Bit shakey over Xmas/New Year, always feel in control with the alcohol, but never 100% sure until the regular (once/twice a week) drinking ends.
Things die down, people go back to work, opportunity to drink in "acceptable circumstances" disappear, and then it could all go awry I guess, if the body is craving it.
Looking for excuses to drink, or trying to justify it.
But not at all. Not bothered.
Having said that, Im out tonight
----
Still running alot, hit PBS at all distances over the last 6 weeks or so, and weighed in the lightest I've been in years on 30th December, which I guess shows I didn't do too much damage over the Xmas period.
Here's an updated before and after picture of the weightloss.
The left, will be after yet another 12 hour, 24 cans of strongbow drinking binge whilst grinding skypoker, around 3 years ago.
The right is me on New Years Eve procrastinating on the Gym Grind.
Have edited your post to directly Upload that photo. Extraordinary.
There's a school of thought to downplay personal achievements like that, but I think that's wrong. Be proud, you deserve it, quite a comeback that.
Hard for me to relate to the alcohol thing as I've not touched the stuff for over 50 years, but Xmas & the like must be super tough. And of course you are always just one bad night away from getting back on it. Well done.
I see from the Winter Battle you are plying a decent volume here. Profitably, no doubt. How much tougher have the cash games got in the last 5 years?
Nice post JJ . BUT It's time you joined a running club. You NEED goals in running. But more importantly ..YOU need to be running with "like minded runners" . Plz consider joining a running club ..
When I took up running, 9 months or so prior to completing my first half marathon, it was due to watching the GNR on television, it was a goal to get fit enough to run the GNR inside 9 months.
Little did I know, it's not as easy as turning up on the day and joining on the end of the race....
And therefore despite getting myself "half marra fit" in time, I wasn't able to get a place in the GNR, and had to settle for a smaller local event on the same day.
I am still grateful to everyone who sponsored me for that race, we managed to raise over £700 for my local dog rescue shelter.
The remarkable thing about that was over £600 of that came from people I'd never met, or spoken to in real life, the sky poker community.
....
This time Im massively excited to get myself as fit as I've ever been to run one of the greatest and most famous races in the world.
I'd love to get under 1h 40m, (current PB is 1h 42m 30s - ish), but that;s a long way, and a lot of long hard miles off yet!
---
Do we know anything about when the skypoker/pokerstars merger is going to be happening?
I'm into walking as a means of exercise at the moment, & I'm doing 6 miles per day comfortably. Never walked or exercised in my life, so it was a bit tough to begin with, but I'm coping OK, & generally feel much better for it.
GaryQQQ still does a lot of marathons, & has one scheduled shortly I believe. You can follow him on Twitter, he's @GaryLQ
Keep in touch mate, you have a lot of friends here, as that £600 shows.
"Do we know anything about when the skypoker/pokerstars merger is going to be happening?"
In short, no.
The Corporate takeover of SB&G by TSG was completed 6 or 8 months ago, but I've not seen too much action yet, though I work "remote" from the Office so I'm a bit out of the loop.
As to the Sky Poker part, the last I heard they had narrowed it down to 2 or 3 options, but I've not seen any signs of a firm decision yet on what the final decision will be. Any or all of them have a fairly lengthy gestation, & nothing has happened yet, or not that I am aware of.
So, in short, I'm not sure anything will happen yet awhile.
Good to hear from you JJ, Was thinking about you over the w/e. A mate done the Brighton marathon & he has/had similar traits to you.. Joined a club yet? And if not WHY not......trust me it WILL change your life.
I'm into walking as a means of exercise at the moment, & I'm doing 6 miles per day comfortably. Never walked or exercised in my life, so it was a bit tough to begin with, but I'm coping OK, & generally feel much better for it.
GaryQQQ still does a lot of marathons, & has one scheduled shortly I believe. You can follow him on Twitter, he's @GaryLQ
Keep in touch mate, you have a lot of friends here, as that £600 shows.
I follow Gary on "strava" which is kind of a running training app merged with social media, which means I get to see whenever he and my other "friends" run.
He helped me loads in my early days of running, when I was going through couch to 5k, doing my first ParkRun, first 10k and how to build up to a half marathon etc.
He continues to amaze me, without meaning to sound rude he's not getting any younger yet his times continue to get better.
It's also really exciting for me to know that I have potentially 20 years of running improvement left in me, if I work as hard and stay as dedicated as Gary has done over the years.
However it is a tad annoying that each time I get a PB and get abit closer to him, he goes and does the same just to hold me off.
Nice one JJ. Will you be setting up a Justgiving page?
Thanks Rik.
I will be, however I don't feel particularly good about asking for donations.
Without sounding arrogant, i've run 15+ half marathon races now, and I run one every couple of weeks in training...
My general rule when donating to just-giving pages and charity escapades is that the "challenge" has to what i'd deem "challenging"...
The more challenging it is, the more likely I am to donate....
So it seems a tad hypocritical to ask people to donate to something that isn't really challenging for me.
However, the charity have been good enough to offer me a place, and it is without doubt a brilliantly worthy cause, so I will do my best to raise as much as I can for them.
I'm expecting a fund raising pack through the post next week with details about how to proceed, so i'll post up more when I know what's what.
My fundraising pack for the GNR has finally arrived, complete with very skimpy running vest
Having watched bits of the London Marathon over the weekend I'm getting very excited to run such a huge event, for the first time since I started running I'll be getting and following a proper training plan in the lead up to the event.
I'm aiming to go under 1h 40mins for the first time.
This will be over 5 minutes faster than my current official personal best for a half marathon.
And almost a full hour quicker than my first ever half marathon a few years ago.
I've made a justgiving page, if you'd like to, you can take a look here ....
Big thanks to Acegooner for getting me started with a very generous donation.
----
Tomorrow I will be running my first half marathon of the year so far.
Its a course I've run once before over in Scunthorpe in 2017 and I clocked a time of 2:04:44.
The goal tomorrow is to get 20 minutes off that, which will just about be a personal best time.
I've had a rough week with a couple of visits to the operating chair in the dentist, and alot of food and drink has been consumed over the last couple of months, so I'm not quite sure what to expect.
But the training has been good......
I guess I'll know around mile 6 how realistic the above is.
Either way, I'm looking forward to it, I'll post up on Monday how I get on.
---
Hope you all have a great weekend, Coventry @ the keepmoat for me this evening, as we attempt to throw away a playoff place.
In a vacuum im not that bothered about Donny nowadays, although I've been to half a dozen games this season, it's more entertainment than anything else.
However, I would love another trip to Wembley, so I hope we can get the job done.
I crossed the finish line in 1h 39m 36s (officially) which is a massive 6 minute PB, and 5 minutes 59 seconds quicker than I had hoped for.
This is the first time I've properly "rested" for a half marathon, and also haven't had a beer for a week!
It's amazing the difference that good (or at least not awful) preparation can make.
However the joy of the PB soon subsided, when 15 minutes later due to feeling very ill, dizzy, and breathless I found myself in a medics tent hooked up to an ECG machine.
Thankfully all was well, and I have a unique memento to treasure my first ever sub 1h40 run.
The marshalls and medical staff were excellent, with a history of really bad anxiety it was unpleasant, adding in a panic attack to the effects of such a gruelling run left me in quite a mess at the end.
The support from the participants, spectators and the staff at these events really is fantastic, and I was grateful for that more than ever this morning.
The downside is I may have peaked too soon, as I have taken half a minute off my Great North Run goal pace, 5 months before the event!
Can I get to 1h 35m without having a heart attack? I might have to try!
Comments
@Dohhhhhhh
Have edited your post to directly Upload that photo. Extraordinary.
There's a school of thought to downplay personal achievements like that, but I think that's wrong. Be proud, you deserve it, quite a comeback that.
Hard for me to relate to the alcohol thing as I've not touched the stuff for over 50 years, but Xmas & the like must be super tough. And of course you are always just one bad night away from getting back on it. Well done.
I see from the Winter Battle you are plying a decent volume here. Profitably, no doubt. How much tougher have the cash games got in the last 5 years?
When you were getting into the running, how did you build up your speed/ progress from being a beginner to more advanced runner?
At the gym, is mostly cardio you do, or some weights as well?
I had no idea you were a programmer at Microsoft in 1981!
I would never dream of doing cardio in the gym, I enjoy running and could do it all day.
I only use the gym for weights and stuff, and from the second I walk in to the moment I leave I hate it. Every minute is torture.
But gotta be done.
As for running, the speed and stamina just comes with miles.
The more miles you run, no matter how quick you run them, the faster you get.
…..Or so im told.
I don't have a training programme or anything, just run when I feel like it. Normally when im struggling with my mental health, it's the best therapy.
I was super low last Monday, so I got my trainers on and set off with no real plan of where I was going to run, or how fast I was gonna go.
2h 30m later I'd completed my longest ever run, 15 miles.
…..Still aching today.
Good luck at the tables
BUT It's time you joined a running club. You NEED goals in running. But more importantly ..YOU need to be running with "like minded runners" .
Plz consider joining a running club ..
@DOHHHHHHH
How you doing JJ?
All ok & on the up, or is it still a struggle?
Never forget you have a bunch of friends here for you.
Everything is going really well, my only complaint is I don't have much to complain about at the moment. It feels weird
Had some exciting news through last week, I've managed to secure a place in this years Great North Run, running for kids with cancer.
https://www.childrenwithcancer.org.uk/
When I took up running, 9 months or so prior to completing my first half marathon, it was due to watching the GNR on television, it was a goal to get fit enough to run the GNR inside 9 months.
Little did I know, it's not as easy as turning up on the day and joining on the end of the race....
And therefore despite getting myself "half marra fit" in time, I wasn't able to get a place in the GNR, and had to settle for a smaller local event on the same day.
I am still grateful to everyone who sponsored me for that race, we managed to raise over £700 for my local dog rescue shelter.
The remarkable thing about that was over £600 of that came from people I'd never met, or spoken to in real life, the sky poker community.
....
This time Im massively excited to get myself as fit as I've ever been to run one of the greatest and most famous races in the world.
I'd love to get under 1h 40m, (current PB is 1h 42m 30s - ish), but that;s a long way, and a lot of long hard miles off yet!
---
Do we know anything about when the skypoker/pokerstars merger is going to be happening?
Hi JJ @DOHHHHHHH
You sounded really "up", that's great to hear.
Keep us informed on the GNR please.
I'm into walking as a means of exercise at the moment, & I'm doing 6 miles per day comfortably. Never walked or exercised in my life, so it was a bit tough to begin with, but I'm coping OK, & generally feel much better for it.
GaryQQQ still does a lot of marathons, & has one scheduled shortly I believe. You can follow him on Twitter, he's @GaryLQ
Keep in touch mate, you have a lot of friends here, as that £600 shows.
"Do we know anything about when the skypoker/pokerstars merger is going to be happening?"
In short, no.
The Corporate takeover of SB&G by TSG was completed 6 or 8 months ago, but I've not seen too much action yet, though I work "remote" from the Office so I'm a bit out of the loop.
As to the Sky Poker part, the last I heard they had narrowed it down to 2 or 3 options, but I've not seen any signs of a firm decision yet on what the final decision will be. Any or all of them have a fairly lengthy gestation, & nothing has happened yet, or not that I am aware of.
So, in short, I'm not sure anything will happen yet awhile.
A mate done the Brighton marathon & he has/had similar traits to you..
Joined a club yet? And if not WHY not......trust me it WILL
change your life.
He helped me loads in my early days of running, when I was going through couch to 5k, doing my first ParkRun, first 10k and how to build up to a half marathon etc.
He continues to amaze me, without meaning to sound rude he's not getting any younger yet his times continue to get better.
It's also really exciting for me to know that I have potentially 20 years of running improvement left in me, if I work as hard and stay as dedicated as Gary has done over the years.
However it is a tad annoying that each time I get a PB and get abit closer to him, he goes and does the same just to hold me off.
I'll get him 1 day!
I will be, however I don't feel particularly good about asking for donations.
Without sounding arrogant, i've run 15+ half marathon races now, and I run one every couple of weeks in training...
My general rule when donating to just-giving pages and charity escapades is that the "challenge" has to what i'd deem "challenging"...
The more challenging it is, the more likely I am to donate....
So it seems a tad hypocritical to ask people to donate to something that isn't really challenging for me.
However, the charity have been good enough to offer me a place, and it is without doubt a brilliantly worthy cause, so I will do my best to raise as much as I can for them.
I'm expecting a fund raising pack through the post next week with details about how to proceed, so i'll post up more when I know what's what.
@DOHHHHHHH
Ahh, that's what Strava is, I did wonder.
He's doing a 50k - FIFTY KILOMETRES - in June. Jeez, he's amazing.
My fundraising pack for the GNR has finally arrived, complete with very skimpy running vest
Having watched bits of the London Marathon over the weekend I'm getting very excited to run such a huge event, for the first time since I started running I'll be getting and following a proper training plan in the lead up to the event.
I'm aiming to go under 1h 40mins for the first time.
This will be over 5 minutes faster than my current official personal best for a half marathon.
And almost a full hour quicker than my first ever half marathon a few years ago.
I've made a justgiving page, if you'd like to, you can take a look here ....
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jjdefty
....and read abit more about the charity here....
https://www.childrenwithcancer.org.uk
Big thanks to Acegooner for getting me started with a very generous donation.
----
Tomorrow I will be running my first half marathon of the year so far.
Its a course I've run once before over in Scunthorpe in 2017 and I clocked a time of 2:04:44.
The goal tomorrow is to get 20 minutes off that, which will just about be a personal best time.
I've had a rough week with a couple of visits to the operating chair in the dentist, and alot of food and drink has been consumed over the last couple of months, so I'm not quite sure what to expect.
But the training has been good......
I guess I'll know around mile 6 how realistic the above is.
Either way, I'm looking forward to it, I'll post up on Monday how I get on.
---
Hope you all have a great weekend, Coventry @ the keepmoat for me this evening, as we attempt to throw away a playoff place.
In a vacuum im not that bothered about Donny nowadays, although I've been to half a dozen games this season, it's more entertainment than anything else.
However, I would love another trip to Wembley, so I hope we can get the job done.
COYR !
Good to hear from you JJ @DOHHHHHHH
Best of luck tomorrow in Scunny, & make sure you let us know how it goes.
@GaryQQQ is running a (full) marathon this weekend in South Wales, Newport I think.
How's the poker going?
I crossed the finish line in 1h 39m 36s (officially) which is a massive 6 minute PB, and 5 minutes 59 seconds quicker than I had hoped for.
This is the first time I've properly "rested" for a half marathon, and also haven't had a beer for a week!
It's amazing the difference that good (or at least not awful) preparation can make.
However the joy of the PB soon subsided, when 15 minutes later due to feeling very ill, dizzy, and breathless I found myself in a medics tent hooked up to an ECG machine.
Thankfully all was well, and I have a unique memento to treasure my first ever sub 1h40 run.
The marshalls and medical staff were excellent, with a history of really bad anxiety it was unpleasant, adding in a panic attack to the effects of such a gruelling run left me in quite a mess at the end.
The support from the participants, spectators and the staff at these events really is fantastic, and I was grateful for that more than ever this morning.
The downside is I may have peaked too soon, as I have taken half a minute off my Great North Run goal pace, 5 months before the event!
Can I get to 1h 35m without having a heart attack? I might have to try!
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jjdefty
Fantastic stuff, well done JJ.