Second Half Marathon Distance

More proud than my tri, I am happy with my second half marathon distance. Less hilly but much more enjoyable, I was half way around this one before I noticed and didn't really know how far I'd gone until I'd made the distance. I could walk after it and cycled to work the next day and I think it would've been even more successful had I not needed to sprint half way through because I realised I'd dropped my garmin and my £ 100 phone... Too near to Worksop for that kind of thing. 

 

With just under 2 weeks to go to the event, this morning I have done my swim distance in a pool one last time... With perhaps, maybe a go go the lake on Saturday. Everything else I do before then will be a spinning bimble. I am looking forwards to it

Swimmin Notes

Straight pull through for the above-water hand. Remember, doing up the zip. It makes the whole thing a lot faster.

The first 60 lengths were quite difficult today and then I got into it.

94 done.

Get me.

Racing Ace

I'm having an amazing time at the moment.

Last week I finally got to experience the Sheffield tri club race / training sessions. It was the most amazing evening for it. Hills stacked on top of hills as far as the eye could see as I drove through the peak district. At Fairholmes we registered and I started getting to know some of my new team mates. Lots of fit and not so fit women and an almost equal proportion of men. Bob gave us a pre race briefing which mostly included which way to go and where to get on and off the bike.

We left our shoes and bikes under the watchful gaze of a team mate and headed off, women 5 minutes ahead, down the lane, across the bottom of the dam busters dam and up the other side. At the top near the gateway the 180 turn around and hardest downhill sprint back to transition with the kicker of an uphill at the end.

On to the bike with the usual flourish but straight into a hard climb which sorted out those of us who've been on a bike a lot and those who haven't. The bike course was wonderful. 15km of the most interesting climbs, descents and hairpin bends I've ever known. This is how I dream of time trials. Geese by the reservoir and a road I'd never driven on because it's closed except for access and busses, nor would ever dream of walking up... Because it's a road yeah? At the roundabout at the head of the reservoir, a 180 and back the way you came. Passing a few and still battling with that one lady who won't go away and eventually comes back past me.

On the last few climbs I make last ditch attempts to catch people by descending like a nutter but there's no one here on a shopping bike or their dad's hybrid.

I try my usual flying dismount but the downhill to the dismount area is so steep I nearly lose the back end.

Shoes changed again and this time the legs are really done for. I prance across the transition line but only because my legs are still pedalling. I just can't get a rhythm going and flit between bounds and sprints. I revert to looking up and cheering the men going the other way then those catching me up.

How nice that everyone stands by to cheer others back in before heading back to their car. I take a jog with Elliot and Pam, chat to Allison and promise to meet Sally at the pub which I break as I am desperate to eat and not spend money doing it.

On Wednesday it was the Tiger's Todger fell race. Tiger because it leaves from the Sheffield Tigers rugby ground. Todger, apparently, because it is a cock of a race.

A vicious downhill on the road, uphill through a park and woodland I didn't know existed. The saving grace, the dry conditions and the unexpected 340 degree view from the moor when we reached it. Briefly enjoyed that and the gritstone boulders before heading back down to civilisation. 6 miles and 248m of climbing made me realise how poor my distance running has become though I had done a full working day and managed to carry all my energy up until about mile 5.5. By the last slog along Long Line (named after the Long Line of people in front of me) I had stopped feeling like I'd eaten too much at work and started feeling hungry.

I managed the turn into the field with team mates giving me a woop when pointed out I was one of them.

Once the race was over It was straight over to Vicki's to collect my new team top which means I won't have to draw peoples attention to my club allegiance anymore. And everyone will know what my name is.

(Pictures to follow)

The rest of last week lost out to dental surgery on Tuesday meaning that I was very well rested on Friday. I was requested to run in the Calderdale Way relay race at the weekend with the Dark Peak Fell runners womens' team. How could I resist?

Sadly, I was feeling far to keen on Saturday so I went out and did an 85km ride in the Peak District up hill and down dale - literally.

The Calderdale relay was really fun - lots of driving from village to village up precipitous lanes to be delivered to race from Wainstalls to Shelf with Lesley who was a really lovely, patient lady that nursed me and my tired legs through the race, making sure we finished and opening gates for me, checking I was OK and genuinely, jogging alongisde me.

We had quite the chat about knitting.

Today it's the trunce. While my ride on Sunday was over-distance for my triathlon (I need that training with June not so far away), the Calderdale relay was only half of the run distance so, the second 2/3s today.

The finishing squad

When Shit Comes up with a Really Nice Thing

24 months ago I asked a friend if I could get some poo from her horse - to put on my plants in the Mead.

She said she couldn't guarantee it would be from her horse - the rather royally named William - but probably from a mixture of fine Wiltshire ponies.

The result was one of the most enjoyable after-work evenings of my adult life culminating in a bare back ride on William which left me happy as a 5 year old for days and a bag of steaming shit carried home in a bag in the back of the vanu which didn't even spill or leak, much to my relief.

Sadly William is no longer with us but on Sunday we decided to pay him the homage of using some of his poo on the newly laid lawn and some of the plants we'd planted in the garden including TSK's plum tree that's about to bear its first fruit and could do with a nutritional boost.

TSK peered into the bag first and summoned me quietly. There were baby mice in the bag. Tiny, blinky baby mice.

I rushed carefully through the pile of brambles to look but they were long gone, hidden in the now-perfect flaky manure but as I held the edge of the bag, a sweet, dun brown mammy mouse with wide, staring chestnut eyes stood on the edge of the bag. Her tiny claws held the edge of the bag like the hands of a tree frog cling to a stem. She thrust her soft gossamer whiskers forward in the summer breeze to investigate our presence and observed us like she'd never seen a human before.

We stared back at her like we'd never been so close to nature in all our lives.

We were in her house (not the other way around for once) so we left her to her shit and declared that William's poo would get another year to rot down and quite likely go up for sale with the house and the rest of the garden.

April 2011 Stats

Swim: 4.98km, 2.4km/hr - Maintaining the speed. Increased distance

Bike: 303.80km, 23.8km/hr, 2983m el, 152bpm avg - Shorter, much faster, higher.

Run: 46.81km, 8.5km/hr, 974m el, 135bpm avg- Not so far, as fast, higher.

Other: 11.96km walking 123m elevation.

This month has included races again which means I need more time to recover. However, I've seemed to keep the distances up so I'm quite pleased with this.

May Bank Holiday

Spent with Silver Lining on Avebury and in Woot Bass. So amazing to enjoy the South as a weekend away and nothing more and really enjoyed walking with dogs and kids.

A quick swim

I got out of bed at a normal time. I had a normal breakfast and did some knitting whilst drinking coffee.

I felt like more than a bike ride so I stuffed my swimming stuff in my paniers and set off for a last-minute swim.

I arrived at the pool at 8:15 and was in the water by 8:30.

I did indeed set off on a quick swim. Had a brief rest at 20 laps which was very needed.

The next ten laps went well. With only one other lady in my lane it was very relaxed.

The last ten laps were heavenly. No one else was alongside. Swiming was beautifully clear. Every stroke I watched my fingers reach ahead of me then sweep through the water. It was beautiful.

I jumped out of the water at 8:45, showered and got to work at 9:30.

I can go swiming without getting up at 6am.