Monday 28th January 2013

emzap - sounds painful.  Just jump in the bath!

Just an easy 3 mile xc run today after yesterdays long run.  Rainy, windy and dark running for any longer was not an appealing prospect!

Lyrics - naw!

Hi Tinebeest! Have been wondering what you, and Stickless, have been up to!

Evening all,

Dustin - congrats to Miss Dustin - very nicely done.

Emzap - Ouch!  Get it clean.  Not nice when they go septic.

As Tinebeest says, we went round with the hash this evening, so about 5 miles, slightly faster than I really wanted to, and got left behind anyway.  We then had a highly entertaining time finding our way.  But find our way we did.

Which bodes well.  Our news is that we have signed up as partners in the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon.  We will need to get good at finding well hidden controls in the rain.

You can scarcely guess at the difference that makes.  My lovely partner from last year will be running with her partner, and for a while, partner-less I was contemplating life without a mountain marathon on the calendar. If without a mountain marathon, then without a purpose to training beyond evading the grim reaper and the apalling company he keeps.  At a stroke, well, an on-line registration and payment of entrance fee, I am a runner again, something which my struggle during the past term had led me to doubt.  I am no fitter than I was yesterday, no wiser, no less crocked, but from now, at least through July, I am a runner.  In training. 

It makes all the difference!  

Go well all.

Good to see you, Stickless,  and good news! Training with a purpose does, indeed, make a difference! At the moment mine is just keeping that grim reaper at bay!

lovely lovely, stickless you make me smile I am happy to read that post

Welcome back Stickless.

Yesterday evening I took a bottle of refuelling liquid after swimming (and tea), and feeling much more enthused decided to investigate the clonks that had been coming from my bike's bottom bracket. After a reasonable degree of dismantling, I concluded that the bottom bracket was in perfect condition, but that the rear wheel bearings were a disaster. So that was attacked, dismantled, degreased, regreased, reassembled.

This evening I obviously had to test it out. Only 10 hard miles on the torture machine, and I'd like to say it was perfect. However, it wasn't. Improved, yes, perfect, no. Quite simply, it's not good enough, and I'm disappointed in the distinctly average quality build that I found.

Cycling is absolutely fantastic when all that finely engineered equipment is humming away in a pack of riders. It's unappealing when you are flogging away up some steep incline and your bike is clunking just as loudly as your knees.

Estimated repair costs at this point do vary:
A) £5
B) £200
C) £205
A, is a set of ball bearings. B is a new wheel set, C is both, so I keep the existing one for the trainer!

In happier news, I've ordered a new pair of running shoes.