Wednesday 30 May 2012

Friday 25 May 2012

LochLomond, I love you in the sun!

Swimming in Loch Lomond tonight, no neoprene socks or cap, just a silicon cap, and it was balmy.

It was lovely.

And my swim is a completely different beast from last year in a wetsuit. The extra buoyancy for the legs helps big time.

The long leisurely BBQ on the beach just topped everything off.

Cheers guys

Saturday 19 May 2012

Roth Prep Century Ride

It was early. Quite early. Not race day early, but early enough. 7am to be precise, as I rolled into a car park in Yorkhill, meeting up with Jo & Lexy to head out on the longest cycle of my life.
Da da daa daaaaaaaaaaaaaaAA!!
After the obligatory tyre pressure checks & last minute pitstops, we were on the road by about 7:30. Given the miserable May its been weather wise but with a reasonable forecast, my layering strategy was on the slightly cautious side, but such that I could easily take off or fold down layers, but I was glad I started that way, as it was a bit parky first thing in the morning.
Crossing the Clyde, we headed out through Renfrew, avoiding the main road as much as possible until we joined the A8 not long before Langbank, where Lexy filled the draft bank by leading us out to Greenock - given the speed of the traffic, none of us were much for trying to readjust the order. The road surface however was quite lovely and, being effectively a nice big dual carriage way, it brought me back to the Lisboa Middle Distance Triathlon. I would definitely like to go back there some day and see what I can do on the course now! (for those that don't know, most of the bike leg is on a closed section of motorway in Lisbon city centre, and its a fantastic surface to get some good speeds in, the only downside is that its 4 laps of the course, with a turn at the far end and a dog leg at a entrance ramp, which means you are having to do 3 x hard turns each lap)

Cruising through to Gourock we jumped on a ferry to Dunoon, and were joined briefly by Tom who'd set off later than us from Glasgow. 15 minutes later we were back on the road, and not long after that, Tom took off at his own pace and we headed up along beside the stunning views of Holy Loch and out to Loch Long. Heading out along Loch Eck, the day was starting to warm up and dropping down to Loch Fyne the gloves were changed and the jacket came off. No longer at risk of overheating, cycling continued nicely.

Climbing up beside Stob an Eas was rewarded with a cracking descent, though given it was a single track road I managed to hold myself back from going too fast, on account of not wanting to end up a hood ornament for a Range Rover.... Would be fantastic if the road was closed to traffic.... More climbing awaited and it was on up to the Rest & Be Thankful car park. It hurt (particularly at the bit with the 16% gradient sign), but I knuckled down and kept at it, topping out to the gorgeous view down between The Cobbler and Ben Donich. After a breather here & a photo op, it was down the side of the Cobbler on a road that reminded me a bit of the drop from the car park on the crow down to Lennoxtown, only longer, less steep and with a poorer road surface. At the top I took off, accelerating hard down the hill and managed to get through the temporary traffic lights without having to stop, then I took that speed held it up as best I could into Arrochar, when we stopped for lunch.

Out of Arrochar, it was a lovely rolling road, through which I forgot to restart my Garmin, but I noticed before we got to the A814 (a cheeky wee section, the lead on Strava is currently held jointly by two GTC members). At this point I was about 110km into the ride, and happily surprised at how OK my legs were feeling, even if we had had a couple of breaks in the ride, though to my credit I'd been taking it steady on the climbs & not trying to get excitable and over do it. Up and down and round past Faslane, then it was onto Glen Fruin with its cattle grids and torturous climbing. At various points I looked down and saw that my speedo was ready under 7km/hr. It was not very comfortable, but I refused to let this hill break me, so I just kept going until the top (and another set of stunning views).

Plenty of downhills, and a few short uphills (that I chose to blast up, as I figured I had some matches to burn)  followed until we joined the A82 at Loch Lomond, where we were treated to some classic driver dumbfuckery, making sure we had at least an inch as they squeezed past (some with oncoming traffic, others with none - they just clearly couldn't be arsed moving out properly). Hating (some of) the road users and at risk of bonking, I was grateful to turn into Balloch & took the oppurtunity to pause & stuff my face a little before we headed along the quieter roads to Dumbarton. Back onto the A82 again still wasn't fun, but at least I was feeling a touch better, though I was very happy to take the Bowling turning onto a much quieter road.

All that was left was the straight road through Clydebank, then along South Street (with a little bit on the aero bars to see how comfy it was after 160km - not too bad actually!) into Yorkhill and no more cycling today! Hurray! 105 miles in the back! First legitimate century ride I think (Glasgow to Edinburgh last year was 95 I think, though the weather conditions were worth an extra 5 or 10 miles onto that total). To celebrate, I ran for half a kilometre and finished off my tablet before stretching out.

Tonight my legs don't feel that bad. I'll be interested to see what tomorrow brings....

So at 170ish kilometres, I've done almost the distance of Roth, including a similar amount of elevation increase, (though given this is the hardest climb out there, I should be OK for that now) and I'm not feeling gubbed. Of course, out there I won;t be able to take a leisurely lunch and there will be no drafting of buddies, but hey, its feeling much less daunting :)

Big thanks to Alex and Jo (particularly for the time at the front round Balloch / Dumbarton when I was struggling) for the company, though I think Alex was getting a little worried about all the singing...

Tonight's blog (and today's ride) is(was) brought to you with:
Faith No More - I Started A Joke
Bee Gees - I Started A Joke
Cartman - Come Sail Away
Styx - Come Sail Away

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Swimming Longer

Thanks to the work of the coaches and Alex in particular, my stroke has improved beyond all recognition & everything is starting to join up, aided by the work in Mark's yoga classes for improving my core & posture, allowing me to muscles better in the pool. With all this I do feel so much more aware of my own physical body, especially when in the water, how things work together. Sometimes when I'm in the water now, I feel a incredible amount of power waiting to be unleashed , and its actually quite exciting. I do have to rein myself back a little bit, as I'm still not quite there yet, particularly with stamina, but we did 4 x 100 today, with 50 at 200m pace, 25 at just below lactate threshold and 25 at eyewatering max and when I nailed a coupe of the sets correctly, those final 25m felt painful yet utterly amazing!

So yeah, my technique is on a level its never been in my life and still improving, but my swim stamina has slipped badly as I've been focusing so much on technique. In saying that though, tonight was more of a stamina based session and after a couple of bad Tuesday night sessions the last couple of weeks, related in part to eating too much too soon before the session, I did a lot better tonight - no dropped lengths & better pacing (though still room for improvement). All in it was around about the 2000m mark, though obviously with plenty of rests between sets, though some of the rests in amongst the 4 x 200m sets were pushing it a little for me, but really, that's good, because I need to be pushing my swim big time in the next month, getting some longer sustained sets in & getting used to holding steady pace for a much longer time. I also need to be able to judge how fast to swim so I don't burst myself before I'm even on the bike. There are still a few issues around breathing I have, but with the improvements in strength & stamina and being more relaxed in the water, its starting to come better. Open water season is almost there, but this cold May is putting me off trying too much out there, sao I need to be fitting some more lunchtime swims in there too.

As an aside I've now hit the 5000 views mark! Thanks everyone for reading this!

Tonight's blog is brought to you by
Dethklok - Murmaider


Dethklok - Go Into The Water
Dethklok - Awaken 
Crush my Opponents Balls by Skwisgaar 
Luna by Boris (from the Adult Swim album Metal Swim)

In Flames - Swim
Onward to Olympas - Sink or Swim
And finally something very mellow
Devin Townsend - Infinite Ocean

Saturday 12 May 2012

Today Was A Good Day

Today's goal was to get out & get some distance in on the bike.

Mission accomplished!

Starting at Pollok Park at 7.30 with 4 guys from the club, there was still a chill in the air, though the presence of the sun (*gasp*) meant that it wasn't too bad and started warming up not that long after.

It was a nice route to take, as I can see just how far I've come, particularly on hills - I used to be busted by the climb coming out of Barrhead to the reservoirs, but today I span up it without red lining my heart rate. The big showing for me though was the Ferenze Road climb - the first time I did it I baulked at the base and walked up it. Subsequent efforts have seen me reach the top, but sometimes with a break at the house round the bend but always breathing out of my arse. Today it hurt in places, but I never felt like it wasn't doable, and again, there was no red lining, just a steady grind. Following a pit stop in Stewarton after about 37km, we headed through Moscow & along a lot of very quiet back roads, with surfaces that varied from rough to immaculately smooth and the need for me to remove my arm warmers underneath the thin rain jacket I was wearing! Blessed sun, how I have missed You!

After tiring of following pylons it was on to Eaglesham then Newton Mearns down back into Glasgow, dodging drivers who didn't think they had to look where they were going, though thankfully Duggie escaped unscathed from his near encounter.

Back into Pollock park after 105 km and 5 hours of cycling it was a chance for me to do a slow as  transition, then put in a cheeky wee 30 minute 5km run. Would've considered doing more if my stomach wasn't so rumbly....

So thanks Duggie for an enjoyable route and thanks to y'all for the company.


I did the cycle today, and the last couple, using a number of High 5 gels & sports drink as they will be whats available at Roth, and thankfully I've had no bad reaction to any of them. The caffeine gels have a grim wee taste around the edge, but not too strong. All in all, I should be alright to use them come July.

I would like to push myself faster next time I'm out, perhaps a solo effort to see how fast I can put in 100 km...

Today's blog is brought to you by:
Mary Beats Jane - Old (because I couldn't get a version of Grind :( ) 
D. Ferenze ft. Gael Boom - They make me stronger snippet 
The phenominal drumming of Vitek (RIP - taken from the world far too young)
Decapitated - Spheres of Madness (for some more Vitek awesomeness)

Monday 7 May 2012

Scottish Summer?

Its May. On Friday I went out on the bike with a jacket and trousers on and sweated like a beast. Saturday I took a spin out to Wheelcraft and back in 3/4 length trousers and 2 t-shirts (and later took a dip in the 8degC water of Loch Lomond with my wetsuit on and froze my hands). Today I looked out the window and thought I could get away with the same, including my fingerless gloves, as long as I took a rain jacket with me.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I had in my mind a 100km route, and I was taking it nice and easy as I was looking for a fairly steady & gentle cruise round the route. I got to the crow, passing Mark R on his way down as I climbed up. Towards the top, the rain came on, so I stopped and put on the jacket (one of the best decisions of the day) and carried on. As I started dropping down the other side, the rain came on harder turning to hail a little. Down & down I dropped, past Clair on her way out of the grim weather in the valley below that I was heading into. Through Fintry, I was getting soaked and cold, but the sky looked brighter over towards Kippen compared to the way I'd just come, so I slogged on, promising myself a hot chocolate in Kippen to keep me going. Coming up to Top of the World my fingers were struggling to work the gears and I lost all feeling in the fingertips of my right hand with the cold, pressing on into Kippen, I joyfully stopped at the cafe to procure the hot chocolate and rest out of the wind to allow myself to thaw out. And it took a while. For the first couple of minutes after the hot chocolate arriving I couldn't hold it as the heat hurt my hands, but as the blood made it back out there I was able to get the sweet sweet chocolaty beverage into my stomach and feel the heat spread from there. Rather than risk cooling down from being sat too long, I got myself back out sooner than my hands would've liked. Rather than carrying on to Thornhill as I had intended, I turned back up the hill so that I was heading in the direction of home, but with the option of extending my ride south of the Campsies. Clearing Kippen, I could see that I'd made the right choice, as the valley, which had been clear of rain before I went for the drink, was obscured by the dark grey that only heavy rain can bring. There was nothing more than a drizzle on up to Top of the World and it held that way until half way to Fintry, with the rain getting heavier, but thankfully not the same level as earlier.

I was of a mind to go west out of Fintry & round to Strathblane, as it was looking clearer that way, and climbing over the Crow in heavy rain held zero appeal to me, but nearing Fintry it was clear that the weather was setting in bad over that road, so the Crow it was. Amazingly, as I approached the foot of the climb, the clouds thinned overhead and things got brighter (though not actually sunny, and there was no blue to be seen). Up, up and over I climbed, feeling way more comfortable than I had any right to, allowing myself to gun it on the way down, topping out at 70.6km/hr on the steepest section.

Not wanting to head straight for home, I turned towards Strathblane form Lennoxtown, then up to Milngavie, past Murray park and along to Torrance.  Coming through Milngavie my fingers were turning numb again but with tingling nerve pain in my hands (the damage that leads to vibration white finger in industry is made worse by having cold hands while working with vibrating equipment, so long term I assume you could get similar problems off of handle bars if you rode as stupidly as I did today), so a pit stop in Solid Rock Cycles was made to purchase appropriate gloves. And then it was Torrance, Bishopbriggs and home, with no finger / hand issues.

My solo 100km ride turned into a respectable 85km in pissy weather and was very worth while.

Hopefully it'll be warmer next time....

Tonight's blog is brought to you by:
Devin Townsend Project - Hyperdrive
Immortal - Antarctica

Birthday Ride

Yay! Its my birthday! So what did I do? Took the day off work and went for a ride of course!

Thanks to Alan, Christine and Liz for the company. Out of Springburn, we took in the Tak, round Carron Ressie and over the Crow from the Fintry side. The presence of Alan did mean that we started off at a higher pace than normal for me, which is good to do, and we were at the foot of the Tak a good bit quicker than I would've got there by myself, so then it was up the Tak.

Ah. the Tak Ma Doon road. What can I say about you?
Pain. Nausea. More Pain. Strange burning sensation in my quads. Some more pain. Blessed relief turning to delight at being at the park. Now rest & enjoy the view.

The ride from the top round to the Crow was quite enjoyable, seeing how as it was a significant net loss in height.

Next up was the Crow, I hill I'm coming to actually enjoy going up! For the long drags, its just a case of getting the head down & keeping going, which I am getting better at. Even with a stop to put a buff round my forehead to stop the sweat streaming into my eyes (stingy)(also, I had too many layers on & sweated like a beast throughout), I posted a time 5 minutes faster up the climb that when I did it mid April.

If the up was good, the down was awesome. WIth lots of downhill to get the speed up, I dropped into the steep section towards the car park and topped out at 76.7 km/hr WOOSHT!

Sadly though, the Tak and Crow had taken their toll on my quads, and my pace just dropped off from there on out, particularly anytime a significant incline was reached. We headed along to Strathblane, then along the back roads into Bearsden, where I turned off up to Dobies. One short hill and my legs almost packed in however, so I had to stop, take a breather & eat a banana before heading for home. Busted when I got here, I still popped on the shoes and went for a short run to loosen things off however!

Good way to spend the morning / afternoon of my birthday :)

This blog is brought to you by:
The Star Wars Theme
Dethklok Birthday Dethday

Sooooo Coooooold

Decided to do a solo ride today... In cafe in Kippen thawing out before deciding if I should head straight back or do my intended loop round Thornhill & Lake of Mentieth. Former sounds better right now....