Scotland 17, Italy 34. Ho hum.
We had a fun afternoon in Tennents, first time we'd been in for goodness knows how long.
Fiona reckons she hadn't been in since before the smoking ban came in last March. On that subject, what a difference not coming out reeking of fag smoke makes. Anyway, that from an ex-heavy smoker.
So, last week was my first week as Editor, Continuous News, BBC Scotland.
I don't know if I knew exactly what to expect but if I hadn't grasped the size of the operation - but much more importantly, the opportunities now open to us as a large group of creative people - I certainly do now.
That's not to say I've been surprised. It's more about the reality of the position in which I now find myself.
There's a curious symmetry to it all. Eight years ago when I came back to Scotland from London to launch this new-fangled news interweb thing for BBC Scotland, what we were doing was way out in left field. An oddity, a peripheral part of the operation which some people said would never catch on.
Now, we've moved to centre stage and have joined up with radio and television news in a way which we've been evangelising over the years but the culture of "television is God" was against us.
For me, it's all about audiences, wherever they are and whatever part of our news and current affairs output they're consuming. And I say that not only with the fact that the licence fee pays my wages in mind.
Anyhow, enough theorising. Busy week ahead with the beginning of a series of team briefings in which I aim to set out a plan for the way ahead in Continuous News.
Running? At the moment it's being squeezed in wherever or whenever possible. Sadly I only managed two runs last week - Tuesday and Saturday.
I'm determined to get into a pattern because I suspect running is going to be vital pressure valve in coming times!
Sunday, February 25
Sunday, February 18
Lake District and jobs
We've just spent two glorious days in the Lake District, mainly in the Wasdale area to be precise.
As you can see from the pictures, the weather was just totally fabulous from start to finish.
We went down first thing on Saturday morning and stayed in the Burnthwaite Farm B&B that night. Before arriving there, we stopped at Wastwater and some of the pictures in the "Lake District" set on flickr are the result. The scenery was totally breathtaking.
There's video from Wastwater here on YouTube.
The B&B was great and many thanks to Gillian, the owner, for a) putting a camp bed into the room we had so all three of us could get in and b) allowing us to leave without paying because I didn't have cash and they don't take cards. They have enough problems getting television reception (they don't - at least not without a satellite dish being put half-way up the fell behind the cottage) without having the grief of trying to validate debit/credit cards.
The £50 charge for the night is in the post, I promise!
We met Pete, Heather, Katie, Jack and George, who were spending a few days in the Lakes because it was the English schools' mid-term break.
This week's other news is me being succesful in my application for the new post of "Editor, Continuous News". It means that as well as all the online and other stuff for which I'm currently responsible, I now have BBC Radio Scotland radio bulletins and most of the television news bulletins as well.
It's a huge relief to get this sorted out ... now just to find a new job for Fiona!
Fingers crossed she'll be fixed up sooner rather than later.
Running last week? None, I'm ashamed to say, but things will be back on track this week, no doubt about that.
As you can see from the pictures, the weather was just totally fabulous from start to finish.
We went down first thing on Saturday morning and stayed in the Burnthwaite Farm B&B that night. Before arriving there, we stopped at Wastwater and some of the pictures in the "Lake District" set on flickr are the result. The scenery was totally breathtaking.
There's video from Wastwater here on YouTube.
The B&B was great and many thanks to Gillian, the owner, for a) putting a camp bed into the room we had so all three of us could get in and b) allowing us to leave without paying because I didn't have cash and they don't take cards. They have enough problems getting television reception (they don't - at least not without a satellite dish being put half-way up the fell behind the cottage) without having the grief of trying to validate debit/credit cards.
The £50 charge for the night is in the post, I promise!
We met Pete, Heather, Katie, Jack and George, who were spending a few days in the Lakes because it was the English schools' mid-term break.
This week's other news is me being succesful in my application for the new post of "Editor, Continuous News". It means that as well as all the online and other stuff for which I'm currently responsible, I now have BBC Radio Scotland radio bulletins and most of the television news bulletins as well.
It's a huge relief to get this sorted out ... now just to find a new job for Fiona!
Fingers crossed she'll be fixed up sooner rather than later.
Running last week? None, I'm ashamed to say, but things will be back on track this week, no doubt about that.
Sunday, February 11
Red Brick
Running just hasn't really been an option this week. Work has been at the top of the agenda.
On Tuesday I was in London and on Wednesday it was Inverness.
Added to all that the news that Fiona is being made redundant.
I knew I wouldn't get back from London in time for the club's session on Tuesday evening but I was determined to stretch my legs so I did a run round Bellshill.
It's times like that that make me realise what a great "de-clutterer" running can be.
Tuesday was the day Fiona heard that her job is "at risk" of redundancy, which in common language means she's heading out the door.
It wasn't a huge shock but it's knocked her all the same.
Wednesday turned into an epic journey. The train from Glasgow to Perth was delayed and even though we were only seven minutes late in arriving, they didn't hold the connecting train to Inverness.
First ScotRail organised taxis for about 20 people to go to Inverness. God knows what that must have cost.
I ended up in a car with some businessman type and his PA, She was very nice and quite chatty but for the first 20 minutes or so, all he did was chunter on about having paid £170 for two business class tickets to Inverness and here he was in a taxi.
More bloody fool him for paying that for train fares, I reckon.
Anyway, it was a lovely day and a nice journey up the A9 over Drumochter in the sun, with snow all round on the hills.
We came back on the 5pm train and I repaired to the Horse Shoe for a couple of swallies before getting the train home.
On Saturday Fiona bought me an early birthday present, a pair of Inov-8 Roc-lite 315 trail running shoes.
I'd been swithering about them for a while, wondering if the relative lack of cushioning would aggravate my shins. Only one way to find out - buy them and try them.
I did just that this morning on the Red Brick route round Chatelherault.
They're certainly a lot firmer than normal road running shoes and the grip is very obviously a lot greater. I must admit to having a couple of niggles in both shins as I write but hopefully they won't amount to anything.
I took my Blackberry because I'm on call for the whole newsroom until next Friday and I was about a quarter way round when I realised I should take some pictures, which I did at various points on the route. They're all posted in a set on flickr. One of them is on this blog entry.
With about half a mile to go, the phone rang. It was the office, wanting to get a satellite truck on the road because of the missing walkers in Perthshire.
There had been a few searches on the mountains, all of which are contained in our online story here.
Glad to see everyone turned up safe and well.
On Tuesday I was in London and on Wednesday it was Inverness.
Added to all that the news that Fiona is being made redundant.
I knew I wouldn't get back from London in time for the club's session on Tuesday evening but I was determined to stretch my legs so I did a run round Bellshill.
It's times like that that make me realise what a great "de-clutterer" running can be.
Tuesday was the day Fiona heard that her job is "at risk" of redundancy, which in common language means she's heading out the door.
It wasn't a huge shock but it's knocked her all the same.
Wednesday turned into an epic journey. The train from Glasgow to Perth was delayed and even though we were only seven minutes late in arriving, they didn't hold the connecting train to Inverness.
First ScotRail organised taxis for about 20 people to go to Inverness. God knows what that must have cost.
I ended up in a car with some businessman type and his PA, She was very nice and quite chatty but for the first 20 minutes or so, all he did was chunter on about having paid £170 for two business class tickets to Inverness and here he was in a taxi.
More bloody fool him for paying that for train fares, I reckon.
Anyway, it was a lovely day and a nice journey up the A9 over Drumochter in the sun, with snow all round on the hills.
We came back on the 5pm train and I repaired to the Horse Shoe for a couple of swallies before getting the train home.
On Saturday Fiona bought me an early birthday present, a pair of Inov-8 Roc-lite 315 trail running shoes.
I'd been swithering about them for a while, wondering if the relative lack of cushioning would aggravate my shins. Only one way to find out - buy them and try them.
I did just that this morning on the Red Brick route round Chatelherault.
They're certainly a lot firmer than normal road running shoes and the grip is very obviously a lot greater. I must admit to having a couple of niggles in both shins as I write but hopefully they won't amount to anything.
I took my Blackberry because I'm on call for the whole newsroom until next Friday and I was about a quarter way round when I realised I should take some pictures, which I did at various points on the route. They're all posted in a set on flickr. One of them is on this blog entry.
With about half a mile to go, the phone rang. It was the office, wanting to get a satellite truck on the road because of the missing walkers in Perthshire.
There had been a few searches on the mountains, all of which are contained in our online story here.
Glad to see everyone turned up safe and well.
Saturday, February 3
Oxygen Deficit 10k
I had lots of doubts about whether or not to do this race today, mainly because my running has been so sporadic because of work commitments.
I've also had a niggly left achilles and I didn't fancy aggravating what is potentially a difficult area to sort out.
Needless to say though, I did it and finished up with a time of 46.59 which was probably about what I expected but none the less disappointing for that.
It underlines how much ground I have to regain before getting back to where I was in May/June last year when I hit my 10k PB of 44.55 on a fairly hilly course.
Today's was about as flat (and boring) a course as you'll get, with the exception of the hill at the road side of the park. I have to say that these races in Strathclyde Park are hindered by the narrow track in places and the multitude of dog walkers and others meandering about on them.
Some seem to take a great delight in obstructing runners. I'm not saying we have any more right to be there than them. I'm just suggesting that common courtesy wouldn't go amiss at times.
The key factor in today's performance is my 5k time - 23.24. Compare that to the 23.40 I did in the Great Winter Run up Arthur's Seat a couple of weeks ago (a huge hill) and it puts today's sloth-like performance into some context.
All in all, I need some serious consistency in training to start getting back some of the lost ground.
That won't come next week sadly again because of work stuff and it doesn't look like letting up any time soon.
I've also had a niggly left achilles and I didn't fancy aggravating what is potentially a difficult area to sort out.
Needless to say though, I did it and finished up with a time of 46.59 which was probably about what I expected but none the less disappointing for that.
It underlines how much ground I have to regain before getting back to where I was in May/June last year when I hit my 10k PB of 44.55 on a fairly hilly course.
Today's was about as flat (and boring) a course as you'll get, with the exception of the hill at the road side of the park. I have to say that these races in Strathclyde Park are hindered by the narrow track in places and the multitude of dog walkers and others meandering about on them.
Some seem to take a great delight in obstructing runners. I'm not saying we have any more right to be there than them. I'm just suggesting that common courtesy wouldn't go amiss at times.
The key factor in today's performance is my 5k time - 23.24. Compare that to the 23.40 I did in the Great Winter Run up Arthur's Seat a couple of weeks ago (a huge hill) and it puts today's sloth-like performance into some context.
All in all, I need some serious consistency in training to start getting back some of the lost ground.
That won't come next week sadly again because of work stuff and it doesn't look like letting up any time soon.
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