Thanks guys, yes it did have a decent D lock on it, and a cable through the wheels, was locked with my son’s bike which had a different lock on.  Was parked for 2 hours over lunchtime right outside a busy shopping centre and only his was left when we emerged after some bowling.

Being totally bespoke does indeed make identification very easy – the frame number is a combination of my DOB, previous postcode and my initials, so there won’t be any issues proving it’s mine if it is found.  However, I can’t exactly put Santa Cruz Stigmata (or whatever) and see what hits I get on eBay/Gumtree/FB marketplace etc.  Searching by ‘road bike’ is going to be very tedious.

It is/was insured, however with the excess I can expect best case scenario to be £1k out of pocket with what I had valued it at :(

At least I probably don’t need to change the brake pads any more…

Happy Octopus user here – switched after getting an EV, off-peak charging overnight is excellent, and the customer service has been great. 

I’m a Tiny Rebel fan, and I’ve had their beer advent calendar a few times too.  I’d put the hit/miss ratio in the positive, but I’d be lying if I said I liked everything.  Club Tropica and Electric Boogaloo are certainly favourites and if I weren’t totally skint at the moment I’d be filling the fridge with Sleigh Puft and other delicious sounding beers

I had the pleasure of being in the US a couple of weeks ago, and despite the wise strategy of avoiding discussing religion and politics, I couldn’t help but gently probe a couple of colleagues/contractors.

One despises Biden because of his energy policy, as his cost of petrol and heating oil has gone up.  Totally denied that renewable energy is worthwhile.  Claimed not to be a massive fan of Trump, but said that during his presidency his overall cost of living was much lower, and he would vote Republican again.

Another contractor proudly had a MAGA sticker front and centre on his hard hat, so it was fairly evident where he sat on the political spectrum.

Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride!

I had some PF after a heavy heel landing in an XC running race in new spikes with a very minimal heel cushion.  The only thing which helped for me was a wooden foot roller, using vigorously.  If it wasn’t hurting, it wasn’t doing any good.  Something like this

Can’t guarantee it’ll help for you, and no idea how weight affects PF, but good luck

I do use a lot of the features, so would miss the premium aspect, just a bit of a shock to see the new price.  I probably would have continued regardless, but the price increase wasn’t exactly fully transparent 😐

I’ve been a paid strava user for quite a few years, it was always about £35 a year from memory, was rather surprised to see a payment notification of being charged £55 iirc a couple of days ago 😮

@lunge – nice Zegama sole – that’s the exact custom setup I had for my first 100 mile race and did the job 👍

For nipples I bought a job lot of the smallest circular plasters for a couple of pennies per plaster, and they work well.  Small enough not to extend much into the hairy area.

Not much running for me at the moment, I’ve cleared my diary of races for the year while I sort out some niggles.  However I’m so bad at actually doing any strength work that I’m not actually addressing the issues 😐

I think a number of factors determine when you are likely to peak – the main one being when you started running, and when you started training with intensity.  I started running relatively late, in my early 30’s but didn’t start training properly until a few years later.  I ran 2:23:08 age 40 (marathon 13), and 2:23:06 age 42 (marathon 16).  It also takes a few years of training to nail a marathon, and also a few attempts.

If you’ve been running for years and years and have seen a peak then steady decline with age, despite consistent training, then probably yes, you are unlikely to improve.  However, if you’ve just dabbled and there is plenty of scope to ramp up your training volume/intensity without risking injury, then you may be surprised at what you can achieve.

Of course this ignores at what age you could theoretically maximise your potential, as world marathon winners seem to be getting younger, but that’s a different question.

Quality running Mr Ford, you’ll be some of my competition next year :)

Sorry about the horrible formatting in my post, didn’t realise it had all copied through and it’s too late to edit now…

I also think that my days of marathon PBs may be behind me, but I do have another silly goal next year – V45 world record 5k.  It’s 14:29, and I ran 14:33 a couple of years ago, so it potentially within reach…

Realised I’ve been rather quiet on here recently, thought some might be interested to hear how London went:
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>London marathon has been a major annual focus for several years, and despite concentrating more on ultra-marathons, I still managed a personal best in 2021.  This year has been somewhat different having picked up some injuries in August last year which I haven’t yet sorted.  Comparing my usual training block to a marathon I would run about 2,200 miles, this year has been less than 600 in the same time period, without any focus on speed or long runs.  As such I had slightly different goals for the race:</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>A goal – sub 2:40 to qualify for the championship start again</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>B goal – sub 2:50ish to get good for age again</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>C goal – finish</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>D goal – not injure myself further</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>Some goals were potentially mutually exclusive, I didn’t want to put myself out of action for a long time even if A was achievable etc.</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>So, with very little training, and a sore left glute, I started at slightly lively 2:35 pace, and after about 5km started to drift slowly backwards through the pack, feeling somewhat uncomfortable but not in any significant pain.  I had pre-arranged Max to hand me some nutrition at 3 key points along the course, which was a great help, knowing exactly what I was getting and where.  Lots of vocal support from friends and clubmates on the roadside, but I did manage to fail to spot Natalie and the kids on Tower Bridge.  Halfway split of 1:18 was pretty much perfect, however I expected everything to go wrong from 30km.  This is where lack of training reared its head in October where I had similarly poor preparation and I missed my A goal that day by a frustrating 4 seconds…. Remarkably I was feeling pretty good and fairly confident, and started to drift forwards through runners with the A goal looking increasingly sure.  With some time in hand I didn’t need to push particularly hard to the finish, knowing that I could slow significantly without missing the goal, and enjoyed the last ¼ to come home in 2:38.</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>Always a spectacular day out, regardless of the weather – while the drizzle was probably a blessing for most of the runners, it didn’t appear to have dampened the spirits of those supporting.</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>Hopefully I’ll be back next year in full fitness with some slightly more ambitious goals.  I expect I’ll be the youngest in the V45 category, the race falling 2 days after my birthday, so hopefully I’ll do better than 83^rd in my age group!</p>

Just taken the plunge and ordered a Tesla Y though the company lease scheme.  My 165k mile Passat was becoming a little unreliable with a couple of breakdowns recently, so seemed like a good time to look at replacing.  Hopefully the transition to a smaller boot and EV will be relatively painless, and more than offset by having a much more expensive and brand new vehicle…

I wear mine for running virtually all the time for podcasts.  For riding as soon as you’re at any speed, certainly on the road, wind noise overcomes them, but love them for everything else.  I also have a waterproof non-Bluetooth pair for swimming which I do have music on which makes going up and down a pool tolerable.

@turboferret tasty! I’m at 365th/89th, so yeah, assuming my placings were comparable with one another, you had a rough day at the XC nats 😉 .

@finbar yes, it wasn’t an amazing run, and when I got home I discovered that the covid test that I had taken that morning was in fact positive :o I probably should have waited a bit longer to wait for a 2nd line….

The standard is just astounding too. I’ve placed higher at London marathon than I have at the XC nationals…

Absolutely, my best at the National XC has been 107th I think, although I was feeling terrible prior to the race.  London marathon – 10th non-elite :)

My running took a real nose-dive after August, so I’m well down on last year.

227 days active

4015 km run

26,942 m ascent

Hoping to get back into the swing of things soon.

On the topic of running bags, Ultimate Direction do some really nice well featured running bags, but not cheap.  Centurion Running have a few discounted on their store at the moment, but you might find them cheaper elsewhere

I have similar, have to bleed a significant amount of air out of the rad in our loft bathroom fairly frequently.  The Fernox leak sealer looks like a good option, how does one add it easily?

Looks excellent, although as I’m not a huge fan of digestive biscuit bases, I’ll be substituting them with Lotus Biscoffs instead when I make it very shortly

I ran out on the M25 yesterday evening, and as it was cold thought better off just using water as I do in the summer.  Grabbed a 5l bottle from the forecourt of Clacket Lane (no price tag obvious), and was somewhat taken aback to pay £11 :O  Expected it to be about half that….

Another vote for Bontrager OMW here – having used a variety of Lake and Northwave, the Bonts are way better.  They are similar to a snowboard boot in construction, with a separate soft insulated liner, and a more rigid outer boot.  This morning in -6 my feet were toasty.  A shame they aren’t available widely any more, but a few places have limited sizes in stock online https://www.candncycles.co.uk/product/115307/bontrager-omw-winter-bike-shoe/option/ for example

We’re off to Kaprun on Christmas eve, returning on NYE, looking forward to using the new lift linking the Maiskogel with the Kitzsteinhorn glacier avoiding the need for a bus.  Only minor glitch being border controls being on strike while we’re travelling both ways…

I have a Tiny Rebel beer one.  Today is a 10% triple Citra TIPA which I’m sure will be absolutely delicious :)

From previous experience there will be a few I’m not so keen on, but overall a big thumbs up.

Bought my wife the Liberty beauty one last year, which she requested again.  Works out at about £10/day :O

@<span class=”bbp-author-name”>c_klein87</span> there is a difference between being waterproof and wetting out.  When a breathable fabric wets out on the surface, it impacts the ability of the fabric to pass vapor through, so folk often think it’s no longer waterproof.  It is, it’s just lost the breathability, so sweat condensates on the inner surface.  A Gore fabric wash liquid should replenish the DWR coating and it should be close to good as new.

I’d certainly be putting a fiberglass patch or similar over the hole.  I’ve recently had to discard a 5 year old washing machine as the main bearing had gone, and with a sealed tub it’s impossible to replace.  £500 unit thrown away because of a £15 part, as the manufacturers wanted to save a few quid on a welded tub instead of bolted.  Unimpressed would be an understatement…

How about a compromise between a stud wall and glass – build you wall out of glass blocks.  Best or worst of both worlds?

@lunge The Snowdon marathon is generally televised on Welsh TV, so if you’re up the front expect to have a camera in your face.  A buddy of mine has won in the past.  The final descent can be pretty slippery if it’s been wet recently, and the cameras love to catch anyone falling on their arse :)

Looks epic though!

@alanf a half in the next couple of months is the plan, I’ve entered GFA as a backup, hopefully upgrade as you’re planning on doing so.  It’s a little annoying that the qualifying window is so small, even for GFA it was a year, I’m sure it has been more like 18 months in the past.

The qualifying period for the 2023 TCS London Marathon began on 4 October 2021 and ended at 23:59 on 2 October 2022. To have applied for a GFA place in the 2023 TCS London Marathon, you must have achieved the relevant qualifying time displayed below during the qualifying period.

That means that the GFA window opened the day after London 2021, and for the champs is anytime in 2022.

The only issue now is that after a week off after London, running 10k this morning to work, my knee is still far from right, so I really need to get some diagnosis before committing to proper training.  Would be frustrating to be out for an XC season which starts next weekend, but have to look long-term…

Also:
I have a Good for Age entry – can I upgrade this to a Championship entry?

There will be no upgrade process for the 2023 TCS London Marathon.

@lunge Gore specifically say not to wear a pack with that jacket, something which I was unaware of for the first year, and saw no deterioration as a result.  However, I was always wearing a small light one, and never muddy etc, so your mileage may vary… I have been very impressed with the durability, especially as my son christened it my bin-bag jacket :)

If I want to start from the Championships, then it’s either sub 2:40 marathon or sub 72:30 half before the end of the year.  Don’t fancy another marathon, so I’ll probably look for a half.  The difference between being the fastest in the red start, and being in amongst lots of fast folk to tuck in with and share the load is significant.  I ran my first London in 2016 off red and led it for a few km, which was a novelty.

@lunge I can’t speak highly enough of the Gore ShakeDry fabric.  Crazy breathable, mega light.  A couple of manufacturers make jackets with it, Gore being one.  I wore mine for virtually all of the Thames Path 100 in horrid weather and it didn’t slow me down much :)

An early realisation of how breathable it is was running home from work one day, at a decent effort level, absolutely bone dry inside the jacket, but then discovered a really soggy train ticket in the chest pocket, which had obviously been subjected to a load of sweat passing through the inner surface.

London marathon at the weekend – the goal was to keep my championship start qualifier, and not much more, I certainly wasn’t going to be anywhere near a PB, so just wanted to tick the box for next year.  6 weeks off with various niggles verging on injuries, then about 2 weeks training wasn’t exactly optimal, but I did think that I could get round in under 2:40 without too much difficulty.  A friend who ran 2:20:08 in Berlin last week was pacing a girl he coaches to around 2:37, so the aim was to sit in with them for as long as possible. This was me filming him on his GoPro coming over Tower Bridge

All good fun and feeling fairly controlled until around 20 miles in, where I drifted off the back, and it was a painful last 5 miles, the last couple very much so.  My watch had gained an extra km around the tall buildings of Canary Wharf so I couldn’t trust either the distance or pace, but looking at the mile markers and my time, I thought that I was fairly comfortable to sneak inside my goal time.  2 km to go, and I was pretty sure I had 9 minutes to cover them in, but considering my splits, I think I read the time wrong and I only had 8 minutes and needed to pick up the pace more than I could manage.  Ended up crossing the line in 2:40:03, a crucial 4 seconds slower than I needed…

Right knee, which was giving me some bother in the lead-up is particularly painful now, but hopefully over the worst of Monday.  Certainly taking a few weeks off before trying to get back into the swing of things, and potentially target a half before the end of the year to get under the 72:30 champs qualifier, but I’d need a few more weeks of training to get the required fitness.

The family home of a university friend is Creskeld Hall, a rather nice pile of bricks near Leeds.  It was regularly used for filming Emerdale Farm, and he said the filming paid for the upkeep of the house.  His 21st birthday party, along with his twin brother, held at his house was a decent bash :)

It does look nice, but I can’t see many serious sportspeople switching from more traditional brands.

This amused me too:

Call and text.

Cellular connectivity is built into every model. With a service plan, you keep in touch with up to 18 hours of 4G LTE all-day battery life.

18 hours and all-day don’t seem to correlate here :)

I do absolutely zero gym or cross-training, but that doesn’t mean I would be a better runner if I did, just time constraints and probably laziness on my part prevents it.

I had an interesting session last week while on holiday staying on a farm.  One of the lads there turned out to be a keen runner, and asked me if I wanted to join him for a session one evening, which I was delighted to do, as I very rarely have any company for my runs, certainly not hard ones.  He said in advance that it was 10x1km @5:25/mile, which is about my marathon pace, so sounded good.  Starting the session it turned out to be alternating 1km @5:25 and 1km @ 6:45 x 10, so a total of 20km, at and average of 1:13 half marathon pace.  London marathon championship start qualification is 1:12:30 for a half for comparison.  Not something necessarily to take on lightly.

He started to fade on the 3rd and 4th rep, so we cut it short to just half the planned session, which was enough for me!

The session above is called up and down the clock at my club, and is a solid one.  Going by time everyone starts and finishes at the same time, so the slower ones still get the same recovery period.

We didn’t even consider our insurance position during our recent extension, maybe that was a major oversight on our part, but sounds like it saved us some money…

I’m a fan of Nivea Sun Invisible Spray SPF50.  I seem to be able to sweat through it without issues while others make me a lot hotter.  Only minor concern is don’t get it in your eyes as it stings

I ran it at the start of June in a bit under 15 hours, around 25°C, albeit I did drink 5 litres along the way plus 2 Calippos.  On a bike I wouldn’t see any issues on a bike in 30°C.

A rather different running experience for me at the weekend.  Having run 2 of the Centurion 100 mile races, Thames Path and South Downs Way, I have my eye on the North Downs Way for next year.  I thought that a recce of the 2nd half could be beneficial, so volunteered to pace a friend for the 2nd half.  Normally I’m home and in the bath by the time it gets dark, but knew that this wouldn’t be the case!  I met him 55 miles in at about 4:30pm, he was in 21st place having run fairly briskly for the 1st half, but this was showing quickly, and by the next aid station at 60 miles he needed a significant sit-down.  He was telling me to find someone else to pace and continue on with them, as he was very doubtful that he would be finishing, and would most likely drop out shortly.  Fortunately no-one else wanted my company, and a coffee perked him up, so we carried on trotting, albeit at slightly reduced pace.  Head-torches went on a bit after 9pm as the sun set, and then went off again at about 4:30am as the sun rose, and we trundled into Ashford to finish on the track at 5:39, comfortably inside the 24 hour mark.  6:32am train, back home to Wimbledon about 8:15, probably feeling as rough from sleep depravation as I would have been physically from running double the distance!

Sunset just after crossing the Medway near Rochester

That’s the moon, head torches about to go on

Dawn a few miles from the finish

A good bit of salt on my mate’s face!

I shot quite a bit of GoPro footage too which I’ll edit down into something hopefully reasonably watchable

I’ve ordered stuff from SportsShoes in the past, never any issues, plenty of decent deals generally

I take the tunnel to France nearly every week for work, been doing so for a few months now.  When I booked my last ticket, all I could buy was a Flexi+ at about double the price of what I normally pay, so I assumed it was heavily booked – work pays, so not an issue, but I try not to waste their money unnecessarily.  I generally take the 6:20am train, so leave Wimbledon at 4am, and was very glad of my Flexi+ ticket this morning.  All the check-in booths were operational, 6 passport booths instead of the usual 2 (occasionally 3) but then when arriving at the boarding queues, they were about 75% occupied instead of the usual 10-15%.  Looked like about 4 trains worth of cars waiting, so minimum 2 hours.  Typically regardless of what time your train booking is, you get in the queue to get on the next space on a train.  Despite my 6:20 booking, I’d be lucky to have got on much before 9 at a guess.  I however with my Flexi+ was diverted to a deserted queue and was the first to board the 6:20 train.

So from my limited observation, it would appear as though Eurotunnel had just sold more tickets than they had capacity for, no delays more than the normal, and they had additional provisions for coping with customers, just no more trains.  Hopefully won’t be too many delays on my return, as I have fixed appointments, but a Wednesday early afternoon isn’t typically peak travel time.

Bear in mind that the majority of the terrain around my way is pretty flat and well-groomed, I would be running slower in the hills and on rugged surfaces