Bike.Run.Bike.Run.Fail

On reflection, the past week wasn't so bad on the training front. Well, it started well but just ended a trifle pants. Hmmm.

Monday was a bicycle commute to work and back. On my trip to work I cycled a stretch I had never cycled before and indeed there be dragons! On my return I nearly killed a few folk because despite my bell ringing they just didn't want to move out of my way.

Tuesday was a run commute in both directions. Running from Cadbury's into work felt fine. However, during the return plod I felt tired and out of puff. Despite my mantra 'I'm running away from work', I still felt awful. I ran approximately 8 miles in all. I'm not sure if this counted as a long run as it was in 2 parts.

Wednesday was a repeat of Monday. Well, kinda anyway. Another bicycle commute but on familiar route and no death wish folk.

Thursday was my biggest run in months, probably years. I ran 6 miles all the way from Kings Norton train station into work. This run felt good and it took me just under an hour. Felt nice to be wearing my new running vest/jacket thing too. Am not sure if this run was 'long' in the grand scheme of things, but it was a long run for me. I hope to run a long run at least once a week now.

And that was that for my week. I had hoped to enter Parkrun on Saturday but that didn't materialise. Sadly I felt whacked, de-motivated and generally fed up and couldn't push myself to run. On top of that I had to work too. Phil had ran Parkrun and had gotten another PB (well done!) - if I was certain he was going to be there perhaps I would have attended too. Aid was a no show due to his bust ankle. On the subject of running downers, John Mitchum is now beating my expected best results on Strava too. Grr!

To end this blog on a brighter note... Got an email from Madegood and they reported that the London-Edingburgh-London film is going to be screened (premiere) on 1 August 2015. How awesome! Click here for LEL film trailer.

No PBP. Another PB. A forest. Training for the olympics.

Today I did not ride my planned PBP 300k qualifying event. There went my plans for PBP. Not to worry, I successfully completed same in 2011. I've got the medal. I haven't got the shirt though because I gave that to Chris.

Today I ran my 5th Parkrun at Arrow Valley. I finished in 40th place out of 336 runners and had a time of 21:51. That meant I had again achieved a PB (personal best) and ran my fastest 5k ever! Phil Brown was running today too which was nice. He also achieved a PB and felt I had inspired him to do so.

Wanting a new challenge, I asked friends and family for suggestions. Gary suggested the London or New York marathon. Jamie suggested a 5k run in under 20 minutes. Most folk gave no suggestions. I liked Gary's suggestions. Jamie was just being silly.

Have entered the ballot for London Marathon a number of times but never got a place and have missed out this year. It would be a lovely marathon to run - I know this because my lovely wife completed it in 2012. New York is a lovely place (have visited) but I couldn't possibly afford a flight and stuff to get there and run. Am sure I could enter another marathon though...

SJ running the London Marathon

And that's exactly what I have done. I have entered the 'Heart of England Forest Marathon'. This is a 26.2 mile, off-road run, that starts and finishes in the Medieval market town of Henley-in-Arden. The route passes through Ullenhall, Coughton, Alcester and Aston Cantlow - all destinations just a spit away from where I live. Entry was only £15 and my entry fee ensures that one native tree (Silver Birch, Oak or Beech) will be planted in the new forest. How cool is that?! Will have plenty of time to train too, the event is not until 3 Oct 2015.

Heart of England Forest Marathon (suggested route)

Got a buzz from all this new excitement. In my eagerness I started training for the Olympics as can be seen in the video below. I wonder if I'm pushing things just a little... Doo training for the olympics

No PBP for me :(

This week was a bummer! I was looking forward to cycling my second qualifying event for the PBP with Chris, Jamie, Andy and Becky but sadly it wasn't to be. 2 days before the event, in classic Chris style, he decided he wasn't going to ride said 300k event. Worse still, Chris said he couldn't be bothered with the qualifying events full stop, so in effect, he had thrown in the towel for any plans of PBP. I knew I could still ride the 300k event with some good friends and potentially have some fun but the PBP was then over for me too. I had booked my 400k and 600k events especially to ride with my buddy Chris and would not want to cycle these events solo style. I had preferred events in mind, but chose these events so I could cycle with Chris. These events all started in Poynton and were far from home (for both Chris and I). If I had known Chris was a 'no go' I would have chose more local events and cycled with Ron, and maybe Jamie and Andy. In addition to that, I paid to do these events and paid for accommodation too! Grr! Chris said he didn't enjoy the 200k event last week and didn't realise I was only cycling PBP because of him. This story might sound a trifle familiar - Chris encouraged me to cycle LEL with him, then he pulled out. I would never have attempted to get a pass for PBP if Chris had not showed an interest. All this guff hasn't been posted to have a dig at Chris, rather to explain the reasons for why I am not continuing with my planned rides. Not completing the PBP wasn't such a big issue for me, I have a PBP medal already and a big tick next to PBP on my bucket list. My frustration was with the fact that I had been training since Christmas for this event and had 'messed my wife's head up' with pleas and plans and nonsense. My mate Ron will be disappointed too.

On a brighter note, I cycled a lovely commute to work and back this week. The weather was great - bright and sunny. So nice was the weather that I didn't have to wear my usual cycling jacket. On this trip I debuted my new Rapha cross country jersey! I had also changed the tyres on my Genesis bike back to my 'summer' ones. I prefer my commute on dry bright days compared to wet dark ones.

On the running front, I ran 3 times! Each run was my usual run to work. First run and I chose to run intervals but instead of walking during the rests, I jogged instead. My heart rate didn't appear to dramatically change in line with my pace. Hmm, I wonder why not. For compare and contrast purposes I have added 2 graphs below which show my heart rate and pace for each of the interval runs I have completed to date.

The graph above shows pace in blue and heart rate in red. I warmed up for 10 minutes, the ran intervals - hard for 1 minute followed by a rest (walking) for one minute. I then jogged to cool down. It looks quite dramatic don't you think?!

The run above shows the data following a 10 minute warm up, then ran intervals. The intervals were a hard run for 30 seconds followed by a 1 minute rest (jogging). I then jogged some more to cool down. My heart rate didn't look quite so dramatic and didn't appear in tune with my pace.

My other runs were just my usual plod from start to finish. I was quite tired on the last run and think I might have over worked my poor calf muscles a little. This was all still kinda new to me.

Now that PBP plans are dashed, I just might invest more time to running. I have no major plans or goals. I'd like to chase something, any ideas welcome....

2 Battles

This week started with the completion of my first qualifying event for PBP. This event was the '2 Battles' 200k audax. An event that I have cycled before as both a permanent and calendar event. At just before 8 a.m. I met up with Chris, Jamie, Andy and Trev ready for the start of this adventure. Each and everyone one of us had that 'can't be bothered attitude' and had clearly lost our mojo's. The weather was pants, it was cold and wet with dark clouds above. Chris and I were testing some 'secret' video recording camera's but my phone app was playing up too. 

Once we set off, it just got colder and wetter. Despite wearing waterproof shorts and shoe covers, my bum and feet still got wet. Slowly, I lost feeling in my hands and feet were becoming numb. Chris and I kept losing contact with 'the lads' before gaining contact again. I think we got to the first control before the lads but definitely left after them. Chris and I had a real proper audax breakfast you see - beans and eggs on toast - the lads just had cake. 

What no real audax breakfast?!

This was a welcome stop. Not only did I eat well, I stripped off many layers and allowed my stuff to dry (or at least warm) on the radiators. Am quite the professional now...

Chris and our drying layers

We had cycled about 50k up until the first control. Now we had eaten breakfast, the rain had gone and the sun came out. Blue skies replaced the grey and it didn't rain again. Fuelled, dry and returned feelings to my digits, this section proved a little better than the first. The route was a lot more lumpy than I remembered though with a few tough climbs (with some cyclists walking).

Hilliness profile of the 2 battles

We had an info control at the 80k point, where we had to name a pub. The pub was called the 'Witch and Sow', probably named after some of the locals in the village. We stopped for a short break here and after leaving I remembered my glasses were left on a wall. I returned to reclaim them witch was a bit of a sow (see what I did there?!) After about a further 20k we reached the half way point and the next control.

This control was ok but I felt ripped off paying £6 for a 'bowl' of pasta which was more like a 'saucer'. The lads had gotten here before Chris and I and left before us too. Much faffing as I toyed with layer changes and stuff.

This next section was tough. The wind was blowing against us which in turn was making us huff and puff. It was quite a battle fighting against it. 2 Battles, hmm, the rain and the wind? During this stage I stole a pull from a group of 3 others which helped me evade the wind for a brief spell. I chased after this group of three because I was convinced it was Jamie, Andy and Trev. It was only when I tried conversing with Jamie that I realised it wasn't him. Their likeness was uncanny, and I took a photo (at the finish) just to demonstrate what a convincing imposter this guy was....

Jamie dopple

The penultimate control was a Shell garage where we finally caught up with the real Jamie and the lads. I awarded myself with sandwich and ice cream for getting this far. Sadly my ice cream (actually a Feast) dropped off the stick before I could take my last bite. Oh well...

It was nice to cycle the final stage as a group of five. I think we were all a bit pooped but the banter and general chit chat helped us to forget our aches and pains and took us to the finish with no real worries. A relatively tough day out for a teeny weeny 200k qualifying ride - just a 300, 400 and 600k event to go now. Oh, and the 300k qualifier is next weekend...

Chris and I celebrated our achievement with a weird and wonderful fish carvery with ice cream and toppings for dessert. Delicious, made the hard work kinda worthwhile. Have no idea how our recordings went - Chris reclaimed his camera. Should he send me the finished movie result, I'll post a link to this wonderful blog.

Another PB

Started the week by completing my 4th ever Parkrun at Arrow Valley Lake. The start had to be moved into a completely new area because the 'Pikey Fair' was in town. Runners weren't too sure where the finish would be. Regardless of the (new) start and finish lines, I finished in 37th place out of a field of 319 runners. I set a new personal best and ran my fastest time ever. My time was 22:10, 4 seconds faster than my previous PB. Cycled to and from the start which was nice.

Heart rate made pretty patterns during my 'interval commute'

Am wanting and hoping to run a 5k in a time of 20 minutes and despite my last 4 races at Parkrun getting progressively quicker, I am still over 2 minutes behind my ideal time. I read somewhere that the only way to run fast, is to run fast. Sounds kinda obvious. However, a lot of my research seems to suggest that running at speed is a good way to improve one’s times and suggests ‘speed work’ or ‘intervals’ is a good way of doing this. With that in mind, I ran my fist work commute ‘interval style’. I ran a familiar route (Bournville into work – 6.5k) but instead of plodding from start to finish, I added a bunch of intervals in the middle section. Essentially, I plodded for 10 minutes (warm up), ran 6 sets of intervals (1 min fast running followed by 1 min walking – recovery) and then plodded to the finish (cool down). My run took longer than usual (about an extra 4 mins) but I felt that perhaps my training was more specific now – who knows? I think I might reduce my fast running times to 30 seconds because I found I couldn’t run hard for 60 seconds at a time and naturally slowed. I’ll keep the recovery time the same. Is all new to me but I guess it’s good to experiment. I wont interval run more than once in any week. I did run one more time in the week, another run commute but this run was just a plod from beginning to end.

Cycled into work on Tuesday and boy, it really was a misty day! Quite nippy first thing in the morning. On the return leg, it was really bright and sunny. So bright and sunny in fact, that the whole of Birmingham seemed to come to life. I hadn't seen the towpath so occupied in such a long time. Commuting became a bit of a menace as the 'one way' tunnels were starting to form queues and the tunnel dwellers appeared reluctant to leave their shelter. It was misty again on my next cycle commute on the Thursday. Terribly warm on the return leg again too. Once home, I removed the winter tyres from my bike and swiftly replaced with the summer ones. Spring has sprung!

A busy week

A number of my friends, families and associates have been doing or have planned all sorts of wonderful things of late. Lin is raising monies for 'Population Matters' and plans to cycle 100 miles, check out her page here: Lin's page. Jess Pearson is planning to climb Mount Snowdon at midnight and raise money for Alzheimers, visit her page here: Jess's page. Dave Bushel plans to raise money for prostate cancer awareness by cycling 100 miles, check his page here: Dave's page. Si and Andy will be raising monies soon too for charity by cycling the Tour de France a week before the professionals (watch this space). 

Closer to home, Ron had been busy acquiring bike related stuff. His current mantra being ‘buy bike stuff now, repent later’. He had some wonderful new kit but don’t think his Mrs was too impressed. Ron has been busy completing qualifying events for PBP.

That’s what other folk are doing, what about me?! Well, I plan to complete my 200 and 300 PBP qualifiers this month and hope to ride with Jamie, Andy, Trev, Becky Burns and potentially Chris. Most of us are contemplating PBP but I don’t think any of us have completed a qualifying ride this season.

I am still trying to beat my running 5k PB time of 22:14 and plan at least one further Parkrun this month. Was hoping Aid would join me as he seemed to be doing just fine, however, he’s injured after a personal training session or something. Can you believe it? I wonder if it’s really because he got ‘chicked’ by his niece Katie on their last Parkrun together?!

As for my training this past week, it really was quite active. I commuted to work and back by cycle on 3 occasions. On my first trip it was really windy, with gusts around 45mph. A tree had fallen and blocked the tow path and I managed to tear my overshoes in the scramble to get around it. The return leg was very wet and very cold – I had no feeling in my hands once I returned home. The second commute had all seasons in one ride and another fallen tree had to be dealt with. I also had to sacrifice a buff on this trip as I had an emergency. Third commute was nice into work and I didn't get drenched on my return, despite the weather warnings - bonus!. Ran into work on one occasion with my funky new shoes. I might take these shoes back because they didn't make me run faster! Lastly, I had a short trek on my single –speed road bike during my off day which was nice.

Parkrunning across the universe...

Another great start to the week. Ran my third Parkrun and could you believe it - Aid (my cousin) joined me. Against all odd's, he ran. Better yet, I think he actually enjoyed it! I finished in 39th place out of 281 runners and came 8th in my age category. I set another personal best and ran this run with a time of 22:14. Was very happy with my time and know I can better this as I didn't do a sprint finish. Aid did well on his first ever 5k run, his time was 31:25.

I cycled to the start and finish of the Parkrun event which was nice. Once back home, I changed into my 'proper' cycling gear and joined Aid again for a cycling jolly. We cycled a route similar to the one I cycled with Roger last week on his tandem. We omitted the Cofton Hackett hills and added a little detour from the Jimney Ring. A good all-round day though felt we should really have finished with a swim!

Finished the week with a usual to and back cycle commute. The chocolate smell that I could sniff as I passed Cadbury's was delicious. I've been informed they actually make chocolate bicycles!

Doo's 40th and recollections of yesteryear!

It was my 40th birthday this week and sure enough I had the usual hippopotamus greetings and salutations on the celebration of my arrival into the World. Thanks to all those who sent me well wishes and the like. High five's to all those who sent me cards, texts, messages, monies and gifts.

A number of my cards appeared to follow a sporty theme. Lots of bicycles for sure. My wife SJ also got me a sporty birthday cake which was decorated with an impression of my good self cycling my commute bike. Nice touch and it tasted delicious!

A number of my gifts also followed a sporty theme. Such gifts included running arm warmers, whey and protein bars and a drink safe water-to-go bottle (all courtesy of Lin). With my birthday monies I purchased an awesome pair of Brooks PureGrit 3 trail running shoes and 2 pairs of running shorts (thanks SJ, Ma and Pa, Kim and Aunty Chris). I had a whole bunch of other great stuff too including a very classy watch (cheers SJ) indicating that my time is nearly up...

Am not sure how many days I have left on this planet but 40 does feel like a half-way point to me. 'Down hill from here mate'. Looking forward might be a good idea but I haven't done that, oh no, I've looked back and managed to find a whole list of previously completed sporty events. In this list is my first ever 5k and 10k race, as well as my first LEJOG trip. Wow, I ran a 5k race like nearly 7 years ago. Where does time go? Have a butchers at my list and you'll have some idea!

• 1 – 12 Sept 2009 LEJOG cycle, 971.57 miles (raised £372.10 for CMaD)
• 18 Aug 2009 Wedgnock Summer Race Series, Race 4 (Warwick) 10k. Finished 60/103 (50:35)
• 25 July 2009 Fierce 10 Run (Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire) 10 miles (harsh hills, mud pits, horse jumps and water wading). Finished 56/71 (1:31:18)
• 16 July 2009 Wedgnock Summer Race Series, Race 3 (Warwick) 10k. Finished 51/96 (48:55)
• 4 July 2009 Birmingham and Black Country 1/2 Marathon Run, 13.1 miles. Finished 281/637 (1:57:32)
• 18 June 2009 Wedgnock Summer Race Series, Race 2 (Warwick) 10k. Finished 65/118 (50:55)
• 21 May 2009 Wedgnock Summer Race Series, Race 1 (Warwick) 10k. Finished 81/126 (52:40)
• 18 – 25 Apr 2009 Lapland Husky Trail, Arctic Sled Challenge (Norway/Sweden) 250k. (Raised £128.50 for CMaD)
• 7 Mar 2009 Clumber Park Sprint Duathlon (Nottinghamshire) Run 5k – Bike 20k – Run 2.5k. Finished 70/134 (1:20:57). (Run 1 26:11, Bike 41:31, Run 2 13:14). (Raised £72.50 for CMaD)
• 31 Jan 2009 Wedgnock Winter Mud & Mayhem Cross Country Run, Race 3 (Warwick) 10k.  Finished 77/122 (1:05:37). (Raised £66 for CMaD)
• 27 Dec 2008 Wheaton Aston Road Run, Race (Stafford) 10k. Finished 291/387 (55:13). (Raised £134.65 for CMaD)
• 19 Oct 2008 Maid Marion Cross Country (Trail) Run (Nottingham) 5k. Finished 35/88 (28:47). (Raised £271.67 for CMaD)

Parkrun/Studley Triangle/Lunar Cycle/Tandem

Started this week by running my 2nd Parkrun event at Arrow Valley Park. In a kinda duathlon style, I cycled to and from the event as well. I finished in 38th place (out of 315) and came 10th in my age category. Better yet, I set a new PB (personal best) at this event and had my fastest time this year. My super funky TomTom GPS watch thing crashed which was disappointing (think it needed a software update) but all good now and at least the Parkrun folk provide official results. Just like my previous run here, Strava measured it as 4.9k! My actual, official run time was 22:25.

According to Runner's World magazine (April 2015) a whopping 20% of 'mental factors such as motivation and self-belief contribute to sporting success'. So, with much determination and a dose of self-belief - I wonder if I could run a 5k in 20 minutes?! The other 80% probably involves training etc.. Hmm...

Ran again in the week. On this occasion I ran the Studley Triangle. Nice run which measured 4.98k on my TomTom (how annoying - I wanted a bang on 5k). Had planned to run the day before but 'forgot' of my plans and ate too much breakfast to run on. I had work and planned to run back but again 'forgot' and purchased a return rail ticket. The heavens opened big time so perhaps it was for the best.

Doo, SJ, Melody and Lunar

First ride of the week was with Lunar. We cycled to Arrow Valley Lake to meet up with SJ and Melody. The valve burst in the tube before we set off which was a trifle menace.

It was fun watching Lunar play at the park and feed the ducks at Arrow Valley Lake. One of the killer ducks nipped us both but I managed to fend off said duck before she fed on Lunar or took her back to her lair. After expending so much energy it was no surprise that Lunar fell asleep on our trek back home.

A killer duck, be warned...

Mid-week, I cycled my last ever trek as a chap in his 30's. Interestingly enough, I spent this trip with a 70 plus year old! Indeed, this was an adventure with Roger and 'The Beast' (his tandem). We cycled over 50 miles on this adventure and our journey is presented below.

So much adventure in one tandem trip. Almost upon leaving Rogers address we zoomed down a hill at over 50 kph (which felt really fast on this tandem, especially considering this was only my second trip out on said bike, not to mention the fact that Roger was totally blind). We had a great day out and despite it initially being a little chilly, the return leg was like a summers day. Some of the roads we cycled were part of the Snowdrop Express. We cycled past Jonny Edgers farm (and Inknet). Much wildlife was seen and I got within a foot of some lovely bird of prey and almost hit a random stray dog. At one junction we had to dismount the bike because we (I) ignored signs that said 'road closed'. The road was having steaming hot tarmac laid down and much heavy machinery was blocking the road. The workers kindly let us past with a couple walking Roger through safely. The workers warned that the tyres would pop if they touched the hot tarmac. The last few k was a real sting in the tail as the road we whizzed down at the start, now had to be climbed. Not a massive hill but felt big on a tandem - we climbed a height of over 200 metres. Better yet, I had used the gears to move the chain on the front triple chain ring (into the granny gear) for the first time. My second tandem lesson was a real treat! Looking forward to my next trip already!

Hilliness profile of tandem adventure

Every good boy deserves fudge

First ride of the week was a jolly with Aid. Hadn't ridden with him for a long time, so this made a welcome change. We both cycled using my bikes - Aid took my MTB and I used my cycle-cross. We cycled to the Arrow Valley Lake so I could point out the start of the Parkrun events. Aid says he'll run a Parkrun with me in a couple of weeks. Place your bets now, I reckon he'll be a DNS! We finished our trek by cycling the familiar Deer route. Nice.

All my cycling activities this week used the same bike - my Genesis Day One single-speed cycle-cross. I had fitted her with a new saddle, a Brooks Cambium. This saddle was just fine (although more flexible than my other Cambium Brooks saddle). I figured that since I spend most days on this bike a comfortable perch should be a must. Not disappointed! Tested this saddle on a work and back commute and 2 additional jollies in the week!

Only ran on one occasion. This was my run from Cadbury's into work. Each and every time I have ran this route it has taken me 33 minutes (according to Strava).

This week I also got my hands on a new toy! This toy, or gadget, was a TomTom multi-sport cardio GPS sports watch. Have only used it once thus far (on my last cycle trip) but already consider it the dogs doo-dah's. It has functions that allow it to be used for cycling, swimming and running. Better yet it measures heart rate without the need of a chest strap. Expensive - yes. However, my buddy Chris works for TomTom so I was able to negotiate 'mates rates'. 

Parkrun and the usual fun

Started this week with my very first ever Parkrun. Parkrun are a kind or organisation that organise free, weekly timed 5k runs around the world. They are open to everyone and relatively easy to take part in. All such events take place in pleasant parkland surroundings and my event was held at Arrow Valley Lake. These events aren't races as such, however, I really wanted to beat all the best expected 5k times for my buddies on Strava. Out of my list of friends, I am currently the slowest. Phil B is top of the leader board with a time of 19:39 (of which I'm spurious curious), followed by Alex 24:10, Trev 24:54 and John 'Mitchum' 24:49 who I most want to beat. John and I have spoken about this Parkrun event and hope to meet up one time in the future and 'race'. Ha! My current best expected time is 26:01. Hmmm.

The weather was a bit grizzly on my first Parkrun but that didn't stop approximately 300 people taking part. I started near the front and man, it was a little congested. Not long into the run and everyone was a little more spaced out. I ran so hard, I felt 'spaced out' in a different sense! It was 2 laps around the lake and a little extra to the start and finish to make it 5k. Only thing was, my Garmin forerunner watch recorded route as being only 4.9k. Grr! Because of this discrepancy, my estimated best 5k time remained unchanged. How annoying, especially considering my finish time was 23:29 (according to watch), or 22:18 according to Strava. My official time was 23:28, and I finished 49th out of 282. Very pleased with my first Parkrun.

Whichever time I choose to use, they all beat the estimated 5k best efforts of the majority of my Strava buddies. Phil B, in fact, was the only exception - he remained ahead. Most importantly Johnny Mitchum was beat, however, due to the distance discrepancy, John was still ahead. Our comparisons were as follows:

Mitchum vs Doo

As can be seen from the table above, our 1 k distances matched. I'm currently a second behind on the 1 mile best effort. The 5k remains unchanged. Hmmm. Just wait for our first race! (Since posting, John has upped his game and has even better estimates. Grrr).

I ran once more in the week. This was my now familiar towpath run between Bournville and work. This time I ran from, rather than to, work. Just as I was nearing the finish another runner caught me up and engaged in conversation (couldn't he see I had ear phones on?!) which was kinda nice but rather unexpected. This other chap had also ran from town but his finish was Solihull - he was doing a 12 mile trip!

Even more unexpectedly was a message from Phil B (via Strava) which read ''I wish you hadn't beaten my best time on your first one!''. How cool. I'm so pleased I did. I think I will run further Parkrun events just to experience faster running. Maybe I'll cycle to and from future Parkrun events too.

Feeling like a proper, real runner and all, I got the latest edition of Runner's World magazine (March 2015). Quoting from p27 it read 'Fitter muscles can help you combat stress... Mice bred to have well conditioned muscles didn't develop depressive symptoms when they were exposed to prolonged stress, while normal mice did'. The study indicated that well trained muscles have higher levels of an enzyme that purges the body of kynurenine, a substance produced during times of stress that's linked to depression. Same page also stated that 15 weekly miles is 'associated with a 40% reduction in deaths from Alzheimer's disease'. I found this most interesting, as I am a Psychiatric Nurse, who's currently into running and feeling really quite stressed out!

Work had been quite challenging of late, and as this is a blog about my challenge menace's, allow me waffle on a little. End of April last year I was fortunate enough to start managing a small team of nurses (4 including myself) on a suicide prevention pilot. We were all seconded for a 12 month period and have made good progress to date creating, developing and maintaining this service. Sadly, all 3 of the nurses in my team are leaving as they have all applied for new posts and been successful (which is great), moving on to higher graded positions. This has left me with a huge gap to fill - I require 3 nurses to join a newly developed team and have had to advertise vacancies in a speedy manner and am looking to interview next week. Seconded posts only require a months notice and the training of new staff will take some time. On top of that, there has been little interest largely because I can only advertise a 3 month secondment to those joining my team (as funding has not yet been confirmed). I think I best keep running!

Cycled to work commuter style on two occasions throughout the week. Largely uneventful. Jenny Genesis had been kitted out with a rather funky new Fender front mudguard thing though (£3.33 Plane X). It didn't fit properly initially, but with a little 'Tim Tool-man Taylor' trickery it fitted just fine. The black bands are gone, it attached using allen bolt screws on the down tube. Also fitted a new Cambium Brooks saddle to this bike too! Well, it felt so good on my other bike and I figured I spend more (most) days on this bike. I chose the darker slate colour this time around. The neutral colour looked better but slate suited this bike. Strangely, this saddle did not come in a fancy box like the last and the saddle felt slightly different too - it was more flexible than the other one. Hmmm. Yet to test this new saddle but will report back soon!