Week 1, Run 1: The Journey to Chicago Begins!

After taking a week off following Manchester 10km, today marked the first official training run on my road to the Chicago Marathon 2025. After successfully completing the London Marathon last year, I'm excited (and maybe a little nervous!) to tackle the Windy City. My goal is to cross that finish line in 4:45, a time I'm determined to achieve with consistent training and the right mental attitude..

My training plan officially kicked off today, and you can see the details of my first run on Strava. 

It was a short interval session, with 6 x 1 minute intervals at a hard pace. It felt like a good way to get started, the weather was overcast but not bad for running.

I'm following a Coopah training plan, which I'm confident will help me stay on track. The plan has a mixture of long runs, easy runs, tempo and intervals sessions. The journey to a marathon is never easy, but I'm ready to embrace the challenge and share my progress along the way. Stay tuned for more updates!

If you want to try out Coopah please us the following link for a free trial 

Great Manchester Run 10k

What a Sunday it was! The Great Manchester Run 10k always delivers an incredible atmosphere, and this year, on May 18th, it certainly lived up to expectations. There's nothing quite like pounding the streets of Manchester alongside thousands of fellow runners, cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd. They even played The Stone Roses just as we took our place on the starting line – it felt electric! This year was particularly special for me as I got to share the experience with my wonderful wife, Katarzyna.

The race itself proved to be a bit more challenging than anticipated due to the unseasonably warm weather. It definitely added an extra layer of difficulty to the 10k distance, but we powered through, navigating through the city centre and out towards Old Trafford before looping back to finish on Deansgate. There was an excellent crowd; every high-five from a spectator, every shout of encouragement, makes a real difference.

As for my own performance, I crossed the finish line in 57 minutes and 24 seconds. While not a personal best, I'm happy with that time, especially considering the conditions. It was a solid effort given the sun, and I'm pleased with how the run went. It's a testament to consistent training (I use Coopah training – feel free to check them out with my code!) and, of course, the fantastic support from Katarzyna both on and off the course.

Watching Katarzyna cross the finish line too, knowing we'd both pushed ourselves and achieved something great together, was a fantastic feeling. These shared experiences are what make events like the Great Manchester Run so memorable.

A huge thank you to everyone who organised the event, the volunteers, and of course, the incredible Manchester crowd for making it such an unforgettable day. The medals are proudly displayed, and the memories will last a lifetime.

Now, time to recover, reflect, and perhaps start thinking about the next challenge: Chicago in October!

RIP Skype

The end of an era Microsoft officially shuts down Skype in favour of teams. Back in the naughtiest after the likes of ICQ AOL Messenger and MSN closed down Skype came along to fill the void. For a while it was the go to for video and voice calling. I even owned a Skype wifi phone which allowed me to call from any WiFi network. This was before FaceTime (in fact pre iPhone). 

Unfortunately like many technologies which were ahead of their time they were bought out by Microsoft and became a bit stagnant while others came along and overtook them. It’s sad to see it go especially as I am not the biggest fan of teams. 

My New Best Friend in the Garden: The Parkside Robotic Lawnmower from Lidl!

For years, keeping my lawn looking its best involved the familiar hum and the trailing cord of my Bosch electric corded mower. While it was a reliable tool, the limitations of the cable and the physical effort still made lawn care feel like a significant chore. That is, until now! I recently took the plunge and invested in a robotic lawnmower from Lidl, and honestly, it's been a game-changer for my garden. I chose the Parkside Robotic Lawnmower (Lidl Product Page), and it's been fantastic.

I'll admit, I was a little skeptical at first. Could a relatively affordable robotic mower really deliver the same results as a traditional one? Would it be complicated to set up ? Well, after a few weeks of blissful, hands-off lawn care, I can confidently say that my Parkside robotic lawnmower has exceeded all expectations.

Unboxing and Setup: Surprisingly Simple!

One of my initial concerns was the setup process. I envisioned complicated wiring and frustrating app configurations. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The instructions were clear, and laying the boundary wire was straightforward. It took a little time to carefully peg it down around my trees and my son's play swing and slide. Thankfully the included guide made it manageable. Connecting the charging station was a breeze. Within a couple of hours, my new little helper was ready to roll!

Effortless Lawn Care in Action

Watching the robotic lawnmower navigate my garden for the first time was almost mesmerizing. It moves in a seemingly random pattern, but somehow, it manages to cover every inch of the lawn, leaving behind a beautifully even cut. The best part? I can now sit back, relax with a cup of tea (or something stronger), or get on with other tasks while it does all the work. No more wrestling with that pesky cord!

Key Features I'm Loving:

• Quiet Operation: Compared to the noticeable whir of my old Bosch electric corded mower and the constant need to manage the cable, this robotic marvel is incredibly quiet and completely cordless! I can easily have a conversation or enjoy the peace of my garden while it's working.
• Consistent Cutting: The regular, small trims leaving the grass to mulch result in a consistently neat and healthy lawn. I've noticed it even seems lusher than before.
• Automatic Charging: When the battery gets low, it automatically returns to its charging station. It's completely self-sufficient!
• Safety Features: I feel secure knowing it has sensors that stop the blades if it's lifted or encounters an obstacle.

Any Downsides? (So Far, Not Many!)

Honestly, I'm struggling to find significant drawbacks so far. Of course, it might not be suitable for very large or complex gardens with steep slopes. And you do need to take the time to lay the boundary wire carefully around your garden. I also have to trim the edges and areas the mower cannot reach, I had to do so with the mower too so it's a lot less effort overall. Overall for my  garden, it's been perfect.

The Cost

The mower cost £249, but I got it for £199 with my Lidl Plus discount. I also purchased the garage for £29.99 (£24.99 with Lidl Plus) to protect the mower and charger from the rain. For not much more than the cost of a new cordless manual mower, this entire setup feels like a real bargain.

The Verdict: A Fantastic Investment!

If you're looking for a way to reclaim your time and enjoy a perfectly manicured lawn without the hassle of cords and pushing, I wholeheartedly recommend considering a robotic lawnmower, and especially the Parkside model from Lidl. It's efficient, easy to use, and has made a noticeable difference to my garden and my free time here. I'm excited to see how it performs over the long term, but for now, I'm one very happy customer!

Have you considered a robotic lawnmower? What are your thoughts? Share your experiences in the comments!

Father John Misty

Last night Kath and I headed to Manchester to see Father John Misty at the Apollo.

First stop was Bundobust for some dinner. We caught the last day of their info Chinese menu. The salt and pepper okra fries were amazing, as was the sesame gobi toast. Kath washed hers down with a sesame and ginger old fashioned. While I had a Python premium lager. Great way to get set up for a gig.

We walked to the Apollo, we had seats in the circle which gave a pretty impressive view. I normally stand but this was pretty nice got to see a bit more of the grandeur of the venue.

Opening was a county singer Butch Bastard I had never heard of him but it was an enjoyable opening.

Father John Misty's set was amazing, a dreamy mix of his old and new material. It is the third time we have seen him and he never disappoints.

Digital Voicing

Today as part of my work for Neighbourhood watch, I spent the morning volunteering at Wilmslow Library. I was helping to explain the BT digital voice switchover. It was quite a change from my usual, chatting with everyday non technical folks who were a bit jittery about the change.

Fortunately for the majority of users the switch means a very small change and for those with great needs there will be support to help them with this.

Hopefully people left feeling happier about it than when they arrived.

TaskRabbiting

I needed a small piece of cabling done which required drilling through a quite thick outside wall. I didn't have the right drill bit and rather than buy one I decided to give taskrabbit a go. This is an internet service which you can post a job and choose a "tasker" to come and do it for you.

I choose somebody call Laurence who charged about the average rate per hour. He came did the job and I got a bill for 2 hours work (it took 1.5). The total was  £68.76 including the £10.86 TaskRabbit fee and £8.11 trust and support fee. The job was done well and was slightly less than if I had used a traditional electrician. 

Overall happy with the service. 

Millenium walking

It hard to believe how much hype there was about the millennium, from people selling champagne futures to the many people who seemed to want to build civic things to mark the occasion. From the millennium dome to the Millennium walkway in New Mills which we decided to visit on our way home from center parks.

The millennium walkway in New Mills is a partly cantilevered bridge over the river Goyt adding a joining section in the E2 router which runs from Scotland to Nice in France!

It is quite a wonderful piece of engineering and still looks great all these years later. You get to have a lovely country side walk with some industrial heritage to boot, well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Centre parcs

Until this weekend I had never visited Centre Parks. To me, it was the sort of place more affluent or aspiring people visited. However Kath managed to get a deal for a long weekend there. This also included some day passes so our friends Tom, Fiona and their daughter Daisy could spend the day with us.

We choose the Sherwood Forest site, its about 2 hours drive from Wilmslow. On arrival there is a security check in and we were told we could bring the car to unload our stuff but then we had to park in the main car park.

It was pretty crazy coming in lots of people leaving and arriving.

Our cabin was a short walk from the "Village centre" where the shops, swimming area and restaurants are located. To me the town felt more like a theme park than a real place with chains like Bella Italia and Las Iguanas.  Top tip: we couldn't get anywhere for lunch on Sunday so book early to avoid disappointment.  There is a lake in the centre where you can hire a boat. There was also a go ape style forest walkway with a zip wire across the water. I would have liked to have a go on that but Thom is far too young.

There was a nice sandy "beach" next to the lake which the kids enjoyed running around and digging in. There were also parks and outdoor play areas.

We spent the most of our time in the subtropical swimming world. With a variety of water slides for all ages, a wave machine and a pirate themed area for younger children to enjoy it was a great way to spend a day. It is mostly covered by a large dome but there was a heated outdoor section with jacuzzi spa and a river rapid. Thom had a great time with the water play. The only annoying thing was trying to find somewhere to leave your towel. People are quite territorial with the chairs marking their territory. 

The lodges are all set in the woodland ours had a nice view of the trees with plenty of nature outside. Thom enjoyed watching squirrels, ducks, moorhens and geese. 

The bed was comfortable though the couches were a bit too soft for my liking.

There is a food delivery service so you can order takeaway to the lodge. The kitchen was actually better than I expected so I think I would take more food to make next time.

Overall had a great time, yes its expensive but there was plenty to do and I enjoyed the setting. It would be great to have a BBQ outside when the weather was a bit warmer. Id probably use the restaurants less, they were really expansive I even got charged 75p for a small sauce to go with my chips!