I got another puncture today. Like the ‘number 13 bus’, these things seem to come along in groups. Just over a mile from home at the end of my Sunday ride, I heard the usual ‘hisssssing’ that means the bike’s handling’s about to go to pot. Again, this was in a tyre whose inner-tube had...
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My target this year is to get my 10k down to 40 minutes. I also want to graduate to Olympic distance triathlon (which features a 10k run). With my running fitness in rather poor shape, I’ve opted for a programme of interval training to get me back to peak pavement pounding performance. Interval training is...
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I had 39 miles to do today if I was to set off on the right foot for my 3,000 miles in 2007 target. I’d planned this to be easy - meeting up with a friend in Newcastle for a 20 mile circuit, plus the ten miles each way into and out of town. But...
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As part of the maintenence I did on my bike today, I also adjusted the saddle height & positioning over the pedals. This was because on recent rides, I’ve found my thighs getting tired (that numb, achy, burning feeling) rather sooner than I’d like. This is symptomatic of either working too hard on the bike...
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It was time to give my bike a minor service today - new brake blocks, then clean & lube the chain, derailleur, pedals, cables & brake pivot mechanisms. So even though it’s STILL really windy here (but now only 23 mph ), I just had to head out for a test ride this...
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I’m quite happy with my chart for tracking progress towards my 2007 target of 3,000 cycle miles. But now I want to draw up something similar for my running. The problem is that my running target is more speed related - I want to achieve a personal best of 40 minutes for 10k. This is...
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Last year I developed a bit of a ‘thing’ for Peanut Butter Kit Kats. Actually, it was more of a habbit (a really serious habit), and after a while, it got me thinking. Was it really Peanut Butter, or perhaps another ‘golden brown‘ substance? I mean after all, Nestlé’s marketing of milk formula is...
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I want a recumbent bike right now . . . a really low one with full fairing. You know how I’ve just got to do 125 miles by Sunday, or I’ll be behind on my 3,000 miles in 2007 almost before I’ve started? Well I had to visit a firm most of the way into...
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In yesterday’s post I mentioned at the end that I was going to make a wall chart to track my progress toward my 3,000 bike miles goal. Adrian Finch (an aspiring 5,000 mile hero) asked if I use My Cycling Log, bikejournal or CycleSmart to keep track of my progress, and my reply was that...
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Damn conscience! So here’s the problem. Yesterday I went public with my “I’m going to join 60% of the high mileage club” goal, and went as far as breaking it down into nice manageable chunks. Hey - it’s only 125 miles a fortnight. That’s easy! Except that we’re now almost at the end of the first...
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You may have noticed how much I was impressed by ZappoMan’s 5,000 bike miles (like here, here, here, and here ), and Adrian Finch stepping up for the same kind of punishment this year. Well as I’m in the mood for doing my training planing for this year (yeah, I know - nine...
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Talking of shopping . . . I was reminded by the huge number of Chavs being watched by security guards at Bluewater of the sport of Urban Sprinting. This video (which contains strong language) explains all . . .
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For the back half of last week, we were visiting my folks in Kent. On Saturday, they took our daughter to see the pantomime at Chatham’s Central Hall - Peter Pan (”Oh no it wasn’t! Oh yes it was!”) (if you’re not from the UK, that won’t mean anything to you - never mind). This...
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So last year I didn’t do any triathlons at all - an oversight that I intend to cure this year! I’ve decided to approach this as if it were my first triathlon season, and do everything that I think a triathlon newbie should do. That means looking at realistic-but-challenging goals, a training plan, equipment, and...
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I’ve been away visiting relatives in Wales and Kent. With one thing and another, I had no internet access for over a week. But I have been writing, and have lots to talk about. I’ll do this in several focused posts, rather than one long ramble. One thing I do have to get off my...
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I’ve been watching El Zappoman’s progress toward clocking up 5,000 bike miles this year. He’s nearly made it, but it looks as though the weather will pip him to the post in the end. Cold, icy weather and cycling don’t mix too well. And I have to sympathise - it’s been a...
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Right now I’m working with a firm to help improve their production output. They’re suffering from the usual problem - too much work in progress (WIP), caused by a production manager who wanted to ‘get ahead’, by manically over-producing at the start of the process flow. The line manager I’m working with understands this, and...
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Almost the end of 2006 - a year in which I entered no (none, not a single one, zero, etc) triathlons. So I am no longer a triathlete But this year, I did decide to cycle for work. Seeing as I work as a management consultant (dirty word, I know), I tend to travel...
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I read on the Macworld site about syncing Windows Mobile devices with a Mac. So you can have a smart phone to go with your Mac, and keep the two in step with third party software, like Missing Sync for Windows Mobile, or PocketMac Pro. Of course, there is the whole question about why...
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BBC NEWS | England | Hereford/Worcs | Police look for have-a-go women Just heard about this on the Jeremy Vine Show. It turns out that we live in a country where people will get involved, and stand up for what’s right. Three women - apparantly strangers to eachother - tackled a runaway criminal who was successfully...
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