wk14 'the plan' round up

another hard earned cake/cheese eating week. for those who are counting the weekly total's up to 61.2, due to yesterdays bonus trot around edale with jane-some of the best running this year! no speed session this week though. had to rearrange due to visitors and now i'm full of cold.

something's shifted mentally and i'm now looking at 14m being a 'quick' run that can be squeezed in between stuff. but it's also slowly dawning on me the huge amount of time training for long stuff actually takes-i'm not complaining, just realising!! looking forward to an easy week....

...talking of easy weeks...in a moment of bravado and 'eyes bigger than my belly', i answered a wanted add on the fell runners forum. i'm now in team for next weeks high peak marathon. GULP!!

sucess all round

at last, the freewheel is finally liberated!! all it took was, an 18m trail run, consuming my own weight in bread and cheese and a bit of brain over brawn.

we had a very cold and damp run over vikki's local trails. she's mid marathon training. this was her furthest run to date. she finished strong and i'm very impressed.

even more impressive was our post run spread. bread, cheese, olives, cheese, chocolate milk, cheese. and even more impressive than that, was our successful bike fettle.

can i come again?

the resolution ride

fellow blogger and tweeter, fatlad, aka al, posted a pretty cool set of 'not resolutions but goals', in the new year. once a month he wants to meet up with a stranger/weirdo/tinternet freak and ride in new places. an ace idea. i was, erm, his february ride...

with the excellent guiding skills of simon, who's local knowledge and factoids never cease to amaze me, we took al on one of our night ride loops. showing someone your local trails turns you into a bit of an anxious parent. what will they think, is it worth the drive, will they notice that really long boring road section, is that twisty bit of off camber vanishing trail really that good? oh, and will they notice quite how burnt the tea loaf is.

i'll let al answer those questions. i had a great ride and had the opportunity to ride from the door in day light. my eyes were opened in more ways than one. it's not often that you get the chance to really appreciate what you've got on your doorstep. we don't have massive drop offs, steep technical climbs, or boulder strewn descents. but 10 minutes from the front door, is fast and zippy wooded singletrack. and just a few pedals more, rolling humps of oak tree lined trails, linked together with just a 'little' bit of road.

thanks simon, for choosing the choicest bits and thanks to al for making me see what we've got and having the genius idea in the first place. if you ride and are reading this, help a thoroughly lovely chap stick to his 'not a resolution but goal', i guarantee fun.

i think i might be a feeder

there's something innately pleasing about taking raw ingredients and creating something sweet (and sometimes wholesome too). i'm always amazed at how butter and sugar can combine into a thick creamy paste. all that's needed is a bit of force. that's the bit i can do. the gentle folding of flour is a technique i've yet to master. i can't separate egg whites either. oh, and i'm quite lackadaisical about strictly following a recipe. i hate using the sieve too. i'm really good at licking the spoon clean though.

for the past two days the smell of freshly baked bread and burnt currents has lingered in the air. i've been binge baking. i don't know what's caused this, maybe the purchase of the china tea cup. or maybe, because it's just so satisfying. but the most pleasing part is the sharing. even the blackened edges of the tea loaf taste good when there's two of you.

wk13 'the plan' round up

i'm cream crackered! a 50 miler week, despite missing an easy 4m. was a bit touch and go towards the end of the week due to being a bit snotty and dare i say it, pedaling too much. feels good to be increasing the mileage but still feel really sluggish. like running in treacle but i guess it's meant to be hard...

...i'm off next week so 'the plan' might change a little, but i'm going to try and be strong and not get too distracted.

rock 'n' roll

a brief trip into town this afternoon has resulted in a new tea cosy, a lovely pokadotted tea tray and china cup and saucer for me. jane believes the cup to be the wrong side of chintz and definitely an 'old lady'. she can talk, she came home with a new blanket.

maybe tomorrows trip to the hills will blow away these giffer cobwebs. either that or i'll be gasping for a nice cuppa and a slice of walnut cake.

trainer tune: revol- manic street preachers

a real triathlon

run.bike.pancake.

blue sky as trainers on and out the door. damn, those tarmac inclines feel like real hills today. keep on plodding. hail falls on the home straight. through the door and into transition one. kitchen.

eggs cracked. onion sliced. garlic crushed. tomatoes chopped. chili, then a bit more for luck, added. a three egg huevos rancheros, literally hoovered up off the plate.

lycra on. water bottle filled and back on the road. pedaling across town, a few near misses but safely arrive team meeting house. quick coffee and then the spinning commences. usual trails but with a setting sun, burning purple in the sky. mud, mud and slippery mud. no punctures! back across town. passing ques of traffic. damn, this feels good. through the door and into transition two. kitchen.

flour, eggs and milk. whisked to an inch of its life. left to stand whilst the grime of the day is washed away. following the strict house rules of savory before sweet. four rounds of pancakes made and devoured. plate licked clean. lemon and sugar wiped from face. cross the finish line.

sofa and olympics await.

can you do that one more time

whilst most folks were starting their week of daily grind, a bunch of pedaling slackers gathered in a western corner of the dark peak. it was a damp and gray morning, not exactly perfect weather for taking photographs, or standing around making sure friends don't plunge to their death whilst riding over large cracks. but, this is exactly what we did. not many miles but lots of laughs and quiet a few hill reps. oh, and some tea and a slice of cake. i don't get out of bed for anything less than a victoria sponge these days.

rich didn't have any easy job trying to make us look gnarley but it must be loads better than having to sit behind a desk all day. more of his snaps here.

wk12 'the plan' round up

feels good to have completed a full week of running. hard, slow work but every mile done. the only slight issue is that both achilles are really tight. you could pluck a good bluegrass tune on the them. more stretching need, or at least some stretching.

....cheese cake turned out very well....

not being a domestic goddess

after a morning of semi successful bike wrestling-no injuries but the freewheel remains in place and still rattling- i then embarked on making a cheese cake, in preparation for tomorrows dinner guests. this meant that lunch didn't really happen, a few crumpets and obviously some digestives whilst making the cake base. i discovered this is not particularly good preparation for a 14m run.



trainer tune: ain't got no/i got life - nina simone

aciiid

first proper ride since ol' fat appeared (commuting doesn't count as it's short and i'm half asleep). i can't say it was entirely pleasurable. catching up with riding buddies was lovely, despite not being able to speak most of the time. fortunately due to punctures and some 'interesting' route choice, i had a chance to catch my breath. twisty singletrack isn't much fun when slow. but at least i got a smiley sticker and friends that don't mind waiting.

wk11 'the plan' round up

just 2 'long' runs this week but feel good. am a little slower and a bit heavier but that's something i can change. going to start back on the actual plan, as if nothing has happened. luckily next week is an easy week!

looking at others weekly mileage mine is/going to be much lower, as are my long runs much shorter. i'm going to ignore this and just hope that my very steady build up is going to work for me.

trainer tune: gil scott-heron - who'll pay reparations on my soul

the great biscuit disappointment

it will come as no surprise that i enjoy the odd biscuit or two. however, this mornings nibble was a tad disappointing. slightly burnt around the edges, the digestives took on a rather bitter taste.

a carefully worded letter to mcvites has been crafted. trying to pitch the balance between 'biscuit mentalist' and 'dunking eccentric'. jane suggested i take a photo, just in case they require further proof. it will also come as little surprise that i have too much time on my hands.

i will keep you updated on any important movements.