Turbo (x2), run (x2), gym, ride (outside!), plus the truth, flags, brides and the value of chips

Still aching a little across the arms and shoulders from Saturday’s obstacle race, I gave the swimming a miss on Monday but got on the turbo – 30 minutes @29.6kph. I also have slightly sore ribs. Saturday’s race included a zip wire across a lake and I was rather over-zealous with ‘lift the legs to go further and faster’ and careered into the tyres on the far bank, having largely missed out on the braking effect of legs in the water.

The other thing I did on Monday was to enter (along with my friend and training partner) the half ironman race in July.

Tuesday morning I took the car to the garage to get the wheels with the winter tyres swapped out (I hope I’m not being too hasty) and to get a sensor checked – clouds of dust from many miles on a newly gritted road on Saturday must have gunged something up, judging by the Christmas tree of dashboard warning lights. A slightly sore calf, so no running but 30 minutes on the turbo later @28.4kph.

Soon after my wife recovered (we hope) from her bad knee, I shared my man-flu with her. To get her back into running we did a gentle village loop on Wednesday, then I did a second loop – just 7km. I’m still on three handkerchiefs a day and coughing up muck. Later up to London for various errands.

Thursday started with an hour in the gym, followed by a visit to a fete, with a plant sale, in the neighbouring village (and then the planting of the many plants we purchased).

Part of the aim to get to the gym on Thursday was to be able to go into the bike shop earlier on Friday to work on one of my own bikes that needed new brakes/shifters fitting, recabling and a puncture fixed. It’s ironic that the more I work on other people’s bikes at the shop, the less I work on my own. After that, I mowed all the grass.

On Saturday, I did some tidying in the house ahead of friends coming on Sunday and then shifted a large pile of rubble – very hard work. I thought that was going to be me done for the day but the weather was good so I got the road bike out – the first time since Ambleside last October (and, yes, neither it nor my cycling shoes had been cleaned). A fairly gentle loop of just 33km but the bike works and I haven’t forgotten how to ride it – but, my goodness, the state of the roads is bad.

My wife’s knee had not reacted to Wednesday’s run so we ran again early on Sunday morning – a gentle 3.8km. Later I’m off to the bike park to take another children’s cycling session. In the evening we have friends for supper and to watch the final episode of the first series of ‘Vigil’. Really looking forward to it.

(Half) Ironman angst

Unkindly, the race has cut-off times: swim – 1 hour 10 minutes (with 10 minutes to get out of transition and on to the bike); bike – 5 hours 20 minutes after the race start; run – 9 hours after the race start.

As the first (and probably most concerning) cut-off, the swim needs some focus. My two open water triathlon swims (of only 750m) suggest a bit under 50 minutes for 1.9k (assuming I can maintain the speed). It’s possible but little margin for error.

A lot of training is needed in the 10 weeks available. I haven’t found any training plan that is as short as 10 weeks and I do not see myself devoting the time and effort required for even a 16 week plan. I may be in trouble here – but, happily, I have no targets beyond completing the event.

Interesting stuff this week

1. African wise words: Rising early makes the road short

2. BBC News website: The truth, some of the truth and an approximation of the truth

Developers of the upcoming Marvel Rivals game have apologised after content creators were told they could not give it negative reviews and were asked to sign a “non-disparagement” clause in a contract with the developers.

It said gamers agreed not to make any public statements that could be detrimental to the game’s reputation, such as a negative review, “belittling” gameplay or making “disparaging or satirical comments”.

Following the backlash, Marvel Rivals said it was sorry for the “confusion, suspicion, and frustration caused by these excessively restrictive terms”.

3. BBC News website: Run it up the flag pole and see who salutes

The heads of the Tunisian swimming federation and the national anti-doping agency and seven other sports officials have been arrested after the President reacted with fury to the absence of the national flag at a swimming competition on Friday.

The World Anti-Doping Agency had banned the Tunisian flag from competitions, and it was covered on Friday during a championship organised by the national swimming federation. Hours after the incident, the President visited the pool, raised the flag and sang the national anthem.

Calling the flag-covering an “act of aggression”, he said: “Tunisia cannot tolerate this.”

4. BBC News website: When the chips are (not) down

Shares in the Silicon Valley firm Nvidia rose more than 4% in morning trade on Friday, meaning its market value touched $2tn (£1.58tn). The company became worth $1tn less than a year ago, and now ranks as the world’s fourth most valuable publicly traded company, behind Microsoft, Apple and Saudi Aramco.

The company is benefiting from advances in artificial intelligence (AI), which have powered demand for its chips. Turnover at the firm more than doubled last year to more than $60bn, and boss Jensen Huang told investors this week that demand was “surging” around the world.

5. BBC News website: …and on a slightly less hi-tech note

Each day, a member of a spiritual group that runs a small ashram (a religious retreat) in a village in the north-western India collects around 50kg (eight stone) of fresh cow dung.

Once collected, the cow dung is mixed with water and put in the bioreactor, where it produces enough methane for the ashram’s kitchen. Installed in March, it has replaced the 20 litres of natural gas that the ashram used to buy every month.

8 stone of cow dung per day, wow

6. BBC News website: Here come the brides?

The planned mass wedding of about 100 orphans has sparked widespread outrage across Nigeria. The orphans, some of whom are feared to be underage girls, are set to be married off on 24 May in the north-western state of Niger. They have all lost parents to attacks by armed bandits, who regularly target civilians across the state.

Nigeria’s Women’s Affairs Minister has filed a court order to stop the ceremony, expressing concern that some girls may be younger than 18, or being forced to comply for financial gain. The Minister said the girls “deserve better” and that her department was looking into who the 100 girls are, their ages and whether they consented to the marriage.

Walk, drive, turbo, gym, gym (and run), run (plus white arms and pay-as-you-go acceleration)

Still in the Lake District, on Monday we took a trip out to Castlerigg stone circle (I believe it wants to be like Avebury or Stonehenge when it grows up – it’s about 4,500 years old but has stunted growth in comparison) and then on to the Bowder Stone. Bowder is an old version of ‘boulder’ so it’s the ‘boulder stone’ – no too imaginative but it is pretty big and impressive.

An easy day but still raining – it makes you wonder where all that water goes … ah yes, it’s called the Lake District. True it has lots of lakes (actually, linguistically, only one as the rest are ‘meres’ and ‘waters’) but in a parallel universe it could easily be called the Hill District – I’d love to try a bit of (gentle) fell running one day.

We left the lakes late on Tuesday morning after a terrific few days with excellent friends. We were lucky enough to have had a decent run back, despite seemingly interminable road works and speed restrictions. I can’t help but think that nearly 2000 miles in 4 days spread over just 9, is a bit much – but both trips were very enjoyable.

I got on the turbo on Wednesday for 30 minutes @ 28.5kph (17.7mph) and went to the gym on Thursday. Back to the gym on Friday – I managed 5km on the treadmill (under 28 minutes but it felt harder) and then 30 minutes of weights. I use the treadmill rarely and the session reminded me why – it’s rather boring and it takes quite a bit of willpower not to stop because stopping is very attractive and would be all too easy.

On Saturday, as if I hadn’t had enough driving to last a long time, I drove the Kingston-upon-Thames to see our older son and his girlfriend who are soon off on a 4 month sabbatical from their jobs. They are heading off to Central and South America, New Zealand and some Pacific islands. My wife joined us later on for supper and we saw both sons for lunch on Sunday, after I had a run in the morning down the Thames Path – a bit over 7km (4.45 miles).

It won’t be quite as worrying as when he went to SE Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji alone, aged 18, during his gap year – but parents are allowed to worry whatever the age of their children, aren’t we?

Spurred on by the ‘run another’ blog, I’ve signed up (emotionally) to the 100 press-up (or push-up) challenge. Six weeks to get to being able to do 100 press-ups in one go. This might end badly.

Interesting stuff this week

1. African wise words: Love is a despot who spares no one

2. BBC News website: Tans are out

Waitrose (a UK supermarket chain) has changed a part of its Christmas advert that showed two farmers comparing sun tans, after it was criticised by skin cancer patients. Critics said a section of the advert glorified sun tans and failed to highlight the dangers of sunlight.

Without for a moment minimising the importance of protection from the sun and the misery of skin cancer (indeed, all cancers), where does this end? Some adverts show people jumping into the sea – sadly, there are drownings every year, some adverts include cars and they are very dangerous things that have caused loss and injury to thousands of people.

3. BBC News website: Back to the moon?

The 100m-tall Artemis rocket has blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center as part of Nasa’s mission to take astronauts back to the moon.

Humans could stay on the Moon for lengthy periods during this decade, according to a Nasa official after Wednesday’s launch which was described as an “historic day for human space flight”. The official added that habitats would be needed to support scientific missions.

Habitats will be needed to support missions on the moon – clever people those NASA officials

4. BBC News website: Pay if you want to go faster

For an annual cost of $1,200 (£991) excluding tax, Mercedes-Benz will enable some of its US electric vehicles to accelerate from 0-60mph a second faster. Critics say that Mercedes is asking payment for hardware already installed in the car – and on which it presumably already made a profit margin when the car was bought.

In July, BMW announced that customers could pay £25 per month to unlock heated seats and steering wheels in some of its cars and last year, Toyota announced it would charge some drivers $8 per month to remotely start their cars using a key fob.

5. BBC News website: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s rural retreat up for sale

A former rural retreat of Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has been put on the market. Conan Doyle owned the property at Brook near Lyndhurst and regularly visited from 1925 until his death in 1930.

Holmes Under The Hammer?

(Apologies to anyone who doesn’t know the daytime house auction programme)