Cheshire Cat 2011

Race complete and hip held out thank goodness !
The route itself was a really good introduction to cyclo sportives. This being my first I didnt really know what to expect. I was surprised by the size of the queue of bikes waiting to start. The event was supposed to get the first riders off by 8.30 am but they seemed very delayed. Lots of hanging around wasnt good in the cold but we were off soon enough.


Em, Lee, Rob and Joe
Waiting patiently at the start !!

I had chosen the 45 mile route so was pleased to see the bright pink signage was good.I quite envied the people veering off to the medium and hard routes as they get to challenge themselves on "Mow Cop" a very steep incline that you get a medal for if you go up without putting a foot down.



Below:Mow Cop

However It was early on in the ride and was still feeling strong so doubt I would have felt that way had I chosen to go the longer route ! Only thing I missed along the way was the feed station. I saw a sign to say feed station 1km then never saw it.If only they had put up a final sign to say feedstop here with a large arrow ! Many riders decided not to stop so was misleading to follow them really but never mind. Decided just to keep going and have my own stop at the side of the road should I need it. I had packed a few energy bars and had a sports drink in my bottle so all I really needed was a wee ! (Had to hold it till the end as couldnt find anywhere suitable to stop)The route wasnt too difficult, any hills were over quickly. Very scenic mostly country lanes so really enjoyable. Got tough about 5 miles from the finish due to road closures. Traffic was awful and bikes were weaving in and out of traffic queues. This part felt quite dangerous and was glad to get through it. I felt a last boost of energy kick in knowing the end was in sight and then I saw it...the finish !!

I was really pleased with my time too 3.08 only 8 mins of a silver (next year !) I came 16th out of 111 women and 139th overall out of 491 finishers.Not bad at all for my first attempt. My Husband and Sister in law had also competed at this distance and we all crossed the line within a minute of each other which was lovely.
Kilo to go, the event organisers had laid on pasta for lunch and tea or coffee which was complementary and very welcome. You then had to queue for your goodie bag and certificate. Free massages were also on offer for a charitable donation.
My son had entered the 67 miler and my brother the 100 so we waited for them to finish. Couldnt believe how the queues had built up. There were a lot of riders finishing at the same time who couldnt get over the timing mats. This was really frustrating for them. They also had another hour long queue to get in to collect their mow cop medals and certificates. Many people skipped this and went home. Shame they didnt just post these out.
We were thrilled to see Joe come over the line, it was also his first sportive and he completed the 67 mile route in 4.54 an excellent time. Next over the line was my brother who had done the 100 mile route. He got a silver and his time was an amazing 6.00 Well on form for "le Marmotte" that hes competing in this summer !
All in all I loved it and definitely plan to do it again next year.

Me and Lee looking very pleased with ourselves !

Cheshire cat 27/03/11

Race day tomorrow and after resting my injured hip completely for a week I have decided to take part. Just been out on a 3 mile test run and it felt ok. Odd twinge but nothing that made me feel I was making it worse.
So a bit of bike prep to do, cycling gear to get ready and check list to do so nothing major like Lees bike helmet gets forgotten. Will update after race completed ! wish me luck :-)

Hip flexor injury

Feeling rather fed up with a hip flexor injury I got whilst doing some speedwork during a training run.
Heres what I have found out.

I think the muscle I have strained is the illiacus, the red one on the diagram.
Im a little stuck as to what to do to help this injury. Advise as always is rest which is sensible I know. But I have quite a few events booked this year and want to ensure I am fit for these.I am so frustrated that I cant run so plan to try a swim today to keep my fitness up. The first event is this Sunday. My first cycling sportive, the Cheshire cat. Its a 45 miler and I was very much looking forward to it. I havent tried my bike this week but will give it a shot a day or so before the race to see how it feels. Any twinges at all and i'm gonna be out i'm afraid. I will have to let this one heal properly or I could put myself out for months. I had this injury before a few years ago in the other hip, I got it doing a 6 mile run on a tread mill and have pretty much avoided them since. It took ages to heal and I dont want this one too !
I have been given stretching exercises to do and have been advised to use ice on it every 2 hours for 20 mins.Apparently if you are flexible(which I am) you are more prone to this injury and sprinting ie,a sprint finish in a race,is what's likely to cause it.
Although I have followed all advice I havent seen an improvement yet :-(

Dronfield 10k 2011

This event means a lot to me as its the first I ever entered and its become something of a family tradition! Husband, brother, sister in law, son. Fun run for my granddaughter too !

The race itself is quite a hard one. It has a long steady hill in it which you have to do twice. It also starts on quite a steep hill so feels tough from the off. However with Dronfield being my hometown its on familiar turf which helps. The event has grown and grown in popularity and was an early sell out this year.
Unfortunately I picked up a slight hip flexor strain the Tues before the race. I managed a 6 mile training run on the Thurs before which left my hip sore. Hoping for the best I was worried on race day as my hip was still sore. Deep down I knew I shouldn't run but this was "the race" It means a lot, I had to run. My hip didnt hurt at all whilst racing, I gave it my all being helped along with my pace by my sister in law Em who is a faster and more experienced runner than me. It was great to have a pace setter and this definitely pushed my pace.
I was thrilled to bits to get a course PB and an all time PB at 51.01 !! I'm still smiling ! I was placed 11th out of 55 in my category too.
The downside is now a very sore and injured hip flexor, Having been to the doctors It was confirmed that its the iliacus hip flexor. RICE needed and thats all I can do really. I have everything crossed for a speedy recovery as I have my first sportive this sat the Cheshire Cat, a 45 miler.
Big well done to my Husband Lee who also got a PB and to my brother and Sis who also got course PB's...oh and cant forget the fun run which my daughter did and her boyfriend Tim who carried my granddaughter Maddie on his shoulders for 2 miles (and has the bruises to prove)

Mum you are a star as always providing bacon butties afterwards...good post race grub ! Thank you xx

Clumber Park Duathlon

Its race day tomorrow and I must say I'm feeling quite nervous. I was really excited as both me and my husband have entered this event but as he has come down with a stinker of a cold its looking highly likely I will be competing without him. I know you race as an individual but with this being our first duathlon it would have been lovely to do it together. There seems so much to think about all of a sudden...what kit to take for cycling, running,food,drink, bike and the kit, sunglasses or not..which lenses...and on and on it goes..not to mention paperwork and ID...Oh I hope I don't forget anything ! ( which we did...a very important item...Lees helmet ! good job our son was able to jump out of bed and bring it to us !! Thanks Joe x)

Physically I have prepared well for this event and I am not at all worried about my fitness or anything...its just the fear of the unknown.
I will update this tomorrow after (hopefully) a successful and enjoyable event. Wish me luck :-)

Follow up

As you may have gathered from our smiley faces...we finished our first duathlon...together...Woohoo. Lee was still quite poorly so shouldnt have really but he took it steady and seemed ok.

The event itself was great, well apart from the weather. It was freezing cold and raining. Couldnt wait to get started but the sprint competitors were the last wave to go which meant alot of hanging around with no shelter. Registration was on the day of the event only and had to be done by 8.15am, bikes had to be racked by 8.45am. Our set off time wasnt until 9.35(and was also delayed) so by the time we got going we were shivering !! Still off we went.

5K RUN 1

The first run seemed alot further than 5k, maybe because of the cold. The run had a few sharp uphill sections, short but sharp but the run back seemed mainly downhill. As I reached the first finish line I was thrilled to hear cheers from friends, Tracey and Marcus who had arrived to support us and take photos ! Thanks very much to them :-)

12M BIKE

My first taste of transition ! I was all fingers and thumbs, my kit was wet and it seemed to take me ages to get going. But finally I was off, short run through the mud to the road then off along a beautiful tree lined route which started in the park then out onto fairly quiet and well marshaled roads. Course was quite undulating but nothing to really make me struggle. I was amazed at the speed of some of the bikes wizzing past me (and that was going at my fastest ever pace of 26MPH) I was still pleased with myself though and just cycled on in admiration of others.
Bike seemed over all too quickly though I did feel my calf's wanting to cramp up, I'd not had that feeling before. However they didnt and soon I was crossing the bike finish line, I unclipped and set off to run back into the transition area. My legs didnt feel like they belonged to me..a strange sensation I must say...how on earth could I now set off to run again ?

2.5k RUN 2

Decided to leave my cycling kit on to run in as it was only 2.5k I just swapped my bike helmet for a hat and stuck my trainers then off I gingerly set willing my muscles to realise what I was asking of them. Things started to click back into place and back onto the same route as the first run only turning around sooner. I wasnt trying to push pace at this point, I just wanted to comfortably finish, and thats what I did to more applause from friends and crowd.
That was it..Id done it..my first duathlon.

My thoughts then turned to Lee(not the first time he'd crossed my mind) I'd caught sight of him setting off on his run as I was coming back in so I knew he wasnt too far behind. I enjoyed being able to cheer him over the line and even Axel (Tracey and Marcus' dog joined in !)

Would I do another ?...without question !

Sock guy, cosy toes

Bought these in a desperate search for something to keep my feet warm. In conjunction with my super expensive seal skinz socks they were fantastic.They are quite thin which worried me a bit as I thought they just couldn't be warm. They fit easily over my shoe and over the cleat. They come in one size only and are made of neoprene. Cheapest I found them online and in stock was £12.99 from chain reaction cycles..delivered free too. Just came back from a cold bike ride (with lots of chilly wind factor) and I came home with cosy feet...YAY...:-) so happy.

Energy bar recipe

Made this yeasterday and its so great I just had to share. Can be used as a breakfast bar if you are on the go.

200g Butter

200g sugar
2tblsp honey

melt these in a pan

stir in 300g oats

2 cooking apples peeled and chopped
200g dates

cook these together until soft with a pinch of cinnamon

greese a tin and put a

layer of oats
layer of apple mix
layer of oats
or mix together and do in one layer
cook for 25 mins at 180 or until it looks golden

cool then chill and slice

makes about 12 decent sized bars