truecockney

I've been preparing for road events recently and each one has what I would deem a major ascent/descent. I know ideally, to condition yourself, you need to incorporate a hill into runs occasionally, however that isn't really possible considering all local routes I've seen are relatively flat in comparison.

Does anyone have any methods that simulate and condition my body to deal with climbs easier as currently I feel that any incline takes more out of me than it really should (and consequentially holds back personal improvements), that does not involve treadmills (as I do not personally enjoy them)?

I've been told by a professional dancer/choreographer in the amateur/semi-pro dance troupe I'm in that to see a further improvement that I need to learn how to use my body and physique (as I have the "ideal build") and to consider taking ballet lessons.

I am aware of the concept of ballet within all dances, but due to other commitments (full-time work) I'm unable attend classes so I am looking for something that I can use to help extenuate my moves. Would anyone have any other ideas that I can use to help myself improve again?

How beneficial can learning from an instructional video or book be? (I can learn from visual aids so this isn't as big a problem as it could possibly have been.) Are there any forms of media that explain the concept of body use?

Now that summer is well and truly here (UK), I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a summery versions of the traditional British Sunday Roast.

The only other things I can think of as a different "Sunday Roast" are fish pie and casseroles/stews, but still feel that they are too wintry for the "too hot to be cooking" days.

I had my broadband provided by Tiscali, who have recently been bought by TalkTalk, who have recently sent me a letter saying that my package will be transferred to their "standard" package.

The difference between my current package and the one offered is fairly simple, but this is also where it gets complicated.

TalkTalk have a monthly download limit of 40GB, so to find out whether it's worth my while going with the upgrade I requested information about my monthly usage. They stated that they no longer keep that information on record as it is a very complicated system!

Can they set a limit if they can't advise their customers how much has been used in any particular time? Is there any software that I can use to find out how much I use during a session? Can I use anything within Vista to monitor my usage as there was with XP?

I've had a new Valliant boiler (Pro 24) installed under a year ago and I am already experiencing issues with the Central Heating aspect of it.

I can give you the following information about it (I have had the original installer look at it but without repair so far). Does anyone else have any ideas about what may have gone wrong?

- Water pressure at cool is over 3.0psi

- Hot water running without problem

- Radiators have been bled fully with no air

- Magnaclean was installed to remove iron filing build-up from previous occupants lack of servicing, emptied in service just 4 days ago

- Firing under "SFH" mode forces water temperature to raise to maximum before cutting out, then sporadic lighting

- Pipes are clear as we have occasional heating (lasts no more than 15-30mins a time and then goes ice cold and struggle to reintroduce hot water into system)

- Manual dials on both HW and CH are at maximum

- Installed, but told that it has been disconnected, wireless thermostat

- No error messages

If anyone has any other ideas, I would be most appreciative.

To cut a long story short, I have had to install Ubuntu onto my laptop as the main OS, however I have been unable to get any of my pre-bought software to work.

I have been given (gratefully) a licence key for Windows Vista however trying to install it on a partition or as a dual-boot option (is this the same thing?) doesn't work.

How can I get Windows Vista installed on an Ubuntu OS when Linux can not run executable files?

I completed my first half-marathon a couple of months ago, and due to other circumstances, had to stop running for around 7 weeks. Also, I was unable to train for a few weeks leading up to the event so the only run I had in 10 weeks was a half-marathon.

I've just started a marathon training program and within 3 sessions I'm suddenly back up to the distances I was achieving before my forced break (8-9 miles albeit slightly slower than previously). The only thing different is the weather conditions.

Can anyone quantify just how much of a difference training in cooler conditions makes to your running capabilities compared to the warmer/more humid conditions of late summer to mid autumn as I find what has happened quite difficult to believe? Can being "fresh on the road" make that much difference?

I've recently been told that I go from dancing "with" the music to dancing "through" the music mid-performance and back again. What is the difference and how can I keep it on the "with" side of performing?

Just recently I have noticed a huge lack of information retention (work, home and socially) and looking back on things, I was fine up until a couple of years ago when in work, my workload started to reduce exponentially.

To counteract this, I tried increasing my social and activites (I dance) to try to improve my focus, but that is now being affected. I used to be able to remember routines photographically... now I find it's much harder work.

Is there anything else I can do to help reverse my reducing ability in short, long and continuous memory retention?

I've been running now for about a year and completed a 10k and half marathon in that time and will be pushing onto a marathon in May.

Now that I'm hitting 16km in my training runs, I feel that I lose impetus once I hit around the 90 minute mark and feel I need to run alongside people to make the build up enjoyable.

Does anyone know of anywhere in London that does this type of thing? East London would be preferable but willing to consider most areas (I know Ilford Running Club having a road team, but received no reply to an e-mail enquiry)

If not, where would be the best place to look for a training partner? (If anyone here wants a training partner I'm aiming at a target time of 4:15:00 to 4:30:00)

I've been dancing about 5 years, and the one thing I haven't had experience on (personally) is choreographing a routine. I have done small bars of music (16-24 beats) but nothing more and now I've committed myself to prepare a routine, I'm not sure where to start.

Once you have the piece of music, what do you use to gain inspiration and piece together dance movements (in any style) that portrays the story of the piece?

I'm reading through the Alex Cross series and noticed that the first two had been released as movies.

From anyone who has read the books and seen the movies (starring Morgan Freeman), how do the movies compare with the books? Are they a worthwhile accompaniment?

I bought a property on a leasehold agreement and the freeholder arranges all necessary building insurance cover.

I have been told by the freeholder that, despite a structural repair needs doing and this is deemed covered by the buildings insurance, I, as leaseholder, must arrange and pay for all repairs before any insurance claim can be put in.

As this is a structural repair, and covered by the buildings insurance that I am paying for through the freeholder, I would have thought that the freeholder should be responsible for the upkeep of the buildings structure.

Also, with regards to any excess, surely it would be the policy holder that pays this (as this should be part of the service charge and ground rent payable annually) as it is their responsibility for the upkeep of external issues.

I have a tongue and groove ceiling in my bathroom and due to previous flooding above me, one of the tongues has slipped out leaving a nice "split" in the ceiling.

Does anyone know of a way I can repair this as I can't really afford to have a builder come in and potentially have to replace the whole ceiling, even for the time it takes to get the money back off my insurance (they want the repair done first before reimbursing cost)?

In case it makes a difference, the boards appear to have been treated and painted with white water proof paint.

Due to the current spate of train strikes happening on the National Express East Anglia lines, can you request an extension to a season ticket as you were unable to travel as "no" service was provided?

I have some kind of foot fungus/rash that is currently undiagnosed, but I'm currently in the process of training for a half marathon in 3 months (rubbish timing, I know).

Is it advisable to rest until my problem is treated? I am waiting for a diagnosis at the moment, but no idea when that will actually be and never had to manage with anything like this before.

My girlfriend is coming off anti-depressants but a change has come over her. I know it can take a while to start getting used to full emotion control again, but is there anyway I can help her? I'm already showing the support, and try (albeit mostly unsuccessfully) to get her laughing wholeheartedly, but I can't help but wonder whether there is more I can do.

Preferably, I'd love to do it in a way she doesn't even realise (maybe a change the meals we prepare rather than yoga or meditation as neither of us can sit down in peace that long).

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We have just had a scenario whereby a long-term temporary contractor (in their job longer than a year) has lost out on holiday pay, despite taken all time off. The scenario is...

Mr X starts work through an agency on 1 January and agrees to be paid on a PAYE basis. He takes his full holiday entitlement of the year (28 days) by the end of September:

- 2 weeks in April

- 2 weeks in July

- 2 long weekends in September

Obviously, as a temporary contractor, he had not accrued the holiday by the time that he taken all leave so did not get paid it all. But, as he has successfully completed one full year, it turns out that he has "sacrificied" 7 days holiday pay at 31 December, despite going on leave for the required length of time.

Would he be entitled to have that "sacrificed" 7 days paid to him at his anniversary date when it is evident he has taken the time off?

I've read a few bits and pieces on Runners Knee as I feel I'm showing the symptoms, and before it gets worse, I've read that you need to strengthen the muscles around the patella.

I cannot swim, but I cycle and dance. Are there any other activities that I can do to strengthen the muscles while the cartilage heals?

I can feel a knot deep in the muscle of my partner's lower back causing her a lot of discomfort.

Is there a way to release the knot or to ease the pain that she is suffering while it releases naturally?