Sports bras wear out

Let's just say that I bear the scars of a worn sports bra after running on Monday. Tuesday's choice of undergarment was a very different design - so nothing was exacerbated! Shock Absorber (which the offending bra was not) suggest replacement every 6 months - and other sites suggest 3-12 months.

You may note that Husband is on foot in this week's photo. My parents stayed for the day on Sunday unexpectedly - so we decided against cycling. Mum was too wiped out from a stomach bug for them to visit friends as they'd originally planned - so they watched the rugby whilst Husband & I went for a gentle walk in the woods. We also hit the gym where I tried a spinning bike for the first time - so much better than a "normal" exercise bike - felt much more realistic and great to focus on cadence. I think I can make more use of this as part of prep for South Downs Way. I also linked iPhone to the machines - exercise geek happiness!

Another 10K on Monday with WRN - and again, it went well. All other groups were fine - except 7pm Tuesday which didn't happen for the 3rd week. Cycled on Mon & Tue, but not today as I was walking around Earls Court all day.

A run that clicked

6 of us braved a cold and damp dark evening to give the Eastleigh 10K route a go. Some runs go OK, some really click - and this was a click. L came along who I haven't seen for ages & it was great to introduce her to the other runners. We weren't amazingly speedy - darkness, puddles, tree root bumps on pavement and road crossings meant it was never going to be a PB kind of evening. Immensely satisfying though.

My only opportunity to cycle to work happened on Wednesday this week due to commitments in Portsmouth.

My mountain bike has finally been repaired - £340 of repairs! All wear, tear, salt and general abuse - no calamities. Price tag includes new brakes - but not the still needed new saddle. The bike shop bloke hinted that I may now be able to out pedal husband up hills - will have to see if that's the case on Saturday....

Very bright new jacket

8km in 50 minutes wasn't quite the pace I was hoping for on Friday evening - but my solo run was my first outside since New Year and did include a fabulously vicious hill (Olympic Way to Stoke Heights) that I've only done downwards before. It was a useful opportunity to try out my new branded convertible and luminously bright windproof- as I was drenched on the inside when I got back, I remain to be convinced on its breathability. I think I had overdressed a little to be fair - it was much warmer on Friday evening than it's been for a while. I pedalled too on Friday so felt reasonably justified in stuffing face with pizza and wine.

Lots of walking on Saturday on a very enjoyable jaunt to Brighton with G. Probably not enough to justify my Choccywoccydoodah chocolate & ginger cupcake! Picked up a pair of leggings that should be great for Body Combat in the Sweaty Betty sale - deep and secure feeling waistband.

I'd been toying with the idea of joining Goldfish in Stockbridge today for a runners vs mountain bikers 8 mile thing but lost my nerve - still aching a little post

Friday, guilty about deserting Husband having spent Saturday without him. paranoid about my shoes slipping and sliding on wet mud and paranoid about ensuring that this week's WRN runs go well after last week's cancellations. Pathetic huh? Goldfish did really well too.

So went for a bike ride in the Forest with Husband instead. We did a 26.73km version of the Portuguese Fireplace ride. I was proud of cycling through the fords - lots of water and a noticeable current.

Anyway, pizza and cupcakes contributed to a weight gain of 2lb this week - so much for getting committed to dropping a dress size!

Goggle Grump Update

• First pair - grey lensed speedo - lost.
• Second pair - black speedo - worked fine but cut into my eye sockets, making me look like a red eyed panda after a few lengths. Pain did take the edge off my swimming experience.
• Third pair - lovely lilac lensed speedo - leaked badly, causing pool rage to set in as I attempted to tweak every length.
• Fourth pair - considered stealing Husband's zoggs as they work perfectly - but instead bought my own at a ludicrous £17 from the gym shop. And they are perfect! Big lenses allow a degree of peripheral vision (a bit academic as I am a speccy four eyed creature and swim in soft focus). No leaking. Comfortable - even with hair/strap interface. Easy to adjust. Very happy!

41 lengths and I feel I'm starting to really get used to this head-in-the-water concept - so much that I was able to try & get my arms to perfom better. More upper body strength would be useful - I managed to burst into tears today when husband presented me with a too heavy box of books from the loft & I found myself stranded in pain half way up the step ladder. Not my most dignified moment! He did rescue me.

Bike Pimped but Languishing in Shed

Husband did lots of great work to my bike last weekend - a much needed service, new brake pads (I did wonder why the back ones weren't working very well) and he's fitted a rack for 2 very yellow very waterproof new panniers. My back has been complaining about the Crumper messenger bag when fully packed - esp when my laptop is in it. The new panniers will move the weight stress to my quads and remove my dependence on plastic bags in wet weather. And are yellow.
So it's a shame that I haven't tried it out this week. Work's required some very late nights, logistics of hire car petrol filling, an awayday & a presentaion in London.
Work's also meant much less exercise than normal - even the wii has been under used.
But in the spirit of talking about what I have done, I ran 15km on Monday (albeit with a break at 10K) and did a day's much needed gardening on Sunday. A couple of walks - to paper shop, station and an eco house in Woking.
Not really any great surprise though that I've gained 4lb this week.

Soggy Wednesday

Yesterday was the first time in ages that I got thoroughly drenched whilst pedalling home. I was in a better position than my colleague B who'd forgotten his waterproof trousers - however, my smugness was repaid by karma as I got even wetter at the gym entrance later on (canopy suddenly off loaded big amount of water onto me - so I got to do Body Combat wearing very wet cotton leggings - nice!).

I haven't rambled about kit for a while - so here goes - essential cycling wet weather gear:

• Waterproof socks.
• Waterproof overtrousers. I dont bother for showers or drizzle, but these make a big difference when it's pouring.
• Bicycle clip to prevent overtrouser/chain interaction. I never have one and have been using a reflective snap on band instead which performs quite well. None with me yesterday so I tucked overtrousers into socks - not a good move as water then trickled down the top of the sock....
• Waterproof bag. My Crumpler is pretty good at keeping my office clothes dry, but it struggles a little with very heavy rain and puddle spray, hence:
• Carrier bag(s). Anything I don't want to get damp gets an extra barrier.
• Wateproof jacket - ideally with zip pockets so I'm not scrabbling in my bag for keys etc, getting contents of bag unecessarily soggy.

Shoes were still wet this morning as were my gloves (my waterproof ones are winter only) so have switched to drier alternatives for the day.

Solution to a clothing problem

This is a tenuous link to exercise - but bear with me.... I often shower mid evening due to timing of running/gym/classes, but never fancy wriggling back into jeans or other day clothes afterwards. But 8:30-9:30ish feels way too early for pyjamas - esp if I then prepare dinner. Coooking in nightwear just feels wrong! I'm sure that Husband would like me to opt for a slinky negligee/wrap thing - but that's still nightwear in my mind (& potential fire hazard for cooking?).
Solution is loungewear. I've gone for a shortsleeved dress length hoody sweatshirt and the first non-exercise leggings that I've worn since the 80s. I could wear it outside without controversy and very surprisingly, Husband likes the outfit lots.
It's probably a good thing for my bank account that my 2 favourite clothing stores atm (Muji & Uniqlo) don't have branches in Southampton...
Walked to station at an ungodly hour this morning & then walked from Waterloo to Victoria. Pretty picture will be added when mobile decides to talk to laptop. No other exercise today apart from exploration of Euston station as it was exacuated (fire alarm) and weaving through crowds to aforementioned stores from tube station.

In my bag

Just been reading a Guardian blog on the contents of other people's bike bags - here's mine:

In my messenger type bag:
Waterproof jacket & trousers
Reflective snapband that doubles up as a cycle clip for waterproof trousers
Fold up hair brush
Hairband
Deodorant
Shower Gel
Work clothes
Shoes
Packed Lunch
Purse
Mobile
Camera
Antihistamines
Specs & case
Keys for house & bike lock, both attached to work pass
Bike lock
String bag
At least one letter to post (these can stay in my bag for embarrassing length of time!)

What should be in my bag but rarely is:
Pump
Puncture patches or spare tube
Spare front light & spare batteries for rear light
Multi tool
Moisturiser (there's a little tub of vaseline on my desk though)

Running was OK last night - it was great to greet a new standard member & to see JK for the first time in a few weeks. Less good was one of the Beginners having to drop to a pained walk with knee problems - she may have to quit which is depressing. I was very impressed with her carrying on walking the route instead of going straight home. Knees are a tricky area - the general advice is that as your legs strengthen, you'll get fewer problems and that the right shoes can help enormously. I've added knee mobilisation to the warm up and I'm hoping that this helps as knee stretches that can be done outside are pretty limited.

Monday
Big D: OK, under with exercise cals
Exercise: Good! Cycle Commuted and 2 runs with WRN.

Return of the Forerunner

Wednesday:
Big D: OK
Exercise: No cycling, but did Body Combat
Thursday:
Big D: Sabotaged by BBQ at lunch at work with surprisingly tasty food. Have given up on food today & finished the damage with my new invention - pinky porky risotto (using some beetroot).
Exercise: Only the cycling.

I haven't been to Body Combat for ages and ages so the routine was completely new to me. I was chuffed that there was a bit less dance music and more rock. Husband's current guilty pleasure is there ("Hot n Cold") and I loved messed up mix abominations of Tutti Frutti and Tubthumping. And very pleased that we stretched at the end to Kings of Leon. Today my arms and shoulders are aching - a sign I need to get to the class more often.

Another welcome return (tenuous link) was the arrival of my Forerunner which I'd left on a minibus in Kelowna, Canada in June. This gadget has become an essential piece of my coaching kit - being able to tell everyone exactly how far they have run & being able to double check our pace. Its return also means that I can return Kitty's to her - she very kindly lent it at short notice, for which I am very grateful. And very grateful to Monashee Adventure Tours for its safe return.

Thoughts on shampoo - I should get out more

Bike shop have not disappointed - I'll be picking up my repaired wheel tomorrow morning. Not that I'll be able to do much riding - we're having a barbecue on Sunday & I suspect that Sat & Sun will be spent frantically tidying house & garden!
Gym tonight - I had my ipod with me for once so tried the nautilus weird incline treadmill thing that is one of the few CV machines not to be linked to the TV screens.

I'm not sold on my current shampoo. I chose it as it's made without petrochemicals - not for any health motivation ("natural" does not equate to "better" in my mind - asbestos occurs naturally....) but at work, I've been looking at cleaning agents that purport to be less environmentally dodgy than others, so figured I'd try some different toiletries at home. The shampoo I'm trying seems to struggle to lather & it's difficult to work into my scalp. Not sure I'm brave enough to try an equiv conditioner - ever since I went blondish, getting a comb through my hair post washing is near impossible without industrial strength conditioner!

Sniffles.....

I am trying to ignore my sore throat, tight lungs and snotty nose as I'm not in the mood for a cold! Not too sure when I have been in the mood for a cold - but it's not today.

Much discussion at work over the last few days on bike lights. R was horrified to discover how much I'd spent on new lights - esp as he'd just picked up freebie lights that are one of our company's cyclist incentives. The next day, he claimed that the freebies actually absorbed light rather than emitted it & promptly blew a similar amount of dosh to me on a new LED rechargeable job! B in our team is soon to join the cyclists as he's moving to Eastleigh from Oxfordshire & dislikes cars on principle & preference. He did suggest that R & me join him in the bike shed sometime to compare lights....

Kit discussions with C at work too - it was pouring on Monday morning, her overtrousers failed - not fun for her having to spend the day in damp trousers! I've been quite pleased with my cheap Decathlon trousers so far - definitely waterproof, definitely breathable.

Kitty's raving about cheap reflectives snapbands from Skoolkit atm - pink ones might be a good addition to the lovely branded freebies provided by work so I become a beacon of light on my ride home.

Gym tonight - 10mins x trainer & I then sweated my way to 5K in 27:12 on intervals on the treadmill. My lungs felt spent so I switched to cooldown rather than continue to 30mins. 10mins on the stepper to finish. I skipped weights as I've had a bit of a right shoulder problem recently - slept awkwardly on Friday night.

This little piggie

5 pigs on Sunday's ride - Mum was keeping half an eye on 4 adorable piglets who seemed very excited to be out & about, rootling through a soggy clearing in the Forest. We saw some distant deer too - but these were much less exciting than the pigs!

We were tight for time today as rain was scheduled for 3pm & we have a load of jobs to do as building work will soon be starting on our extension - took me 2 hours to through out back issues of Waitrose magazine for example (flick through, note which recipes grab me, load up in to an online scrapbook & catalogue...) - so a quick Forest blast seemed sensible.

Husband & I did a loop from the Portuguese Fireplace which was a variation on previous rides. We opted to avoid 2 fords given that there was heavy rain on Saturday - and I messed up the navigation earlier. 23.68km in under 2 hours - less than 100mins if we exclude fixing Husband's puncture & stopping to appreciate the pigs! His puncture was a big bit of flint - and it made the proper pssssst noise. On returning to the car, he managed to get a second puncture, but this was just as we turned into the carpark - so easier to fix at home. We got back to car at 2pm, rain started almost bang on schedule at 3!

Our mountain bikes are going to be having a holiday soon - building work necessitates rehousing. Goldfish & Kitty have kindly agreed some space for them in their garage which is much appreciated. Kitty has also donated her Terry skort to me as she's much more a fan of capris - I will get some great wear out the skort of next summer - I'm very appreciative!

Blisters on my feet and credit card

Let's see if Husband reads my blog.... blew a little cash on Friday as my favourite cycling clothing store had a 3 day sale - I know that Kitty also indulged! So I now have some capris, a new vest top, waterproof shorts (an experiment!) and a lightweight waterprooof winging their way to me.

I quite like the gym on a Friday evening - we go later as this suits Husband with Esporta's lane swimming timetable. Only downside is dreadful TV - I can't cope with Coronation St or Question of Sport! Did 20mins on the x trainer and then braved the treadmill for the first time in weeks. Knee held out, but I only managed 12 mins at my normal interval pace. Then took it down to 10.5kph to complete 5k - hey, it's a start. Concerned though as my feet were very blistered by the end - not sure if it's down to the new trainers (which I've only used a couple of times) or the socks which from past experience, I know aren't really running compatible.

We were supposed to be cycling with G today - along the seafront in Bournemouth - but the weather really wan't seaside so we went out for lunch instead. Feeling a little squiffy atm having just got back from a halloween party.

Bad knee - not mine though

Our Body Combat instructor's hurt her knee - seems to be a long term problem but she's carrying on regardless. It was playing up tonight, but being the world's most enthusiastic instructor, she still delivered a good class. I guess that's the peril of working as a fitness instructor - you're dependent on your own fitness - & injuries affect your income.

Back to my WRN project, St John's Ambulance have contacted me about the first aid course - I just need to phone them & pay money to confirm my place. I've sent a second email to the Borough Council as I'm not sure I identified the right sports development person first time around! Once I get the venue sorted, I'll focus on marketing - which shouldn't be a challenge given my job - but it could be a case of the cobbler's kids having holey shoes unless I plan & organise myself properly.

Waterproof trousers got their second airing this morning - I've found a reflective arm band that's doubling up nicely as a cycle clip for the chain side - looks a bit daft, but better that than destroy trousers and chain.

I'm going to be switching to my new helmet very soon - a friend's had a very similar nasty face smashing cycling accident to the one I had 3 years ago (ie lower face/tarmac interface) and her boyfriend's already enquired.... so she can have my current helmet as soon as she's ready to ride again. I can sympathise - uncomfortable, painful and it took a long time for my confidence in my appearance to recover as well as my riding ability - but both have come back!

More not cycling

... and not cycling on Thursday either as I have to be at a store for 7am! At least this means I'll have rested nicely before the great South Downs Way adventure on Friday (hereafter, SDW).

Body Combat tonight, good as usual.

I've created a very small pile of stuff to pack for the SDW. We're doing it over 3 days with Kitty & Goldfish. Hoping to get away with:

• 1 set of packed bike kit (shorts, sports bra, top & socks)
• Wear another set
• First evening, wash bike kit I'm wearing (all quick dry stuff), change into top for day 2 & my lightest trousers (grey jeans - I did weight them!) & flipflops.
• Day 2 - wear same top as day 1 evening (not too smelly hopefully) & pack newly dry kit.
• Same routine evening day 2, but without the need to do any laundry.
• Same routine day 3.

Toiletries - lots of teeny tiny samples & sharing some stuff with Husband. Other stuff - mobile phone, long sleeved top, charger (also charges my forerunner), pen, hairbrush, polybag to keep clothes dry.

And all other stuff is bike related! Spare inner tubes, pump, first aid kit, tools, chain grease, water, emergency tiny bike lights, waterproof, helmet, shoes, waterproof oversocks and gloves. And a buff.

Birthday Run

Happy birthday to me!

Husband took me out for a run tonight - his phrasing - that always sounds a bit like taking a dog for a walk! He keeps me entertained with witty anecdotes as he cycles alongside me - and wards off dogs. 5K from the house and it almost didn't rain.
Cycled home tonight with 2 bottles of wine in my pack - champagne from my colleagues & kiwi savvy blanc from my boss. I'm now undoing the good work with a bottle of beer following a yummy, perfectly cooked burger, before I can find space for sticky toffee pudding! Husband is spoiling me very well.

I've had some great birthday pressies to add to my kit collection:

• 2 buffs from my middle sister, both with reflective strips
• 2 reversible Paramo tops from my parents which will be great for cycling & running
• On the healthy eating front, salad spinner from my Fabulous In Laws (have wanted one for ages to save on using vast quantities of kitchen roll to dry off lettuce)
• Husband is planning to get me either a much needed pair of new running shoes or a more frivolous wetsuit.

Active Reading

I'm behind on my kit write ups - so here's some of the reading material I've been finding useful.

Found a great blog yesterday - www.dietgirl.org - via the WLR site. It's written by Shauna Reid, an Australian living in Scotland who's literally half the size she used to be through a philosophy of "do the healthy more often than you don't do the healthy thing" which I can appreciate. The blog's an easy, entertaining read - not surprising it's now a book - "The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl".

I've already mentioned my fave running book this week - "Running Made Easy" by Susie Whalley & Lisa Jackson. It's perfect for dipping in & out of when I feel in need of motivation.

The other book I've used is Joanna Hall's "The Exercise Bible" - photocopies of the hotel room workout accompanied me when I seemed to spend most of my time travelling.

2 cookery books are worth a mention - Ruth Watson's "Fat Girl Slim" and Anjum Anand's "Indian Every Day: Light , Healthy Indian Food". I'm not big on diet food - both of these books deliver terrific tasting meals that don't seem to compromise on taste but don't cause the Big D to collapse!

2 magazines get read - Mountain Bike Rider (although I leave the bike maintenance & "why 100mm forks are great" dull bits alone) and more recently, Runners World. Inexplicably, Husband pushed for me to switch from Zest to RW - inexplicable as he can't run but does seem to enjoy reading my other magazines (or at least looking at the pretty pictures) - esp Marie Claire. But he objects to Zest & realised persuading me to switch to a less irritating (in his view) mag would be easier than persuading me to cut back on magazines!

Helmets

Cycle helmets are interesting - they've gone from something absolutely nobody who wasn't a professional cyclist would wear when I was a kid to being almost standard bike gear.

My nephew J is currently very unhappy as he's not allowed to ride his new bike or use his new rollerblades until Wiggle manage to send Baby Sister a helmet in his size (they have been failing miserably up to now).

I don't cycle without one following my accident - mine's a full face version as I'm specifically nervous about the prospect of smashing my face.

So why interesting?

My standard helmet wouldn't have helped me much at all when I smashed my face - I'd still have lost a tooth, my top lip would have required a surgeon to put it back together, I'd still have broken my nose. It would have prevented the grazes on my forehead. But I now won't cycle without one - my helmet is a device I use to kid myself cycling is safe!

On a business trip to Utrecht, I was pleased to see so many cyclists but surprised to see very few helmets. Some children (but by no means all) but virtually no adults. There's plenty of infrastructure for bikes - loads of paths separate from traffic - but also plenty of cyclists on roads.

Arguments for helmets are pretty straightforward, but there is another set of views - it can be linked to a decrease in cycle use - so from a public health perspective, helmets could be argued to be detrimental as they may put people off taking exercise.

There's also an argument that wearing a helmet may encourage cyclist to take more risks and drivers to approach cyclists with less care. Even with lots of cyclists, the Netherlands had the lowest number of cyclist deaths per billion km cycled in 1996 - apparently! The BMJ article argues that the injury rates per cyclist are lower when more people cycle - so in a weird way, helmets may be detrimental to cyclists' health as being compelled to wear one, puts people off cycling.

Having said all that, I'd be unhappy if I saw any of the kids in my family cycling without a lid - so I guess I'm not convinced by the arguments against!

Fat Bird Kit Part 5 - the only handpump I can use

I have a terrible history with regards to putting air into tyres. Husband had to come & rescue me when I attempted to check the tyre pressure of a car - and managed to completely deflate one tyre and drive away from the pump - which necessitated changing tyre just to sort out the whole sorry mess. Don't know how to change a car tyre & have no intention of learning. I'm no better with bike pumps and lament the passing of the big old style pumps that reassuringly screwed into position. Have spent many an unhappy hour swearing at pumps..... don't think I'm cut out to be a bike mechanic. One day, I may confess that I'm not really sure how bike gears work - but as this would result in a life shortening explaination from Husband or M, I think I'll keep that one quiet for now.

Anyway, rising to a challenge, Husband researched pumps as he was convinced that I could be trained to use one - and much to my surprise, he succeeded - it's a very compact little Blackburn.

The only downside is that I keep on forgetting to transfer it from weekend bike rucksack (which has a water reservoir but little storage space) to my weekday bag. So if I get a puncture to/from work, I'll be walking.

One unexpected bonus is that flushed with my mechanical prowess with the handpump, I seem to have mastered our footpump....

Hey - one day, I may be able to change an inner tube unaided..... yeah right!

Fat Bird Essential Kit Part 4 - Trainers

Husband fails to understand why women require more than 3 pairs of shoes - but I have 7 pairs of trainers atm - all loved and used and all with specific uses:

• 1 pair of trainers specifically for aerobics classes - I invested in these after turning my ankle in May & sulking for ages about being unable to run. These are better suited to random bouncing around than my running shoes.


• 2 pairs of Brooks Addiction trainers for running - these are an attempt to correct to my extremely over pronating feet (I run like a penguin) by encouraging my feet to face forwards. Seems to work - I no longer get blisters on the inside arches of my feet & my toes no longer go numb after 3 miles. Older pair are for outside, newer pair are for the gym.
  
• 1 pair of trail type trainers I bought in the States - useful for most of the walking I do these days and I use them for cycling to work (they are much less muddy normally than my "proper" cycling shoes).
  
• 1 pair of cycling shoes - not really trainers, but they are styled to look like skate shoes so i'm counting them here.
  
• 2 pairs of Converse for life beyond exercise (only the summer ones are shown here).

Later - Husband has pointed out that I have 8 pairs - I forgot my (as yet unused) heelies. He also wants to publicise that he swam 1.1km in 23 minutes 48 seconds tonight - first time he's swam his standard 50 lengths in sub 24 mins in a long time!