Run (trail), run, gym, turbo (Adele and science fact)

The Ridgeway – ‘Britain’s oldest road’ (sadly, many current road surfaces are little better).

Onto the Ridgeway on Monday for the second run getting familiar with the route of next summer’s ultra. Heading east from the Uffington White Horse – 12.3km (7.65miles) with 230m of ascent.

It was noticeably harder than last week’s section (even though they are adjoining) – hillier, much more rutted and treacherous underfoot with the morning dew/thawed frost making it slippery. We ran to Sparsholt Firs above Lambourn. A lovely bright crisp day – about 2℃ but the chill breeze made it feel more like -2℃ (28℉).

My legs had felt heavy on Monday’s run because of the turbo on Sunday evening – and were even heavier on Tuesday because of Monday’s run. Despite that I ran back from taking the car into the garage for the winter wheels and tyres to be put on. About 5.5km (3.4 miles) in temperatures hovering just above freezing.

Gym on Wednesday morning – back with the leg exercises as the knee has stopped aching (for now?) as quickly and inexplicably as it started. Later we drove up to London to have supper with friends at The Wolseley on Piccadilly. Lovely old building that was the Wolseley car company regional office and car showroom in the 1920s. Very good – but painfully slow service.

I drove back on Thursday morning but rather suffered from an enthusiasm slump for much of the day. I’m not sure if the arrival of winter and pretty cold weather or just accumulated tiredness from a few months of exercising 5 or 6 days a week. Either way, it was hard to drag myself to the turbo but I managed it (just) for 45 minutes @29.7kph (18.5mph).

That was it for ‘proper’ exercise for the week as on Friday I drove to the house in Kingston-upon-Thames that our older son shares with his girlfriend, to help with the continuing building and decoration work. Back into London to the flat afterwards (stupid peak Friday traffic – 9 miles at 7mph – how do people live in cities?) and back to their house for more of the same with my wife and younger son on Saturday and with my wife on Sunday.

On Friday I removed the elasticated knee bandage that I’d worn for a week – the knee ached a bit after the work that day so it was refitted on Saturday.

100k corner (a place for occasional ultra worries and plans)

It’s often said that, where possible, training for an event should include training on the course itself. The fact that I ran the ultra on the Ridgeway in the summer without setting foot on the Ridgeway does not disprove that fact, it merely shows I was foolish – and lucky that it went well. In early preparation for next year’s run, my running partner and I have already been up there twice and the aim will be to have run all/most of it in sections before next July.

Less encouraging is the fact that the knee has been playing up a bit. There’s a lot of time to go yet but it reminds me that a delicate balance will have to be found between doing enough training to make the run possible and not so much that I don’t make it to the start. No prizes for being in good shape in June (if I’m lucky) and wrecked in July.

Interesting stuff this week

1. African wise words: All monkeys cannot hang from the same branch

2. BBC News website: Australian TV host costs network an interview with Adele

Matt Doran – from Channel 7 – flew from Sydney to London on 4 November to meet Adele for her only Australian interview about her new album, but, after admitting during it that he had not listened to it, Sony withheld the interview footage.

Australian media reported that Doran’s trip with two colleagues to London was part of a rights package that had cost the network A$1m (£500,000; $700,000).

Doran apologised and said he had missed an email with a preview copy of the songs. “It was an oversight but not a deliberate snub,” he told The Australian newspaper. “This is the most important email I have ever missed.”

3. BBC News website: Limited bathroom breaks for ATP tour next season

Players will be allowed one bathroom break of up to 3 minutes per match, which can only be taken at the end of a set. The clock will start when a player reaches the bathroom, with time violations enforced if individuals take too long.

If only it had been introduced at Flushing Meadows

4. BBC News website: Mission to smash into space rock launches

A spacecraft has launched on a mission to test technology that could one day tip a dangerous asteroid off course. The spacecraft will crash into an object called Dimorphos to see how much its speed and path can be altered.

Nasa’s $325m (£240m) Dart mission wants to see how difficult it would be to stop a sizeable space rock from hitting Earth. If a chunk of cosmic debris measuring a few hundred metres across were to collide with our planet, it could unleash continent-wide devastation.

That’s all very well, but it would have been so much cheaper to have simply watched ‘Armageddon’ or ‘Deep Impact‘

5. BBC News website: James Webb Space Telescope launch delayed

The telescope was to have been sent into orbit on 18 December and will now go up no earlier than the 22nd of the month. A US space agency statement said an “incident” had occurred during launch preparations that induced a sudden vibration in the observatory.

JWST is the $10bn (£7.5bn; €9bn) successor to the veteran Hubble telescope. It will look deeper into the Universe and so will look further back in time – more than 13.5 billion years ago. The aim is to see the first stars to light up the cosmos.

Looking 13.5bn years backwards is fine but if you only look backwards you won’t see the delay coming

Gym, run (trail), run (hill-reps), gym, turbo (plus poles and punctuality)

The Ridgeway – first training run completed on the route of next year’s 100km trail ultra marathon

A rather curious 4.30am sneezing fit on Monday morning confirmed that Sunday’s run hadn’t really helped to hasten the end of last week’s cold. The sore knee in the morning was equally unwelcome.

There had been no issue with it on the run, or during the rest of Sunday so it was a bit of a mystery. I spent some time raking about 10 million leaves from the lawn (I lost count just after 5 million but I was barely half way through so you’ll have to trust me on this) but otherwise put my feet up.

The knee had improved by Tuesday but was still not right. I was tempted to try the usual hill reps session but I had a more important run scheduled for Wednesday and it would have been foolish to have put that at risk. For once I followed the logic and went to the gym instead. I skipped the leg press, leg extension and leg curl machines and tried the upper body ones with a bit more weight. Cycling club AGM in the evening.

The run planned for Wednesday was with the friend I did the triathlon with this year (and with whom I’ll be doing next year’s triathlons and ultra marathon). It’s his birthday at the end of the week and, as he particularly loves his running, I’d suggested a birthday run instead of the more usual birthday ride.

We drove up above the village of Bishopstone and onto the Ridgeway, the scene of the ultra marathon I did this year and the one we will both do in 2022. We had a glorious run on a lovely morning – chilly enough for me to be wearing my warmer pair of running trousers and warm enough for my friend to be in shorts. Me, cold weather wimp? … guilty as charged. Still sneezing.

The Ridgeway has a very good surface along this section and we ran to the Uffington White Horse and back – 12.38km (7.7 miles) @6:04/km. It’s sobering to think that this pace is a much faster than we will be aiming for on the ultra itself – but even at this pace we’d have over 10 hours of solid running.

We’d parked by ‘The Flying Pig’ which is the mobile food trailer owned by a well-known local farmer who was an early adopter of organic methods – but in spite of what it said on their Facebook page it had not opened by the time we got back to the car. We drove down to the village to the pub owned by the farmer. They were apologetic about the error on the Facebook page and made us excellent bacon rolls, even though they hadn’t yet opened for food. A good example of how, once things go wrong, it’s the way you address the problem that makes all the difference.

My knee was good throughout the run, ached a little after, but was OK by Thursday morning. After the previous day’s trail run, I was probably unwise to do the week’s hill-reps but managed another 10 reps – just over 10km (6.2 miles) and 335m of ascent (1,100 feet). Still sneezing.

Autopilot took me to the gym and then the bike shop on Friday morning. I adopted the ‘legs lite’ version of the gym and am making some progress with the upper body exercises although it’s hard when the smallest weight increment on offer adds another 20% to what I’ve been lifting on my ‘worst’ machine.

The plan had been to run on Saturday morning before heading up to London for a friend’s birthday lunch, but I was tired. A good thing about being so far away from the next challenge is that taking an extra day’s rest is no big deal so I ditched the run.

With a second run planned to recce the Ridgeway on Monday, I decided not to risk my knee by running on a chilly Sunday morning. I took to the turbo in the afternoon while watching the first half of English women’s rugby team playing well against the USA (29-0 at half time – final score 89-0 … sorry USA). I managed 45minutes @ 31.6kph (19.6mph) – much faster than recent efforts – strange how much easier it is with a pumped-up rear tyre … doh.

Interesting stuff this week

1. African wise words: No shortcuts exist to the top of a palm tree

2. BBC News website: The importance of timekeeping on Japanese railways

A Japanese train driver was docked 85 yen (£0.55 – 75 US cents) for causing a one-minute delay to operations after he had gone to the wrong platform at Okayama station.

The rail company agreed to reduce the fine after the driver pointed out that there was no disruption to timetables or passengers, as the train was empty. The employee refused to accept the reduced fine and is suing for 56 yen in unpaid wages and 2.2 million yen (£14,347) in damages for mental anguish.

3. BBC News website: Santa is dead, long live Santa

The English town of Bury St Edmunds has launched its Christmas event under the title the “Bury Santa Experience”.

The town’s mayor said that, given the attention it had attracted, he was not sure whether it was a “faux pas or marketing genius”.

‘Visit Santa’s Grotto – bring your own shovel’

4. BBC News website: Library book returned 73 years late

The book Stately Timber by Rupert Hughes, an adventure story set in Boston, was returned to Dunfermline Library last week – it should have been returned by 6 November 1948.

Staff worked out that £2,847 could have been due in late fees but there has been an amnesty on fees throughout the pandemic to encourage members to return books.

Must have been a slow reader.

Quite impressive but the world record for the most overdue library book is held by one returned to Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge University. It was borrowed in 1668 and returned 288 years later.

5. BBC News website: Totem pole completes 5,500 mile voyage

A specially-commissioned totem pole has completed a 5,500 mile voyage from Mexico to southern Scotland. It has travelled throughout Britain – including a visit to Glasgow during COP26 – to highlight the climate change concerns of indigenous peoples.

“Everywhere it has been, Totem Latamat has been welcomed with songs and ceremonies, movingly showing the spirit of global solidarity between our own communities and the indigenous people who stand on the front line of climate change” said a representative of the Festival that commissioned it.

Now that it has delivered its message, it will be “returned to the Earth” – and allowed to naturally decompose – in Dumfries and Galloway where “Because it is made of natural materials, its decay will enrich the planet”.

I feel enriched already

Turbo, run (hill reps), swim, run, gym, run (plus, great sporting injuries and an unexpected catch)

Monday was cold – not a day to be going out if it wasn’t necessary. I opted for the turbo trainer in the early evening – 45 minutes @27.4kph (17mph). Still some way off what I was doing in the summer.

Hill reps on a rather brighter and slightly warmer Tuesday. I pushed it up to 10 reps this time – just over 10km (6.2 miles) and 335m of ascent (1,100 feet). I managed to make the last rep the fastest – but that owes much to the others all being pretty slow.

I’m not sure that it’s a textbook hill for running reps as I’ve seen it suggested that you should sprint up for about 40 seconds and then jog back down – my best for this hill is about 1:50. It’s so steep that anyone would be excused for not knowing that I was sprinting up it – and the steepness means that it’s not an easy jog back down.

It’s also a bit sad that I’ve taken the Strava ‘Local Legend’ title from the creator of the segment (but not so sad that I’m going to stop).

I drove down to Bournemouth on Wednesday to take some stuff, to collect some wood I’d previously chopped up in the garden and – to my surprise in November – to mow the lawns. Listening to England being beaten by New Zealand in the semi-final of the cricket T20 world cup on the way back, was a downer but I had just enough spirit left to take my sinking legs to the pool in the evening.

I have researched the sinking leg syndrome and, luckily, it is a very straightforward matter. It is simply a question of poor head position, or breathing, or rotation, or leg kick, or catch or pull (or, more likely in my case, all of them). Once that small issue is sorted there’ll be no stopping me. I swam 1km in 27 minutes – a bit faster than usual.

Being a poor swimmer makes 1km in the pool hard work, so Thursday morning’s run back from taking a car into the garage was tough for just 5.5km @ 5:36/km (3.4miles).

Gym and bike shop, as usual, on Friday which went well but I had a miserable, interrupted, sleep when the cold that had been brewing for a couple of days arrived, in some style, bringing with it sneezing fits and a simultaneously blocked and running nose.

That put paid to the planned morning run on Saturday. The reserve plan was to get on the turbo in the afternoon but I canned that too after planting some hedging in the morning left me tired and a bit breathless.

I ended up just watching a succession of rugby matches while soaking a succession of handkerchiefs and generally feeling sorry for myself. Particular credit to Ireland for a fine win over the All Blacks and to England for beating Australia – but, my word, there was some bad hair on display.

I was feeling a bit better on Sunday so, with my wife out shopping, I decided to go for a run. I took it gently but ended up with over 12km (7.5 miles). I thought it might be a bit of an exercise in kill or cure but I appear to still be breathing and my nose is still running (even though the rest of me has stopped) so it looks like I have delivered on neither of the likely outcomes.

Second session of supper and Schitt’s Creek viewing tonight. It will be interesting to see how it continues to shape up – I’m not sure how many sit-coms make it across the Atlantic successfully (with, for me, the notable exception of Cheers).

Interesting stuff this week

1. African wise words: A roaring lion kills no game

2. BBC News website: One of the all-time great self-inflicted sporting injuries

After getting out late in Wednesday’s cricket T20 semi final against England, New Zealander Devon Conway punched his bat in frustration as it appeared that his dismissal would seal England’s win. Despite the fact that he was still wearing his batting glove, scans have shown that he broke the fifth metacarpal in his right hand.

Against the odds, New Zealand won the match – but Conway has put himself out of the final against Pakistan on Sunday.

If you’re reading, Alanis, that’s ironic

3. BBC News website: Buyers show remorse over pandemic purchases

Covid lockdowns led to a surge of sales of some items that people could enjoy at home or in the garden, or to keep up their fitness but now, a survey says that buyers’ remorse has kicked in for some, who admitted typically spending nearly £1,400 on the items.

Gaming equipment, DIY tools, home gyms, bikes, clothing and jewellery, musical instruments, kitchen appliances such as bread makers, garden furniture, pizza ovens and hot tubs all appeared on the regret list.

The survey of 4,000 people found some had sold or given away the items they regretted buying.

Wow – ‘some’ people regret their purchases and ‘some’ people have sold or given away things they regret buying. Whatever the survey cost it’s been worth every penny.

4. BBC News website: Fishing gear seller caught in hacker’s net

The UK’s biggest fishing shop has been hacked, with its website redirecting keen anglers to an adult website.

As well as the website redirect, its Twitter account was compromised and the attacker posted a mocking tweet claiming the company had been sold to adult website Pornhub.

The ultimate phishing scam?

5. BBC News website: Regular 10pm bedtime linked to lower heart risk

There appears to be an optimal bedtime – between 10pm and 11pm – linked to better heart health, say researchers who have studied 88,000 volunteers.

They followed up what happened to the volunteers in terms of heart and circulatory health over an average of six years. Just over 3,000 of the adults developed cardiovascular disease and many of these cases occurred in people who went to bed later or earlier than the “ideal” 10pm to 11pm.

The researchers tried to control for other factors known to affect a person’s heart risk, such as their age, weight and cholesterol levels, but stress their study cannot prove cause and effect.

At last, some justification for my ‘lightweight’ tendency to make for bed by 10.30

Turbo, run (hill reps), swim, gym, turbo, run (plus political bananas and a giant potato)

Back running round the old hill fort – no bluebells until spring but looking forward to their return

It’s odd how often I get up after a rest day feeling worse than if I’d done a 10 mile run. Monday was like that but I managed to get on the turbo in the evening for 45 minutes @26.1kph (16.2mph).

On Tuesday we woke to our first frost of the autumn so it was back to hat and gloves for the morning’s hill reps run. This time I did 9 reps of the hill I’ve done for the last two weeks – in all 9km and over 300m of ascent (5.6 miles and 1,000 feet).

It was hard but I think it equates to running up a 6.8% gradient for 4.5km (and then back down) so at least I understand why it feels hard. Anything that hard has to be doing some good, surely.

The frost also means that the turbo trainer is again sharing the conservatory with dozens of plants seeking refuge from the colder weather.

My wife went up to London on Wednesday to see friends and do some shopping. After driving her to the station I did chores and got to the pool in the evening for 1km.

I have confirmed my self-diagnosis that sinking legs are one of my (many) technique issues. Of course, the more I run and cycle, the worse I make that particular problem. At least it helps to explain why 750m takes me about 22 minutes in the pool but took ‘only’ 18 minutes in the Blenheim triathlon – three cheers for wetsuit buoyancy!

I brought forward Friday’s usual gym visit to Thursday and then took the train to join my wife in London. I was tempted to go for a run on a cold but sunny Friday morning but decided to take a rest day to focus on a splendid lunch with old work friends. Lunch was at the Cinnamon Club which did not augur well for someone who can handle a mld Korma with the best of them (but nothing stronger – and definitely no chilli). However, I escaped with my taste buds intact and had an excellent time.

I went back to Oxfordshire on Saturday morning and on the turbo in the afternoon – 45 minutes @27kph (16.8mph). I ran on Sunday morning – back to the old hill fort for the first time in months – 6 laps and a couple of hills. In all, 9.2km and 135m of ascent and just fitted in before it was time to collect my wife from the station.

The challenges for 2022 are shaping up reasonably well (Covid permitting): Sprint triathlon in May, 100km ultra in July, Olympic triathlon in September. There are also the usual sportives, the White Horse Challenge (150km) in April and my club sportive in July (timings permitting) and a trip out to the Alps in July to ride up some mountains and watch some of the TdF.

Interesting stuff this week

1. African wise words: Knowledge is a garden, if it isn’t cultivated, you can’t harvest it

2. BBC News website: Handball federation changes uniform rules after bikini row

As included in this section in July, the Norwegian handball federation were fined when their players wore shorts instead of the mandated bikini bottoms in the European championships.

The International Federation’s handbook has now scrapped the rule – the updated rules say female beach handball players can now wear “body fit” tank tops and “short tight pants”, as opposed to crop tops and bikini bottoms.

Some progress, I suppose

3. BBC News website: The possible cost of a banana joke

A viral video of a heated discussion between Syrians and Turks about the dire economic situation in Turkey included a young Syrian woman defending the work ethic of refugees and a frustrated Turks suggesting Syrians and Afghans were taking their jobs.

One Turkish man said: “I see Syrians in the bazaar buying kilograms of bananas, I myself cannot afford them.” This quickly turned into a viral soundbite online with Syrians filming themselves eating bananas, using banana filters, and sharing banana memes.

Last Thursday, local media said police had arrested 11 Syrians who published banana videos, accusing them of “provocation and inciting hatred”. The Turkish Migration authority said it would “deport them after the necessary paperwork is taken care of”.

4. BBC News website: New Zealand potato could be world’s biggest

The potato is not exactly pretty. being described its appearance as having more of an ugly, mutant look but it’s quite possibly the largest potato on record. An official weigh-in put it at 7.8kg, equal to a couple of sacks of regular potatoes, or a small dog. The current Guinness World Records entry for the heaviest potato is just under 5kg.

The potato has been names Doug, after the way it was unearthed, and the owner has built a small cart to tow Doug around. “We put a hat on him. We put him on Facebook, taking him for a walk, giving him some sunshine,” he said.

An amateur home-brewer, the owner is keen to turn Doug into potato vodka.

What worries me most is the way the owner refers to a potato as ‘He’.