Giving Blood???

I gave blood for the first time about two years ago and haven't since (I am ashamed to admit). The actual donation was fine, even for someone not best fond of needles and I felt ok on the evening afterwards. The next day I spent the afternoon lying on my bed feeling like death warmed up and it has put me off. I also felt like I was missing a lung for about two weeks afterwards which had a bit of an impact on cycling etc.

I did have a very little to eat or drink the next morning and spent the best part of three hours stood still (chopping loads of green tomatoes for chutney of all things) so I know I didn't help myself! Once the Rivi trail half is out of the way I should really go donate again but I'm a bit worried the same will happen but on the other hand what is a bit of discomfort if it saves someones life.

Someone tell me to HTFU and use it as an excuse to rest up and pig out on dark chocolate for a weekend!

Bedlam

Why is it the work always gets silly the day before you go off on holiday! No urgency for the last couple of days now everything needs to be done yesterday! I was hoping to get out for a run at lunchtime, 7 miles will put me over 500 for the year. I can't stay late so it was soon 6 then 5 then 4 then abandoned!

Bikes were packed last night, forgotten how much of a palaver that was!

A Four Day Week?

Hmm, my company along with many others are trying to implement cost cutting measures in the "current economic climate". They have just offered the "opportunity" to take unpaid leave or a temporary reduction in working hours.

I'm seriously tempted to reduce my hours to 4 days...can I cope with a 20% pay cut for the three months allowed......hmmm

Lazy?

Just can't motivate myself to go out and do intervals in freezing, driving rain! I'm supposed to be doing 5 x 1k with 400 metre recoveries which isn't going to be the work of a moment with 2 mile warmup and cooldown on either side of that.



Supposed to be sunny by 3pm, believe it when I see it.



Tomorrow's forecast is looking ok so will do them then, rest of the week doesn't look particularly brill though - the wind! Will have to keep and eye on it but it may mean no riding to work this week , Thursday currently forecast for 58mph gusts.

It's just changed to sleet! Not feeling bad now!

Marathon Training Plan

I have been looking at my training for the next few months (still need to get into the detail). I have decided to base my mara training on the First program which calls for three runs a week only and cross training to prepare for the marathon. Traditional marathon programs seems to call for about 5 days of running minimum which is not for me, I want to start and finish the marathon as my primary goal not break any records.

I also know that I am an injury magnet and 4 runs a week tends to be my limit. I'm in love with my bikes again and want to ride them. I want to do some offroad running in there too, miles of tarmac will utterly bore me (exactly why am I doing a road marathon again ????????????). Basically its based on the First program but not slavishly following it.

The program gives pace zones based on my best 10K time which is about 8:20 mm. So intervals are around 7:35 - 7:40 mm (ouch but doable for short distances), tempo runs are 8:30 - 8:50 and long runs are 9:20 - 10 mm. I had settled on doing my long runs around 9:20 - 9:30 pace anyway as it feels like I could keep it going for a long time.

The plan consists of 1 Long run, 1 interval session and 1 tempo run a week. It is the tempo run that most worries me as it calls for anything up to 8 miles at that pace. I may find its these runs that get slowed down, I seem to cope with intervals ok but long fast (for me) runs wear me out. It also has a stepback week every 5 weeks, I'm going to change that to 4 weeks initally to fit in with the XC races. I have used a 4 weekly step back in the past and it has worked for me.

I want to fit in riding to work, general bike bimbling about and some mountain biking as well around that but it will all depend on how the runs go and it may just be lots of easy paced riding (no bad thing).

I was chatting to some marathon veterans over Christmas about my training, they didn't seem alarmed that I wanted to subsitute some runs for cycling as they know they will be proper rides however they told me that the long runs were what mattered above all, if I replaced some of the speedwork with steady paced runs it probably wouldn't make that much difference.

Short, fast races are probably best avoided apparently, in fact it was suggested I don't race much at all but I'll get bored so my race program is:

The three remaining XC races (one a month, step back week)
The GNW Half in Feb(first real target)
The Hawkshead Trail in April (for fun)

I may do the Blackburn Winter Warmer 10K as it was hilly and a good course but I'll see how training goes. I may need to find a longer race to aim for between the GNW half and the mara, I like intermediate targets.

What a ramble, will flesh out the details in the next week or so.

Club Run

Club run tonight. I can't make up my mind if I'm ill or not but felt not too bad today so no real excuse. I had to force myself out the door tonight, really felt like staying in which was made worse by the fact we had our woodburner fitted yesterday and its all warm and cosy with it lit (have to admit I was wrong about it). Its also December and its always difficult for me to keep things going in December what with seemingly constant darkness and festivities. I'm glad I made my running mileage target at the beginning of the month.

The few races I've signed up for are short and can be done off my current fitness base but should stop me vegetating completely. I have in the past continued to try to push throughout December and just ended up knackering myself out, an easy December usually means I'm raring to go in the New Year.

I found running very hard for the first three miles but I got more into it for the last 2.5 miles but I did seem to be really noticing the cold air on my chest and zipped up all my layers, it wasn't that cold really so it was a bit worrying. Chest did feel a little tight (getting all paranoid about a chest infection now!). It was just over 5.6 miles at about 9:31 pace which is as fast as I could be bothered running but it was good to get out.

Think I'll rest up tomorrow as we are now going out in the evening and save it for XC racing on Saturday. Apparently there will be some hills on Saturdays course, though its in Rossendale so I would be very surprised if there wasn't.

Waterproof Trousers

Whilst my old waterproof trousers are ok for short rides they are not at all breathable, they also don't have articulated knees and they rubbed a little on my ride out to the farm shop on Friday. On a longer ride I would be just as wet from the inside as out. They were a bargainous 20 pounds about 7 years ago so I can't really complain. I think I will do some research on some better trousers in case I decide they are worth purchasing...maybe after Christmas.

I like the look of the Gore ones, though not the price but due to my exceedingly sporty thighs I need to find somewhere to try them on and check the fit. Mmmm kit shopping.

Sent to Coventry.......My Stupidity Continues

I seem to be continually doing daft life disrupting things to the point I have now created a blog label for it!

This weekend I was supposed to be racing XC on Saturday, followed by a spin out on a bike on Sunday. I didn't get to do either of them.

Saturday's XC race was out due to me not being able to order a TV stand properly. After much deliberation we decided there was too much faff involved mounting the TV on the wall, the amount of wiring to be hidden was just silly so we found a rather nice spangly Alphason TV stand with piano black glass (to hide the rats nest of wires but to show the dust up more effectively). We really didn't want the clear glass one, really, really didn't. Guess which one I ended up ordering?

It turned up and we didn't even need to open it as it was very well labelled as the Clear Glass model. Thinking indignantly they had sent the wrong one I checked my order e-mail and they had sent exactly what I had asked for - oh dear. I had a look at the website at the stand and the picture was the black glass model but numpty here hadn't noticed the drop down box underneath and just ordered the clear one.

it was a huge box and weighed 46kg (handily displayed on the box), when I phoned the company we'd ordered it from they were very helpful but did say it would cost a lot to send back. No kidding, a quote from a couriers came in at around 80 pounds due to it being over the 32kg safe lifting for one person limit. The shop was in Coventry and Jez was already heading down near Birmingham on the Saturday anyway so I accompanied him and we dropped it off at the shop in person which took care of Saturday.

The Coventry ring road is something else!

We continued with some painting in the lounge on Sunday morning then the plan was to do something less boring instead for a couple of hours as it was a beautiful day. Jez headed off to fly his various toys and I planned a road bike ride to explore some roads and lanes of roud Croston way. I had gotten all my kit together and was just about to go get my road bike from the garage when I realised I had left my keys in Jez's car. FFS!

We only have two keys to the garage atm and both of them were now in Jez's car so I couldn't get a bike out. I could've screamed with frustration (in fact I think I did). I didn't want to run as I had planned a speed session on Monday so in the end I decided to go for a walk and check out some lanes that may have cycleways through them. I took my little camera with me and ended up taking a few photos of some nice red leaves within about five minutes of leaving the house.

I then walked back to the house and picked up the DSLR to have a good play with it. I haven't went for a walk with a proper camera for a few years, I used to do it all the time when I did a lot of black and white photos. I had a fun couple of hours as the light was just fantastic and its great being able to see exactly what I've taken, I'd also forgotten how much I liked trees, particularly autumnal trees!

Chuffing Car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My plans have been completely scuppered for this evening due to my car deciding to break down on the way home, in a traffic queue, completely blocking the road. I couldn't believe it, it just cut out, no stall, nothing just the battery light coming on and no engine noise.


It refused to start, just flashed its glow plug light at me in defiance. A couple of lovely women (no men, gits) helped me push my land barge of a car into the exitway of a pub carpark to clear the road and I called the AA and sat in the car waiting for them to turn up.

I got a text to say they were turning up at 17:45, which was only about 25 minutes after I'd called them (lone female advantage I suppose). I'd already rung the Ford garage to see if I could get the car dumped there if necessary and given Jez the good news. About 17:40 I tried to start again and the bloody thing did. I let it run a bit, switched it off and restarted it - all ok.

I didn't trust it as far as I could throw it so waited for the AA man, who turned up pretty much on time. I explained the situation to him and admirably (I thought anyway) resisted giving the car a healthy kick. He checked the obvious things like oil etc but as it has only just been serviced they were all ok. Then he got his laptop out and plugged it into my car, not surprisingly the little madam wouldn't talk to it. He got round it by telling the computer the car was a much younger model, 2007 no less, this flattery seemed to work and she was soon singing like a canary to the laptop.

Two faults showed up (which he has written down), one being a sensor problem which is common on Mondeos of the age of mine and the Ford garage will most likely have the part in stock. The other one sounded more worrying, something about fuel pressure doofer dongler (will be fun explaining to garage). As it was running ok he said he said to drive and he would follow me home to make sure all was ok.

It drove home ok needless to say.

Using all my bikes

I have four bikes: 2 mountain bikes, a road bike and what I now term my utility bike. I used to try to use three different bikes in a week. It used to be three rather than four because the utility bike was an alternative commuter to the road bike.

I am now going to try to use all four bikes in a week, or should that really be trying to use all of my working bikes in a week. The Titus is currently out of action and I haven't managed to prod my mechanic into fixing it.......well we have been away.

So what constitutes a week (well its obviously 7 days!). I have been starting my training week on a Saturday currently as that's usually the day of my longest run so for now its Saturday to Saturday.

So far this week I have used the Spesh for shopping and the On One for a quick whizz round the Glentress Red. That just leaves the Ribble.....road ride tomorrow ?

August.....ooops!

Well, what can I say, what the hell happened to August and my activity level!!!!!! I've been quite a lazy moo to be honest and I quite enjoyed it! It was always going to be disrupted as we had a lot on in August with various weddings, birthday parties and associated hangovers to contend with but I'm up for doing something now! My bike mojo seems to have come back, I'm in love with my bikes again - all four of them. I even rode my Specialized tank "utility bike" on Sunday and I even enjoyed that, in the drizzle. It was my first shopping trip on it, more on that

My running mojo is still MIA but I think that's not helped by my grumpy psoas muscle. I did a three offroad runs over the month and I had the same problem I had when I started offroad running. I think it is the contrast between cycling (and sitting on my arse!) and running dowhill/faster. The cycling position shortens it and downhill running in particular really stretches it out. The first dodgy run was on the 18th of August and it showed up within the first half mile of course I continued to do another 6 or so very hilly miles and its been grumpy ever since. I tried again on the 22nd and it took a while longer to complain but I think that was because the first four miles are basically uphill. By the time I had finished the boggy descent off Great Hill it was very unhappy and I had to effectively jog back to the car as it was very, very tight. I was actually worried that something was about to tear but in hindsight doing a 7 mile offroad run with a dodgy hip was not one of my most sensible decisions.

I decided to take it easy until the Derwentwater Trail Race as I know I can get round that in the time limit.

Please Pass Wide and Slow......

I've seen this message regularly on the back of horse riders, usually on a flourescent jacket and I think the meaning is pretty self explanatory. The Highway Code says that when passing a horse (or cyclist) to give them as much room as you would a car. As a commuting cyclist and "vulnerable road user" I know that some drivers haven't paid any attention to this part of the Highway Code and a lot won't have looked at it since passing their driving test however many moons ago that was. I freely admit that I am hyper aware of it because I am said vulnerable user. I have had cars passing too close to me on a bike loads of times, it still gives me a fright and I have had wobbles at speed because of it. Passing a cyclist too close is one thing but surely common sense dictates that you should give a large animal like a horse plenty of room, its one thing spooking a cyclist its quite another spooking a large sentient animal with hooves....I always pass horses wide and slow, even on a pushbike and always warn the rider if I come up behind them and they haven't acknowledged I'm there.


On Saturday morning I saw the nasty (thankfully not as nasty as it could have been) consequences of not passing horses wide and slow.


Just heading away from Grange over Sands towards the A590 then the M6, the road was single lane each way but still reasonably wide. There was a stream of traffic heading towards the A590 and two horses and riders heading back towards Grange, single file with the rear rider wearing a flourescent jacket with the title message on it. A car appeared behind the riders and decided to pass rather than wait a little while (I'm sure he regrets this decision bitterly now). As there was a lot of traffic heading in the opposite direction from the horses there was no real space to overtake them safely but he did so anyway. I saw the whole thing and if he actually crossed the white lines it wasn't by much. He moved past the first horse which didn't do anything but he was so close it was scary. The horse in front took a real fright (as I would've done if a car had appeared that close behind me) and he spooked, badly. The horse reared up and it hit the front of the car, the car stopped but I think the horse stumbled and reared a bit again away from the car which eventually unseated the rider, she'd managed to hang on well until he lurched to the side. I think she bounced off the car before landing hard on the road and the horse started trotting off a little down the road then stopped.


I pulled over, as did Mel behind me and a few other cars. Mel used to work professionally with horses so went to catch the horse while I and the others went to the rider. She had landed hard on her knee and was complaining about it. Someone called an ambulance and Mel brought the horse back and we moved both horses off to the side of the road. The horse was bleeding from one of its fore legs but was surprisingly calm considering what had just happened and stood there quite happily while chaos ensued all around. It was not a skittish horse, it just didn't appreciate a car trying to pass with inches to spare. The only time the horse got a little restless was when someone tried to apply a dressing to its leg to help stem the flow of blood, which according to the non-injured rider looked worse than it really was. Rachel and Nicole were both struggling with looking at the bleeding horse as they are currently taking riding lessons. We sent them back to Mel's car until things were sorted to try and stop them getting too upset.

It turned out thehorses were from a stables only minutes down the road, the uninjured rider had phoned ahead and two people walked up the road then led the horses away quietly. They didn't seem too concerned about the bleeding leg and the girls seemed happier as they saw the horse walk by without problem. During this time the ambulance turned up and the injured rider was convinced to go with them to hospital. A couple of other witnesses were controlling the traffic and another witness turned out to be an off duty policeman who took everyone's details and a brief statement.

Once it was clear we could do no more we continued on our drive home.

The above happened on the 2nd of August and about a week later I saw two women riding horses on the roads around Rivington.....with no helmets on. I thought it was a legal requirement to wear a helmet when riding a horse. I know when I used to ride many moons ago the helmet rules were changed, the old style helmet I used to ride with wasn't good enough and jockey skull caps and silks started to become the norm.

Pendle Pedal, no more...

I decided last week not to do this as I just haven't gotten over being ill as well as I would have liked, spent next to no time on a bike anyway. The decision did seem to lift a bit of pressure so I think it was the right thing to do.

.......and anyway I appear to have double booked myself. I though Mel and the girls were down Sat 26th - Tue 29th July when it would actually transpire it is from Tues 29th to late on Sat 2nd. I completely misheard the dates when we were discussing it to the point that Jez and I had sorted out leave for Monday and Tuesday which had to be rearranged. I have managed to move my leave to Thursday and Friday however Jez can only get Friday afternoon off as he has just come back from Oz and had told everyone at work he would be available from Wednesday - meetings ahoy that he can't get out of. Ooopsadaisy!

On reflection with Mel, the girls (including one slightly stroppy 14 year old) and Leslie he's probably better off out of it until Friday night anyway, too much of a girliefest for hime.

Ill, I hate being Ill

I have been ill all weekend and Monday, had to scrap all training plans, however the weather has been absolutely appalling anyway but I am not happy.

June: Summary

Hot on the heels of May and my highest running mileage total month ever with 94, June was a bit of a turnaround with my lowest mileage month this year with a grand total of 42! On the plus side it has been my highest mileage cycling month for the best part of 18 months with 145 miles. Which is much better than of late but not near the amount I used to do before I got sucked in to running.

I've struggled a little this month, I had a bit of a sniffle and no motivation in the week before Jez got back and had to can the Cuerden trail race again and I did very little on our week off. Though I think the rest probably did me good, I'm now feeling quite motivated to go out and do something again.


Running: 42

Cycling: 145

Summer CBAs

Was it my bi-annual CBA fest ?

I felt completely out of it in the middle of June, particularly the week before Jez came back. I just felt wiped with no motivation to do anything, I think I had a bit of a cold or something but it didn't amount to much. In the past I have tried to push through that feeling but it only gets worse, this time (and last December) I just backed off and rested up. I did no running at all for two weeks and only one road ride and a couple of hill walks in those two weeks. I generally did nothing on our week off though as the weather wasn't brilliant this didn't bother me as much as it may have had the weather been good. Looking at my training diary May was a pretty hefty month for me running wise, a few races including a 10 mile road race and Garburn trail race. My running mileage was 94 but for the rest of the year it has been hovering around the 65 - 70 mark so that is quite a jump. I also ramped up the cycling quite a bit at the beginning of June so I think I just needed the break.

I have entered the Pendle Pedal and I am feeling motivated again with something new to aim for though my legs are complaining of the impact from running again. My training plan will need to be well though out (oops) to cope with the extra cycling miles but still fit in some running as I still have some, admittedly short, races to do. I also want to start commuting to and from running club and local races to offset some diesel costs and just enjoy some more time on the bike.

I wonder if I'll get this way again in December ?

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes everywhere there are bikes....

.....In Amsterdam.

Saw my first multi-storey bike park! At Centraal Station in Amsterdam, there were just bikes as far as the eye could see. Everyone seems to cycle in Amsterdam, I had heard that but didn't really appreciate what it meant until I saw it with my own eyes. There were people whizzing around on bikes everywhere, just to get from A to B, no one was dressed up in "cycling clothes" and no-one was wearing a helmet, they were just wearing normal clothes. It obviously helps that there are no hills in Amsterdam.

The cycle lanes are fantastic and bikes just seem to have right of way everywhere, it was great. I have been inspired to try to use my bike(s) more for transport than I currently do, including cycling too and from running club and the night series races. It will take some extra planning but as Jez is going away (again!!!!!) I will be able to do it without feeling like I am spending all my time away doing something. Just need to sort out where I am going to leave my bike at the Cricket Club.