Positive Pants Back On!

After my little wobble last week it's back to a more positive frame of mind. The blog will as usual, start with Lee's update and then switch to my cycling stuff.

For Lee some stuff is coming back. She's called the Queen of cakes because she's good at cakes. Her baking interest has been largely missing in her recovery but this week it has definitely returned. On Wednesday she made a lovely Lime & Coconut cake. This was for the visit of Ali who is a friend and close colleague.

Ali has been through a similar rough ride to Lee although not Covid19 related. We are really missing her at work. I know she enjoyed this cuddle with Charity and by all accounts I'm lucky our black goldador wasn't smuggled back to Ali's house. I think this visit was good for both Lee and Ali.

I had planned to go out on my bike that evening but Lee hadn't been for a walk so we took the dogs out together. A steady stroll of just under a mile had no effect on my heart rate. For Lee it involves taking a drink, having a sit down and by the time we get back she's exhausted. I know it frustrates her that she can't do more. For me, I was happy to go for a walk with Lee. I miss out on that whilst I'm at work. 

Lee has also been creative. This beer bottle top table is covered in clear expoxy resin for a really nice finish. Obviously my contribution was to provide a good variety of bottle tops, some great beers represented, a few 13s because it's our lucky number and I want to make it clear, I did not supply the corona tops!

A good summary of the week would be: no dramas, no hospital appointments, some good times along the way.

To cycling. On Monday I ran a hill training session for the cyclones assisted by Charlie Stockham. Also joining us was fellow coach John Taylor-Burt and parent Gary Carter. The kids were all competent riders (a word here which means: "way better than I ever was!") So we went on a bit of a 'ride out hill hunt!' It was a good session where we all got a good workout. My goodness those kids were quick on the hills!!!

I returned home to a fantastic dinner of Californian lime grilled fish (it was hake but you can use a variety of white fish.) Lee has really got stuck into making fish dishes having craved fish during her recovery. We have a lot of interesting  food because we both enjoy cooking. I've almost considered starting another blog: "what the Lindsleys ate!" I like finding new recipes and this week I discovered Sweet potato and courgette Spanish tortilla. On Saturday I made my usual sausage rolls, baked foccacia and we had some teamwork to make a nice lasagne. Why can't I lose weight again?

It's "active August," for the #wenurses community. So in my usual way I've upped my activity. Some of you will wonder how? Others will say it's about time! I've made sure I do pilates and strength work, done more rollers sessions and added a lunch time walk at work. All of this is to encourage others to be more active and most importantly to make sure that the nurses beat all of the other health professionals! With all that in mind the arrival of my NHS cycling Jersey was well timed!

On Saturday I couldn't decide whether to go to parkrun or go for a group ride. Eventually I decided I needed to see my cycling mates in the Cyclasylum.

This was a good decision because it was a great ride. I opted not to join them for an entire 100km fondo based on time. Lee and I do the weekly shop together on a Saturday afternoon. I would never have agreed to this pre Covid19 but now its another part of her recovery. So I wanted to be back in time to get Tescos done, do a bit around the house and then settle down to watch a bit of sport!

This was a nice route heading out of K Town to Geddington, then onto Great Oakley, Pipewell, Desborough and Braybrooke. At Braybrooke we went up one of the hills from the Monday night hill training and then onto the only one the kids didn't do into Harrington. We then headed to Lamport, onto Old and the Walgrave before I said my goodbyes and turned for home. 

Today I checked Strava and realised that for the first week this year I could achieve my 3 weekly goals: 15 miles walking, 7 miles running and 100 miles cycling. So I hatched a plan to start with a dog walk. 

I was down to be a Marshall at Parkrun so I knew I'd get my last mile walking in on the course...then I arrived and Will the RD asked me to scan so I had to pace around a bit to get the steps in!

After parkrun I changed out of my wet kit,  put cycling kit in and went for a ride. I didn't really care about speed or my average I just wanted at least 12 enjoyable miles. It was windy, the rain lashed down and I cycled on with a broad grin! 

Wonky helmet and glasses, stupid big grin!!!

Yeah it was soggy out!

So I got home, changed out of my wet kit, got my running kit on and went for a run! It was just a plod really but I loved this too!

selfies are in reverse!!!

Mission accomplished. I'm going to try to keep this up throughout August to see what difference it makes!

How good was the Olympics? This week it's been all about the track cycling. At this point I have say how pleased I am for my great cycling mate Andy Pendred and his son Sam. Sam is part of the design team for the Hope Lotus British Cycling track bike. How great must it be to say you've designed a Gold medal 🏅 winning bike? I've never tried track cycling but every time I watch I want to have a go. Great racing, great results, I love it. Now I'm looking forward to the paralympics!!!

For Sam and Andy here's a reminder from Christmas 2019 and 2018.

2019 Andy persuades Sam to fall over in lots of puddles! This ride included the greatest video that never was. I thought I was videoing Sam as he fell over in a puddle only to press start when it was all over. Oh well at least we can remember how much we laughed!!!

2018 terrible photo but here Andy tricked Sam into riding in full winter kit plus a santa suit! He was boiling!!!

On youtube this week I've been watching  The Vegan Cyclist Don't be put off by the name, it's not all about cycling on a vegan diet. It started with the impossible route. A really good watch and due to that I watched a few more. I like his style of cycling and how he describes the mental side of the sport. Definitely my sort of thing!

If you read this far, thank you! I can't imagine I'll have this much to write about this week. I've loved all the things I've done and I've enjoyed writing about it too.

Happy Pedalling 

A week of real reflection

It’s the format I’ve been using since March, firstly I’ll do an update on Lee and her lengthy COVID-19 recovery and then I’ll switch to my cycling blog. 

We’ve kind of had a quiet week that got a bit stressy towards the end. Lee hasn’t really changed much. She’s still really tired and after a bit of activity her whole body gets sore. It’s fair to say she’s fed up of it all! During the week, our daughter Níamh, had a few days away in Brighton with friends. On the way back they all did a lateral flow test and one of her friends was positive. A further PCR test confirmed the lateral flow result. Níamh was naturally very worried and went for a PCR herself. After a nervy 24 hours this came back negative. For me this brought my own well-being into sharp focus. Mostly I’m okay but it only takes a little pressure either at work or at home to derail me. In short I’m not coping as well as I think I am. On Friday before we got the result back I was really struggling. It's difficult to explain,  just everything was winding me up! Tomorrow I’m speaking to occupational health at work because it would be foolish not to get some help. I’m sharing this in my blog because I firmly believe: “it’s okay to not be okay!” I hope it might also help someone else seek help. So in a week where sportstars such as Simone Biles and Ben Stokes have announced they are prioritising their mental health…so am I. Bringing this back to Lee, who remains the priority, she’s worried about me and that really can’t help her recovery. We were also hoping to get some progress from the respiratory team this week, however the appointment didn't happen and has been rearranged for a few weeks time. This is one of the most frustrating aspects as we're waiting for a medical opinion!!!

Changing to my activity, I've had a quiet week. On Monday I coached the Cyclones but didn't ride in. We had a good session with the kids involving tight cornering on a grass oval.

In the week I tried to do a rollers session on Wednesday but frustratingly my speed sensor needed a new battery and as ever you can't find a C2032 when you need one. Lee was super helpful though and amazon delivered 4 the next day. On Thursday I did the toad in a hole rollers session and then my wahoo got confused, lost my 10 miles and uploaded the 0.2 miles from the day before! All cyclists hate upload fails!!!

I decided not to ride with Cyclasylum on Saturday morning based purely on time. I love the long group rides but with time feeling pressured I didn't want to be out all morning. Its now part of the routine to do the big shop with Lee on a Saturday afternoon. That helps her a bit because a wander round Tescos is a bit of a workout in her long covid/post ICU condition. So much as I hate shopping on a Saturday afternoon, it's good for the Queen of Cakes! Instead of a group ride, I took Charity to Market Harborough parkrun which we both enjoyed. She's a special dog and despite having 18 months off she slipped straight back into the Parkrun routine.

This morning I awoke to the news that the Desborough Greenspace Junior Parkrun needed a Run Director at short notice and I jumped at the chance. So at 7.30am I was walking the course as my first duty. Because the core team is so great, everything just went to plan and 53 kids enjoyed a good run. They're lucky I got the timing right because on the course walk I was very distracted by this cute bunny!

So this afternoon I finally got a bike ride in!

This route is one of my favourite training rides. It's got good fast sections and a decent hill. The other thing is that this route is stuffed full of history due to starting in Rothwell, passing through Kelmarsh and having Naesby as a turning point!

Next week I'm determined to do as much as possible. The #WeActiveChallenge has started and #NursesActive need to beat #AHPsactive again!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics as much as I am. Tom Pidcock's gold medal in the MTB XC was phenomenal. You could argue that MVDP's crash meant he lost his main rival but as Gino D'Campo once said: If my grandma had wheels she'd be a bike. In the women's event the Swiss ladies dominated but who cares? Evie Richards in 7th just embodies the spirit of cycling. Ride - smile - eat - sleep - repeat! One discipline of cycling I'm not into is BMX...seeing the fantastic results makes me feel like I've missed out. The racing and the freestyle results were brilliant. Even better the BMX team trained at Corby's Adrenaline Alley, just a few miles from my house. It's great to know that there's a world class facility near by where inspired youngsters could go and try the sport!

If you haven't seen the BMX freestyle check out this link. BMX 360 backflip: The trick that secured Charlotte Worthington Team GB gold BBC SPORT

Happy Pedalling!

sizzling hot week and local adventures

Usual format, Lee update, then cycling and other bits!

There's a chance you're new to my blog so here's a whistle-stop tour of our Covid19 experience. On the 30th of December 2020 Covid came to our house. This was serious because my wife, Lee aka the Queen of Cakes has severe asthma. On January the 11th Lee went to hospital in respiratory distress, she initially improved and the seriously deteriorated requiring admission to ICU on January the 19th. She was sedated and ventilated for nearly a month! 80% of people with this presentation have died! Thanks to first Kettering General and then Boston Pilgrim Hospital Lee survived Covid19 and was discharged from ICU on the 20th of February. There's a video and everything of her being clapped off the unit. On the 7th of March Lee moved to a rehab unit back in Northants and the 22nd of March Lee came home! Whilst this was a very bad experience other people have had it worse. That's not me downplaying it, I just know we're lucky Lee is alive and making her long slow recovery!

So this week Lee is kind of okay. A bit less tired than last week. It still feels like a plateau and I was starting to worry about it all. However Lee had a review from ICU and they're really pleased with her progress. They think its a 12-18 month process and the plateau is due to the initial speed of recovery. The advice is to rest as much as possible and not to push! I, of course, would be all for pushing so this is timely advice indeed! She has her respiratory follow up this week and ICU also said cardiology need to rethink their decision to discharge! So it's not a lot of news but its a little bit good. 

Monday was a boiling hot day and we suffered in masks at work! My reward was a coaching session with those wonderful kids at cyclones. I decided, as it was a rideout session, that I'd ride in to K Town and make the most of a fine day. It was also a lot cooler on a bike than sitting still. On the way in I met fellow coach Andy Brown. We bumped into each other on the lovely trails around the back of Brambleside and took the scenic route to the coaching session. We then took the kids on a rideout to Wicksteed Park with a couple of laps of the Lake and some fun downhill repeats. 

After the session Andy and I took the long route home via Geddington and Weekley Woods. I had the most lovely time and the world just felt good!

I had another spin on Wednesday. This time it was just my standard 17 mile route. Again it was the perfect antidote to the hot day.

The above shot is at the start of one of my favourite roads from Desborough to Arthingworth. I once held the KOM for this fast descent. Going downhill fast is just the best feeling!

I was planning on going out again on Friday but ended up helping a colleague out with some equipment to work from home...then I started planning my Saturday!

I was in 2 minds whether to go to Parkrun on restart day or ride my bike...so I came up with a plan to do both. 

I drove to k Town with my bike and parked at work. The plan was to be back at work for 8.15, get changed, walk to the Parkrun at Wickies and then run. The sharper eyed of you will notice that this plan is even more foolish than it sounds because the route came back to Kettering via Rothwell...yes that's right we rode right by my house. A better plan would have been to ride to early birds, go back to my house, get changed and then go to Parkrun. That way I could've also picked up Charity my best running buddy! Oh well this worked too. Scott, Mark and I had a nice ride and then I did indeed make it to Parkrun! 

with thanks to John Woods for this picture!

I'm really glad I went to Parkrun. 300 hundred ish people ran and it was great to see some familiar faces. I felt quite emotional at the start briefing. This is another step in the recovery and it was just so lovely to run round, having the odd chat with others and thanking the volunteers. My time wasn't the best but was also better than I've been running with the dogs. I know I'm overweight at the moment and I'd also warmed up with a 22 mile bike ride...so all in all I'm okay with that. At some stage I'd like to beat my PBs but it's not the priority right now!

Sunday morning started with junior Parkrun duties. As ever it's so good to give back!

Today I wanted 20 miles to take me over 100 miles of activity for the week. I set out on my MTB with no clear plan and ended up having an absolute blast!

 I'm not fond of cows in fields I ride through because I've been chased before! Luckily the herd and more vitally the bulls were not close to me at any time!

Between Foxhall and Mill Lane I decided to head towards the exact fields where I'd had problems with cows. My confidence was increased by this fence! I have to thank the farmer for doing this. The fence carries on for miles making the ride safer and way more enjoyable!

So that's my cycling. In bigger news I hope you've caught up with the olympic road races. Both the male and female races were great and with surprise winners. In the week we have the Time Trials and XC MTB. Next week it's track cycling. Just wonderful!

Happy Pedalling 

Back to work, back to familiar routines

After a wonderful week away in the Lake District it was back to work with a bump! It's the usual format. Lee update, bit of cycling, running etc and then a celebration of the Tour de France 🇫🇷 2021.

This beautiful lady and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary on Tuesday. I think its fair to say we've both been recovering from our holiday this week. Lee has certainly been more tired and it took me a few days to adjust back to work. Strangely, given Lee's heart rate is currently being kept down by beta blockers, she has been discharged from cardiology. This is because the monitor showed her heart rate is normal! Now that might be right but it doesn't feel right. That's where we are right now so many unknowns, hopefully we will get more answers soon! The positives are that we haven't had any dramas for a while and you know...21 years married, that's awesome!

My activity this week has been; lots of dog walks, coaching on Monday, a couple of runs, a group ride and Run Director duties at junior Parkrun.

It was great to get back to coaching at KCC cyclones. We held a race night, which is always fun. Just like the bloke feeding the pigeons in the Blur song; Parkside, it gives me an enormous sense of wellbeing. 

I love walking my dogs in the morning. This is my picture of the week. We might not be in the Lake District but it's still nice round here.

On Saturday I joined my friends from the Cyclasylum for a group ride. For many reasons I didn't join the early birds or indeed the full ride. I did see the early birds come through Rothwell when I was walking the dogs. 

Reason 1 was that I wanted to test my new 11-34 cassette. I had fitted a wolf tooth hanger extender to get everything working. As ever when you make a change it needs testing before you can feel confident. With that in mind I decided to meet the others in Loddington rather than K Town.

We headed out on a hilly route where I'd been my usual fast descending self so the next bit was a worrying surprise. Heading through Dingley, down hill at about 35 mph I experienced speed wobble. This is terrifying. Luckily I didn't panic and just held on and hoped. The shaking of my bike through my bottle out of the cage and I needed to stop. Riding fast downhill is 'my thing,' I'm not reckless but I do enjoy it. I've never experienced this before and didn't really understand why it happened. Afterwards I carried on riding fast down hills and nothing bad happened. I did some research once home and this article helps.

speed wobble article - cycling tips

The rest of the ride was uneventful apart from Steve's puncture. Mark was good enough to help whilst the rest of us provided moral support aka taking the mick! Steve's disgraceful multi-tool cannot pass without mention!

This morning I was joint Run Director at Junior Parkrun. I had an easy week with plenty of volunteers. Also we had a lot of experience this morning to make the job even easier. As ever seeing the kids enjoy the run makes my day. 

I don't know if it's okay to use this picture, I've made it as obvious as possible that this is from Cav's Instagram page. I just need to celebrate 🍾 his wonderful achievement! Unlucky on the day today but I'm okay with Wout van Aert taking the final stage as I love how well the cx riders are doing. A stunning achievement by Cav. 

Happy Pedalling 

I can see the Isle of Man!

This week will be a lot of Lee updates and a little bit of cycling at the end. More than anything though it's mostly about a great week with great friends.

I missed a blog last week because in all honesty not much happened. Lee did have a 24hr heart monitor but we haven't even had the results yet. I did some coaching and some cycling, walked the dogs and did a couple of runs. All standard fare. At work we had our virtual wellbeing festival. This was fantastic with some  brilliant keynote speakers. Chris Packham was great on Monday but for me the absolute highlight was Gareth Thomas.

The rest of the week was about getting ready to go away. Lee had a trip to see her hairdresser Brad at Queens in Rothwell. She is relieved that her hair loss has slowed a bit!

On Monday we headed off to the Lake District for a week at Moorside Glamping pods. We took our dogs, Bruce and Charity. Joining us were our good friends Vicky and Martin plus their dog Fergus. Usually when we go away together the kids all come too. However in a WiFi free, intermittent 4G signal area, we were very glad to be teenager free! We met them in a pub on the way for the first of many good meals with a nice pint

We arrived after a scenic trip over the fells to our homes for the week. These are just perfect. Set on the side of the moor with mountains behind and the coast in front. The weather was so fine we could see the Isle of Man...more on that in a bit!

Lee took the opportunity to have her daily Nanna nap whilst Vicky, Martin, the dogs and I tested the quoted 15 minute walk to the nearest pub. We wanted to see if this was suitable for Lee and quickly discovered...no, no it wasn't. It was rough and hilly and frankly 15 minutes would've been a challenge for a spritely fell runner. That it took us 40 minutes to get to the pub and 20 to get back isn't the funniest part of the story. Firstly Vicky took us down a path into a bog and optimistically kept going. 

As we doubled back we had to negotiate a cattle grid. Bruce helpfully dropped his ball down it, I retrieved the ball as Martin made sure he captured the moment on camera! Charity offered helpful advice. 

Once the ball was retrieved...for the retrievers, we negotiated the cattle grid. Bruce decided to do it in one jump which was bad news for Vicky holding on to his lead! Luckily she stayed upright and thoughts went to a safer way to cross cattle grids! It was on the way back that the three wise people realised the gate next to the grid could be opened!!!

Then Martin exclaimed he could see the Isle of Man even more clearly just as he promptly stepped in a massive cowpat. He also miraculously stayed on his feet! At this point Vicky and I lost it. I don't think I've laughed as much in my life. The next sight of an amorous bull servicing his hephers was just par for the course! Thankfully the pub wasn't much further and we calmed down over a pint!

With Lee's mobility still impaired we decided the next day to go on a train ride. This lovely little train is known as the Ratty and sets off from Ravenglass, just 6 miles from the pods. Martin and Lee booked the tickets and we got a tiny carriage for four people. Lee was asked if we had big dogs and fearing we wouldn't get on, she replied: "no not really!"

Okay so I think they might actually class Bruce and Charity as big dogs. On the first attempt to fit in, Charity dived straight under the seat and stayed there. Bruce jumped straight back out again! Yep the labrador had the most sense here. Somehow we wedged in and set off. Meanwhile the carriage next door was empty!!!

Lee managed a ten minute walk to the village of Boot for an ice cream and then we let her have a rest as we went for a wander. Then we doubled back round to Lee and of course went to the pub! I can heartily recommend the Boot Inn!

On the way back to Ravenglass they allowed us to use the empty carriage and everyone was a bit more comfy! 

Having taken a train ride on Tuesday we decided on a boat ride for Wednesday! So we took a drive to a sunny Coniston water. We easily fitted on the boat and it was a lovely little trip!

From the boat you get to see Beatrix Potter's House, the setting for Swallows and Amazons and the stunning mountains that surround the lake. The best known being the Old Man of Coniston, one of the many fells I've walked with my Dad.

This is also the scene of Donald Campbell's ill fated speed record attempt in Bluebird.

After that...of course we went to the pub! Another great meal and a pint of Bluebird! Lee made the ten minute walk to the pub and started a wander round the shops before it all caught up with her again. It really brings it home when you see her exhausted so easily. Back to the pod for another Nanna nap!

On Thursday I wanted to take everyone to Wasdale, the most Lake District part of the Lake District. If you're wondering what Lee is laughing about she had just said she can't see a pub! Erm..this one?

Wssdale claims to have England's highest mountain, deepest Lake and smallest church. Dad brought me here many times and I still love the place! As with previous days, Lee read her kindle on a bench and we went for a wander. She also managed to meet a lady who helps people post covid and now has another contact to help her recovery. After that of course we went to the pub! 

It must be said every pub we frequented did good quality food and nice beer at a reasonable price. The glamping pods are also great value for money. The weather ignored the poor forecast and was great throughout. 

In the afternoon we headed to the nearby beach. It was nice for a few minutes and then we realised that Lee had probably done too much for the day. Martin and I had to help her back to the car. She was okay again after a few minutes sitting down, it seems the virus isn't done with us yet! However we did have a nice last evening in the bods with yet more good food and drink!

On Friday morning Martin and I took the dogs for a last walk before we packed up to head home. This was a wonderful break and just what we all needed. Lee is disappointed she couldn't do more but I'm sure it will come! Oh and here...is the Isle of Man!

Okay now the cycling bit. I did take my cx with me and I even planned a 24 round trip to Hardknot Pass and back. However this trip wasn't about me so I just went out for a couple of short rides. Here's some pics from my rides.

Once back home I tried to fit my new cassette and chain to my road bike. Turns out I do need a longer rear hanger AND my goodness 4 attempts to fit the chain...what a numpty!

With all that needing fixing another day I went for a little spin on my mountain bike. It was quite interesting for a little local loop. A lovely touch with the air ambulance fundraiser and I'm sure that pig knows how much bacon and sausages I ate this week!

Today I did my usual parkrun duties before taking my MTB out again. This time I did Geddington Chase and back. That's always a good off road ride!

I'm hoping for a lot more cycling next week. However it really would be bad not to mention Mark Cavendish. I was able to watch both stage wins this week in the pod. Equaling anything by Eddy Merckx is phenomenal! He's also been pretty humble about it, praising his team AND pointing out that Marianne Vos has achieved something just as spectacular at the Giro! What a man!!! 

Well some sort of football match is about to start so...

Happy Pedalling