Craig’s Musings

The first event in my sporting calendar this year, the Watford Half Marathon.  I managed a 1:35:01, with which I am very happy (Watford is a “hilly course”).  It was a cool day, a hint of drizzle at times, ideal running weather.  After the event, no particular injuries showing yet, unlike last year.  Now, however I need to step up the distance, two and a half months to the marathon distance.

tea served right at the Sana Lisboa hotel.  My kinda place

Note the timer in the bottom corner - so you know when it has brewed!

I came across an interesting article earlier (http://cleantechnica.com/2010/01/02/chinese-company-considers-a-future-with-nuclear-cargo-shipping-your-thoughts/) where a Chinese Shipping company is considering making it’s ships nuclear powered. I’m sure the technology would work, after all we’ve had nuclear subs for years, right? Given the risks to shipping that we hear about daily in the Arabian peninsula/Somalia/Yemen, is it sensible? What are the risks with nuclear powered vessels? Could it be made safe?

So the long Christmas vacation is over, and 2010 has begun.  It all started out with such good intentions, (and actions!) but this damned cold put paid to the great training plans.  However, I’m hoping that as we get back to work I can get some more time to concentrate the training, if nothing else, the first half marathon is five weeks away.  I’m confident that I’ll be able to do that okay, my objective is the 1:45 area, anything around that will be acceptable.

No training today, just fencing - that is as in putting up fences, not dancing with dangerous weapons…

The weather continues to be nasty out there, so I’ve continued using the Turbo and the Running machine.  I installed a new telly on the wall yesterday, and after did a turbo session.  The TV is just a bit high on the wall to allow comfortable viewing while riding. Damn.

And I’ve now got a head cold.  Sore throat, muggy head and runny nose.  I’m sure it will be over with in a couple of days.

I did put an entry in for the Dragon, just in case. So that’s my sportives sorted: Squires and Spires, etape Caledonia, Dragon (or the Chiltern 100), and (potentially) the National Sportive at the end of June.  Everything before that is dedicated to running the London Marathon: Watford Half, Milton Keynes Half, Reading Half, then the London Marathon itself.  I should be available for engagements at weekends sometime towrds the end of August!

Happy Christmas one and all! This week the Doc signed my etape entry form after a medical, he was satisfied that I’m still alive and capable of the etape. Nice to see your own Doc once in a while, must be nearly three years since I’ve seen him rather than a locum.
So, how are you going to fit training in in the next few days? For me, I think today is out, but tomorrow I may suggest I ride to Leicester, where we see the mother-in-law and that family. Maybe…
Have a good one and stay safe.

Well, it seems like business is slowing down, and I’m getting time to train.  The weather is not suitable, so the Turbo and the Running machine are coming in very handy.  I suspect that I won’t be comfortable out in the weather when I inevitably have to go out again, but such is life.  I have been using the “manual” turbo, rather than the iMagic, it is just so much simpler to use, and when you’re trying to do low-heart rate stuff (c.140) you really don’t need the complexity of the iMagic.   Running is harder on the machine than outside.

It still baffles me why I get as many (if not more) punctures on the Turbo than on the road.  I even invested in a nice new trainer tyre, but mid-session this morning, I had to stop for a quick pit stop to change the tube.

With this dump of snow, I got the old manual turbo out.  Been doing some low-heart rate stuff, which I’m led to believe will do me good, for losing weight and building up stamina.  I’m lucky enough to be able to use the wife’s running machine as well, so who cares if there’s snow outside.  It is definitely more pleasant training indoors, although I have to toughen up for the first Sunday in February, that’s the first half-marathon of the year - Watford.  Usually cold, last year snowy…

During today’s lunchtime ride (WAH today) as I came through Harpenden, I went round a rounabout and damned near got knocked off my bike by a stupid woman driver with the phone held up to her ear.  When I protested, and suggested she put the phone down, she gave me the finger.  How rude.  Not only was this stupid woman (the fact that she was a woman has nothing to do with it, if it had been a bloke, just the same, STUPID) breaking the law, she had kids in the car, well, Land Rover Discovery, giving Land Rover drivers a bad reputation.

Now if we all when we saw someone doing this stupid act, (evidence now  available from many studies around the world conclusively proving that driving whilst 1)distracted by having the conversation, and 2)holding the phone to the ear, severely impairs the driver’s ability to safely deal with traffic situations) we point at the driver, the incidence of this stupidity will diminish.  Here’s to safer roads.

Join the campaign and start pointing at them today.  #pointatdanger