TRI-ing harder

Last.FM rocks (and rolls)

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:21:00 +0000

In a sometimes noisy office, I'm always looking for ways to drown out the outside world. Usually this means an ipod or maybe streaming my music from home via Squeezecenter. But with either of those I always tend to listen to the same old music. A bit of opera to make me look xclever, and then just the same old 80s,90s and 00s music I always listen to.

Recently though I've discovered Last.FM, a British based website that lets you stream unlimited music tracks that suits your tastes - for FREE!. It's fantastic to be able to type in the name of an artist and then be able to listen to a personalised 'Station' of music from that artist and others like it. I think the system picks tracks based on other user's recommendations of similar artists and it works really well. Whenever I put in a favourite artist, the station I get contains at least another 5 or 10 artists that I love just as much.

I especially like the exploratory feel, with new artists constantly being offered to you without you having to search them out. Because they will be based on similar artists to the ones you like, there's a good chance you'll want to listen. If not, you can click 'skip' or even 'ban' tracks you don't want to hear again. If you like a new artists you can 'love' a track or add it to your playlist, making it easier to hear again in future. Genius.

You can also make use of 'Scrobbling' which is a way of letting your friends (and others) know what you're listening to. Usually this is done transparently without you having to do a thing. As you play your music, the last.fm website is updated with what you're listening to, giving others a chance to explore.

I also love the fact that it works across all types of devices. You can use your browser to listen with a Flash player, my Squeezecenter has a plugin for last.fm, it integrates with most music players like Songbird, iTunes, Amarok and Rhythmbox. There's also a standalone client for Windows, OSX and Unix which gives you quick and easy access to your own radio stations and the Love/Hate buttons. You can even install it on your iphone or Series 60 mobile phone (using a plugin called Mobbler). I know it's geeky, but being able to wander around listening to music on my Nokia N95 and know that other people can see what I'm listening to is just brilliant!

Anyway, I'm off to bed to listen to my last.fm 'sleep' station. If you do happen to stop by last.fm, my username is cleanthes. Feel free to say hello and listen in to some of my favourites.

Fixies galore at Cycle 2008

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:05:34 +0000

In case you haven't noticed, fixed and single-speed bikes are definitely in vogue at the moment. And there were hundreds on show at Cycle 2008, with almost every manufacturer featuring a couple of fixies and plenty of fixed-speed frames, wheels and conversion kits available for those wanting to move from the comfort zone of their multi-speed bikes.

Not all of fixies looked as beautiful as the Rapha Condor Recycling team colours bike pictured here...

Fixed speed bikes - which do not have a freewheel hub on the rear - started life on the velodrome track, where neither coasting nor brakes are required, and where the extra weight of cassette, freewheel, brakes, cable and levers are all destined to slow down a rider. On a fixed speed bike if the wheels are moving then so are your legs, and you brake by slowing your legs (no mean feat if you're going fast!). They have since become very popular with urban cycle couriers where their speed and reduced maintenance costs are beneficial, and where the simplicity and 'coolness' of the bikes plays an even bigger part.A fixed-speed bike is about as basic as you can get - like a child's trike only faster.

Single-speed bikes on the other hand are a hybrid: a single gear (no cassette) on the rear, no derailleur and only a single chain wheel on the front, but a rear hub with a freewheel so you can coast along without your legs having to keep pace with the back wheel.

Bicycle show 2008

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:58:44 +0000

I'm very excited today because I am off to London to visit the 2008 bicycle show at Earl's Court. I'm hoping to see tons of exciting new bike kit, snaffle a few goodie bags, grab a bargain and maybe even see a celebrity or two. And I definitely plan to rub myself up against the glorious clothes at the Rapha stand!

Newbury triathlon results

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:07:09 +0000

Roger managed a very impressive 1:34:51 for his first triathlon. I was especially impressed by the fact that he beat his 5k PB by a couple of minutes. This demonstrates the work that he's put in recently. Now he has something to aim for in the next one!

I managed to beat last year's time by 2 minutes (1:0:56), despite the organisers extending the run by a few hundred metres! More exciting for me, though,

Newbury Triathlon tomorrow

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:50:09 +0000

I'm competing at Newbury triathlon tomorrow for the 3rd time. As well as being a good benchmark for people like me (hoping to beat 1h 12m of last year), it's an especially good race for triathlon beginners: well organised, friendly, short pool swim (300m) and a mostly flat bike and run. My friend and colleague Roger is undertaking Newbury as his first triathlon. Good luck Roger!... and everyone else competing in this, the 20th running of this great event.

Headington 10k

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:39:17 +0000

"Mostly Harmless" was how the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy describes Earth, and the same can largely be said of the Headington 10k. Flat and featureless, the race starts and ends at Wormihghall airfield in Buckinghamshire (see map below). Around 4k is run on the airfield and the rest is on the roads surrounding it. It's not the most scenic, exciting or challenging, but it was still a good run for a Sunday morning.

There was a good turnout this morning of around 15 Roadrunners, and probably a couple of hundred others. It was not too hot, but with thunderstorms forecast for later in the day it got gradually more humid, until rain started at about 11 o'clock.

My previous 10k runs at Eynsham, and at Windsor Triathlon were right on the button at 52 minutes, but I have been doing a lot of running over the past few months - mainly slower running with my various newcomers, but also a little speed work at the gym. At the Oxford Motavation last week I managed 30:40, so on that basis - about 7:40 per mile / 4:50 per km - I was aiming for sub-48 minutes. This would be a significant increase over my previous times, but I guessed I could manage it.

I hit the first, second and third kilometre markers bang on the money at around 5 minutes per mile. My aim was to stay at this pace, and stay with Jane for the first half of the race, then put in a faster second 5k. My 5k time was 24:33, but I felt OK.

At the water station just after 5k, I took on some water and almost by accident sped up a little to pass Jane. Once past her I thought "might as well keep going", so I tried to keep a stronger pace. I managed to kick past quite a few people over the next few kms. I had a bit of a 'funny' at around 7k, where I'd convinced myself that I'd already done 8k, and at that point I started to lose track of my time and what I needed to do to hit 48 minutes.

I hit the nine kilometre mark at 43:35 - only 4:25 to go. I'd been starting to flag a little, but now had to put the hammer down for the last few hundred metres. I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but I started to hear the finish-line crowd and managed to kick for a final time.

I almost threw up on the finish line - again (am I doing something wrong here?!) - but was delighted to finish in 47:51. It shows that the training is paying off - even the slow running must be helping, and hopefully I'll start to catch some of the real ERR runners who can do sub-40 minutes. Perhaps a little way to go before that, though.

<a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/worminghall-airfield/494254687940">Headington 10k</a><br/><a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-kingdom/worminghall-airfield">Find more Runs in Worminghall Airfield, United Kingdom</a>

A quick update - then vive la France!

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:43:58 +0000

Sorry I've been quiet for a while (Emma)! I've so much to tell you all: Blenheim triathlon hell, triathlon heaven at my first Olympic distance in Windsor, and how my running recruits got on (hint: they did well), and much, much more.

But I have no time! I'm busy packing - or at least thinking about packing - to head off to Paris by bicycle. That's right, myself and 14 other fools will be cycling the roughly 350 miles from Eynsham to Paris starting on Friday. We're aiming to arrive in Gay Paris on Monday, and with Le Tour in full swing by then we're hoping for a good welcome as we roll into town in our Eynsham Road Runners cycling jerseys!

But I witter.. I must go now, but wanted to say à bientôt before I went. I will be trying to do some blogging or photo logging whilst I'm away, so you might hear more from me. At the very least I will do something with my Facebook profile. And I'm possibly going to be using Bliin to track my progress (on my brand new Nokia phone - that I won at the Windsor triathlon! But that's another story, which I don't have time for!), so you may or may not be able to see my current location on the trip by checking out my bliin.com homepage, and/or on the image below.

Big weekend ahead

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:57:53 +0000

This is a big weekend for my three runners, and also for me. Rosie, Katie and Roger are running the Race for Life and Run for Moore in Oxford South Parks (Katie at Silverstone racetrack), and I've got the Blenheim Triathlon.

It's their first running event, and I'm sure they're all a bit nervous - I'm nervous for them! But I know they'll all do really well - I'm expecting Roger to do a sub-30 minute 5k (maybe even 25 minutes?), and Rosie and Katie won't be too far behind.

Blenheim is one of my races from last year so I have something to compare against. I'm definitely much stronger this year and should be able improve on my rather pitiful 34 minute "run". Overall I think I can shave 20 minutes off last year's time. With Sophie and parents in attendance, and a new Oxford Tri club tri-suit to show off, I am hoping to perform well.

Good luck to all us!

National Bike Week 2008

Thu, 29 May 2008 18:50:47 +0000

14th - 22nd June 2008 is National Bike Week. During the week, people will be encouraged to ditch the car or that pesky walking and get on a bike - possibly for the first time since childhood. This year organisers are promoting family-oriented cycling and there are literally thousands of great events to get families cycling together and enjoying the Great British Countryside (let's hope for good weather in the Great British "Summer"), and so there are rides for all ages and abilities.

If you want to know more, or want to take part, check out the website and find an event near you. Go on, get on your bike.

More thoughts on motivation

Sat, 24 May 2008 13:32:07 +0000

I have many half-baked theories on what motivates me and might motivate other people. Here are some of my recent ones:

1. Train with others
This is something that everyone who's ever trained in a group knows - training with others works you harder than training on your own. Obviously, this assumes you're all of a similar level, and all training as opposed to just out for a gentle bike ride to the pub... On your own, it's easy to back off, tell yourself you've done enough, or get lost in the moment and forget you're meant to be training (my mind wanders terribly when I'm swimming, for instance).

But if there are others around you will be able to challenge each other. One of you lifts off but the other will keep pushing, if your buddy sprints up the hill you have to follow them. And these little races make all the difference in turning a mediocre session into one that will have you vomiting at the end.

Charndon 5k

Wed, 21 May 2008 18:46:51 +0000

I'm very happy with my PB at the Charndon 5k last night. 22:39 is pretty good for me - especially since I was expecting to do a 24 minuter. The race was mostly flat - a few bumps - and was very busy (maybe 200 people in total?). The weather was perfect for running and I really enjoyed it on the whole. A few cooling pints of IPA afterwards topped it off nicely!

Anyway, nuff said. Map of the route here (it was 5k honestly, despite my poor measuring...)

Another mile... just one more mile

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:07:31 +0000

As anyone who knows me, or reads my Facebook profile would know I'm not normally a religious man. But tonight I felt unusual forces were at play...

Although I've been doing more running this year, I'm not really pushing the distances. I tend to do short, easy, 2 mile runs at lunchtime with work colleagues, and my gym runs are normally brick sessions combining a 40k cycle with a run. These are normally only 5k runs at best because I'm hot, knackered and bored by this time. Windsor is now only 4 weeks away so I'm getting nervous about the 10k run at the end and I just know I need to do some more and longer runs.

It was a lovely sunny evening today and so I decided to go for a run. Heading down to Cutteslowe Park's measured mile, my plan was to complete 10k (just over 6 laps).

Busy day, but at least it was wet

Sat, 10 May 2008 17:03:51 +0000

I often wonder how I'm going to fit in all of the training that I want to do. A few runs each week is easy, as are a couple of hundred kilometres on the bike. And a few thousand metres swimming is a doddle to do before or after work. But all three? In just seven days (or 8 in a leap year)? How does a humble, work-a-day triathlete like me fit it all in? Oh to be a mere runner.

Swim kicks and pool etiquette

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:10:34 +0000

Bert woke me at 7am this morning with the usual 'flap,flap, flap' on the letterbox which tells me that he and Ernie are still waiting for their breakfast. Normally this is a bit of a rude awakening, but with only a half bottle of wine last night, I felt surprisingly chipper, and the clear, bright blue sky made me feel good about the day. I decided to do something useful.

Sophie had helpfully reminded me yesterday that I need to work some more on my swim if I'm going to survive Windsor, and as I brewed my cup of tea I realised I only have 8 weeks before my first swim (at Blenheim), and only 9 weeks before Windsor! I had found my something useful.

Almost ready for Windsor

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:59:40 +0000

Windsor triathlon on June 15th is an Olympic distance (1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km ride), which is longer than the sprints I've done before, so I'm a bit nervous. I've also been told it's quite hilly but I'm ignoring that for now! It's important to me that I know I can complete the distance, even if it's slowly, and doing a couple of 'trial' sprint triathlons before my first one in Newbury a couple of years ago was definitely a confidence booster.

So I've been working up to the full distance over the past few weeks, in the hope that I can do a couple of trial Olympic distance bike/runs before the event, and I'm almost there. I've increased my run distances significantly since September last year, and can now run about 12km before I completely fall apart. But I've really neglected my cycling and swimming. Swimming will have to wait for now, as today I did a brick session (bike and run), which this time I did as a 40km bike ride and a 5km run. The run was a bit slower than I hoped (27m), but after a 40km ride I can forgive myself. Brick sessions are great practice for the day because they teach your body how to cope with the bike/run transition, which I think is far and away the hardest part of the triathlon. So I'm pleased I completed the whole lot in about 1.5 hours, and probably could have run a bit further ifI hadn't gotten bored.

Next time:full bike and run distance, then the lake at Cassington opens up in a few weeks so I can get back into the swimming practice!