keep calm carry on.

having enjoyed a couple of months of puncture free life i’m now the whipping boy of the puncture fairy 2 in 2 days different wheels too! Good job i’m going back to the bike shop on sundays i’m in need of tubes! Puncture proof mtb tyres are what i need.

update.

still alive readers. Had the flu developed a chest infection. Suffered a financial crisis of my own making so become king of ebay. Had to sell the langster so we are a one bike knobbly tyre blog and rider. Oh well needs must. Anyway off to blackpool today for my little girls dancing competition.

Autumnal Themed Beers.

** Non bike/running/fitness/commuting related  Beer related weekend post**

Don you’ll like this one.

Over the past few weeks when calling at pubs for lunch as just for a drink i’ve made an effort to sample the guest / unusual ales. Three of the best so far have been:

Hobgoblin.. The unofficial beer of Halloween:

Milestone brewerys: Plot & Treason. A Bonfire night Guy fawkes themed beer. This was drunk at a lovely pub  / tapas bar near my office called the Wig & Pen (there’s a lot of solicitors / Lawyers around here:

On a beer related note, my two favorite pubs to visit at the moment are no where near my house as we unfortunately don’t have a “local” but venturing a little further afield and some really great pubs are.

“The Black Lion” in Firbeck: 

And the “Old Nags Head” in Edale

Great beers and atmosphere in both. The Nags head is a walkers pub so there’s a roaring fire going all day everyday. Which when you walk off the wet and windy hills is beautiful.

Timbuk2 bag 1 week on

Well i’ve been using my new bag on and off the bike for a week and I love it. It easily fits in everything I need college folder, change of clothes, work clothes + gym clothes lunches etc no problems.

It is comfy on the bike, although I may go for a shoulder pad to keep it from rubbing too much! I’m even able to carry a small light weight lock with me everywhere.

Yes I definetly like the look and the feel and the practicallity of this bag, so much so that i have resigned all my other rucksacks to the garage.

So the highwaymunky verdict is. TIMBUK2 Bags Rule!!

Try here for your own: http://www.timbuk2.com

On your ead son!

(the title is a football / soccer termanology for our colonial cousins)

New header….. that’s it really. Fancied a change and as i’m roasting away in our office with the heating stuck on surface of the sun temperature, may as well do it now.

This is a lovely photo of Sheffield by dusk looking at the city from park hill. It’s from the university website and you can see the university from in the middle of the shot.

May start posting some more pics of the city from my commute…… when it’s light enough to see!

cooked!

Ok… i hurt all over! my arms, shoulders chest and back are complaining about the punch bag work outs.

My legs have completely had it! I had to get home at a certain time to pick up the little boy from school yesterday and it nearly killed me! I suffered the whole way and could have no breaks as i  had to be there at that time!

Anyone know of a fix for very tired muscles…. I’ve got to get back on the bike to get home, my mind is looking forward to it, my body is not.

It hurts to type, I think the only cure this morning can be a bacon sandwich. Speaking of food. I was so hungry last night I had 3 dinners!

Beans on toast with my son, Bacon sandwich whilst waiting for my wife to come home from running and then a curry from the indian takeaway.  Still wasn’t full!

Cool!

Yesterdays commute home was a bit quick, I was like greased lightening for all the way did the whole 11 miles and 500ft ascent in 40 mins, but i was suffering with knee pain by the end, i’ve not had that for ages and am wondering if it’s the singlespeed that caused it (all the strain on the hills)

I picked the kids up and walked them home, got changed and went straight to Brett’s for our pre arranged run. 3.5miles of suffering followed, dash home quick shower, get dinner for the wife and then off to church group.  I finally got some dinner and sat down at about 9:45pm…. phew! long day.

Feeling a bit stiff this morning but still managed to get 15mins workout on the bag and 10 mins situps and pressups before the commute, i’ll be sore tomorrow. Looking forward to saturday and a day off already!

Oh, the cool thing is I discovered that my ipod classic + ipod sock will fitt in the cell phone holder of my bag see:

This is cool because it means that I don’t have to wear baggies  / 3/4 length shorts with pockets all the time on the bike to listen to my music….. and i love my music.

Working the bag

In order to fight the cold mornings i’ve come up with a cunning plan…. so cunning in fact it has been awarded “The Most Cunning Plan” at this years cunning plans awards….. held by me…… in my garage.

Anyway. commuting in a morning in the winter is cold, its a fact it is cold in the morning and for the 1st 15 – 20 mins of the commute i’m freezing my ass off! So in order to warm up in a morning i’m getting up 15 minutes earlier and having 15 – 30 mins work out on the punch bag.

The benefits of this as i see it are,

1. Upper body workout, (my legs get loads of exercise)
2. Get warmed up prior to getting on the bike hence not cold on the commute
3. Make use of the punch bag and boxing gloves that i’ve had for ages.
4. It’s fun to hit the bag

I’ve done this for the past two mornings and have found the benefits of feeling warm as soon as I start cycling (without a million layers on) more than make up for the time robbed from sleep.  Also managed to get a few situps in… you never know I may get rid of the tummy fat one day.

Any thoughts on boxing  / punch bag training anyone?

Frosty morning & Hot tempers

Well I didn’t post this yesterday as I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, so as event of yesterday seems to have been sorted out as much as it’s going to I’ll tell the tale.

Yesterday it was freezing! The ride was enjoyable and reasonably quick. As I got into the city centre I was diverted from my usual route due to the police closing off the road (two guys were attacked in the night) so I followed the new bypass road round and pass Kelham island then up to west barr (areas of Sheffield) then I came to a small roundabout, I claimed the inside lane and kept pace with the ambulance in the outside lane and as I was coming off the roundabout into the main road a (BMW) mini tried to squeeze himself in the gap between me and the ambulance. I swerved to get out of the way and voiced my disapproval of his driving “Oi! Cock!”

This got his attention in as much as he looked in his rear view mirror and then slammed on his brakes! I nearly went into the back of him! He then pulled over and I passed him and as soon as I was past he set off and was right on my back wheel I took the left turn to my office after about 5 metres and he followed right on my back wheel, he then went round me and as soon as he was along side swerved the car into me!

 Fortunately I was expecting this and swerved to the kerb to avoid him, he then floored it off down the street.

 In the cold light of the next day I’m pleased that I didn’t chase him into the car park and beat the snot out of him although I felt like it at the time I chose to report it to the police. Who very kindly informed me that they would call him and warn him…… not sure if that’s better but at least I don’t get in trouble.

I have a photo of his car…. should i name and shame?????…… maybe.

 My commute home was a hard one I had to call in at college to explain why I wouldn’t be in today (too many meetings at work I need to attend) and chose to do the hilliest route I could home which involved about 3 hills 3 big ones. Total of 786ft of climbing in a 14 mile ride…. No gears!

Needless to say I’m a bit sore today…. And got to go running with Brett later….. hope it’s not a big one.

ravenfield pond run.

went for 6mile run this morning. Managed to escape dad’s taxi service duties. The run was me brett and his neighbour neil. It was a hard run lots of hills and we’d all had too many beers last night so feeling not too hot this morning. We toiled and sweated but managed to do the whole run with no serious stops. Feeling good now. But the 2mile bike ride uphill home was bloody murder!