General.

Just a catch up.

I had a low patch a few weeks ago. I was worried I was coming down with loony again, happily it was just a blip, but it’s always a wake up call. However well you’re doing in life, job, training, personal goals, if you go loony it all counts for nothing. 

They say that running is actually good for your mental health. It de-stresses you, focuses your mind on the task in hand (suffering and trying not to die, I assume) and releases endorphins, which are painkillers and a natural “high”.

I should be immune from loon. Yay!

My run of race misfortune has hit the superstitious third event. The Outlaw triathlon cancelled the bike session so a year’s training was wasted as it wasn’t a tri. I set off late and got lost so managed to miss the South Cheshire 20 (mile race). Then, 6 days before the Warrington half marathon, I got an email saying they’d cancelled it, due to ‘safety concerns’. They said they were trying to rearrange it and we’d hear the details the next week. That was a fortnight ago, still no offer of a refund, free entry into next year’s race, or a new race date for this year.

My next race is Chester marathon in a week. Let’s see how that goes. I’m predicting asteroid strike.

 

While I was low I was window shopping for another bike. Apparently that’s part of my (BPD) condition, that I enjoy the thrill of shopping. The fact that I couldn’t get excited about it and even after I’d tracked down the bike I should get and was thinking “what’s the point?” is telling in itself.

I was thinking of an ‘adventure bike’.

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They’re big, supposedly robust, go-anywhere motorbikes. Usually bedecked with big stainless steel looking box panniers. The thing about them is, when you put a different screen on them, they create a bubble of quiet to ride in, and due to the sit up and beg riding position, they are supposed to be all day comfortable.

I forgot to say, what prompted me to look, beyond trying to find my happy place, was I’ve started getting tinnitus. Not the usual background whistle when it’s quiet, but a quite loud sound that alters pitch, making it harder to ignore. I really don’t want that to get any worse. I bought a new, so-tight-it-makes-your-eyes-bulge helmet but I was still getting motorway wind noise so I was panicking a bit.

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At least I shouldn’t get run over while I’m going deaf!

Someone on twitter said he’d fitted his adventure bike with this fancy screen to get the bubble of quiet I’ve just described.

Then it struck me, my gorgeous VFR750 is a sports/ tourer. Why buy another bike when mine is designed to be a comfy tourer? That also goes like stink, if you want.

I got the fancy screen my twitter mate was on about.

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The idea of it is that it has a bit of a lip so it pushes the air to the top of your helmet, and the funny second screen thing smoothes the air turbulence so there’s a lot less noise.

That worked a lot. The other thing is the sit up and beg position. I bought some risers. They are just collars that fit under your handlebars and lift them the maximum permissible height within the fairing (only 2cm but it’s supposed to make a big difference). And a comfier seat. I was going to get a gel pad insert, but the same guy on twitter said someone had done his seat. Apparently gel pads leak eventually and aren’t as good as they sound. What this guy does is strip out the cheapo, but fairly adequate foam the manufacturers fit, replace it with super-duper luxury foam, and fits a better, grippier, seat cover.

I’ve only got it back today, but the work looks quality. I’ll take it for a bit of a test ride tomorrow.

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Oh, I also bought a cheapo, £10, Chinese, ‘phone holder. It attaches to the handlebars and holds your mobile so you can use it as a satnav. I don’t want to get lost ever again, it’s irritating. Especially if it means you miss your race.

So that’s my bike all sorted, now I just need a day of reasonable weather to do a long distance test ride. We’re in the monsoon season at the moment, so not ideal.

Which is handy, as Wendy finally gave up asking the housing association if they were painting the exterior doors or if we should do it. Months she’s been asking. Not even for them to do the job, just to know if they were or if we should. Anyway, she gave up and we painted the doors. The paint says 16 hours between coats, in the dry. We put the first coat on, it dried, then it’s chucked it down for 8 days. Super. The forecast is for rain for the next fortnight. Super duper. I expect we’ll give them the second coat around June.

It was a double blow as the seat guy, who does a ‘while you wait’ service is based right at the bottom of Surrey, near Brighton. I looked at it. A 500 mile round trip, but was put off by the M25 (London ring road) section. That is awful at any time. Also he said on the ‘phone it was ‘first come, first served’ and it took a few hours to do the job. If I’d have ridden down and not got seen I’d have been miffed.

So I sent it by post, just got it back, 10 days later. Which meant a week of cycling to work. In the rain. It’s hardly rained for months. Until 1: we paint the doors 2: I send my seat motorbike seat away 3: I want to do a long ride to test my new motorbike set up.

Sigh.

And, after all that, I think a lot of the tinnitus was caused by earwax build up, not being deafened! We’ve been habitually using ear plugs for good sleep. It seems, obviously in retrospect, that they compact the earwax and prevent it’s natural movement out of the ears. I’ve been putting olive oil in my lugs, as per the NHS website recommendation, and it seems to be a lot better. If so, I’m still glad I got the screen and all that, better to have a false alarm prompt me into preventative measures than being stuck with damage limitation.

 

In other medical news, I’ve had a red patch on my face for about a year or so. If I don’t keep it slathered in skin cream it immediately dries out and flakes. Last week I started getting it, or something similar, on my forehead. Flaking like mad, itching, and a bit tender. I gave up and went to the doctors before my whole face fell off.

She said it’s a kind of dermatitis. Apply this cream for a fortnight, job’s a good ‘un. Huh. I’ve been using it two days and my forehead is already tons better.

While I was there I said about my loss of taste and smell. She’s given me a referral to the Ears, Nose and Throat specialist, but said that could take months, in the meantime she’s arranging an MRI to determine if there’s any obvious nerve damage. I’m not sure how that would show up or how I damaged it (with a killer cold, 2½ years ago) but at least she’s throwing everything at it. She said if it’s nerve damage then it’s permanent, but if not they can try and sort it.

 

In my training I’ve been following that Advanced Marathoning book’s plan. I’m on a taper fortnight now, for next Sunday’s marathon. I’ve never done a taper before. I’ll be interested to see how I do. My PB at the mo is 3.40:53. That was an average pace of 8.26 m/m.

I’m going to set off at 7.15 and try to keep it under 7.30. I’ve no idea if I can sustain that. If I could it would be roughly 3.15. I’m going to have to really try for that. I’ve got to be sub 3 for April.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how much fitness and stamina I’ve built. A PB is a PB but I really want a significant gain.

Right, I’ve rambled enough.

My next blog better be epic!

Later,

Buck.