BRCC Community Blog

Sunday 26^th April 2009 will hopefully be my second attempt at this 26.2 mile test of physical and psychological endurance.  I completed my first London Marathon in 2006, getting round in 4 hours and 1 minute.  Although I’d like to get under the 4 hour barrier if I could, my experience of last time tells me that there are so many things that can affect your time that sub-4 hours would be a bonus.  Just completing the course to my own satisfaction will be enough – and raising as much money as I can of course!

My charity is the Sarah Matheson Trust.  They raise money for people suffering from Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) which is an extreme form of Parkinsons Disease.  My dad was diagnosed with Parkinsons (and then MSA) 3 years ago.  From being a reasonably fit and healthy 60 year old he has regressed quickly so that he now is wheelchair bound and needs full-time care from my mum.  In the intervening 3 years I have never heard him complain, so the often painful, at times boring, and always time-consuming training that I am about to go through will be nothing compared to what dad goes through on a daily basis.  At least I have my independence.  At least I can move my limbs whenever I want.  At least when I have completed my training I can feed myself and dress myself.  My dad has lost all of these abilities and freedoms.

So my dad is the inspiration behind wanting to put myself through this marathon again.  Hence today, on a bitterly cold afternoon when I would much rather have stayed in with some warm mince pies in front of the telly, I braved the elements for my first real training session.  I do try to keep myself fit anyway.  In 2008 I completed the Chichester Triathlon and 4 or 5 10K (10 kilometre) races.  Several other BRCC staff and students did some of these events too so there was some good banter around school.  So my baseline level of fitness isn’t too bad, but the next 4 months or so are going to be a trial in dedication, commitment and perseverance…as well as cardiovascular endurance!  Today I cycled for 4 miles and then got straight off the bike and ran for 35 minutes (about 4 1/2miles).  Although not a long run, the first mile or so having been on a bike is a weird feeling so it always feels longer than it actually is.  Legs felt OK.  Lungs were fine.  Being an asthmatic means that cold, windy days do sometimes affect my chest so I kept a steady pace today and a heart rate average on the run of 159bpm. 

My training plan means that I will do 2 gym sessions a week, as well as one “interval” or “speed” session midweek and a longer run on Sundays.  The intensity and duration will increase as the weeks go by, with a couple of ½ marathons at key points to check on progress.  Then, sometime around the start of April, I’ll do a 20 mile run as the last big training session before the 3 week “taper” before the 26^th.  So I will have to be organised to ensure that I get my work done and still find some time to spend with my wife, friends etc.  Sacrifices certainly need to be made, but there has to be a realistic balance too.  My aim is to update this blog on a weekly basis so you can keep track of my progress and encourage me around school.  Or, if you see me limping around or asleep in a corner at least you’ll know why!

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

This page contains commonly answers to commonly asked questions. Have a look and if you still have a question just leave a comment and I will get back to you.

1. Do I need to log in to leave a comment? To leave a comment you will need to register first by choosing a name, password and giving your email. Your registration will only be completed if your email address is real because your pasword will be emailed to you.
2. Can I post articles? Only if the administrator/Default Author has decided to give you this privilege.
3. What if I already have an account with EduBlog? You will still need an password to log in but the process is much simpler. Just make sure the Blogmaster knows this so they can add you easily.

Leave your questions here and I will try to answer them.

Filed under: Q&A, Questions | No Comments »

BRCC.blog – are you ready for it?

What is a blog?  Well, have you heard of myspace, Beebo or del.icio.uh? Then you probably already know what Blogging is all about. Here is a reminder anyway.

What is blogging?

“Blogging is a way of collecting links to webpages and sharing thoughts and ideas with people online. Blogs (or Weblogs) are basically online journals or diaries which are great for sharing information and ideas”

[bbc.co.uk]

“A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.”

[blogger.com]

Who is it for?

Courses such as Media studies and already require you to demonstrate an ability to participate in some sort of blogging. Other courses will probably follow the same trend soon. Imagine logging onto BRCC blogging site and having the option of participating in a number of blogs.

• Multimedia Studies Blog – only students doing the Media Studies courses can view the contents or post comments.
• Student Council Blog – BRCC staff/pupils can view all posts and comment on selected posts. Council representatives can also post comments and moderate the existing comments.
• School Blog – Everyone can view posts and leave comments but only certain people can publish posts and decide whether or not visitors can leave comment.
• Sixth Form Blog – only open to students in sixth form
• and so on …………… sky is the limit!

Who can view my posts?

Whoever posts the article can decide whether or not it can be viewed by everyone or only the selected people. Like all other types of blogging, you can invite people to leave comments.

Can we post anything?

Well, not quite! You need to remember that this is a school blog and we have a duty of care to make sure that the blog is not used for publishing unsuitable/offensive comments so all comments will have to be moderated or approved before they are published.

Who decides whether or not my comments are published?

• The blogmaster – administers the whole thing.
• Authors – can publish/Edit posts for their own blog/department.
• Contributors – can contribute to bloggs but won’t necessarily have much admin rights.
• Everyone else – can post comments but there is nothing stopping you from putting a link to your own myspace, Beebo website which only your invited friend can get to.

What will it look like in a couple of year’s time?

Possibly, separate pages for BRCC staff, BRCC pupils, Parents and Governors, each blogging within their own communities and contributing to one-another.

Filed under: Blog, Uncategorized | Tagged: Blog, Blogging | No Comments »

I would be interested to hear students’ views on BRCC Virtual Learning Environment website.

• Do you think it has made it easier for pupils to study ICT?
• What are your views on being able to access your work and view teacher feedback from home?
• Would you like to see other other departments publish material on VLE to support your studying?
• Any other comments?

Filed under: VLE | Tagged: VLE | 2 Comments »