Enjoyed a mixed-pace 8' this morning. Wind still strong but easing. Made use of the following wind to clock an 8:18 mile. Hoped for a second, similar mile but sand-drifts hadn't been cleared! Found all the gears today! and happy with an o'all pace of 9:26/mile.
I post on one other forum which is about county cricket, I'm one of the moderators. Yesterday this forum, usually an ocean of sensible discussion produced a really spiteful tread about race in cricket with some out dated views. Some posters really should have had their accounts blocked. Consequently I set off for my evening jog rather angry. Must have gone off quickly and held on. 10k in 48.22!!, plus 0.1 miles to my doorstep.
Well done, Donnie! The only thing that got me going this morning was a bowl of porridge! Very light wind this morning; ideal for my track session. Out at 7 (unsure about the track times, but found that they opened at 7) and after an easy 2' to the track, and a stretch and re-warm, set about a pyramid of 200s, 400s and an 800m in the middle. Total of 11'.
With just five weeks to go to the Virtual London Marathon, I thought I ought to trouble myself a little more and did 7.25 miles - just got home and logged on.
YTD = 1402.15 miles.
Donnie2, Yes there are some interesting people out there with peculiar views. Runners World October edition (out in September) asked half a dozen people for their experiences on race in athletics, I was one of them. I was asked because I have been discussing related matters with England Athletics for several years now.
Good to see your piece in Runners World Harmander. Lots of great miles. I'm just back from a 10 hour road trip back from holiday in Scotland, storm Francis tried to spoil it but I went out as it calmed down for a lovely muddy trail run. And a nice morning run in the mist on roads I've never run before, Belted Galloway coos & Deer to run with. 898 miles YTD
Thank you Hobie1495, - are you referring to the Virtual run we are organising by any chance?
There is another one regarding diversity in the October edition. It is a follow up on the article of 9 August 2018. It was called Minority Report - will try and dig it out and share.
Another 7.25 miles today - am almost getting anxious about the Virtual run on 4 October - very weird feeling.
Here it is - apologies in advance if it is considered inappropriate for this Forum.
Minority report
The Sikh community, however, is one of the forgotten groups.
It placed bottom in the religion category of the Active Lives survey for the
proportion running at least twice in the previous month: 9.9%, half that of the
‘no religion’ demographic. Harmander Singh is one of those striving to help
Sikhs get a foothold in the sport. With a 10,000m PB of 30:14, Harmander was on
the cusp of selection for the Moscow Olympics back in 1980. He turned his
attention to recreational running soon after – he is the only person to have
run every one of the first 34 Great North Runs and London Marathons.
Singh has now coached an estimated 300 people, the vast
majority from ethnic minorities. He sees a very different picture between
grassroots and boardroom levels in terms of ethnic inclusivity. ‘When you’re
starting out in running, it’s the most non-racially discriminating sport you
could imagine,’ he says. ‘But as soon as you go into any sort of supervisory
role, it’s like the mentality of the old working men’s club kicks in. You’re
not made to feel welcome and people make presumptions about where you’re from.’
It’s telling that while the new Sport Governance Code
requires leading sports bodies to hit to boardroom gender targets, it makes no
similar requirement for ethnicity. Sports are free to set their own targets,
while adhering to the non-discrimination points enshrined in the Equality Act
2010. A 2016 study by UK charity Sporting Equals found that across 68 sports
boards, including national governing bodies, there was just one BAME chairman,
one CEO and 26 board members (four per cent of the total). Only three per cent
of coaches were from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Among Singh’s students has been 107-year-old Fauja Singh,
the first centenarian to complete a marathon. Fauja is an icon among the Sikh
community, his age-defying exploits helping to inspire many of his faith to
pull on trainers and the London running club he helped establish – Sikhs in the
City – giving them a support structure.
Singh says: ‘We’re seeing more Asian runners and much of
that is down to Fauja Singh. We run in our Sikhs in the City T-shirts in some
of the most racist parts of Britain and people say, “Go on you Sikhs” and cheer
us on.’ But it has not always been easy. ‘In the past we’ve had loads of grief:
getting called terrorists and everything.’
What’s helping to change people’s perceptions, Singh
believes, is seeing more ethnic minorities out running. ‘When there are more of
you, then people accept you,’ he says simply.
Hobie...expect you are over the 900' now. Congrats.. Harmander... Good job! Cal... You are not that far behind...and I'm 'front-loading' quite a bit due to uncertainties with MrsM; things could change significantly before the end of the year. Now that we have moved our daughter up to Oxford, if I go out it means that MrsM is on her own. Her MSA is a real life-changer and I need to take my 'carer' duties seriously. Hence the number of early morning runs.
Having said that, I went out for an evening run yesterday, after the worst of the rain had cleared. (Morning would have been good but I did our weekly shop.) Conditions were good for the seafront 12'. Legs did not understand 'steady 10min/mile pace' and we finished up with 9:29 o'all. Finished off with a warm-down mile. So 13' to add.
There are enough Sikhs in Britain to fill the Royal Albert Hall one hundred times over.
Many wear brightly coloured clothes, play loud sacred music and never cut their hair, yet little is known about their teachings and culture.
Narrated by Goodness Gracious Me star Kulvinder Ghir, Sikhs and the City offers a rare and entertaining day-in-the-life snapshot of one of Britain's biggest, but least understood, faith communities as they celebrate the 400th anniversary of their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib.
Striking a balance between a Sikh identity and a British one is an issue that affects scores of Sikhs in western society every day.
Sikhs have a strong moral code and an identity which is exhibited through what are known as the five K's - long hair, a comb, a sword, the wearing of a bangle and a specially-tailored undergarment.
For some this strong identity is at the heart of their Sikhism while others take a more relaxed approach, believing it is what is on the inside that counts.
PC Harvinder Singh Rai, an officer with West Midlands Police, thinks he has got the balance just right: "I am fiercely loyal as an officer to West Midlands Police but I am equally at home with my faith. They are in perfect harmony."
The programme follows PC Rai on his beat as he deals with troublesome schoolchildren and as he gives his fellow officer a taste of the Sikh faith at a local temple.
Radio journalist Sonia Deol's version of Sikhism is far less strict than her mother's. She cuts her hair and wears modern clothes but for her being a good Sikh is all about the values she holds within.
This is also true for Sikh scholar Jeevan Singh Deol, who says his identity is western but his religion is Sikhism.
In contrast Sikh comedian, Sody Singh Kahlon, believes abandoning the Sikh identity is going against the teachings of the faith itself.
For others being a Sikh in modern society doesn't mean abandoning one for the other.
As a 93-year-old marathon runner, Fauja Singh is a traditional Sikh. But he is also a 'poster boy' for the latest Adidas campaign.
The twin artists Amrit and Rabindra Singh reflect in their work the dual cultural heritage that many British Sikhs have grown up with.
The programme also explores the saint-soldier tradition which is at the heart of the faith, the reason why Sikhs carry short swords and why all Sikh men are given the name 'Singh' - meaning lion.
Having started the day at 5.00am with prayers, the programme closes as the Guru Granth Sahib - which is treated as though it were a living guru - is placed tenderly back into its four poster bed for the night.
Sikhs and the City - BBC ONE, Thursday 2 September at 11.30pm (to be confirmed)
Aha, Harmander! With a nod to Sex in the City, right? I used to watch that religiously.
Hilly (468m) 20 today - despite some precipitous climbs it felt easier than last week's 18 slog and I finished with plenty in the tank. Five weeks to Dorney - I'm feeling a fair bit more optimistic after this one.
That brings me to 53 miles for the week and 217 for the month, not to mention
Thanks for all the information, Harmander. Hope your running is going well enough for you to manage the marathon distance! I'm sure you have the experience to cope! Thanks TT, yes a new job (in Chipping Norton) near one of her sisters. Well done Cal; a hilly 20' should come with a bonus! A strong way to pass the 1400'.Congrats.. Me too for a 53' wk.
Out at 6:30 for an easy (flat) seafront 12'. Legs were happy with an average pace of 9:36/mile although I'd planned 10:00.
Well done on the 1400 Cal and the 1500 MrMr2, I hope your daughter enjoys her new job. I'm not in education but there is something about the new school year starting in September and new jobs!
Cold today, or actually I think we are back to normal. Out early enough running to allow for a morning bike ride.
Limited opportunities this week but out Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday evenings. Worked hard yesterday to cover 10.1 in 82 and a much slower jog today on my routine 5 mile route.
It was chilly here too, TT - wore leggings instead of shorts and T-shirt rather than a vest. Could have done with gloves for the first couple of miles but I warmed up after that. 9 miles for today's run, checking out a new path before coming back along the Wandle via Wandsworth Common.Enjoyed the run, although traffic was quite bad as I didn't go out until just after 6 so I was hitting rush hour after a couple of miles.
A rest day, yesterday, set me up nicely to take advantage of the ideal conditions this morning. Had wanted to do a brisk Half for a while. Kept it flat today; staying along the seafront which was almost clear of sand. So, 14' (Av. 9:09/mile. Half mar in 1hr59.) Happy. Wanted to stay close to 9 min/mile throughout but had a couple of sloppy miles in the middle. Final mile included the climb up to cliff top. Will try to include some shorter/faster work within some longer runs this week. Happy.
A cheeky half for me today - three miles to warm-up then seven miles around Battersea Park at marathon pace (or hoped for marathon pace, at least) and three miles home again. Added the .1 because why not? I was pretty happy with the MP section - I was able to maintain it longer than I thought (I had originally planned to do 6) although running 26 at that pace is another matter.
Off to Cambridgeshire this afternoon as it's my godmother's funeral tomorrow. First time on public transport since March. Yikes.
Comments
25/8 6.40 1387.50
26/8 6.40 1394.90
1400 tomorrow hopefully.
They show one of my worst poses when promoting our event. :-(
YTD: 1467' .
Ytd: 916.2
Very light wind this morning; ideal for my track session. Out at 7 (unsure about the track times, but found that they opened at 7) and after an easy 2' to the track, and a stretch and re-warm, set about a pyramid of 200s, 400s and an 800m in the middle. Total of 11'.
YTD: 1478' .
YTD = 1402.15 miles.
Donnie2, Yes there are some interesting people out there with peculiar views. Runners World October edition (out in September) asked half a dozen people for their experiences on race in athletics, I was one of them. I was asked because I have been discussing related matters with England Athletics for several years now.
Good work, MrM2 - I'm not going to catch you at this rate!
Nice job Harmander.
A tempo sandwich today in the drizzle - 3.5 warm-up, 4 miles at lactate pace and 1.5 cool-down for a total of 9.
YTD: 1379
Good running from all, strange to realise it is almost the end of August.........
On the treadmill this morning. Best day ever for a treadmill run!
YTD: 1007.18
Lots of great miles. I'm just back from a 10 hour road trip back from holiday in Scotland, storm Francis tried to spoil it but I went out as it calmed down for a lovely muddy trail run. And a nice morning run in the mist on roads I've never run before, Belted Galloway coos & Deer to run with.
898 miles YTD
There is another one regarding diversity in the October edition. It is a follow up on the article of 9 August 2018. It was called Minority Report - will try and dig it out and share.
Another 7.25 miles today - am almost getting anxious about the Virtual run on 4 October - very weird feeling.
YTD = 1409.40 miles.
Minority report
The Sikh community, however, is one of the forgotten groups. It placed bottom in the religion category of the Active Lives survey for the proportion running at least twice in the previous month: 9.9%, half that of the ‘no religion’ demographic. Harmander Singh is one of those striving to help Sikhs get a foothold in the sport. With a 10,000m PB of 30:14, Harmander was on the cusp of selection for the Moscow Olympics back in 1980. He turned his attention to recreational running soon after – he is the only person to have run every one of the first 34 Great North Runs and London Marathons.
Singh has now coached an estimated 300 people, the vast majority from ethnic minorities. He sees a very different picture between grassroots and boardroom levels in terms of ethnic inclusivity. ‘When you’re starting out in running, it’s the most non-racially discriminating sport you could imagine,’ he says. ‘But as soon as you go into any sort of supervisory role, it’s like the mentality of the old working men’s club kicks in. You’re not made to feel welcome and people make presumptions about where you’re from.’
It’s telling that while the new Sport Governance Code requires leading sports bodies to hit to boardroom gender targets, it makes no similar requirement for ethnicity. Sports are free to set their own targets, while adhering to the non-discrimination points enshrined in the Equality Act 2010. A 2016 study by UK charity Sporting Equals found that across 68 sports boards, including national governing bodies, there was just one BAME chairman, one CEO and 26 board members (four per cent of the total). Only three per cent of coaches were from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Among Singh’s students has been 107-year-old Fauja Singh, the first centenarian to complete a marathon. Fauja is an icon among the Sikh community, his age-defying exploits helping to inspire many of his faith to pull on trainers and the London running club he helped establish – Sikhs in the City – giving them a support structure.
Singh says: ‘We’re seeing more Asian runners and much of that is down to Fauja Singh. We run in our Sikhs in the City T-shirts in some of the most racist parts of Britain and people say, “Go on you Sikhs” and cheer us on.’ But it has not always been easy. ‘In the past we’ve had loads of grief: getting called terrorists and everything.’
What’s helping to change people’s perceptions, Singh believes, is seeing more ethnic minorities out running. ‘When there are more of you, then people accept you,’ he says simply.
Harmander... Good job!
Cal... You are not that far behind...and I'm 'front-loading' quite a bit due to uncertainties with MrsM; things could change significantly before the end of the year. Now that we have moved our daughter up to Oxford, if I go out it means that MrsM is on her own. Her MSA is a real life-changer and I need to take my 'carer' duties seriously. Hence the number of early morning runs.
Having said that, I went out for an evening run yesterday, after the worst of the rain had cleared. (Morning would have been good but I did our weekly shop.) Conditions were good for the seafront 12'. Legs did not understand 'steady 10min/mile pace' and we finished up with 9:29 o'all. Finished off with a warm-down mile. So 13' to add.
YTD: 1491' .
Recovery 6 - took it slow as I have a long run tomorrow.
YTD: 1385
It came as an inspiration after we were featured in the BBC documentary in 2004.
See below
Sikhs and the City
Category: Factual & Arts TV
Date: 13.08.2004
Printable version
There are enough Sikhs in Britain to fill the Royal Albert Hall one hundred times over.
Many wear brightly coloured clothes, play loud sacred music and never cut their hair, yet little is known about their teachings and culture.
Narrated by Goodness Gracious Me star Kulvinder Ghir, Sikhs and the City offers a rare and entertaining day-in-the-life snapshot of one of Britain's biggest, but least understood, faith communities as they celebrate the 400th anniversary of their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib.
Striking a balance between a Sikh identity and a British one is an issue that affects scores of Sikhs in western society every day.
Sikhs have a strong moral code and an identity which is exhibited through what are known as the five K's - long hair, a comb, a sword, the wearing of a bangle and a specially-tailored undergarment.
For some this strong identity is at the heart of their Sikhism while others take a more relaxed approach, believing it is what is on the inside that counts.
PC Harvinder Singh Rai, an officer with West Midlands Police, thinks he has got the balance just right: "I am fiercely loyal as an officer to West Midlands Police but I am equally at home with my faith. They are in perfect harmony."
The programme follows PC Rai on his beat as he deals with troublesome schoolchildren and as he gives his fellow officer a taste of the Sikh faith at a local temple.
Radio journalist Sonia Deol's version of Sikhism is far less strict than her mother's. She cuts her hair and wears modern clothes but for her being a good Sikh is all about the values she holds within.
This is also true for Sikh scholar Jeevan Singh Deol, who says his identity is western but his religion is Sikhism.
In contrast Sikh comedian, Sody Singh Kahlon, believes abandoning the Sikh identity is going against the teachings of the faith itself.
For others being a Sikh in modern society doesn't mean abandoning one for the other.
As a 93-year-old marathon runner, Fauja Singh is a traditional Sikh. But he is also a 'poster boy' for the latest Adidas campaign.
The twin artists Amrit and Rabindra Singh reflect in their work the dual cultural heritage that many British Sikhs have grown up with.
The programme also explores the saint-soldier tradition which is at the heart of the faith, the reason why Sikhs carry short swords and why all Sikh men are given the name 'Singh' - meaning lion.
Having started the day at 5.00am with prayers, the programme closes as the Guru Granth Sahib - which is treated as though it were a living guru - is placed tenderly back into its four poster bed for the night.
Sikhs and the City - BBC ONE, Thursday 2 September at 11.30pm (to be confirmed)
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Harmander just received that RW, will read with interest.
Hobie did you enjoy Scotland? Always good to run somewhere new.
Outside early to beat the rain.
YTD 1015.42
Hilly (468m) 20 today - despite some precipitous climbs it felt easier than last week's 18 slog and I finished with plenty in the tank. Five weeks to Dorney - I'm feeling a fair bit more optimistic after this one.
That brings me to 53 miles for the week and 217 for the month, not to mention
YTD: 1405
Thanks TT, yes a new job (in Chipping Norton) near one of her sisters.
Well done Cal; a hilly 20' should come with a bonus! A strong way to pass the 1400'.Congrats..
Me too for a 53' wk.
Out at 6:30 for an easy (flat) seafront 12'. Legs were happy with an average pace of 9:36/mile although I'd planned 10:00.
YTD: 1503' .
Yes the TV series was a boon to our imagination - we have (mistakenly) been called Sheikhs In The City too lol
Did 7.25 yesterday and 13.25 today (just to check out if it could be done) - was slow but happy.
YTD = 1439.90 miles
Harmander, that's hilarious! Glad you're OK doing those runs.
Cold today, or actually I think we are back to normal. Out early enough running to allow for a morning bike ride.
YTD 1027.64
Back to my favourite local coast path now, even if it's a little bit busy with visitors at the moment.
915 miles YTD
Ytd: 931.3
It was chilly here too, TT - wore leggings instead of shorts and T-shirt rather than a vest. Could have done with gloves for the first couple of miles but I warmed up after that.
9 miles for today's run, checking out a new path before coming back along the Wandle via Wandsworth Common.Enjoyed the run, although traffic was quite bad as I didn't go out until just after 6 so I was hitting rush hour after a couple of miles.
YTD: 1414
YTD = 1444.90 miles
YTD: 1517' .
file:///C:/Users/harma/Downloads/Running%20and%20Diversity%20oct%2020.pdf
Ytd: 935.6
I was pretty happy with the MP section - I was able to maintain it longer than I thought (I had originally planned to do 6) although running 26 at that pace is another matter.
Off to Cambridgeshire this afternoon as it's my godmother's funeral tomorrow. First time on public transport since March. Yikes.
YTD: 1427