Month: May 2013

Eight Teen and Life

 

Only around a month to go, and I am not ready. Not even half ready. This week has proven that this challenge has been taken too lightly, and it will be a struggle to finish.

 

Started badly on Monday where I did nothing at all, I feel really tired right inside – not tired to really stop me doing things, but a core tiredness which comes from doing more than my untrained body can cope with. I feel like I need more sleep and more “relaxation”, but actually I need to fuel myself better, and stop drinking those last four for the road pints and eat better.

So Tuesday meant into Cardiff day, so up at 5:30 and working by 07:00. Left the office at 13:30 to get to the pool at 14:00 ish. Reasonably quiet so started the session, then there was just me in the pool, so I did “laps” right the way around the outside edge of the pool, I think I did around 10 of these – so about 20-30 length equivalence but it was good to do a continual run without the turns at each end. I did feel like a big fat white goldfish going around and around though.. Then it got busy so I got out after about 35 mins. Then back home to continue work until after 5

Weds saw me back out on the running, usual route.

Thurs was another nothing day and Friday was back for a run.

Went back to Pembs on the weekend, so although I was rather hung over I went out for a 4 miler in the morning on Sat – which didn’t really do me any good.

Then to Sat afternoon, the sea swim…

To quote a famous American sit-com character – “Oh my God”

Wasn’t feeling 100% all day, so I hope this had something to do with it, but at around 15:30 I struggled into the wet suit and headed down to Broad Haven. Once arrived I jiggled my bulk into the rest of the wet suit and headed for the sea. This was to be my first attempt at a sea swim, in a wet suit. At the waters edge and loaded with goggles, earplugs and nose plug I waded in up to my waist and took off like a agile dolphin into the ocean depths. Shit me it was cold on my head, really proper freezing cold, the rest of me wasn’t too bad but with my head under water I managed about 15 seconds before I had mega serious “brain freeze”. As my brain was frozen I hadn’t really thought about the breathing process, so I thought I could just swim with my head out of the water – forgetting 18 weeks of training – it didn’t work – I spluttered and floundered like a big cold spas making no ground what so ever.

I cannot believe it was so hard, the tiny little gentle waves were gently splashing over and nearly drowning me I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t go forward, I was knackered. It was a little bit hard. But I persevered for a while, then I found that I could keep my head in a little bit longer if I came in shore a little where it wasn’t too cold, problem was it was too shallow. I also managed to take a breath every four strokes, so I was breathing on the same side all the time – this was better, but I still had a freezing nogging. One thing that surprised me was I had pretty good visability in the sea – I guess that would change the further out you go.

It scared me a bit – for the first time since I signed up I honestly thought I might not be able to make this – its a long bloody way in the sea, and I cannot, at the moment, imagine swimming for 40 mins like this, I barely made anything longer than about 4 minutes in this taster session. Once I got out I also noticed that the wet suit had rubbed my neck so I will deffo need to tape that up and get me some vas – I think I also need a hat for the next time. So, I will be back in two weeks – just two weeks before the event to try again – super, super hard this sea swimming….

 

Sun – back from Pembs, so took a quick cycle – only 13 miles and it was click, click bloody click – will change the peddle again and if that doesn’t fix it it’s back to the bike shop again.

 

Swim – 35 mins in pool, 15 mins in the sea

Run – 3 x 4 miles

Cycle – 13 miles

Beers – 11 pints, 10 cans

Mystery Pubs: 2

Continuing the magical mystery tour of local pubs, get us down to the river side, starting in Chepstow.

The Boat Inn  – we got there and there were four blokes looking at the sky through binos – one was very small (the man, not the binos).

Chepstow has quite a few pubs, almost as many have closed as have in Haverfordwest, but this one is still going and it was one I didn’t know was there, even though I must have walked passed it once. It’s down by the river, which is a little muddy, and very banked – but it does have some seats outside. Inside is a little nicer, made up like an old warehouse (that’s *ware*-house) with some nice tables and an open upstairs. Apparently, so Paul told me, there is a ghost, who barges past people – there is even a plaque telling you this. We had a beer, can’t remember what it was now, and sat in the sun – nice pub – beer garden is not so nice.

6/10

Ferry Inn – was down under the Bridge on the other side of Chepstow – it seems massive, and probably was very busy when the ferry used to take people across the Severn. But now it just looks a little neglected – but did have, as usual for these types of pubs on a lunchtime on a Wednesday, a far diversity of oldies having some nosh. For such a big place, right next to the river it’s beer garden was very modest 0 but I suppose unfortunately the view of the bridge and the muddy estuary are not ideal? Had an okay beer in the garden, and Paul returned for some nosh a few days later – but I wouldn’t make a special trip..

5/10

Next up was a place I had been meaning to go to for an age, and after getting in there, I was very surprised that the inside didn’t look like I expected.

The Piercefield just up from the race-course in Chepstow at a place called St Arvan – we sat outside in the large beer gardens with piped music – which was quite nice. They have Heineken here, which I like and I thought all in all in was pretty good. We returned a couple of weeks later for some lunchtime nosh – and I enjoyed the bangers and mash, although I would ask for extra gravy next time.  Really nicely laid out inside and I quite liked it.

8/10

The Greyhound, on the way to Usk was yet another place I had fancied stopping at, but never had the reason to. Nice garden, although the “gardener” insisted on moving, very noisily, around us whilst we were there. It has three bars, sort of connected, but at different levels, and a couple of areas to sit in – all looked okay. I think this might have been a Stella place, but again I cannot remember (I really should take notes). All good, although the weather could have been better – it did brighten up later and we sat back home in the Lion.

7.5/10

 

Sweat 17

Any nothing week which was not too great on the training ability thanks to work again.

Mon – was a normal working from home day which led to a lot achieved and a chance to get down the pool in the afternoon. Got there around 14:00 and the place was really busy. Normally go on a Tues or Thurs and it is a lot quieter, but today a load of oldies, then a couple of youngies came also. Lucjily I was tucked in against the lane marker and it wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t really compl;ete as much as I wanted to, but it was a good session – at least 1000meters so okay really.

Tues – Had to go to Bristol to met with HP today, so left the house at 6:30, then got back around 6:30 – so no time for anyting today unfortuntaly.

Weds – back at home today, so out for a run this morning, as I had not run for a while, and still seemed to be feeling the remnents of the long cycle I took it easy and just did a 3 miler this morning.

Thurs – back in the bleeding office today – 1.5 hr commute as I didn’t have the car – so left the house befotre 7:30 and had my computer on ready for work at 9:10 – crazy. As I had to pick the car up it also meant I was working at home with my computer still on at 6:00

Friday – another run, did the old hill route today – usual time, tired.

Sat – nothing

Sun – another mini triathlon, although this one was quite close the the real thing. First off down the pool for 7:00, Although they only open at 7:00 there were already 3 guys getting changed. Got in and got my lane and did 40 mins of swim, which should be enough to cover the 1.5K. Finding it very tiring at the start now, but once you get into a rhythm its not too bad. Got busy again, but I was okay. Snuck a quick Maccy D’s on the way home, but only had a fiver so got me a bacon roll and a sausage McMuffin for Sian. Once back I fitted the saddle and got sorted for the cycle/run.

Have downloaded Strava to check the distances etc – so got that sort and set off on the bike – the tw@ is clicking agian and doing my bonce it!. So around 25 miles of cycling, which is pretty damn close to the triathlon distance in an hour and a half, then immediatly (well I needed some fluid) into the run – which is my normal run up and down 4.2 miles which I managed in 40 mins which is about the time I would expect. It was hard, the run is especially difficult after the cycle, even though I didn’t feel too tired the run is really difficult. But in realisty, although I didnt go from swim to cycle immediatly I effectivily (other than 2 miles of runing) did the tri today. And don’t I know it!

Swim: 3K – 80 mins

Run: 11Miles, 9 minute miles

Cycle: 25 miles average about 15 mph

Beers: 2 x Heineken, 8 x Stella, 8 x Stella cans

Chippenham

 

Off to sunny Chippenham today.

It seems like one of those places that is miles away, as it’s over the bridge and far away, but actually its only about 40 miles or so. We had a little look in the morning of places we hadn’t been and we were not too sure on this one, so decided to give it a go.

I was starving when we left, and figured that in 40 mins we could pitch up to a place and get some nosh. Unusually for me I had not planned it all to the nth degree, so had no idea where to park, what the main street looked like, nor where to eat. Although I had run a quick tripadvisor against restaurants but not really remembering anything.

Arrived at the town and it seems to take you on a very wide round-about route to get into the town itself, and once we were there I was convinced we had cycled through it on one of our jaunts – but I cannot be sure. Found the car park which was small, but pretty much “one way”, so you just drove slowely in until you saw some people leaving, and luckily within 5 mins we were parked up and ready to go. Parking bays are a little tight in our car, so we stuck out a bit, but no trouble.

First stop was a book sale, which was just a load of books marked up with normal process in what may have served as Chipperhams Corn Exchange, Kate picked a book – then when she realsied she would have to pay for it she did a double take – but she did get it. A little walk round the town where they had a Saturday market, which had the standard crap, and a bloke cooking noodles on a gas cylinder – I was hungry.

Nothing much to remark about the town, it was okay, nice church, although we didn’t go in, and very few pubs – in fact I can only recall a couple and one of those was a Wetherspoons.

Walked a little out of the center and came across the Revolutions Cafe, which squeezed us in, and we had quite decent nosh. I had a chilli cheese burger which was small but quite tasty and remarkably not dry, Sian had a Chilli which was pretty good, and Kate was poorly so just had chips – which I ate most of. They were “double cooked” chips which here must mean cooked, slightly under, and not very crispy. But they were okay for a starver like me.

After grub that was all that was around it seemed, so back in the car and off to Cribbs, before home.

Okay place, wouldn’t make a journey to go again though.

16.

 

Very quiet week this week as it was the run up to the CarTen

 

Monday was a Bank Holiday, so after the few shandies on the Sunday I took it “easy” today and lounged around doing, “not a lot”.

Tues I booked the bike in to be sorted with the clicking noise, so I cycled down to Chepstow which is only about 12 miles away then I met Sian in Tescos for a lift home.

Weds was swimming day, so managed to squeeze in 35 mins, which should be approaching the 1.5K mark – I deliberatly did not check the lengths, but didn’t stop.

Thurs I had to go into Cardiff because work has decided to do this stupid “colo” mandate where you have to attend a central office. Its a real pain in the behind, so I was there for the majority of the day, then I had to drive all the way back and pick my bike up – then reset up at home to do another couple of hours to get on the right calls. So no workout at all.

Friday I also did nothing, as Sat was the ride.

Sat – rode from Cardiff to Tenby as part of the CarTen. 106 miles, 8hrs 20 mins on the bike. Full write up is on this blog somewhere..

Cycle: 120 miles

Run – none

Swim – 35 minutes

Beers: 1 x Bud, 1 x San Miguel, 1 x Carlsburg, 4 x Stella cans, 4 x San Miguel bottles

 

 

CarTen 2013

The CarTen, sounds simple – ride from Cardiff to Tenby in a day. One Hundred miles, three stops, free brekkie, free liquid, no time limit – yes, I’ll have some of that.

Up at 5:30 in the morning, too early by half but needed to get the bike on the car and some prep ready to leave the house at 6:20. Got down to the Cardiff City stadium around 6:50 and already there were a hundred or so there. So unpacked and tried to find John, then stood in a queue to register. Once registration opened we found that we didn’t and indeed shouldn’t have our bikes, so a hundred bikes were dumped to the ground or any available lean post as we filed up to our registration slot, I was number 177.

Little bit of faffing around and we made our way to the start – and found ourselves first. We noticed that quite a few had already set off, but we are good boys so waited for the tape to be stretched across then dropped and away we went. It was quite odd to seem to be leading the CarTen at this point, and as the first group of 8 or so rode off we had our first pratt in a car honk and shout – luckily there were not too many of them.

The first part of the ride took us through the edge of Cardiff and out to Culverhouse Cross, where we met the first hill. Dropped a couple of gears and the field started to overtake, John was just in front, but as I cycled past I thought he had missed a gear so on I went. This is “his” hill as he lives at the top, so I was not surprised to see him zoom past me slightly further up, I tried to keep pace but couldn’t. Once at the top I started to settle into a rhythm and kept at the back of the pack to be pulled along to Margam.

I was giving it some, not all, but some to try and catch him, but couldn’t get there, so resided myself to the fact he was too fast I kept with my new pack buddies and cycled our way through Wales. Just before Margam it poured down and the wind was more noticeable  it felt just like the majority of yearly cycles I do – I must be a jinx. Sooner, rather than later and I was in Margam, thirty miles down the road,  after almost getting lost after “my pack” buggered off too fast, but I got to breakfast and looked for John. No sign of him.

In the food place I could barely see thanks to my rain splashed, steamed up glasses, but I found the bacon rolls and had a cup of tea with 4 sugars. Back out to get the roll down me neck as fast as possible and who should roll in, but John. It seems that it wasn’t him who passed me on the hill, and he had been behind all the way! So I was chasing after him like a berk, when he was behind me all along. Oh – how we laughed ;o)

So after a short while we took off in search of lunch, at Bury Port – another 30 miles down the road. This section was not nice. Getting to Swansea was a pain through the back end of Port Talbot, the Swansea front along the Mumbles was okay, and the long but gentle ascent into Gowerton was pleasant – there was a road closed, police vans and what looked like a police blow up bouncy castle in the street. But after this section and on the way to Llanelli was a welcome to a world of pain.

We knew it would be windy, but at worse I thought it might me the sort of wind which worries you when you have an umbrella, a little strong and gusty. It was more like the wind you dream of when you are a child and you want to jump off a small wall with an empty bin bag so you can be blown to another country. It was not only strong, but relentless – as the wind was coming from the West, as it often does, and we were heading due West it caused a problem, normally when one cycles you do a circuit which is only fair that you get the wind in your face for half the time – this run was just dedicated to direct you straight into the wind, at all times, for ever and ever and ever.

From Gowerton past the sign to Carmarthenshire on the bridge before Llanelli all the way to the lunch stop at Bury Port I cried silent tears to the God of Wind to please give me a break. 13 miles of in your face drafty conditions which really broke your spirit. Across Llanelli front, which is always shit as far as I am concerned, the amount of exertion I was putting in to do 8 miles an hour was criminal – if there was an email address to “Wind” I would have drafted (!) a strongly worded letter. People looked at us with pity as we strained on our bicycles through the torrent, if we had been going the other way we could have sailed through at 30 mph…

But we got through and then in Bury Port we had a Burger, Chips and half a coke – refilled a water bottle, and soon(ish) later we left to continue to laugh in the face of the wind. The next section to Carmarthen was windy and hilly, we had some down, and quite a lot of up, but it was okayish to Carmarthen and just after we went off the main road onto another cycle route. This meant we met a hill, a steep one, and really steep first gear straining type of hill, the type of hill that makes you forget that its windy, or that there is an existence outside of you, the bike, the pedal, your knee and the road. People were pushing! These were the “expert” cyclists with all the kit, who can do 40 down a hill whilst sucking at their stupid energy gels – and they pushed up a hill – ha ha ha is all I can say. I was passing them, albeit slowly, and they were taking their bikes for a walk whilst shoveling “energy” down their stupid, lazy, give up faces. It was steep though.

The detour took an age, up and down a lot, but as with all things it came to an end and we got to St Clairs. Short uphill through the town took us out onto the main road and a couple of miles later we where through Whitland and we hit a real hill. This was a hill to sort the men from the whinny, shandy, look at me with all the kit and no legs brigade. This hill went from 78 ft to 626ft over two miles, which I must admit is not as difficult typing it as it was in real life. It was a biggy, people were pushing, people were crying, people were praying to their imaginary friends. I didn’t get off.

Top of the hill in Tavernspite was a crappy pub, so I just got some normal liquid in me for the trip to Tenby. Once JB was sorted we set off for the final 12 miles into Tenby. This was a good run, the hills were okay and the wind was not too bad, at one point we were cruising along at 20+ mph for a couple of miles. Before we knew it we were descending into Tenby. I had stopped to warn the family in case they missed it, and there were people cheering, so I did my Bradley Wiggings winning the Tour de France impression and then I stopped. That was it, finished. Time to pick up a polo shirt and get me a pint in.

106 miles, 8hrs 20 mins – average of only about 13 miles an hour but the CarTen was finished.

Some things I learned there:

A lot of cyclists are arses, they deliberate ride in the middle of road “because they are on a bicycle”, they run red lights “because they are a cyclist”, and they drop their empty stupid energy bars/gels/liquid/pixie dust whenever they feel like it. They are not nice.

 

 

15 and nothing to show

 

Yet another week flies by, the weeks are going so fast, the weight isn’t – this week is a prime example why not!

Monday – I was going to have a day off today after the exertions of Sunday, but I felt okay this morning, so thought I would keep the legs in a do an old 3 miler. Its flat and I tried to push the pace, but actually was more tired than I thought – so only a 9 min mile pace.

Tues – The swimming day, I am not really doing enough swimming, but due to the timings it’s difficult to get down there as often as I want, from after the CarTen I will have to swim a bit more. But got down today and it was reasonably quiet, so swam and swam and swam – not much quicker I don’t think, but managed 84 lengths, which I think is a combined distance of around  1512 meter – so in the pool, with turns every 18 metres – I can manage the 1.5K

Weds – feeling good, back into the normal run, which is the 4 and a bit miler up and down dale. However, because I am such a crazy character I decided to do it backwards!!! Man I am mad. I don’t mean I ran backwards, I ran the course the other way round. I nearly didn’t because the start of the backward is the start of the old 3 miler, so I nearly just did that – but, gotta be tough, gotta be strong and I plodded around. It was quite good, obviously not with the big hill at the start, but more uphill running over time. Quite enjoyed it, forgot my watch so didn’t know if it was quicker or slower.. As the day turned out so nice, and Sian was off on the afternoon, we took a quick spin out to Redwick and sat in the sun, having lunch – and very nice it was too. An “omlet” (sic) at the rose with a beer went down very well thank you very much.

Becs came around later and showed us where some tw@ had run into her car when parked down the station (although not in the station carpark where there are CCTV, but over the bridge which is now the overflow) – didn’t leave a note or anything the tosser.

Thurs – work means I have to be in Bristol on a Thurs, so no training at all today.But I did some planning the sun with a beer – great.

Friday – 4 and a bitter, backwards again, with a watch. And whatya know, its the same time. Bully for me. We snuck back to Pembs this evening to surprise my Mum for her birthday, which was nice.

Sat – In Pembs so did nowt.

Sunday – Got home earlish, so went for a cycle, out for around 28 miles – not too many hills, but not flat either – clicking still there and making me mental, got Sian to click it whilst I sat on the ground, just couldn’t see where it was coming from – will have to try and book it in next week…

Once back from cycling I spent the entire day drinking Stella in the sun.

Swim – 1.5K

Cycle – 28 miles

Run – 12 miles

Beer: 3 x Amstel, 2 x Stella pints, 1x 1664, 15+ cans of Stella.