fat leg update.....

due to increased pain in my leg i went to the doctors this morning. then spent the afternoon in a&e. got seen by the nurse practitioner and the registrar. x-ray and bloods taken. no break but they were concerned about the swelling to my calf and possible clots. left calf is 3 inches bigger than right. bloods came back 'ok' but need to return to clinic on monday. have been told to do NOTHING, use crutches and continue to 'rice'.

i asked about 'puffer, they said "no"...after i'd convinced them that it wasn't a joke. needless to say the west highland way training is going to need some tweaking...

noughtie, noughtie, very noughtie

it's been the year of the bivvy and mini adventures. races have been and gone and it's not the times or placings i remember. it's those quiet stolen moments. cloud inversions for breakfast. running silently with jane along lesser trod paths in the highlands. riding from home with friends and staying out all day and all night. climbing new hills. repeating local loops but relishing the difference of each ride. wondering if i'll ever have a full set of toe nails.

i've also had to acknowledge that some goals need a deeper respect and maturity. not everything can be taken so lightly and that there maybe more to this than just a tick list.

the lists and targets all seem a bit arbitrary, a bit pointless when compared to the events going on outside of my little blog-o-sphere. but we've all got to choose our own paths to follow. if there's anything that i've learned during the past 12 months is, you need to do what makes you happy. to try and make the most of what you have. i spend a lot of time day dreaming and wishing i was doing something else, being somewhere else. the memory of my nan has been with me daily. as has her wise words of encouragement and support.

so, whilst trying to be faster and go further i'm going to be taking my time to appreciate the path i'm on.

here's to adventure and fun times. happy new year fellow blogites!

wk5 'the plan' round up

a bit of a bah humbug week. ice stopped play on 2 occasions and then there was the bivvy in the middle which took up 2 training days....i can never say no to a mini adventure. then i managed to fall off my bike on some black ice. i really shouldn't have gone running but it didn't seem that bad. since then i've been 'rice-ing'. the swelling has come down but there won't be any running or biking for a few more days. oh, and i've eaten far too much and appear to have lost all self control. so, i'm feeling a bit sorry for myself in terms of training. but i've got a week off work, some new books to read and a bit a of bike fettling to do....

still no turkey...

went to work this morning, allowed to finished early. even quite enjoyed being there. then fell off bike on the way home. bruised my left shin and felt a bit shaken. decided that it wasn't that bad and i really should run as i missed yesterdays hill reps. managed a very slow and slightly painful jog. now feel a little sick and my shin is massive. will get the doctors to have a look at work tomorrow!


and i still haven't had any turkey. about to go to in-laws for dinner. hope everyone else is having a lovely day.

snow envy, what snow envy

'the plan' has been severely tweaked to take into account of the 'extreme weather event'.

yesterday's 'run' along mam tor ridge turned into a crawl and a fight for warmth. but this was just a prelude to the main adventure. a snow bivvy.

meeting my partner in goose down at a pub with a roaring fire, we ate and drank and put off heading into the night. amy had pedaled, pushed and traveled by rail from home. she was still thawing out. i on the other hand, had a complete change of clothes and dry shoes in the car. despite this, i was in no hurry to leave the comfort of the ladybower inn.

after faffage of massive proportions we were ready to head out. amy on her bike and me in my fell shoes. we've been on this path before, conditions were less cold and white then. but it's well trod and easy to follow....an hour later, after scaling dry stone walls and wading through thigh deep snow, we had no idea where we were. it's now snowing and the wind is picking up. why it took us so long to get the compass out i don't know.

heading due north, dragging amy's bike by the front wheel, we battled on through what seemed like endless arctic tundra. both chatting but both very cold and a little unnerved. best not to say anything. head down and keep on. we're laughing a little less now. i'm glad i didn't bring my bike.

then suddenly, out of the cold snow, something flies up, it's wings flap against my chilled bottom. i scream. amy screams. we drop the bike. we both laugh. we pick the bike up and carry on. eventually we reach familiar ground. still confused about how we went so wrong so quickly. nearly there. the moon is so bright and now we can see our objective on the horizon, 'the wheel stones'.

for some reason we both had this nagging sense that there might already be some one camped there. there wasn't. out of the wind but the snow was still falling. my only thoughts were to get my frozen shoes off and get into my down cocoon. it was like a comedy slow race. both anxious to get warm, both too cold to move quickly.

i'd been given permission from jane that spooning was allowed, in "life and limb threatening situations". fortunately this was not needed. it was cold, the stars shone brightly and my breath hung in the air. but hunkered down i fell asleep. only waking for that dreaded need for a wee. bladder emptied and the sky appreciated some more, i drifted off once again.

we woke to the slow sun rising. it was so peaceful. so white. so serene. so lucky. a breakfast of bacon and (garlic and coriander) nann bread-not a combination i'll repeat but it was all my corner shop had. everything takes some much longer in the winter. but it means you have longer to take in the beauty of your chosen spot.

our walk/run, push/pedal down, was a lot quicker than the previous nights ascent. time for one last hot chocolate before heading our separate ways.

a snow bivvy, why? because we can.

treacherous easy run

this evenings easy run was aborted after only 800 treacherous meters. returned home, after being told 'i told you so', and had a quick spin on the exercise bike. if all goes to plan tomorrow, the ice will be the least of my worries.

wk4 'the plan' round up

a good week, topped of with a lovely run this morning with jane and my first bit of trail for while. so far so good but i'm still struggling food-wise. particularly difficult when over eating is positively encouraged at this time of year. my biggest problem is still snacking on rubbish. even though i'm doing enough to 'burn it off', it's not helping me get stronger or recover well.

i can't fight it any more

christmas is here. work was full of chocolatey treats. a 'snowy' commute home and jane making a small army of marzipan penguins. pass the brandy!

more penguins here

no sausages here

no mud, no rain, no trails. that's right, no off road. unless you count the overgrown bmx track and the park. town is covered in lights and christmasy treats and obstacles for the boys on their fixie bikes.

steps and slopes, skids and whoops and backwards riding. i pretty much just tagged along for the ride, with the promise of sausage for later. encouraged by their patient tuition i did try a few steps.

(thanks to chris for the evidence)

our ride of road and street was to end at the christmas market with sausages and mulled wine. by the time we got there, all the sausages were gone and i got asked for id (which i didn't have), so couldn't even have some booze! a fun alternative to our usual mudfest and maybe, just maybe i might try fixed...

5m TT

just knocked 3 minutes of my '5m TT' route. i do this route from time to time but don't always push so hard. i know it's early days but it's great to see some improvements. suddenly i'm starting to feel more like a 'runner' and not just a jogger. here's what the training brain had to say about it...

apologies for the graph thing but i'm well chuffed with myself. poached egg and crumpets well earned.

wk3 'the plan' round up

despite having a cold for half the week all sessions have been completed, plus 2 bonus bike rides. strangely i've found, not doing things this week quite difficult. normally i can easily lazy about but the combination of good weather and enforced low mileage has caused a few 'mood swings'. very unlike me -not the mood swings- but the not doing what i want. i think this is where i've previously given up on training programs. doing too much too soon and either getting injured or losing motivation. but i am learning...photo is taken from back garden, wondering what the fells would be like today.

a tenth of the way through, only 27 weeks to go!

rest works!!!!

since the fateful 'mince pie' ride i've been feeling a bit coldy. nose and eyes both equally leaky, making breathing a little difficult. apart from going to work all i've done is rest.

a crisp, clear morning. lungs burning, breathing labored, heart rate spiking but legs positively zippy. 8m done and dusted.

trainer tune: don't make waves, the gossip

sofa day no.1

no work, no running, no biking, no driving, no visiting.

a lovely day pottering about, getting cold in the garden bike cleaning. getting warm on the sofa, snuggled in my new sleeping bag. some reading and some listening and not too many biscuits eaten.

it all started so well...

coffee and mince pies in the garden whilst admiring a new bike and amusing small children. before we set off i declared myself as a liabilitly, all tools and tubes in the other bag. not to worry, between us we'll be fine.

rolling along the quiet roads the rain began to fall but once onto the muddy farm tracks this doesn't seem to matter anymore. still admiring the new bike and discussing the possibilities of 'cross racing next year. yeh, this is the start of a good ride.

until those fateful words are uttered, "i've think i've got a flat", "you can't have, it's raining!". off the bridleway and under a street lamp, the full horror is illuminated-thorns. not just the every day variety but the kind that could kill a man, thicker than pencils and more sharp than a needle.

9 in total. "no! don't pull them out". a closer inspection reveals all three bikes have been attacked, only one rear trye is spared. then the realisation that the only spare tube is 700c. the rain falls a little bit harder as the patches are brought out. a nip of whisky to keep warm. tube pumping to get even warmer.

directly home on deflating rubber. extra hot chocolate and caramel wafers revive our damp cold bones. tomorrow i will be mostly repairing old inner tubes.

trying to be fast(er)

i'd been looking forward to today's session, wanting to better the previous pace. my heart was in it but my legs are still somewhere in the hope valley. but the sky was blue and the ground dry and i did manage to squeeze a little bit of speed out. 1m warm up, 3m at 7.10, 1m warm down. just hope i have something left for this evenings 'mince pie' ride.

open 5: peak district

my thighs are still heavy with yesterdays efforts. bike is coated in a thin paste of brown grit, fell shoes damp, winter boots are water logged but i'm still feeling very satisfied at a job well done. it's only our second time racing together and although it was 'just for fun', we definitely pushed hard and earned our points.

i took the lead on the run and 'over shot' 2 checkpoints-we only went to 6! as expected rosemary's navigation on the bike leg was faultless. very wet under tyre and foot but the views along the tops were stunning with dark clouds rushing across the sky and rainbows showing the way. at times i forgot we were racing, too busy enjoying the descents and cruising along the road. until some helpful pushes reminded me spin a little faster.

racing is a good way to get know people, glean tactics and forge new friendships. i hope there's more to come. rosemary, i promise to put gears on my bike if you do some running training!

...and over the hill but not too far away jane was running in the d&w mini mountain marathon. her first solo outing in a score event, she's even got ideas about joining a running club now-there's my motivation for those long dark runs!

wk2 'the plan' round up

a tough week despite only working 2 days but 3 days away (sometimes i want to bang my parents heads together!) and a race at the end of has meant a certain amount of tweaking. every run has been done in the dark and on my own. but don't feel sorry for me, it didn't rain on thursday evening. all sessions done, except an easy 6m but i hope sunday's race will make up for it.

as for said race, i'd completely forgotten about the added faff of 'multi' sport. that pile of kit may not look much but it took nearly 3 hours to gather up.

whw entry confirmed

over and out

please help

been visiting the folks for the past few days. did manage to get both 'long' runs. but a combination of train travel and weary legs has meant no hill session this evening-moved to saturday.

also, other whw race news is that they require more information on my training plan and results from previous races. if anyone is able to find the results for the high peak 40 2008, i'd be eternally grateful. i know i bloody did it, i've the badge and everything!