SportsShoes Blog

21/09/09

Well I’ve now moved into my new flat in Manchester and I’m back into track training for a competition in Barcelona later on this week! After Trophee d’Or stage race I flew back home for a 12 day break from the bike! I was pretty busy, seeing friends and family, shopping, going out etc.  I also went to Barcelona for a 3 day holiday, it was really nice to get a bit of sun and see the sights! I’m sure my next experience of Barcelona will be a bit different though, a lot less lazing around in the sun and eating tapas and a lot more hard work!!

I’m really enjoying being back on the bike though and getting back on the track.  I’m sharing the flat with another cyclist, Dani King at the moment until the other girls get back from the World Road Race Champs in Mendrisio.  It’s really nice, situated in the student area of Fallowfield, Manchester.  It’s pretty busy around Fallowfield at the moment as its Freshers Week- we’ve stayed away though- don’t want to be catching any freshers flu!

Training on the track has been pretty mixed really, on some sessions I’ve felt quite good and on others, terrible! I guess it’ll take a while for my legs to adjust to riding the track again and get used to pace judgement necessary for individual and team pursuiting. I’m going through the motions though and hoping I’ll be able to do a decent time for the 3k individual pursuit in Barcelona.

I’ve been getting in the miles on the road after the National Senior Track Champs. The Nationals went really well, I came away with 3 silver medals and 1 bronze and a new PB for the 3k pursuit, 3.43.3

After then it was back on the road for a 24 hour week of road and rollers! My new flatmate Katie had moved in so we did some really good rides, occasionally getting lost as we explored! One particular 5 hour ride turned into a 6 hour epic where we only just got back before it got dark!!

We’ve also been doing quite a bit of test work at the moment, with ramp tests, skinfold measurements and submaximal power tests at the EIS, with the aim being to repeat them in 6 weeks time to test for specific improvements.

Here’s how my week has looked since the Trog last Saturday :-

Sunday - 30 mins steady

Monday - AM 25 mins steady

Tuesday - AM 20 mins steady / PM 6×2.5 min efforts with 1 min recoveries

Wednesday - AM 20 mins steady / PM 53 mins hard with hills 7.5 miles

Thursday - AM 20 mins / PM 45 mins steady 6.5 miles

Friday - AM 20 mins steady

Saturday - AM 25 mins steady / AM Bike 19 miles with hills

Sunday - AM Bike 52 miles with hills

Well it’s been a bit warmer this week so I finally took my bike off the turbo and ventured outdoors! It was so much more enjoyable and the time just flew by! Did a good 3hr ride on Wednesday with Joel Davidson, a local rider and went up to Gargrave and back via Skipton.  Had another nice ride yesterday from Bingley over to Queensbury and along the lanes in Halifax - much to Joel’s surprise - apparently he expected me to ’stay where its flat and avoid the climbs’ …what cheek!

Also been in the gym this week over in Leeds, need to get my core back in gear after the Christmas break but with a couple of planks every day its coming along nicely!

Got exams at the moment so busy revising for those but by this time next week they’ll be over until June!

Well I’m feeling much better now - dont think the antibiotics really worked but a long break over the Christmas holidays helped me get the bug out of my system and I got back on the bike a week ago.  The plan is to do as much riding as possible on the turbo for the moment and avoid the icy outdoors to keep the cold off my chest.  It pretty much takes all the enjoyment out of riding my bike- I’ve just finished a monotonous 90 minutes sitting in the saddle and going no where - but its definitely better than nothing!

Well I’m ill again! I seem to have caught every virus going so far this winter. Since the Revolution I picked up a cold which meant being confined to my bed and drinking honey and lemon on my 18th birthday! After a week off the bike I then tried a bit of steady training and a trip to the gym which then resulted in a chest infection. I’m on antibiotics at the moment so hopefully it will clear up soon.  I’ve just sorted out a 6 month gym membership with Cannons Health Club in Cottingley which they have kindly provided for free through the BOA.  Having a gym so near will cut down the travelling time as I currently train in Leeds.  I’ll continue to go there once a week as the strength and conditioning coach there, Mike Morely really knows his stuff, but then go to Cannons for the second session.  It’ll also be nice to finish off the weights with a quick trip to the jacuzzi and pool..all to help muscle recovery of course!

It’s awful isn’t it….

I think I have Seasonaly Affected Disorder (SAD) or something. Everytime I venture out it’s dark, cold, wet or all three.

Last Thursday we did a hard and fast 9 mile blast round Eldwick, Baildon and Saltaire, Friday I went to work on the bike then Saturday I did a man v bike race on my singlespeed Kona. Boy that was a toughie - I reckon I carried it more than I rode it round the 6 mile course - quite a laugh to look back on but at the time I remember thinking “what am I doing!!”

Saturday night I was at a big party for some friends of mine who were turning 40 so Sunday was an easy day - me and my son went down to Myrtle park on our bikes to watch Rob Jebb win yet another cyclo-cross race (even though he was at the same party as me!!) - he makes it all look so easy.

Monday I cycled to work again then Tuesday night did 6 x 2min 40 second laps with a 1.5 min recovery jog on the field. Very cold - I had frost on my Buff when I’d finished (& you don’t want that let me tell you).

Going out tonight for a 50 min spin while my youngest plays footie — don’t feel like at the min but once I get my iPod cranked up and get out there I’m sure I’ll be fine.

No big races to look forward to yet - probably going to be next year now before anything exciting on that front.

Talking of next year, me and the boys are planning our races and trips so once they’re sorted I’ll let you know what I intend to do…

JI have ust come back from a break off the bike and so I’m getting back into it again now. Went to the gym last Thursday and absoloutly died!! Apart from that I’m just doing easy riding at the moment as I don’t have any competitions for a while.  The weather’s pretty bad at the moment - typically it was lovely weather during my week off! I tried to go for a run to make the most of the weather but only managed 20 minutes and had aching joints for 4 days afterwards! I should be hearing pretty soon about whether I’ve got a place on the Olympic Academy Programme which I applied for at the end of August! Fingers crossed!

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!

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……