i went for a run

finished my last ever 7 day stint at the workhouse.

the snooze button has been winning all week, so there were no early morning pavement poundings. but with legs like lead jelly and rasping lungs i dragged myself out this evening.

despite the cool air i sweated my way up the normally easy rise. breathing in deep the bus fumes. my heart was thumping and my knees ached. an hour of dodging potholes and nipping between parked cars. i've missed the simple pleasure of running.

trainer tune: 'tickle me pink' johnny flynn

a wild goose chase

this evening i attempted to take jane on one of our local loops. normally i'm just concentrating on either not falling off or trying to keep up. very rarely do i ride at the front and today it showed.

there were lots of bits of trail that i remembered, it was just the bits in between that were causing problems. having a map only made matters worse. not only that i punctured and jane had a very close call with a car at a crossing point. at least it didn't rain. in fact it was a lovely summer's evening. not sure how it turned into the worst ride ever. this may have been the 'make or break' ride....*

*for jane and biking that is!

filthy

had a snooze off with the alarm clock this morning. snooze won so there was no pre work running but post work riding more than made up for it.

back to sherwood pines this evening. fast. fast. fast. chat. gossip. chasing. chasing. dirt jumps-eek. baby dirt jumps-eek. chat. fettle. fast. fast. waterproof on. thighs burning. boil in the bag. mud. mud. mud. waterproof off. can't stop grinning and repeat for a few hours.

tomorrow running...

only 7 shifts left

...until i can start complaining about another job!

the past few days we've been making the most of jane's dad's green fingers and enjoying his surplus veg. today jane made a broad bean puree thing which looked like martian vomit but was actually very tasty. i wonder what she'll do with the mini parsnips.

i will go for a run tomorrow. i will, i will, i will

singlespeed jane

shhh...don't tell anyone and don't make a big deal about it and certainly don't start talking about the ssuk. BUT we went to sherwood pines this afternoon. jane rode the scandal and absolutely loved it. watch this space

a ride, a sleep and a ride *metric century 7/12

me and bike are cleaned. kit is in washing machine and i've eaten a hero's dinner. but brain is still not fully functioning. i realise now that this is probably why i like this long distance stuff. i have a ridiculous ability to forget and am really addicted to the sense of calm satisfaction that real physical tiredness brings.

this is how my tiny mind recalls the past two days.

thursday morning, get first train to cromford and meet red and trio at the start of the pennine bridleway.

lots of talk of kit and weighing each others bag. red won this contest. i name his sac 'the burden'. trio was positively lightweight this time with no sparkling wine or pillows.

the excitement of meeting up with these two was almost too much for my bike and the bottom bracket ceased complete. fixed temporarily by trio's suggestion of pedaling backwards every 3 forward revolutions and also having red push me along. thankfully when we reached parsley bike hire the problem was resolved by a really helpful mechanic. cleaned and tightened we were on our way. and i'd managed not to have a full blown paddy with my bike!

then it was basically a long some flat disused railway. up a bit then down a bit and then all of a sudden we were at hayfield. a little later than planned but it didn't matter. carbs and fizzy pop and off again.

i'm pretty sure it was flat again then a bit of up. there may have been some mud and a bit of contouring. lots of chatting and laughing and general bike riding fun. but all too soon it was time for trio to leave us and continue on her monster mileage home.

with words of warning about the sign posting around glossop being a bit hit and miss ringing in out ears, red and i flew off down the nearest hill. within minuets we were freestyling, not necessarily lost but not exactly on the right path.

error corrected and eyes now peeled for little acorn signs. there were some steep grassy zigzags, quiet a lot of pushing and some freewheeling. we both had a confusing moment in a local shop when our powers of decision making deserted us.

there may have been some gentle persuasion and some glycogen lows. but on we continued. realising that the original plan was not going to happen today but also realising that, again this didn't matter.

we choose our camp. not quiet on the proposed spot but somewhere near castleshaw moor. sheltered but with a view. chatting and eating until the stars were bright in the sky. red retired to his tent and me to my bag. despite my aching knees and fuzzy brain i couldn't sleep. the sky was so clear is demanded my attention.

it rained a little during the night but not enough for red to let me in the tent. after breakfast we were off again. plans re-organised and made more manageable. back to hayfield then to macclesfield and i'd get the train home while red would continue back to leek.

there seemed to be less hills on the way back. the descents weren't as long or as technical as i'd remembered the ascents to be. it rained and the sun shone. we didn't get lost and didn't run out things to talk about.

before i realised i was sat on a train. just me and my bike. covered in mud. not sure of exact mileage and those sorts of statistics that are normally important to me. i've just had a lot fun, despite being a little saddle sore.

the past two days feel like a weeks holiday. i'm already making plans for the next one.


*edit
day 1- approx. 123 km, 1 train and some hills
day 2- approx. 107 km, 3 trains and less hills

big ideas

i may well have drawn a far to long a line the map and over estimated my abilities. i'm meeting up with jon and amy tomorrow for a bit of riding, then a bit more riding, probably a bit more and then crawling into a bag to sleep. oh, and then a bit more riding. but in typical fashion this isn't enough for them. they can be currently spotted on hillside somewhere near cromford. i'm off to bed, i've got a big day tomorrow!

arse ache

i'm still licking my wounds after the thrashing my mum* gave me at tennis yesterday. i've also developed a shoulder injury that may be tennis/jazz hand related. and after today's run i now have arse ache. or more precisely a painful achilles that seems to have crept all the way up my leg. much stretching is in order but i'm too lazy.

*she is 58

and all that jazz

just been to see chicago with my mum. staring gary wilmot, i know, i'd completely forgotten about him too! a three course meal and half a bottle of wine, the 'freedom plan' is going to need some serious tweaking.

i can't stop doing jazz hands.

satisfied

day 11 of 'freedom plan' and all is well.

7 day workhouse stint finished. mum's visit postponed by 24hrs. have just brought scratch perverts new album but am restraining from entering a race that i'm no way fit enough to do. ran in the rain, at least it cleaned the mud off my windproof. time for beer. ratatouille must be foolproof...

trainer tune: happy mondays- do not work without 'performance enhancing drugs'

home alone

jane's away for a few days. attending a wedding of a cousin, who she can't remember what they look like or when she saw last. my brilliant negotiating skills have left me home alone but it does mean that jane now holds the 'get out of jail free card'-which can be used at any time.

so far, in her absence i've managed not to brake anything, buy anything off the tinternet, played at being a roadie, beat the rain and the house has been cleaned to 'mum standard', as mine is visiting tomorrow.

but i probably should have cooked my poachies slightly longer.

i'm tired

getting to work on time this morning was a little difficult. this evenings running plans were shortened slightly. but sunshine and smiles all the way.

trainer tune: cher's 'gypsies, tramps and thieves'. must find some non-cheese for next run.

who's idea was this

someone (simon), has a new non-tesco light and someone else, chris thought some 'training' for sits would be good. our ride didn't start until 21:30, it was still light but the dark clouds were threatening. by 22:30 we were completely soaked and huddling in a bus shelter consuming cake and whiskey.

a unanimous decision was made to cut our loses and head back. simon's light had been declared brilliant and there was no need to practice 'riding around in muddy circles' anymore. on the journey back the rain stopped, we snatched some gritty singletrack and the bike and myself needed a good clean before coming inside. it was just like winter again, except a lot warmer-ace!

that's my bike, that is

i'm slowly beginning to tame this beast. a quick solo jaunt after work, has left me tingling with nettle stings but brimming with confidence. i can almost claim this bike as mine now.

ps-i rode the steps again....

weekend workhouse

but running has been made a little easier with my new toy...

strictly for pavement miles only. surprise shuffle track that kept me going, madonna's 'like a prayer'. who'd have thought it!

it's been a while

since i last posted. despite a few great weekends away i've still been feeling fed up and generally a bit useless. jane's was away last weekend with vikki and i sat at home waiting for the proverbial kick up the arse. wanting my next post to be positive. and it finally came...

i decided to hand my notice in last monday-i haven't got a start date yet but i'm sure everything will work out, somehow i'll make it. on monday i implemented my '33 day freedom plan'. the aim- get back to enjoying running and pedaling, loose the extra pounds and stop the wobbly bits wobbling, prepare for the new job and more importantly be ready for some ridiculous challenges in september.

i'm on day 5, have managed to loose 3 pounds, been for a run and had 2 excellent rides. and most importantly rode the steps to the old railway line. this means nothing to anyone else but i've never had the courage to commit to them before and have always stood a the top watching chris and simon negotiating their way down. the worm is slowly turning!