Birthday Blah

OK, so I haven't exactly been posting like a maniac since my marathon update, but at the same time it hasn't been two years since June. At least I hope not, or I am now moving into a new mental arena that I should perhaps investigate more thoroughly.

But regardless, today I'm posting because it's my birthday. I'm actually in a very good mood today even though I have three good reasons not to be...

1. I live in the tropics, but for some reason it is pissing down with rain, which happens every year at this time. Not just drizzling or raining heavily, but pissing down. The kind of pissing down that makes you stop in the street, half chewed chocolate bar in your mouth, wondering who just threw that bucket of water at you. I see people run when it rains like this, and I wonder why. I mean, it's not cold and you're already as wet as you can be so what's the point in running? And don't even get me started on the Thai populations belief that a 7-11 carrier bag on the head is likely to keep one dry during a monsoon. 

2. It's Monday. Birthdays on a Monday are shit. For starters you will probably have to work, or at least attend a lecture or course of some kind. But this is not the worst part. The worst part is that if you're lucky you've been spoiled by three previous years of weekend birthdays. Three years when you can completely cut loose on your birthday without fear that you just might have to vomit into a drawer at your desk, or wonder whether colleagues/clients/students can smell the poisonous and slightly toxic blend of fumes drifting from your every pore. Three years without worrying that the fart that is about to eek out of you, despite the tightest of clenchings, will immediately announce itself as something akin to Agent Orange that creates in the people around you various faces of horror, disgust, and in cases unconsciousness. It's quite depressing that this year you have either already celebrated, or will have to wait a few days to celebrate. Unless the above mentioned scenarios carry no fear for you, which quite frankly probably means you should be out i the general populous.

3. I am now 39.

I'm only around halfway through my first day of being 39 and already seven people have used the "oooh, it's the big one next year". Seven people, three of whom I have never actually met face to face before, have already written off this coming year of my life as some period of time that I simply have to get through in order to reach forty. Not one of these people asked my age, they simply jumped straight in there as though they have the psychic ability to sniff out that in 365 days I will be another year older. And why have they done this, aside from the fact that they are lacking in basic social skills? Because of Skype, that's why.

Now, I'm a man who knows how to use a computer in the modern world. I have a Facebook account that has privacy setting tweaked to my satisfaction, I Tweet through my days on a relatively regular basis without fear of attack. I'm even tinkering with Google+. But I lowered my guard to a little bit of software that generally does nothing but pass on my titbits of conversation to friends and co-workers. Software that does very little besides pass messages backwards and forwards. Perhaps this is why it is so malicious? Small software syndrome. Regardless, today anyone who has me as a contact on Skype received the following message :

"Mik Jennings turns 39 today"

Why? What's wrong with Facebook's "Mik Jennings has a birthday today"? Why the need to gleefully inform people of my age? It's not that I'm really concerned about being 39. Quite frankly most of my friends, and probably more than one of my close family relatives will tell you that I still behave like a man who has yet to leave his teens (which ,while not always said in such a way, I always receive as a complement). It just seems so rude to just throw it out there. It has irked me. And I just wanted you to know.

Marathon-tastic!!

So it's two years since my last post. In fact, it's a little more but I'll try to skim over as though nothing has happened. I've decided the best way to do this is to basically ignore the last two years worth of information and start again. My simple reasoning is that if it's another 23 years before I post then it will seem to slide seamlessly from one even to the next. Just presume that everything is the same.

OK, so one event at a time. It's now 1 week to the day that I completed the Phuket marathon and having just removed another (my third) toe nail I figured I'd share some of the pain with you. Anyone who knows me but hasn't seen me for a while will probably be quite stunned that I've done this because quite frankly I hate exercise, particularly running. I've wasted hundreds of pounds at gyms and started programs countless times and got nowhere. So what's changed?

Well, about a year and a half ago I noticed that I was starting to expand due to the fact that most of my time was spent at a desk. Justifying my decision as a money saver (i.e. I didn't have to join a gym) I downloaded a "couch to 5km" program and off I went. This went relatively smoothly aside from a minor knee issue that needed a few weeks rest and then I got caught up in someone else's idea. I'd been gently moving o from 5km towards the 10km barrier sporadically for a few months when the missis, in partnership with an instructor at the shop she manages decided on signing up for the Phuket marathon. Not wanting to appear feeble I decided that I'd be up for it too, afterall I was doing 8 or 9 km each run and it's only 5 times that, right?

The Training

So the training started with 4 runs a week of varying distances and I hated it. Really hated it. Plus I was doing lots of diving at the time so I was missing large lumps of training and really starting to feel that there was no way I was going to get the trining done. In fact, 10 weeks before the race I was convinced I would not get the required training done and had all but decided to drop out. But things were about to improve.

We changed training plans about 9 weeks out and I managed to stick religiously to it all the way to race day. Basically it was the following...

Monday - Relax
Tuesday - Run short but fast intervals with short recovery periods in between. The intervals got progressively longer as training went along.
Wednesday - Strength session. These involved focussing only on muscles used for running and in my opinion helped enormously!!
Thursday - high tempo run. Running beyond expected race pace but not at the high interval pace. Again, these sessions got longer.
Friday - Strength session
Saturday - Rest and stretching.
Sunday - Long run. anything up to 3 hours, which involved a lot of getting up at stupid o'clock in the morning

The above combined with a strict self imposed stretching regime got me to the start line feeling remarkably confident of a finish.

Race Day

A 3am wake up in our fancy dan hotel room at Laguna Beach Resort was very upsetting, but when the race starts at 4:30 there really is no option. Preparation was key and so 4 toes that had been troublesome in training were taped up. Water packs filled with 2 litres of water and 6 gel packs in the pockets. Several spoonfuls of peanut butter and honey were eaten. And the the things that nobody tells you about before you embark on the training. Tape over my nipples, which was to protect them from the horribly painful chafing they'd received on several training runs. Heaps of vaseline on the inside thighs, inner arms, and gentlemens vegetables. The less said the better here, but trust me. No vaseline = lots of pain.

The race started on time and I spent the first 3 miles concentrating very hard on not getting caught up in setting off too fast. My training had taught me that if I felt comfortable in the first few miles I was more than likely actually running too fast and wouldn't make it. So the slow pace was kept. There was a good feeling on the run and as it started to get light the scenery was wonderful and other runners generally cheery. Having my own electrolyte in a back pack enabled me to miss out on the scrums at the early water stages and I felt this was a big advantage. On the half way point I was feeling good and it was around this time that I first hit the fruit and the water form the stops as they were now quieter.

13 Miles Plus

Not long after the half way point (2 hours and 23 minutes) I started to worry about the fact that I hadn't trained over 3 hours during my program. The blurb had told me not to worry about this, as had every website I'd read on the subject but my psyche disagreed. I went through a 45 minute or so patch of worry during which I felt every twinge and muscle stiffness imaginable. This was the first battle of the marathon and I was hoping, my last.

At about 18 miles I was starting to loosen up again and though I was tired I still felt pretty confident and it stayed that way until around the 21 mile marker. I was convinced at this point that the last 6 miles or so would be relatively easy as it was the home stretch. How wrong I was!! I started to really feel the pain at about 5 miles out and it just got worse and worse from there on.

The Last 5 Miles

To try to explain this small section of the race I think is virtually impossible to anyone who has not gone through it. I've talked with friends on both sides of the fence, and though I've had lots of "I can imagine" and "Oooh, it must have been hard", everyone was laid back as they said it. Anyone who had done it pulled pained faces and/or laughed at the memory of the trauma.

It's not really correct for me to describe what I went through as painful because it's not, at least not in the traditional sense of wanting to shout 'ouch' very loudly. It's just that the energy is spent, there's nothing left, it's all about winning a battle of the mind and keeping the legs moving. I ran the last 3 miles very much feeling like I was towing a fully laden Ford Transit van, and the distance from the 500m marker to finish line felt more like a mile. The feeling on crossing the line was not the elation I had been expecting for the previous month, but more a feeling of complete and utter relief that it was over.

Recovery

The week of recovery has been quite surprising. First of all, as soon as I crossed the line I stopped. Then I hugged the missis (who finished 40 minutes ahead of me). The I leaned on a fence. Then I had a small medal hung round my neck which I though was going to over balance me. At that point I was lead gingerly to the medical tent where about 7 lovely muslim ladies laid me down and covered me in ice cold towels. I stayed there for about 15 minutes and enjoyed every sencond. As I stood to leave I had a big dizzy spell so sat down for another 10 minutes. And then walked very slowly back to the hotel.

The day was very stiff and painful but after four or five hours of laying down we had a Sunday Roast and about 3 hours after that a pizza. The following morning I was as stiff as a board, particularly in the knees, and was also on the road to losing toe nails. A few things have surprised me though, and these are :

1 - I have loosened up remarkably quicky. One week on and I have only a stiff heel/achiles to worry about, and even that is only the first 5 minutes after an extended priod off my feet.

2 - I am now down 3 toe nails. It hasn't been painful, but it has been a surprise.

3 - I'm missing the training. Not the long runs, but the other stuff. Afterall, I lost about 4kg and several inches off my waistline and it seems my body likes it that way. I am already looking at the trainers and wondering

4 - I want another goal. And I really mean mean I WANT ONE!!

I honestly thought that after the run I would hang up the Adidas and drink beer and watch TV feeling satisfied. But it's not that simple. I want to exercise, and more surprisingly I want to run. It's only a matter of days away, I'm sure of it. But the most surprising thing of all? This time next year is the Bali triathlon......I may have found my goal...

No Sharkfin in Thailand

I know I know, crap at updates and so on but what can you do? I won't bore you with excuses but sometimes living at sea means you can't get on the internet. I'm sure most people who were involved with the Tesco Shark Finning campaign were aware of this, but it has been removed from their stores in Thailand!! Hurrah!! Success!!!

At least partially. See the mail below from the Shark Trust who are still in contact with them in the hope that they can also have shark fin removed from their stores world wide. Also, many thanks to everyone who helped out in this cause, I was completely overwhelmed!! Anyway, here's what the Shark Trust have to say...

Tesco Gains Shark Fin Conscience

Following intervention by the Shark Trust retail giant Tesco withdraws shark fins from sales in its Thailand stores.

In October 2008 the Shark Trust was alerted by concerned divers that Tesco stores in Thailand were selling shark products including shark fin. Following a meeting in late March with Tesco senior staff the Shark Trust is pleased to confirm that Tesco have withdrawn shark fin from sale in their Thai stores. 

“The shark fin trade encourages unsustainable mortality and unacceptable levels of waste and it is imperative that large retailers like Tesco appreciate the impact of the fin trade on shark populations,” said Ali Hood, Director of Conservation for the Shark Trust. “The Trust has met with Tesco and presented a compelling case for the cessation of sale of shark fin in their stores, we see Tesco’s agreement to cease the sale of fins in their Thailand stores as a promising start.” 

Studies demonstrate that up to three quarters* of the fins entering the fin trade originate from unreported sources, likely from sharks which have been finned: the fins removed and carcasses dumped over board, often still alive. It is the sheer extent of the shark finning activities that make it near impossible to trace the provenance of fins back to managed fisheries, meaning shark fin products sold by large retailers are highly likely to have come from unmanaged or illegal fisheries.

In 2005 the Walt Disney Company was faced with a similar challenge when they proposed to serve shark fin soup in their new Hong Kong theme park. Working with other conservation NGOs the Shark Trust succeeded in persuading Disney that the sale of shark fin products did not conform to their environmental policy – shark fin was removed from the menu.

The Shark Trust is encouraged by Tesco’s willingness to meet and discuss the wider issue of the sale of shark products in their other Asian markets and will assist Tesco in addressing their sourcing policy. However, the Shark Trust will continue to advocate for a removal from sale of all shark fin products.

End

Tesco - ever get the feeling you're being fobbed off?

OK, so after only 12 days Tesco actually send a response form their 'customer service' department. If you've e-mailed them about this issue already then I'm sure that you will have received the same one, you know.....

Dear Michael,

Thank you for your email. I can confirm like many other retailers in Thailand, Tesco sells shark fin in its stores as our customers expect to be able to buy it.

We know that we need to balance different cultural attitudes, in this case respecting the different traditions and values on this issue that exist in Thailand with the very important issue of sustainability and welfare. This is why we will conduct a review and take expert advice to ensure that we source shark in the most sustainable way possible.

Thank you for contacting us.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting TES5624003X.

Kind Regards

Wayne Hansen

Customer Service Manager

Tesco Customer Service

I've been passed on this same response form many people (thanks for the FYI's) and rather amusingly they're all from Customer Service 'Managers'. It's true, people really do prefer a title over a good salary and job satisfaction.

Personally, I've mailed Tesco a response stating that I'm unhappy with their stance on this issue and have asked them to pass me on more information on how exactly they're likely to find sustainable shark fin. I'll post here in at least a fortnight to let you know.....

Mik.

Finally a response from Tesco!!

It took around 4 days, pressure from various organisations (especially the Shark Trust, thanks Ali), and what I presume was quite a large volume of e-mails from around the world but hopefully we're getting somewhere. On Friday, Tesco UK finally got themselves in to gear and released the following statement...

"We do not stock shark or shark derived products in the UK in accordance with our UK Fish Sustainability Policy.

We have become aware that such products are stocked in Tesco stores overseas, namely Thailand.

We have communication from Board level to delist threatened species and that we must develop a sustainability strategy for the rest of global shark sales.

As a consequence we would like to invite representatives from the Shark Trust to engage in dialogue on this matter."

It's a really big move as far as I'm concerned, but at the same time, until the fins are removed from sale we have to keep pushing. There is also an article on the Daily Telegraph website regarding the issue (if anyone in the UK reads the paper version, please let me know if it's in there too) that can be seen at...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/10/10/eashark110.xml

Also, DIVE Magazine have informed me that they will be running a Bite Back article on this in next months (December) issue of the magazine.

Keep your eyes open for more updates, and keep pushing.

Mik.

No response from Tesco? Try their boss

If, like me, you have received nothing but an automated response to your e-mail to Tesco regarding the sales of Shark Fin in Asia you may be feeling as frustrated as me. If so, why not mail their CEO

His name is Terry Leahy, and his e-mail address is terry.leahy@uk.tesco.com. While I appreciate that this may not be the address for e-mails that actually arrive on his desk, it should at least arrive in the same building as him, and it will give the poor people on the customer service desk a rest

I've copied a copy of the e-mail I've sent below, if you want to join in the fun again either copy the original mail sent to the customer sevice desk, or even make up your own. After all, variety is the spice of life. And just in case you're living outside the UK and are thinking that Tesco means nothing to you think again. They have stores in China, The Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Slovakia, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea, Turkey, and the USA (where they are known as 'Fresh and Easy'). Feel free to write to their domestic head offices.

Also, if anyone living outside Thailand findes themselves in a Tesco store please take a look for shark fin. If you find it, please let me know and send a picture if possible.

OK, and to Terry's new e-mail

Dear Mr Leahy,

On Tuesday October the 7th I e-mailed your customer service department in the UK with the e-mail that you can read below. Unfortunately it seems to have got lost in your system and so I have contacted every person I know (who seems to have contacted every person they know), as well as several organisations who spend their days and nights campaigning againsts the issue it refers to (these include among others The Shark Trust, WWF, Greenpeace, and WildAid). I refuse to believe that all of these peoples e-mails have also gone amiss, and yet we are all struggling for some kind of response.

Somehow I also seem to have managed to contact several dive magazines (including Diver whom I believe advertise you on their website), several national newspapers in the UK as well as PADI, SSI, Project Aware and several other world wide organisations that are commited to the survival of sharks in our oceans.

I understand that things do not happen overnight, but I was expecting at least some kind of polite response that you may have been looking into the issue, even if you were actually sat at your desk picking your nose. In light of your lack of response I can only assume that the fact that a 90% decline of sharks in the ocean, primarily due to shark finning, means nothing to you when compared to profits that your company makes around the world.

Be sure that I have no intention of letting this issue drop until something is done about it. Please remember to read on in order to understand the issue at hand. You can also follow my progress on http://www.mikkylad.blogspot.com/.

Kind regards,

Mik Jennings.

Shark Trust Now Involved in the Tesco Shark Fin Issue

Ok, so things are moving onwards and upwards in the battle to have Tesco remove Shark Fin from their stores. I am still yet to receive any kind of response from the supermarket chain themselves but I now know that they are at least aware of the issue and appear to be showing some concern.

How do I know this? Because of Ali Hood at the Shark Trust in the UK. A few mails have passed backwards and forwards between us and she has informed me that Tesco's senior staff are now aware of the issue and are contacting their Asian counterparts. A response is expected by the end of the day. Keep fingers crossed ladies and gents.

See a short article on the subject on the Shark Trust website (and learn more about these awesome creatures) at...

http://www.sharktrust.org/content.asp?did=31504

Keep trucking,

Mik.

Tesco Update

First off all I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me messages of support in my effort to stop Tesco Lotus in Thailand selling frozen Shark Fin. But as an update...

24 hours after contacting Tesco in the UK I am yet to receive anything other than an automated response that they have received the mail. As you can imagine I'm over the moon that they care so much.

I've received many responses from both here in Phuket and also from other areas from dive schools and organisations that are appalled to find that a UK based supermarket chain who, lets not forget, was recognised as "an Example of Excellence in the Barclays Environmental Leadership category at the Business in the Community Awards for Excellence in July 2008". From these schools and from myself, organisations such as PADI, SSI, the Thailand Diving Association and Project Aware have now informed and will hopefully be adding their weight to my little campaign.

This morning, after finding that Tesco have yet to respond to me (or in fact to anyone I know who has e-mailed them about this issue) I have highlighted the issue to The Times, The Telegraph, The Sun, The Mirror, The Independant, The Express, The Daily Mail, among several others. Hopefully this will at least bring the issue to a wider audience.

Keep you eyes open here for more updates. But before I sign off, maybe it would interest you to know that this is not the first time that Tesco have been highlighted in the news for their lack of morals with regard to sales of 'animal products' in the east. See the link below for their ethics on selling live turtle and tortoises in their stores in China...

http://www.careforthewild.com/news.asp?detail=true&I_ID=583&section=Latest+News

Until next time, keep up the pressure guys. One smal battle at a time.

Mik.