Joined a running club - tick!

Today I got off my rear and sent in my forms to join a running club. On Saturday I suddenly (in a state of panic) realised that I has a week until the start of the Oxford XC league, and I hadn't even joined a club yet (let alone taken my XC spikes out for a whirl, but that is another story altogether!).

So I took up my boss' offer to drop off the membership form for me and joined Cirencester AC - seemed to be as good a club as any as there weren't any Reading clubs in the league. Sad but true.

Anyhow, I'm quite looking forward to racing on the weekend - I must just do a good job of tapering and not riding like a madman in the latter part of the week.

'Till then!

Gallileo Win! :-)

Friday, and massively tired and relieved. It was a hard, challenging week at work - enjoyed it. It was also a brilliant week for SPEED. On Thursday I ran the October edition of the company race called the Gallieo; about 6km on roads and through a lovely wooded park.

It was chilly and looked "threatening" to drizzle - though it stayed dry. A conference call just before meant I had little time for getting changed and my warmup on the treadmill was cut shorter than I'd have liked, but I'd still got my heart-rate up and was ready for action.

The race started on a gentle uphill which we took at an easy pace which was nice for easing into it. I quickly noticed that me and this other guy had managed to drop the field on the uphill and were now steadily heading along at a nice easy pace along the gentle asphalt pathways of a park. Given that I didn't know the route, I had to just follow the other guy along; a good excuse for just pacing with him.

The course was lovely, passing fields scattered with lazy cows, coursing through a park with joggers, lunchtime walkers and dog walkers, under trees and over bridges. It all went by quickly and soon I was back on a familiar path, so the last 1/2km. I upped the pace a little but still being unsure of the route, continued to follow my partner.

As soon as I was sure of where I was I opened the taps. Even surprised myself with my acceleration. But I wasn't about to indulge in any half measures. I wanted the win.

I crossed the line with about 10s over my opponent, it was a really nice run. Best of all, despite my last run having been in Durban over a week ago, I felt really strong and fast. The XC season starts first week of November, so I really need to get off my arse and sort out my club membership. I can't wait!

It's all about the bike!

What a great weekend. It was all about the bike; taking my time building my race bike and running around doing domestic stuff on my trusty Genesis + trailer.

Took the race bike out for a proper spin earlier. It feels all I'd expected - fast, incredibly stiff and massively responsive. I love it.

Back from SA

Just back from South Africa. Good to catch up with old (and new) friends, brilliant to spend some quality time with the Old Man. Got a few nice runs in, Durban is just perfect for a challenging run - lots of hills and gorgeous views. Also got some nice driving in - Dad was kind enough to let me pilot his MX5 everywhere, reminded me of my other love in SPEED - there is nothing like a sublime steer through tight, twisty roads.

But now after precious little sleep on the flight and a most unproductive afternoon in the office, Bedforshire calls. 'Till next time.

The bike has arrived!

After the months of plotting and then the relatively short but tortuous wait, the big box of bits finally arrived from Ribble! I'd already acquired a few bits from other shops - the Dura-Ace wheels from Evans (the saga continues) and Ultegra chainset from Wiggle (long story involving indecision) - so the anticipation was even greater!

Unfortunately three things have thwarted what should have been a weekend of building and finally riding this bike, the details of which have kept me occupied and perplexed for the past few months: I ordered the wrong handlebar, the saddle I wanted was out of stock, and I'm off to a conference in South Africa today! The trip to SA will be great as it'll be the first time I'll see my Dad since him being in hospital after his heart attack earlier this year. And hopefully Ribble being out of stock of the saddle means I'll get the slightly revised and better looking '08 version. Patience, they tell me, is a virtue, and it gives me another thing to look forward to when I get back.

I am really looking forward to coming back not only building my bike, but also starting to get some training done for the XC season. I've been working on my flexibility and I'm already seeing big improvements, and I hope that XC will help me even more with getting myself nice and lithe. It should also be a nice change of scenery which I am looking forward to. I'm also hoping it will get me into the right sort of competition frame of mind ready to hit the bike racing season running, erm ...

So, my running shoes are packed, so I'll be able to get some training in despite being off my commute bike for what will be a week and a half. I'm also planning to scrounge around the garage, so you never know, I may just come back with a frame which will form the basis of a fixie? To work on my pedal action, you know ;-).