...Meeting goals and running free

At the beginning of the year I set myself a couple of goals. I put a timeline on them , a short one, as I wanted to be able to start the year off on a rather positive note. I decided that I would run 80K by the end of January (brave as you ever quite know how the weather will be in Scotland) and also that in doing so I would burn a considerable number of calories (more of a secondary goal if truth be told). Well, today I achieved both and in doing so also broke my distance record for a single run on the last two occasions.

The funny thing is that it was easy, and I was just reflecting on what makes it so.

Firstly, I just enjoy running and when you enjoy something its amazing what you can achieve. Also important is that I enjoy how it makes me feel - not physically (thats not always great) but mentally. Secondly, I am in control. When you are in control of a goal or a task and it is your sole responsibility to complete it then there are no excuses for failure.

Coming back to the first point about how it makes me feel. As someone whose running, at times, penetrates the cloudline of the valley (see vid below) I find that a rather apt metaphor for how it clears the fog and cloud of everyday thinking and lifts the brain to a plateau where clear thinking and clear vision meet in joyful union.

Running makes me think a lot, but its not what you think that defines you, it's what you do. And it's with that thought that I am crystallising my next set of goals - some of which are underway already. I will elaborate a little more as it comes together but suffice to say right now that this year is already shaping up to be pretty exciting. And, whilst I may not be in complete control in respect of these new goals, I know that clear vision and clear thinking will be key to their success.

Back on the hills already...

At the end of 2011 I declared that my hill running season was alas coming to an end. It was becoming treacherous underfoot (particularly on the descent), not to mention extremely cold and windy across the Ochils. To be honest, I was also looking forward to working on my times (on flat) as these had slipped due to the steep inclines I was now traversing.

Fast forward less than a month and now armed with some nifty new running gear to beat the cold weather, a spanking new Nike+ GPS sportswatch, an LED lamp for setting out on the winter mornings and some pretty mild conditions at present (note: In Scotland 'mild' conditions are generally referred to as somewhere between 0 and 8 degress Celcius) I can confidently declare that the hill running season has been granted an extension.

Which is particularly great when you can grab some pics like this - taken this weekend from my iPod touch.

The first pic above is probably around 800ft or so up looking across rather than straight back down. What I like about this view is that if you spin from right to left it is actually a beautiful panorama that becomes framed by Dumyat on the right and Myretoun hill on the left. In this shot Dumyat is framing the view towards the Wallace Monument.

These pics are really just a taster and do the scene absolutely no justice at all but I simply could not lug up my Pentax K100D Super on a run, so sorry for that. The pics though do give a really nice feel for how things look from a little over 1000ft up, plus you can see how far into the Ochils I have travelled on the run too.

Loving Nike+ GPS sportswatch too because I can get these elevation stats PLUS see my run mapped out for me which is great when you are 'off-road'. Now I need to work out how to share the run stats on my blog as I do on Twitter/Facebook.

Customer Service clearly not the staple at Staples!

When someone tells you something is too good to be true it generally is. Despite this rather obvious cliche (as with many cliches its only a cliche because it does tend to be a well founded observation) I responded to a forwarded link sent by a friend through the wonders of Social Media.

The link directed me to a bargain buy at Staples but, even better than that, a rather exceptional bargain when you applied two discount codes. Now we have all had mixed experience with discount codes but I reckoned, 'hey, I might as well give it a go'. I did and you can see the result below:

As you can see - a fantastic bargain! I was still unsure though and checked again earlier today just to make sure that it was a genuine Staples site and that the order had been acknowledged. Sure enough there it was - an order placed and registered - a bond between consumer and brand - a promise waiting to be fulfilled.

Fastforward 2-3 short hours and 'ping' a note in my inbox from Staples below:

Now, just to set the tone. I'm not heartbroken and to be honest I reckon that the voucher codes etc have actually been recognised internally as a bit of an anomaly and they have had to backpeddle really quickly to avoid losing a fair old amount of cash so have issued this rather cumbersome response. I suspect I am not the only person who has been let down here and I further suspect that the explanation is a bit of the old BS but please, please, please do NOT send me mail saying I cannot respond or even challenge this explanation. So sorry Staples, THAT is what is not good enought here and that is why you #FAIL.

Starving for some real customer service!

OMG! OMG! OMG! I am sending you this blog live from my predicament so there is no time to contemplate how I could make this better or how I could subtly or cleverly word what I am about write but you have to hear this EPIC FAIL story NOW!

Today my East Coast mainline service train from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh was cancelled due to (you guessed it - freak weather - and lightning hitting a signal box, OK I'll give them some marks for creativity with that one). I went seeking assistance and was told 'Don't worry!' - Good start I thought. 'Get yourself over to Euston station, Virgin will take you on their train if they have the space' - Ah, well that could be OK, its going the same way though on a slightly different routing.

Anyway, dashing across London, hungry as I had been presenting since morning through lunch I make my way to the platform to find that indeed there is space on the train. I find an unreserved seat in my seating class and sit down to relax with the idea that a wee tea, a coffee, maybe even a beer or a glass of wine will be on its way, closely followed by the meal that comes gratis on such journeys.

The train pulls out of the station and I sit back breathing a sigh of relief that my journey home has begun.

Along comes the guard from Virgin Trains collecting and checking everyone's tickets. He gets to me, pauses, looks at my ticket and says "There's no meal for you, no alcoholic drinks, just teas and coffees!". I admire his bluntness at delivering the message (it made me chuckle inside), I say "Why not?", he says "East Coast services say we've just to carry you, not feed you". And with that he rips away the little seat cover that says "First Class" from behind my head in a physical act of targeted disdain which leaves me feeling like the social pariah of Virgin First Class than I am. An unwelcome interloper amongst 'their' customers sitting in a little naked seat, alone, and starving...starving for something to eat, starving for love, care and attention and a minimal level of customer service.

Now I dont know if East Coast Mainline trains actually did say this, but come on Virgin you are better than that! You are a brand company - right now your brand stock is very low with me. Two wrongs do not make a right. Is anyone listening - can anyone offer me an explanation? Or does no one have the appetite to answer that question. You might not have the appetite but I do, I am starving here.

UPDATE:20/07/2011 I would just like to say that Virgin (not EastCoast) responded to my complaint in good time, noted all of the issues, issued a full explanation and apologised for the inconvenience as well as offering me the opportunity to travel with them gratis. THIS is exactly what I expected from a Virgin brand and am delighted at the way they have handled this situation. Top Marks!