London Story of a Welsh Hi-Roller

Tues 17th

drowsy — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:00:09 +0000

Did the loop earlier – without stopping which is good – ran for just over 34 mins. Tomorrow I am going to crank it up to 45 mins and see how far I go. I am going to do this at the gym I reckon.

The weekend I ran the Outer Circle both days – this is 4,4km according to Bikely… here’s the link:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Regents-Park-Loop.

Sunday definitely felt better than Saturday, and a good stroll to warm down in Queen Mary’s Garden was just the ticket too. Not just the ticket was then being hot and salty for hours in the car, plugging around London on various errands.

I am getting weighed again today – got a feeling I haven’t lost anything, hence why I am heading to the gym again to burn another 500 cals. And not eat – we’ll see… more soon

I am going to go to the gym at 4pm

Tuesday 10th

drowsy — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:53:19 +0000

Did some weights this am, and push ups, but lot of work to do and not really focused – went into town to see Neil, great, and then Bernard – wicked meeting.

Came home and went straight to gym burned 498 calories, sweated loads, really focused loved it.

Now going to get weighed. eek.

Monday 9th July

drowsy — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:51:00 +0000

Did the… hang on attempted to do the same route as Friday – failed magnificently – got a tight chest after 2km, and really could feel the ankle weights, transferred them to wrists – worse – really deflated, but then I have really reduced calories lately, so body is adjusting I guess, plus lots of manual over weekend – probably more tired than I realised. Walked a fair bit of the way.

Only consolation was I did do the same route – straws, clucthing, etc.

Time from home to home of a dismal 45.47

Bikely

drowsy — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:52:50 +0000

this link takes one through to the bikely route – it’s a 4km run, which I need to do every day, with the ankle weights, except Thursdays (just need a day off).

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Quest-for-a-6-pack-daily-run

Friday 6th July: 36.52

Friday 13th: 33.10
Tuesday 17th: 34.17 – to the gate

June 14th

drowsy — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:56:16 +0000

It’s Friday again already – unbelievable really, the week’s are flying by these days, not just the weekend, so I am off to the flicks tonight.

Over the weekend, I hope to go for two runs, each lasting half hour, I also aim to smash up my abs, and eat frugally, while avoiding alcohol. I plan also to lift weights, and stretch. Oh and garden…

June 13th

drowsy — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:24:09 +0000

Got back from Amsterdam feeing pretty jaded, but with the revival of the concentration. To focus on the Quest again, after the last three months things have gone kinda almost completely back to how they were at the end of 2006. I was able to very swiftly rest back on my laurels, knowing that if I had continued I wounld have not only been able to up the pace, and get really quite close, but also that with this first point in mind, it would be ok to lapse and pick it up again later on.

This was my key downfall – while it’s astonishing how quickly the human body can move up the fitness ladder, with a few weeks of regular exercise, sensible dieting, no drinking and plenty of sleep, it’s unsurprising that the revrse is true too: bad diet, alcohol, lack of exercise, particularly at my age, I have become very flabbly again.

I don’t think anger is the right emotion; but I am puzzled by how I’ve let it slip, so I am going to make a determined effort to duck back in before they close the gates. I want to see the rest of the gig, play the remainder of the game. I’m not ready to trundle home yet, not ready to roll on down the road.

So I went to the gym and ran for 25 minutes, then 10 min seated cycle, then lots of crunches, and ab work. Did 2 mins cross trainer at the end just to get a sweat up. I am going to concentrate on cardio and keeping my heart rate up above 85 bpm. Give it 2 weeks and see where we are…

June 12th

drowsy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:59:35 +0000

I went to the gym, and ran for 20 sweaty mins, then seated cycle for 15 very sweaty mins, then did a series of very gruelling ab work, including using the mini medicine, and doing leg raises. I really go tinto the crunch session, and then stumbled back with the battery acid taste and the more relaxed state I have craved for… oooo… 3 months.

Off to the dam tomorrow, then back Thursday, so see if I can haul my sorry ass to the gym again first thing.

I’m back

drowsy — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 19:03:55 +0000

I have got a little lazier again, but I’ve been on an amazing adventure and I am back!! The Quest continues as does the story.

More to follow soon I promise.

Sorry for being shit.

I amstones

drowsy — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 02:48:11 +0000

i will onlŷ put down here with no error s and corrections (like a TST!) THT i AM putting down the lines to say thT I am looking at an energy sorce provides LIGHT.

I have made a hopeful pray to GOD (not GOD sorry) that I feel a semnmse of “that I am not able to get people who kmatter to fuckNG LISTEN TO ME!!!! the keyboad for a while there looked a bit l., no felt like, resemlbed a bad soft undercooked cake.

I am bnot om any drniugs I am just sick ofg trying yo bebel to type like those ladies wjo do it so well in ERR o r in (I would say Csualty but I domn’t believe it for a minute (that they know typing)) ) training’s going well obviopu8osy. I amstones,… i had a beer earlier… well 4 beers. but is POKED WEED IN A PIPE WITH GARETJ we didn’t have any baccie obvioulsy

Shot towers

drowsy — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 23:45:14 +0000

The history of drop towers goes back to at least 1769, when a “drop process” was patented by Englishman William Watts, who was looking for a better way to make shot for muskets. Watts’ process was based on the principle that a liquid will form a perfect sphere while in free fall because of surface tension.

Watts ingeniously applied this concept to molten lead, reasoning that it would form perfectly round balls when allowed to free fall a certain distance. To test this theory, he extended his three story house to six stories and constructed a shot tower. And he was right: his shot tower produced lead shot that was far superior to that made from molds. Watts’ insight revolutionized the production of musket balls.

The procedure was simple. Molten lead was poured onto a copper plate containing holes of different sizes (in effect a sieve) that produced droplets of different sizes. The lead fell freely through a shaft, forming into spheres during the descent before landing in a water-filled kettle, which served to stop and cool the lead. The shot was then dried, polished and put into bags for distribution.

The Sparks Shot Tower in Philadelphia was among the first shot towers in the U.S. The tower was built in 1808 by Thomas Sparks and John Bishop as a result of the Embargo Act imposed by President Jefferson, which prohibited the importation of, among other things, high-quality shot. Sparks’ and Bishop’s 142-foot-high brick tower tapered from a base with a 30-foot circumference to a top with a 15-foot circumference. Known as the Sparks Shot Tower, it still stands on the Delaware River waterfront at Carpenter Street in South Philadelphia.

Another well-known shot tower still in existence is the Shot Tower in Wythe County, Virginia. The tower was built by local miner Thomas Jackson, who completed it in 1807 after seven years of construction. It’s shaft measures 150 feet in height, but only the top half is above ground (as can be seen in a diagram of the tower).

Today, there are only a handful of shot towers in existence in the U.S. And each one is majestic in its own right, as befits an architecture that soars.