SportsShoes Blog

I’ve been a bit off it this week but feeling better now.

Both kids have been off school after bouts of sickness and as ever they’ve been kind and generous in sharing everything with mum and dad!!

Got out last night with the club for a nice run over Ilkley Moor followed by a pint and a chin wag at Dick Hudson’s pub.

What’s happened to the summer? We were all out in wind/waterproof tops last night and it felt like October not July!!

2 weeks tomorrow to Borrowdale so will try and get out for a long run this weekend in preparation.

On the same day as the Borrowdale race, my mate Steve Fry is to start a solo attempt at running the Wainright Coast to Coast route (Whitehaven to Robin Hood’s bay) in 3 days. This will be around 60 miles/day up hill and down dale. I reckon it’s quite a challenge but if anyone can do it it’s Steve…..

Just got back from the Italian Open in verona. unfortuneatly i strained my hamstring out there. it was tight before i headed out there but i thought it was fine and not surprisingly it got worse and was unable to play to the level i needed to play at to do well..

been resting well and looking after it and hoping to regain full fitness asap and get bk to training hard and gearin up for september which is the next time i intend to compete..

Well well well, England did an awesome job for most of a test match! We managed to rack up a more than reasonable total. Pieterson, Bell and Cook looked in great nick and Broad just keeps getting better. I can’t believe Bell got himself out on 199, thats criminal. Then we bowled them out for under 300, great performance boys. But then they shut up shop and didnt even try to get the runs when they followed on, which is fair play, very boring but fair play. I think this test shows that England lack diversity in their bowling, if the conditions arent right for swing we’re struggling. We need some out and out pace, like Freddie or Simon Jones, we need more aggression! Get Freddie back in the team for the next test and we should be laughing, I dont think the South Africans will pose us a much trouble as we might have thought.

Another interesting week in coaching for me this week, I worked with some older players this week and we had a good session. I helped a few of them with their bowling actions. They were all spraying the ball about a bit, and struggling for consistancy. It is fairly easily solved is a problem like that, the main point is to stay as upright as possible through your full bowling action, keeping your head upright and your body as straight as possible. One of the most important things to remember is that wherever your non bowling arm goes the arm with the ball follows. If your front arm is dragging down then your bowling arm follows it and is dragged down. Staying as tall as possible is one of the key things in quick bowling.

If any of you have any questions about cricket, whether its coaching, playing or just a general question feel free to ask me and I’ll do my best to answer!!!!!

Did 3 hours on the mountain bike (Marin Mount Vision) this morning.

It’s been a while since I’ve ridden my full susser and I really didn’t feel very ‘trail sharp’.

Still it was nice to get out with my old cycling pals for a muddy blast round the local trails. Thankfully one of them had been to a party last night and had too many cocktails so he was rough when he picked me up - this slowed him up and stopped them giving me a whipping up the first long climb (Alter Lane out of Bingley).

I really like to combine cycling with my running as I beleive it helps to develop my CV whilst being easier on the body (assuming I manage to stay on of course).

My mate Jamie completed the Wasdale fell race yesterday in 5 hours and 5 mins - he was dead chuffed - that’s one tough race!

Got the iPod on and went for a nice run out over the moors this morning - 1hour 15 mins - I guess around 9 miles. Lots of hill climbs and wet techy single track. The weather was good is this summer?

Saw an old mate of mine who I used to ride motorbikes with - he was playing golf with 3 other very serious Pringle wearing chappies - he used to be such a loon on the bikes now he’s chasing a little white ball around a field - what is the world coming to??? Think I’ll stick to the running and biking for now.

Finished the run with 10 minutes hard and felt all went OK.

iPod track of the session =  Nickleback - Rockstar

Need to get some miles in this weekend to burn off all the brithday cake.

It’s Wasdale Fell race tomorrow - I’m not doing it but my OMM partner Jamie is. It’s one of the toughest races in the UK - at over 20 miles and with around 7500 ft of climb over many of the Lakes’ highest peaks it’s a real beast. I did it last in 2006 but decided to skip it this year as I want to make sure I’m fully recovered after the yacht race.

My next race will be Borrowdale fell race in August - another long (17 miles) lakes race that takes in Scafell, Great Gable and Dale Head. It’s a tough one but there’s a big party in the evening so that should keep us going till the end.

Then it’s the 3 Peaks cyclo cross in September (better try and get a few bike miles in me thinks!!) followed by the OMM in October.

By the way - anyone watch Superstars? - I remember watching that when I was a kid - Brian Jacks (remember him??) what a hero!!

Birthday today - 39 (I’m going to start taking them off from now on!!)

Did an orienteering event on Baildon Moor.

These are great fun low key events run by Airenteers. You pay 50p, get a map and a dibber (an electronic punch that records your time) and off you go.

I did it with my 8 year old son which made it great fun even though the weather was pretty grim.

If you’ve never tried one of these you should as it’s amazing how hard it can be to find a brightly coloured checkpoint on a moor that you know well.

Although it was only 3.7k it took us around 53 mins (& we missed CP 1 as I made a schoolboy error thinking that was where we started from - got into big trouble from my son for doing this).

Hope I don’t make the same mistake in October when I do the OMM.

Great day today. Got up early, went to the gym and did a fantatsic chest workout…

3 X flat bech press

3 X incline dumbell flyes

3 X cross over flyes

3 X stability ball dumbell press

3 X press ups.

Then went and picked my girlfriend up and went to the swimming baths for an hour. Came home, had some lunch, had a kip and then went back to te gym to do triceps. Awesome… feeling it now though!

Forgot to ask though, anyone watch the wimbledon final? best final i have EVER seen. I use to play a lot of tennis in my younger days so love it when wimbledon comes on for a couple of weeks a year.

Even my missus loved it, although I think it may had had something more to do with the fact she has a little crush on Nadal!

By the way, has anyone else got any similar blogs that they are writing on the same subject as me, really interested to see how other people may be getting on ( or falling behind ) with their progress.

J.

Couldn’t run tonight as I had to take the boys to the local res to go sailing with the cub scouts.

They got wet and cold and loved every minute.

I went out on a safety boat to get some pictures and it brought back scary memories of last week - at least I could see dry land!