Three go mad in Hampshire

Apologies that it’s been a bit quiet on the posting front. I’ve been bored to death by my own training programme this week and didn’t wish to inflict the dullness on anyone else, less we scare of the couple of readers that we appear to have. If you do want to know I’ve only biked in and out of work, so about 35 miles. Not huge I know but I was taking it easy ahead of this weekend’s event. I believe Sean and Fi have been doing stuff, but Sean has forgotten how to blog and Fi is currently juggling new job, uni course and training and can be forgiven.

Team Iceds is about to converge for their first event of the year, the Queststar Duo in the New Forest. The forecast is for rain – hurrah! It’s also been raining every day this week, this means the lovely cinder paths will do two things. One throw up pale yellow gunk in an amusing fashion up the back of shorts and shirts. Two, get into the brakes and grind them away to nothing.

I’ll be booking the bike in for a service on Monday then.

As we’re camping, in March, the ability to update will be limited. Highlights of the day will no doubt be tweeted by me, (@kerrymg) if you’re desperate to know how we’re doing, how early the domestic started, how badly lost we get and whose fault it is, or isn’t. Or wait til the next post.. There may even be photos.

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Second verse, same as the first

..and tomorrow is a rest day, hu-f’cking-rah!

I’ll still be up at daft o’clock but for an early meeting with someone other than Davina.

So today was a repeat of yesterday, many crunches and core work, then arms, then a blast into work – a whole 6 seconds fast than yesterday and then less than a blast back. Obviously my decision to take a day off has angered the gods and in particular the gods of traffic lights. I think I hit every single red it was possible to have on my chosen route. Guess it counts as interval work.

Still no word from Sean, or indeed Fi. I cam only assume that they are working their respective socks off and are too busy to update this week.

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Spring hath sprung

Finally it seems to be a bit warmer and lighter, which made it a bit, though not much, easier to get up and do yet more abs and arm work this morning before jumping on the bike and pedalling to work.

The newly pumped up tyres went like a dream, either that or a mere two weeks of exercise has made a hell of a difference. I knocked about six minutes off my previous ride time in to the office and this was despite the top of Holland Park avenue being snarled. Normally this wouldn’t matter too much but the sunshine has brought out all the fair weather bikers who haven’t got the bottle to cycle in-between stationary traffic, nor the wherewithal to get out of the bloody way of those that do. Bike computer reckons I did 5.53 miles in 27 mins and 17 seconds. iMapMyFitness thinks I did less about 5.38 in around 34 minutes. This is not surprising, the bike computer only works when I’ve moving, the iPhone app just keeps going until I hit stop. It also seems to think I took pretty much the most direct route in, regardless of any buildings or railway lines that might have prevented such a feat. The one good thing is that it showed the elevation and I now know for certain that I lovely long steady climb to look forward to on the way home.

I hope the sunny weather is shining on Sean as he messes about on the river and that he doesn’t have to call out the rescue boat as he did when we went for a pootle round Falmouth Harbour many years ago.

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Sean – 9th March

Huzzah! First day on the new bike and my beautiful wife’s expenditure instantly paid dividends. The ride time into work (The short route as I couldn’t be arsed getting up on time) was reduced by 7 minutes (including some rather splendid tracking down and over taking of other cyclists, never been able to do that on Halford’s finest collapsed star mountain bike). The much feared Mudford Hill, on the cycle home, no-longer fills me with dread and the fervent wish that I had a much larger lung capacity. So with new bike firmly clasped between thighs, I adopted the arse up head down stance that Sunday cyclists are so keen of and I managed to knock a very healthy 10 minutes off the ride home.

Now that my cycle time is reduced, does this mean that I am not getting the benefit of the journey I once was? My exercise time has now effectively been reduced by 20 minutes per day, assuming that (a) I get up in time to cycle the full 8’5 miles to work and don’t take the short route and (b) that I knock the same 10 minutes off on the run into work as i did on the cycle home.

Should I train hard in order to fight easy? Work harder on the cycle home on the old bike so I can reap the rewards later on? (Like feck!  The Cannondale F6 officially rocks.  The old bike is now demoted to being the camp tramp and will only be used for running me to and from the gym whilst I am at work.

Unfortunately I can’t give a report on the performance of the Saucony Flash C2 as cct training today was a boxing style cct,.devoid of any running. Obviously if there had have been any running I would have been the fastest as I had the newest trainers (yes that’s how it works) The only thing I will say is that the gym need to invest in some new skipping ropes as the one I used didn’t work….Pahh!

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Sean & Fiona – 4th March

Well I wimped out of the cycle into work today because I am duty tonight and had to bring uniform and stuff n things in. (Not becuse I am saddle sore and generally knackered).

Fiona cycled in to the camp on my bike and the two of us headed for the Brickwoods circut at the gym. The circut had already been set up and the only kit laying about the outside of the gym were some cones, big blue pudding mats and a vaulting horse; whilst the centre of the gym only contained blue exercise mats. If any of you know anything about circut training, you will know that no good can come from this lay out.

The idea is that there are two teams, team one will run around the perimeter of the gym doing a plyometric style work out, consisting of short sprints, high knee sprints over the blue puddings, deep squat jump and standing jumps over the top 3 sections of a vaulting horse, all whilst trying to pass the person in front of you. As you plough round this ‘rest stance’ the people are on the blue exercise mats in the centre of the gym doing various press up and abdominal exercises. Six exercises are to be carried out, alternating between arms and abs for 30 seconds each exercise. On completion of the 3 minutes work you simply swap from the inside to outside stance and continue working. So a short and sweet circut lasting now more than 10 minutes…simple?.. try it and let me know how you feel!

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Sean – 3rd March

Left for work a bit late this morning, so I took the short route into work down the A37, Remembering quickly why it’s called murder mile. Too many trucks passing  a little bit to close for comfort; However it did save 10 minutes and have two miles off the route.

Dinner time training was a spinning session, rather than the Brickwoods ccts. I did stick my head in to see what they where doing, even squeezing out a few press ups for being adrift but alas the cct was purely a sprint session so I told clubz (Navy physical training instructor) “To poke the cct up his hoop” and left to go spinning (At least you can sit down occasionally on a spin-cycle)

The cycle home was uneventful other than managing to come home in sub 50 minutes,so i’m happy with that.

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Sean – 2nd March

Cycled in and out of work today, totaling 17 miles in a time of 1hr 33 mins. Outside air temp for the cycle in was a bracing -2( before wind chill) Luckily my testicles are silicon and didn’t freeze off.

Cursed bike in and out of work, the gears constantly slip in the top three gears(accounts for my slooow speeds ) I compared the bikes weight to a work colleague’s and found that like its rider, my bike is a fatty (19.09 Kg)

Also managed to do an hours training at dinner time with the young lads and lasses who have just started training for the Brickwoods field gun competition (car park field gun). I was reasonably chuffed with my performance, but not so impressed with the young lads and lasses who struggled to keep up with the oldies.

“Brickwoods?! Brickwoods isn’t Field Gun! Girls do Brickwoods!”

Pat Patella, Portsmouth First trainer 1999, Portsmouth Command Field Gun Crew.)

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Sean – 1st March

Todays training commenced with an hour long spinning session at the gym and a 8.5 mile cycle home, which took 50 minutes. The reason for the slowness of the cycle is (1) rubbish bike (2) big hill to climb  (3) old worn out body. I will try to remember to time my trips in and out and measure the distance accurately and see if my times improve.

NB: Oh and I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do on this blog but I’m sure Kerry will point me in the right direction.

The daily dose will now be cycling in and out of work (until the Land rover is fixed)

AARoute finder says

From:  BA21 3LG, Yeovil
Via: Eliotts Drive, Yeovil
Via: Coombe Street Lane, Yeovil
Via: Chilton Cantelo, Yeovil
To:  Pyle Lane, Yeovilton

Distance:  8.6 miles

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Kerry – 1st March

A slow start,  cycle to and from work of about 12 miles total at average speed of a mere 10.6 mph.  Then lots of compound exercises when I got in, well definitely many and very almost lots.

Bad news is that bike has a very soft front wheel and I can’t find my pump, so it looks like running tomorrow (eek) and a trip to the bike shop.

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