A rest day in hell....

Why is it that when it comes to my rest days – the sun is out?

The hell I refer to is a floor to ceiling window with a view of grass, trees and the pavement leading away from this office all dappled in spring sunlight with long lazy shadows describing changes in temperature and view that all together is one of the most galling views I can get. Why? Because today is a rest day and these perfect conditions cannot be taken advantage of.

Should one forgo the rest day in order to take advantage of such opportunities or should we be faithful to the training schedule and keep to the knowledge that the muscles need to repair and recharge after a weekend of exercise? Its less that seven days until the half marathon I know – but more importantly – how, post this race (if I can call it a race) should this be dealt with when the triathlon training is in full swing and the long distance running behind me for the moment?

I love running in good weather – as I am sure everyone does – but spring is just one of the best seasons when it is cold enough not to overheat but bright enough to don the sunglasses and feel alive. Should I take advantage of this feeling at the expense of my muscles? Perhaps I am not training enough in order for this to be an issue (although Monday and Tuesday this week felt different).

Personally I wish I had brought my running gear with me today, I would happily move the rest day to a rainy tomorrow and run today in fine sunshine in the knowledge that even if it is doing a little damage to my legs, its doing far more good to my head!

An evening ride

Evening. God I can't wait for the summer! It is pitch black and freezing cold outside, it's blowing a gale and for some reason the wife thinks it would be good for me to go out on the bike! Perhaps she is trying to claim on the insurance?! Anyhow, I fix the lights on the bike, pump up the tyres, put two layers of clothing on, a face mask and don my silver helmet (the wife says I look scary now!) and precede to step out the door with my trusty road bike.

The cold hits my arms straight away and I realise I am going to have to keep the effort up in order to stay warm. This isn't going to be a long ride....

The car drivers out this evening are a peculiar bunch in that they all seem surprised to see another road user, especially one that has the audacity not to have a petrol motor. The fail to indicate, rev their engines behind me, flash me, shout at me and generally behave in the way I have become accustomed to people behaving to others in this country after several pints of lager and a curry! What a terrible shame that the evening motorist is so intolerant. I wonder what causes these outbursts?

The lack of indicating I can put down to either laziness or just plain ignorance of the rules of the road, also a lack of understanding of how this effects a cyclist, having to slow down especially and then stand up out of the saddle to get going again, loosing an emense amount of speed and momentum etc.

The almost proactive bulling of cyclists however I cannot truly understand. Is this an knee jerk reaction by the motorist when he finds someone doing something that he feels guilty that he isnt? Someone making an effort to keep fit where he just piles on the pounds from the pies and ales? Probably not, but I would feel better if it were this simple. Could it be that there is an undercurrent in this society that simply doesnt like people who are different or cause them to divert from their predesposed route due to this difference?

My theory therefore is that motorists who dislike cyclists do so simply because they need to make the effort to go around them, and unlike a parked car, are doing something that they dont.

Anyway - hit a flipping pot hole on the way back and have probably damaged the bearings on my front wheel - making a bit of a strange sound now. That will be an expensive ride!

Wasnt far - just 15km in 30 mins - not too bad in the dark and on the undulating road. Max speed 41.4km/hr. Probably wont go out in the dark at night again for a while....

Racing the rowers!

We arrived at the gym with kids in tow to all do our individual exercises, Kerys went off swimming to do a 'quick' 2.5km in the pool (nutter), Cai and Nia went off to the kids area to run amok with the paint and I decided that a long run was in order.

I am reasonably worried about the half marathon next weekend, I've been having second thoughts, I don't want to run as much as I did and frankly I just cannot wait until I can go back to less running and more cycling. My knees are complaining from the constant pounding, and I think I've just run myself out. I know now that I am not a runner in essence - it is purely there at the end of the race that I have fallen for - not the major element but a part. It is an essential part certainly, but it is juxtaposed by two non impact elements in the ride and swim which allow the training for a triathlon to be much less injury prone and slightly easier on the knees etc. I have also noticed that I am not loosing any weight since I started concentrating on the running. This is a little odd - but I am pretty sure its the diet that I cannot be bothered to follow which is another indication that I am not enjoying my mainly running training.

Well - I still have the half marathon to get over - so I decided to run 10km today, so I set off on the route that I did last time I was at the gym but staying on the tarmac this time and not heading cross country. It was a pretty nice run down by the river and on the way out the rowers were out in their sculls, pulling along the river at a fair old rate of knots. I carried on past the man made kayak centre with its white water course carrying goodness knows how much rampantly flowing liquid per minute to the mass enjoyment of the rubber suited people in their plastic capsules. I carried on past the turnings I have made in the past and headed straight up the road towards Little Houghton. The road shortly began to wind up the hill and my heart rate began to raise while my pace decreased, but I felt fairly good. It was a fairly nice day and I was pretty cool, I wasn't overheating at all and my legs felt OK. This was a slow pace - but one I could maintain for quite some time.

Eventually I headed down a small lane that took me to the stables and then onto a public footpath that headed down a dirt track and back towards the white water centre. I knew at this point that 10km wasn't going to be the end of it - and by the time I hit the start of the river I was at nearly 11km, the furthest I had ever run. Starting along the river the boats were out again and in full flow. An eight squad glided past me - there was no way to keep up with that - but a pair came up alongside and I thought I might stand more of a chance. I increased my pace and they actually started to drop behind me a little, I expect they were taking it easy!

Getting back to the gym I had managed just under 15km in an hour and a half and my knees were pretty sore. Well - I still wanted a swim - so I also managed 750m in the pool in just under 20 mins and that felt pretty good - but I was absolutely starving afterwards. Early to bed tonight I expect for me now - and I expect to run very little this week to save my legs for the race at the weekend.... 

Am I just lazy?

I haven't run at all for the last two days. Again my legs are killing
me - or is it all in my head? There is little over a week left until
the half marathon at silverstone and I seem to almost be loosing
interest in the running. I am desperate to get back to triathlon
training and cut down on yherunning and this the injuries.

I think next season I'll need to be a little more careful about the
races I choose. I have probably overdone it a bit for my first season.

Still - I will try to get out for a run tomorrow.

Running too soon?

Is it possible that two days isn’t enough rest after a 10km race? I know that recovery time is important and that a race is more intense than a training run – but I thought two days would be enough. Still when I started to run today my calves and shins were so sore it was almost painful.

I managed 5km – but I am wondering seriously if I should have – and will probably rest tomorrow as well now or just do some upper body workout. They are still incredibly sore – and the front of the legs is almost shin splint type pain.

I think I need a nice massage! Fat chance of that!

You may have noticed the lack of a plan this week. Well – that is because I haven’t written one yet – and not sure that I will. I don’t want to push myself too hard – especially if I haven’t recovered from the race yet – and frankly it’s a week and a half until the half marathon – so any training is likely to be purely from a confidence level etc. With that in mind I am starting my taper week early – might get a long run in on Saturday.

I reviewed my race data from the Suunto watch yesterday and it may explain why I am finding it a long recovery – the watch tells you if you are over training etc – and you would expect a certain amount of this during a race right – but my stats pushed it right into the upper boundaries. So I was obviously determined around the course – but not as fit as I should have been in order to do that time.

Right – now does anyone have some painkillers?

No training today

A combination of a long day in the office and some legs that are
frankly still sore after the weekend means that I just cannot bring
myself to train today so am pulling another rest day.

My legs actually do feel pretty sore - I am a little surprised by that
but I did walk from the station yesterday quite quickly and again
today - so perhaps they simply aren't rested enough. It's amazing the
amount of time your body requires to recover when your age starts
increasing.

It's also very windy and wet so the prospect of a run when I get home
from work at 9pm tonight is frankly rather grusome. So, a run tomorrow
morning is the order of the day I should think and perhaps a bike ride
in the evening.

I am planning a nice long 12 to 15km run at the weekend- my only
problem with that is both time and boredom. I find that after 5km I
start getting bored and struggle to keep up the interest. Any ideas on
this front would be appreciated!

Overall series results

Well, the official results are in for the overall series of multi
terrain races run by Just Racing Uk. I came 10th overall in the vets
on points - so that's pretty good against all the people running 5, 10
and 15km, especially as there were a lot of good vets in the longer
distance.

I have to say that I am pretty happy with that. I would probably have
come inside the top 6 if I had stuck to the 5km however as my second
split time alone on the 10km would have got me inside the top 10 in
the standalone 5km race. But no regrets, I am really happy to have run
the 10km now as the next stop is 22 in just under two weeks time. The
big question is, what time should I go for on the half marathon?

It's a difficult issue when you haven't run that far before. Sub 2
hours is what my mind is telling me, especially as this is the first
time I will have run for that amount of time.

No doubt I will make a decision this weekend after my long run.

Here is to a good training week, blue skies and sunshine this morning
with an autumn feel. Makes you feel alive.

Sunday Race Day - 10km

Irchester and Race Day. 10km today - my first 10km race and I am nervous. This is the last in the multi-terrain series run by Just Racing UK. They have done a great job - running the last one in snow, but the weather for this one is just about perfect. No sun, cool, not raining but damn underfoot that will create plenty of mud for the run. Perfect.

The last two 5km races I started at the back of the pack and ended up running through a lot of slower runners - so this time I decided to go closer to the front. Big mistake! A larger turnout this time meant that there were a lot of runners a lot faster than me and I spent the first 20 mins being contently overtaken by faster runners. Its a little demoralising. But I managed to get behind someone running at a decent pace and stay with them for the rest of the first lap.

I must admit - when it came to half way I was wondering if I had made the right choice to step up to the 10km. I was pretty tired, I was well over my 5km pace and I was looking at a 59 min finish - the same as my best training run so far - so I was a little depressed. I picked up some water at the water station and took two sips. The difference this made was amazing. All of a sudden I felt much better and thought that I could increase my pace and low and behold I could.

The second 5km was so much better the first. No stuggling, but lots of heavy breathing and no following other runners. I decided with 2km to go to up my pace considerably and my HR started hitting 185 - my theoretical MAX! Oh well - its a race!

Onwards - I managed to maintain this pace for the whole of the rest of the race - which certainly surprised me - and the second 5km was completed in 23:34 - better than my 5km stand alone time previsouly of over 24 mins.

I finished in 51:47 which is certainly better than I had hoped for - but it also shows that if I run at a slightly higher pace through the first half of the race - I can probably better this time and get under 50 mins.

Great race - great race team - great day. Loved it. Half Marathon in 2 weeks - bring it on!

Saturday Swimming

Decided to just go for a normal swim on Saturday. 1.75km in 40 mins with a few drills in-between. Felt OK - tried not to use my legs too much as want to save them for the race tomorrow and my arms felt pretty good.

Concentrated on keeping my body flat in the water and on rotating, so making sure my right shoulder comes up out of the water when my left arm is out front. I hear this makes you quicker - and it certainly does seem to.

Long stokes today with glides - so not race pace - tried to make sure the technique is decent rather than the pace. Interestingly I am sure I am quicker with a slow stroke than I am with a fast one, just need to strengthen the shoulders and loose a stone!

Wednesday and Thursday, Sad Days...

It was a sad day on Wednesday with the passing of our beloved and much missed feline, Jasper. He will be missed by me and all the family as well as by his sister, Lucy who keeps waiting by the back door for him to arrive back. Sorry honey, its just you now…

No training on Wednesday.

Thursday

In order to clear my head I ran to work this morning – 5km in 29:10. Not much else to say today to be honest. Still fairly upset and un-talkative. Amazing how pets really get under your skin.

It's a grey overcast Tuesday and time for a run...

I got up this morning to find a cool, overcast morning facing me for my run. Still, at least it isn’t raining so I don’t need to carry the extra Gortex layer that annoys me so much. I do however need to carry trousers, shoes etc. as I forgot to leave them in the office yesterday – so it’s a heavy rucksack this morning. My wife has kindly made me sandwiches for lunch – and I just know that they will be squished flat by the time I get to the office – but hey – what can you do?

The train is late unusually – my service from Wellingborough to London is usually pretty prompt – and it runs on the slow line so we hit London even later. I don’t mind so much – but it means that the pavements will be busier and full of people smoking which you have to run through. I decide to take some back routes in order to avoid as many people as possible.

I’ve been reading Haruki Murakami’s book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” recently and there is a lovely chapter in it near the beginning that explores what the author thinks about when he is running. He explains that he often thinks of virtually nothing with ideas occasionally popping into his head, but he tries to think about very little, and when he does he often cannot remember what it was. Well – I thought about this today as I ran my 5km into the office and wondered what I thought about when I ran. I think this state of mind must be partially down to the individual, but also down to the environment. My mind covered various topics such as “Get out of the way”, “Don’t pull out now”, “Are you really going to just block the path like that?”, “Don’t just stop like that”, “Euch, you blew that smoke straight into my face” and my all time favourite, “Can I go faster than that cyclist!”. No void of the mind for me, just absolute garbage.

I wonder if the zen like state that Haruki discovers in his running is achievable by someone like me. Do I need to run more, longer, elsewhere, without disturbance etc? Who knows. But the important thing is – when I got to work this morning I had a bloomin big smile on my face and felt great.

5km, 32 mins carrying mental baggage and a big rucksack!

This Weeks Training Plan

Monday

Rest day

Tuesday

5km run. Steady pace.

Wednesday

20km bike.

Thursday

5km run. Slow, just for endurance.

Friday

20km bike if knee is ok.

Saturday

All afternoon swimming lesson from 12:30 until 17:30!!!

Sunday

10km running race cross country.

Monday and a day off

I need to combine two things this week that don't go together well. 1.
A week of less exercise in order to perform well on Sundays 10km and;
2. The additional milage I need to get under my belt for the half
marathon in less than 3 weeks.
Today is a rest day but I am really worried that the half marathon
will suffer. My max so far is 10km and it's a bit of a big jump to
21km so my concern is still that I won't make the distance. I am still
carrying a stone to much in weight and can't find the time to do the
extra milage.
How do people find time do do training for longer distances such as
the Ironman etc? A friend of mine who has no wife and kids and did one
last year said that he was training in excess of 20 hours per week.
How do you honestly fit this in? I am already getting up at 4 to 4:30
every day so I cannot get up earlier for a run! People that do these
long distances must make huge sacrafices in order to manage them and
my hat well and truly goes off to them.

I am in awe...

Sunday and a day off at the weekend...

I went on my bike last night as well - so completed a 20km hill ride in 38 mins with some pretty high HR numbers. And so - I woke up this morning and decided to take the day off training today as I wanted to be fit and healthy for work tomorrow - and I've had enough of not allowing myself to recover from illness properly.

So - an actual day of rest, on the day of rest! Brilliant. Its a taper week anyhow this week as next Sunday is a B category race, with the 10km off road race. I am pretty sure my knees still need resting - so I shall not complain about the extra rest.

Saturday and out of bed!

It is so great to be out of bed and feeling better. I was a little worried this morning - I had a couple of twinges in my stomach and thought that they would put pay to any training today - but by 11 they had gone and I thought I'd give it a go. And what a great day for a run! Bright sunshine and a cool breeze.

So I dropped the wife and kids at the gym and got changed into my outdoor running gear and headed off cross country. I love running on the footpaths - while it doesn't get your knees ready for the pounding they take on the road - its just so much more enjoyable. So I ran through all the mud, cow manure, waterlogged ground, clay and general much that turned up on the 'path' and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Its just such a welcome relief not to be in bed or the bathroom this afternoon!

It was a day for sunglasses as well - bright sunshine today enticing you to run further and further. The only thing that stopped me today was that the route I took came back to the gym! I had to take my trainers and socks off before entering the gym and they all looked at me quite quizzically - I didn't have the guts to tell them that my trainers were covered in silage! Still - at least I took them off (and put them in a plastic bag ASAP!). They are currently going round and around in the washing machine with my other silage covered clothing.

A quick swim after - only managed 500m - and I was done today. I think that's probably enough - don't want to overdo it on the first day back after illness. The rest of this week will probably be toned down as it is my first 10km race next weekend after swimming lessons on Saturday. The 10km is the end of the Irthlingborough series I have been racing in (the previous two 5km races) so I'd like to post a half decent time to get my points up and keep me on the first page of the race results which is where I am after 2 rounds.

Quite a decent time for 10km off road for an old guy today - 01:02:58. None too shabby - but hopefully can improve on it next weekend - I'd like to come in under an hour - but not sure how realistic it is after a whole day of swimming on the Saturday. We shall see....

Further rest

I'm a bit sick of being sick to be frank! This is the second day in bed and I have only managed to get out of bed a few times. I'm taking extra iron etc now, but I'm not eating a great deal - although I'm at least not being sick today.

I'm soooo bored, but absolutely knackered - so am even struggling to watch TV. I just want to close my eyes and snooze.

I am really hoping that by tomorrow my stomach will be feeling good enough to get a run in or something - I really need to do something.

Perhaps I should start taking vitamins etc as I seem to get ill at the drop of a hat at the moment. Probably because I am extra tired due to both work and training.

Anyway - more tomorrow - back to sleep now.

Thursday in bed

I've spent all day either in bed or visiting the bathroom - so I'm completely knackered and unable to train. My boss at work was off yesterday with a similar ailment - but this has totally washed me out. I'm so dehydrated and knackered I simply cannot do a damn thing.

Not sure if I am going to manage anything tomorrow either - not really feeling up for anything.

Wednesday and its too early!

Its 5am and I am standing at the station in running gear again waiting for the train. It isn't cold, but I feel freezing - just tired I guess. We get to London on time and the streets are empty at this time of the morning, a wonderful contrast to yesterdays packed pavements and throngs
of commuters.

Its meant to be 6km on the plan today - but I decide to push this back to 5km. My leg was a little sore yesterday and I haven't even got a 6km route planned out, pretty sure I know a 5km one however.

I stick on the new Runner software on the iPhone along with some "Jimmy Eat World" and off I pound. There is something not quite right about heading the wrong way in order to get to your destination - I have to fight the urge to turn right instead of going straight on so many times
in order to keep the mileage up. The Runner software chirps in every so often telling me how far I have gone and what my expected run time will be for the 5km, a figure which is surprisingly accurate. At half way it starts telling me how far I have left which is a nice touch.

I'm averaging 02:28 per 400m which isn't going to break any records, but gives me a finish time of 00:30:35 at 5km with what can only be considered a relatively easy pace, an average HR of 150 - which is slightly elevated (possible over training?) and 565 kcal burned up.

Some of my muscles in my right leg (always seems to be that one) ache a little - so I have a good stretch, and the right knee still isn't perfect. I am due to do another 5km tomorrow - might need to change that to some core work and move the run, although I am probably going to have to bike to work on Friday as my car goes in to the garage for its MOT.

Now, given that I've done so much today and there is a bike ride planned tonight - can I treat myself to a bacon sarnie?....

:-)

Tuesday Morning Training

Ah, the morning run after the rest day is either awful or brilliant, there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground for this exercise. This morning was awful. I woke up late, ended up in a rush, had to run through the crowds on the London pavements and as I was running late for work, couldn’t manage the full 5km that I wanted to do. This is terribly annoying as I am missing a lot of build up for the half marathon and all plans indicate that really I should be able to run for 90 mins by now – something I just haven’t achieved yet.

I managed 3.6km in 20 mins at an average pace of 5:41 with a average HR of 140 and using up 457 Kcal. So – not too bad – but really I need to extend this out to 5+km.

I’ve got a packed day at work today so I haven’t got any chance to go to the gym during the day. I might run again tonight if my legs feel ok and my knee isn’t aching as I really need to get these kilometres in.

I used a new app on my iPhone this morning: Runner. It reads out your pace and distance to you while you are running which is brilliant. http://www.deltavee.fi/runner/Runner_Main.html

I am pretty impressed with this software. It gave me a full breakdown of my run in 400m sections with pace etc. and also mapped the run. You can export it all to Excel and mail it to yourself if you really want to. The great thing about this is the vocal reports on your progress – so you know how you are doing. There are a few bugs with it – but all in all its pretty good – one of the better running apps out there for the iPhone and I have tried quite a few!

Monday - Rest day....

I hate rest days. It always feels like a wasted day - but as all the books say - it is required to let your muscles recover and build new fibre etc. Well - I still itch and want to go out and run.

Took regular readings this morning:
Weight = 82kg (put on .5 of a kilo - and far too heavy again - need to cut out the fats).
Resting HR = 52 (pleased with this)
Blood Pressure = 118/58 (so much better than it used to be)

Some aches and pains in the ankles - but all together not too bad considering the exercise this weekend.

I am looking at getting some of this: http://www.myprotein.co.uk/bulk-powders/protein-powders/impact-whey-isolate/ to see if it is any good. I've heard it is worth taking after exercise to stop any muscle damage. Would be interested in any comments around this subject - don't particularly want to look like a weight lifter - but am interested in keeping the muscles healthy.

Have signed up for some swimming lessons! http://www.justracinguk.com/news/swim-clinic-0 and http://www.justracinguk.com/content/swin-clinics - they seem like a pretty good idea - and hopefully will improve my front crawl. Will see how they go as it is only 2 weeks away.

This weeks Training Plan

Monday:
Rest Day

Tuesday:
5 km run to work, slow and easy pace.

Wednesday:
6km run to work, slow and easy pace.
20km Bike ride, stationary trainer.

Thursday:
5km run to work, faster pace, some interval training for last 2 km - fast pace for 1 min followed by 2 mins slow pace, repeat until 2 miles is complete.

Friday:
Gym - core work. 45 mins.

Saturday:
10km Run - slow and easy for endurance.
Swim 1000m. Drills. Warm up 400m. 5 x 100m, Decrease lap time each time, 1 min in between set. 100m Warm down.

Sunday:
Gym - core work. 45 mins.
Bike - stationary trainer - 60 mins with hills.

Sunday evening on the Bike anyone?

Well - I got bored sitting watching the Rugby - so decided to have a go on the bike. I love my trainer - its a Tacx Cosmos trainer - and it allows you to generate a lot of power by simulating the hills. The nice thing is - it simulates the downhills as well!!!

I managed an hour on this on one of the many hill courses. I wasn't burning as much as I had in the past - 765 kcal in an hour isn't a lot on one of these - I've done over 1000 kcal in an hour before - but I figured I was best taking it a little easy given my recent injuries.

I don't feel to bad after it - but I expect my legs will ache a little tomorrow after all the running and now cycling. It's a training day off tomorrow - a chance to let the legs recover. Hopefully this week I will be able to run most of the planned days - I really need to in order to get ready for this 10km and more importantly the half marathon - which I am a liitle more confident about - but still fairly worried to be honest. 28 days until the half marathon and only 84 days until the first Triathlon of the year. It is all coming so quickly now.

I just want to manage an injury free season this year and make sure I get some finishes.

Weighed myself this evening (obviously not the best time to do so I know) and god I've put on some weight. I think I need a concerted effort looking at my diet. I could have sworn I had cut out crisps and chocolate - and yet I found myself with a packet of salt and venegar french fries in my hand this afternoon! What was I thinking? Raw carrots this evening as a snack. Mmmm, yummy. :-(

Sunday - the day of rest?

My wife and kids went up to her parents this morning leaving me at home - so I took the opportunity to head for the gym once more - in the hope that I can start to improve my swimming. The swim was a struggle - I'm still a little sore from yesterday - but the 1000m can up in 20 minutes again and I carried on for another 10 mins without counting the lengths. I'd do more that 30 mins - but I get terribly bored - what I really need is a training partner for the swim.

So - what to do next. On the plan I am doing core work - but I just don't think I have run enough this week - so I thought I'd do another 5km at an easy pace and see how my sore legs from yesterday would cope.

Well they coped just fine. In fact I am pretty pleased. Dont get me wrong - this wasnt race pace by any means - but yesterday was the furthest I had ever run and following that with another 5km today is pretty enjoyable. While I'm not getting cocky for the half Marathon at Silverstone in 4 weeks - I am becoming quietly confident that as long as I am injury free - I can complete the course.

I treated myself to a great big Tuna steak - griddled - with sun dried tomatoes, anchovies and salad. Mmm - and now to have a snooze in front of the TV and watch the Rugby......

Saturday's training

Its valentines day, so after cooking my wife breakfast in bed and breaking up the fight going on between my 2 kids - we headed off for where - but the Gym of course!

I had a pretty good swim - managed 1000m in 20 mins - it felt pretty easy - although I have to say that now I am back at home - I really ache - especially my pectoral muscles. Perhaps it wasnt as easy as it felt.

I got into my running gear after the swim and headed out into the cold - it was only about 2 degrees above 0 - and there was still ice and snow on the ground - but to be honest - that actually made the run more enjoyable this time. I ran around a place balled Billing Aquadrome - a caravan and camping site that is pretty massive with a load of lakes in it.

My only companions on this run were Geese and Swans - and quite a few of them - especially when I got to the frozen lakes. There was so much ice it was amazing. After the warmer days we have had and the sun - I am still stunned by the fact the snow is still around up here.

I kept my pace pretty low today - around 9-10km an hour. This felt pretty easy and I settled into it quite well. It also more importantly wasnt hurting my knee. I stopped half way round to take a phone call from a friend - but I didnt need to - and the legs felt as if they could do more - which is encouraging for the half marathon. The interesting thing as well - when looking at the graphs is - this little drop in pace has brought my HR right down to 140-150 which is around my lactate threshold - so it looks like this is a pace I can hold for quite some time. It isnt quick enough to really do the half marathon in under 2 hours - but it is damn close....

I managed 9.35 km in 01:01:42 - not a stellar time - but encouraging at least in the fact that I wasnt tired, could have carried on and didnt have any niggles.....

Thursday and Friday Training

My right knee is still sore which is a little concerning. I am not getting enough miles in under my belt at the moment - but all the books I read - and 220 Triathlon magazine this month re-iterated under Joe Friel's page - as soon as you feel something not quite right - dont train through it - rest it.
So - no training until this pain goes.
Its an odd pain - right across the front of my kneecap - and it feels as if you could happily run through it - but I know that as soon as I try this - I will end up damaging something and missing a load of races. Better to be conservative with this type of thing than push myself into a season ending injury. Still - its really annoying. But it did mean I could go to the pub to see off one of my friends who is heading back to New Zealand.

Hopefully by Saturday it will have stopped hurting.

Thursday Morning Training

Its quite depressing when you find that you are of an age where a couple of pints the night before have such a profound effect on you the next morning that you simply don’t want to do any exercise. I hit that issue today.

Waking up at 5am to a -4C temperature outside didn’t do my enthusiasm any good whatsoever, but I found myself lethargic to say the least and the prospect of pulling on the running gear for a run to work just filled me with a certain amount of dread which didn’t dissipate when I looked out of the window to see a frosted up car and knew I was going to have to scrape the windows in order to drive to the station. So instead I just got dressed for work and decided to walk from the station to the office in London and hopefully make it to the gym later.

I’m hoping this lethargy doesn’t last all day and that my head will clear a bit – looks like I will have to start settling for orange juice at the pub in future if I am to meet the training regime I have set myself.

There are some days when getting older isn’t much joy….

 

Tuesday evenings lack of training

In true amateur style I nursed both my knee and a couple of pints at
the pub with some fellow trainee triathletes for a few hours after
work this evening. So that's it for today. Another official rest day.
Let's hope for a better performance tomorrow! I shan't hold my breath!

Wednesday Training

I am frankly struggling to train today. Real life keeps getting in the
way if you like with work starting at 7am and a sore knee I just
haven't got a run in. On top of this I now have meetings late into the
evening so even the evening ride on the trainer is looking unlikely.

Perhaps an extra rest day would do my knew some good but it makes me
nervous every time I miss a session.

Hopefully I can get a good long run in tomorrow without any snow!

Tuesday Training

Tuesday Training Plan:

4km run to work, slow pace.

Actual: 5km run in 29 mins.

I ended up working from home today - so I went for a run in the evening instead of the morning, and it was in the snow again. The pavements were covered in snow and ice - and rather than running in the trail shoes which were wet, I went out in a pair of road shoes. Wow - they were all over the place and I ended up with a sore right knee and a very sore stomach. Almost felt as if I had pulled my stomach muscles from trying to hold myself up. Core muscles working overtime.

Quite enjoyed the run - the average pace was something like 5.5 mins per km - which was very comfortable - could have carried on quite happily if my knee hadnt been so sore. The plan for running tomorrow is probably out of the window - I think I had better rest the knee.

My New Suunto t6c watch/HR monitor/Training aid!

It is all these things and more!

So - I broke my watch strap on my very expensive Polar watch which I had had for a while - and the stupid thing is - you cannot get a replacement! How can that be! Are Polar total mad or is this a ploy plain and simple to get you to buy more Polar watches? Well whatever - it backfired. After I found that my RS800D strap is unlike all other straps and Polar don't make a replacement for the moment - I decided to ditch polar in favour of some other brand.

A while ago, my wife bought me a Suunto watch that had a compass on it, an altimeter etc. Its been around for ages, still works, nothing has dropped off it, its generally bombproof - I have been in 3 bike crashes wearing it including one where it was dragged accross the tarmac - and there seems to be nothing that you can do to it that stops it - short of taking the battery out.

So - I thought this brand might fare better than the disintegrating Polar.

Wow - good call!

So - I'm not going to go into a full review of the watch - there are references below for you to look at - but I'll give my brief overall impression after using it for a few months.

1. The interface works as well as the Polar. It has 3 lines that you can interchange with what they display and cycle through one of them on the fly as well.
2. The training aids such as EPOC and Training Effect are very useful for a visual guide of how hard you are working.
3. The PC software is great - it does pretty much everything you want to do for analysis - it is missing the planning side but there are other tools for that I guess.
4. There are loads of components that fit with this watch: FootPod (works a treat and I use this in the main), GPS (actually pretty good - much quicker positioning than the Polar equivalent), A comfy chest strap for the HR functions and also a harder one with its own internal memory for use when swimming (this is great if you are Tri training as you get your proper HR in the pool and can merge it with any lap data and time data from the watch afterwards in the software), Bike Pod - speed etc and I even think there is a cadence one...

I'm quite impressed with this watch and it was especially useful in my last 5km running race where I wanted to monitor my pace to ensure I finished under a certain time. Great flexibility and it doesnt look too bad either.

Recommended.

References:
You Tube Video of this watch - well worth a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtXixXgcVpM
Suunto Home Page for this watch:
http://www.suunto.com/suunto/Worlds/main/world_article_normal_no_ATL.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674002869

Useful tools

Since I have stopped with the personal training - I have decided that I need to keep a log of all the training I do. I have looked around at a whole load of different tools on the market - and the best and easiest I can find (as long as you don't want long technical Joe Friel type planning) is Fitness Journal: http://www.fitnessjournal.org/ - I have been ever so impressed by it - but would be happy to hear of anyone who has looked at other tools. This one is fairly inexpensive and allows you to log everything and also enter some basic training planning etc. It also allows you to track calorific intake and expenditure etc....

Worth taking a look at.

This weeks Training Plan

Monday:
Rest Day

Tuesday:
4 km run to work, slow and easy pace.

Wednesday:
5km run to work, skow and easy pace.
20km Bike ride, stationary trainer.

Thursday:
5km run to work, faster pace, some interval training for last 2 km - fast pace for 1 min followed by 2 mins slow pace, repeat until 2 miles is complete.

Friday:
Gym - core work. 45 mins.

Saturday:
10km Run - slow and easy for endurance.
Swim 1500m in the pool slow and easy. No drills.

Sunday:
Gym - core work. 45 mins.
Bike - stationary trainer - 40 mins with hills.

Wellingborough Multi-terrain 5km Race No 2.

The second in the series of 5km off road runs - and this one was in the Snow!
Yep - we still had snow on the ground and it was cold, bright and very slippery.

I set my watch to note what pace I was doing. I wanted to get inside 25 mins - so was looking for a pace of 5min/km on the watch.

The horn sounded and several hundred of us ran off in the snow into what became a very fast and hard fought race. I was very surprised to see so many people running in normal trainers - how they manager to stay standing I will never know. I managed to overtake many of these on the hills where my trail shoes had better traction, but by half way around - keeping this pace - my HR was at 170 and I was feeling worse for wear.

At the half way point - the course essentially heads back round to the start and what had been predominately uphill at this point became downhill. My HR went down (a little - it was still pretty high) and I started managing to keep my pace a little easier.


Overtaking at this point became very difficult - we were now running on almost singletrack as the field had spread out and had created a small trodden path through the drifts of snow. This was very different to the start that had wide compacted areas - see the photo of the author (left). This meant that whenever you wanted to overtake - you needed to run out into the thinker snow expending a lot more effort to overtake the person in front. I started to struggle - especially as the height started to increase again and decided to settle into my stride behind one individual who I essentially followed to the end of the race.

I managed a very respectable 24:03 - which I was very happy about in the conditions - and came 13th overall - which I was over the moon about.

This is the last of the 5km races I am running in - the next is a 10km and that actually feels like a pretty big step up to me at the moment. I'm certainly not looking forward to the up coming half marathon in March.....

More updates to follow...

End of personal training

Unfortunately, due to finances this year, I have had to stop the personal training sessions with Jesse at Virgin Active. This was such a difficult decision to make. He is blooming brilliant and frankly has made such a difference to me over the last 6 months.
Today was the last session - and I ache like hell afterwards. He may have been making a point!

Race Update - Wellingborough Multi Terrain 5km - Jan 18th

My first ever 5km race. Ok - I had done 5km in my first triathlon - but never on its own in a race - and off road as well....

It had rained the night before - and the conditions underfoot were very muddy.

HR was very high throughout the race - possibly due to the hard traning session yesterday. I had aching legs and bum all the way around (and prior to the race). My personal Trainer - Jesse - at Virgin Active had given me a full work out with single leg squats etc. so I was very sore.

I had quite a bit left in the tank at the end - but at about 3km I had pains in my left shoulder and chest - felt like I had pulled a muscle or was over doing it after the long swim yesterday (I did this after the training session with Jesse!)

I looked at the watch when passing the finish line - was sure it said 24 mins - but looking at the data it may be more like 26 mins - which is disappointing as it would be slower than the 5km after the triathlon.

Still - I could go faster - just make sure that I taper the training properly or at least do the correct build up.

Need to get the training diary out again and start filling it in.

Probably need to look at more farlek training etc for the running.

So - not to bad for the opening race of the season - and certainly plenty to improve on.

My best swim

Back to training and managed a nice 7km on Saturday. Nothing special as I was still washed out - but I was glad to get back to it. On Sunday I managed to swim a kilometer and on top of this it had three of my all time best 50m splits in it of 50 seconds which I am seriously chuffed with. :-)

A few more runs this week including a nice fast 4km on the way to work yesterday which was a major enjoyment as I ran through a bit of London I never had before. Exploring new places is definately one of the joys of running.

Training on hold due to illness

I have spent the last few days in bed feeling very sorry for myself
alternating from hot to cold. Bit of a shame as I wanted to try to get
to 10km this week, don't think I am going to manage it now. This will
teach me to go running in the damp without a waterproof.

In the meantime I have been Reading Joe Friel's book - "The
Triathlete's Training Bible" which is pretty good. A great insight
into the sporting mind. Hoping to use it to keep a training diary
going forward.

Caterham Experience

Phil Page and I went to Silverstone for a Caterham day on Friday last
week. These little things are mental. I could hardly stop it from
spinning out of control it was so fast. Didn't get out of first gear
all day and stank of burned rubber by the end. Amazing experience to
be recomended to anyone.

So - what is next?

Well - as I have made such an effort to get fit - it seems a shame to waste it now doesn't it? So - I may as well enter a few more races and see if I can't improve my times.

So - here is the list so far and if any of you out there are at the same race - feel free to say Hi...

2008

November 8th - Wedgnock 10km off road run.

2009

January 18th - Wellingborough 5km

February 8th - Wellingborough 5km

March 1st - Wellingborough 10km

March 15th - Adidas Half Marathon at Silverstone

April 4th - Coastal Trail Series - Cornwall 10km

May 10th - Stratford 220 Sprint Triathlon

June 6th and 7th - Blenheim Sprint Triathlon

June 28th - Northampton Sprint Triathlon

July 26th - Trentham Sprint Triathlon

September 27th - Roade Sprint Triathlon

Might add or take away a few - but all these are entered. What the hell was I thinking entering a half marathon!!!

Roade Triathlon Times

Finishing position - 267
Overall time - 01:19:20
Swim - 08:59
Swim Position - 246
Bike - 45:05
Bike Position - 257
Run - 25:19
Run Position - 295

Spring Triathlon:
Swim 400m, Bike 40km, Run 5km

Odd that the swim - my worse discipline - turned out to be my best!

Roade Triathlon - the fat lad CAN run!

After a fair amount of training this year - and reducing my weight from 15 stone to 12, and my waist from 38 inches to 32 - I found myself at my first Triathlon race in Roade.

But I jump ahead of myself, let me start where this all began, a February just like all the others, but I was heading towards my 40th Birthday and I was finding myself fairly ill a lot of the time. My blood pressure was pushing 190 over 90 some days and frankly I was a heart attack waiting to happen.

Just like many of you I am sure - I was a fully paid up member of an expensive gym and lots of good intentions - but I very rarely went, having no goal or purpose. When I did go - I wasn't sure what I was training for or how to even train.

And so it was that my darling wife decided that she also needed to be a member of a gym - so we joined one at home rather than the one near my work and after introduction sessions decided that we needed a personal trainer. And so it was I met Jesse Martyne at the Virgin Active in Northampton, a better personal trainer you could not want for.

And so it started - the fat lad started to learn to run again, and we set some goals - one of which was a Triathlon towards the end of the year. And so the swimming started as well. A new bike followed and a trainer at home to sit it on and unlike the other times when I went to the gym and had an idea to get fit - this time it stuck - mainly down to a bit of stubbornness and a lot to do with Jesse.

I ran my first 5km race - the Chase Challenge and had a 5km time of 29min and 20 seconds - which was a surprise - I was expecting about 40 mins for the first one. My swimming wasn't going quite so well - 12mins for 400m was my best time - but I could only manage one training session per week - so that was hardly a surprise. The cycling was coming on - but Northamptonshire is a flat place at the best of times and I just wasn't getting enough hill training outside, so I switched to the bike on the trainer and set up the hills on that. Not nearly as much fun as being outside - but good for the legs.

Soon the day of the race came upon me....

The event started early on the Sunday morning, a misty cold and damp morning - with the dark edging in to the mornings these days it was worryingly oppressive. However - the mood lightened as I bumped into a few fellow competitors - those of us turning up this early had put down for a slow swim - my best had previously been a grand 12 minutes - so thats what had been entered on the online form and I joined quite a few others with slow times, many of whom were planning on swimming breaststroke.

The start was delayed - poor visibility due to the heavy mist meant that the course was considered dangerous for the cycling stage. I switched on my iPod and desperately tried to find a quiet place. I'd told myself that the aim was just to finish this - my first race - but the nerves I was feeling showed that I wanted to get under my target time of 1 hour 30 mins. A little Coldplay soon calmed the nerves and it wasn't before long that the start was called and I was taking off my cold weather clothes to strip down to my tri suit,

The pool swim started well - I felt strong - pulling along quite nicely with minimum use of my legs. This part had been the piece of the race I had truly feared. It was however - bloody good fun! So much in fact that I lost count of the lengths and ended up doing an extra two lengths. Getting out of the pool I pressed the lap counter of my watch and glanced down - amazed to find the time under 9 mins - where had that come from?

So - the bike. This should be better - its the bit I enjoy. So I thought. A two lap race circuit on the roads - mixing it up carefully with the other road users. Well - off I went - far too fast of course and soon my legs were on fire. Luckily I had put a bottle of water and a bottle of carb drink on the bike - so I started sipping the carb drink. I'd drank this many a time - made sure that I was used to it - so that there shouldn't be any surprises in the race. Oops. Looks like I made this too strong - as my stomach started cramping up. Quick - drink some water as well, so I started drinking the carb drink followed by the water to make sure the cramps didn't come again. Will have to remember that for next time and be more careful in my morning preparation in future.

I came up to the hill at the end of the first circuit - and saw a long line of riders out of their saddles riding up it. I'm not sure what happened - but my 'just get round and enjoy yourself' attitude just vanished and the red mist descended. I sat in the saddle and pushed as hard as I could up the hill - overtaking all those I could see in front of me. Getting to the top I was almost sick, coughing and retching I carried on along the flat to the start of the second lap. Spotted the photographer - stuck my tongue out as I went past and started feeling better. More carb drink and more water - began to recover from the stupid massive effort up that hill. I heard someone behind me and was soon overtaken by the first person to go past me of the day - there were only to be two more during the rest of the race which was fairly gratifying.

Reaching the last hill of the circuit - I have no idea what happened again - but there I was retching at the top again after powering up and overtaking anyone I could see. Bloomin idiot - but hell, it was great fun. If only I was a bit fitter!

Into transition and onto the run. I could hear people cheering me on - the support at this race was brilliant, the best advert for these races. The best I had previously managed on a 5km run was 29:20 - and certainly not after a swim and a bike ride - so I wasn't hoping for too much and as I turned onto the off road bit I wasn't too hopeful as this course went along the side of a farmers field. It was rough, rutted, muddy and completely uneven. To be honest it was fantastic! Its odd - but the lack of a constant gait favored me I think - it stopped me from thinking about how fast I was running and let me just think about retaining my footing. I spotted one of the guys from near me running in the opposite direction and waved - "Good luck" - he shouted - marvelous atmosphere.

Sprinting into the end of the race - and yes - I really did manage a sprint finish - I found myself bettering my target time by over 10 minutes. Brilliant. Now - when is the next one - I'm hooked....

Amazing trip to Italy - Cervinia

Snowboarding in Cervinia last weekend was amazing. Great weather - was 24 degrees on the Friday. Very cold at the top - got a touch of frostbite on my nose - but got sunburn on the Friday. Did my first blackrun on the new Ride board. Awsome.

The snow was great - there was a snowfall of about 20 cm on the two days prior to us arriving - then a further 10cm on the Saturday evening. This combined with the sun made for t-shirt type conditions on the Friday.

The company was great fun as well - with Ty's mates all turning out to be bloody funny - and everyone made a concerted effort.

The scenery was great too - as you can see from the photos - the visibility was pretty clear. These are all from the Saturday - Friday I didnt take the camera with me - but I'll try to get some off the phone at some stage.

The Matterhorn looked impressive from both sides - and we boarded down to Zermat from the top - down wide open red runs followed by a steep and narrow black - which the buggers didnt tell me about apart from at the bottom a "So - how was your first black run?" question.

The buggers.

The piste was incredibly good - and the wide runs on the Swiss side were really amazing - highly recommended.

And then there were the cafes/bars littering the mountainside. Wow! The food in these was, frankly, some of the best food I have had. Equivalent to some of the nicest London restaurants, but without the pomp and unpleasantries. So friendly and forthcoming. Good beer too - and the warm mulled wine was great.

All together a great weekend.

Reflections

Just back from snowboarding in italy

LinkedIn ID

Another mad idea!

Looks like a few of us are going to try to do the Hebridean Challenge next year: http://www.hebrideanchallenge.com/index.shtml

There are 5 of us - and it looks like I am going to be the kayaker - so I need to go from Novice to 4* Sea Kayak rated in less than 12 months. Pretty sure that is a tall order! Anyone out there have any advice?

Have my first lesson on Tuesday evening - will let you know how it goes if I don't drown!

iPod misery!

I thought the other week that it would be a good idea to finally buy an iPod - so I searched around the net and found the cheapest 60GB one on www.mydv.co.uk. So I ordered it - at a great price of £259.95 and no charge for shipping - Amazing! Too Amazing in fact.

 

Whatever you do - do NOT order from these con-artists.

 

1. This is not a UK company - the domain is registered to Jeremy Paradies of 97 Anderer Ln, West Roxbury MA in the US of A - and this IS an American company.

2. The amount you are invoiced for is not what you will be charged. They charge in USD at an odd exchange rate and you will pay at least £20 more on a purchase of this amount.

3. They take the money out of your account/charge your card straight away. Under UK law your card cannot be charged until the purchase is ready for shipment. Well - this isn't a UK company!

4. They take 2 weeks before they reply to your email to tell you that your product is shipping. Yep - two weeks!

5. They take 2 whole weeks to ship the damn thing!

6. They ship it two days after they tell you it is shipping! I give up! No wonder delivery is free!!!

7. Nowhere on their website do they have their address, or any statement to say that the items will be shipped from the US, or that this is a US company. In fact they say - "The UK's best source for Digital Video Equipment".

8. Their telephone number is a UK one - 0207 669 4292 - which leads you to think that they are UK based. This is NOT the case.

 

I am amazed that people can get away with this these days.

 

Oh - and it still hasn't arrived yet!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter Riding and painful knees!

My leg is killing me today - had a really bad night - woke up loads. Every time I turn over the pain flares up and wakes me. I think I will sleep with my brace on tonight.

On a lighter note - once this has healed - a load of my friends have decided that they will go winter riding with me. It looks like the Peak District this year. Not sure which month - but maybe once this side of Christmas and once the other side. I doubt we will camp this time - expect we will stay in a B&B, YHA or something.

I quite fancy Jacobs ladder in the winter - not sure how difficult it will be.

I think I am going to get a new bike this Christmas - I fancy a Sepcialized Epic Pro (well I really fancy an S-Works - but probably cannot justify spending that amount!!!).

Anyone know any good winter rides in the Peaks?

M.

A Tour of the Cairngorms - Sep 2005

Recently completed a tour of the Cairngorms. 4 of us rode the 200km trip in 2 and a half days carrying tents, stoves, sleeping bags etc. It was great fun - but I pulled the ligaments in my left knee during the second day and had to ride the rest of the route in agony! Still it was an amazing ride - photos are here: http://www.clansharrock.co.uk/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album37 Thanks go to Alistair, Tony and Neil for making the trip what it was.

We are looking at potentially repeating the trip again and just doing it in 25 hours - but with minimum gear to carry.

Next big trip should be the English C2C however. Hopefully in 4 days.

M.

Tour of the Cairngorms - Day 3

Tour of the Cairngorms – Day 3


A warmer night last night – however it was as uncomfortable as hell. I couldn’t get comfortable – my knee was awful and the lump in my back was very uncomfortable. I kept waking up with my face pressed against the side of the tent. Horrible. I strap my knee up in case it is a ligament issue. Pasta for breakfast – bloody horrible! I haven’t done too well for breakfasts, I look around and wow – what a wonderful place to wake up! My knee hurts already – I can see this is going to be a difficult day. I pack up and Tony helps me with my bike.

I start off down the road towards the Linn of Dee ahead of the others – pretty sure that it won’t take them long to catch up. We ride past the smallest youth hostel I have ever seen. The morning light is wonderful. We reach the woods – the start of the trail up to Glen Tilt. It’s a wide track and we start off – eventually reaching White Bridge and there find a number of what appear to be first time DoEers out wild camping.

Another river crossing and jibes to Tony – “How many more river crossings today Tony?” as he has the map. Then a bog, and a comment from Tony “It’s not a river – it’s a bog!”. We are all in a good mood – even me – although I am in a lot of pain. I have two painkillers left – next time I must bring more!

The track deteriorates – becomes rocky single-track. Probably great without Panniers – I can see that Al is loving it. It becomes very exposed as we enter Glen Tilt and start to head down. It is quite beautiful – but my leg is killing me and I am scared of heights! I walk an awful lot of it. The guys – to their credit – do not get annoyed with me – which is amazing considering how much slower I am. Eventually we reach the bridge at the falls. The track widens and I start to ride.

The climbs really hurt now – I am almost in tears on some of them. Al falls off in front of me – while turning around to look at a potential photo opportunity. Nothing damaged – we both take a photo and eat a sausage roll. This truly is a beautiful part of the world. The slog down is done one legged in the main – my left leg has become so painful that I am unable to put any power through it. Now I am peddling with just one leg – I speed up! We ride into the station to see the Pullman arrive and all the sightseers are getting off to be greated by four sorry looking muddy individuals.

Hands are shaken and bikes packed – a quick pint in the pub and that’s it. Even though my leg is on fire – I am sorry to be finishing. What a great three days.

It turns out that I have torn the ligaments in my left knee – so I am pretty lucky to have finished the ride at all.

One thing that made this ride for me was the people that I rode with. Tony Chaplin, Neil Sinclair and Alistair Biggin. These guys were great – very supportive – and always waited for me.

Thanks guys.

What’s next? :-)

Tour of the Cairngorms - Day 2

Tour of the Cairngorms – Day 2


It was a cold night last night. I had to put on all my extra clothes just to keep warm – there is no way that the rating on this sleeping bag is correct! The tent is very claustrophobic – there is hardly any room to move and it doesn’t feel long enough – my bag touches the end. I wonder how it would fare in a wind? I get up and start to pack. Breakfast is one of the Rita breakfasts – it’s horrible – oats and fruit in a fruit juice sauce. Bleuch! Neil and Al are having porridge. This may be a better idea in future. We are joined by Tony’s friend today – who even comes complete with a pannier to make us feel better!

As we start – it is crisp – Al has his extra base layers on for the cold and I am wearing my Gortex shell to keep the chill away. The sky lightens to a red glow – and we ride up some lovely wide wild track. Tony, his friend and Neil all ride off ahead – they are obviously feeling good today. We stop to take off the extra layers and the midges strike! My goodness they are terrible today – my legs are bitten to pieces quicker than I have ever seen before – and the bites will last for over a week! I stop to take photos of Al riding up the track – and once again get bitten.

A great downhill through the southern part of the Abernethy Forest leads to yet another river crossing. I take my shoes and socks off for this one as it is early – and I dried them all out last night! I really don’t know why I bothered – the next one we try and ride and I get soaked! So does Al! A couple more crossings follow and some great singletrack lead us to the col above the Braes of Abernethy. I fall off my bike here after hitting a large rock that I simply didn’t see. I twist my right ankle – but more importantly (although it didn’t feel like it at the time) my left knee twists as well.



A decent, another river crossing – lead us eventually to the road up to Tomintoul and a lunch break at the café there. Bacon sarnies all round – and in hindsight – not enough slow release calories. Tea, cake and a brush with the local grumpy shopkeeper and we are off up the hill. Tony’s mate turns back at this point – leaving us to our own devices. We slog up the tarmac road after passing some very fine iron gates. We can hear the gunfire of the guys on the hill – grouse shooting. My left knee is hurting now and I know I have a problem. I don’t say anything yet as I hope it may work itself out – but when we accidentally cross the river and have to backtrack – I am in so much pain that I take some of the painkillers in my pack. It doesn’t help. I am worried that it is my cartilage – my other knee had a similar problem from playing hockey when I was younger.

The head wind is terrible – and after a long spell at the front – Al runs out of energy, We find him round the corner sitting down – exhausted. I take the lead and ignore the pain. Probably a pretty stupid thing to do in hindsight – but there we go – it gets us up towards Inchrory and the lodge there. What a lovely lodge. Tony is far behind – I am amazed that I have dropped him – given my knee pain, but all is revealed when he arrives. It turns out that when he broke his chain yesterday ( at the campsite!!!) – it was put on incorrectly. Minor repairs follow – and Tony is off! I am at the back now – and that is the way it stays.

The scenery all merges into a blur as my left knee is in agony. I tell the guys as we pass the Loch Builg where we were originally going to overnight – that I only have about two hours left in me – that’s all. We cycle on. Al is worried – we need to get over the Culardoch which stands in front of us at 900m and if we stay this side and my leg freezes then we are in big trouble as we are now in the middle of nowhere.

We meet a couple of mountain bike riders coming the other way – who say the climb is not that bad! I guess they had never ridden with panniers! I start pushing up the climb – there is no chance of riding with this weight. Al is always in fron and goes on to cycle up the latter half of the climb – a very impressive feat. Tony just keeps going – I overtake Neil – I didn’t realise it but he was exhausted.

At the top there is heather in cages and a weather station. Very weird! The descent is manic and I get a puncture. Neil rides by – which I think is strange. Takes me ages to change my tyre – left knee knackered! I can see Al riding back to check on me – thanks Al. Neil apologised – he was a mess! Not enough cals consumed and he had started shaking! Nothing like digesting muscle to make a mess of you!

We eventually get to the campsite in Braemar to find a Games going on. Its madness here – so we decide to push on and ride up the road. I am nearly in tears – my knee is on fire. We eventually decide to wild camp down by the river opposite Mar Lodge – next to the Victoria bridge. I am so knackered I do not even notice the big lump in the ground when I put my tent up. No sleep for me! I crawl into my bag – leaving the others drinking whisky that Neil purchased earlier in the day. I eat two meals and feel broken!

Tour of the Cairngorms - Day 1

Tour of the Cairngorms – Day 1

My bike was very heavy as we cycled down the main street of Blair Athol after leaving the cars at the train station first thing in the morning of the 2nd September. The start was an early road ride along the B8079 and eventually onto a dedicated cycle track just past Calvine after our first navigation error – and it wasn’t going to be our last! We eventually turn off the track and cross the A9, we headed into the wilds along a landrover track past Dalnacardoch lodge North, and it wasn’t long before we felt totally alone – not another sole in sight. We stop at the bridge crossing the Edendon Water and take the obligatory photo of Al being daft – every trip has one! A quick jump across the river further up after yet another navigation error – led us to a singletrack by Loch au Duin. The singletrack is amazing – however we are seriously hampered by the panniers. Only Al with his rucksack seems to be able to fully enjoy it – although I also suspect that this is because he is a lot fitter too! We cross the river just after the Loch – Tony and myself just wade across as the river is pretty deep – and we had read the route description that tells you about getting wet feet! Al and Neil try to keep dry feet! Tony and myself sit on the other side laughing!

Lunch is after yet another river crossing at Lochan a Ghaorra. I pump some water through the water filter – but everyone else just takes it direct from the River. Tony makes a brew on his MSR – and it tastes great. There is something about tea brewed outside after hard work! Alistair and Neil both make pasta for lunch – mine consists of pork pie, salami type sausages and peanuts. In the afternoon I feel fully energised – it is referred to as pork pie powered!

We end up crossing a foul smelling bog just after Feshiebridge – I end up going in up to my thighs – and my shorts are now rust covered. We decide to try to make the campsite after this. Alistair is quite annoyed as he also ended up with wet feet! The ride after the bog however is great. Through the forest both myself and Al feel much better and could have carried on – we were enjoying the ride so much. We stop at the campsite – and arrive before the two mountain bikers that had overtaken us earlier in the day – I guess we must have taken a short cut with the route through the bog! Tents up and we manage a shower! Hand-driers are used to dry wet socks and shoes.

Well again and back in the saddle

I'm finally recovered - it's been a long haul. The balance is back - and apart from an occasional deafness in my left ear I am fully fit. With that in mind I went to Wales this weekend with a few friends to go mountain biking. Bloody great fun - piccies in the gallery at http://www.clansharrock.co.uk/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Wales-March-2005-Pencelli and Julian's piicies are at http://www.julian-edwards.com/gallery/Pencelli-2005. Great riding - good weather, nice beer and a great laugh. Can't wait to go again - which will be the South Downs in a couple of months - so need to get back on the bike regularly beforehand so I can keep up with everyone.

Also agreed to do the Meridia 100 at Builth Wells this year - I am going to do the 50k route as I am a wimp and its my first long distance "race".

M.

Labrynthitis

Not much has happened here recently - and that's basically because I have
been ill. Once I recovered from the accident on my bike and my arm had
healed - I came down with Labrynthitis 4 weeks ago.

This was a viral infection of my inner ear - causing me to loose my balance,
throw up, and have virtigo etc. Bloomin horrible - spent 2 days in St
Thomas's hospital in London and a further couple of weeks at home.

I am back at work now - but only 3 days a week and I still cannot drive or
ride my bike!

Hope it will all go away soon - I am still quite dizzy.