Workout stuff has been really boring thanks to the weather. Primarily for the past two weeks I've been at the gym of which other than the usual delights of turning myself into a water feature thanks to the enermous amount of sweat I seem to generate, the gym has put a spinning bike in the main gym area.
Yes finnally to do a bike workout no longer means I have to sit for thirty minutes either pedalling like a victorian on a penny farthing in the approved armchair position due to the "unisex" saddle fitted to the normal exercise bikes. For those who don't know what I mean, it is this. The exercise bikes have a comfortable seat designed for the female buttock making it rather uncomortable to use in the way it should be due to the width of the damned thing. Which means either you have to sit right back on it with the seat lower down so you don't wear holes into the inside of your thighs. Or you can sit right on the front edge of the seat and wait until you lose feeling in your vitals.
The spinning bike saddle on the other hand is the standard unisex option in that it works for both sexes and you can apodt a position very similar to that of a bike. Like the ones I want to be able to push faster. This is good. The bad news is that the spinning bike is not part of the electronic suite of modern exercise equipment harking back to the days when you had to monitor your own performance and demand your own effort levels. I still enjoy it far more and although I may still need to use the electronic one to see if my performance has improved I will be including this as my 15min "steady pace" exercise.
Second highlight was another good hoof in the pool of a 60 length workout after a rather bruttish session when nothing seemed to be going right on dry land.
When the weather broke for a split second raising temperture into the heady plus temperatures allowing me to use my expensive new road bike for what it was intended I planned to head up to Wanford via the back roads and possibly further. Thus I donned the road cycle lycra put together a light pack of esstentials and headed out. The roads although no longer icy where wet and rather misriable but I was quite happy and with seemingly bounds of energy reached Wansford. I then thought. Hmmm.... I think I could reach my sisters house near Bourne and back again before the sun goes down. I therefore headed out onto the A47 moving as fast as I could to clear the busy route before the noddy car drivers realised their overused single line expressway had been invaded and went via the charming vilages of Southorpe and Barnack towards Stamford. I have been through Stamford on a number of occasions in the summer and the sleepy little market town has one of the most annoying town centres to travel through. On the bike I was forced to cut up cars left right and centre as I dashed for the lights. I also had no real clue of the road I'd need as I'd never travelled through the centre towards Bourne. I knew there was a route as I'd seen it on the map but had to follow the car signs to the A15, which is the main road that runs through the middle of Bourne. The hills began and although I could stop for a breather at the many traffic light junctions I was unaware that I was heading into the leisurely slopes of Lincolnshire. Those of the true hills my mock me but I'm used to the almost complete flatness of Cambridgeshire. The route out of Stamford was very pictursque. I one point I thoiguht I'd even found a leak on the road side as I went up a hill thanks to the free flowing water coming down the road but it turned out to be just a car wash at the top in a converted petrol station forecourt. The hills became twister and the roads slushier. I discovered that my front derailier had actually become jammed and would rock the big cogs so I was stuck in the top gears as I tried to negotiate new and interesting inclines on a slippery surface. Hence no momentum as I didn't want to nail it into a corner and not come out the other side but with linited gears I was having to slog up the gradient.Into Bourne and over to my Sister's.
Who was out.
Although I think I did see my brother in law as he headed out of the village in his car we exchanged looks only realising too late who the other was.
No rest for the wicked although I did stop to try the door bell and phone my sibling to tell her I had been there. I headed back the way I had come. I didn't fancy venturing down the A47 again in the failing light as my lights and reflectiv coat would only provide the drivers on that road brief wonderment as they mowed me down so I decided to head back towards Peterborough after Stamford. The legs at Stamford started to register their distress. I was constantly having to switch postions to try and alter the muscle groups working but my thighs would start to kill in any postion. As I reached Marholm on the west side of peterborugh the sun sank under the horizon and the temp plummeted. I had some warmers kit in the pack and put on the gaunlet gloves and tried to walk off the thigh strain.
This didn't help alot other then restoring feeling to my fingers.
I now tried to go as fast as I could through the dark country roads to Nene Park and sanctury. My legs screaming at me. I didnt see a single car which was fortunate and plunged down the hill towards the river. I couldn't continue much further and as I was only a few miles from my parents as opposed to much further to my own home I headed to theirs for a cuppa and a lift back to Yaxley.
Everyone agreed I was mad.
The total trip when worked out on google came to roughly 64miles A good distance but I was naffed and compared to the ultimate target of a hundred odd miles or so was a bit of a cold shower realisation as to actually how hard the Ironman is.
The following weekend I had decided I needed outdoor running so went for a 13miler as per the run I'd done before the Great Eastern Run.
I was carrying the same pack as the bike run only with more spare clothes incase I had to stop. I'd also bought some gloves. Ronhill ones too. Rather slippery so no use for the bike or car but very nice on the run. I'd also included a baseball cap as I'd left my running wholly hat in the car after the last Wadenhoe. It was lucky I did for as I escaped Orton Goldhay on the way home it began to snow. Or at least that what I thought it was. Snow tends not to bounce. Yep it was hailing. Fortunately it wasn't very large ice crystals and between my headphone and baseball cap it kept the worse off so I was runnin home free. Thanks to the ice on the road and a detour to post a letter I hadn't done a memorable time.
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