SportsShoes Blog

Tuesday speed session went OK - warm up, a few strides then 12 x 1min efforts in hideous weather - the meat feast pizza that followed made up for it though!

Wednesday - can’t remember what I did!!! Sign of age I guess but I think next year for the 1st time I’m going to keep a training diary.

Thursday - busy day - dog walk, bike to work, bike home, 1 hour hard with Harriers, walk dog - that’s not a bad day’s training is it - all fitted neatly around family and work.

Friday - nowt but 2 dog walks

Saturday - took the dog out then took my eldest son to cricket practise - he was training at Benton Park school with 3 Yorkshire team players. As a none crickiter myself I didn’t recognise their faces or names but they seemed like very nice chaps and Max really enjoyed it. Whilst he was playing I went for an hour on my singlespeed over Otley Chevin and found a bunch of trails in Chevin Forest Park - must explore further. On my way back I also found a really smart BMX track at Yeadon tarn - I had a quick ride round on my Kona MTB but oh to be 14 again on my Pirahna with Cro-mo aero forks and Skyway Tuff2 wheels (sorry just reminiscing for a sec).

This afternoon, the good lady and the kids have gone to the Cubs Gang Show - thankfully I got the job of looking after the dog so we went for a big walk over the moors. She loved it and must have done at least twice the distance I did so she’s now fast asleep - here’s a pic of KIMM on the wiley windy moors.

We’re going to an 80s night tonight - it’ll be either hillarious or dreadful - can’t decide which. Got my bleached 501s, denim jacket, white Tshirt and Ray-Bans at the ready - bring it on!!!

Had a tough match Versus yesterday, going down in 4!! after winning the first 11-7 a drop on intensity saw the match go level at 1set each. the 3rd was anyones with Miguel putting 2 good rallies together to close it 11-9. the 4th was nip and tuck all the way. Saved a couple of match balls but wasn’t quite enough as went down 13-11. There were 1 or 2 erorrs at crucial times and this was the difference but have learned alot and picked up some good ranking point.

Next stop , Nairobi , Kenya!!

Just come back from my long weekend in Manchester. It was really good to see all the other riders again and speak to them after their success at Manchester World Cup! We did a group road ride on Monday morning for a couple of hours that included a steep cobbled hill..it was the moutain bikers that took us up there! In the afternoon it was time to go over to the track for a bit of an induction talk and to collect new kit! On Tuesday we were up at 6 and left at 7 to ride to the track for an 8am track session.  It was strange being back on the track but it was a good session.  The others did madison training and me and Jess Allen did some rotating stuff behind the motorbike.  After that it was back to the flats for a quick lunch and a cuppa before riding over to the EIS for a biomechanical analysis.  This involved being filmed from different angles on my bike either riding normally or doing a 30 second effort.  This data will then be checked to see that there’s nothing weird going on position-wise on the bike! After that it was time to head on back home! It was really good to spend time with the other academy riders but a bit of a pain having to be back for school on Wednesday morning!

Zoomed to work on the singlespeed yesterday - it’s amazing how great it feels to be out in the cold and wet if you’re geared up for it.

Right now it’s blowing a gale and raining outside and it’s only the fact that I know there’ll be a bunch of other nutters on the training field in half an hour that’s stopping me tucking into my meat feast pizza right now!!!

An hour of pain laden speed session awaits - best go dig out my spikes.

Oh and here’s a shot of me in my official blogging jacket….

Had a reasonable run Saturday at Shepherds Skyline although didn’t feel that great until the last couple of miles.

I came in 27th out of 360 starters so not too bad I guess although on a good day I would like to think I could have been a minute or so quicker.

Results here : http://www.todharriers.co.uk/shepherds_skyline/skylineres2008.htm

Me and my Bingley team mates James Senior and Andy Jebb ran out to Stoodly Pike together jostling for position all the way. On the descent off the pike James came past me and I thought that would be the last I’d see of him. On the climb back up from London Road Andy Jebb blew us both away with a very strong climb over terrible conditions. I caught James at the top of the climb - he was having an even worse day than me - and pushed on past him knowing I’d have to try and get some distance between us if I was to hold him off on the descent.

As I summited the climb I actually started to feel better and really started to work hard on the long descent back to the finish. I could see Andy in the distance but I knew I’d let him get too far in front for me to have a chance of catching him.

I passed a few guys in the last mile as I threw caution to the wind over the technical sections and dug deep for a really quick sprint finish to overhaul a Calder runner with 5 yards to go.

A wash down with a garden hose in the pub car park followed by a cheeky pint of Taylor’s Landlord and some Lancashire hot-pot finished off the race in true Yorkshire/Lancashire style.

Sunday morning after my 40 minute dog walk I had a nice steady hour’s jog around St Ives and ended up at my son’s footy match – they lost 3-2 but it was good game despite the conditions – after the game me and KIMM (the dog) jogged home where we both had a well earned bath (not together!!)

Just about managed to shake off my cold - or perhaps I should say blow it out. I think I’ve been leaving a silvery trail around all my training runs this week.

Did an hour on the road bike Saturday - bit windy. Then 3 hours out with my dog Sunday. Monday rest, Tuesday I ran with both my kids at Bingley Harriers - my 8 year old did his first pack run and really enjoyed it (that’ll be both of them beating me soon then!!). Wednesday did 40 mins quite hard on the road and Thursday again ran on the road for an hour. Friday I biked to work and back. It was heaving down this morning for both my dog walk and my bike in to work so I’d been p**s wet through twice before 8.30am!!!

Tomorrow it’s the Shepherd’s Skyline Race near Todmordon - it’s a quick 6 mile fell race that goes out to Stoodly Pike and back. I’ve done this race a few times and I always feel it signals the end of the year is coming. I can’t believe it’s a year since I was there - where does time go?  

There’s quite a group of us from the Harriers going for run out so it should be a interesting day.

I am currently in Santiago spain competing. the venue is pretty cool as they have set up an all glass court in the main shopping centre, giving the game great exposure.

Won my first round against an Egyptian player Emir El Salahamy which i won quite comfortably in 3sets.

Next was against Austrailia’s Bradly Hindle, a very tough opponent. Match didn’t start too well with Bradle taking the 1st 11-3 and the 2nd 11-8 but managed to turn it around and bring it to a 5th, where I played an almost flawless game to take the set 11-1 and the match.

Next up is world no.23 Miguel Rodrigez of Columbia.

What a complete joke England were in the Stanford Twenty/20 competition. The completely bottled it and got taken to the cleaners by a well organised Stanford XI (which was pretty much a West Indies team with 2 exceptions). Pieterson said they had been distracted in their preparations and that the players mind was not focussed on the game. Personally im not having that excuse, if you can’t motivate and focus yourself in a game for your country and for $1million each then their is something seriously wrong. No matter how much of a circus it looked like and ended up, the England boys should have been able to get themselves fired up and seriously motivated, especially after all the hype in the media leading up to the event. But in true English cricketing form we bottled it when it counted most. Maybe the confidence and belief we all thought Peiterson had instilled in England isnt quite what we thought it was. They just have to bounce back strongly in India next month.

And also well played to the Stanfors team. They looked well organised, fired up and on great form. They outplayed us!!

I know they say that you can’t catch a cold by being out in bad weather but it’s spooky that after spending six and half hours in the driving wind and rain last Saturday I seem to have caught a cold!!

Anyway, this week I’ve held off hard training but using the training adage ‘if it’s in the head go ahead if it’s in the chest give it a rest’ I’ve continued to train all week.

After the OMM last weekend I had a rest Monday (although obvioulsy walked the dog twice). Tuesday I did a speed session (at slightly reduced effort) - it was so cold on the grass on Tuesday that after running through a soggy bit of the field, ice formed on the top of my spikes!!. Wednesday I did a 50 minute road run whilst my son Ben played footy and Thursday I went on a steady pack run with the Harriers (followed by a nice pint of medicinal Guinness). Friday I biked to work and back on my singlespeed and today (it feels like the peak of my cold) I’m probably going to limit my exercise to just a few hours of dog walking.

Haven’t decided on my next race yet but there’s a few coming up so it won’t be long before I’m on the start line again.

Watch this space……