. "Crank" was the first single off it and still sounds exciting and epic (I reckon). It's definitely a good running record as the album as a whole is pretty up-tempo.

Cheers,

Al

RED J...

Day 11 of RED January

 Parkrun day!

RED January

Day 10 of RED January

 I needed some motivation today, so this is by way of thanks to Eric, Justin, Niall and Barry for their very kind donations to the RED January cause. Thank you very much for your generosity, it really helped me put my shoes on and get out there. 

Today's musical accompaniment was the splendid Veruca Salt, with their 1994 album "American Thighs". A post-grunge classic that should be in every discerning record collection.

Days 8 and 9 of RED January

 My bid to run every day of the month is continuing. I did a treadmill run yesterday as my wife and I were leaving the house soon after to see Hamilton, and I followed up with a road run today. The weather was bitterly cold, and the ground slippery, so it was a slow run wearing multiple layers, including woolly gloves, hat and hoodie. In some respects I don't mind running in cold weather, though. You can always get warmer, but there are limits to how cool you can keep yourself in the summer. On ...

Day 7 of RED January

 That's the first week done!

This afternoon's musical accompaniment was from Swiss industrialists Young Gods, courtesy of their 1995 album "Only Heaven". It's a jolly good record!

Cheers, Al