Been Riding

View Larger Map


With my mum staying with us for a week, and with Libby at work at the weekend, I thought I'd go biking both days (my mum had the kids)...

Saturday I went out on the Phantom (the '£9.99' road bike). I was going to do just 15 miles, but with the glorious weather I doubled back at Writtle and ended up doing 25 miles. My average speed was 16.5 mph. It was great. Hard work, but really really great. I left home at 0830. The sun was up and I was almost whooping for joy as I flew down the country lanes from Highwood to Writtle. This was the first time I've been out on the road bike on my own and I rode as hard as I could. It was quite a workout; the hill by Galleywood on the way back was a killer. I particularly enjoyed observing the 'proper' road bikers out with their Lycra and carbon bikes. I am sure I was as good as them, in my Morrissey t-shirt, Humvee shorts, Stan Smiths and the Phantom. The route / map is above.

Sunday, I went to Danbury with Joe, Keith and Jason. We did appx 11 miles. We did Joe's route with added bits from Explosive Pete's routes . Much drier than last weekend. Beautiful morning - no rain.

And I've been running... On the treadmill every other day at the gym (including 15 mins before the ride on Saturday). It is truly great to be back running again. But I am only doing 10 / 15 mins runs, with no real incline. Hard work though. After all my hours and miles last year. It is a somewhat distressing to have to start all over again. It's no so much the cardio that is faltering, it's my back and aching legs. At least I am running. I am going to do a 20 / 30 min gentle jog in London on Wed...

T

Listen to this loudly -

Powered by Podbean.com

Go here for more - http://goodheads.wordpress.com

Good eh ?

Pogues - Rainy Night In Soho

I will always love Shane MacGowan and the Pogues. And it's a special kind of love.

As I get older and the space between what I initially loved about them (London, alcohol, romance, a rural idyl out of reach) and where I am now (home, kids, trains, and telly) grows and will never meet again, I realize I love them more and more.

They have become as integral to my internal psyche as the vertebrae in my back is to my spine. The occasional words of Shane McGowan rattle round my mind on a daily basis. But this song, 'A Rainy Night In Soho', is one of my faves. I particularly love the simple refrain - "You are the measure of my dreams".

Get it here http://www.mediafire.com/?mn9pzpli9nr

T

Ps - this is bonus track version from the remastered / packaged version of 'Rum, Sodomy and the Lash'.

You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve

This is Johhny Boy doing 'You Are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve'.

http://www.mediafire.com/?zdmghvwxygc

I post this as the lyrical sentiment seems relatively apt as we spiral into economic oblivion. It is also a 100% guaranteed spectacular song. It is 'Phil Spectorish'. It needs to be played loud. So. Play it loud. And stop feeling sorry for yourself. It wont be just you losing your house; we're all going under.

T

Podiatrist - VIdeo Gait Analysis Result

I saw the podiatrist on Friday. This is what I have wrong with me -

Forefoot equinus
Nigh angle of inclination of calcanus
High angle of declanation of meta tarsals
Limited ankle dorsiflection
Disrupting mid tarsal joint
The wrong trainers - I was sold pronation trainers; I have neutral feet. I do not over pronate.

This means I -

Premature foot load
Early heel raise
Flex my knee, when I shouldn't
My gate is short (short step length)..
Have overly increased cadence
Externally rotate legs

In conclusion -

I have tight claves, tight hamstrings, tight gluteals and a bad shaped foot. This means I have tight ankles which means my running gate is restricted and is damaging my legs / ankle/ feet.

I therefore must stretch my hamstrings, change my trainers, put heel raises in the back of my trainers and take it easy. This week I will do some gentle running on the tread... And go back to the podiatrist in 6 weeks.

T

Danbury Common - early Monday morning

Joe and I did a nice 10 mile ride on the MTB at Danbury this Monday morning. We started at 0630 and rode for appx 2 hours. Thence to work.

Good to be back on the MTB. We're going to do it all over again this Sunday. But this time I want to do it twice.

I've been out a few times on the Phantom (my £9.99 road bike - pic above) with Simon. In the last two weeks we did a 15 mile and a 20 mile route in Billericay, Ingatestone. Our average speed was 17mph. However, during the 20 miler on Sunday the Phantom's gear cable snapped and the handlebars came all lose. But did that stop me ?

I'm thinking again about getting a nice road bike. But do I need a a £500 road bike ? The Phantom is maybe good enough. I think I'm doing a good speed and it's comfortable (I can beat Wellsy). And on Sunday in the driving rain, with the dodgy handlebars and half my gears gone, still kinda perfect. It was quite fantastic actually. I think I had a bit of an epiphany - road biking is quite great.

Anyway, here I hope is a link to the Danbury off road we did on Monday -


View Larger Map

T

Black Hole Sun - Steve and Eydie (Dirty Reissue)

Listen to this - http://rapidshare.com/files/106364975/06._steve_and_eydie_-_black_hole_sun__dirty_reissue_.mp3.html

It is a cover of 'Black Hole Sun'. Originally a fantastic track by the once mighty Soundgarden.

My mate Mike and I loved the Soundgarden album this came from (titled Black Hole Sun) back in the early 90's. It was refreshing to us, I think, to listen to guitars, bass and drums again after years of having our minds mushed by orrible rave music.

This version is a kinda 'lounge' style version. I have no idea who these people are. I don't know where it came from. I heard it on the mighty Sean Rowley show on BBC London; found it online and now play it most often.

I always thought the song was about Kurt Cobain.

And please, if you download, leave a comment (who are you ? Why did you look for this track ?).

T

Music time - Weird Fishes (partition version)

Enough of bikes, fingers, ankles and etc etc etc. Music time.

I am going to post music on here each day for a week.. And, so, in no real order....

This is something I found last week(ish) on the Atease message board. It is 'Weird Fishes' from In Rainbows (that's the last Radiohead album). However it's been put through some software by the geeks at Atease which has separated elements of the recording using the stereo partitions.. This is the "centre mix". Not sure what all this means in theory, but in practice you get the original track sounding kinda different. It is "ghostly" and the guitar sounds great.

Get it here - http://rapidshare.com/files/105666869/04_-_Weird_Fishes_Arpeggi__center_.mp3.html

Go here to meet the people at Atease. The Atease board is probably the best music message board in the world (click through to Message Board. Go to the Music section. And the TV / Film bit too)- http://www.ateaseweb.com/

T

Bad hand and bad leg

Right hand -

I have broken my finger. I had an xray and it shows I fractured my right little finger. I spent 4 hours in A&E and then 4 hours at the Fracture Clinic. It's OK though. I just can fall on it for 6 weeks from when I did it (6th March, on the bike at Danbury).

It's Thursday night (3rd April) and I've not ridden my mountain bike for a month. I have to wait another two weeks. I cannot risk damaging it some more.

Ankle -

I saw the physio last week. He has given up.. He is not able to fix me. The injury has now switched to the other leg and is more severe. I cannot run for 15 seconds without having a limp for 4 days. When I run I can almost feel it grind in my right ankle. The physio no longer thinks it is ankle impingement but is now saying I have bad bio-mechanics and has refered me back to my GP who has now referred me to a orthopedic consultant and supposedly a podiatrist. In the meantime I am going to see a private podiatrist next Tuesday..

Great eh ? No running for 2 months and now no mountain biking.. I am going to get a new road bike.

T