Long Hertfordshire - Westmill ride
Long Henley Ride
Long
Surrey hills loop
Long Essex Blue Egg ride
Marathon thoughts
Some notes I wrote for work colleagues in prep for the 2016 Edinburgh Marathon
-
Runners!
I hope
everyone is excited about the weekend. Someone has done their sun-dance and
it’s looking like perfect running weather.
I promised
Matthew some race tips but am sharing with the wider group. These are focused
on the full marathon but these apply pro rata to the half and relay too.
Three
topics below:
- Race strategy
- Pacing the race
- Fuel management
1. Race
strategy – how will you approach the race?
As I was
thinking about what to write I came across this site: https://runnersconnect.net/coach-corner/marathon-race-strategy/
It covers
the points I wanted to raise. I also share the views presented…so, I suggest
you read this! It also has a handy splits calculator…
This is
how I will approach the race:
0 – 10km:
as relaxed as possible, as steady as possible, run just behind the pacers, run
my own race, find my own space, begin eating and drinking early, enjoy the sun
and the sounds and the people spectating
10 – 25km:
find a rhythm, think about running upright and efficiently, be relaxed in the
shoulders, neck and face, keep focused on a steady pace and maintain steady
intake of food and water
25 – 35km:
reflect on the training sessions done to get confidence I’ve done the work,
keep good posture and foot placement, remind myself to enjoy the race, prepare
myself mentally that the ‘hard bit’ is coming, prepare myself physically by
being hydrated / fed and relaxed
35 km + :
begin to push away from the pacer and the edge up the splits (aiming for
consistent negative splitting), think positive (never: “must not stop”, but
always: “this is great, keep going”), begin to visualise the finishing line and
get excited about the finishing time. If I’m in trouble, ease off and look for
rhythm and consistency in order to recompose myself.
2.
What’s your race pace – how fast can I run?
There are
lots of calculators around. I find them to be bullish. As good consultants, I’d
add a buffer of ~5% to the times to be prudent. That being said here is one you
could use that does add an amount to factor in fade. http://www.runnersworld.com/pace-calculators/race-times-predictor
I’d
focus on setting a pace that:
- Feels ‘too comfortable’ and
‘slow at the start’ – it’s a long run and you will get tired later so keep
your powder dry
- Don’t fall into the trap of
flying and dying – there is a lot of excitement and adrenaline floating
around at the start of the race, enjoy it but don’t let it distract you
- You feel that sets a good base
to be able to ‘negative split’ ie your splits at the end of the race are
faster than at the start (not always possible but should be your goal for
a consistent race)
- Aligns to your training. The
calculators help you calibrate expectations
3. Fuel
management – what is your eating and drinking plan?
It’s useful
to remind yourself how much energy you will be using vs what you can store
comfortably. http://www.runnersworld.com/fitness-calculators/calories-burned-calculator
My goal
is to not be hungry or thirsty at the end of the run.
To do that:
- Pre-run: I’ll eat early in the
morning (6ish) to give myself some time to digest and get comfortable with
the food
- During the run: I will aim to
drink a mouthful of water every 5mins and every 15mins have a small bit of
energy bar. In aggregate I should drink ~1L and 800 calories.
This
doesn’t sound like a lot but…
- It does close the gap between
input and output
- It’s not too much to upset my
stomach
- My brain will subconsciously
release more energy with small bites as it thinks it will get more energy
(ie not feel it is getting stressed and hold off energy).
There are other plans
out there. It’s important to have a plan! I’ll tell you my Berlin marathon
experience during the weekend (spoiler: eating too late, getting hypoglycaemia,
collapsing, being unconscious for 20mins and spending a few hours in hospital! I
don’t recommend it)
Two weeks in Iran
Peggy and I had a truly incredible trip to Iran over the European Easter 2018. It cooincided with Nowruz, the Iranian New Year.
Check out our photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/bSVCvC603tXDAWV92
Some thoughts on our trip below...
Theocracy
- Every country has their trade-offs and hypocrisies, Iran is no different
- we've seen plenty of crack users in the street yet open shoes are forbidden in some parts
- modesty is a virtue but at the same time the culture has moved to an #instagramculture. We saw layers of make up, love of fake brands, fake booty pants and nose jobs (men too needed to cover their legs but almost anything goes
- Then there is the usual rich vs poor and corruption
Friendliness
- Overwhlemingly friendly, offering food, rugs, hospitality
- key question: „Iran is good?“
- key phrase: „welcome to Iran“
- only told to „suckmydick“ once by a guy who was pissed about the British and assumed I was a decedent of the British...
- Many people went out of their way in the street to welcome us or help
- A few tried to rip us off but quickly saw their ways
- You can try cleaning up after yourself, but no that‘s done by someone else
Geography
- Deserts vs oases
- Mountains vs plains
- Tehran vs Mesr
- Huge long open highways vs narrow bazaar alleyways
- Incredible mosques and Islamic achitecture vs slum housing
Food
- Fereni was my vice
- Eggplant (hallim bedamjan, mirza gazemi)
- Dizi
- OMG the bread
- Drinks: Sekanjabin (Cucumber drink)
- No alcohol: you don‘t miss the upside of booze only notice the absence of the downside
Daily life
- Spent in parks
- Restaurant always in bigger groups
- up early, up late
- Money is tricky due to inflation adding a zero...sometimes if they couldn‘t speak english they would take money caefully from your hand, give you the change and wave you on
- Anything big in the 90s: volleyball, ceasar salad, mullets,
- Nomadic life
- Thermos, kebab skewers, gas bottle, rugs and blanckies
- Young girl doing her homework early morning
- Stay with family unit throughout the day
- Side if highway, under a tractor / truck etc, in city parks
Travel tips to Patagonia
El Chalten
There are two main walks and a handful of smaller ones. For
the day trips take plenty of food and water!
·
Laguna Torre: http://www.elchalten.com/eng/actividades/lagunatorre.php
a very nice hike up the valley out of El Chalten
·
Laguna de los Tres: http://www.elchalten.com/eng/actividades/lagunadelostres.php
quite a tough hike at the middle up to the lake. But an amazing view of Mt Fitz
Roy
The smaller ones you can find here: http://www.elchalten.com/eng/actividades/caminatas.php
Pretty good steaks at La Tapera https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g316035-d1738600-Reviews-La_Tapera-El_Chalten_Province_of_Santa_Cruz_Patagonia.html
Good beers after a long hike at La Cerveceria: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g316035-d1544667-Reviews-La_Cerveceria-El_Chalten_Province_of_Santa_Cruz_Patagonia.html
El Calafate
We did the mini-trekking on Perito Moreno. It’s a long day
of tourist buses and transfers for only a few hours on the ice. Though, it was
pretty cool. Rug up! The Balconies, where you get an amazing view over the
glacier, was arguably the best thing to appreciate the scale and power of the
glacier.
Mi Rancho was really good https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g312851-d2542219-Reviews-Mi_Rancho-El_Calafate_Province_of_Santa_Cruz_Patagonia.html
as was La Zaina https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g312851-d3538514-Reviews-La_Zaina_Restaurante_y_Wine_Bar-El_Calafate_Province_of_Santa_Cruz_Patagonia.html
The main street has all the car hire shops, hiking and tour
shops etc.
We got empenadas most days from Panaderìa Y Confiterìa DON LUIS.
As mentioned we got stuck due to bus connections meaning we
had to spend an extra night to get from El Chalten to Puerto Natales. The buses
are few and far between. So, worth checking that you have enough time. They are
quite reliable.
Buenos Aires:
We stayed in Palermo. It’s the only place to stay. There are
plenty of cool shops and cafes amongst the leafy streets. La Boca, Barracas and
Puerto Madero are ok to wander / bike around, but nothing special. San Telmo is
very touristy but nice to wander the San Telmo market. We ate at Don Julio one night – sensational
steak.
The highlight for me was the street art tour: https://graffitimundo.com/ as much as I
don’t like guided tours, this was very well done.
Puerto Natales and the W Trail
If you get the chance to go to Torres del Paine there are some great days trips. Similarly, in Puerto Natales the highlight was champagne and dinner at The Singular. Very cool building and restaurant.
We stayed in the huts starting at Grey and had full board. The kayaking at Refugio Grey was fun. Book early to get a bed at the refugios! Follow your nose for the rest....
Have a great trip! You can find my pics here
Transalp Cycling Tour in August 2015
Some tid-bits from the ride for you...
https://picasaweb.google.com/
The route we took also on my strava: https://www.strava.com/
A few notes:
We
set off from Tegernsee having taken the train from Munich. Our first
night was in Kramsach after a pretty wet afternoon. The climbing kept
the legs warm! The second day we rode down into and along the Zillertal,
through Mayrhofen and up to Dominikushütte. A stunning valley. At
Dominikushüüte, the view over the Schlegeisspeicher is very nice, with a
few glaciers as back drops. The next morning in thick fog and teaming
rain we did a big up and over the Pfitscher Joch into Süd Tirol and down
into Sterzing. As that leg was relatively short we took off for the
afternoon having dumped our packs and did a big climb from Mauls over
the pass to Rio di Pusteria / Mühlbach via Masl. Sterzing is very pretty
- the hotel: Steindls was a highlight. Then the next day out of
Sterzing was a long climb up Val di Racines (lots of carrying bikes up
goat tracks) and then down into Walten then along the Passirio river
into Merrano. We had a rest day in Merrano - cracking little town with a
great public spa and plenty of beers gardens with Süd Tirol flair!
Following the rest day again a lot of climbing and single trails past
Masi di Sopra, past Saint Panraz through Ultimo, more climbing through
tunnels to Tregiovo, past the beautiful Lago di Santa Giustino and down
into Male. The last day up the Folgarida pass through to Madonna di
Campiglio was very enjoyable. It was basically all fire trails in the
National Park. The last afternoon was a stinker - a big dirty headwind, I
snapped a chain and generally lots of climbing. We go through to Lake
Garda in the late afternoon ready to smash some prosecco and nail some
pasta!For info:
Grand Canyon CF SL 6.9
35L backpack
2 x cycling kit
Shorts
2 x t-shirt
1 x long sleeve icebreaker thermal
1 x gore-tex jacket
1 x arm warmers
3 x socks
3 x jocks
1 x running shoes
1 x tube / small pump / allen key set / tyre lever
1 x Leica X
1 x rucksack cover
1 x cycling cap
1 x phone charger
1 x wallet
1 x bike lights
1 x toiletries
6 x cliff bars
Fintech 2.0
I'm pleased to have been involved in the production of the report. I am grateful for the numerous people I interviewed for their input to this report and those who helped shape the story.
http://www.oliverwyman.com/content/dam/oliver-wyman/global/en/2015/jun/The_Fintech_2_0_Paper_Final_PV.pdf
http://www.oliverwyman.com/content/dam/oliver-wyman/global/en/2015/jun/The_Fintech_2_0_Paper_Final_PV.pdf
Frankfurt
Some favourites from Frankfurt
Maincafé, Schaumainkai, Frankfurt, Deutschland – great for sitting by the river and drinking Apple Wine
Schwedler See Bar, Frankfurt – out in east Frankfurt there is a outdoor swimming club which opens up at night for live music and chilled atmosphere bar
Hoppers, Schneckenhofstraße, Frankfurt – suburban cocktails
Cafe Karin / Walden- Great brunch spots
Maintower Restaurant & Bar, Neue Mainzer Straße, Frankfurt am Main – great view and good for high-end food
Flemings Terrace Bar, Frankfurt – cool lifts and nice view for good cocktaisl
22nd Lounge & Bar Eurotheum Residence, Neue Mainzer Straße, Frankfurt – piano bar (not hipster really!)
Vai Vai, Grüneburgweg, Frankfurt – a favourite modern Italian restaurant
Shirn Kunsthalle – great modern art gallery
Day trips:
Heidelberg - wander the old town, the Neckar River and go up to the castle
Rheingau wine region - take a car out to the numerous wineries within an hour of Frankfurt
Lorelei - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorelei
Lisbon - some favourites...
ROOFTOP BARS:
- Barrio Alto Hotel: take the lift to the top floor and then walk the last floor. Small and often busy (you can't book) but a great view
- Park: Walk up through the carpark (Calcada do Combro) to the top floor and it opens out to a wonderful rooftop garden with a cracking view
- Insolito: also a restaurant - lovely view overlooking the city, towards the Castello
- Not actually a rooftop: Miradouro Sao Pedro Alcantara. - but a park with a fantastic view over the city. Grab some beers / wine and sit out here
BARS:
FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS:
- Best area is Cais do Sodré for bars. I like Pensao Amor. Also there are a couple of discos there which you can then go to. People generally stay outside having drinks.
- Just walk around Barrio Alto and Alfama - no shortage of bars
- Panorama Bar: Top of the Sheraton - smashing view. Actually the food is quite good - quite expensive
FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS:
- Cervejaria Ramiro Best seafood in the world, great price, take a cab to get there
- Belcanto Michelin star, Chiado
- O Talho Modern Alentejo, Avenida Liberdade
- Cantinho do Avillez Informal place from a Michelin-star chef, Chiado
- MiniBar Modern take on an american bistro with a Michelin Star-esque heritage / Portuguese spin
- Café Lisboa From the Belcanto guy. Typical Lisbon food in a semi-laid-back-semi-formal setting in the Sao Luis opera house café, Chiado
- Sea Me Very good fish place, on the expensive side, Chiado
- Restaurante Cabaça Hot stone steak - cheap and cheerful and a great way to start a night in Barrio Alto
- Café Buenos Aires Excellent steak in a relaxed family style quaint restaurant
- Chafariz do vinhoChafariz do Vinho Wine and tapas in an aquaduct
- Zebras do Combro restaurante Simple, fast and good Portuguese food
THINGS TO EAT
- Pastel de Nata - eat like them like there will be none tomorrow
- Bacalhau (cod fish): Pataniscas de bacalhau, bolinhos de bacalhau, bacalhau a gomes de sá, bacalhau a braz, bacalhau a ze do pipo
- Seafood, seafood, seafood
- Cabrito (Lamb)
- Cozido á Portuguesa (heavy)
- Whenever it says Alentejo and Black Pig in the same sentence, eat it (best if the sentence also includes the word "pig cheek"
- Tripas á moda do Porto (heavy - tripes)
- Ameijoas a Bolhao Pato (clams) and Carne de Porco a Alentejana (pork with clams)
- Percebes: Gooseneck barnacles - just like sucking from the ocean
- Cheese: Queijo da Serra and Queijo de Azeitão
And don't forget to drink ginjinha at all the little bars dotted around the city.
THINGS TO DO
The best english speaking website for clubs / food etc:
http://www.golisbon.com/
THINGS TO DO
- In Lisbon: there are few 'sights' per se to see. Best to wander down Avenide Liberdade, the long boulevard, down the hill into the city. There are plenty of downtown streets to wander down. Praça do Comércio is the main square at the foreshore that is quite nice and a good spot to sit in the sun to eat and drink. The other areas for exploring are Barrio Alto and Alfama - plenty of restaurants, bars and old stuff to look at
- Belem is a tram ride from Lisbon centre. Its the home of the famous portuguese tarts that the masses line up for. There is the big monastery and a museam of contemporary art. A walk along the harbour at Belem up to the Torre de Belem is quite nice.
- Sintra is worth a visit for a touristy day trip - the castles are quite quaint amongst the rolling hills. Although the traffic gets jammed up in Sintra it is a very beautiful part of Portugal.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/travel/how-i-fell-for-lisbon.html?_r=0 gives a good feel for the city.
The best english speaking website for clubs / food etc:
http://www.golisbon.com/
Lance
For me, the key question is "did you believe Lance used performance enhancing drugs"? If you, like me, believed that he did, then you accept he is a winner as a result of being an incredible athlete who hid drug use better than everyone else. Further, you also implicitly accept drug use in cycling and implicitly support it. None of these things I can resolutely say I'm proud of. If, however, you believed that he was clean - like he wanted you to believe- then you have been deceived. No one likes being deceived and for that it is only to be expected he is receiving this destruction of his character. So, how do you answer this question?
36hrs in Vilnius, Lithuania
Tucked away in the south east of the
Baltic region, Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania is a little gem just waiting
to be explored. Sometimes a little rough around the edges, the city can be
excused for needing more time to re-establish itself. For the past 60 years
Lithuania, along with its Baltic friends Estonia and Latvia, have borne the
brunt of a bitter bloody violent pan-European struggle between the Soviet Union
from the east and ze Chermans from the west. However it is that very mix of
influence left behind from both directions that underscores the charm of this
lovely city and country.
Vilnius, Lithuania. Smiles and Raw Food
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania. I didn't know this before Friday.
However I also can't be accused of the common mistake of saying that
Riga is the capital of Lithuania, because of course Riga is the capital
of Latvia. Whatever, i'm here and on my first wander around I have found
it to be a lovely little city.
Before take-off I read up on Wikitravel: http://wikitravel.org/en/
"Lithuanians may appear sad, depressive (suicide rates in Lithuania are among the highest in the world), a little bit rude and suspicious, so talking about your good health, wealth, and happiness could be sometimes taken negatively. Smile at a Lithuanian in the street and most likely they will not respond in kindness. Smiling in Lithuania is traditionally reserved for friends; smile at a stranger and they will either think you're making fun of them and there's something wrong with their clothes or hairdo, or that you must be an idiot. Furthermore, an automatic Western smile is widely regarded as insincere. "
So, plenty of Lithuanians must think i'm an idiot. The problem is now every time I pass someone in the corridor or in the street I want to smile at them. This only means I bail out at the last minute and give a half-assed face scrunch. Yep, a real idiot.
I did try and stare down some people. This worked really well. I got 'stared down' back and felt I had connected. When in rome....as they say.
Of all the Lithuanians I have interacted with, whether that be working with them or a waitress at a restaurant or a cab driver, I can say (admittedly on a small sample size) that they are lovely people with very warm smiles. And this is important.
I just had dinner at a place called RawRaw. The food was....yep...raw. Which would be fine because I love steak tartar, except it was vegetarian. Which is also fine because they did some amazing things with veges and nuts and berries. Beetroot ravioli with cheese filling - where the beetroot was sliced to make the top and bottom of the ravioli and in between the cheese filling was not cheese but rather a cashew paste. Dessert was titled parfait. And being a parfait fan I was attracted to it immediately by name. This version was not brutally chocolatey nor flammable nor bad for my health. It was indeed a mousse of pumpkin, raisins, and orange covered with a cranberry mash topped with crushed cashews, haselnuts and almonds. And it was delicious.
Before take-off I read up on Wikitravel: http://wikitravel.org/en/
"Lithuanians may appear sad, depressive (suicide rates in Lithuania are among the highest in the world), a little bit rude and suspicious, so talking about your good health, wealth, and happiness could be sometimes taken negatively. Smile at a Lithuanian in the street and most likely they will not respond in kindness. Smiling in Lithuania is traditionally reserved for friends; smile at a stranger and they will either think you're making fun of them and there's something wrong with their clothes or hairdo, or that you must be an idiot. Furthermore, an automatic Western smile is widely regarded as insincere. "
So, plenty of Lithuanians must think i'm an idiot. The problem is now every time I pass someone in the corridor or in the street I want to smile at them. This only means I bail out at the last minute and give a half-assed face scrunch. Yep, a real idiot.
I did try and stare down some people. This worked really well. I got 'stared down' back and felt I had connected. When in rome....as they say.
Of all the Lithuanians I have interacted with, whether that be working with them or a waitress at a restaurant or a cab driver, I can say (admittedly on a small sample size) that they are lovely people with very warm smiles. And this is important.
I just had dinner at a place called RawRaw. The food was....yep...raw. Which would be fine because I love steak tartar, except it was vegetarian. Which is also fine because they did some amazing things with veges and nuts and berries. Beetroot ravioli with cheese filling - where the beetroot was sliced to make the top and bottom of the ravioli and in between the cheese filling was not cheese but rather a cashew paste. Dessert was titled parfait. And being a parfait fan I was attracted to it immediately by name. This version was not brutally chocolatey nor flammable nor bad for my health. It was indeed a mousse of pumpkin, raisins, and orange covered with a cranberry mash topped with crushed cashews, haselnuts and almonds. And it was delicious.
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