scienceofficer, how do you know they aren’t that bad – have you been looking at my legs this morning?! 😀

don’t think its the stings that are bad, its the cuts, which look fetching in my skirt today!

tried aloe vera yesterday, helped a bit – took some of the welts down anyway. will try to get some witchhazel from the chemist at lunch for rest.

*scratches legs like mad – still debating whether the singletrack was worth the pain!!

i like to blast up the hills, slower on the flats (if its a tarmac section = zzzz on my mtb) and a mixture of fast if its a nice descent, or mince/recover if its too technical/i’m not riding well.

i loves climbing, generally the steeper, grassier and or rocky the better. 🙂

it doesn’t say anywhere how low you need to go – i reckon the lower it is, the more strain it puts on elbows/wrists and it does make it much harder as well

maybe i’ll just tell him i’m right! when i did the test, i didn’t find it was my arms that hurt first – it was my lower back. 😥 think i might wait until my back settles down properly and do a new test and start in a few weeks. i like press ups, one of my fave exercises in the gym 😳

can you settle a discussion between me and a friend about this? we are going to start doing this and did the initial test last week. we are discussing how far down you need to go – he reckons there should only be a fist between chest and the ground. i find going down that far pretty uncomfortable and usually only do it so as my shoulders/elbows/back are in a straight line. my theory is that a press up is similar to the chest press in the gym, and i wouldn’t take that down to my chest as it puts too much strain on elbows etc.

anyway, i got 25 when i did it last week. usually do 4 sets of 15, twice a week so will have to skip a few weeks to find a level i’m happy with.

I wear earplugs when its really noisy, but don’t like wearing them. Got blackout curtains – in face the room is so dark I can’t see my hand! Don’t drink much and rarely have coffee after 3pm.

I don’t train every night – usually Tuesday, sometimes Wednesday, Thursday, Sat and Sun. My training is varied – weights, running, mtb’ing and road riding. HR is fine and I’m feeling fine, loads of power, feeling strong etc – but then my hr fine was last time until I lost all leg power and felt rubbish. I was out for 4 hours yesterday, really enjoyed it, but couldn’t sleep without taking (herbal) sleeping pills. I just didn’t seem to be tired – but I should have been after the ride, and the fact that I didn’t sleep well that night before either. Someone told me that not sleeping properly is a very early symptom of over training – but I guess there’s no way of finding out whether I’m not sleeping because of the weather/work/other stuff or over training aside from cutting back on the exercise. Maybe I’m just being paranoid after over training a few months back and I don’t want to go through that again.

i like the black. there’s more climbing but its not technically that much harder than the red – just a bit rougher (and the north shore stuff) its usually a lot quieter than the red.

a friend of mine has the trek 1.7 – i’ve got a trek 5000, and also a 1.5 i think. i really like the feel of the 5000 – the lower spec one is my commuter and winter training bike, and it doesn’t feel as nice to ride.

Warton, I do both – I do weights in the morning, and riding/running/spinning in the early evening during the week. At weekends i ride mid morning – mid afternoon. I struggle to train (cv wise) in the morning as I don’t have the energy.

SFB, you never have anything wrong with you, must be the luckiest person out there 🙂

LGB, Not sleeping properly is my only symptom at the moment, and I don’t even know if it is related to training – noisey neighbours/birds etc don’t help so it could be that. I’m just worried about over doing it again! Trouble with asking other people, is that I don’t listen to what they say – I’m stubborn and won’t accept it until it hits me badly :-s hohum! 🙂

joxster, sorry, couldn’t get back on here to check if anyone had replied.

i had an awesome ride – canal, wol, bonaly, maidens, green cleugh, harehill to the ridges, back down again and over hare hill to green cleugh, up blackhill, harlaw, maidens, quad track, scaletrix, bonaly, wol, canal. trails were pretty much bone dry and i was riding really well.

best ride i’ve had in ages 8) 😀

cheers thanks 🙂 will go after lunch. anyone up for a ride?

i always feel rubbish when i ride/train early morning. i don’t seem to have the energy levels that i do later in the day, and then i am useless in work when i get in.

it is nice though, very peaceful.

it can be addictive so be careful – i didn’t ride my mtb for 8 months, and then when i went to the alps, i was wishing i was on the road instead of the singletrack…

wow, love those top two photos. i’m jealous, i’ve not been to inners for ages – taking the day off tomorrow to ride since the weather’s meant to be nice, but i’ll just be in the pentlands…

i’ve got a very small saddle bag for a tube. the rest (pump, food, money, lip balm, levers, phone, waterproof and sometimes map) goes in pockets.

I always ask people if they are okay – even though most of the time I’d not be able to help, as my mechanical skills are useless, but I ask anyway. Like Sharki said, manners cost nothing. I think everyone should check, regardless of gender. A few weeks ago I was out and punctured. I was passed by 3 female mtb’ers and a bloke. The females completely ignored me, but the chap asked if I had everything I needed.

I was thinking about this at the weekend – I stopped on a descent and held a gate open for a chap, who ride through without so much as a thank you. Further on down the trail, there was another gate – I wasn’t that far behind him, but he just shut the gate and rode off. Ggggrrr. I’ve come across other incidents – like men/women letting the blokes i’m riding with pass, but not me, even though i’m going faster than them/keeping up with the blokes i’m riding with. I see no reason for it, other than i’m female and they don’t want to be passed by a woman.

I take it you are eating enough when you are on the bike? I noticed my my recovery was quicker when I was using high five 4:1, compared with just cereal bars/bananas on a ride. If I don’t eat enough on a ride, I’m usually pretty rubbish the next day. I also noticed my recovery was quicker if I’d eaten / drank well (lots) the day before a tough ride.

I use the SiS recovery drink and stretch as soon as I’m in, and then lunch/tea, depending on the time of day. Sports massage helps as well. I’ve tried the whey protein shakes as well (mainly after weights), but not so convinced about them.

It is worth keeping a diary and logging how you feel/what you are eating etc etc so you can spot any trends. It is worth experimenting with different foods/recovery methods to see what suits you – I’ve tried the ice bath stuff and it doesn’t work for me (its not nice either!)

You don’t say how much proper rest you get in between sessions and if this is “proper” rest – I had/have regular rest days, but what is a rest day for me, is considered by some people I know to still be very active.

maybe she should demo a few and see what she likes and how it feels for size and then try to find something second hand? i’ve got a 16″ kona and a 15.5″ cove hustler and i’m only 5’2 – so she might be a 17/18, rather than the 16 you suggest?

i personally don’t like WSD, except for on the road bike.

good luck, hope it goes well. you will have to come here and help me over my blocks that drove me to road riding 😉 x

oi, i’m not a roadie! i’m still a mtb’er at heart, i just lost my way for a year or so…

am guessing the pentlands will be a bog fest after all this rain 🙁

did you go out then? we wanted an early start so left at 10am.

castlelaw is pretty rubbish now 🙁 i used to like it coming from puke hill and using the rocky bit as a descent. did it as a climb and its really boring and easier now. took the wee grassy line at one point, only to discover that i couldn’t get back onto the main path 😡 very glad i got back before the rain though! thinking riding with company will get me back on track and i’ll be clocking up the miles again before i know it! was this not the weekend of your sportive?

the pentlands was really quiet today, hardly saw anyone else. we did canal – bonaly – clubbiedean – maidens – green cleugh – blackhill – white cleugh – green cleugh – glencorse – castlelaw (rip) – puke hill – quad track – scaletrix – bonaly – canal. pretty much bone dry trails and sunshine as well all the way round 😀 cracking four hours of riding.

is the grassy track that was on the r hand side still there (it was at the same bit as the loose/rocky/steeper section higher up) why can’t they leave the good bits alone and do some work things like putting in a bridge over the bog on harehill??

i’m riding with chrisl on sunday, not sure where yet – weather for here is rain and i’m trying to enjoy riding again so we might do some man made stuff.

nnnnnoooooooooooooooooo *covers eyes.

what else have i missed when i was away being a roadie??! that looks awful – i used to like the wee rocky bit 🙁

eating cous cous with halloumi, pepper anti pasti, mushrooms, garlic and herbs. not sure i like it.

drinking water

listening to the birds chirping outside and wondering why i’m not out riding!

if i like fish and chips, it would have to be vinegar!

lots of reasons why i want to see one – general wellbeing/how i feel, female specific stuff, want to make sure i’m eating enough for the training i’m (well was) doing (more so as i don’t eat meat and only eat fish occassionally) and because blood tests haven’t shown up anything and i’m tired of feeling like this. i’m pretty sure a % of it is diet related.

i’m going to have a bit of a change this weekend – going for a run tomorrow and then riding either in the pentlands or glentress/inners on sunday.

not really – got blood tests yesterday which didn’t show anything so it comes down to nutrition/diet and or my head 🙂

yeah, i’m aware of that TJ which is why i thought if anyone had any experience/could recommend anyone. 🙂

quite fancy seeing if i can do the 2mins to the gate. not been up puke hill for ages. on that subject, i’ve heard castlelaw has been santised. what’s the best way round to do it – i used to like going up puke hill, turning left and climbing castlelaw that way rather than glencorse end. which bits have had work done on it?

i’ve lost mine as well – although mine has been through over training. try some time off, or do something else instead… that’s what i’m doing anyway (not sure if its helping or not though)

have done this on my trek with 23s on. not much fun, but rideable – lacking a bit of grip on the very slight ups/downs and corners with the surface though 😮 pretty slow going, watched my average speed drop quickly!

i’ve got a twin six top and its my fave bit of riding kit. very good on the road bike too, as its got deep pockets. i get mine through minx-girl, but their blokes site sells them too – rustler i think it is.

njee20, i was training for the fred whitton and possibly the dave lloyd mega challenge. had to pull out of the fred, and won’t be doing the other one either. i didn’t/don’t really feel overtrained, but i lost all leg power and then i couldn’t keep up with club riders who i’d previously been able to leave behind on climbs. Worst thing was/is that i couldn’t get my head into riding – and still can’t.

i wasn’t really following a set programme for sportives – just riding when i felt like it/when the weather was good. But some training plans i’ve seen would have meant doing more than i was doing (my training was mixed with weights each week, whereas other training i’ve seen has only been cycling based)

anyway, i’m just curious to see what i should have done/where i went wrong – “proper” training is a bit new to me, just used to ride without thinking about it much. i’m keen to do some late summer sportives and not loose all of the fitness i’ve built up so want to “fix” myself.

crazylegs – what do you mean about wrong type of intensity/training?

they are meant to be good – was going to do one a few months back. on my to do list when i’m recovered…

i could have spent a fortune on the bike to work scheme, as there was no limit on what i could spend. i went for a £700 winter road bike that i could use as a commuting bike as well, but what i really wanted was the £2.5k Trek. I was in sensible mode at the time *kicks herself.

rs, that kona coiler is lovely! i’ve got a 15.5 Cove Hustler which i really like. 5.5 inchs of travel is where its at 🙂

i’ve got different saddles on all my bikes. i seem to remember the one on my mtb (wtb laser) being more comfortable than my road bike one (bontrager) but maybe its just because i’m out of the saddle more on the mtb.

I’ve been wondering about going out on the mtb or doing something different, but don’t want to injure myself/fall off so close to the fred, so not sure it’s a good idea – I’m bound to be mince after all this time on the road! And to be honest, the thought of any form of exercise is a bit much at the moment…

I’ve already decided I’m not doing the Fred to a target time anymore to take some of the “pressure” off, but its still not helping. I was planning on having time off after the fred and riding if/when i want not, not because i have to, but really not sure i can get through the next two weeks.