The Work Cycle

Why not follow this link to an interesting little website that's popped up recently.  Very stylish.

http://www.theworkcycle.com/

And in their own words....

A celebration of the Work Cyclist. There’s a different kind of relationship developing at work with people falling in love with riding their bikes all over again. We explore how the Work Cycle is beginning to shape the work spaces we journey to.

Another Rant about Sainsbury's

Really making a conscious effort to eat healthy food nowadays, not just the Cyclist's breakfast but in all other ways.  This includes cutting down (or avoiding altogether) mince pies at Christmas time.  The actual thought of this was miles from my mind until I spotted a stack of mince pies in Sainsbury's this evening.

I really must avoid them, though they are delicious.  Probably a zillion calories in each, that won't do me any good let alone all that fat clogging my blood vessels up.

Being mindful of the late Indian summer we're enjoying in this, the last week of September, the sight of mince pies on sale struck me as being odd.  Especially so when I saw they had a "best before" date of November 20th.  So much for Christmas shopping.

It is not all bad in Sainsbury's.  Perhaps they are making amends from being in cahoots with Innocent Smoothies on the withdrawal of the 1,000ml cartons and replacing them with rather mean-sized 750ml cartons at a price which seems almost as expensive.  Plus more packaging per litre of smoothie, not a good move.  The 750ml cartons are about half price at £1.29 so we can now enjoy a carton at breakfast without feeling rash, extravagant or just plainly guilty.  This is a brilliant way of getting a wide variety of fruit inside us.

Rant over.

Cyclist's Breakfast 2

http://ramblingsofdoug.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-ideal-breakfast.html

The above link is to the very popular Cyclist's breakfast post.  Since I published it 9 months ago (29th January 2011) it has had 248 page views.  A good number have come from the very good http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/cycling/cycling-food/ blog.

Since then I have added 2 types of seed to the mixture.  It works out as being 2 teaspoonfuls each day of:

Sunflower seeds containing vitamins E, B1, B2 and B3 plus calcium, magnesium, manganese etc  THis all adds up to regulating blood-fat levels, help healthy skin remain healthy and aiding the repair of tissue.

Pumpkin seeds which helpfully contain similar nutrients in helping the immune system and possibly benefitfitting the prostate (a man thing!).

It nicely changes the texture which is an enjoyable and filling start to the day.  The nice thing about these are that they're a very easy food to keep.  They're commonly available (I get ours from Holland & Barrett).  Additionally they are not too expensive, last a long time and keep well.  Oh, musn't forget to say, they taste nice too!

Sammy the hamster gets some as well when I'm not looking.

Rusty and Misty's blog

The Kent family, bound for Australia

A brief departure from my usual ramblings to give a quick plug for a parallel blog called Rusty and Misty.

The Kent family are probably arriving in Australia about now and we're looking after Rusty and Misty for a few weeks until they make the journey themselves.

So please do see what they're up to on their very own blog!

http://rustyandmisty.blogspot.com/

Review Asics Gel 1150

My Asics Gel 1150 running shoes with the brilliant X Socks

I have been amazed at how many hits my blog has had with people looking for the Review Saucony ProGrid Omni 10 running shoes, I thought I'd review my Asics while I still have them.  I say that as they're thoroughly worn out as I discovered last week when I used them for a couple of runs, just to refresh myself in what they're like.

So, what are they like?

When I first got them, I didn't like them much compared to a pair of Saucony's I'd had before but I grew to like them a lot.  Indeed when I was running last week in them, I was reminded about how great they are.  I remember them being hard to get used to but I did - and very pleased I did!  Main highlights are:

• They were a good fit for me.  Snug around the aperture but plenty of toe room, but not too much
• Well made.  There are no weak spots showing and their construction is fine
• They have worn well and stood up well to all kinds of rough ground, water, mud, dust, grit, abuse and thoroughly hard running at times
• Good feel for the road; stable and sure-footed.  This is important for me.
• Not too cushioned and now I have run far too many miles in them, they've gone a bit "flat"
• The laces aren't quite long enough for that alternative looping pattern of using the extra holes
• Economically priced

Ethics - I'm not too sure of the supply chain ethics applied by Asics.  If that is a concern to you as well, it's worth checking out.  I know the Ethical Consumer magazine featured Asics but I can't recall all the details (from memory, they weren't that great).

Considering these are entry level running shoes, I'd say they are excellent.

Long run, short run

Enjoying the mist at sunrise - it dissolves away as quickly as it gets lighter

Sunday morning was special for me.  I went out for a run while it was still dark, with the intention of going a little further than usual - maybe around 10 miles.  I was also feeling a little adventurous and so I headed for the start of a bridle path I had spotted before but didn't know where it went.

Normally I have a reasonable senses of direction and wasn't too bothered about not knowing where it went, even though it was taking me further away from home.  It was a little confusing in a woodland area with lots of twists and turns causing me to gradually lose a sense of which direction I was going.  When I emerged on the other side I was faced with some fields and a hill I didn't recognise at all!  I knew sooner or later I'd pick up the sight of something to give me a clue as to where I was and sure enough, that happened a few minutes later.  It meant that I was out running for a little over two hours so I guess I must have run for 13+ miles.  A fantastic run with all the right ingredients: changing light, woodland trails, fields (with rough ground to strengthen my ankle ligaments / muscles), grassland, fast roads, a golf course to sneak across and some hills

These miles weren't especially fast miles, more of a steady long distance plod.  When I got back - and for the rest of the day - my legs felt tired and achy in a satisfying way.

Yesterday I did no running or cycling as I needed the all important rest.  This morning I went for a short run, about 20 minutes so probably three miles including a good climb to get my heart pumping nicely in a noticeable way.

That combination of long and short runs suits me, as does slow runs and shorter fast runs.  It certainly features in many of the training schedules you can get from various sources and yep, there's a solid reason behind these.  I am always happy to follow the lead of someone who is an expert and knows better and I'd really commend this approach to others.  Running to include a hill (or two) is of real benefit I find but probably not if you're starting out.

All this leads me to think I could have Luton Marathon within my grasp.  My biggest obstacle is running during the week with the daylight shortening so quickly.  Returning to the gym and treadmill running is an option but I'd prefer not to. Running through the streets is also an option, under the street lights.

So to do the Luton Marathon.... Luton in my view is a dump and running 3 laps doesn't really inspire me, especially in late November or early December.  But, but it is a valid challenge.  There is the race atmosphere to draw me along and I would have something to look back on when I'm eventually a 95 year old bloke in a nursing home rocking chair- now that would be cool doing that, just before I hit 50.  After I'm 50, well why stop there?

Yew Clothing

Hey why not take a look at the Yew Clothing website:

http://www.yewclothing.com/about-us/who-are-yew/

I was having a flick through an old copy of the Jan / Feb 2010 Ethical Consumer magazine to try and find something about running shoes (which I couldn't find) and came across a brief mention of Yew Clothing.

Yew clothing's website looks pretty cool and the stance they take on trading in an ethical way is clear enough.  They're a London company who sell a range of sports or casual clothing - all made from recycled materials.  While the range is a little limited, it does look good and have some really good credentials.  It also seems very reasonably priced at £25.00 as this this short sleeved jersey shows.  It's made using a sweat-wicking material, that's produced from recycled plastic bottles.

While the website itself is great and builds the image nicely, the blog in "community" has it's last entry 8 months ago.....  Nevertheless, the products are reasonably priced and must score well from an ethical trading point of view.

Not one Good Samaritan yesterday evening

I went for a shortish tempo run yesterday evening, just after dusk.  Through the streets and up a trail to the top of a hill and across to the viewing point (wow was it windy!). On my return and back down in the town I was running fairly briskly and managed to take a tumble (again).

This time it wasn't too bad with my hands, left elbow, thigh and knee all taking some of the fall.  No single part of me took all the force which helped - but through chance rather than any quick reactions on my part.

There I was, in my running gear lying flat on my back for about a minute.  I was conscious of some cars driving past but not one single person bothered to stop and see if I was alright.  That seems really sad - are people rushing around with no time to spare?  Are people so afraid of other people and worried it is a ploy to mug or rob someone?  After a bit I got up, leaned on a lamp post and limped on my way and before long I was able to run normally.

I do think it is sad, as I said above, nobody stopped to make sure I was okay.  I will just have to make sure I never turn and look the other way.

Finding the correct saddle height

Sometimes it is quite comical seeing someone riding a bike when the seat is too low or too high.  Yet without achieving the optimum height, cycling is inefficient or even painful and likely to lead to knee problems.  Just try walking along with your knees continuously bent, as if you're lowering your overall height by 4 inches.

It is important to have a good starting point, as I have tried to show in the above photograph.  My right foot is at the bottom of the pedal stroke and just a slight bend in my knee.  If my leg was straight, I might feel as if I was getting the right leverage on the pedal but I would be wobbling from side to side on the saddle, plus I'd not be able to reach the ground without stepping forward off the saddle.  In the above set-up, I can just reach the ground while sitting on the saddle.

Having a saddle which is too low (and often I see this with casual novice cyclists) is going to be hard work and probably lead to a problem somewhere in the leg, with knees being especially vulnerable.  This is a real problem with MTB / Mountain bikes with their relativey high bottom brackets.  Having played around in trying to achieve the optimum saddle height on my daughter's MTB, it became very apparent.  There's no way she can both reach the ground safely while having the saddle at a height allowing her to stretch out her legs as she should.

There are some other points to consider with getting the right saddle position:

• Consider the angle of the saddle
• The shoes you wear might make a difference (i.e. ordinary shoes, as above, or clip-in types like Look or Shimano SPD)
• Brooks leather saddles take time to break in as the leather stretches and moulds itself to the cyclist's shape.  Remember to tension the saddle, as per instructions.  Failing to do this could ruin a lovely saddle and have you sitting in an awkward position
• It is worth spending time and a trial-and-error approach to get it right.  Go for a short bike ride with an allen key in your pocket.
• Don't be afraid to make smaller changes after a few weeks or months