Hydration, hydration, hydration

Hydrate! I must hydrate!
I feel like I need a little drill Sergeant sitting on my shoulder shouting "Drink more water!"

My run on Monday was fantastic but yesterday's run was a complete polar opposite. As previously blogged, I am one of nature's foul weather runners but with the paths so over growth I was getting hit by wet Triffids who's idea of a laugh was to test the water carrying capacity of my jogging bottoms.
About a mile in to the run I had to stop and, I kid you not, wring out the bottom of my trousers - I got a good cup of water out of each leg.
I also had to tie my joggers up at the waist to stop the extra weight pulling them down, a disadvantage of losing weight is the added chance of losing your dignity!

The irony of this run was that whilst outwardly I was soaking, inside I was dehydrated and as a consequence I got the stitch from hell; a gift from the Daemon Sloth, patron dark lord of couch potatoes and fast food outlets.
I know some people still argue about what causes a stitch but for me they always happen when I have not drunk enough, so there's no mystery for this FraidyKat.
Feel free to experiment and find out what your trigger is, but from now on my little drill Sergeant will stop me from getting it wrong as I do my best to escape from the springtime Triffids and their plans to soak the world.



Spring is a dangerous time in the country and not just because of over protective ewes and curious lambs. Spring is when the plants grow, the Triffids multiply, the brambles migrate and the trees burst into bright mesmerising bloom - and the less said about flowers spreading their seed the better, they are the world's ultimate doggers, they don't care who see's them and beastiality is one of their favourite things, eew. Save us from nature.

FraidyKat Runs - away from Triffids

A nice long soak

There's nothing quite like escaping from it all with a nice long soak, it's a pity there's no wine and there's certainly no bubble bath. Not this time.
This nice long soak was a little on the fresh side.
FraidyKat learned today that "squelch" can be an annoying noise on a run, and all the more so when it's the noise from your trainers every time they hit the path!
I had to run today, I wanted to and I needed to, so I did. Never mind the constant rain that contributed to the squelch, that is a necessary evil and only really a semi evil at that (quasi evil, the diet coke of evil, just one calorie, not evil enough - Austin Powers).

But today I did a 3 mile run with just two 1 minute walks in the middle. At the end of march I could just about manage 1minute running before I had to drop it to a walk for 90seconds. Now two months later it's 12minutes running and only 1walking. That's a huge difference.
I'm also 3kg lighter. I've got a long way to go but it's step in the right direction.



Going in the wrong direction is my weather app Accuweather. It's been producing some really fun temperatures recently.
Today I checked it just before heading out and according to Accuweather it was 54C. Yes, 54 degrees Celsius. I hit refresh and it went down to 12C.
This is the best one I've had so far:

Temperature Oops

That's a serious heatwave.
The highest recorded temperature before this was 56.7C, in Death Valley, but according to Accuweather that's nothing. Dear Partner's phone even fleetingly showed 73C yesterday. Now that's global warming!



Or is it a terraforming exercise being run by extraterrestrials?
As far as conspiracy theories go it's no worse than many of the others out there.
Why shouldn't little green men, or greys, want to create a slightly warmer holiday spot for themselves? They must need time to unwind too, after all that cattle mutilation and those military base fly bys they just want to hang up their ray guns and relax by the mercury swimming pool.


FraidyKat Runs - for a nice long soak

Rain and temporal showers

Okay,  cold showers are good.

FraidyKat might be crazy but my run this evening was nice because it was raining. It made it cool so I didn't get hot and sticky. 
I'm finally starting to feel my stride again. It's taken two long months and lots of vigilance (who wants a vampire sneaking up on them mid run? Not me - in case you missed the memo, runners are vampire hunters who use themselves as bait; there's a perfectĺy rational explanation, honest) but I now feel like I'm making progress. It's just a case of slowly building stamina rather than relearning how to run.

The only real oddity today was the techno-flu that seems to have suddenly infected my phone.
The S Health app I use (it was pre-installed on the Samsung) has thus far been great. Throw on gps, set your goal and go for a run. It tracks your route, elevation changes, speed - it gives you a chart like a lorry tachograph, although of course much slower - it'll even track your heart rate is you have a monitor it can pair with. It also takes your weight and calculates your calories. Up until now this has been fine, 200 to 400 calories seems about average for now, so why today was it insisting I had burned over 3000 calories?!

I can only conclude that either there was a glitch in the app or I got stuck in a time loop somewhere on the run. Come to think of it, that last run did feel like it took an awfully long time to climb. Hmm...

Just like British voters, evil creatures don't care for the rain. It makes for peaceful runs but temporal phenomena seem attracted to storms, why else would rainy days during the holidays go so slowly?

FraidyKat runs - away from timeloops
FraidyKat runs - away from timeloops
FraidyKat runs - away from timeloops
FraidyKat runs - away from timeloops
FraidyKat runs - away from timeloops
FraidyKat runs - away from, oh you get the idea

Muscles Fairies & Nutrition

Where did my muscles go?
Something stole them in the night and gave them to a body builder in need.

Perhaps that's what happens to unused muscles - it would explain why lack of use makes them disappear.
Tiny muscle fairies undertake regular spot audits, checking your muscles blackboxes for usage information. If they are under utilised they are labelled surplus to requirement and sent to a holding yard ready to be transferred to someone who's muscles are being overloaded with work.
To get new muscles therefore, you need to have consistent over usage to make the muscle fairies put you on their transfer list.

I am going to get myself to the top of the muscle waiting list.
My legs are not too bad for muscle but my upper body is shockingly bad and so much in need of new muscle it's embarrassing . I'm going to have to over haul my training plan and return to doing the circuit training.



After that it's some major nutritional research.
I don't know how it is for everyone else, but there's a lot going on in the FraidyKat mythical critter factory and it's really picky about it's fuel.

Nutrition needs to fulfill the following:

• Facilitate fat loss
• Promote muscle growth
• Encourage muscle recovery between workouts
• Give energy for those workouts
• And most importantly - Produce quality milk for the youngest Chaos agent (FraidyKat is a five star fuel refinery and distribution centre)

All those needs are more than just a calories in-out calculation.
Compound them with gallstones (low fat diet only while on the NHS snail paced waiting list) and occasional bouts of IBS and you have a calculation worthy of the mysteries of the universe (42!).

Until I win the lottery (I can dream) and get my full time chef, nutritionist and personal trainer, I suppose I'll just have to keeping taking the supplements - pregnacare, expensive but I trust them - and keep on basic low fat foods while trying avoid the trap of the 'low fat' labelled foods that reduce their fat by ramping up their sugar.
When did eating become so complicated?


Little Mogs has suddenly stopped bringing home little squeaky offerings and begun spending her time hiding in the bedroom. Either the giant rats have migrated from the towns or a mousegod has moved into the long grass next to the Paddock and his guarding his kin.
I'll let you know when the plague of mice begins and when the cheese offerings are needed.


FraidyKat Runs - for Fairy Auditors

Foul weather runner

It's official, FraidyKat doesn't like heat.

Apart from having a supernatural ability to burn on overcast days (factor 50 is how this Kat rolls), I really don't react weĺl to hot weather.
A few weeks ago I wussed out of a run because it was raining and my old running jacket still doesn't fit.

*Sigh* still working on the weight loss - 14kg since December but still the same to go again, it's a long journey.

Now I realise that I would have felt happier getting soaked than getting baked. I must be one of a very few number of people praying for a mild summer.


In any case, the hydration bladder is fantastic and very needed in this melting weather.
I drink a lot while running but the weight of the 2litres of drink I compulsively carry  is evenly distributed on my back instead of lumped in awkward bottles and I don't really feel it.
Yes,  I acknowledge a lot of people carry bottles in their hands and I see an astonishing number of people who apparently run without any liquids (how??? I would collapse before the need of the road without drink).
I simply can't join with the drinkless, it's not for me. To this end I have come up with the following advice - don't buy the cheap random unbranded bladders on ebay. You might get a good one but the chances are you'll get a suspect one and wind up with a soggy back (bitter experience of a bargain hunter).
Only once have I stumped up the cash for a genuine Camelbak and if they weren't so expensive I would stick with them, for both seal of the bladder and quality of bite valve.
Currently, I have a bladder from Mountain Warehouse in my bag. I only went with it because they had a BOGOF in the store but I haven't been disappointed. No leaks (the important thing) but the lever on the bite valve is a little too stiff for easy use on the go. I'm hoping it loosens up with use.

Apparently, I have spent too long watching Doctor Who recently. Statues make me suspicious, I watch them carefully in case they move. It's okay at the moment but if I ever see one blink I'm out of there!

FraidyKat Runs - from hot Summers

Story Time 1.8 - Heir Hunt

WARNING: The following is not edited and there will be spelling and grammar mistakes. Sorry.
Please read forgivingly (and if you have the time corrections are welcomed).

The Colonel was right about the door, no one came to get him before he heard the shooting start outside. After the going over they treated him to they obviously did not expect him to be able to withstand another session too quickly, they had forgotten they were dealing with a combat veteran. They were not the first people to hold him prisoner and this time more than any other he had a very good reason to force himself up and moving. The next few minutes would be extremely painful, there was no way to avoid the burns the striped down rifle would give him, but he would gladly take the injuries to protect his young charges.

He was so proud of his cadets when he opened the door to their cell. The eldest ones were up and defending the youngsters, ready to fight whoever came at them. Of course they were scared but they were doing their best not to show it.

There was the inevitable moment of shock when they saw him, he had not seen himself in a mirror but he could guess he was a awful state to behold. “We've got reinforcements outside. Let's go.”

Hesitation evaporated with the order to move. They were good cadets.

It was a blood bath, there was no way it could have been anything else, but as Chase crouched at Jona's side, closing his blank eyes, he wished he could have thought of a better way. He had already lost so many men, letting another one go was hard, but at least it had been a clean shot, a heavy rifle shot to the chest had killed him instantly.

The blast of the Colonel's rifle scythed through the cave and added further madness to an already chaotic battle and a blackened apparition appeared at the head of a dozen young warriors.

“Captain Chase, I presume.” the apparition spoke

Chase looked up at the figure. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. I think now is a good time to leave, don't you.”

“Retreat, all squad, retreat, by the numbers, we have what we came for.” Chase knew a hint when he heard it and their objective was now achieved. “Is this all of you?”

“Yes.”

Chase nodded and led the way, seeing out of the corner of his eye the teenage boy who knelt briefly at Jona’s body and retrieved the rifle and comm-unit. He froze when he realised what he was seeing but he forced himself to move again, Jona no longer needed the equipment and if the boy was anything like Se-se he would be able to make good use of it.

Somehow the retreat was orderly, and they returned to the outside of the caves to find not one of the false aliens in sight, they had all been dealt with in short order when the attack began.

As a final parting shot, Castleman discharged the last of the energy of his heavy rifle into the cave entrance. There were a few short screams from inside and then nothing.

Unceremoniously, he then dropped the remains of the heavy rifle and was offered an M82 rifle by a boy at his side. He looked at it and raised a hand to take it but cancelled the gesture as he covered a grimace. “You keep it, Dosser, the Captain's going to lend me his pistol.”

Chase opened his mouth to object but stopped himself when he realised the Colonel had turned down the weapon most likely because he would have struggled to hold it. The burns from the cut down heavy rifle were masked by black charring but would be enough to make shouldering a rifle all but impossible. Feeling for the older man as his own injury left him finding the use of his rifle getting steadily harder, Chase unclipped the holster at his side and handed over his father's pistol, the weapon he had been gifted with when he completed officer training. He had never let anyone else handle it, giving it to the Colonel was an honour the man would not understand.

“Thank you,” Castleman automatically checked the magazine and chamber before subjecting this younger officer to a searching look. “Where’s my Sergeant?”

“In the forest, I was hardly going to bring her into this.”

“Good. Lead the way.”

But before they had even reached the edge of the trees there was the blast of a heavy rifle and a short, high pitched scream.

“Babel!” Castleman roared, and then shouted a series of words in a language Chase had never heard before.

The teenagers around the Colonel suddenly disappeared into the forest.

“Colonel what-?” Chase questioned, running to keep up with the elder officer who was making an impressive turn of speed for someone obviously so injured.

“They know what they’re doing, Captain.”

Crashing through the forest without any pretence at quiet, they arrived at the glade moments behind Babel squad.

A young boy stood beside the body of Bateman, the fallen man’s rifle already in his hands.

Castleman looked at the lad. “Lin.” he prompted.

“Single shot to the head, sir, no other signs of injury. And no sign of the Sergeant.”

A tall girl emerged from the trees. “Three people came in, four left, one being carried. It’s an easy trail to follow, they weren’t being subtle.”

Castleman nodded and turned to Chase. “How many men have you got?”

Chase winced. “There are-” his jaw clenched and he tried not to look as an injured Leeson was carefully sat down by Felton and Shaw. “There are four of us.”

“My squad need any spare comms and weapons you have.” There was a sympathetic look from the Colonel. “You need all the help you can get.”

As Castleman spoke one of the older teenage boys from Babel disengaged himself from the rest of the group and made a beeline for Leeson, talking quietly and reassuringly as he made expert use of the triage kit Lin liberated from Bateman's body and threw to him.

All of the other remaining supplies were divvied out, but there was not enough for everyone. Even so, none of the children complained, instead they waited patiently for the Colonel to address them.

Castleman waited until they were kitted out and the marines who were able were on watch around them before he took a long breath and spoke. He hated himself for using the children like this but it had to be done. “We have one priority now, to retrieve Sergeant Elisia.”

There was a nod from his young Corporal. “Retrieval with extreme prejudice as per last summer’s exercises, sir?”

“Well remembered, Mike. This time we’re not fully equipped so pair up if you’re lacking. Jayne, you’re on point, show us the way. Joe, you missed the exercise so you hang back with me, you’re good on your feet so if we need a runner it’s you. No getting cocky, no heroics, this is not an exercise, this is real.” Castleman looked from face to face. They all looked back with sombre expressions, there was fear in their eyes but also determination. They would make him proud. “Find them, surround them, pick your targets and wait. Nothing happens until I give a go. Any questions?”

Babel squad were silent.

“Good. Go.”

Within seconds, the children were gone, melting into a forest they knew well.

Chase turned to the Colonel then. “I have a question. What do we do?”

“You’re back up.” Castleman shook his head. “If you had a full team I’d have sent you ahead, but you’re battle scarred and Babel do know what they’re doing. Whether they realise it or not, they’ve been training for this all their lives, I just didn’t expect them to be needed so soon.”

“You expected trouble?” Chase frowned, wondering if he had missed something.

“The Empire isn’t without enemies. Plan for the worst, hope for the best. If nothing else, I was hoping all the training would help them in the future. They’re good kids.” Castleman turned to where Leeson was still being dealt with. “Jay, how are you getting on? Can he be moved?”

There was a moment of hesitation from the teenager. “I need longer and I'll need an extra pair of hands to get him up but we won't be quick.”

“Do the best you can. You've got an extra pair of hands right there, I'm sure he won't leave his buddy behind.” Castleman indicated to Shaw as he hovered worried beside his badly injured friend.

“No, sir,” Shaw confirmed. “I won't.”

“Follow us as soon as you can and do your best to keep up, I hope we won't need you but,” the sentence was left unfinished.

“Understood, sir.” Jay did not need the full sentence, he had heard Se-se's scream and knew there was little chance of finding her uninjured from the way it had cut off so sharply.

Joe looked up expectantly at the Colonel. He was new to Babel, only recently having joined their ranks from the much simpler club that was Nova, and he wanted to understand what the Colonel was talking about but he did not want to let the squad down and look like a complainer.

Castleman looked down at the gangly lad. “Let’s move.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Chapter 5

Moving silently, watching for any changes in the trail, Jayne led the squad. They were out of sight behind her, but she knew they were there. She was used to being on point, her parents were the colony hunters and they had taught her tracking from a very young age until she could almost see the quarry from the trail they left. It was a source of pride for Jayne that the Colonel thought so highly of her skills and asked advice from her at times on tracking techniques.

The main worry on Jayne’s mind as she followed was that Se-se was obviously being carried and whilst there was no blood, there was no way of knowing what condition Se-se was in. She had to concentrate, to settle into the hunt and treat it like one of the many exercises the Colonel had set up for them in the past. That was all it was, another exercise that would end in a little party around a fire with well done sweets and the usual fun. If only she could believe it the situation would be so much easier. She narrowed her eyes and stopped, crouching. “New trail.” She stared at the tracks in the dawn gloom, daring them to give up their secrets. “Four more people joining the quarry, moving fast but heavy. They did not stop here.”

“Acknowledged,” came the response from Castleman. “Continue.”

At the back beside the Colonel, Chase frowned at the noise greeting his ear, he did not understand a word of it. He looked across at Castleman for an explanation.

“Babel, no one listening in can understand it.”

“Including me.” Chase grumbled. He was feeling strangely detached and confused. They had found the Colonel and rescued the children at such a high price only for those children to be behaving in like well trained soldiers and taking it all in their strides with nearly superhuman calm.

Castleman relented, the Captain had done his best to help and for it had just lost a lot of his men. They both had their own issues to overcome. He gave the required translation.

FraidyKat Runs - from Pain Pixies

Grin!

Here's why FraidyKat is grinning:

That's my first grade for Defence Lab.
It's the easy one, just the very basic stuff we all learned in the last three months.
Before the Chaos Agents arrived FraidyKat studied Kung Fu and reached Purple Sash (that's the sixth grade - three more would have got me to Black), so technically I guess I shouldn't be too chuffed yet, I've got a long way to go to equal that standard, but it's always good to learn something new.


When in doubt, learn something new or do something that scares you. Every day.
Live life like the adventure it is - enjoy it because no one ever gets out alive!



What is it with the weather right now?
A very British question, I must say, but apt.
For the last couple of days it's been brilliant sunshine one minute and lashing down with rain the next. I have the distinct impression that a run tonight will inevitably lead to a soaking.
I have nothing against showers, I would rather be FraidyKat than SmellyKat, but for preference hot beats cold. Dear partner accuses me of liking the shower scolding hot and complains that it's always too hot when he climbs in (wuss), personally I don't see the problem.
I'm just testing the speed of running like a scolded Kat!


So, the reservoirs are full, the water table is high and the rivers are running well. Poseidon is laughing at the metoffice and toying with environmentalists and their predictions of watery disaster.
The old Gods are rising once again. They have tolerated the power hungry monotheistic beliefs while they have slumbered but now they begin to awaken once more and they are letting their presence be felt.
Sharpen those sickles and polish the sacrificial altars, if they decide to wake up fully we'll be in trouble if we're unprepared.
Watch out for vengeful lightening and avoiding wearing metal armour!


FraidyKat Runs - for Adventure

Hill! - The new expletive

Having tried a new route for my run today I have discovered a new expletive: Hill!
This was the result of a minor miscalculation on my part.
What appears to be a long gentle incline when riding in one's most incredible motor carriage is actually a painful slog up a steep a*** cliff for this novice runner.
Oops, but masochist that I am, I am considering making this my usual route now so that I can measure my improvement by how far up that cliff I can drag myself before being reduced to a crawling wheezing heap.

The downside to all of this, as I guess I should have expected, is that it has attracted the pain fairies, who even now are beginning to nibble at my ankles. *sigh*

Another observation from today's run regards kit - specifically kit combinations.
Aftershoks headphones + cap = comfort
Aftershoks headphones + beanie = not so much comfort.
It was something I adjusted to but the fixed band behind the head was at just the wrong height and I had to pull up the back of the beanie to counter it.
I guess this would be an issue with any fixed band headphones though so not so much of a complaint as an observation.

I have been reassured that despite some exuberant hunting activities this weekend neither cat nor Chaos Agent has left a present on the mat. Although the sandpit is looking suspiciously lumpy now. Perhaps I should investigate. How does one properly bury a kobold or goblin? Is it proper ettiquette to bury them under the flowerbed or do they require cremation in the incinerator with the garden waste?

FraidyKat Runs - Away from hills

Instant Gratification Frustration

Once upon a time it was a chore to connect to the internet. Dial up service and getting a cup of tea while the page you wanted loaded.
If you wanted to check your bank balance you had to go into town, find a cash point, hope it was in service, avoid the beggars and then have to slope home with the bad news that you were broke.
These days it's much simpler, take your phone out of your pocket, make sure you have signal, sign in to the app and there you go. You never even got off the sofa, you lazy ****.

So it's very frustrating to be taken back to the go slow but also somehow nostalgic.
Like sitting down with an original Gameboy and playing Tetris. It was blocky and simple and the music was painfully repetitive but it was ssooo addictive - I have wasted days playing that game.

Good old days, but we do seem to have got out of the habit of waiting, even post needs to be next day before noon or we think it's a long time.

So after an adrenaline (and sweat) soaked Defence Lab grading, it was with mixed feelings that I received the news that I and all my classmates would have to wait until our next lesson to find out how we did.

I wanted to know straight away how I had done, I wanted to wait until the next lesson fearing I had messed up.
I realised how accustomed I have become to instant answers, the instant results.

Therein lies the root of the problem with modern attitudes to how we live our lives.
Instant answers, instant results, instant improvement. But that's not what happens outside of our little artificial bubble of technological life.
Reality is mostly much slower on the uptake, it needs repetition and graduation, incremental results too small for us to see as they happen.

There is no magic pill to go from fat to fab, or couch potato to fitness guru.
It's time to forget the fibre optic broadband and go back to dial up.
The end result is just the same, only the loading time is different.


And I got a text message from my instructor earlier (he only made us wait a few hours instead of a few days), I passed :-) We all did, well done to all.



The supernatural is suspiciously quiet today. What is making all the creatures of myth and fable hide away? Is there something hiding in the shadows that's so much worse than they are that it's forced them into hiding? Is this just National Evil Creature's Day Off? Or is my second sight failing me? Perhaps the agents of Chaos are doing their bit and frightening them away from the house , just like little Mogs frightens the mice away.
Hmm, perhaps I need to keep watch for the Elder Chaos Agent leaving Kobolds on the doormat when she should be playing in the sandpit.


FraidyKat Runs - for Tetris

50 Shades of Gray is a Dulux Colour Chart

If you want to inject some spice into your life forget the dubious paints and join a martial arts group as a couple.
There's nothing quite like the little smile on his face as the punch comes your way - or the satisfaction of knowing it's your turn next so you can give back exactly what you just got with interest.
Of course any particularly enthusiastic connections may leave you wondering if you over spiced the chicken or whether you remembered to buy that favourite lunch box treat. Then again, you might find yourself remembering a few barriers to domestic bliss and perhaps let him know that the pixies are in need of a pay rise.

Those terrible sexist pixies get lax when they feel under paid, they forget to put underwear in laundry baskets and rubbish in the bins.
I only say the pixies are sexist because they only seem to work for men and children. They don't work for any of the women in my family, we have to do housework for ourselves.
Although, I have heard a malicious rumour that when it comes to relationship break ups pixies can be fickle and have a tendency to abandon their male Bosses to redress the balance. - Not that I am jealous enough of my partner's helpers to leave him just for them!

But anyway, early night tonight, I must attempt to explore the interior of the mysterious Land of Sleep. Ever since the youngest agent of Chaos came to live among us (Offspring mk2) I have been exiled to the shore with only occasional forays into the marginal marshland.
Tonight, however, I must make an extra special effort because tomorrow I will be doing my first Defence Lab grading (I'll report back tomorrow and let you know how is goes).


Ode to Pixies

Pixie, pixie as I sleep, 
I pray for you my house to keep,
My floors to scrub,
My windows shine,
But if you can't then that's just fine,
I only ask that while I clean,
You put my partner's smelly socks in the laundry bin!


FraidyKat Runs - from housework

Self-medicated Haze\Remedy For Familial Torture

Knowing I am due to go for a run this evening has prompted me to self-medicate with that incredible drug caffeine.
This is needed thanks to the incredible glee with which my family torture me. First, the youngest Chaos Agent awakes several times in the night, needing me, then Destroyer of Worlds (elder Chaos Agent) arrives to crawl under the duvet and flail herself comfortable at the expense of all others.
Next comes the littlest chaos, the black cat with her Ninja Elephants in tow to join the fun (though thankfully this time she was without a terrified squealing mouse brought in from the fields a gift for FraidyKat's delight).
Through this my darling partner did his very best to help (the Chaos hoard that is), with a light mumbling interspersed by seismic snoring.

*Sigh*, refuge eventually came in youngest's room when I snuck away for a blissful hour's rest while the rest of the family wriggled, grumbled, purred and snored.

Oh Caffeine,
Oh great elixir,
Restorer of brief bites of sanity,
Hero to insomniacs and shift workers.
You win business contracts,
You write disserations,
You keep lond distance drivers on the road,
You start a million meetings every morning.

Oh Caffeine,
Oh great elixir,
You are poison but I don't mind.

DANGER: A good friend of mine once overdosed on caffeine - living off espresso while running a coffee shop - he got tremors first and then he actually passed out. He was lucky it wasn't any worse but he wasn't allowed caffeine again for a very long time.

FraidyKat, therefore, does not condone casual chugging of the nasty stuff, but is happy to keep it to recommended doses as and when required.



Caffeine and Running - a match made in heaven or hell?

For a cure to sleepless fuzzy heads it has it's place, but equally FraidyKat has experimented with using it for training in the past.

Research has found that caffeine has the ability to noticeably increase performance during exercise - just use google scholar and type "caffeine and exercise", loads of published research papers come to that same conclusion.
Of course, if you're already downing half a dozen cups of coffee or cans of redbull a day then you won't notice it, but save it for exercise and it really works.

Two years ago I experimented with supplements, as most casual and professional athletes do, and on the way discovered Reflex Nutrition and their Thermofusion capsules (I stress once again that I don't get paid or encouraged in any way to review or endorse anyone's products - this just my opinion).
Most other brands of so called performance supplements had no obvious effect but this one did.
Unfortunately, one such effect was heartburn (from the pepper I think) but I soon learned to wash the capsules down with a glass of milk and it was fine. The thing is, I also soon learned that my best and most enthused runs happened when I popped these pills - but note I don't drink coffee and only rarely have tea or energy drinks when particularly tired.
It's not cheap, but in this case you get what you pay for and even though I normally only buy things on promotion (google-fu saves FraidyKat money) for the good stuff I will dig deeper and pay full whack - it's a mark of respect that I will pay full price for Reflex products.


The agents of Chaos abound on our Mother Earth, they are in league with the kobolds, gremlins and fairies that all do their best to ruin our lives in smalls ways every day.
There is no known sure fire pesticide, our best defence is to organise and make contingency plans. The Boys Scouts have it right, if you are always prepared then Chaos can not cause a fraction of the disruption it likes.
Remember, a little Chaos will do no harm, it keeps you on your toes and fighting, but deep rooted infections must be countered with preparedness and methodical planning.


FraidyKat Runs - on Caffeine

Death by sodium deficiency

As I sit here I am dripping with sweat (sorry if that's a bit too much information but in the spirit of truth I write it so) I cannot help but reflect on my lack of consistency in my return to running.
Not just my inability to following my training schedule, that's par for course with my life, but my average run speed.
When I last ran (about 1 1/2 years ago) I did not have a smart phone and could not track my runs the way I can now so I don't know how consistent I really was.
.
.
.
Sorry about that. I just managed to escape to sanitise and rehydrate. Now perhaps I won't need to attack the salt shaker in the kitchen thanks to the Zero (High5) tablets in my water. Mild but tasty and I find them much easier to drink on the go than sugary concoctions like lucozade.

Memo: Hydration bladders work really well in the shower. Hang it on a hook and slurp your favourite tipple. - Inspiration came from watching Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H using an IV line to drink moonshine gin in the shower.

Consistency,
Yes, that.
My last run was a very sedate 5mph average. I wasn't much in the zone and I was listening to The Goon Show, funny but not speed making.
This run I was peaking at 7mph and averaging closer to 6mph. I was listening to My Chemical Romance, a much more aggressive noise to run too, but it did really wear me out.
Needless to say, I need to get an even stride figured out to make sure I find a speed I can run steadily too. I'm looking for increasing my distance at the minute, not my speed.
Maybe I just need a more consistent beat to run to, or maybe I should stop blaming the music and start listening to my body.

Starting to run is not easy. We may have evolved to do it but we still have to train for - and if it's easy you're trying hard enough!

It's amazing how many burger vans can be present at a market. Today I was out and about and I think every other stall was either a burger van ora cake stall. Surely they can't all make money, there aren't enough people eating enough calories to get the profits in. So what's promoting them to all turn up? 
Maybe they are under the employ of the diet industry. All that fat being pushed on you, all that processed meat and white flour carbs, it's a recipe for weight gain and we know who profits from that... The Diet Industry.
It's a conspiracy!
The diet fairies who look all pretty and nice while they dispense their pills and plans in exchange for your pennies are giving backhanders to the daemons in fast food industry. They are both fleecing us for our hard earned money, every pound we put on and then every pound we take off is pounds in their bank accounts.
Break the fairies, shun the daemons!

FraidyKat Runs - Away from Fairies

New Toy! Trainer review part 2

The evening run has just been completed.
Happy face :-)

It was not my best run by a long way, but hey I was feeling a bit wiped out before I began so I won't blame that on anything but me.

Back to the trainers - the brand spanking new Asics Fortes, the choice of big runners.
Yes, we do exist! Not all runners are skinny and you don't have to be thin to run. Where do you think earthquakes come from? That's when we fall over.
Ahem, rant over, back to the shoes.

(as modelled by the resident agent of Chaos who managed to put them on before I was able to get near them)


They are now officially christened with a 2 miler to the village and back.
Purists would say they are heavy, but then you can be a minimalist or have support and cushioning, I prefer the later so a few extra ounces aren't a minus as far as I'm concerned.
They certainly have more bounce than my old trainers (although that's probably just age related - erm, the trainers not me, I think) and I felt cofortable in them. They were a little snug but I'll be very surprised if they don't loosen up after a few more miles.
I really hope they have the longevity of the old trainers.

Thumbs up to the Fortes.


Thanks to some surprisingly clear logic from the other half (thank you darling) I will refrain from the ceremonial binning of the old trainers and instead keep them for use at least in the Pretty Muddy Race for Life so as not to destroy my trainers so soon after getting. And closer to the time I will choose which to wear in the other events I enter this year.

There be Kobolds in the countryside, beware.
They are not just in the house causing mess, they are also in the fields.
Ewes and lambs one side of the road, fattening calves on the other, that's the rule on my run. So why today had two ewes taken their offspring on a trip across the road into the calves field? I can only assume the Kobolds chased them there while trying to catch their dinner.
We will have to get the exterminators in to clear the infestation before it gets out of control.


FraidyKat runs - with Chaos in her wake

New Toy! Trainer review part 1

Or should that be new toys?
I was supposed to go for a run yesterday but I delayed it until today so that I could try out my new acquisition - brand new trainers!
So seriously overdue it's not funny.
Thank the deity of choice that I am strong in the ways of Google-fu.
I badly needed to replace these:

 Note the worn through heels. Once upon a time they were bright white too.
They don't actually look too bad here, but trust me they are worn out.

Once upon a time I wore New Balance trainers. They were good quality, comfortable, runners but the ones I had (don't remember the model) just didn't have the support I needed.
When I went for the above Asics GT2170s(as previously noted they were expertly advised by CoventryRunner) I discovered they were worth every hard earned penny so I wanted to stay with them.

A few hours on Google (in between the usual chaos distractions of family feeding fenzies and goblin infestations) lead me to choose a range of Asics trainers specifically designed for what they rather diplomatically call "larger-framed runners". Since I am, regrettably, in this category it seemed a prudent choice. Since I am also a definite overpronator the Gel-Forte was the logical choice.
 Slight problem - the bank has decreed that my pennies are few and the rrp for these beauties is £115, far in excess of budget.

Time for more Google-fu...
End result -
A pair of last season's Gel-Fortes (oh, fashion disaster my running shoes are the wrong colour! Naturally people will laugh at me for this as I stumble and wheeze by) for the princely sum of £39.99 plus £5 express postage.
These I got from the sale section of Start Fitness, a shop I had not heard of before, but that's no surprise when their physical stores are in Newcastle and Durham (too far north for this FraidyKat, I was born and raised well south of the Thames).

But I shall not let the north-south divid get in the way of a bargain and the delivery was good (DPD are fast becoming my preferred courier, they can actually find my home), quick and there was no damage to my order.

Anyway, now the trainers are on my feet and I declare them comfortable.
I'm glad I went for the wide fitting. They are pretty true to size and I have wide feet.
This evening I will go for my run and give a more in depth verdict but first impressions are that they are well cushioned and supported.


That's the serious stuff out of the way, now I can go back to wondering about the really important things, like the nutritional requirements of an agent of Chaos.
How much does a miniature demonic entity need to eat and do they really need to eat me out of house and home every day?
Either I am housing a Chaos agent or a battalion of hungry kobolds.
There is enough noise for both and enough mess. I need to design a conclusive test to discover which it is.


FraidyKat Runs - for new shoes!

Story Time 1.7 Heir Hunt

WARNING: The following is not edited and there will be spelling and grammar mistakes. Sorry.
Please read forgivingly (and if you have the time corrections are welcomed).

 

By the time they got to the edge of the forest near the caves it was full dark and the torches outside the main cave entrance were plainly visible. There were two ‘aliens’ on guard, both with the same distinctively shaped heavy rifles, and the brightly lit cave mouth hinted to many more inside.

Se-se looked expectantly to Chase. She had earlier been made to describe the back way in to Felton but had remained adamant throughout that only she knew the way well enough to get in and out without getting lost and a simple description would be no help to the elder Sergeant with the many dead ends and pitfalls. Reluctantly, Chase had conceded the point, but held to having Felton going with the teenager. He would not risk a child to such murderers, all the more so as his suspicions on Se-se and the way she behaved were peaked in a way he could not define. Chase had asked, during their walk, if Se-se was the name on her birth certificate but had received only a casual shrug with the Se-se admitting to have never seen the document and always been called ‘Se-se’. It was an unsatisfactory answer but the only one he got because Se-se then drifted back to Felton remembering some detail or other about the caves she had previously omitted.

“Alright, this will do.” Chase called the men to a halt. “We’ll fan out and keep an eye for patrols. Sergeants, good luck and don’t take any risks. We need to know what’s going on but we don’t need for either of you to get hurt, clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

This was the cue for both women to strip themselves of all extra gear until they were left with only clothes, boots and pistols, but Se-se then picked up the heavy rifle and began to systematically strip the sheathing that covered the actual workings of the energy weapon.

“What are you doing?”

“Something the Colonel taught me.” Came the response as the rifle’s barrel, it’s focusing point, was removed and handed off. “It’ll fit now.”

Chase was horrified. True, the rifle would technically work, but there was no heat shielding to protect the wielder and nothing to focus the energy past a random wide burst, it was a monstrosity and something both regulations and common sense expressly forbade. “Not a chance. For one thing you said even an M82 would be no use in the tunnels and for another that’s ridiculously dangerous, it’s not happening.”

“Oh yes it is.” Se-se’s tone went flat and cold. “This is my planet and they are my squad. Besides which, I have no intention of using this, I am going to hand it to Colonel Castleman who will. You have your orders, I have mine.”

“You have yours?” Chase asked, eyebrows raised.

“Yes. All of Babel squad have been drilled in what to do in case of emergency and if you have a problem with that Captain you can question the Colonel when we get him out.” The sharpness of Se-se’s voice made all of the marines instinctively stand straight.

Chase stood still for long seconds as he considered his options. By rights he should take the rifle out of the reckless teenager's hands and stop the accident waiting to happen but again something he could not define made him think again. “Alright,” he said finally. “If that’s how you want to play it. But you’re only going to show Felton the way so unless you walk straight into where ever the Colonel’s being held and it is safe for you hand that over you will be coming back to us with the rifle and if it’s energy cell isn’t fully charged when you return there will be hell to pay.”

Se-se nodded, then she turned to Felton. “Ready to go?”

Felton looked briefly at the Captain before nodding her agreement. “Lets get this over with.”

The trip past the cave entrance was taken at a wide berth and it was almost half an hour before the women were on the narrow path up the mountainside. The going was slow, they could not use light to see the path any better and they dared not make any noise that might have been heard below, but eventually Se-se squeezed her way into a small crack in the rock face.

Felton watched in admiration as Se-se disappeared inside, she had not even seen the gap and she had been looking for it for some time. The girl was right though, it was a very tight squeeze even for her, and Felton was forever being told she was built like a boy.

Once they got a few metres in there was absolutely no light so Felton contorted herself to reach into a pocket and pull out a chem-stick. The green glow it gave off was just enough to see the slime and damp on the rocks and a low hole that Se-se was already beginning to push the L84 into with a chem-stick gripped between her teeth to light the way. Felton had never felt claustrophobic before, but dropping down to follow she began to understand what it felt like.

Se-se spent the time worrying over what they might find. If the ‘aliens’ had meant to kill Babel squad, surely they would have done it back at the camp, but why they were doing any of this was a mystery so she could not know if they were still alive at all. And why were they doing it? That was the one question that kept coming into her mind, why would they kill everyone on an inoffensive colony and then herd the teenagers off into the caves. Perhaps they were after Colonel Castleman, he had had a very distinguished career before opting for semi-retirement as the colony's military liaison, perhaps he knew something important and they were using Babel squad as pressure to make him talk. But again, why would they kill everyone else, and why the alien costumes?

Not concentrating on the route made Se-se almost lose her way twice but she did not snap out of it until Felton grabbed her as she slipped and would have tumbled down a black drop into nothingness. She mumbled a thanks to Felton and took a few deep breaths. There would be time for answers later, first they had to get to the caves.

When a dim light filtered in Felton signalled for the chem-sticks to be dropped and she took the lead.

The low passageway they emerged into was, as predicted, empty but the echoes of conversations and movement were cast eerily in, bouncing off the rough stone walls and making it impossible to gauge direction or distance.

“Stay here.” Felton hissed as she drew her pistol and crept forward.

Se-se was uneasy, but she stayed in shadow in the crack that was all that hinted to the back way.

Carefully, Felton eased her way round the corner just enough to get a narrow view of the passage beyond, her pulse rising in anticipation. It was clear, but up ahead she could just make out a heavy door that had been put on the opposite side of the passage wall. Se-se had told her there were side caves turned into individual rooms, a remnant of the early use of the caves as an emergency shelter when the colony was still merely a fledgling.

With a deep breath, Felton stepped out into the passage, scanning it for anything electrical that would hint to surveillance, but she could see nothing save the few torches lighting the place. The noise of people was still there, but only in echoes, far off. She crept further forward, seeing three more doors along the way.

Moving past one, she was sure she heard hushed voices. She steeled herself for the occupants to burst out only to then realise that the door was bolted from the outside, whoever was in there was imprisoned. Was that the wayward cadets?

Then there was a distinct sound of footfalls, definitely moving closer. She rapidly moved back to the low passage, only to virtually trip over Se-se, who had been watching her progress.

With the noise growing closer she could say nothing, but instead treating Se-se to glare.

Se-se shrugged and returned the look.

Looking carefully round the corner, Felton squinted to see three men, one held roughly between the other two. Undoubtedly a captive, he looked badly beaten and was being dragged through the passage not because he was fighting back but because he was too insensible to walk unaided. One of the doors, separate to the one from which she had heard the voices, was opened and the man was thrown inside. The door was bolted and the men walked back the same way they had come.

Se-se had stopped breathing. That captive was Colonel Castleman. She started to move, but was grabbed firmly by Felton.

“Not yet.” Felton mouthed.

They waited for a long minute until the sounds were again distant.

“We know where they are, we have to report to Chase now.” Felton whispered. She did not want to leave a hostage like that but there was nothing she could do to help him.

“We don’t know how many of them there are.” Se-se hissed. “The Colonel will. He can tell us more than we’ll ever find out sitting here.” Se-se jerked out of Felton’s grip and rounded the corner.

Felton swore but instead of dragging the girl back ran passed her to the next intersection and gestured to Se-se to go inside and find out what she could. She knew that Chase hated the idea of relying on a teenage girl, but any tool that worked was the right one to Felton and her initial suspicions about the girl had proved themselves to be unfounded when she was clearly just another colony kid, all be it a gifted one. She just hoped no one would be coming back before the girl was finished.

Se-se threw back the bolts and pulled open the door to find Castleman still on the ground where he had been thrown, but he was struggling to get up since hearing movement.

He focused on the person walking in and stopped his struggles. “What are you doing here?” he demanded in a hushed voice. “You have to get out of here.”

For a moment, Se-se stood frozen on the spot. The Colonel was covered in blood and bruises, he had been badly beaten and looked awful. “No,” Se-se dropped beside Castleman. “I’m here to get you out. Where are Babel squad?”

“Two rooms up, but we can’t all get out the back way, you should know that.”

“I do.” Se-se nodded. “But, I’ve got a squad of marines in the forest, we just need to know how many of those so called aliens there are and where they are and we can come through the front door.”

Castleman treated Se-se to a long look. “How did you meet up with them?” he asked slowly.

“They were at the farm searching for survivors. They were in the system on exercise and got orders to check what was happening because we went out of contact.”

“What about Joe and Tam?”

Se-se tried to answer but felt tears forming.

The look was enough of an answer and in itself a painful blow. Since coming to the colony Castleman had grown close to the pair, close enough to consider them good and dear friends. “Is that fully charged?” he looked at the rifle, forcing his thoughts back to the present.

“Yes, sir.”

“There’s a crevice behind me with a lip, put it there. As soon as I hear you all coming in I’ll blast my way out and cause hell from here.” He cupped Se-se’s head with a blooded hand. “You’ve done really well, but don’t take any more risks, let the marines do their job.”

“But,”

“I know you can do everything they can,” he said softly. “But you’re too valuable. You and Babel are all that’s left, you all need to get out alive and well. Take it as a request from an old soldier. Sit out of this one.”

“Yes, sir.” Se-se was reluctant, but her trust and respect for Castleman was absolute. “Should I take the little ones with me?” At least some of Babel could get out via the back way and when Castleman had been treated so badly Se-se was worried for her friends.

There was a moment of agonised silence, the answer was plain but difficult. “No. It's going to take you a while to get back out and start things rolling, if they check in the mean time and find some of you gone they might well,” he broke off.

“Kill everyone left.” Se-se finished Castleman's sentence quietly.

This got a nod. “And that's something that can't happen, so this is what I know about these aliens,”

Bare minutes later Se-se slipped out of the room, leaving the door unbolted.

The Colonel had told her that he did not know if his captors would be back before it all kicked off but if they were and the door was unlocked they would only have themselves to blame. If it was open he would not have to waste a charge of the rifle blowing it open.

Felton swiftly led the way back into the low passage, not bothering to ask where the rifle had gone before they squeezed back through the crack in the wall.

Chase knew it would take the women at least two hours to get in and back out, but he was impatient none the less. There was no way he should have let the girl go, especially with the rifle, but there was something about her that made it very difficult to prevent her from doing what she wanted and he suspected that would have rubbed off onto all of her ‘Babel’ squad. If they did not get back soon they would have to leave it another day before making any sort of attack. It would soon start to get light and any assault needed the dawn sun in their favour or it would be suicidal. As it was a frontal attack appeared to be their only option, and a messy one at that. Given the importance of their task and the apparent urgency these alien imposters assigned to their slaughter it had to be a rapid assault or it would be too late for the captives.

“Contact, friendlies on their way.” The whisper came over the radio to Chase’s ear.

Chase resisted the relieved sighed he wanted to breathe and waited impatiently for the Sergeants to arrive.

“Report.” He said when they were finally in front of him.

“Babel squad are all there. They’re locked in but they have an escape method,” Felton looked to the rifleless Se-se. “They’ll make use of that when they hear us coming.”

Se-se took over then to report all Castleman had told her.

Chase took it in with a façade of calm. There were a lot more of the mysterious enemy in the cave than he had hoped for and any rescue was bound to be messy, but they could not afford to wait when the teenagers and the Colonel could be killed at any time.

He ordered Bateman over and gave him the job of keeping Se-se safe and away from the fighting. Those two would remain in the forest glade whilst everyone else attacked.

Se-se accepted this silently, she had known the order would come, but Bateman at least felt the need to grumble about the baby-sitting duty.

Ignoring his own worries, Chase ordered the attack. There was a good chance that the squad would be wiped out in this forced frontal attack, but there was no other way and no other time. They had to free the last of the colonists before they were murdered.

Back in the glade, Se-se tried to close her ears as the first shots range out followed closely by shouts and screams. She did not want to be in the midst of that terror, but wanted so much to be the one to help her friends. They were the only family she had left and it was such a guilty feeling to be sitting safe as they were going through so much pain. Although Castleman had been careful to say nothing, it had choked Se-se to see him in the pain those ‘aliens’ had inflicted and she so wanted to see him and her friends safe and away from people who would do such things.

Then a huge blast echoed out of the caves. The L84 had just been let loose.

Se-se closed her eyes and tried not to imagine the scene in the caves.

FraidyKat Runs - On another world