Spectator Sport: Magpie Convention

6 km - 44.15 bit of rain

I like the solitude of running. It's just me (and the dogs.) But sometimes I feel as though it is a spectator sport: so many people watch me - farmers, cows, squirrels, buzzards, kites, bluejays - and magpies. I love magpies, they are so clever, industrious and curious. It is said that during the Great Flood the Magpie refused to go inside Noah's Ark, but sat on top, chattering and looking around.

One of the superstitions my wife holds is about the number of magpies you see - one for sorrow - and she stops in the road and starts desperately looking for the second - two for joy. I'm not bothered, I know magpies are good family creatures, where there is one, the husband or wife is sure to be nearby.

Today I ran past a magpie convention. They all rose to greet me with incredible noise. I started counting - nine, ten, no - nine, no - ten, well, nine or, possibly, ten. What are ten magpies for?

It turns out that there are dozens of different versions once you are past 'one for sorrow, two for joy'. So you are free to choose the one that suits you best. I chose the Warwickshire variation, it's where two of my children were born.

One brings Sorrow
Two bring Joy
Three a Girl
And Four a Boy
Five bring Want
And Six bring Gold
Seven bring secrets never told
Eight bring wishing
Nine bring kissing
Ten, the love my own heart's missing!

Cabernet for a beautiful runner

53.45 min - 6 miles - Wonderful sunny September day. Light pleasant breeze from the East, still very warm and I try not to push the dogs too hard.

Even though they get hotter than I do, I envy them - they get all the smiles from passersby,  especially from young blond women, why, I honestly don't know.  The smiles are definitely for the dogs, not for me. Only occasionally I  get smiles from shaggy old farmers trundling in their tractors.

Well, I suppose smiling at dogs rubs off on me, a bit.

Sometimes cyclists pass us. On weekends we see runners and walkers too, a few women among them.

What is it that makes women runners so attractive? Can it be just the act of running? I've yet to see a woman who runs regularly, but is unattractive. I know, I am a runner and, ergo, attracted to other runners, ergo, to women who run, ergo, er-r, especially if they run with dogs...

But the magic works on men who don't run, too. Elise Blackwell, a fellow writer from South Carolina, tells me she was given a bottle of fine Cabernet by a neighbour as she ran past, with her dog. The neighbour, a 'wine evangelist', had just received a delivery of wine, a crate, and was sitting on the porch admiring the world and all the beautiful things in it, apparently. And it so happened that a beautiful woman ran into that picture. If I were on that porch I'd definitely do the same.

Except, isn't it a weird sight: runner with a bottle of wine in hand?

Here's to running, Cabernet and women who run.

P.S. There are lots of gadgets for runners. But not one among them to help carry bottles of wine. Does anyone have any ideas?

Dogs photo by ©Rein Tammik

Cats Love Dogs

13.07.09 - 6 miles - 54.55 min. - a slow, easy trot, quick showers, but hot and humid in between.

You may also want to read 'The Russian Barking Brigade' (with clip from Dogs and Cats)

Like cats and dogs... My tabby Vassily is very sociable and sometimes even tries to follow me and the dogs when we go running, but falls behind quickly and goes back home to wait for his best friend to come back. Then Strelka, the male golden, lies down to cool himself, and the cat gives him a good lick over.

Carla Bruni's Russian Tongue-Twister

1 August - 10k - 54.19 min. Cool drizzle, windy.

Does Sarkozy run with his dogs? I was asked the other day. I don't know, I could find no images or footage of him running with dogs. Only with his wife Carla and loads of security.


But I know he has three dogs, including a little chihuahua cross called Dumbledore and a beautiful white labrador Clara. While looking for info about Sarkozy's dogs I stumbled upon this video which reminded me of the famous Russian tongue twister based on the names of Karl and Klara.

(Click on images to watch the video.)



In the rhyme Karl and Clara steal similarly sounding things from each other. It goes something like this:

Off Klara Karl cleared the corals,
Off Karl Klara cleared the clarinet
(read phonetically transcribed Russian verse below)

No matter how hard you try, you end up mixing Klara into Karla, or Karl into Klar. Which is exactly what happened to the French journalist interviewing Carla Bruni. Her dapper husband President Sarkozy 'accidentally' walked into the room and, for want of something to say, decided to introduce the dogs to the journalists.

'This is Clara, the second one is Dumbledore and the third one - oh, it's just ran off...'

The journalist, looking somewhat dazed, tries to remember who is who. 'So, that one is Dumbledore, and this one is Carla'

'No, no, Carla is her-is me' Sarkozy and Bruni say in unison. 'The dog is Clara'.

Read and extended version of this post on Russian Review of Books

Video by FemmeActuelle.fr

Please let me know if you see images of Sarkozy running with dogs.

Phonetic transcript of the Carl-Clara rhyme:
Karl ooh KlAry ukrAl corAlly
KlAra ooh KArla ukrAla clarnEt

Enlist your dog as a donor

27 April
50.59 6 miles rain, wind, cold/

Outside looked miserable today, cold April showers non-stop. I teetered a lot around the house, trying to make up my mind: to go or not to go. In the end I go with just the setter, Leroy who is a steady loyal runner. Wonderful! Got warm, calm and ready to face all the problems of the Universe.

Here is something I'd like all readers of this blog to consider and, if you can, to support: take part in dog blood donor programme. Find out if there is a local group or programme, or contact the people who started the dog donor appeal here in Normandy, France. Thank you all.

Below is the letter from readers of the Rendezvous magazine I publish here for the English speaking people in Normandy.

Dog donor register

Several weeks ago, our vet told us that our 12 year old dog, William, was in desperate need of a blood transfusion but warned that finding donors is very difficult. He rang around his clients and we approached acquaintances - who turned us down. Dog lovers will understand our desperation.

Then we turned to the Rendezvous [magazine] for help, contacting anyone whose contact details had appeared in the magazine. Everyone knew someone who had a dog and eventually donors came forward.

Sadly William died but we would like something positive to come out of our loss and want to set up a register of willing donors in Normandy to distribute to vets in the area. Such a register could save the lives of other much loved pets.

The owner of the dog who donated most of the blood for William did so because she knew how she would feel if her dog were to need a life saving transfusion. Ideally, donors should be five years or younger and not overweight. The dog is sedated and is not distressed during the transfusion.

Anyone willing to register their dog or help us set up the register can contact us on
00 33 (0)2 33 37 41 50
or write to us at
La Perronnière,
61330 Ceaucé
FRANCE

With special thanks to the Rendezvous and all those who rang round on our behalf and to would be donors as well as a special thank you to our vet, Dr Pierre Rogue of Domfront.

Mike and Debbie Bowes.

Vita breaks her record

23 Nov 2008
4 km - 27,45 min

It's a cold and windy Sunday with prickly rain and gusty North-West. My daughter has been nagging me to go for a run all week, but I didn't feel fully recovered from my cold and wanted to build up running slowly. Today we go, putting on thermal shirts and windbreakers with hoods.

It's not that it is difficult to run in the rain, it's not hearing approaching cars that is the problem. With a hood on and rain gear rustling and crackling when rain and wind smash into you, you can hardly hear anything. So we rely on the dogs to alert us. Over the years I trained the two Goldens to weer off on the verge when a car approaches. The adopted English Setter quickly learned to do it too.

We never stop - it's just to cold to do anything, but run as fast as we can. We get to the village and turn back. By the time we stop by the gates of the house we're dripping wet, all four of us. I rub the dogs with towels and as we go through stretching on the verandah I check the time - wow, Vita has broken her record by nearly a minute.

Why running?

16 March 6 miles - 50:30 min Warm, sunny, very quiet - not a whiff of wind. Just the kind of day to contemplate...

Why running? Why do I run? What for?

You can never run away from yourself, your worries and things you have to do, but running as a physical activity is probably the closest you can get to it. Put on shoes, hit the road and as the blood starts pumping through your body you get that incredible feeling of lightness which is often described as ‘runner’s high’.

It’s a perfect me-time, when you run alone, or a wonderful social and family occasion, when you run with friends or when children join you. If you are not a runner you may not believe it, but if you are, you would know how much chatting and socialising goes on during a run.

Don’t forget your dogs - they love running and it’s good for their well-being too. There is even a recognised sport now - cani-cross, with clubs and federations in France and the UK. And if you are trying to cut your heating bill, remember that half an hour running will keep you feeling warm for the whole day.

Running is a vital activity to us humans. It started when a first hunter-gatherer had to escape a sabre-toothed tiger, but as a mass pastime running-jogging really took off in the 70-s, when physical work had become a rarity and heart disease made us into endangered species.

You don’t need to be Paula Radcliff or Usain Bolt. Just get a pair of well-cushioned trainers with good grip - and start at your own pace. If you do football or tennis, you have to win or lose. If you run, you don’t. Running is for pleasure and fitness. But as you stop noticing your breathing (after about two-three weeks of regular runs) and when your muscles tone you’d be tempted to take part in a formal race. In France you will need a certificat medical from your GP to be allowed to run in a race. It makes good sense to join a local running club. Good for networking, improving your French and clubs often offer discounts on race entry fees and employ professional trainers. I run with USM Athletisme Vire, but check your local list of associations to find a club nearest to you.

Lunge lead or bungee lead

17 March 09
6 miles - 51.59 min
It's a sunny day, a warm pleasant breeze blows, first dandelions appeared in banks and lawns, farmers are busy ploughing.

I saw a neighbour running with her foxterrier on a proper cani-cross bungee lead attached to a belt. I don't use them even though they are supposed to free your hands while running and protect you from sudden pulls. What stops me is length of the lead - about 150cm (5 ft) of it seems not enough to me. With a dog too close there is always a risc of tripping over or hurting him. I use an 2.1 m (7 ft) pleated horse lunge with a double lead attached to it. I keep it looped to keep the dogs closer and extended when we are on a quiet stretch of road. If dogs pull I let the loop slide through my hand and then tighten the grip to stop them. This is similar to bungee effect, but, I think, more felxible.

Lunge is also called longe, from the French allonge - elongate, lenghten out.

How much can you achieve by undressing

13 March 09
6 miles - 51:40 min - 16ºC (60ºF)

...well, apparently there is a limit to how much you can achieve by undressing.
It's a warm sunny day today, real Spring, primroses, crocuses and daffodils are suddenly blooming everywhere.
So, instead of leggings I put on shorts.
The other day I took off sweater and improved my time nearly by two minutes running with just a t-shirt on. Today I took off leggings, but the time didn't change much.

I note this to myself with amusement, not concern.

When you run regularly and time your runs for whatever reason - out of habit, to monitor training progress, to try to hit a certain target, to make use of an expensive birthday present - it's easy to become a performance freak. You make yourself work harder than you want, you get upset over a split second lost over yesterday's run, you start worrying about every little ache in your body, you get tired and you don't relax - and in the end you lose what you started running for - enjoyment, the pleasure of physical and mental release running gives humans (and dogs) like very few other sports. Usain Bolt, the Beijing Olympics champion from Jamaica, wouldn't be such a star if people didn't see clearly how much he enjoyed running.

Photo by Richard Giles

Undressing for Spring

11 March
6 miles - 48.52 min

First time in t-shirt this year, first daffodils of the year came out. Strelka, the male retriever, looks unusually fluffy and rolls on the gravel again and again. He is peeling off his winter coat too.

So, peeling off just one layer of clothing takes off more than a minute off your usual time?

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