Sunday, May 30, 2004

Running downhills is bad for you!?

Went for a run with the local running club this morning. A 0630 meet up (yes, Sunday morning) at the local track which I know so well from school days. It's been upgraded from black cinder to synthetic some years ago. I still remember the days when running in lane 1 after heavy rain was good training for cross country. After the upgrade, there was a big controversy regarding the fence which was put up round the track to stop people from using the nice new track. Eventually common sense prevailed and the track is open to public use in the mornings and evenings unless there is a prior booking. Well no one in the right mind would use it around midday anyway.

Took it fairly easy on the run in case I fall dead from the heat. The route was one of my former usual training routes, including one ascent of my favourite "HRmax Test Hill" about 1/2 way round. Why this name? Well last time I was back, for my *first* run, I did 3x hard up this hill and notched up maximums in the high 190s. Partly because of the heat though. My experience is that HRs are usually around 10-20 bpm higher in these conditions especially in the first few runs. Unlike the Worcester Joggers, there is no requirement to "muster back". Therefore, before long there was just a long string of runners along the road.

Overheard today: "Running downhills is very bad for your legs so I run down this hill 1-2 minutes slower than I run up it." I think thus guy really needs to do more training downhill because he was complaining of very sore legs after doing a hilly 15km race the week before!

Location 3°N 101°E

Stranger in a familiar land

Saw many anvil shaped clouds on the bumpy descent into KLIA. It's thunderstorm season! KLIA still half empty - great airport but where are all the planes? Met dad who arrived a bit before me on another flight and split up at immigration where I had to go in a separate queue because I didn't have the machine readable new passport. I'll hold out for as long as I can... Told someone off for cutting the queue at immigration. No one else said or did anything. Meek sheep they were.

Bike bag reappeared with contents still the same shape as when it went into the bag. Conveyor broke down and other bag was delayed slightly. KLIA must be one of the only airports in the world where there are at least 2 people attending to each baggage carousel. Their purpose? To shift the bags around at the point where they emerge so that they don't crash into one another.

Rained hard on the way back from airport, continued on and off over the afternoon into the evening. Took the edge off the temperature a bit so it was only around 29°C. Now that I have gotten used to broadband, dialup is SOOOO SLOOOWWWW...

Location 3°N 101°E

Saturday, May 29, 2004

8 miles up, and down to hidey hole

For the last part of the flight into Dubai, the flightpath skirted close to the Saudi-Iraqi border. Was sat on the left hand side of the plane again so I didn't get a view into Iraq. We were flying at 41,000ft at the time (7.77miles up), the highest that I can remember seeing. Certainly the big twins usually cruise than 4 engine jets, but how high do they normally (or abnormally) go to?


Dubai Airport duty free shops

Dubai airport to me is highly overrated. Duty free heaven? Maybe I am looking at the wrong shops, but I didn't find the choice or prices there to be all that good. No Wifi APs anywhere too. Most of the eating areas are not non-smoking too. Thought I would have to sit on the floor next to a pillar with power sockets again like last time. This time I struck lucky in the Irish Bar place near gate 22. At the extreme righthand corner next to the visible kitchen, there is a little alcove with two power sockets. Another guy with an old Mac laptop was there too. Yeah us poor guys not on Pentium-Ms who have to keep the batteries topped up. The waiters joked that it looked like a mini internet cafe. We told him that if they install free WiFi they probably would have to beat the customers away with a stick.

Location 25°N 55°E

Friday, May 28, 2004

Overweight and Overpriced

8kg overweight I was, I mean my check in luggage. Hardly surprising as I had one case filled with clothes (3 sets of running kit, 2 sets of cycling kit, 3 shirts, 1 full suit, 4 pairs of trousers, 2 ties, 1 pair of running shoes, chargers for various things...) and a bulging bike bag (green monster with copious padding plus some tools, 1 pair of cycling shoes, 1 pair of racing shoes, 1 pair of sandals...). Looks like a pretty full flight from the way that everyone's hand luggage was weighed. My "hand luggage" consisted of one laptop bag (laptop, heavy book, several CD-ROMs...) and one camera bag (camera, mini tripod, 2 sets of batteries, filters, CF cards...). My laptop bag was 2kg over the limit, remedied by taking out the Investment Valuation book which weighs exactly 2kg. I was told to "carry it by hand" so that I am considered to have "No Hand Luggage" because I am already overweight. In theory laptops and cameras are looked at in the same vein as umbrellas, baby strollers and similar items - their weight doesn't count. Something to remember when you are in a similar situation (read the small print on air tickets).

Now for my gripes. Emirates will carry certain sports equipment in addition to the usual luggage allowance for free, including golf clubs and scuba diving gear. So why not bicycles? Because it does not fit in with their image of senile golfers and sunkissed divers in the red sea? Total bullsh*t. Deduct one point from Emirates for this. Another thing about Emirates, they have a 3-4-3 seat arrangement in economy class on their B777 compared to the usual 3-3-3. Don't know whether they do this by using narrower seats or narrower aisles. I certainly haven't had any trouble with this (see below) but worth watching out for if you are slightly wider than average.

Furthermore, I feel that I am discriminated against when I fly due to my lack of bodyweight. Eight bl**dy kg overweight. More than 50% of people in the check in queue would be happy if they were my weight + 8kg. And it is 50% because there is a high proportion of people of Asian origin on the flight, otherwise it might well be 75%. People should be weighed together with their luggage on flights and discounts or extra charges being applied on total weight. Have given a lot of thought about these over the years. Need to talk to people who know more about the cost structure of airlines about this.

The T1 departure lounge in Birmingham Airport was its usual bustling self. Except that a few keyboards with TFT screens have been set up as internet access points. There was a WiFi logo upon closer examination with SSID clearly indicated and no WEP. Happiness! I can spend the two hours of waiting on line. Booted the laptop up, scanned for connections with Netstumbler and immediately found two open AP and one WEP encrypted AP, the latter likely to be someone using their own laptop. Opened the browser up... uh oh... https... please pay £4 for 1/2 hour, £6 for 1 hour, £12 for 1 day etc etc. Oh well thats killed my plan then, despite a bit of fiddling about trying to find a way round it.

Location 52°N 2°W

Saturday, May 15, 2004

Out in the big smoke

Night out to the bright lights of Brummieland last night. Picked up the lady from work, late, because my mind was wandering off somewhere else at M5-M42 junction. Got there in the end after a scramble through the southern reaches of Birmingham suburbia through Kings Norton and down Pershore Road. Again places I used to know so well. It's hard to gather any real sense of nostalgia for such mundane places little worth mentioning, but hey this might be the last time I go round that bit of the world for a while.

We decided to go to Lasan for dinner as we have heard a lot about it (Yes I know, the website is under construction - The manager was taking photos as we ate). This was, according to the Independent newspaper (or tabloid as it will only be sold in tabloid size as of this week), one of the 10 best Indian restaurants in the UK. Worried that it would be packed full, a late reservation was made at 3pm for a table for two, seating at 6:30pm, much to the delight of the person on the phone who said that the big crunch usually starts at 7pm.

The outside of the place was well hidden in a side street just off St Paul's Square. It would not have merited another look if you didn't know what you were looking for. The inside was pretty modern and minimalist in style, though I felt that the music was somewhat loud. Shouldn't have bothered with booking at it was totally deserted at 6:45pm. After ordering a Cobra (the beer, not the reptile), we settled down to study the menu - "To Start, To Follow ...".

Decided to share a red mullet with spicy salsa for starters and go for the methi lamb shank as main course with three vegetarian side dishes - marrow curry, okra and pickled mango, lentils and baby aubergines. As none of these came with any form of carbohydrates, we also asked for a pilau rice and a paratha. The red mullet came promptly enough, two fillets stacked on a pile of greens. The fillets were tasty enough, though I was somewhat uncertain about the texture. It felt unlike the red mullets I had before, most of which were grilled whole on the bone which gave a more flaky meaty texture. These did not flake as much and felt more chewy, leading to suspicions that they were not fully defrosted before cooking.

The mains arrived soon after the table was cleared. A hefty shank of lamb stood upright in a green sauce with flecks of darker green. The meat was meltingly tender and slid off the bone easily. It was possible to taste some of the individual spices in the sauce which was definitely a departure from the usual ghee-laden curries. The same theme was carried over to the veggie side dishes which were individually different in taste. The okra, one of our favourite greens, were cooked to perfection, still retaining its shape but far from stringy. They were somewhat stingy with the baby aubergines, or did I misread the menu when it said "baby aubergine" without the 's'. The paratha was a real highlight - light, crispy and fragrant. It resembled the good roti canai / murtabaks more than the usual thick heavy greasy parathas. There wasn't enough rice to soak up all the nice juices so we asked for another portion of it.

Mains over and nearly full, we were interested to look at the dessert menu. After all, the desserts were apparently a strength of this place. We received a small A5 card each titled "To End" with a list of specialties including a choice of Indian sweets. Having decided on one dessert each - firni brulee tart and warm carrot halva with ice cream, we were informed that the desserts may take 20-30 minutes as they needed to be prepared from scratch. Both desserts came after a brief wait, nowhere as long as expected. The carrot halva came with a raspberry couli, as expected, but the tart did too. Perhaps the kitchen was being generous. Both desserts were finely crafted piece of art, and went down very slowly. This was more due to bursting waistlines more that anything. I felt that my brulee tart was a tad too creamy towards the end but it could just be me feeling the strain.

In summary, 1 starter, 1 main, 3 sides, 2 pilau rice, 1 paratha, 2 desserts, 1 Cobra between the two of us was perhaps a bit over ambitious. The damage came to around £40 which I suppose is about right for this type of quality and quantity. The lady said that it was good but not *that* good, but bear in mind that it is not often that she feels that something is perfect.

After the meal we went to watch "The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" at the AMC Cinema near Five Ways, first time we had been there (or any cinema for a while, come to think of it). I thought it was a decent enough movie, especially the idea and storyline about memory erasure, though the both of us suffered from nausea towards the end of the movie. Whether this was due to the big (and congealment of fat in the stomach?) dinner or the camera work is a moot point because it sort of put a damper on the evening. Oh yes, the seats were good at the AMC, better than most cinemas we have been to.

Location 52°N 2°W

Friday, May 14, 2004

Who moved my cheese?

Went for a longish slow run with the club last night. Ran through the usual fields and along the river. What was cabbages a few weeks ago is now newly ploughed brown earth ready for the next crop. I will miss this when I am gone, the golden evenings of padded footsteps on fresh grass, bursting through into a hillside covered in brilliant yellow oil-seed rape... Well not the claggy farmyard mud you get after days of rain though. Or the bull that has been moved into the same field you are crossing!


Picture from the BBC website

Booked a physio appointment today. Good to get a checkup and learn some strengthening exercises. I must be one of the most misaligned people around. Funny that I haven't had more trouble with injuries. Went and did a minor food shop and then on to the Cornish Pasty place in town where the production process is in full view (get to see how much meat they put in). Now I am not the greatest fan of lardly pasties with unknown mush as fillings but this place really does decent pasties. Had Beef and Stilton Pasty and strawberries (unfortunately not little English ones) for lunch, not together of course. The chunks of meat are still there in the pasty but where is the cheese? No this is not selective memory. I am sure that you could taste the Stilton before.

Location 52°N 2°W

Thursday, May 13, 2004

Stourport (nearly) 10k

Yesterday evening was the first race of the Worcestershire Mid-Week 10km League for invited clubs only. Perhaps its a reflection of the ability of Worcester Joggers to put bodies into local races that we were invited to take part in this series. Should help with our affliation attempts with the MCAA.

Thinking that this was going to be based on the Brambles 10k course, the pair of blue suede shoes went into the kit bag. Of course this was not to be and we were told at sign-on that the course will be "mostly off road". The number of people with Walshes and other off road footwear also provided another clue. The question of what exactly is the route was met with the great reply, "There is only one course map but the head marshall has it to make sure that the marshalls are in the right place". Nevertheless we were reassured that the course is well marked with the usual red and white plastic strips. It was sort of an "out and back" course so the initial and final 1.5miles or so follows the same route.


"Blue suede shoes"

With many of the usual suspects present today in their various club colours, it should be easy to execute my race strategy of following certain individuals for the first part of the race. Hopefully starting slower would avoid a repeat meeting with my good friend the stitch which ruined a recent race. By the end of the first lap round the track I quickly realised that my first two pacemakers were rather slow. A few quick steps and I was past them to be stuck firmly on the back of two other pacemakers just before the route narrowed down leaving the track. These two pacemakers did a good job at maintaining an even pace and eventually I left them on a slight incline to latch on to someone else. This tactic was repeated for several times around the course. Quite useful too as I had no idea which way we had to go.

The hardest bit of the race was definitely "the Gulley" which was as its name suggested a dried up stream. It was soft going underfoot in various places with many uneven hard steps. At the speed (lack of!) I was going up it, I imagined that people behind me would overtake me left right and centre but strangely this never happened, but neither did I close the large gap to the runner in front. From there on it was mostly downhill all the way to the finish with about a lap clockwise round the track, keeping an eye on the group behind me to make sure that I didn't get caught. My finishing time of 37'20" (20th place) was clearly not due to my superb fitness but rather a somewhat short course.

With the benefit of hindsight I should have attacked a bit more on the hills especially as many other sections were narrow with little chance of overtaking. Knowing the course would be useful to know how much to push at various places. Off road shoes were not a requirement because the surface was reasonable dry. Felt fairly good throughout the race, perhaps an indication that I wasn't going at 100% effort so there might just be some sort of form hiding somewhere in my legs. Being a bit disorganised and currently subscribing to the "organic" approach to running, I did not use my HRM during the race so I'm unable to check my HR to prove this. Next race is probably this coming Sunday at the LRF 10k in Bromsgrove (Note it starts at 11am, not 9am as the website says!).

Location 52°N 2°W

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Journey down memory lane

Drove up north to Sheffield and back today via the M5-M42-M1. Been up that way a couple of times in the last few weeks. Made me think back to the days when the big junction between the M42, M6 and M6 Toll was being built. It was as if all the cones and diversions in the known universe had all come together in one of the busiest stretches of motorway in western Europe. Had to pass through that stretch twice everyday for six months. Let's just say it wasn't the best way of spending your life.

One would expect the driver of an articulated lorry carrying a whole load of Portaloos to be spoilt for choice when he needs to attend to a call of nature. No, he has to do what everyone else does, ie stop by the side of the road. At least he has all the Portaloos for cover against the coach full of grannies which invariably comes past at the right time.

Had a good meeting in Sheffield, besides some initial difficulty in finding the place. Traffic was pretty smooth both ways. Not a bad day at all. Dad called again to find out what was happening but didn't get the chance to call back. Options options options...

Location 52°N 2°W

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Handicap Race

It was the Worcester Joggers Spring Handicap Race this evening. Organisers were Mr Sell and yours truly. The aim is to start off people at different times so that everyone gets to the finish at around the same time to let the slower runners have the chance of beating the faster runners. Not very easy if there is a wide range of abilities, especially if some of them haven't raced very much (or at all before).

It began to rain just after the first runners started. Luckily it was warm(ish) rain rather than cold rain - it's May after all, but I got very worried about the inkjet-printed startsheets disintegrating. This was averted by large transparent plastic bags and umbrellas. In the end, out of the 30 finishers, only 5 were outside 5% of their predicted times (calculated with great precision by me). Nearly a blanket finish, good racing but hard for the timekeepers to keep up.

Oh, another discovery as I left the Green Monster out in the rain during the race. My Mono M4s squeak extremely loudly when the disc is wet. By the time I got back home the squeal had abated slightly so as not to raise the ire of the anti-noise poilce.

Location 52°N 2°W

Monday, May 10, 2004

New toys

Swapping over to disc brakes has proven a bit more painful than I expected! My old trusty RC36 EVOIIs was from the era where disc mounts were an add-on. A quick call to Pace showed how far behind I am - Clamp-on disc mounts have sold out *two years* ago. Being such a weightweenie, there was only one choice when presented with either the RC38 Race or RC36 Stealth Dark LT at the same price. Yes I went for the supposedly slightly less durable but lightweight choice. Hope Monos were the choice for stopping power. Pretty as they were, the Mono6Ti would definitely have been an overkill. In the end I plumped for the middle, Mono M4s with 185mm disc. They came with a French manual of all things as punishment for me running a "froggie" lever setup (god help me if I move on to motorbikes!).

After much swapping round of bits and pieces with fair lashings of WD40 and hairspray, the updated Green Monster was ready to roll. Setup of the Mono M4s were relatively simple, requiring selection of the right combo of spacers. Initially the pads were not backing off evenly, this was solved (RTFM) by pushing the disc against the side which was pushing out too much, a two person job. The RC38 setting were left at stock for it to run in a bit.

First test, the Continental Trail at Nant-yr-arian on Friday. Nice trail, the big climb at the end came as a bit of a shock to the system. Only 600m of climbing, I think not. Second test, an easyish potter around the Malverns on Sunday. The bluebells were out in force on the western lower flanks of the Hills, covering them in a carpet of blue. There was a (electric) fenced off area between North Hill and Worcestershire Beacon where what appeared to be Highland cattle were grazing.

Fork action was pretty plush but I felt that they were diving a bit much under braking. A significant increase in braking power was noted during the test period. Accidental endos became quite easy to do towards the end of the Continental Trail. After completing the trail the first time, I did the initial singletrack section (just after the climb out from the car park) again and had a close encounter with a tree at the rock step with an alternative route round to the left due to overzealous finger pressure of the left hand. A similar incident happened on the Malverns, this time with a spiky bush. Together with the little blister on my left wrist due to a cooking related incident, the scratches and rashes would be enough to get social services worried if I was any younger. Locking up the front wheel was exceedingly easy to do and was accomplished on many occasions. Perhaps I will just have to get used to the brakes...


Blue scraper seals on 2003 Pace RC38 R
These are supposedly letting in more water and cr*p into the innards of the 2003 forks. Wonder why as they have been in use for quite a few years now...


Close up of caliper on Hope Mono M4
The pads spring back ever so little but just enough to clear the disc...


Disc surface after 2 rides
This is what happens to the disc surface after some bedding in.

Location: 52°N 2°W

Done it...

Done the deed. Booked the ticket. Hasn't sunk in yet but it soon will. Less than 3 weeks to go... Ready or not, here I come.

Location: 52°N 2°W