New year, new belly...

Back in 2009 I said I wasn't going to let myself get fat again.  Well having turned 50 in December I decided to change that, and utterly blobbed out.  I'm not going to admit to how fat I've got, but let's say trousers that were loose are now tight, and I need to lose about 2 stone by May.

Because I've entered the Fred.

Oh lordy.

Anyway - runs will be done (plan is 3 per week), bike rides will be done (2 per week - one long commute and one ride at the weekend, tricky when work's only 3 miles away).

Anyway - I'm back blogging and shortly I shall be out for a lunchtime run.

On the dole

Well not quite on the dole - but this week I started what could be 11 months of gardening leave.  Lots of my mates have been saying "Take the year off! A year on full pay - it'll be great!".  Two problems with that, lads - firstly a year out of the market means getting back in will be extra tough, and secondly it'd be dead boring.  However, I woke up Monday thinking I'd be having a good few weeks off, and hopefully all the sunny ones.

I got all the way to noon when the phone rang about a potential job.  So I might manage a couple of weeks off...

Anyway - this week of non-work-based activity has been a combination of job hunting, running and today a rather fab bike ride.  The weekend was nothing short of ghastly weatherise, so Herb and I took Izzy the Dog for a very windy, very wet run over the fell.  I've found a new footpath that brings us out in Eastby, giving a nice hour's run.  Must do it when it's not blowing a gale.

Monday and Tuesday saw me taking Izzy up to Halton East for a run - she was decidedly reluctant on Monday, so perhaps she needs a rest day after a hardish run - I certainly did anyway.

I had a meeting about some potential work this afternoon, so I got off early on my (new) bike and headed off over to Wharfedale.  The climb up Halton Heights was ok, but this new bike seems quite twitchy on fast descents so the run down to Barden was scary in the wind.

Up the main road to Kilnsey then a bit of a flog up Littondale.  The clock said 1:28 when I got to Halton Gill and finally turned away from the wind to ride over the shoulder of Pen y Ghent to Stainforth.  The signpost says "Settle 10", so I told myself I'd try and get over to my scheduled coffee stop by two and a quarter hours - 45 mins for the climb up and the uppy-downy bit to Stainforth.

The steep part of the climb went pretty well, as it's only three short ramps, then there's a long undulating section before the drop down into Ribblesdale.  The wind made its presence felt here and I was amazed to find myself doing 25mph over long sections - in the end I hit settle with the clock on 1:58 - an average of 20mph riding over Pen y Ghent.  I think I deserved the extraordinarily expensive cake from the caff in Settle.

The next section was the reason for the ride - I wanted to check out the climb up High Hill Lane, which will feature in the White Rose for the first time.  I've only ever ridden down this, and have memories of desperately gripping the brakes as a accelerate down its vertiginous slopes.  I wasn't looking forward to riding up it...

As it happens it wasn't too bad - definitely not one of the real toughies, although it is steep, and it does go on a bit.  In fact there's more uphill than you think - even though the "steep bit' of my recall is pretty ok.  Anyway - must remember on 17 June as I'm beginning to cry it's 5 minutes of pain - no more.

A lumpy battle over to Hetton, which never gets any easier, then a wind-assisted whizz down from Rylstone to Brackenley Lane saw 48 miles done in a gnat's over 3 hours.

Happy with that.  More on Friday, methinks...

Winter cycling

As I sadly waved me Cannondale off to its new home, I'm left with just the two bikes at the moment - my Genesis single speed, which got a run out to Gargrave with the kids last weekend, and my Dolan winter bike.

This is now all Ultegra-ed up, as Rick and I moved the group set from the Cannondale onto it, so with shiny new bar tape, a new ebay saddle and posh gears, it's quite a nice ride.  I do feel slightly conspicuous as the only bugger still riding around with mudguards on though.

The last couple of rides I've done have therefore been on the Dolan, as my new bike hasn't arrived yet (it's actually en route as I type, so possibly next weekend I'll be out on it), but in both cases I was rather glad of my mudguards!

The weather really doesn't seem to be able to make its mind up - on Wednesday I went out for a whizz round the Burnsall loop in shorts and sunnies, then twenty minutes after getting back the sky went black and we had the most mahoosive hail storm. Then yesterday, despite promises of dry, cool weather I was in a rain jacket all day.

I went over Langbar to meet Rich at Ilkley.  Since the arrival of little Betty he's hardly been out at all, and has just nine weeks before the White Rose.  We decided to do the first bit of the WRC to see how his climbing legs were - "slow but steady" would be my verdict.  I didn't hammer it up Norwood but felt pretty good all the way - I times myself at ten minutes for the climb.  Rich was three minutes back, not a bad effort for a man who's done no riding all year.

We then followed the WRC route through Fewston and down the A59, but then we turned left back to Otley rather than heading north towards Greenhow.  Rich managed the climb ok, then we stopped at Dunnies for a "pie dinner".  The mileage (only about 20 or so, but lumpy) hit Rich after the stop, and we were pretty slow back to Ilkley.

I left him there and headed for home up the valley to give a decent 50 miler with a good bit of climbing in it.

I've got just two weeks left at work now, so the focus once I've finished will be on getting lots of miles and climbing in.  I've been invited to do London to Paris in July which is three 100 mile days on the bounce - so stamina and a bombproof arse are the order of the day!

Back again!

No, not dead, and not actually lying on the sofa eating cake - just distracted and haven't got round to updating this thing.

The India trip pretty much wiped out two and a half weeks of training so I decided pretty early on the Peaks wasn't going to be a goer this year.  I'm sure I could have beaten the cut offs, but that's more or less what I did last year - so the decision I have to make at some point is whether to give the 3P a proper go next year or use my last year of "god for age" to do London marathon again.  Don't need to decide for a while, so in the meantime I shall worry about things bikey.

The big news os I'm changing my job.  The bigger news is I don't know what to - I've agreed with work that the role they have in mind for me later this year isn't really for me, so as from the end of April I'm on garden leave, with the purpose of finding something else to do.  This is less tragic than it sounds as they'll pay me for a year if required, so I think I'll be having a good summer with lots of bike rides and the occasional peruse of the job pages.

I'm also eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new bike - I've sold my Cannondale so I am now "summer bikeless".  I've swapped all the Ultegra bits off my 'Dale onto my Dolan so I have a far posher winter bike, but with the (hopeful) end of the wintry weather I'm itching to get out on something light and carbony.

The new bike is from German internet dealer Rose Bikes, but is a last-year's-model branded Red Bull.  They have an amazing configuration on their website, but this is a pre-specced bike, with full Dura-Ace Di2, Dura-Ace wheels etc etc.  After a fair amount of faffing (paying in euros is soooo tricky) I hope it's being built this week, so should be with me w/c 16 April.  We shall see...

On the activity front I've been running a bit, and cycling a bit.  Today's trip was an Easter Sunday special - couldn't be arsed to get up at 7 to get to Ilkley for the club run, and Herb is sulking cos his best bike's poorly, so we went for something "flat" and easy - which turned out to be anything but.

Basically we rode to Wetherby along the north bank of the Wharfe then came back the other side, but the return proved to a lot lumpier and windier than we expected.  Herb bonked majorly after 40 miles, so despite a stop at Dunnies for sustenance I ended up on the from for pretty much the whole way home.  Apart, of course, for the last mile when a bloke came past us so Herb's competitive instanct kicked in and he was off and chasing.

A good ride, harder than expected, but a metric century (64 miles) and just over 4 hours of riding - roll on May and my new bike!!

A week of curry

Just back from a few days working in India, so multiple curries and no exercise at all has been the order of the day.  Seems that I may have brought a little intestinal present back with me, so this may be another weekend off - which will be the longest I've done nothing for ages.

Back to it this week hopefully - possibly a quick blast on the bike if my insides'll let me, and maybe a run round the ressie with Lily later.  She's in the N Yorks county xc finals, so needs to be on tip top form by the end of the month.  I like to think that our one lap of the reservoir with the dog last weekend had something to do with her third place in the area finals...

It's been ages!

Sorry, occasional blog-readers - been a bit busy.  Firstly with sone skiing (it was awesome, apart from the losing Lily bits, which were a bit scary).  M & L proved to be excellent skiers and had a brilliant time.  Both of them managed a series of red runs and on our last day they both got down a black run.  Now given that lots of people spend years getting up the courage to even look over the edge of something with black lollipops down it, I think that the girls done good (even if it was pretty benign).

Me and Arr had some fun on a few steeps and powdery bits, so you could definitely say I'm "keen on skiing" again.

Since we've got back I've eased myself back into stuff - a few runs each week, the occasional bike commute, and a desperately cold 50 miler with the club last weekend.  Tomorrow's my "putting something back" day when I'm going to lead the C group - but all the way I shall be thinking of my new bike that I've ordered from Germany that I'll be riding this summer.

Roll on April...

Well that was January (and a bit of February)

A month on from my new year resolution to get fit, and what's happened.

Well I've stuck with it.  I've only had one rest day a week, if that, and have cycled into work once a week.  I've been to the track and I've started running off road (a bit).  I've hardly drunk any beer and I've eaten properly.  And I've eaten tons of fruit.  Oh the fruit...

I ran for 88 miles and I cycled for 270.  I did three spin classes.  Like a girl.

Not sure if I've actually lost any weight but whatever weight I am has moved about - trousers that were a tad tight are now a perfect fit.  I feel far fitter on the bike, and have toasted The Herb up some hills a few times.

I'm starting to enjoy feeling fitter again, which is a good sign - but as I said last time February's going to be a challenge.  Edinburgh this weekend to see Stuart Lancaster's new look England take on the Scots, where pies and beer will be consumed.  The back to it next week, but two nights away including dinner with some journalists (finishes at 9 though, so hopefully a sober night).  Then off to Morzine - given how much your legs hurt when skiing I'm assuming it does you some good, but I think I'm going to take my spiky things and maybe get at least one run in, if only a couple of miles.  But again - beer will be drunk.

Then it's back home and back to work, but the following weekend K and I are off to Keswick for our anniversary.  I have a pass out for a run up Skiddaw (which I've never been up) and I'm wondering if I might manage a swift ride up Whinlatter and back, but that might be pushing it.

Key objectives for the opportunities I do have will be to get a longer run in each week.  Once I'm back from France I should hopefully be able to do something longer after work - maybe a run home once in a while.  Bike miles will also be tricky, so I might have to try and get the motivation to add a few extras in on the way home from work once it gets a bit lighter too.

I started Feb with a very steady four miler after work in the dark last night, then tonight, despite a few cry offs (Hinsley, The Herb and Sue) Rob T and his daughter Sophie came along.  Rob took over Sue's mantle by kicking my arse, but he did spur me on to a slightly quicker pace than of late.  We did 6x800m off 200m recoveries - my reps were 3:01, 2:58, 2:58, 3:00, 2:59 and 2:53 - pretty happy with those despite Rob disappearing further into the distance every lap!

And soon it'll be March!  I have entered the Coniston 14 in March, so whilst I won't expect to set the world on fire respectability might be nice.