jimmy – what train are you getting? i'd be going from edinburgh…

i was thinking about it, but not sure. i'd love to, but think it'd be mobbed…

i'd do both if you can fit it in. Inners has a pretty long climb for the first half, and is then mainly downhill with a climb towards the end. You have the option of missing out some of the xc route and doing the DH runs, which is what i do – you can push back up, or ride on the fireroad if you have a map.

As for Glentress, you can mix and match on this – get a map and opt for bits you like the sound of – my fave is up the black to the bottom of the boundary trail, up to red to do spooky wood (lots of berms and jumps) and then down the red, coming back up to do electric blue which is fab. lots of climbing on this but brilliant descents (imo) 🙂

is it normal for the cycling to be a mass start, or is it staggered as per sportives?

well, the job i have always wanted was the one i was in – but technically, that doesn't exist anymore – new manager, new direction for the team. i stepped out of my 'dream job' for a temporary promotion and am likely to be in this role going forward, minus the money.

the secondment options are scary i guess, but i suppose any change is. i just can't get my head round wanting to leave somewhere that i've always wanted to work, even if only for a secondment – and then when i come back, there's a chance i won't even be in a comms role – i could be in a policy/foresters role – basically they don't have to keep my job open for me, just a job somewhere for me at the same level.

with 5 bikes, i've got more than enough bikes to survive wherever i end up! 🙂

i like the what to wear section – heels, scarf and ear muffs, tights to cover modesty or leggings which can be taken off when you get to your destination 😀 that's so far removed from what i'd wear on a bike for commuting or mtb'ing.

as an aside, i overtook a bloke on a descent who pulled over the let me past, saying something like "on you go mate" then when he realised i was female, said "oh, your a woman, oh…" lol.

i know it will be fine, just not sure i will be! only been back on the mtb a few months after lots of road riding only… still re-discovering how to mtb again and the most i've done recently is the pentlands so techie skills aren't that good. if i change my mind i will head to inners, but will be struggling for 11am at GT, never mind a bit further down the road.

think i'm going to opt for GT around about 11ish. will be on a kona hoss which is in part why i'm opting for GT – would prefer to do Inners on my Hustler for some bouncy fun, but its in bits at the moment. hoping its going to be as nice tomorrow as it is tonight – pentlands was nice and dry 🙂

happy riding 🙂 will also be out on Sat am if anyones around.

i might be struggling to make it for 11am, but could get there for round about that time. i might prefer to do GT though – not ridden a man made centre for ages and ages and ages so will probably be mince and inners might be a rather harsh re-introduction to it! If i go to GT, will probably do black to bottom of boundary trail, and then possibly up to spooky wood and down red from there. If its inners, will head off at plora craig to do the dh trails as i don't like plora craig much.

Has anyone done the 'old' climb at IL recently – is it overgrown, or still rideable?

what bikes do you have so i can recognise you? caledonia, are you doing IL or GT?

sooooo, anyone around on friday then? 🙂

aye. i'm taking the day off and want to ride – not been to either for well over a year.

both – physio will be able to help short term, and gp can put you on the list to get a specialist to look at it. my gp is a runner and so approachable on the injuries front and when i injure myself, i go to private physio for diagnosis. both times my physio (as well as helping with acupuncture, massage, exercise etc) told me to go to the gp and ask to see xx consultant for mri etc etc.

happy birthday, hope you have a great day 🙂

i had a place this year but over trained and so couldn't do it. 🙁 still want to do it next year, or try this though.

Other than contador, it has made me want to take the bike and ride in the sun on some nice roads. So i'm going to go to near Bourg in Sept and do just that 🙂

weights won't hurt your knees if you have the right technique and weight -in fact, they may even help by building up the surrounding muscles (going to the gym twice a week has kept my knee pretty much pain free, and i know this also goes for my trainer, who has had ops to remove cartiledge (sp))

thats a long time to spend on cv at the gym = hot, sweaty and dull. i would mix it up with weights, but if you aren't that keen on them, i would do intervals on each i.e 15mins on the rower, the x trainer at level xx for 1 min, and then level xx for 2, back to one etc, then 15mins on the treadmill and so on. will keep the boredom down.

what about classes i.e spinning? very good and last for 45mins.

i had bronchitis 2 years ago and was taking antibiotics and steriods to clear it. i rode, which in hindsight was stupid, and i wouldn't do it again. don't think it made me any worse and i did take it easy, but the pain in my chest and other symptoms was pretty awful and i couldn't really speak either… i sometimes worry about the damage i may have done – the scaring on my lungs/pain took a long time to go away and was noticeably worse during/post exercise.

yes, he's meant to be directing the hobbit, so that should be good.

Pan's labyrinth uses the same style – well, ghosts anyway (and i suppose technically, she ends up an orphan before she dies) so maybe you are right.

really good though and well worth seeing. not seen the devils backbone – is it worth it (and how scary is it?)

oooohhhh *covers eyes*. yes, that's the bit. he made some freaky breathing noises as well.

i missed quite a bit of the ending (well the bit where she figured out how he died) because i was covering my eyes as i couldn't take any more at that point 😀

bring back billie piper and keep david tennent i say. don't like the look of the new doctor at all. 🙁

i've been reading the anita bean books (food for fitness and another one) which show you how to work out how much protein you need, best sources to get it from etc etc. its pretty interesting and better than guestimating.

i'm with mrsf on this on also, go for one or the other rather than cross.

its probably more to do with what/how they are used to riding than anything else – i've ridden with clubs and groups, and all of them use different methods for changing from the elbow to take 2min stints at the front to peeling off when you have had enough. i've also ridden with chaps who do through and off, but come to the front from being at the back, which didn't make sense to me.

i think its best to have a quick chat about what/how you are going to change over otherwise you won't know.

as an aside, was the course any good? i considered doing it but went mtb'ing instead.

cynical, that's a good idea – did seem rather a long recovery session so cutting back/going a different way would be a good thing.

yay for series four being planned 🙂

think its a shame they have killed off most of the main characters, but it was a good episode last night.

ah, i was looking on the LHS. cheers, will see if i can spot it next time.

i did some laps of arthur's seat last night, but couldn't see the line. is it still there and i'm just missing it?

was hurting quite a bit on lap 5, when i had someone on my wheel but there was no way i was going to slow down 😀

i'm loving it – though big torchwood fan anyway. just wish it was on a bit more often! i'm leaving work early to go home and watch last nights episode which i missed due to being out on the bike.

no downside to growing toms inside? sort of worried about coming home one day to a flat full of insects!

can't put up hanging baskets and not sure about window boxes (stay on a first floor flat which is rent and not sure how i'd secure the box so it doesn't fall off in the wind…)

i've always wanted to do this and could do with a new hobby so seems like as good a time as any – except its probably too late in the season to do much!

when i was training hard, i was lighthead/dizzy a lot of the time. had a full set of blood tests done which showed nothing, but my blood pressure was really low – this is apparently common in athletes, especially female ones. eating little and often, and making sure i was eating good food helped as well. taking iron has also helped – despite testing negative for anaemia.

i thought so, i knew there was a reason why i’ve been preoccupied with turning 30 in 6 months time. :-S

:-O i’ve just added a year to my age – i was only 9 twenty years ago. not even turned 30 yet, and losing my marbles 🙁

when are you heading up to the pentlands?

nope, as i was 10, 20 years ago! can still fit into stuff i bought when i was 18 though.

i’m a maybe, depends on how training for my sportive in September is going (and how much mtb’ing i’m still doing)

i should also add before i started doing weights, i wasn’t strong at all, which is probably a typical trait of being female.

I’m mainly doing low weight high rep, but every now and then do some higher weights, low reps. I’ve been training at the gym for years and have never bulked up – as RHS02 says, its hard to bulk up from weights without protein, and my trainer also says its even harder for women to bulk up.

I’m between 52 – 55kgs, depending on diet/training, so its still not much – suspect that would drop if i stopped the weights. And I still think that I’m better/stronger doing weights, than without – but clearly people around me don’t think that!

I suppose the only real way would be to test it for a while – but then i will hold onto some muscle strength for a while so it won’t be accurate. And tbh, i don’t really want to lose the strength i do have as it enables me to flit from different sports pretty easily.

cheers 🙂 not too fussed about taking part in the actual challenge – just wanted something to aim for over the next few weeks.

*covers eyes at this thread.

i don’t want to know how hot it is everywhere else – edinburgh has been covered in haar for days now. it looks like it is finally beginning to clear, but not much good now the weekend has passed. Ggggrrr.