Festive Mountain Bike ride with Mr Hopkins

On 30th December I took the rare move of diverting away from my usual stomping ground and riding a bike with another person other than my incredibly patient husband. I only know one person as patient as TSK and that is Mr Hopkins.

We chose a route which would be sufficiently scenic yet achievable given the snowy frozen conditions, taken from my 1993 guide book of West Yorkshire.

Starting from Ogden reservoir we quickly mounted our bikes as 30psi gave us better grip than boots, trainers or cycling shoes on the icy car park.

The tops of the moors were suitably resplendent in their winter coat and the wind turbines stood pleasantly still. Wheel ruts and snowy rocks abounded for our entertainment and I amused Glyn with a quality flop into the snow from stood still.

We acquired a couple of clampit bikers intent on making us responsible for their routefinding until they realised they didn't trust a woman to read a garmin and they were unable to read Glyn' s paper map when he did deign to get it out for them (no innuendo).

They asked others as we descended down the hillside with reasonably wild abandon, except for the ice patches.

Soon our friends were back, following us across the reservoir overflow but a little more cautious about crossing streams. We tried once more to make them head slightly South of West, to no avail. They relieved us of their company at the first hill climb, persuading themselves that North was South but hopefully not getting run over at the next zebra crossing.

We slithered a little and took REST breaks whilst cars slid past from time to time. After admiration for the view of the reservoir our friends did not think existed at the top of that climb, wee turned back down to Ogden on a beautiful wide open rocky trail. It was time for pub lunch.

Run 4 of 100 and space

29th was the first day I had to myself this holiday. I had already set myself the mammoth task of tidying up the living room, moving all of the books into the loft to make more room for people. I started it on Sunday and mostly finished it on Monday while waiting for my cousin to pop in for tea.

It was great to see Keith and Daisy and hear about their wedding plans for 2015.

After finishing 'project floor', I jumped on the turbo. I say that like it happened really quick. Well after a day of hard labour in the loft the house was stone cold and I had to warm myself up as well as shift the bike, get the sensors working and actually amassed a selection of running gear with the intention of going back to the loft to do some strength sets in the newly appointed space.

The turbo session was tough. It was kinda difficult to engage and achieve high heart rates. Once there I was finding them difficult to sustain and started to tip the scale. I realised I was struggling to ride to a pace. Given that information I did manage to sort it out on the last few reps. Then jumped into my shoes and fleece leggings and sweatshirt to head out into the streetlights for an impromptu brick session.

There was only really our road that was cleared after TSK and 20 of our neighbours went out with shovels on Sunday to sort things out... so I did hill reps.

Determined to keep going towards my hundred runs in hundred days challenge I set my mind on doing 30 minutes. It certainly was a motivator because I first looked at my watch after 7 minutes. Not tired but bored. I'd probably already done 5 laps of the same street but my mind was made up and I turned the volume higher on my iPod and kept going. 13 minutes. Then Florence and the Machine, 'the girl with one eye' which will make anyone skip. I just hope my neighbours had shut their curtains by the time I skipped past their house at least 4 times. I had Eric Orton in my mind's eye, reminding me that, if you hate hill reps you're trying too hard. I kept it light, especially in view of my plans for mountain biking the next day, but with music alongside, the occasional Sprint crept in. After 29:55, another lap crept in to push me joyously into the 30 minutes timeframe with honour and I went inside to cook chilli.

Post Christmas Indulgence & run 5 of 100

On 27^th December I was awake in the early hours of the morning, dreading that the snow would have gone by the time I got up.  I looked out of the bedroom window to check but it was still falling so I went back to sleep to see what santa bought me as a late Christmas present by the time I woke up.

It was a beautiful snowy day and I ate my breakfast full of the anticipation of what was to come but… ski-ing or running???

I stuck my nose out of the front door.  The cover wasn't bad but not brilliant either.  I ran up to the loft and checked the view out across the hillside where tufts of grass were protruding from the slopes in places.  I decided it wasn't good enough for skis and went off for a run instead.

After 10 minutes I was crossing sledger’s park, children already starting to amass, giggling in the sunshine.  I toyed with the idea of heading straight home for skis but instead decided to tire myself out on a short run before resorting to skis, hoping that I wouldn't do what I did 2 years ago and injure myself ski-ing, screwing my early-year run season.  I phoned Andrew from the bottom of the Rivelin Valley, telling him to get the ski stuff ready.

When I got in I changed clothes briefly then skinned up the skis and set about walking to the park.  It was chossy, slow and rubbish but it didn’t matter – we were skiing in the UK.  Sledging on planks was what it was really but we enjoyed ourselves nevertheless and headed home tired and happy afterwards.

On Sunday, I really was tired from the exertion so decided to have one weekend off cyclo-cross by way of a “rest-week” – keeping up the heavy training for a bit but laying off the hard racing with a view to another short recovery before Derby and the National champs polish off the season.  Instead we had a walk into town to try out some sofas that we might want to sit on.  It's a hard life.

Boxing Day Bogtrott

I had all kinds of plans for getting to the Boxing Day Bogtrott.  I'd mapped out the route, packed my stuff, put the phone on charge, printed membership forms for next year.  I forgot all of those things in some kind of rush to get out of the house.  Rushing I don't know why because we got there and the car park was empty and we were 1 hour early.

So early we drove home, got all the stuff and headed back out again.

On the way, I asked Andrew to check the map.  We'd been to the wrong plantation first time so it was a good job we turned around and took a different route out.  We snaffled the last one of two parking spaces and grabbed our stuff.  We were just in time.

Helen Elmore suggested I was being brave wearing shorter leggings and in retrospect she was right, I was about to make a mess of my shins.

We registered by Oxstones and were off quite shortly after.  I was tempted to go with Tom Saville but most were taking a different route so I went with the majority, knowing that I'd soon be dropped by Tom and his mates.

Sure enough, I was already bringing up the rear of the group through to the first checkpoint.  I quite happily stuck at the back, co-ordinating the acquisition of checkpoints (or otherwise) with other runners and enjoying myself running.

Just as the heather was really starting to hurt, TSK and I saw a mountain hare in full winter livery, obvious as a white thing on a brown hillside.  It was massive and sped across the hillside away from us.  Inevitably we followed it and found a path.

I took a few paths and navigation lines to get me off the heather which was gradually stripping away layers of skin and making my shins bleed.  I had a rather jolly stomp through a grassy stream (path?) to reach an icy spring then hit the perfect path, leaving the others to bog hop.

As I limped up the last stretch of hillside next to the wall, I mused that I really need to get more running done before the duathlons in March and April.

All in all I was very happy with my navigation... less so with my speed, being the last person on the hill although consistency is the new name of my game after all.

We had a little sit down after we finished then hobbled down to the car.  I am proud to say that my walking was fairly fluent and I could've done more... though not much more.

We went into town for coffee afterwards then headed home to eat dinner.  In the evening, looking out of the window to see inches of snow falling I felt like going running but decided to hold off until the morning for skiing instead.

Responsible? Me?

Christmas Day Ride

I can't remember the last time me and TSK went out for a ride together and the last time I got into double-figure miles in one road ride was October, or Mildenhall 200k in August, if you count over 20 miles as double-figures.

Talk about specialising.

I got pretty pissy with myself, climbing out of Sheffield on account of a roaring headwind and Andrew chewing at my back wheel or riding off in front, nothing in between.  It was my own fault, I was tired and hung over.  I eventually put him on the front when we got exposed across Moscar so a least I had the wind to slow him down and the draught to speed me up.

Going down to the Ladybower was satisfying though a little scary as I was riding my narrow timetrial wheel and tyres in my 'cross bike - lots of clearance on those brakes.  I only really needed them at the bottom and even then the lights were on green.

Headwind behind us and we rocketed through to Bamford where we sat on the benches around the tree in the centre of the village and ate our packed lunch and drank coffee from a flask.  Although it was cold I was OK wearing just baselayers, a fleece and my gilet.  This is possibly my new, improved cold resistance on account of all the weight I have gained.  It feels good.  Just as we started to get cold we set off again and soon warmed up on the tt section into Hathersage.

We turned right and headed over to Grindleford, enjoying the long straight alongside the swollen river and battling it out on some of the climbs.  TSK eventually surpassing my initial flight of fancy.  Then we were at the bridge and it was time to head home on the long climb up Froggat, which I churned out in my middle ring 42/28 ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP, including past the Fox House where yummy mummys unloaded their mammas and pappas-wrapped kids in time for dinner with granny served by some underpaid gurning student waiters.

Not many others out on the bikes but we said hello to a few.

The descent into Eccleshall was dreamy.  Out in the road, no traffic.  By now, most are eating their Christmas lunch in the mid afternoon.  No potholled bus lane for us.  The best of the tarmac.

We follow the road straight into town, up to Devonshire green where we sit to finish the last of our coffee with a bunch of international students drinking beer in the park.  I put on TSK's waterproof to keep the wind off and set off up to home.  Our toes are cold when we get in but it's a great excuse to sit down for more coffee (the last cup was only the size of an egg cup) and relax before cooking the beef.

Christmas Eve

Getting on top of things at work then Rita' s birthday party. So glad the worK year is over.

A great ride to work. A party that made me feel like a student again and a ride home that made me wonder at a university campus without students.

Good job cos I was quite drunk and nearly fell off my bike.

Dodging cats on the rollers

Finally an easy day at work followed by a trip to the doctors.  All but a few of my test results are in.  My haemoglobin is up at 150 so through the roof.  The cell mass has increased too.

I was tested for things I didn't know I was being tested for and those were clear, as was my biopsy.

I am only waiting for the anti-'s results.  Anti-this anti-that.  I will hear more on those in February at my next haemotology appointment.

I celebrated with a tour on the rollers.  The first time I have used them properly outside the disastrous attempt whilst in the lake district.  I guess my heart really wasn't in it then... and the rollers were set up wrong... and possibly they were the wrong way around.  I can't really remember.

For a while I set off with them facing the back door and the cat sneaked by just as I was getting going.  I locked the cat flap so she wouldn't come back in, bringing us both down in the process.  Part way through my set I got face at the window.  Sigh.  Hoping she would run away but sadly I got desperate paws at the window and I couldn't resist those gorgeous pink toes so I tried to encourage her inside.  By this point she had run away and sat on the windowsill looking like she was trying to shelter the rain as best as she could.

I tried to pick her up.

She wasn't having it though and I even ended up running around in the street in my shorts and vest in the rain.  Oh well.  Back to it an more paws at the window.

Eventually I was warm, she was angry so I opened the back door so she had clear reign to come in at her will.  I could just stop pedalling when she came near.

For a while she sat in the middle of the flower bed, trying to emphasise just how wet she was getting.  Looking at me but not quite.

Finally she came over to try and attempt to pass me.  I tried twice to stop pedalling but then only scared her off.  It was far safer to pass me whilst I was pedalling at 90 rpm, wheels spinning by at 15 miles per hour.

I settled down and enjoyed the view of the rain through the open door.  So begins the Christmas training period.