SportsShoes Blog

Hi folks - sorry it’s been a while since my last post - I’ve just been soooo busy!!!

Firstly, as I’ve now been officially voted in as Junior Fell Manager at Bingley Harriers I’ve decided I need some formal qualification to back up my real life experience so I’m working towards my level 2 Fell & Mountain Running Coaching qualification. When I signed up for this I suspected it might be just a case of showing your face and listening to a few dull lectures then picking up your certificate - NOT SO - this is a serious qualification that takes some serious commitment - and I’m really glad about that as to me that makes it worth trying to achieve.

I’ve done my first weekend’s course which was delivered by two fantatsic senior coaches from UK athletics and will be attending my second weekend in November after which, assuming my practical coaching logbook is up to scratch and I pass the exam, I’ll become a qualified UKA FMR2 coach - sounds good eh…

My plan is to use my qualifiaction to deliver some fell coaching starting in the new year to Bingley’s juniors (& seniors if they want it) with a view to getting more kids out training and racing in the hills.

Last week I took my first coaching session which I really enjoyed and I think some of my athletes thought was OK as well. I need to do at least 6 of these for my logbook writing each one up before and after the session and getting constructive feedback from those I’m coaching!!

Last weekend it was the 3 Peaks Cyclo Cross - an annual event that I think is both ridiculous and fantatsic in equal measure. Cyclo-cross is really the foreruner to today’s mountin biking and in the early days folks used bikes that were effectively road bikes with knobbly tyres. Today’s cross bikes are a little more advanced with better brakes (some now using disks) carbon forks / frames and wide gear ratios but fundementally they are still a road bike with skinny 700c wheels / tyres and drop handlebars.

I’ve done the peaks 7 times now and, until last week, had never had a single puncture. I set off hoping for a sub four hour time which is a 1st class award and felt pretty strong over the first hill (Ingleborough) - my descent was trouble free and I even managed to only lose a couple of places on the road round to Whernside (always my weak point). The second climb went OK and I took on an energy bar whilst battling with my pal Pete Jowett as we crossed the summit checkpoint. The descent off Whernside is always a real puncture hotspot with folks all around you frantically pumping up tyres after pinching tubes on the unforgiving stone flags and hidden rocks.

I picked my way carefully off the hill and, using the experience gained over 6 previous circuits, got some good lines and pulled out a minute and half on my mate Pete by the time we saw our mates at Ribblehead viaduct. Off I went thinking only about keeping the pressure on down the road to Horton when disaster struck. As I went through the crowds at Ribblehead I suddenly felt the back go a bit squashy and at first I thought I’d ridden through mud but looking down I saw I’d flatted. I sneaked behind some spectators so Pete couldn’t see me and changed my tube.

This really threw me as I knew I only had hand pump pressure in my back tyre which means that the road section would be slightly slower and I had to tackle Pen-y-Ghent lane on a less then perfect set up.

As I started to climb the lane I could feel the sharp rocks pressing against my rear wheel rim and was constantly waiting for the hiss. Thankfully it never came but as I turned at the summit I knew the descent would be difficult. Sure enough as I was making my way gingerly down towards the final road section, probably putting a little too much weight on the front to save my rear tyre, there was a big bang/hiss and my front tyre blew out.

There’s little more demoralising than sitting there spannering your bike as all your competitors come flying past on their way to the finish.

Anyway, having fixed my second puncture I made way along the road to the finish crossing the line in 4 hours and 11 minutes. I’ll never know but I reckon this year if I’d have stayed mechanical free I’d have broken the 4 hour barrier - oh well there’s always next year….(by the way I’ve already ordered a pair of Landcruiser tyres which are fast becoming the weapon of choice for 3 peakers - a bit heavy but tough as old boots).

This week it’s light training in prepartion for the Langdale Fell Race next weekend - a 14 mile 4000 foot trot around some of the finest scenery in the lakes.  I’ve done this race twice before and had decent runs both times so I’m looking forward to it.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 at 10:41 am and is filed under Andy Nicoll, Diaries & training blogs, Uncategorised. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.