The Little Matter of an Impeding Race

Last week I suddenly became aware of the need to start training for the Bluewater/Sweatshop 10km. It's feeling a little daunting but I know I'm capable of far greater things, I'm just a bit out of practice. So I need to take some time away from chiselling a washboard stomach in the core, swissball and abs classes and reallocate it to putting in the miles on foot.

I made a start on this today by dragging myself out of bed and doing half an hour in the gym before work. Neil recommended treadmill running to start with, and I can understand why. I ran 5km in 32 minutes and felt a bit of a pull in my right knee but not enough to stop. It's not a great time for 5km, I know I can do much better, but today was just about getting back into the rhythm of it. I didn't even have the treadmill on an incline, but I'll bring that back in next time. I used the Rocks Off Audiofuel mix with coaching today which I really enjoyed, although I found the end a bit slow. Might be time to start making my own mixes!

Mountain Biking again tomorrow I think and another early gym session on Thursday with Core class on Friday.

I'm tempted to sign up for the Thames 10km and the Boutique Run in Battersea. So many races, so little time. I have signed up for the London Marathon 2011 though so in October I'll hear whether I've got a place!

Tri, Trek and Trail

The last few days have been pretty active. On Friday I managed to get to the gym to start the Triathlon Challenge they've been running. I decided to opt for the sprint distance as I only had a week in which to complete it and also I didn't want to put too much strain on my legs by running too far. I thought I'd only do half that evening but by the time I reached 10km on the bike I was still feeling like I had a lot in the tank so I just carried on, and then it seemed silly not to do the run so I did that too. Basically I did the whole thing in one evening without collapsing, although I did become very aware of a pulling in my knee so was glad to stop.

On Saturday Rich, Shruti and I set off for Snowdonia. We were camping at the very beautiful and rather empty Cwellyn Arms Campsite, near the foot of the mountain over looking a lake. If I were to go back to trek other peaks I'd definitely consider going back. Plus points included a proper wooden walkway through the site, trolleys to ferry your stuff to and from the cars and fire pits and picnic tables. A shortish walk gets you to the pub and a short drive gets you to Beddgelert which has a modest selection of eateries including a cafe that does a great cooked breakfast. We loaded up with one of these before setting off. We tackled the Rhyd-Ddu route up and the Ranger path coming back down. A good circular route with amazing views. It was extremely windy and I did fear that we might get blown off the ridge but we made it and warmed up with tea at the top. Rich is certainly getting the walking bug which is great as I've go someone else to call on when I want some company. And he's not just interested in the peaks.

Last night I dragged myself over to Swinley Forest again to go biking with the boys. I was struggling to keep up more than last time and to my relief this was attributable to my soft tires rather than power or general ability. We flagged down a passing cyclist from Birmingham who loaned us a pump and then we were off. It was much busier over there this time and we followed a few groups of fellow MTBers onto some great singletrack that we'd managed to completely pass by before. No one fell off and we started to feel a bit more like proper MTBers rather than complete novices. It was fantastic fun, tackling things I'd previously have never dreamed of, spotting a deer, claiming "our" log for a break, and I can't wait to get out there again next week. I even managed to cycle up some of the hills that the lads couldn't! My poor bike will be getting some TLC at the weekend.

This morning I had my Physio appointment with Neil. I 'fessed up to all the stuff I'd been doing but as I've been managing to keep up with the exercises he was pretty happy with my progress. He reckons there's at least another 6 weeks of treatment to be done though. After causing me significant pain (before 8.30am! it's just not fair) by "releasing" certain muscles he chatted about holidays in the Alps, mountainbiking, hiking, parkour and luge whilst using ultrasound on my knee. He really shouldn't give me ideas... Anyway it's back again in two weeks time. And he was very pleased with the chocolate courgette cake recipe :)

Freeeeeeeee!

I haven't been ordering anything parcel sized lately so it was a bit of a surprise to get one of Royal Mail's red cards through the letter box this week. I managed to get to the depot on Friday morning and discovered that I was the happy recipient of a goody bag from Triathlete's World. This wasn't another competition I'd won, well not quite. If you'll remember I won tickets to go to The Outdoor Show a little while back and they never arrived. So I emailed to ask about it and didn't get a response. I was a bit put out by it but thought life was too short so just forgot about it. Anyway this goody bag was the magazine's way of saying sorry and very good it was too. It contained:





A pair of zoggs goggles
A bike bento bag
A waist pack
2 energy gels
1 protein/recovery bar
A water bottle
A tub of energy drink mix
The latest copy of Triathlete's World magazine



All in all, it made my Friday. I then felt it appropriate to head to the gym after work to complete the triathon challenge. I didn't expect to complete it all in one go but I did! 750m row, 20km cycle and 5km run. Phew! Now to tackle Snowdon on Sunday... looking forward to it so much, especially as it'll be the second peak my cousin Rich and I are attempting together!

Oo, Ee, Oo, Ahah

These are the sounds I am making today, following another mountain bike session after work last night. I met up with Phil and Stu at the Forest at 6.30 and feeling mightily unfit after cycling from home I attempted to hold conversations whilst following them around the tracks. After a little while I started to feel invigorated rather than wrecked and settled into the pace, which was admittedly fairly gentle. We're all at about the same level of experience which is great because I don't feel like I'm holding them up and we encourage each other in different ways, me by belting down hills, Phil by trying to cycle up every hill and Stu by just wanting to get out there and get fitter.

It was a perfect evening for biking and we were probably overly surprised by the numbers of fellow cyclists and runners out and about. Mostly we considered them to be "proper" cyclists and "mental" runners. We did have a couple of rest stops and attempted the cutting again (I almost made it out without falling off). Around about 8pm we went our separate ways, resolving to try and make this a regular thing, probably on Wednesdays. I just need to find a way to enjoy the ride to the forest more; coming home always seems better.

I reckon I ache so much today because I also did swissball and abs classes at lunchtime. I'm having a day off today and not going to Skip class after work because I've got Snowdon planned for Sunday and I don't want to overdo things. I'm thinking a short run or a gym session on Thursday or Friday though, as I've got the gym Triathlon challenge to complete before May 9th. If I complete a row, run and bike ride that fits with one of the standard Tri distances I will be entered into a draw to win a Trialthon starter pack, including a road bike!

In other news I'm getting on great with the pressups now, into week 5 I think. Closing in!

Song of the day is Ali In The Jungle by The Hours. Check out the lyrics. I felt a little bit smug when I realised they were talking about Joe Simpson of Touching The Void fame. Good song for singing at the top of your voice in the car... I imagine ;)

Do you grow your own potatoes?

I'm lying on a paper-covered doctors bed, lower half stripped to my pants with Neil, my Physio, using ultrasound on my legs. In order to put me at ease we're chatting about allotments and vegetable growing. And it's sort of working.

I think I've finally figured out what to wear to my appointments now; big pants, boy shorts or a pair of gym shorts to change into. Today I have had the foresight to shave my legs and wear boy shorts but I'm still feeling self conscious. I've wandered around in my pants wearing my running shoes and walking boots so that Neil can see if they're supportive enough. The verdict's good on the trainers and he reckons that using the insole from those in the boots will make all the difference.

I've not had any pains since the last session really so I'm feeling like a bit of a fraud, and have to keep reminding myself that I've generally not been doing the sorts of exercise that bring on the pains, at Neil's advice, so really I shouldn't be worried. I seem to be doing my stretches ok but I'm still lacking "buttock strength" so I've got to try extra hard with those exercises. This along with calf stretches in particular, Neil says, will be key to getting rid of the pains for good. General flexibility is deemed to be good but better on the left that the right still. This week I'm allowed to start going on walks again, but only a couple of miles - does he not know me at all? My idea of a walk is much more than two miles! Still at least it's progress and I may try a short run once or twice, on the promise that I will stop if I start to get any pain. Because my memory's awful and in order to settle a discussion with my mum I ask again whether I under or over pronate... I over pronate. I feel better for knowing that.

After discussing the relative merits of buying seeds and veg plants, the mystery of the never-growing-carrots and when potatoes and sprouts should be planted I agree to share my (Green & Blacks) now famous recipe for courgette chocolate cake and he agrees to see me again in two weeks time. I feel this is a fair swap.

Let Me Ride Through The Wild Open Country That I Love

It's beautiful weather! It's driving me nuts because I have to sit in an office all day, wishing I was outside. Not only that but the blinds are automated so they close in the morning and sometimes don't open again until it's hometime. I seem to have recovered from cycling on Sunday. I don't think I cycled a great distance but I'm out of condition so felt a bit sore anyway. Monday's Swissball and Abs classes didn't seem to work as well as last weeks but the Skip and Tone class definitely wore me out. I'm trying to decide what exercise to do today, I feel quite energised although that may just be a result of the large mug of coffee and home-made rhubarb muffin I've just consumed. It's been tough trying to fit in 10 lots of five minutes into my day to do my physio-prescribed stretches but I'm just about managing. We'll see what the verdict is on Thursday!

This week I am continuing to follow the exploits of Sticky, the guy who's doing Parkour over 1000 miles. He started out on Sunday with a 100 mile ultramarathon. Rather him than me at the moment! There was some fun coverage of The Tweed Run. It's something that started last year as a charity event where people get dressed up in retro clothes, hop on to some retro bicycles and ride around the capital. How jolly super!


One final article I'd like to mention this week is this one from The Guardian about the growing popularity of city marathons. I've perceived running as becomming more popular but put that down to the fact that you notice things more once you get involved with them. Certainly the 5km and half marathon scenes seem to have boomed in the past couple of years. And I think there's a lot of truth in the statement that increased popularity of running and a decline in gym memberships are linked. I resent paying for a gym in the summer months when I'd much rather pound the pavements than stare out of a window (if you're lucky) in a gym. With so many online training resources and advice forums it's not essential to get advice from an instructor in the gym. Even if you factor in a new pair of shoes, membership to a running club and entrance fee for two races a year I reckon that's cheaper and more exciting than the gym. You would have the social aspect, advice and support from the club and the goals of races to train for. Makes sense to me. In a lot of cases paying as you go for classes like yoga or aerobics is cheaper too.


This week I am mostly eating yogurt with damson puree, beetroot in risotto and salads and copious amounts of marmite on toast. I don't pretend that this fulfills a nutritionally balanced diet.

Last week I have been mostly eating...

...porridge with maple syrup and sultanas. It's a really good breakfast to start the day off and one of the few that keeps me going until just about lunchtime. This week I have also been working out. My diary looked a bit like this:

Monday: Swissball and Awesome Abs classes - I know it worked because it hurt when I coughed the next day.
Tuesday: Skip & Tone - skipping really shouldn't be that difficult. I mean I'm sure I manged fine when I was at school. Definitely a good work out with room for improvement.
Thursday: Physio - sworn off running and long walks for at least a week. Scuppers weekend plans a bit.
Friday: Core Stability class - much like "Awesome Abs" but not as much fun.
Sunday: Mountain biking in Swinley Forest.

I've signed on for the Monday and Tuesday classes next week and hope to get into the gym before or after work one day too.

I've really enjoyed the classes but really wish I could run. I don't even mean "go for a run", just run in general. I need to keep my CV levels up in other ways and cycling seems the best bet. I've toyed with the idea of cycling to work on occasion but at 11 miles each way, felt it was a bit out of my reach as a novice. If I could fit my bike into my car I could do what this girl's doing and drive part of the way and cycle the rest, maybe once a week. That would be really cool but I doubt it's going to happen. I'll have to settle for gym work and cycling aimlessly around my village.

Cycling in the forest was really great fun. My ability to cycle up hills leaves much to be desired but I had a go at the "cutting" where all the cool kids go to do their jumps. I did it at a normal pace and didn't fall off so I might have the confidence to try that again sometime. We almost got caught up in some races that were going on. We stumbled across the track and later found the start point. It was fun to watch the starts of some races and marvel at the fitness of people. We whiled away a happy half hour chatting to the people at the Torq tent, trying samples and comparing brands.

My 100 press ups plan isn't going so well. I struggled a lot with week 4, so while technically I should be on week 5, I have re-done the progress test and am picking up week four again on a slightly easier level. Hopefully I won't have to re-do it again and will be on target for 100 pressups in 2 and a half weeks time.