I'm a bit of fidget when waiting to start - I tend to re-tie my laces, pull up my socks and sometimes re-tie the string holding up my shorts. On this occasion I was sorting the shorts, when I noticed there seemed to be an unusual amount of slack in the string. I gave it a gentle pull and the whole lot came out in my hands in two pieces.

Two minutes to go, and I'm worrying that my shorts will be round my ankles after a hundred metres.

To cut a long story short, it was fine. They're lycra-type shorts rather than the baggy sort, and although I have lost weight there was still more than enough for the shorts to cling on to. If nothing else, it's given me an excuse to buy a nice new pair that matches my funky lime top.

The end-of-He-man-episode-type moral of the story is clear - don't be a fidget on the start line.

Yesterday's 5k seems to have taken a bit more out of me that usual. I've been feeling a bit under the weather recently and I can tell from my resting HR that things aren't quite right. My legs felt especially tired last night, and again this morning. I intended to go out for a 10k slower run at lunchtime (after watching the FLM coverage) but only managed 6k. It's a while since I've curtailed a run, and I knew my legs were still tired, so it's not so bad. It's an inevitability. That said, after spending hours watching FLM it seemed wrong to stop. It's as if I want it, but don't want it enough. Sometimes its hard to take things steady. I have to remember that it's a long journey that I'm on - a marathon, not a sprint (metaphorically, if not literally).

The best way I've found to dispel these sort of thoughts is to think back to January, when I started out. I really struggled with, well, everything. The horrendous picture of me in the HPTT from January (see my pictures) also helps illustrate where I was when starting out. I've come on quite a way since then and that's the important thing to remember when I'm unsure of what I'm doing. Incidentally, yesterday I uploaded a new pic from a few weeks ago. I can't believe the comparison with the January pic even at this early stage.

I completed my tenth Hyde Park Time Trial on Saturday (surrounded by a light dusting of snow) which is something of a milestone. I've gone from 33:09 in January to my current PB of 28:50, which is not far off a 5 minute improvement. Doing the time trial these last ten weeks has been such a help. It's helped me measure my progress, it's helped me push myself harder, it's given me some consistency in my running... I doubt that I'd be in the position I'm in now without it. Not only that, but I've met some nice people there and I have some fabulous and free running shoes from Sweatshop as a result of winning the monthly prize in February.

Another milestone came this weekend in bathroom. Since starting out in January, I have now lost a full stone in weight. I still weigh in at 16st 7lb so I've got a long way to go, but it's a definite milestone.

Finally, this morning I went for an hour's run and ended up doing 10k (in 69 minutes). I know it doesn't sound like much of a milestone, but in fact it's only the third time in my life that I've ever run that far. I did the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k in 2004 and 2005, but never actually ran the distance in training for those events. I didn't even do a total of 10k in training for those events, never mind in an individual run. So it's pleasing that I've been able to do this distance in training for the first time. This is something I would have really struggled to do even just a few weeks ago.

I guess it's about time I came out with it. I have started running.

As some of you will know I have dabbled with running before. I did about no more than an hour's training in the run up to the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k in 2004, and then ran the race itself in 54:46. I ran the same event the following year (pictured above), without any real training, finishing in about 1:05:00. And then that was it as far as running was concerned.

Having put on several stone in last few years, I decided late last year that enough was quite enough and that running would be the best way to do something about it. So I'd try again, starting from scratch, but actually take it seriously this time. Having lost so much fitness and added so much weight, it's clearly a big challenge.

On a rather cold, dark Sunday evening in the middle of January I went for a trial run with the aim of seeing if I could make 5k, and make it without dying. I made 5k, without dying, in 36:16. A very slow (compared with the 10k times) but encouraging start (as I did make the distance, and I didn't die either). Since then I've been running, with a bit of cycling, several times a week. I've been taking part in the Hyde Park Time Trial each week, and after six events I've got my 5k time down 30:41. It's going really well, but I'm still miles behind my previous pace.

The Leeds 10k Jane Tomlinson's 'Run For All' is a 10k road race around Leeds that was first held in 2007. And I've decided that I'm going to run it for the first time this year. I'll be running to raise funds for the RFL Benevolent Fund, which aims to support players whose lives are affected by serious injuries sustained while playing rugby league. So if you'd like to support me and encourage me, and help a really worthy cause, head on over to my page at Justgiving.com titled Paul runs the Leeds 10k.

I'll be blogging more about how things are going as things progress. So, stay tuned.

Picture: Moggy uploaded by Paul Holloway on 14th December, 2007.

Update: In order to ensure I can take advantage of a £50 cash-back offer, I've plumed for the EOS 400D with a basic lens. I've got my eye on a lens and a flash, but they'll have to wait until I get the cash. After getting the money back from the sofa, I have buy one of those first! For those following that particular saga, the dining table and chairs still hasn't materialised...

So I have recently moved back to Leeds and, for the first time, into an unfurnished property. This necessitated a few furniture purchases, in particular a new sofa and a new dining room table. At the start of March we took a trip down to Birstall and, after as little shopping around as I could possibly get away with, picked up the furniture from two different stores. Apparently it takes eight weeks to deliver a sofa, and eleven weeks to deliver a table and some chairs.

On a Saturday about a month ago I received a letter to tell me that the sofa company, Klaussner, had gone into administration. There were one or two expletives uttered on reading the title of the letter, but the administrator's letter seemed to be reasonably optimistic about the prospects for our sofa. A bit of research showed that the company had gone into administration less than a year before, and that it had been sold as a going concern. This time round it's not, but for reasons unknown it turns out that we will get our sofa after all.

Last Saturday I received another letter to tell me that the dining room table company, John Peters, had gone into administration. There was significantly more swearing this time. This administrator's letter was more matter-of-fact and didn't try and put a nice gloss on things. That said, there was a letter from the company telling us that we'd get our table, and that stopped the swearing.

Bad luck but, despite not having received any of the goods yet, it appears we'll get our stuff. Apparently people have less money to spend, and the first things people stop buying are 'discretionary goods' such as furniture. Some paulholloway.com furniture purchasing learning points for you:
* Do a bit of research before you go shopping. If you've got a particular shop in mind, do a bit of searching on the web beforehand.
* If you put down a deposit, use a credit card and put on at least £100. Credit card companies protect you against all sorts of things, but most require you to spend at least £100.
* Big is not necessarily better, but it is safer. We didn't want to go to Ikea, but if we had then we wouldn't have had anything to worry about.

I must have travelled between London and Leeds by train several hundred times by now. On the whole it's a pretty painless experience. For something I've done so often, I've had so few problems. Only twice has a train broken down, and the only other significant delay was when we hit a cow. If I had a field full of cows next to a 125mph railway line and I didn't put a fence up, I'd expect the odd bent cow every now and again.

It's amazing what you can learn during the course of the two-and-a-half hour journey - it all depends on where the seat reservation gods have placed you. On the way to London today I learnt nothing, as I spent most of the journey snoozing. However, on the way home I learnt that an asthma inhaler is more properly known as an MDI, that certain types of these devices have historically contained CFCs, and that any CFCs released by these devices takes ten years to reach the atmosphere where they presumably then act upon the ozone layer.

Information like this is readily available on every journey, you just need to be sat in the right places. At the times I tend to travel, most people on board are travelling to or from the capital on business. A fair proportion of these people happily tap away on their laptops en route.

By now I'm sure you're thinking that I'm a nosey bastard, but I swear to you that I am only averagely nosey. I'm fairly inquisitive, but I'm not nosey. The way the seating is laid out in the carriages, it's quite often impossible not to see what's going on. I used to wonder why people didn't take more care over their privacy, but then these are the same set of people who will happily hold loud and lengthy conversations on mobile phones without any regard for those who may be listening. Listening is really the wrong word though, as this seems to indicate that the 'listener' is making some kind of effort... no: they only hear the conversation because there's nothing else to hear. And so it is the same (albeit to a lesser degree) with folk working on their laptops.

Well, I think I've proved to myself that I'm not a nosey parker, but I suspect a few may remain to be convinced. Either way, if I learn anything on my subsequent travels, I'll share it with you here. Which means if I'm being nosey, you are too. Nerr.

Today's picture: Up or down? uploaded by paulholloway on 21st May, 2007.

Ok, so it's been a long old while since I last wrote a blog entry in anger, but something has poked me back into action. Not sure what, but here we are.

So much time has passed since I last regularly updated the blog - it was a bit of a surprise to find that everything remains in working order. Not less of a surprise, however, to find that I never got around to finishing the templates properly (try and leave a comment without logging in to see what I mean). All the different styles this site has seen over the years all share one thing in common - I never got round to finishing any of them. I guess it gives me something to tinker with in those quieter moments.

Anyway, let's see how we get on this time.

Picture: Catherine pokes Paul! uploaded by thecatthatcannotnap on 18th May, 2007.

I have been feeling increasingly unsettled of late and so I have retreated to Liverpool for the Easter break, taking refuge in my sister's city centre apartment whilst she is away skiing. A change of scenery for a week or so is most welcome.

Liverpool is, of course, home to the SuperLambBanana, which is why you are seeing a bright yellow lamb/banana accompanying this post. It's just round the corner from me.

My unsettled feeling is, as is always the case, a result of a number of factors - although, this time around, work is the primary concern. As a result of my thinking around work, I'm wondering whether I should ditch Reading and head back up north again. I've really not made any conclusions yet - I've only been in Reading for six months, so I don't want to do anything hasty.

Coming up to Liverpool has been useful, so much so that I've deferred my return until Monday. This evening I'll have my feet up with a DVD and a few beers for company. Bliss.

Picture: Super Lambanana uploaded by warhead on 9th July, 2004.

Picture: All aboard the fun train uploaded by Paul Holloway on 13th February, 2006.

Some of you know that as a result of me commuting between Leeds and Reading by train regularly for several years, I further developed my interest in the railways and public transport.

Part of my interest in public transport as a whole stems from the fact that I really like to travel, and that I do it often, but trying to traverse this country can really suck.

I think that pubic transport should provide the best way to get around, be it short or long distance. At the outset let me make it clear that I'm not anti-car and that have one of my own - if I'm not travelling light, or if I'm going on a journey with a few different stops along the way, then my car is always going to be the best option. But if I'm travelling light and just want to get somewhere and then come back, I'd prefer to take public transport.

Travelling by public transport is much more environmentally friendly than going by car, not just in terms of emmisions but other factors too. It's safer. It's also more reliable and potentially a lot quicker, on longer distances, than travelling on the oft-congested motorways. It is, I reckon, the answer.

I am expecting to travel from Reading to Leeds today, returning tomorrow. I'm not taking anything with me, so I want to take the train.

I have to plan weeks ahead to get "cheap" tickets - "cheap" in terms of train travel, but in reality not much different to the cost of the petrol I'd use going by car. A car has lots of overheads that obviously adds to the basic petrol cost of the journey, but if I'm going to have a car anyway then I'm not going to factor those overheads in. I often don't plan ahead, so I have to buy a walk-up fare. Walk-up fares a lot more expensive than a "cheap" fare. The cheapest result walk-up fare between Reading and Leeds is £75.

I want to travel home on Sunday. Travelling across the country by train on a Sunday can be nightmare. Your journey will definitely take longer than it would during the rest of the week, and direct routes are often unavailable on Sundays because of all the engineering works that take place. Travelling between Leeds and Reading tomorrow, if I avoided London I would need to get three trains and a bus to get home. If I went via London, at greater expense, I'd have to take three trains or take two and be taken on a diversionary route. Either way, it's more hassle and a much longer journey. It depends on the weekend, but the situation this weekend is more the rule than the exception.

So, I'll drive in my car. And so will everyone else.

There's no quick fix, but radical measures are needed. Of course, these will never be taken. Just look at the reaction to the changes to car tax in the budget. When people cry foul when over paying a few more quid for having a car that pollutes more than others, you can see that there just isn't any scope for more radical change. So we'll all float on with what we already have. We'll make the best of a bad situation.

Or not.

With the Stategic Rail Authority killed off, the responsibility for our railways falls to the Department for Transport. To have one goverment department overseeing both road and rail seems, to me, a good idea. We also have the Office of Rail Regulation, who keep the infrastructure operator Network Rail honest. Train operators compete fiercely for franchises to run services on the railway network, paying expensive track fees to Network Rail to do so (a sort of car tax for rail) and usually giving the government a big slice of their income to be reinvested back into the network as well. In rare occasions, "open access" operators run services with the ORR's blessing where services would otherwise not operate (such as the London Paddington to Heathrow Airport Heathrow Express service, run by the BAA themselves). They have to pay track fees like everyone else, but crucially they don't have to give any revenue to the government.

I thought this operating model was alright until I learned that the ORR has allowed a new operator run some open access services between the North East and London. The major problem I have with this is that GNER, who have just been given a new franchise by the government, were competing for track space with the new operator so they could operate the extra services they promised the goverment they'd run.

GNER have to work their tits off to meet their franchise committments to the government and try and generate a profit. By giving track rights to this open access operator and allowing it to run services that stop at some of GNER stations, the ORR is letting the open access operator "steal" customers and revenue from GNER and is preventing GNER from meeting their franchise committments. The franchise committments are considerable, and furthermore they're contractual. They are the way we will get improvements to the railway network. Have a look at what GNER has to deliver [PDF] to get a better understanding of what's at stake here. The fact that GNER have to give revenue back to the government and the open access operator doesn't makes this situation even more unfair.

This is obviously a very broken operating model. What incentive do operators have for bidding on franchise if they will not be allowed to follow their committments through? Presumably GNER's revenue targets depend on being able to run more services, and if these targets aren't met then it follows that they might not be able to afford the other things they promised such as the improved stations and the faster and more reliable train services. The railway network in this country needs all the help it can get, and it certainly doesn't need an operating model that doesn't work.

If you're interested, have a read of GNER's response to the ORR decision which makes some very salient points.

Despite visiting Liverpool and Manchester fairly regularly, and despite St. Helens being right in the middle of these two cities, in the last few years I’ve rarely been back here. By car it’s only an hour or so to Leeds from here, and I do wonder why I didn’t take the opportunity to come back here more often when I lived there. Now I’m in Reading I’m over three hours drive away, a route that takes you on six different motorways (or seven if you decide to splash out on travelling on the M6 Toll).

I quickly tend to feel quite restless when I’m here at home. I don’t really know why, but maybe that puts me off a little. It really shouldn’t, and I ought to be here a lot more than I am.

For those that don’t know what I do, I’d be quite interested to see what you think a Technical Services Consultant might do all day – please feel to comment with your suggestions. If you’re interested in what I do actually do, then let me know and I’ll write a little about it in a future posting.

Getting between home and our Manchester office is just a thirty minute drive along the M6 and M56, and over the course of the day I’ve already entertained the thought that perhaps my next move after Reading could be somewhere a lot closer to home. The good news is that I’ll be visiting our Manchester office regularly, if not frequently, so I’ll get to spend more time at home. Being a consultant, what ever that means, has it’s benefits.