Strike three and you're out!

Good luck/bad luck comes in three's, right?

Well, strike me down.  Would you Adam n Eve it?!

Tuesday lunchtime.  Going out after work on Tuesday so had to train the only time I had free.  So changed into my kit, done a few little stretches and left my office and went out to run my regular 7 mile loop around Victoria Park.

So off I jogged down New Road, turned left onto Commercial Road and was about to pass the Drive In McDonald's when a car, a big 4x4, turned in.  I was already on the crossing so I tried to dodge outward to give myself a little more time to comfortably pass but my foot caught in a pot hole and down I went.

I knew I was going but could do absolutely nothing about it.  Threw my arms out to protect my face and forearms and elbows took the impact.  As I hit, my momentum slip me across the tarmac.  Lovely.  Proper road rash.  The reason why us cyclists normally shave or wax the legs.

So stunned, I tried to pick myself up but was struggling and then the 4x4 driver started sounding her horn and was waving at me furiously to get out of the way so she could go get her lunch.  Unbelieveable.

Shaken but not stirred, I complete the 6.8 miles on the 7 in discomfort, with sweat dripping into the road rash but the adrenaline was keeping the pain at bay.

Got back to the office an hour later and the cuts and grazes really didnt look too bad, as you can see below...

 

 ...but nevertheless, I was in a state.  A quick clean up, into the shower and back at my desk a while later, I was still bleeding so with a little first aid, the bleeding eventually stopped and I got on with the rest of the day.

It wasnt a particular great or fast run but I enjoyed it.  It was a necessity as to counteract the calories in beer and food that I would consume later in the evening.  It was seriously warm out there too, running at lunchtime you wouldnt expect anything different really.

 

Thanking my lucky stars

I sit here typing this as a very lucky man.

I normally consider myself unlucky in most respects but last night, the big man in the sky was most definitely looking after me.  I'll explain in a mo.

It has been a good week.  I'm getting back in the swing of doing my regular chest and abs sessions around my cardio, although I havent been to the Gym in a while, almost 6 weeks now, my longest break in a while.

I've blogged recently that I havent been enjoying my running, so I've been getting back out on Hayley and getting some cycling done...and this week has been good.

Out on the bike Wednesday night.  My old favourite Welling to Higham and back loop.  Just a fraction under 2,000ft of climbing, so not particularly hilly but more than enough to give the legs and cardio a thoroughly good work out.

 

I'll take the 17.1mph average speed all day long for that course. My legs were really it and I was backing down the pace on some stretches where I would normally be going flat out but it was more than sufficient for a Wednesday evening ride straight from work. Pretty chuffed with that. In at 5:30pm, out by 6 something and 50 miles done in less than 3 hours. Happy Days. 

Throw in some pretty heavy duty gardening into the mix then it was back out on the bike late Saturday afternoon.

Riding at pace on a reasonably flat course is fine but that never compares to hills. The only way to improve is do hills and lots of them. Not necessarily all on the same ride though. Saturday was supposed to be a rest day and I was only going out for a gentle spin but it didnt really turn out like that.

As it turns out, I headed out to Westerham via Cudham Lane at Orpington.  Dropped down Hogtrough on to the Pilgrims Way and dropped down into Westerham then I done the three absolutely stinkers.  Hosey Hill, Toys Hill and Ide Hill.  Thankfully, at the top of Ide there is a lovely long descent back into Dunton Green and then back to the Pilgrms Way to climb Old Terry's Lodge before heading back to Dartford via the Fawkham Valley.

It was a lovely ride, albeit very hard on the hills as I'm just not bike fit right now but I was going great guns.  Until I hit the single track part of Pilgrims Way.  This takes me back to my opening line.

The road/track is only wide enough for one vehicle to pass.  If there's a cyclist in the road, you can get past until the road widens.  Cue me on Hayley cycling around a left blind bend and a speeding White Van Man coming the other way.  I had two seconds to make a decision before I got hit.  I either throw myself left into the tall hedge or get hit.  It was a simple decision.  I had nowhere else to go.  So I threw myself to the left, missed the van thankfully but when cycling along at 18-19mph, landing in a 8ft hedge isnt the best option but its a damn site better than ploughing head first into the front grill on a van.

Its a real blur now but the cuts to my forearm, bicep and bruising to my ribs are testament to how much little protection you get from lycra.  Getting out the hedge was fun.  I was almost laying on my side in the hedge and I was still clipped into my pedals.  I managed to unclip myself from Hayley and crawl out.  I was a mess. 

Thankfully I'm ok and so is Hayley but it could have been so much worse.

I was more shaken than hurt although the blood coming out of my arm was a concern but made my way back towards home but stopped at my parents for some First Aid.

So there you go.  After almost 15,000 miles of cycling over the last 3-4 years or so, thats my first proper incident.  Not bad going really.

As a whole, I was really pleased with the ride, aside from the mishap.  To average 15.2mph with such little mileage in my legs this year was great with that amount of climbing involved (approx 3,400ft).  

What with a 8 mile run last Sunday, a 10k on Monday and a slow 5k thrown in for good measure too, it was a good week of training.

8PM EDIT: And if that wasnt enough for one weekend, Izzy's Mum phoned at 6:30pm to say they'd spent the last couple of hours in A&E after Izzy fell off her bike.  They'd been on a nice family ride and Izzy took the last corner too fast.  Came off on the alleyway down the side of their house and on top of some road rash, she's got a pretty nasty cut on her knee which needed 6 stitches.  That means she's now going to have to miss Sports Day on Tuesday :(

Izzy's leg all bandaged up after six stitches in her knee...

And if that wasnt enough to top the weekend, the THIRD cycling incident of the weekend happened on the way home from my parents on the quick time trial back home.

As I was decending down Central Avenue at Welling Station, some blind Ford Focus driver nearly wiped me out. He turned right into Station Approach as I came down the hill at 20mph+ and somehow, somehow, I managed to avoid him and stay upright. It was so close that I actually shut my eyes and prepared for the impact. I was so sure he was going to hit my back wheel that I was already clipped out on my right pedal and I was preparing to roll right and stick my leg out to stay upright but no need.

Central Avenue, Welling.  The Ford Focus was turning right from where the car is pictured here...

One near miss too many this weekend.  Am now beginning to remember exactly why I decided running was much better for me than riding!

A date with Hayley

With the realisation that my running seems to be getting worse, I made a decision to vary things with some serious cross-training.

Since the garden revamp, Hayley, my carbon-frame steed, had been standing in my bedroom, literally begging me to ride her, so it would have been rude not to really.

I'd had a broken up week at work.  Monday was spent in the office and then I didnt return until Friday as I was doing my St John Ambulance First Aid at Work training course.  The good news is that I'm now a fully trained First Aider but the bad news is that I almost passed out when the trainer was describing the symptoms of a broken pelvis.  My stomach just churns at the thought.

So with the training course being held locally, I was home by 4pm every night, which gave me the extra time to get off my backside and out on Hayley.

Tuesday was great.  A quick(ish) 20+ mile of my old training loop, averaging just over 17mph.

It was great to be back out on Hayley. I'll be honest, the legs were hurting big time. My HR was all over the shop but the feeling of flying down Birchwood Road at over 30mph came flooding back and the adrenaline was buzzing big time. Two laps of the training loop and I was done.

Got home, had a quick stretch and then put on my running shoes and went out for a 5km run. No effort, no pace, just a plod. I was determined to enjoy it. It was seriously slow but my legs felt like jelly after the ride.

I was spent by the time I got back but thats exactly what I was looking for. I need to start pushing myself through the pain barrier and then the fitness will start coming back.

On to Wednesday. I enjoyed the Tuesday night ride so much that I wanted to get back out on the road again. So thats what I did. I was planning to do the same again pretty much but as I pulled up to the traffic lights at Avery Hill Park, I realised my old buddy Richard Williams was just ahead. A quick sprint and I was on his back wheel. When he realised I was there, he was happy to see me and delighted to see me back out on the bike again. I'd been thinking of phoning him about going out for a ride one night but I thought he would have been doing some proper training so I resisted.

Rich asked what I was up to and I said I was going for a potter. He said I was more than welcome to join him. When I asked where he was off to, he casually replied oh, just a 50 mile loop out to Toys Hill and back via Cudham Lane. 

Now in the old cycling days, this wouldnt have been a problem for me. Cudham Lane is a long 4 mile upward drag averaging out at 4% gradient and most Kent riders will know Toys Hill at Westerham. Not particularly steep but its long. I thought to myself, ok my legs are still sore from Tuesday but I'll give it a go. If I struggle, I'll just turn back and cut the ride short. I know my way back so it shouldnt be a problem.

Well I need not have worried.

Seriously, what a great ride. 50 miles in just over 3 hours at an average speed of 15.5mph. Ok, it wasnt my fastest ride of all time and I did sit in Rich's tow for 80% of the ride but I dug in and got it done. The hills hurt a lot as I'm not bike fit these days. Having only ridden 150 miles this year so far, its little wonder. The only riding I have done has been on flatish loops but this was much more like it. My HR was much more stable and lower than the previous day (understandibly because of being in Rich's tow) and I felt great. My legs did feel drained for 24 hours after the ride but that was to be expected. 

It was by pure chance I bumped into Rich but I'm so glad I did. I've got the bike confidence back now and thats exactly what I needed. I think it may well be time to step away from running for a while and cycle some more miles instead. 

Cheers Rich, a much needed break from the norm and it really was like the good old days :)

Like father (not) like daughter...

Another week gone by with more ups and downs than a Nun doing press-ups in a cucumber field.

The week started ok.  I ran 10k on Monday and Wednesday (with the Plums, which I'll come on to later).  I then ran a shorter but lumpy 5.5m on Saturday, followed by an easy 5 on Sunday which for the best part was off road over Oxleas Woods.

As it stands, I'm not enjoying my running at the moment.  I have to be honest with myself and say I'm not enjoying much at the moment.  I feel depressed and one of the telltale signs I look for is losing interest in things that I previously loved.  Ok, my fitness levels have deserted me since the marathon and a little weight has gone on but I'm just hating every minute that I'm running at the moment.

Both Chandra and Rich have said I should try something different.  Get back in the Gym, get back out on the bike, do some walking, swimming, anything else that counts as exercise, like getting back out in the garden and doing some more digging.  Anything counts.

It feels very difficult to believe I ran a marathon just over 2 months ago now.  Running 10k is a struggle for me at present.

I made a conscious effort to dig in last week and do four additional upper body and core work outs on top of my four runs for the week.  Only 40 minutes-worth apeace but at 400 sit ups/crunches a time, more than worthwhile.

Depression is not a word I have a fond affection for.  In the days before I took my training seriously, I suffered greatly from depression.  It has never been fully diagnosed by a doctor but I can tell you that I've suffered with depression for years.  Most readers will know my brother is Bipolar and my Dad suffers from depression too.  It runs in the family, unfortunately.

Last week, the depression took hold again.  Not majorly but it feels like it had caught up with me.  I'd had an incredible run of 2 years without an attack of any kind.  It just so happens I was feeling down, I'd had an issue with the Plums on Wednesday night, I'd had a god damn awful first date on Thursday night and on top of my drastic drop in fitness, it all came to a head and I found myself questioning myself late on Thursday evening.

Sadly, Friday morning, I felt like I was 6ft under.  Its was a huge shame as I was supposed to be on a second date on Friday evening with a very nice young lady who I'd met the week before but I just didnt feel well enough to go.  I text my date and explained and she took the news very well that I was blowing her out with minimum notice.  I told her the truth rather than give some feeble excuse.  I was having a real bad time and my self-confidence was at an all-time low.

I'd like to say a big thanks to my brother at this point because I ended up going out with Steve on that Friday evening and he attemtped successfully to put a smile back on my face and talking things through with him made a massive difference.  Dont get me wrong, the black cloud hasnt just upped and disappeared, it has been given a huge dose of salt and had been put into perspective, so I'm back looking at the world in the right way.  Hopefully, as I put more time into my training and my fitness gets better, the cloud should lift.

Sunday was fun.  Up at the crack of dawn to go to Maidstone to see Izzy compete in the Kent Gymnastics Floor and Vault Competition.  Welling, to Gravesend to pick up Izzy and the ex-wife, then on to Maidstone.  We arrived around 8:15am.  I spent most of the morning yawning my head off having stayed up to watch England v Honduras the night before.

However, it was well worth the early start.

Izzy had to perform a floor routine followed by performing two vaults...

 

  

As you can see from the two videos grabbed on my iPhone, Izzy done great. It takes a lot to get up and do that in front of a crowd of a good 500 people, let alone the other 100 or so competing Gymnasts.

But we didnt quite know how well she done... 

Excuse the poor iPhone photography but thats Izzy on the podium in Bronze medal position.  Third.  Oh god, I was choked.  Eyes welling up.  Sunglasses went back on.  I cant even describe how proud I felt.

After finishing 6th and a bucket full of tears last time round, can you tell how Izzy was from this photo?

I was sooo pleased for her.  She works bloody hard at her Gymnastics and she's reaping the benefits.  After her disappointment last time around, it was fantastic to see her with that big smile on her face again.

She taught me a very valuable lesson though.  Sport must be performed with a smile on your face.  You need to be enjoying what you're doing.  If you're not enjoying it, there's very little point in continuing.

There is another positive to take from this weekend.  A pretty major one.  My chance of a second date isnt quite over just yet. 

Half-term adventures, some more gardening and back to training...

Hey readers, its been a while.  Over a week and a half in fact.  As you've probably guessed, I've been quite busy.

First it was the bank holiday weekend, which rolled into half-term, so as it turns out I've only actually been in the office for one day over the last week and a bit, which has been great from my perspective as I've had a nice extended break away from the office.

With it being half-term, I also had the pleasure of Izzy's company from Wednesday lunchtime through to Saturday evening so we had some quality time together.  The best bit of all was that her long awaited Birthday trip to see Katy Perry at the O2 was finally upon us.  Now by pure chance, our tickets had been upgraded...to VIP.  So rather than watching from down the front, we'd been given seats in one of the best boxes of the lot.  Check out the view below...

Izzy at the front of the box...

So what shall we do while we're waiting for Katy Perry to come on Izzy?  Shall we watch the football???

Katy Perry suspended above the crowd on a zip wire...

Now, I'm normally more into more rock, indie, metal and dance/house music rather than pop, so my pop concern experience is more limited to the likes of X Factor but I knew a fair few of KPs songs because of Izzy listening to them in the car over the years.  I came away from the O2 being wowed by the show KP put on and was amazed how good her voice actually is.  I'd read a few reviews of the opening night and it didnt go down too well but I'm pretty sure that most of the people at the O2 went home very happy indeed.  Izzy absolutely loved it.  The good thing about living in South East London is that I'm only a 20 min bus ride away from home and we were climbing into bed just after midnight.

Thursday and Friday saw us back out in the garden.  We had a fence to finish off.

As you can see, the garden is beginning to look like a proper garden now.  Just the new gate to be fitted and the garden will be secure for the first time in the four years I've lived there.  Woo hoo.

Izzy loved being outside and was a dab hand with the shovel and fork.  I was more amazed by the fact she was quite comfortable with the snails.  I'm not sure I'm as brave as her...

The good news is that I've resumed training but am being very sensible about it.

On Sunday, I ran 7.5 miles.  Bank Holiday Monday I ran 10k just less than 24 hrs later.

Rest Day Tuesday.

I ran a lumpy 5 miler on Wednesday morning before Izzy arrived.

Gardening Thursday and Friday, which included some heavy digging.

Back running 8 miles on Sunday after a somewhat heavy night at my parents drinking Stella whilst watching the Froch v Groves fight.  Followed it up with a good upper body and abs workout for the first time since the marathon.  

Now the Sunday 8 miler was a good run but I was beginning to flake by the end and my legs felt very heavy indeed. I'm going to put that down to the alcohol which was drank on Saturday.  For the first time in a very long while, I felt my legs begin to cramp up after 5 miles and my pace drastically dropped off as you'll be able to see from the mile splits.  Not a bad thing but is to be expected after a session on the sauce.  I'd only drank half a glass of water than morning and I would have been dehydrated, I have no doubts about that.

Its really time to start watching what I put into the body to ensure I'm getting the very best out.