Just three activities to report for the week between the Time Trial and the Cardington Cracker.
The Tuesday night run was an ascent of New Pool Hollow, followed by a run up to Pole Bank and back over Haddon Hill, with a descent by the gully next to the Valleys ridge, which was pretty darn slippery!
7.3 miles, 1,540' of ascent and 1 hour 16 minutes.
On the Thursday I took the morning off and ran a really nice recovery run all around (but not up) the Wrekin. Em had planned this one and it turned out to be a great route on a lovely clear morning.
7.8 miles, 1,200' of climbing and one and a half hours.
Finally on Saturday I felt I needed to turn my legs over so I got out for half an hour on the Tricross and cycled 7.3 miles.
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Cycling - Great Chatwell - 13/11/2011
Another trip out on the cross bike, with plenty of off-road near the start and at the end.
18.3 miles, 1,030' of climbing, 1 hr 21 mins
The combination of stretching, physic, massage and cycling is settling my achilles now.
18.3 miles, 1,030' of climbing, 1 hr 21 mins
The combination of stretching, physic, massage and cycling is settling my achilles now.
Cross Bike Tryout - 12/11/2011
Well, the cross bike is back on the road, as I've finally got round to replacing the wheel which was half inched from Tankerville back in September.
I thought I'd give it a gentle try-out round Muxton and Lilleshall first, so did a fairly easy loop with a short off-road section near the barracks.
7.6 miles; 150 feet of ascent; 30 minutes
I thought I'd give it a gentle try-out round Muxton and Lilleshall first, so did a fairly easy loop with a short off-road section near the barracks.
7.6 miles; 150 feet of ascent; 30 minutes
Mad Jack's Cross-Country - 06/11/2011
Cycled over to this event from home, but pretty sick watching when I should have been killing myself at Clwydian Range instead. Our fell running friends did well with Rich Roberts winning the mens and Amanda winning the ladies.
Had to deal with a blowout on the way back due to the venerable tyre on my equally venerable tourer parting company with its bead... Bodge job, but new tyre now purchase and on the bike. I'll have to replace the back one soon...
30-odd miles, 800 feet of climbing, 2 hours 5 minutes
Had to deal with a blowout on the way back due to the venerable tyre on my equally venerable tourer parting company with its bead... Bodge job, but new tyre now purchase and on the bike. I'll have to replace the back one soon...
30-odd miles, 800 feet of climbing, 2 hours 5 minutes
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Pub Run (on the bike) - 09/07/2011
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| There's a half and a pack of crisps on that table somewhere! |
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| Lots of lovely lanes and not too many hills except the big one at the start. |
Physio and Bike - 04/07/2011
Another trip to the physio. I think we're pleased with the recovery to date, and I have new stretches (which kill, but I'll do them anyway).
Afterwards I went out on the bike for an hour before sunset. Tried to keep the effort up, especially on the climbs (through Lilleshall, up Pitchcroft Lane, and then up to the National Sports Centre, which is a slog). Probably did about 12 miles in 50 minutes or so.
Afterwards I went out on the bike for an hour before sunset. Tried to keep the effort up, especially on the climbs (through Lilleshall, up Pitchcroft Lane, and then up to the National Sports Centre, which is a slog). Probably did about 12 miles in 50 minutes or so.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Cotswold Audax Ride - 19/06/2011
I was looking for something to do to maintain my aerobic fitness and on a whim I entered this cycling event earlier in the week. For those who don't know an "Audax" ride is a tour on a pre-planned route, with minimum and maximum time limits that equate to 15 kph and 30 kph. The catch is that the times include all your stops (food, comfort, navigational cock-ups, etc.)
The route I entered was the shortest distance, 108 km (about 68 miles). The furthest I've been on my bike before this was about 25 miles!
I rode on my 1982 Holdsworth Mistral tourer, which is pretty much in original condition. I bought a handlebar bag as it seemed the easiest way to stash a bit of food, camera and spare clothes where I could get at them on the roll. The bag (Rixen Kaul, not cheap but good quality and with the right mount for my old fashioned bars) has a map case on the top which I used for the route cue sheet.
So we set off from Wythall, south of Birmingham, at 9am, on a cloudy and fairly cool Sunday morning. I deliberately took the first few miles slowly to warm up. There was a photographer about 10 miles in, so hopefully I'll be able to get hold of a couple of pics of me actually riding!
The route took us south and east through Tanworth-in-Arden (pretty), Lowsonford and Norton Lindsey to the first check point at Charlecote. I rode this section mostly with Francis, a charming chap from Stroud who was riding on a fixed gear build of a Surly Cross Check frame. I got my brevet card (it's kind of a certificate that proves you've visited all the checkpoints) stamped and had a quick loo shop, but there was a bit of a queue for food, so I pressed on.
The next section took us south of Stratford via Loxley and Alderminster. I had my first slightly rough patch pedalling on my own along a long straight uphill lane into the wind just after Newbold on Stour. The next stop was an info control at Ilmington. We had to answer a question on the brevet card - in this case the distance to a destination from a signpost. On along the northern edge of the Cotswolds, this time riding up to and then in a group as we made a steady climb to Meon Hill and then swept down into Mickleton. A lovely straightish section led down to another info control at Honeybourne, then I sat in the group and swept through Pebworth and Dorsington to the second full control at Welford-on-Avon. This was in the village hall. There must have been 50 bikes outside, all much newer than mine!
I had a nice ham roll, an apple pastry and a very welcome cup of tea, all for a bargain £3. The catering here was by a local voluntary group, I think, and was excellent. I met Francis again, and a guy called Kevin from Priorslee in Telford. We had a nice chat over food, and left the control together.
We crossed the Avon very soon after the control and climbed to Billesley and Aston Cantlow. Once I realised the guys were waiting for me at the top of each climb I asked them to go on, as I was just keen to take my time and make sure I finished. Pretty soon I was in another group of three with a gentleman and his wife on very nice Thorn Audax bikes. We both spotted slight navigational error before they became serious on the next bit, and rode together to Ullenhall, where the route card suggested there should be a final info control. There was no question on the brevet card though, so I took a photo of the signpost and my two companions, before deciding to set off for the finish ahead of them as I was starting to feel a little stiff.
The last 12km were a bit of a drag; I passed an older couple on a steepish climb between Ullenhall and the A435 and then rode solo through Portway and across the M42. The last section of 5km back to Wythall was all gently uphill, and I must have slowed a bit as the older couple caught me up and passed me about 2km before the end - I couldn't keep up with them!
Anyway I finished in good shape after about 6 elapsed hours (probably five and a half in the saddle), and got my card stamped. I ate some of the excellent free pasta, collected my water bottle memento, and had another chat with Francis and Kevin before heading home.
This was an excellent day, and I had a lot of fun with some really friendly people. I'll definitely be doing more Audax rides when I need a long day but don't want to be running...
The route I entered was the shortest distance, 108 km (about 68 miles). The furthest I've been on my bike before this was about 25 miles!
I rode on my 1982 Holdsworth Mistral tourer, which is pretty much in original condition. I bought a handlebar bag as it seemed the easiest way to stash a bit of food, camera and spare clothes where I could get at them on the roll. The bag (Rixen Kaul, not cheap but good quality and with the right mount for my old fashioned bars) has a map case on the top which I used for the route cue sheet.
So we set off from Wythall, south of Birmingham, at 9am, on a cloudy and fairly cool Sunday morning. I deliberately took the first few miles slowly to warm up. There was a photographer about 10 miles in, so hopefully I'll be able to get hold of a couple of pics of me actually riding!
The route took us south and east through Tanworth-in-Arden (pretty), Lowsonford and Norton Lindsey to the first check point at Charlecote. I rode this section mostly with Francis, a charming chap from Stroud who was riding on a fixed gear build of a Surly Cross Check frame. I got my brevet card (it's kind of a certificate that proves you've visited all the checkpoints) stamped and had a quick loo shop, but there was a bit of a queue for food, so I pressed on.
The next section took us south of Stratford via Loxley and Alderminster. I had my first slightly rough patch pedalling on my own along a long straight uphill lane into the wind just after Newbold on Stour. The next stop was an info control at Ilmington. We had to answer a question on the brevet card - in this case the distance to a destination from a signpost. On along the northern edge of the Cotswolds, this time riding up to and then in a group as we made a steady climb to Meon Hill and then swept down into Mickleton. A lovely straightish section led down to another info control at Honeybourne, then I sat in the group and swept through Pebworth and Dorsington to the second full control at Welford-on-Avon. This was in the village hall. There must have been 50 bikes outside, all much newer than mine!
I had a nice ham roll, an apple pastry and a very welcome cup of tea, all for a bargain £3. The catering here was by a local voluntary group, I think, and was excellent. I met Francis again, and a guy called Kevin from Priorslee in Telford. We had a nice chat over food, and left the control together.
We crossed the Avon very soon after the control and climbed to Billesley and Aston Cantlow. Once I realised the guys were waiting for me at the top of each climb I asked them to go on, as I was just keen to take my time and make sure I finished. Pretty soon I was in another group of three with a gentleman and his wife on very nice Thorn Audax bikes. We both spotted slight navigational error before they became serious on the next bit, and rode together to Ullenhall, where the route card suggested there should be a final info control. There was no question on the brevet card though, so I took a photo of the signpost and my two companions, before deciding to set off for the finish ahead of them as I was starting to feel a little stiff.
The last 12km were a bit of a drag; I passed an older couple on a steepish climb between Ullenhall and the A435 and then rode solo through Portway and across the M42. The last section of 5km back to Wythall was all gently uphill, and I must have slowed a bit as the older couple caught me up and passed me about 2km before the end - I couldn't keep up with them!
Anyway I finished in good shape after about 6 elapsed hours (probably five and a half in the saddle), and got my card stamped. I ate some of the excellent free pasta, collected my water bottle memento, and had another chat with Francis and Kevin before heading home.
This was an excellent day, and I had a lot of fun with some really friendly people. I'll definitely be doing more Audax rides when I need a long day but don't want to be running...
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Longmynd by Bike - 07/06/2011
Still not running...
I went out to meet the Tuesday night crew, but had to content myself with cycling, not running. I left the car at the Ragleth in Little Stretton and rode over to Church Stretton. After a chat with the Tuesday night group, who were off up Ashes Hollow to Pole Bank, I left at the same time as them, and rode over to All Stretton, then up via Plush Hill to the path up past High Park. I only walked a couple of short sections on the road, but do need a better low gear if I'm going to bike on these roads regularly!
I part walked, part rode the bike up to Duckley Nap and then along the Portway to the Shooting Box. At Boiling Well I had a look to see if anyone was coming up from Ashes, but was probably a little too soon. I rode down the road to Pole Cottage and then double backed up the track to Pole Bank (rode all the way up!)
Just as I was about to set off, the running group appeared, so we had a nice natter and then headed off in convoy as far as the top of Mott's Road. I went on and then picked up the Woolstaston road, descending carefully because of all the lambs on the road. I cut back to Stretton via Jinlye for a nice round trip totalling about 20 miles and 1,200' of climbing.
Photos to follow...
I went out to meet the Tuesday night crew, but had to content myself with cycling, not running. I left the car at the Ragleth in Little Stretton and rode over to Church Stretton. After a chat with the Tuesday night group, who were off up Ashes Hollow to Pole Bank, I left at the same time as them, and rode over to All Stretton, then up via Plush Hill to the path up past High Park. I only walked a couple of short sections on the road, but do need a better low gear if I'm going to bike on these roads regularly!
I part walked, part rode the bike up to Duckley Nap and then along the Portway to the Shooting Box. At Boiling Well I had a look to see if anyone was coming up from Ashes, but was probably a little too soon. I rode down the road to Pole Cottage and then double backed up the track to Pole Bank (rode all the way up!)
Just as I was about to set off, the running group appeared, so we had a nice natter and then headed off in convoy as far as the top of Mott's Road. I went on and then picked up the Woolstaston road, descending carefully because of all the lambs on the road. I cut back to Stretton via Jinlye for a nice round trip totalling about 20 miles and 1,200' of climbing.
Photos to follow...
Friday, 20 May 2011
Update - 16/05/2011
"No running since Caradoc" would seem to be the best headline for the period over the weekend to Monday 16th. I'm trying to give a little time for all the various niggles, particularly my heels, to heal. I've not exactly been sedentary, but I think a week off to let everything sort itself out was overdue really. I should have done this after the Three Peaks really...
On Thursday I had to hold myself down, with a meeting in Cromford I'd normally have run on the way back, but that wouldn't have been clever so I settled for a gym session with James in the evening. This was a fairly gentle 20 minute cycle at 60-70% MHR on a relatively low resistance, followed by a session building core strength on the weight machines (generally 3 sets of 8 reps at relatively high loads).
I was "up north" for a meeting early on Friday, and when I got back I went over to Wales for a weekend at Borth. We had a nice 4 mile walk along the beach to the pub and back on Saturday, and just chilled on Sunday before driving back to Shropshire.
When I got back I headed out on the road bike for a recovery ride, covering 14.4 miles around Muxton, Chetwynd Aston and Lilleshall Hall in 1:08 (so 12.7 mph on average). The route was fairly hilly with climbs from Donnington Wood up to Heath Hill (on the farm track which is just about OK on the roadie) and then up to Lilleshall Hall from Chetwynd Aston, so I was reasonably pleased with the speeed and it was just nice to get out for a moderate workout.
On Monday I did another gyms session with James. A bit heavier this time, with 20 minutes on the bike again to start off with, at a higher resistance but keeping to 60-70% MHR again. My core strength session was virtually identical to Thursday's. I did a couple of 500m sprints on the rowing machine to get some anaerobic work in, and then warmed down with 10 minutes on the cross trainer. I have a slight twinge in my left IT band after and I think this is from the cross trainer - better stay off that!
Anyway, stomach upset permitting, hopefully I'll make the Tuesday night run at Stretton (better take it easy though).
On Thursday I had to hold myself down, with a meeting in Cromford I'd normally have run on the way back, but that wouldn't have been clever so I settled for a gym session with James in the evening. This was a fairly gentle 20 minute cycle at 60-70% MHR on a relatively low resistance, followed by a session building core strength on the weight machines (generally 3 sets of 8 reps at relatively high loads).
I was "up north" for a meeting early on Friday, and when I got back I went over to Wales for a weekend at Borth. We had a nice 4 mile walk along the beach to the pub and back on Saturday, and just chilled on Sunday before driving back to Shropshire.
When I got back I headed out on the road bike for a recovery ride, covering 14.4 miles around Muxton, Chetwynd Aston and Lilleshall Hall in 1:08 (so 12.7 mph on average). The route was fairly hilly with climbs from Donnington Wood up to Heath Hill (on the farm track which is just about OK on the roadie) and then up to Lilleshall Hall from Chetwynd Aston, so I was reasonably pleased with the speeed and it was just nice to get out for a moderate workout.
On Monday I did another gyms session with James. A bit heavier this time, with 20 minutes on the bike again to start off with, at a higher resistance but keeping to 60-70% MHR again. My core strength session was virtually identical to Thursday's. I did a couple of 500m sprints on the rowing machine to get some anaerobic work in, and then warmed down with 10 minutes on the cross trainer. I have a slight twinge in my left IT band after and I think this is from the cross trainer - better stay off that!
Anyway, stomach upset permitting, hopefully I'll make the Tuesday night run at Stretton (better take it easy though).
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Update (no running) - 27/04/2011
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| Pitchcroft Lane, between Church Aston and Lilleshall Hall. |
I went out on the bike on Sunday morning for a bit (photo above), and went to the gym early yesterday evening, instead of going over to Church Stretton for the usual Tuesday night run. I switched from high reps (12-20) of lowish weights to lower reps (sets of 8) of heavier weights tonight as I've heard that I should really be training for core strength in my upper body and not for endurance. We'll see how it goes... I also wonder whether the gym sessions have had any bearing on the injury, but I think not because generally I only work my legs on the CV machines. The other theory I've heard is that this is my physique (that's a joke) trying to catch up with the improvement in CV fitness I've made over the winter - perhaps improved VO2 max means I can push my legs harder than they can cope with yet?
Today I'm intending to do a few gentle miles on the Wrekin whilst marshalling or photographing the Wrekin Streak fell race. I need to hold myself down, be disciplined and not actually race because the Streak has very hard stony paths and fast running, and is exactly the kind of ground I'm likely to set off some problem in my leg again. I'd rather make the startline on Saturday in reasonable shape than risk it logging what would probably be a below par performance in the Streak: I'd only be going easy to try to make sure I can run on Saturday. I think it's better just to focus on some key events and try to do them well...
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Road Biking - to 03/04/2011
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| Vintage bike at Chatwell Ponds, both transport and location unaltered by the march of "progress" |
On Friday I rode to and from work, a total of 7.5 hilly miles.
Saturday was spent decorating with no real reaction to the physio or the injury - it was nice to have a fairly pain free day leg-wise. I was also pleased not to be so tired or have such a bad back as I usually do when I've been decorating - the training must be building my core strength!
On Sunday I got out on the bike again for a two hour ride round the lanes east of Telford. I headed out up through Muxton and Abbey Lane (a good sustained climb of about 250') to cross the Sheriffhales to Newport Road.
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| Gateway near the Sheriffhales road - you can see Cannock Chase from here! |
From Church Eaton I headed towards Brineton and then picked up the line of the watershed between the Trent and Severn catchments - it's not obvious here, but it's an important dividing line - rain falling to the east ends up in the North Sea at the Humber Estuary, to the west in the Atlantic at the Bristol Channel.
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| Junction on the watershed - not as impressive here as in the Pennines! |
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| High Onn Wharf - the building is a fairly typical Shropshire Union Canal Co Warehouse |
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| Proof of my (or at least the bike's) arrival at Church Eaton |
My ride was 24 miles and about 1400' of climbing, in 2:05 (including a few photo and snack stops). When I got home, it was back to the decorating, which we finally finished around 7 o'clock...
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