Friday 28 October 2011

25ish miles pootling around town!

Myself, the blokie and a mate should do about 35 miles tomorrow on a cafe run so with any luck I should be more closer to my target.  However shouldn't get too complacent - I had some bad news today which will result in a couple of days down south next week, with a possible weekend in Glasgow the following week I'll have to be careful - I shall need the turbo trainer quite a few times next week.

It's also getting fairly miserable in the morning now - I must stop looking at BBC Weather.  Sunrise is at 8.13am.  In my rule book when the dark breaches 8 in the morning it's winter.  Don't get me wrong - I love the cold, dark nights - it means sitting in pubs with fireplaces, stodge for dinner, fireworks and christmas nights out, also of the occasional silly cycle wrapped up in a blizzard with no cars on the road.  In saying that I'm actually against bringing Scotland into european time.  It would mean sunset would be 2pm, earlier on some days (it starts getting dark about 3.45pm in the darkest depths of winter).  Our school kid would not only get their second break in the dark but they'd still be walking home in it.

Have a good weekend y'all!

Mx

Tuesday 25 October 2011

According to Auntie Beeb (BBC) sunset is not untill 17.41...

Not sure if anyone's told Aberdeen that. 

Anyhoo, with my resolve of yesterday still fresh in my mind, I set off down the Deeside Railway Line.  In the dark. which gets to you after a while. 

For those unfamiliar with the terrain it's a strip of tarmac about 2 meters wide and can be followed - for the most part - all the way to Ellon (I think, though I'm sure some pedant will no doubt correct me).  It's a general haunt of drinking teenagers, dog walkers and other cyclists. With it having no lighting there are strips of it so dark your eyes play tricks on you.  We cyclists are usually armed with some sort of light, where we for the most part glide silently along the strip looking like some ethereal lycra (or jegginged) clad ghost, escaping from some self imposed purgatory. 

Occasionally you will come across a dog and his walker both bedecked like Christmas trees yielding a fist at the silent cyclists - which is kind of what happened to me last night.  I was gliding along, minding my own business (the dog was on the back sitting comfortably), and I see this red and blue light dancing about on some trees, then up a side of the embankment and then across the path way.  Now I'm not one to jump to conclusions, it was very dark, and I was beginning to loose it somewhat, so naturaly I thought it was faries.   When it tried to get into the buffcage with my dog when I stopped I realised it was a black lab.  Get speaking to the man and he said I was the first cyclist to stop, (he himself could be seen from space he was so brightly lit - I really don't know how I missed him, well I do, I was seeing faries.) that he's had abuse from other cyclists and there is a longstanding war of attrition between the cyclists and the walkers along this line. 

Now, having been too and fro on that line for quite a few years now, I have seen many a thing there.  I've seen all sorts of transport from horses to little tyke motor bikes, and as a cyclist I've come to the conclusion that as long as something’s conscientiously done no one can object.  You will get the odd misery guts who will snort 'Have yeh no' got a bell' when I'm rolling by at a snails pace (2.5 miles) and choose say a cheerie 'excuse me' as opposed to ringing a bell. But I find an equally cheerful 'Go to hell you old fecker' usually shuts them up. 

Anyway, after chatting to the man and his blue and red lit dog I hope I eased the walker/cyclist relationship.  Next stop The West Bank...

But the point is -50 and counting. Yey.


Mx

Monday 24 October 2011

My wedding hell is over….


Actually that’s a bit melodramatic and very unfair.  It wasn’t hell, it was rather pleasant but quite tiring.  The first wedding was a big affair with speeches, photos, grand entrances (walking down the isle to Z Cars theme tune) and a Ceilidh with the best fireworks ever!  The second was a quieter affair, in a grand castle with delicious cream teas in stately rooms, whilst the North East sea kissed the landscaped gardens with Haar.

On the cycling front - excluding the run for the bike on Saturday, zero, nada, and nothing was done.  It’s not good for me.  I woke on Sunday a little grumpy fecker.  Had the second wedding been a larger affair I may not have shown myself in the best light, throwing my shoes off at one point and acting like a child.   We were going to go out on Sunday morning, but my blokie wanted to come to and as his bike is still in the realms of disrepair we spent too long trying to put it back together and did not go out.

In reflection of last week I have decided the 26 miles I did was no where enough.  I managed 13 pootling about the Town Centre – I recon I can increase that vastly this week - aiming for about 30. The rest was done on the turbo trainer, 20 minutes a day.  On Friday night I did do a lot of ceilidh dancing but I’m not sure how that translates into road miles.  The only sleepless night I had was on Thursday, which resulted in a Facebook update of ‘Where is that Fecking Nytol’ at 1am.  That’s the only day I hadn’t done any exercise, and I did have a Chai Tea latte at about 7pm.

So... Onwards and upwards folks!

Mx

Saturday 22 October 2011

Do believe I am not...

...hungover or still drunk.  Will have to go get the bike.

I am also considering going and giving the Leggy blonde a poke in the eye and see what happens.  He was soo rat@rsed he was havvering, telling the bar staff that he will be b!tchslapped one day as I do him (I don't, yet.)

Mx

Thursday 20 October 2011

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's White-Van-Man!!! YAYYYY!!!!!

On Tuesday myself and the dog (in her basket on the back) managed to negotiate horrendous traffic, dangerous hills and windy lanes without incident, for the dog to fly out the flat, out of the close* straight into the road!  The hero of the day was White-Van-Man, who on seeing me running down the street screeching 'BUFFFFFYYYY' stopped his van, jumped out and called to her (of course she went to him directly, no problem there: it's not like he feeds her or even knows who he is) loured her in and picked her up.  I could have kissed him had he been less unconventionally good looking.

By the time I got back in the flat I needed a sit down with my head between my knees and a glass of water.  Since then she has been uncharacteristically sooky, wanting to sit on my knee, looking at me with those big brown eyes, checking to see what I'm doing.  Usually it's a course of intense napping in the evening but she's following me around.  I am having none of it, she has disappointed me most thoroughly!

On the plus side, on Wednesday night coming back from work, I managed to navigate an awful junction on
King Street
, to turn right in front of 3 lanes of traffic!  I usually get off and push through the pedestrian lights but I was brave in my wee heartie!   I was pinned at one point between one of the local busses and this massive touring bus but I kept my cool.   All I have to conquer now is the massive round abouts situated on every major road out of Aberdeen –  I need more practice going fast round corners first.

This weekend's a bit of a big one (two weddings!) so am not sure how much cycling I'm going to get in.  Saturday during the day is supposed to be free but the wedding party on the Sunday wants us to go for a rehearsal dinner (I'm not really sure what these are for??? So you get to see the faces of those you are having at your wedding, and decide if any of guests won't perform well in the main event and perhaps arrange stand ins?) I don’t know if it's a lunch or what, so will have to clarify that at some point. 

I could do some weight training at Pete's though will have to see if I'm not 'feeling tired and emotional' on Saturday.

Boring Stats so far:

Tuesday:           Turbo Training 5 miles Ave 14mph Max 23mph (Interval and Standing),
                        Road 5 miles to and fro Blokies
Wednesday:     Turbo Training 5.11 miles Ave 15mph (whilst listening to BBC4)
                        Road 2 miles

Total this week so far: 20 miles

*'Close' is Glaswegian slang for the foyer.

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Hello...

... It's getting dark up here.  So in order to keep myself motivated for the winter on the bike I've installed this thing (blog) so I can track my progress and see how I'm going.

A big bit about myself...

I've been cycling about a year now in total.  Myself and a mate grabbed on another mates Etape Caledonia and we've (well I) have been riding those coat tails ever since.  Partly because it 'does' to be fit and healthy, but mostly because I tend not to go mental having a certain amount of miles under my tyres (geddit - please say no).

I cycle because I have inflamed hip flexors.  I used to run (quite a bit) but then a spot of snowboarding (well 'leafing' was what I was doing) fecked my hips which made running painful.  And also the dog was getting a bit too old to keep up.  I'm also quite partial to a spot of yoga and the occasional pole dance (though more in the style of a russian gymnast than laydee of the nite - I've video taped myself once and it wasn't pretty, utalitarian was how it could best be described but never mind.)

The last big cycle race I did was a 64 miler round Ullapool.  It took me 7 hours and 4 minutes and 18 miles from the end I nearly cried.  I had no feeling in my break hand and at the curry with friends that night I tried to open a toilet door using the hinge. 

The tools I aim to utilise are:  1 Luella (winter bike, Old Lady Dawes seeing her third decade), 1 turbo trainer, and 1 Specialized Dolce (I NEED that granny gear!) kept for best (not the sh!t of winter)and for using on the turbo trainer.

This week so far I've managed 4 miles with my blokie down the railway line.  It was his birthday last week and me being the saddle w@nker I am I've bought him a second hand racer that needed two new tyres and the gears and chainset sound like some sort of old style hand machinery they're soo old.

I've also managed a few pottering around but I'm not sure how many yet.  Just to and fro his to mine.  But I'll save that for when I'm more sure of my miles.

Mx