I pulled a muscle in my back last week so was a bit tender but managed to keep to the training programme. While out running I was shocked to see that there had been a serious fire in the tower block
Fred Wigg House, which overlooks Wanstead Flats. Thankfully no-one was hurt, but as a
housing bod, I shudder every time I look at the damage (not picture above).
I finally took back the
useless "
Ironman" running watch to
Sweatshop and got my money refunded. The sales assistant was very good and almost sold me a £249 all
singing, all dancing GPS, heart monitor, "
Motoactv" Walkman. Luckily I managed to keep my sanity and escape. By co-incidence I have managed to work out how to download music to my Blackberry and was amazed at the sound quality. I'm trying to see if there is a decent running "apt" I can download.
Run of the week was on Saturday. After my Council Sugary in the Community Centre, Rokeby Street, E15 (taken up with repairs and OAP internal decs) I went home but ran back to the ward for my 75 minute long run of the week. I did a circuit of the ward. Not really a good idea since I kept stopping to check things out and take photos of a few problems and issues. There was a small fly-tip at the green lawn roundabout in Marriott Road. This roundabout was the site of the bomb crater caused by this:-
"
In the early hours of 1st February 1945 at 3:03 am, Hitler’s last weapon of terror, a V-2 Rocket, left a trail of death and destruction on the sleeping street. An unmanned, guided, ballistic missile that had a maximum speed of 3440 mph, flying at an altitude of 52-60 miles, and carrying a warhead of 2150lbs of high explosives dropped without warning onto the sleeping Barnby Street, at up to four times the speed of sound. The ultra-high-speed descent meant that no sound was heard by those about to be hit. The effects of the resulting explosion were catastrophic, the explosion and subsequent sonic boom were heard all over London.
On that cold winters night, in just a few short seconds 29 people lost their lives and 15 others were seriously injured. Houses were totally destroyed and the surrounding streets were severely bomb blasted".
Check out
Newham Stories. Barnby Street (now Marriott Road) had already suffered damage from 7 previous German air raid bombings. Newham alone suffered 40 V2 ballistic missile attacks in 1944 and 1945. The picture above was taken only a few hours after the attack. I will speak to my ward fellow ward Councillors Ron and Freda about getting some sort of memorial on this spot.
On the way back I went around Stratford Park and said a brief "
hello" to one of my fellow school governors in Aileen Walk .
When I got home I felt okay and even a little smug that I had no aches and pains. "
I'm getting really fit" I thought. Then despite stretches and resting I began to slowly stiffen up, limp and suffer.....Only another 4 months of this to go!
(I am running the
London marathon next year using the official
advanced training programme and will be
raising funds for Homeless Youth charity "
Alone in London". Click
here to sponsor me).
Stop Press: Good News! Free tickets tomorrow (Saturday 11 August only) to the London 2012 Olympic Park for Newham Residents.
I pulled a muscle in my back last week so was a bit tender but managed to keep to the training programme. While out running I was shocked to see that there had been a serious fire in the tower block Fred Wigg House, which overlooks Wanstead Flats. Thankfully no-one was hurt, but as a housing bod, I shudder every time I look at the damage (not picture above). 
