My stroke rhythm was sent haywire yesterday as I fought valiantly to keep my usual headphones secure in my ear. The cord kept getting trapped between my arm and torso and each stroke wrenched the ear piece further around my neck. I had to request assistance from the sidelines and it’s no easy matter sticking something in the ear of a rower topping 33 strokes per minute.

I was glad to get my hands on a pair of the Jabra Bluetooth wireless headphones. Not that I mind too much about running with a cord jiggling about but rowing is another matter. The Jabra sport isn’t entirely wireless as there’s a cord between the two earpieces, but it doesn’t require a wired connection to your phone or mp3 player.

I first tried the headphones in the kitchen, singing along to Adele while I was rustling up a chilli. With the iPhone abandoned at one end of the kitchen I found the reception a little patchy as I moved from cooker to fridge and back again. The strength of connection was supposed to be excellent inside so I was expecting to have problems when I took them outside but actually found it to be clear as a bell.

For active wear it’s recommended that you wear your iPhone in the provided arm band to keep the distance between gadgets at a minimum. I’m now the proud owner of 3 iPhone armbands and have found the Jabra version the most comfortable – its not going to be waterproof though so only suitable for the fair weather runner.

The earpiece fits very comfortably but it has a bit of weight behind it and as a result can feel a bit unstable when you run. I had the sense that it might jump off my ear lobes and kept checking that they were still in place.

It suits the larger lobed runner.

If you aren’t well endowed on the ear front you could try my other headphone retention accessory – the Windrush headband, which is a marvellous creation in its own right but probably not a year round solution.

My latest run was conducted without the need for retention devices, and I was beginning to get quite attached to the headphones. I was wondering whether the sense of freedom was worth the relatively high price tag of £99 when a strange ladies voice interrupted my audiobook listening to inform me she was running low on battery power. I hadn’t factored in the battery issue of a cordless headset. I’d checked the Garmin and the iPhone for juice before I set off but now was only 3k into a loop of Richmond Park with a stroppy headphone telling me she was about to go on strike.

Another demanding gadget is beginning to feel a little less liberating.

All in all, I was impressed by the quality of these headphones. The sound and reception were excellent and it’s a huge bonus to have an FM receiver built in. Despite it taking a little while to get used to having a relatively bulky item sitting above your ear lobe, the headphones did remain in place through running and rowing trials. The only downside is power related, the usage of any Bluetooth device drains battery power of the iPhone and the headsets themselves need to be charged up regularly.

My very first running shoe was from the Asics GT range and ignoring the occasional dalliance with ultra minimal barefoot shoes, and condition specific trail shoes, I’ve stuck with Asics all the way. I’m afraid to say that as the years have passed my wallet has expanded and I have been persuaded to part with much more of my cash as I’ve climbed up the range in search of magic, go-faster running shoes. I do the same with cleaning products, you cant beat bicarb of soda and a bit of vinegar but you still can’t stop me wasting money on flash products and gizmos that promise to clean the house for me.

I was recently sent a pair of Asics GT-2170 running shoes to review and I’m really pleased to have the opportunity to place the GT-2000 series against the Gel-Kayano range and see if I can find an excuse to continue paying the extra £30-£40.

Both the GT-2170 and Gel Kayano are classed as stability shoes and are recommended for the moderate over-pronator. They are also both well cushioned running shoes which make them a good option for the overweight or heavy runner.

If you were in any doubt, I should inform you that the lovely clean pair of running shoes are the Asics GT-2170 and the rather muddy pair in the photos are my well worn Asics Kayano-17′s. The GT-2170′s have been restricted to fair weather and treadmill running duties for the duration of the testing.

I feel like I’m playing spot the difference with these images but they are remarkably similar shoes on a number of levels.

Both models incorporate the new guidance line feature in the sole. This is the longitudinal groove carved into the midsole that guides the foot through the most efficient stride and apparently helps reduce the weight of the shoe. On examination of the upper I was expecting to find that the Kayano was plusher and more comfortable but my suspicion is that they are actually identical – both are equally padded around the tongue and foot inlet (I’m sure it has a proper name but hopefully you’ll know the area I mean).

I’ve worked quite hard to find the differences in feel and performance between the GT-2170 and the Asics Kayano but I’m afraid I haven’t come up with anything concrete. The midsole is noticeably different between the models and I would suggest that this gives rise to a slightly more luxurious and cushioned feel to the Kayano but it is not a huge difference.

Admittedly I’ve been comparing a brand new pair of GT-2170′s to a pair of Kayano’s with 180 km on the clock. My impression is that the “new shoe feel” is more pronounced for the Kayano’s, you come out of the store feeling as though you are bouncing on air. That doesn’t seem to last very long though and after a couple of weeks I’d say the two shoes were pretty much on a par.

I think my next purchase could well be for a pair of Asics GT-2170 running shoes. So what to spend my extra £30 on?

I got up early enough to hit traffic jams in the Royal Parks – hordes of runners and dog walkers trying to enjoy the beautiful winter sun on the frosty ground.

My original plan was for a short loop of Wimbledon Common followed by a full lap of Richmond Park but I was at the back of a very long queue of Range Rovers so decided to start at RP instead and mix up the route.

My 15k plan required a lap and a bit. I was well aware that the “bit” would require monumental mental strength to complete when my very sole would be pleading with the body to veer off and take the car back home, so I opted to complete this first. I started with the 5k Richmond Park Run route and then repeated last weeks 10k bridle way loop.

It felt so much better than last week, although I’ve just checked the average pace and it was exactly the same pitiful result as last Saturday. Still, I went 5k further and it doesn’t detract from the joy I felt to be out there in the cold, sunny park, surrounded by runners and walkers -athletes every one.

I’m approaching marathon training with all new vigour this week. After a slow and somewhat glum start to the program, which saw me achieving only 20km of a 20 mile weekly target, I have decided to show a little more gumption this week and commit.

Today was scheduled for my mid-week longish run which means a resurrection of the running commute. I wasted a good portion of the day playing with google maps, trying to determine the best tube station to start my run from. Shame I didn’t spend more time examining the details of the route.

It didn’t seem that tricky, just Tooting Bec to X marks the spot but less than a mile from home I managed to get myself horrendously lost, turning right when I should turn left and then again. Looking at the map it seems like such a sharp bend that I can’t understand why I didn’t notice that I’d just doubled back on myself and come back down a parallel street.

After specialist advice from Carrie, my mates retriever, I broke a new #plankaday record at 74 secs. I even managed to hold off the wailing until after the minute marker so something structural must be happening to my core, either that or the Thai beer with dinner played its part in numbing my core.

Finished off with an uncomfortable rowing set of 3 x1000m.

I haven’t broken any speed records or even come close but I have just completed a torturous 5k on the treadmill, completed my #plankaday and there is still time left in the day to watch 2 episodes of The Biggest Loser. That is surely cause for celebration and the perfect excuse to crack open one of the left over bottles of Xmas fizz.

The cat, pictured, is not in a celebratory mood.

All mouth and no trouser….

Despite wailing, breath holding and more wailing, the all-over body shudder had me collapse in a vainglorious heap after today’s #plankaday attempt. A mere 48 secs to Jogblog’s 62.

Pants!

I headed to the rower with the bitter taste of defeat in my mouth.

Life didn’t get an awful lot better here. I felt like I had a tight band around my chest, crushing me while I rowed. I stopped to stretch and then decided to ignore my impending coronary in order to crack on with the task at hand.

6500 metres later I disembarked or whatever you do with rowers, and discovered that the tight band was actually my heart rate strap that I’d tightened for one of the skinny teenagers we have knocking around the house.

I’m in search of habits – little habits.

I’ve signed up to something called 3 Tiny Habits. I don’t know much about yet as it hasn’t started but I’m guessing that it requires me to develop 3 small habits.

But what to choose?

Daily running aka Janathon, sounds like a major habit. Nail biting sounds simple enough but really what is the point?

I’ve plumped for one sun salutation per morning and then Jogblog came to the rescue by introducing to me to a perfect option: #plankaday. The hash indicating that this is a twitter incarnation, the plank bit suggests there will be pain, but not for very long and the aday part makes it perfect habit material.

Sorted, only one more to find.

I’ve also inadvertently entered into a competition with the said Jogblog and possibly FitArtist if she doesn’t eat too much pizza.

This isn’t my entire Janathon offering though as I actually ran today. I took a trip out to my favourite running haunt and followed the bridle way around Richmond Park to complete a very sedate but satisfactory 10k. I was actually scheduled for a ten-miler but this marathon plan is progressing way faster than my ability to keep up with it.

I also read about running today, which has got to count for something. I’ve started a new book called, rather aptly Run Fat Bitch Run. I shall quote liberally from the second chapter as I believe it rather succinctly explains my current frustration with running.

You will reach a stage in some runs when everything feels so right that you almost forget you are running. You are running ‘in the zone’ and that is a real pleasure. You will hate some runs from start to finish. What you ENJOY is less the run itself and more what the practice of running is enabling you to do with the rest of your life. The pleasure you really get from running is FROM THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE RUN; that you put your trainers on, braved the outdoors and actually did it, in spite of all the excuses you could think of not to.

So with that accepted, I am happy with a plank and a 10k for today.

Ideally rest days should be scheduled rather than stumbled upon. Yesterday I accidentally arrived at midnight without exercising and therefore declared it a rest day but it was not restful. I must have told myself at least 6 times during the evening that I should exercise but I was quietly resistant and unfortunately still a little edgy.

Today I feel as though I have made up for my tardiness. I woke feeling a bit ropey but I strapped myself into the rower and churned out 6k to start the day. I left it feeling quite spritely despite the persistent buttock cramps.

I’ve just finished the day with a set of body weight exercises using the TRX Suspension trainer that Santa delivered. It hasn’t had much use up til now but I picked up a £9 chin-up bar from Lidl this morning which I can use to support the contraption from the bedroom door. I feel much happier now I can use it indoors, it feels so much safer suspending myself above a shag pile carpet rather than the concrete patio.

Arms are killing as well as the buttocks now.

I came off the treadmill this evening feeling like a very glum ole Bagpuss.

My running spirit has deserted me and I am currently at an all time slow. It seems that I am now as slow as I was in the run walk days of my running initiation 5 years ago.

Any luck and this slight snuffle will turn into full blown flu overnight and I will feel vindicated.