Day 353 - Metamorphosis Almost Complete

Sunday April 4th

Easter Sunday and we did not manage an Easter Egg hunt or a visit to church. Instead I went for a run and watched Match of the Day. We did a monster roast lunch and then Shaggy headed off back home.

A chance to catch my breath and reflect a little on the journey I have been on. Two weeks from now and I will have completed the year and finished this blog. I have no idea how many words I have written but I've enjoyed it. It hasn't been as "live" as I would like. I am currently two weeks behind and so I lose a little of the spontaneity.

When I read the whole thing through again, it will probably read more as a diary of what has happened, rather than the original intention, vague as it was, to provide a living metamorphosis from marketer to teacher. I suppose the change isn't as profound as I thought it might be, given it was a change in what I do, not who I am.

Day 345 - Super Sub

Saturday March 27th

Busy day today as Mrs N goes off and runs a very muddy and hilly 10k while Ted and I go up to Basingstoke and his team wins the U13 Hampshire Cup Final. The only down side to the whole thing is that he only gets on for 5 minutes at the end. A medal is a medal.

Mum and Dad are home from South Africa so we go out for a splendid meal at Brasserie Blanc to celebrate my birthday. There is much to catch up on.

Day 338 - Welsh Castles

Saturday March 20th

I have entered the Welsh Castles Relay and am currently reserve number 2 for a 22 man team. It looks like a fitting sequel to Ragnar with 22 legs from Caernavon to Cardiff over a June weekend. All the legs are about half marathon distance but you only run one leg each. We will be camping over on Saturday night, the day of the England v USA World Cup game.

I have also signed up to run a 10k at Epsom College on April 25th. This will be the first time I've been back in a long while but seems like an appropriate occasion to go. Looks like it will be a family occasion as Charles and Dad are coming along

Day 311 - Winchester 10k

Sunday February 21st

It was raining when I woke up and I nearly didn't bother but glad I did.

Headed out and met up with Neil to run the Winchester 10k. In club colours officially for the first time but it's not a club race so doesn't count. Vowed to make it an easy run and relaxed for the first 2 miles, most uphill. As the race progressed I felt pretty strong so kept plugging away and ended up with 41 minutes, a PB. If I had known how good I would feel I would have gone for the sub 40 but in any case it was a timely boost to the confidence.

I came 50th on the day and 5th in the Men 40-44 age group. I've arrived on the scene!

I found out later that week that I made the back pages of the Hampshire Chronicle. Photo to follow

Day 289 - The Great Bacon Debate

Saturday January 30th

Icy cold day today and went for a run with Neil before Ted's game. He had hurt his calf so I did some uphill speed work on my own and it hurt. The bacon roll with HP sauce and cup of tea eased the pain, as did their victory.

Bacon was discussed in the clubhouse. Some had a big aversion to crispy bacon, a staple of American breakfasts, preferring the almost ham like thickness of the British rasher. I like both but, if pushed, and definitely in the context of a bacon roll with melted butter and HP sauce, I prefer a meaty rasher with crispy fat around the edges. The best of all worlds.

Day 283 - Three Un-Wise Men

Sunday January 24th

Report writing hell as previously reported so hardly left the sanctuary of my office and completely ignored my family. I managed to head out for a long run, 9.5 miles, up through Twyford into Shawford, Otterbourne and back again.

We went to a fund raiser for three un-wise men who are doing the Marathon des Sables in April. I hadn't quite realised how gruelling the race is. It's more than a marathon and lasts for 6 days. 6 days when you have to cover 150+ miles and carry your own food. They showed pictures of some of the foot injuries. Ouch. The Marathon du Medoc (wine, I mean water, stops in every chateau along the way) looks much more appealing.

I got home at 9pm and still had to plan three lessons for tomorrow. Very very tired but pleased that I stayed disciplined and stuck to the task over the weekend. I do not intend to make a habit of this.

Day 261 - Staring At The Screen

Saturday January 2nd

Now it's wearing off....only kidding

I have done no work up to now and so attempted to put some hours in today. The enormity of what I should have done weighed down on me and I ended up doing very little. My aim was to write outline plans for all my classes up to half term so that the lesson plans themselves would not be so onerous and more importantly, I could consult with the class teacher well in advance and get ideas for the lesson itself.

Listening to xfm top 1000 songs and a song by Elastica came up. It's called 'Waking Up'.

I'd work very hard
But I'm lazy
I can't take the pressure and it's starting to show
In my heart
You know how it pains me
A life of leisure is no life you know
Waking up and getting up has never been easy

Oh woah-ah, i think you should know

All too often last term I would be sitting at my computer the night before without a clue on how to teach a particular topic, too late to ask for help. The trouble is, I left all my books at school and was enjoying my holiday too much. So, I went for a run instead....

I did a brisk 8 mile loop up through Shawfford and Otterbourne, sticking to the roads as there is still alot of mud around.

Day 255 - There Ain't Nothing Like The Mighty Quins

Sunday December 27th

Finally took my lardy arse out for a run and got a good 11 miles in with Neil. Unfortunately my big toe is playing up and I hobbled around all day after that. Punishment for lack of exercise and over indulgence.

Drove up to St Margarets and joined in the pre-match parties before heading off to Twickenham to watch Harlequins v Wasps. Very impressive - 76,000 filled the stadium, 3 X Factor finalists (Ellen was impressed), an eagle soaring in from the roof top to deliver the match ball and fireworks. The match was close and then a fine evening at the Thrumbles to finish off a long day.

Day 251 - Camp Lions

Wednesday December 23rd

Managed to get out for a run today and felt very fat. The weather was miserable underfoot with ice everywhere on the pavements so I had to run on the road into traffic. That kept the heart rate up.

M&D came over and we went to the theatre to see Wizard of Oz. The pantomime is something you cannot explain to anyone that doesn't live here. Next year we will have to persuade some of our American friends to come over just for the panto. What would they make of camp lions, "Oh, no he isn't" and "it's behind you". Great fun.

Day 241 - Ted In Mid Season Transfer Shocker

Sunday December 13th

A day of rest....went for a really good run this afternoon, just before Ted's final game for Wyvern. Managed a solid 7 miles in the bitter cold. I got a bit lost on the back roads but eventually made it back.

Unfortunately the game was more of the same and I ended up sitting in the car towards the end. Some comedy defending and too few boys willing to stand up and be counted when it mattered. They lost 1-7, not a great way to go out although Ted got the man of the match. In the land of blind men......the transfer is going ahead, with large amounts of cash changing hands and a bung for his agent. In January he'll be a Compton player.

Day 235 - Child Protection

Monday December 7th

Exciting week ahead with university day and my external observation on Wednesday. As a result, my planning is pretty much under control and today I dragged 10.2.2 kicking and screaming through Box Plots before relaxing while 9.2.2 did a topic test. I noticed one of the girls had quite nasty burn marks and scratches on her arm during the test. I decided they weren't there by accident so I wrote it up and hope the child protection team can get to the bottom of it. That's all I can do.

Planned my observed lesson by the end of school and was home free all evening. Went out for a long run (8 miles) with Neil while Ted was with Compton. Felt it in the legs but happy to get out again after over a week's inactivity.

Day 227 - Cold, Bleak...the 70s

Sunday November 29th

My disciplined weekend continued with an early morning run in the rain (tick), some diy (tick) and some more work (tick). No sport as it continues to rain without interruption. I did some ironing and finally got to see The Damned United. Very very good, not only the acting but it captured the era (early 1970s) brilliantly. What a cold, bleak time in this country's history.

Three weeks left of term and I can understand why the experienced teachers say this is the longest and hardest term in the year. The kids are definitely tired and it is harder and harder to keep them on task. I am actually looking forward to the next few weeks and then Christmas with the Nichols family in our new house. Should be fun.

Day 216 - Upside Down

Wednesday November 18th

Mrs N stayed in bed today feeling unwell. Given that I can count the number of sick days she has had in the 20 years I have known and loved her, this is a BIG DEAL. I was therefore on duty and managed to survive three lessons and get Alice to ballet on time. I went for a run while I was waiting and bumped into Neil. Mrs N does not believe this was a coincidence and thinks there is something untoward going on. I think she is delirious.

Going back to my theme of the week about feeling some strain. I had a chat with my mentor about this and I think it is a combination of things. The first cause is obvious - I have turned my professional life upside down and am doing something completely alien to whatever skills and experience I have picked up since 1989. The second came to me out of the blue but is also obvious - I have never trained so hard in my life. I am 10 or so weeks into a new job and am still in training every day, whether it's being observed, having assignments, figuring out what to teach or just adjusting to life in a big school. Of course, I've moved jobs and countries frequently through my career but to be in formal training for that long is something I've never experienced.

Day 213 - 1:29:35

Sunday November 15th

I DID IT

I nailed sub 1:30 in the Gosport Half Marathon with about 30 seconds to spare. The last 2 miles really hurt but the conditions were great, the course was flat and what a feeling. To think that I fell gasping over the line in Manhattan in a touch under 1:48 in January 2008. I have taken almost 20 minutes off my P.B. in just under 2 years. I remember running 1:45 in Amsterdam in 2001 and thinking that I couldn't go much faster.

I honestly believe I can dip under 1:25 now and I want to go sub 40 in the 10k and sub 19 in the 5k. I will need to train even harder but with the running club right here, I know I can do it. 6:49 minute miles. Sizzle

Spent the rest of the day in a daze and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine to celebrate.

Day 206 - Poppy Fields and Graves

Sunday November 8th

Attempted to run a swift 10k this morning and it went OK, 41 minutes or so. Full pancake breakfast and then off to the Farmers Market. I found out it was Remembrance Sunday this week rather than next week so a little miffed as I wanted to go to a service. We did the 2 minutes silence next to the hogs' ears bucket. A nice touch.

Took Ann off to Ted's game and almost witnessed their first points. 3 minutes to play, 0-0 and they let in a soft own goal. Poor team has had no luck this season but they played with a lot of spirit and Ted was a lock for the Man of the Match but somehow lost out to.....the coach's son.

Back home for roast pork and all the trimmings, a bottle of wine and general goodwill to all man. Another trip to Uni tomorrow so did not have to plan a lesson. Bliss

Day 197 - St Edmunds Pot Luck

Friday October 30th

Guy came over for a run. We did about 10 miles and had a great chat. He used to work at Diageo and jacked it all in and is doing GTP in Slough. He's also a very accomplished runner and triathlete. We shared experiences and they are quite similar. He doesn't care for the lack of management competence he fins in his school and enjoys the "thinking on your feet" challenge of the classroom. I worry less about that aspect but do worry about my subject knowledge. It's there but a little rusty.

Spent all afternoon trying to bring some order to my portfolio and had some success and then we had the long anticipated St Edmunds pot luck. Unfortunately, Simon at Number 1 suffered a heart attack this week so we were down to 3 but we had a good time and will do it again when he is back at full strength - appetizers at Number 3, main at Number 4 and dessert at ours where once again, Ted's magnificent key lime pie stole the show.

Day 188 - Early Departure

Wednesday October 21st

Another big day today as I had another 3 lessons to deliver. It started well with my final Year 7 lesson before they go into their sets after half term. We were in the computer room and had some fun with Autograph. Metric Measurements was not so much fun with 8.2.4 but I persevered although still too much talking from me.

8.1.3 was observed by our Deputy Head and I almost had a coronary when she departed halfway through with what looked like a sympathetic smile. I carried on but had this awful feeling that I had screwed up in some major way. It turns out that she had planned to do that and was pleased with what she had seen. I relaxed a bit after that.

Took Alice up to football practice and went for a run but the legs still feel heavy. I managed some hill work and about 5 miles

Day 185 - 16 Miles

Sunday October 18th

I ran 16 miles with Neil today. Never done that before me and two things struck me. One, I can run 16 miles at a brisk pace and if I trained I could probably do a marathon in 3:10-3:20. Two, the countryside is beautiful around here. We ran out of Winchester towards Eastleigh, through Otterbourne and Shawford, along the River Test. Legs felt OK and we even picked up the pace a bit towards the end.

Cooked myself an outstanding bacon and egg sandwich with lashings of HP sauce and then sat on the sofa and watched the world go by.

Last week before half term coming up and I'm looking forward to the break. Teaching 10 lessons a week is only half a timetable but when you add a couple of hours either side for planning and marking per lesson, that's a minimum 30 hours a week.

Day 171 - Great Clarendon Marathon

Sunday October 4th

Picked up early for my first run in the UK, a marathon relay with Neil, Andy and Sue. The conditions were excellent but I was feeling nervous as we drove up to Salisbury. The course was beautiful, all rolling hills and classic English countryside. I ran the 3rd leg which was just over 7 and a half miles. The map suggested lots of hills all of which I took relatively easily and felt good as I handed over - 7:23 minute miles. The race ended up a Kings' School and we came 9th/90. Pleased with that.

I checked it against the Leatherman and was amazed to discover that this was longer, with more hills and my pace was significantly better. This was probably a combination of temperature and severity of hill...and being in better running shape

Leisurely afternoon other than pressure washing the dining room wash ahead of the blinds coming tomorrow.

Day 164 - 14-0

Sunday September 27th

My Dad turns 75 today. No way he looks or acts 75. Couldn't get hold of him as they are off in Spain playing golf. Hope I get to enjoy my retirement like he has.

Long run today and managed 6 miles at goal pace (allowing for low bridges and tree roots). That got me in a good state of mind for the day and finished off a couple of lesson plans before watching Ted get annihilated 14-0. Poor Ted, he worked hard but the other team just ran rings round them all. The defence was nowhere to be seen and at this rate, they're not going to score a goal let alone win a game. Need to start looking for a team close to home.