Tennis

I picked up a following the exertions from the athletics the other week, I picked up a tennis racquet for the first time since leaving the warehouse. Now my bro and I have played two truncated sets over two weekends, and have completely wrecked ourselves. We have a lot of respect for tennis players who make it look easy and have more fitness than it first appears. My groin didn’t recover for days.

So extra kudos to Andy Murray in New York after beating the world number one Rafael Nadal to get to the final against...the best male tennis player in recent times, Roger Federer.

British people need to learn that there's more to tennis than two weeks at Wimbledon!

Insane Bolt

(The start bit of this post really should have been published about three weeks ago.)

This afternoon, I saw a sporting feat that left me speechless. Usain Bolt from Jamaica became the first person to run the 100 metres in a time under 9.7 seconds *. And wasn’t even trying for the last 25. 

9.69.

That time is as long as it takes to read that first paragraph.

I thought that the TV had broken at first. That victory margin was so immense, it couldn’t be real.

Watching that started me thinking about my days as a champion sprinter, running the same distance in 11.07 seconds, ooh, more than a decade ago. After thirteen years away from the track, and numerous bacon sandwiches later, what would my time be now?

The other thing in my mind was Michael Johnson doing something similar at about 4am in Atlanta, in 1996 in the 200m. In some ways, the Michael Johnson race is more outstanding; Bolt shaved 0.03 seconds from the world record in his victory, in 1996 Johnson took 0.4 seconds off a record that had stood for twenty years, destroying a world class field. The pace even dragged the surprised Frankie Fredericks under the then world record mark.

(Fast forward a few days…)

Usain Bolt took Michael Johnson’s 200m world record away from him with another blistering performance to take gold in Beijing, reducing the mark from 19.32 to 19.30. 

(Further days pass…)

So, I stepped on the track, and after some practice and re-acquaintance with blocks and on track psychology, ambled to a decade’s best of…15.44s.

Can this be bettered? With I ever get close to 11 seconds again? Is there a better way to time these things than with an iPod and shouting?

All these questions and more will be answered over the coming month, in a quest to shave a second or so off this fastest time in thirteen years.

*With a ‘legal’ wind speed of less than +2.0m/s, accuracy fans.

Welcome To Birmingham, 3

It is a genuinely glorious Sunday afternoon in the great city, of Birmingham, Ingerland. So I choose to enjoy it by doing some blog updates in a room that according to my £1.99 Tesco thermometer touched 50°C at One O'Clock.

After this, I will be exposing my backside to some cycle-based abuse at the hands of the Spinning class instructor at the gym, then cheering on Poland to almost certain defeat at the hands of Germany in Euro 2008.

I seem to be averse to sunshine.

Anyhow, here are some more interesting examples of contemporary urban photography, compiled and composed by me (descriptions below pictures):

According to the camera, I took this at seven in the morning (!). This is what remained of the Victorian frontage to the old Central Television building, before the unstoppable JCB of progress pulled it down.

Central Television lasted as a separate entity for about 15 years, however it has more of a lasting reputation than other channels that have been around for a similar time (hello, Channel 5!). After the predatory purchase of Central by Carlton (who in turn were merged into oblivion by "ITV Plc.", Ha!) a process of de-Centralization took place, with these studios being sold off and the contents auctioned off for pennies. After the auction, many things were left unsold - there are reports of a slew of awards for Central being discovered in a big skip. One of the very last remnants of Central is this sign, which one day may be Tippex-ed back into existence! 

Next door to the studios is (the previously owned by ATV/Central) Alpha Tower, a dynamic and alternative approach to seventies architecture. You may see that every one of the windows has its own air vent. And isn't rectangular. And the whole building isn't a shape that is taught in primary school. Impressive, if you stand next to it and look up. Gulp.

Alternative view of Alpha Tower (side).

View of Alpha Tower from the 'other side'.

Continuing through Broad Street, to the immediate right of Central Studios, what appears at first to be an incredibly grand location for a cashpoint. Until you read the very subtle stone on the building (above), which reads:

The first municipal savings bank in Great Britain

This stone was laid on October 22nd 1932 by

The Rt. Hon. Neville Chamberlain M.P.

Chancellor of the Exchequer

First chairman of the bank by whom the idea was originally concievd and who was principally responsible for its location.

John. B. Burman Lord Mayor    John. P. Hilton. General Manager

How about that for a slice of Second World War starter nostalgic fried gold?

Moving down a bit, my contribution to the Birmingham Tourist Board photography cache. To the left, Brindleyplace and its clock tower, to the right the 'World Famous in Birmingham' International Convention Centre, at the back the National Indoor Arena [home of the original batch of Gladiators], nicely bisected by post industrial waterway. Nice. I even managed to include the mandatory 'obscured passer by'.

Currently, a symbolic electricity pylon has been erected outside the Council House. Odd. Somewhere, a village in Shropshire is without electricity for the sake of symbolism. To the right, the Council House, to the rear, the refurbished Town Hall, far distance, Alpha Tower.

I was unaware of this until I had enforced waits for trains (thanks, London Midland), but Birmingham has the largest sky in Europe. This is sunset, on Tuesday from the top of Snow Hill station [or more correctly, Livery Street Car Park].

Here is the same view, reflected in the windows of a building [illegally occupying the site of the once great Snow Hill station].

And finally, a picture I have entitled "Triumph of Nature over Man".

A quick word on the new release of Apple's Safari (3.1.1.525.17) - faster than Lewis Hamilton's relocation to Switzerland following earning some tremendous wedge (good work fella).

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Weight Loss Diary

Afternoon,

For those of you that aren't aware, last year I did some beneficial weight loss for me and the lovely NSPCC. I lost 22 pounds of weight, and the NSPCC gained £603 in donations.

Little did I think I would need to do it again so soon. 

So, on May 1st I took a ceremonial hangover allied to an overstuffing of pizza onto the scales at work, where I weighed in at an alarming 93.1k.

Off I go again on a meat-and-alcohol-and-white bread free diet for a month. This time though I have the gym as a further tool/incentive.

The gym is great. It has already exposed my poor fitness and chronic deterioration in the swimming stakes, and advertised my puffing fat redness to many attractive ladies.

Fantastic.

On the plus side, I already feel lighter. On the negative side, I haven't had a 'sit down toilet' since before my weigh in. Stay tuned for "Crapwatch".