Well, it’s been a while, a few things to update you all on
not least 2 races, a trip to hospital (not for me) and the effect of over
eating.
So going back a few weeks there was round 6 of the Yorkshire
Cyclocross Points series, this was at Sheffield, a good technical course on a
hill… which on the face of it sounds good but add in some rain, wind and mud
and it makes for a painful day out.
I knew as I warmed up this would be a tough day, 2/3 of the
course was okay for me, the other 1/3 involved running, now most will know that
I parted company with triathlon due to my dislike (inability) to run so I knew
this was going to be a painful day out.
The claxon went and the sprint to the first corner set off,
sitting in the top 20 I was pleased with my start for a change, this was short
lived. I soon went backwards and after
the first run up a hill I was rapidly going backwards. Still this is good training and it is always
good fun, although the tackiness of the mud and leaves was adding to the
challenge.
It was a day for 2 bikes, my front brake became so clogged
up that it was actively braking which meant that going down hill was scary as
the brake would just lock up from time to time, needless to say I have to stop
more than once to clear the brakes, combined with the running I was happy to
see the end of the race, finishing in the top 50 (just)!!
Training has been mixed, being away with work and rubbish
weather has meant that I have been unable to get the miles in, which is
frustrating but in some ways not a bad thing as I have taken the opportunity to
recover.
I have also been back for testing at York Cycleworks with my
coach Rob, similar to last time we did a ramp test and lactate crossover test,
frustratingly this id not yield the results we were hoping for, I am fairly
pragmatic with it really as there are so many variables when you test 12 weeks
apart and the differences were not massive, still we are looking to spend some
time recovering and retesting in Jan to see if it was due to fatigue.
Needless to say I have been enjoying the build up to
Christmas and have been eating a little more than I should and that, combined
with intermittent training, has led to my weight creeping up, this came as a
bit of a shock when I stood on the scales on Sunday (20th Dec)
morning to see 88.8kgs, that’s up 9kgs since the start of last season, this is
now on the plan as something to address as soon as possible ahead of the new
season.
I have also raced in round 7 of the Yorkshire Cyclocross
series, a race that was organised by York Cycleworks and York Sport village, it
was a great day out and the weather was kind (although it was breezy), I was
feeling the effect of my extra timber, both mentally and physically but it was
good fun to be racing and the crowd was very supportive, unfortunately I didn’t
finish as my rear mech decided to self destruct 2 laps from the finish.
There was plenty of York Cycleworks riders racing and once the
results come out I will do some name checks.
I have also managed to end up in hospital, not for me which makes
a change, but because of my little girl, I was left to fend for myself while
Fiona went out with some friends for a Christmas meal, I had no concerns
as I am confident looking after my
daughter however that confidence has been tested, in short she got herself very
worked up, I am not sure why, to the point that she held her breath and
basically passed out, people tell me this is common, however it was terrifying
not knowing what was going on and basically seeing your daughter change from
being fine one minute to being limp and a bit lifeless the next.
I had rung 999 and the first responder was there quickly,
although it felt like an age, he took Erin off me and reassured me, he went
away, and did some tests and was able to tell me that nothing was wrong,
although whenever a child under 2 has an “episode” it is recommended that you
go to hospital, so off we went in an ambulance, typically Erin was fine in the
ambulance and smiling and laughing which makes you feel a mug, but I can tell
you I have never been more scared and I hope it never happens again.
So where are we now, well I am looking forward to Christmas
and some time off with the family. I
have decided to stop racing cross for the time being and focus on training and
diet up until the start of the TT season in late Feb, although you can expect
updates along the way.
Not the most interesting of updates and I promise the next
one will be more timely and in better humour.
Thanks for reading and have a great Christmas and a Happy
New Year.
