Ouch

A record of possibly my first injury (though not serious and probably not the last). I pushed my last run (on Friday) rather fast and tried to extend my pace length uphill - with hindsight, not a good idea. I was hopping about for a minute or two at the time but carried on and still got the best time for 6 miles yet, but the sharp stabbing pain in my knee continued throughout the day, and so I have decided to rest it this week. In the meantime, I've googled what it might have been (the best guess is 'jumper's knee' a non-serious impact injury that will resolve itself with rest. I have also been advised to use ice, although you may be assured that an Eddie Izzard-style ice bath is not on the cards any time soon) and found a set of knee strengthening exercises. What the site says - and this seems to make sense - is that there are several muscle groups centred around the knee and if one becomes stronger there can be an imbalance in the others which can lead to injury. So I'm learning about adductors and abductors and glutes and hamstrings and how to look after them and keep them in good nick. The stabbing pain has subsided over the weekend to a mere twinge, so I'm hoping to be back out running very soon. Of course strengthening knee muscles can only be a Good Thing, not only for running but for cycling too. It's an ill wind!

Falling in love again...

I came into work on the touring bike today - the actual LeJog bike! And I have to say that it felt pretty wonderful. The big comfortable saddle, the big tyres, the smooth ride ... it really is like falling in love agin, which is great given the inital reservations I had about the bike. OK so I still aim for the downtube to change gears with a lever instead of the little switch thing on the brakes, but that's something you soon get used to. And the ride is so much more comfortable than on skinny racing wheels. The state of the roads around here is awful. Potholes are filled in and then instantly re-form. There are loose stones all over the roads; some roads don't actually seem to have a surface anymore. Other have been dug up so often they're just not flat and going along them is like riding down a country lane.

Another upside is that I do have more gears than I thought; a close inspection revealed that I'm not able to access the bottom three rings, which will be a huge advantage when they are set up properly. A Park Tools bike workstand is on order and then I'm looking forward to adjusting the gears and getting them to behave properly.

Changing bikes is an odd feeling; I felt very low to start with so the first job was to find my Allen keys and raise the saddle. It's amazingly heavy to lift (I've got the panniers and some gear on board) yet doesn't feel it when going along. Well it's good to get the thing out of the shed; it's all very well wanting to keep it nice and clean under a dust sheet and out of the weather, but that's not what bikes are for.

As for the racing bike, the reason for its temporary retirement is that the bearings are starting to feel extremely graunchy. Come the new workstand (I also ordered a crank puller and assembly grease) I'll have a go at cleaning everything and replacing the bearings (I have done it once, on a Cytech training course so at least know it is technically possible). Hopefully this won't result in me going to my nearest bike shop with a box full of bits and a sheepish grin!

Andy's off...

It's been a thoroughly hectic couple of weeks what with Andy doing his final preparations, his 40th birthday celebrations (including a surprise party!) and the celebration of Easter. Well I finally waved Andy off yesterday and he's now started his LeJog walk, in the most lovely weather you could ask for. So with more time on my hands I can spend more time in training (well it gets me out of the house!) Did a 30 mile bike ride yesterday and 2 km swim this morning, which is quite exhausting actually. It's the first time I've done that distance (80 lengths) - distance building in all three disciplines has begun.

Sufficent unto the day is the toothpaste thereof

It may seem rather sad (or obsessive) to look at saving weight on such a small item as toothpaste, but look after the grams and hopefully the kilos will be fewer. I bought a 30ml tube of Crest and kept a record of usage, finding that it lasted for 24applications, so two tubes would do the whole trip. Next on the list will be little bottles of shampoo and conditioner. On one level, it's useful preparation and ensuring I don't over-pack. On another, it's a way of preparing my mind for a challenge so big I'm hardly able to actually believe it.

Sport Relief weekend

I have to confess that for whatever reason - lack of being in touch with the media, or being too focused on my own thing plus general busyness - Sport Relief hadn't really registered on my radar, as I discovered when I popped into Sainsbury's the other day. I was on the way home from work and thus in bike/running gear. One of the assistants asked if I was participating in Sport Relief and looked quite disappointed in me when I said I wasn't. If I'd been less engrossed by the choice of vegetables I might have been quick enough to point out that I was going to do my bit, just not this weekend ... but too late.

And then last night, the TV documentary of the fundraising bike ride from John O'Groats to Land's End in freezing temperatures and through both day and night. Not perhaps the best way to promote cycling, especially showing so many falls, but what we could see of the scenery was spectacular. I think I'm looking forward to Scotland the most, espcially the far north. But there's still a lot of training to do first and more checking of gear. Today was wet, so a good chance to try the new dhb jacket (which performed well) but I need a real downpour to test it properly. Fingers crossed for a wet weekend!

Back on the bike

It seems strange to head a message with this when I cycle nearly every day but a decent distance training run is so different from the daily commute - it really does feel like 'proper' cycling. Did 25.4 miles in under 2 hours on the racer, taking in some decent hills around Cranford and Gt Addington. At some stage, I'm going to have to load up the tourer and do a really long ride, but at the moment I'm just focusing on the triathlon. Although I know I can do each individual element, my main worries are (a) whether I can actually do them all together (so more training) and (b) coming in last, miles behind everyone else, or even worse, being pulled out because I'm so slow and everyone else wants to go home! Even if I can do the whole thing at the speeds I've been doing in training, it's still going to take over three and a half hours to complete. The top people do it in about 2 hours (or less!) and everyone else seems to be done in between 2.5 - 3 hours.

So, LOTS more running and cycling to come! At least the weather is getting warmer. It was still a bit frosty out there this morning, but good to get out.

Half-marathon entered

The only one of the challenges not yet sorted out - the half marathon - has now been arranged; I'm booked in for the Milton Keynes half-marathon on Sunday 18 July, which gives one challenge per month; the triathlon in June, the run in July and I start the bike ride at the end of August. Better get training... since the furthest I've ever run is 6 miles, and that was over ten years ago.