In these desperate times, the positive news is that I have recovered in time for training; last week, on my birthday I proved it.
I ran for 51 minutes (I am 51) and all went well – it was just a tiny stretch of the planned Burnham Overy Staithe to Hunstanton Stretch 6 (23 km) – but I have a month to get real fit for it! Below is the route of the proposed stretch 6.
I now run every other day to regain fitness, raising the running time at least by 30 mins every week, so that by the 2nd April (in a month) I will be able to run and swim for hours, if need be.
I will have to cross at least four river mouths and cover at least a half-marathon distance that day. If all goes well might run on past Hunstanton to Heacham - we will see.
I thought on my birthday, I should be able to do this: what a birthday present! Exciting! Lets go!
While I train (here) and when I can't hear the UK’s wonderful spring bird song. the song “Slow Slow” reverberates in my head (Kate Tempest, Sound of Rum 2010 here [1] ).
A totally silent spring would have been caused by a laissez-faire and indiscriminate use of chemicals in our environment. The recent (edie report the IPCC report here) is terrifying and suggests BUT it does tells us one important message – we are far from game over (here). It is not too late – if we act now. The recent work on the nearby Holkham estate is suggesting that economically, farming can be sustained in an environmentally positive way. If you follow Jake Fiennes on twitter (here), you will be impressed.
Anyhow, I discovered Kate Tempest (now calls herself 'Kai') when the Sound of Rum supported Femi Kuti at the Barbican in 2010 here, and then I followed them in pubs around London.
We miss them – they produced the awesome Icarus here.
Join me on the 2nd April – collecting shoreline plastic trash, running a marathon along the coastline and crossing 4 estuaries? Let’s go!
(the justgiving page is still active here and helps cover the travel and material costs and I have donated substantially to MSF here)
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Short thought (regarding plastics- polymers): "Until the circular economy comprehensively exists regarding plastics, and (1) it is economically and universally viable (jurisdiction-wide) for all plastic products to be recycled (from food wrappers, dog poo bags to cigarette butts to polystyrene food containers) and (2) it is legislatively mandatory for producers to make products that are simply and economically recyclable by local authorities, modern and clean incineration (or ‘EfW’) is the optimum solution for our plastic addiction for us now, and for future generations."
Your thoughts? Plastic is a fantastic material, we have to manage it and this need is urgent, for our oceans and ourselves. I am attended the EfW conference (here) to investigate the CO2e emissions issue from EfW further.
tell me at https://www.instagram.com/clearpublicspace/
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yayIbyPa6sw [2] https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Silent-Spring-Rachel-Carson-Penguin-Modern/22925946284/bd?cm_mmc=ggl-_-UK_Shopp_Tradestandard-_-product_id=UK9780141184944USED-_-keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQiA95aRBhCsARIsAC2xvfzRdl0T4Clihl2gHV_FI3H5KjeUxZnS_8rhHQbGg6AAovPf8pB6UmcaAvNNEALw_wcB