And the second set.
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Category Archives: Sport
First set of photos from last weekend walking in the Peak District, Derbyshire.
Throws runner out at home on the fly from about 310 feet away in left field.
After muffing Mike Trout’s hit to left field, Yoenis Cespedes seemed on the verge of handing the Oakland Athletics opponent a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Trying to take advantage, Howie Kendrick of the Los Angeles Angels raced around third base and appeared a sure bet to cross home plate and break a tie.
That’s when Cespedes uncorked an astonishing throw, from about 310 feet away, that reached the mitt of catcher Derek Norris on the fly — and just in time for him to put the tag on a stunned Kendrick.
Out at the plate!
Fitbit is a wonderful little tool
I’ve had mine since July 16 this year and got it as a gift to myself after swimming the mile in open water at Salford Quays. After years of running I’ve now managed to wreck my knee (doing yoga) and need to keep motivated to do other things and keep my weight under control. The Fitbit One that I use tracks steps taken, distance walked, calories burned and floors climbed. It can also track your sleep patterns but I don’t really use this.
I tend not to watch calories as I have always used the calories in/calories out formula for making sure I don’t put on weight, but some of the other data I have collected so far is worth sharing:
- Climbed over 2900 floors
- Taken 1.4 million steps
- Gone over 25,000 steps in a day twice – that’s about 13 miles
- Walked 767 miles overall. 767!
If you want some motivation to exercise more and track your progress, get one of these. It sits in your pocket all day or clips onto a belt and it uploads the data wirelessly to your phone/tablet/etc. It has made me push harder and added extra motivation that I was lacking to just basically do more. Highly recommend!
http://www.viddler.com/simple/e7e530ef/
The final days to Paris… 19 to go and time to share again
(Source: http://www.viddler.com/)
After a few quiet weeks I’m now getting over my injuries and fighting hard to find the speed I need in Paris come the springtime… Shouts are included here to a few friends, too – especially Richard following his fantastic marathon from a week or so ago.
What makes the perfect race experience?
What do you think makes your race day special, memorable, and makes you want to come back for more?
What’s your target?
As we head into the final quarter of the year, with dark nights, christmas present lists, next year’s summer holiday plans, etc, it’s time to think about targets for next year. They don’t need to be sporty ones (although mine mostly are – I do a lot of sport) but they can be anything you like. They can be a real help in motivating us to do something new, improve ourselves, find a new hobby or interest, meet new folks – whatever you fancy, really.
What are yours?
I’d love to hear from you. Even you lurkers out there, too. Come and join in, let us all know what you’re up to…
Mine? Well, the biggest one, anyway – Paris Marathon next April in a new best time for me that’s a long way off right now – 3.15. I’m going to throw everything at it!
Next stop – @homelesswrldcup Rio De Janeiro
Later this week @ninianna and I will be travelling to Rio to witness the spectacle that is the Homeless World Cup street soccer tournament, taking place on Copacabana Beach. I’ve completed a few sporting challenges of my own this year, raising funds for the HWC by way of many generous donations from all of my great friends, and this trip to see what the funds I have raised can do for the people taking part in the tournament is going to be a very special occasion.
I wanted to help HWC by raising funds because they inspire and empower people – giving those with little or no hope a real chance of changing their lives for the better through taking part in the tournament, playing street soccer, and representing their nation on the global stage. Having the opportunity to see this kind of project in action, and the difference that it can make at first hand, is something that doesn’t happen every day and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.
Just imagine going through these steps over the course of a few months:
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you are homeless (living on the streets or are in temporary housing or a hostel, for example) and you are asked if you would like to come and play soccer one evening
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you turn up, play, and meet some new people who become your friends and team mates
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you come back for more, week after week, have a lot of fun and begin to get fitter
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you are picked to play for your team in a regional/national tournament
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you do well, and are selected for the national team to represent your country at the HWC
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you are wearing your national team’s colours and are playing in the HWC tournament
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you are in with a shout of a trophy on finals weekend of the HWC
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you are playing in the final of the HWC
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you are in the winning team of the HWC!!!
This scenario is going to come true for some of the players in Rio this week – how fantastic is that?! I’m sure I don’t do this transformation justice in this small post but it happens and will keep happening as long as the tournament continues and people support the cause. Mel Young and the team at HWC do a fantastic job in putting the tournament on in the face of a lot of opposition and bureaucracy related the homelessness cause, but their work is invaluable and long may it continue.
I want to share my experiences of the event with as many people as I can so there will plenty of tweets, a few photos and some video clips, too. Follow me here, or the HWC and Mel Young:
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twitter @homelesswrldcup @melyoung53
Ian Mountford 