I have a question...

...why do 'how to' books tell you 'how to' in the last third of the book, not in the first page.

After going 2 miles in me bare feet, and then being crippled for the rest of the week, I get to the end of 'Barefoot Running Step-By-Step' and discover you're only supposed to be going 300 meters on your first time out.

So went out Tuesday night, only went a mile, took Garry Garmin though forgot to switch it on until half way through... So this is what I did:
 

Departed:	May 28, '12, 06:43pm
Starts in:	Aberdeen, Scotland, GB
Distance:	0.5 mi
Elevation:	+ 38 / - 11 ft
Max Grade	6.4 %
Avg. Grade	0.2 %
VAM	174 Vm/h
Ascent time	00:03:58
Descent time	00:01:19
Total Duration:	00:12:08
Moving Time:	00:05:17
Stopped Time:	00:06:51
Max Speed:	5.5 mph
Avg. Speed:	5.1 mph
Pace:	00:26:50
Moving Pace:	00:11:41

Do youse think that if I can average 5.5 mph I can do a marathon in 5 hours?  Or will the medal folk have gone home by then?

Mx

MTB: I love to Hate You. - WITH ROUTE!!

I do.  There's some gorgeous weather happening in the 'deen so myself, GB and his brother (Not-so-GB) headed out to Kirkhill for some fat tire action.  This is the second outing for my barely used mountain bike so currently it's usage is working out at £very-expensive per ride.  I got about 10 minutes in and discovered that Pancakes with double cream and strawberries is not the food of athletes, it's the food of the ill prepared who can't mountain bike and wimp out at the first hill.  After the boys got sick of waiting for me (again) I managed to pootle a few miles out and back again.

Here's the route:



The numbers:

Departed:	May 27, '12, 01:42pm
Starts in:	Aberdeen, Scotland, GB
Distance:	7.8 mi
Elevation:	+ 815 / - 811 ft
Max Grade	11.9 %
Avg. Grade	0.4 %
VAM	352 Vm/h
Ascent time	00:42:23
Descent time	00:28:08
Total Duration:	01:45:57
Moving Time:	01:10:31
Stopped Time:	00:35:26
Max Speed:	16.9 mph
Avg. Speed:	6.6 mph
Pace:	00:13:35
Moving Pace:	00:09:02

The 'VAM' thing's interesting.  I only noticed it last week when I work my heart rate monitor (which I forgot to put on today).

Any hoo, after the boys ditched me I managed to pootle a little.  Found the airport (took me 5 minutes wondering as to why there was a massive go-cart track in the middle of the 'Deen), and then up to the top.

Not-so got burned 'cos he's Giddy's brother.  I bruised the palms of my hands from holding the handlebars too tight (they have tiny little pointy grippy bits which dig in horribly), and my bum with my seat digging into it every time I had to put my foot down, and my thumbs from jamming them in the gear switches, and a few others where I don't know what happened.

Oh well.

Apparently the weather's due to break and we're about to go from 23 degrees C to 11 so I might consider the gym this week.

I never did the Alford Sportive.  It was supposed to be yesterday but then we were having a picnic on the front lawn (front lawn=two feet of grass surrounding his flat block) and I kept wondering where where I should be... On a bike going round Alford apparently. What an eejit.

Mx

Apologies guys! Now with the route!

Enjoy Yourself, it's later than you think!

Went out last night on one of the few glorious Summer nights Aberdeen is ever likely to see this year.  It was just a pootle with the Giddy Blonde.  Nothing going but the intent of enjoying myself on a shiny 'deen evening.  As soon as I got on the bike I felt like I was home, and I was flying! I've had amazingly sore calves since Monday night - even though it's only Wednesday it's felt like a very long week hobbling around - but that all went when we were out. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed it even if it was just for two hours.

Here's the route:

And the Metrics

Departed:	May 22, '12, 06:38pm
Starts in:	Aberdeen, Scotland, GB
Distance:	25.4 mi
Elevation:	+ 1284 / - 1207 ft
Max Grade	9.1 %
Avg. Grade	0.3 %
VAM	310 Vm/h
Ascent time	01:15:39
Descent time	00:52:52
Total Duration:	02:13:37
Moving Time:	02:08:31
Stopped Time:	00:05:06
Max Speed:	30.6 mph
Avg. Speed:	11.9 mph
Pace:	00:05:15
Moving Pace:	00:05:03
Max Cadence:	105 rpm
Min Cadence:	19 rpm
Avg. Cadence:	60.2 rpm
Max Heartrate:	192 bpm
Min Heartrate:	96 bpm
Avg. Heartrate:	159.7 bpm

Also for the first time wore my Heart Monitor.  Apparently in a 2 hr cycle ride I burned 1340 odd calories - which doesn't seem right.  What do we think? I've tried working with HR before but it always seems to have me working lower than what I feel like work.  For example - if I were to work at 154 (near enough the average) I'd feel like I was cooling down.

As soon as the calves wear off I'll go do a 1/4 of a mile barefoot (they really have been sore), and then out on the bike this weekend I think.  We were ment to be doing a sportive round Alford but I've not done anything about it.  I'm still in two minds about doing it - I think I should, just not really sure I want to.  Will have to register that morning though - as they're only accepting Paypal or cheque.

Mx