My wee sister...

So running has taken a back seat after my wee sister Kerry collapsed last Saturday (12th December) with a brain hemorrhage. She has just turned 17. She underwent emergency surgery on Monday in order to remove part of the clot, and is now in the intensive care unit of our local hospital.

If you are reading this, I would ask you just to say a simple prayer for my sister and our family. She has a strong belief in God and a personal relationship with Him, and though we know it's selfish, we don't want God to have her just yet.

Pray that she will make it through this illness and that we can have our wee sister back with us.

Thank you.

Distractions

So no running done for a week now. Not good. Too distracted by Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and put off by the miserable weather that I haven't been out for days.

However I did head out mountain biking on Saturday morning in the cold, the rain, and the mud, and it was fantastic. Haven't been for years, and raked around Belvoir Forest Park getting caked in muck, and whooping like a madman every time I came down a slope. I worry I may actually have been bitten by the MTB bug again, which means I could be rethinking my future bike purchase...

Anxiety

This week I have been sick, and so only got out on Monday night for a run in the rain. Managed to come in at 9m 20s, which was the exact same time as I had obtained on Saturday afternoon!

Sharon's brother Dave has asked to train with me, though was not impressed that I wanted to do the marathon in under 3 hours! But he keeps himself fit, so it's more likely that it won't be him that has any problems doing it!

However, he ran at 7.5 mph last year for the his leg of the marathon, and I worked out that if we ran at that speed, then we would complete the marathon in 3hr 49m. Which ain't a bad time, but if we're to do it in under 3 hours, we need to be running at 8.7 mph or faster! Which makes me considerably more anxious!

Every week I realise a little more that this task is actually a lot harder than it first seemed...

I'm going mountain biking on Saturday morning, so odds on I'll probably break something and the running will have to wait!

Improvement!

Ahhh, sweet caffeine.

Anyway, I went for my mile run last night, and am feeling pretty good, as I came in quicker than my first time!

1 mile = 9m 57 secs!

That's an improvement of 1m 21 secs! Made me feel like I was Usain Bolt for the rest of the evening!

So on that basis of improving over a minute a week, I should be able to run 1 mile in 5 minutes by Christmas Day. Then it's just a matter of increasing the distances! I hope...

BREAKING NEWS: A new challenge!

Well hello again blogging world!

So I thought I would let the world know that I have now set myself a new challenge, and that is to run the Belfast City Marathon on May 3rd, 2010.

Now of course, I don't do anything by halves, so instead of just saying I'm going to complete it, I decided to find out the average time for a marathon. 4hrs 30mins.

All my life I have been just above the average mark, so the first challenge is finishing earlier than 4hrs 30.

Then I decided that I should set myself a target of around 3 hrs 30. A target that many people would aim for.

And not even happy with that, I've decided that I'm going to develop my own training technique, and aim to do it in as fast a time as physically possible, i.e. less than 3 hrs. A target that seasoned and experienced runners would aspire to.

Let me share my theory with you.

• Train until you can run flat out for a mile and do it in 5 to 6 minutes.
• Once you can do that, then increase the distance by 0.5 miles, and run that in 9 minutes.
• Once you can do that, repeat the increments of 0.5 miles and 3 minutes.
• Eventually your body will be able to run 15 miles in 1hr 15 / 1hr 30. This leaves you just over 11 miles to complete the race. Continue to train, aiming to do 12-15 miles on big training days (once every 2 weeks), but only aiming to improve your time.
  

I would love to come in at a record breaking Ethiopian pace of less than 2hrs 15, but I went for a run last night and it didn't go down so well. As I have only started running yesterday, I'm aiming for the mile mark.
Foolishly I thought I had retained some level of stamina from my Mizen 2 Malin cycle (see previous posts), but alas, I have not. After running nearly half a mile, I thought I was undergoing cardiac arrest, and was trying to wave down passing cars in the hope someone would stop and perform CPR on me. I arrived home gasping to Sharon that I needed an adrenaline shot to the heart immediately or I might die.

I completed my first mile in an embarrassing time of 11m 18s.

This is going to be tough...

Life

I will endeavour to update what has happened over the past few months, but if you are reading this and you owe me money from the Charity Cycle of the year, then be warned: I'm coming for you.

The Big Cycle is over

So everyone, I have cycled the length of Ireland.6 days away from home.
c.27 hours on a saddle.
c.400 miles covered.
1 Hybrid bike.
6 full Irish Breakfasts.
7 Gel packs.
1 pulled knee ligament.
2 fingers with nerve damage.
10 Carbmix Powerbars.
4 Protein shakes.
Too many litres of water to count.
2 burnt thighs.

I want to thank everyone who supported me in this, and for those who gave money. We have raised over £1,600 which is just amazing.

Thanks to Nick, Trevor, Ed and Peter for their cycling advice and a couple of items of kit.

Thanks to Uncle John for the use of the bike these past two months.

There's plenty of stories, but I won't bore you all with them just yet! Sorry I couldn't get online more often to update you as I went!

Again, sincere thanks to all of you.

God bless,

Dave

P.S. You can still donate money by going to
http://www.justgiving.com/mizen2malin
or when you see me in person.

Day 1 - It's Not A Race

So I'm sitting in the Killarney Court Hotel following a 79 mile cycle and my bum is, to be honest, a little bit sore! But I'm now a fifth of the way there! And a lot closer to home than I was a few hours ago!

I now know that most of the guys here are possibly part-time Tour de France types, and even though the phrase "It's not a race" is widely used, it's not widely adhered too! So I've continued my slower plod miles behind everyone else! Everytime we take a break, I cut mine short and take off just to get a mile or two ahead before everyone passes me again!

So following a long journey down yesterday, we arrived at our hotel and headed off for a bite to eat before retiring to bed in anticipation of the day that lay ahead. Mizen is actually my new definition of the back-ar$e of nowhere, and so by the time we got there we didn't set off until half 10! Up through County Cork and into County Kerry by travelling through the Caha mountains and through Moll's Gap. Two big climbs (for me anyway!) but what a rush coming down them! The villages down here are lovely, especially the ones right on the coast. If time was no object I would definitely have spent some more time down here, especially in Glengariff, Bantry and a few others. Though I might bring food with me, as these places are all tourist spots, and the prices are sometimes pretty wild!

So key facts from today's ride (I got a cycle computer and have nearly got it working 100%):
- Top Speed - 38.7mph (I thought I was going to die)
- Avg Speed - 13.8mph
- Total Distance - 79 miles (wrong turn in Killarney town!)

Hope all is well in the North with everyone! Thank you to everyone who has texted and wished me luck and said a wee prayer, I flippin' need them!

Much love,

Dave

Twas the night before...

...the longest weekend of my life!

So I have only hours to go before I begin the long journey down to County Cork, and begin the even longer journey to Malin Head on Saturday. I will try to keep you all posted on my progress, but can we all please remember that it is in the taking part where the satisfaction lies, and there is no shame in failure!

Seriously though, I want to thank everyone who has supported me (and I'm doing it now before the trip, should something untoward happen to me and I can't later!), whether it was with donations, advice or equipment, it's been fantastic. We've raised alot of money for a great cause, so thank you all on behalf of the people who will benefit from it.

Whatever you're up to this weekend, enjoy it! If you see a cyclist on the road, pause and think about me, even fire a wee prayer heavenward if you're inclined!

Talk soon,

Dave

Modern Day Prophecy

So I just realised that a modern day form of prophecy is the weather! They forecast stuff all the time and quite often get it right! Amazing.

Anyway, I hope they have got it wrong this time, as I have checked out the extended forecast over Ireland for the nex week, and pretty much every day of the 5 days there is a high chance of rainfall! As if I could get any more excited about the prospect of cycling 410 miles, the thought of doing it in the wind and rain just makes it seem too good to be true! Who wouldn't want to cycle up and down hills cold, soaked and feeling beaten and weathered?

Please note: Sarcasm in use

Uneasy

Just over three days to go, and I'm beginning to feel a bit of apprehension...

Number 2 & 3

Having never swallowed anything while cycling before up until the other week, I managed to catch two more bugs in my mouth last night, both of which managed to make it in to my stomach. One wasn't too bad, but one flew right into the back of my throat and left me retching at the side of the road trying to bring whatever it was back up.

Alas it was not to be, so hopefully it died without laying eggs somewhere inside of me.

I'm actually getting qeasy just thinking about it.

Bitter disappointment

So last night I checked my proposed route on Google maps and it said 50 miles, so thought I'd have broken it yesterday, but just to be sure I went back today and checked it out on GMAPS instead, and found out that it was only 45 miles. Which is still good, but means I STILL haven't broken 50.

I'm gonna have to go for it on Thursday night instead.

Only three or four training sessions left before the Big Cycle!

Progress...

So I'm back in tonight after a 37 mile cycle, which combined with yesterday's 30 miles, gives me a weekend total of 67 miles!

Which STILL isn't even one day of cycling.

P.S Congratulations to all the guys from the team who made it round Lough Neagh on Saturday! Quite impressive I think you'll agree!

I knew a woman who swallowed a fly...

Except it wasn't a woman, it was me!

I am just back from a 25 mile cycle, and managed to swallow a fly on the Moneyreagh to Comber Road. A small bug's flight path crossed in front of my gob as I was gulping in air and proceeded to make me cough, splutter and retch as I cycled along.

Not only did I get one in the mouth, I also managed to get one in the eye, and have now determined that I should procure a pair of sporty sunglasses! So if anyone reading this has a pair and would like to lend them to me for a week, you could save my sight!

It never rains but it pours...

Now that I am 25 I am entitled to drive minibuses (though not for financial gain mind!), I had to collect one in Newtownards on Friday. I didn't want to leave my car there overnight, so thought why not cycle it!

The road was dry as I set out from home, and it was only when I reached Ballyhackamore that the rain started to fall lightly upon my face. By the time I reached the Knock carriageway, it was hammering down and I was beginning to have flashbacks of almost every cycle I have gone on in recent weeks! I pushed on though and managed to make it to Scrabo. As I arrived in to the car park it struck me that there was no bus in sight, and my good friend Glen Johnston was looking rather embarrassed. Glen had forgotten to inform me the bus had broken down and was over in Bangor. Not only had I wasted my morning, Glen also walked into the toilets as I was standing in my lycra bib shorts trying to dry myself, and has taken to calling me Borat.

So following that horrible experience on Friday, I chose not to do any cycling until last night, where I clocked up 13 miles. Thanks to Nixo for providing the Galwally rest stop and for not calling me Borat!

Rude awakening...

So I arrived home last night by 11pm after the BBQ finale of i-Cafe, and began to get ready for my usual Tuesday night cycle. Shaun of the Dead was on ITV2 and it wasn't long before it had distracted me long enough to postpone my training for a day or two.

I went to bed tired and sleepy and forgot to send a text to Sharon to let her know I was home safe.

In the middle of the night I could hear a thud. Like a bassy thud which would happen every few seconds before a glassy thud. I lay there for awhile thinking about what this could possibly be. Was it in my dreams or was it in reality? Eventually I could take it no more and got out of bed to see what it was. Lo and behold, Sharon was outside on the street pelting my window with a foam racquet she'd found in the boot of the car. I looked at her and quickly had the dreaded feeling that I must have forgotten something. She mouthed for me to open the door, so I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs. The light suddenly came on as I realised I hadn't told her I didn't go out on the bike. I can only imagine how the messages soon turned to desperate phone calls, and as we both share an imagination that always features the worst case scenario; the chances of Sharon falling asleep without knowing for certain I was okay had quickly dissolved. Hence why she was now standing on my doorstep at 2:30am.

And as we men know, rather than allow her joy at me being alive to overflow, she acted as most females would, and displayed her anger at my lack of consideration and thoughtfulness.

Women!

The Power of Coffee & Scones

After getting soaked on Thursday night, I then ventured out with the team on Saturday morning for a cycle around Lough Neagh. We met at 7am and took off clockwise around the lough. A light drizzle had been falling, but nothing too serious. As time progressed, and as we got lost, the rain became heavier until we had been cycling for over an hour in heavy rain and strong winds. As we headed out of Portadown towards Coalisland, the decision was made to return to Portadown for a coffee and then on to the cars. I suggested the Yellow Door, a cafe in the centre of town.

It really was quite amazing. I had cycled over 20 miles without a break in terrible conditions, and was cold and wet through to my skin. My shoes were filled with water and my muscles were beginning to ache. However, as we began to cycle back to Portadown, the knowledge that I was going to be tucking into a freshly made scone and an americano filled me with such energy I felt like I had just consumed a cocktail of 4 Red Bulls, 4 espressos and a litre of coca cola. I raced into Portadown as if I was an Olympian, giving everyone else on the team the false impression that my fitness levels have dramatically improved.

P.S. Thanks to everyone who is continuing to sponsor me for this cycle, we're on our way to reaching the £2000 mark!

If moisture is the essence of wetness...

and wetness is the essence of beauty, then I looked pretty good last night!


Training abandoned due to a torrential downpour.

Midnight Cycling

So as you will know I'm trying to train at night. Last night was difficult as I arrived home and only got leaving the house at 11pm, but managed to tear around East and South Belfast within an hour, so pretty flipping pleased! I also worked out that along my journey last night I passed the homes of a few friends and family, and could have had a few comfort breaks along the way!

Maybe next time.

Embarrassing

So I provided Sharon with yet another reason to end this relationship yesterday!

I did no cycling training this weekend, but thought to indulge in a bit of wacky outdoor sporting fun with a 4.5 metre power kite borrowed from former housemate Juls. Taking it down to Sharon's folks house, I then proceeded to fly it in their front garden. After a period of dragging myself around the grass, and Sharon's brother Dave and Dad enjoying the banter, Sharon's brother then suggested one last flight, so I agreed. I was running late for a meeting, but thought, what harm can it do?

The kite went up, and stayed up in the air for a couple of minutes, before pulling me across the garden and flying straight into the roof of her parents house, entangling itself in the chimney pots. I turned to Dave, and looked at my future brother in law, doubled over in laughter. The following 45 minutes was a rescue mission involving four people, a ladder, a JCB and a pair of welly boots. I'll post a photo at some point for evidence and your enjoyment.

Late Nights & Early Mornings

So last night I went out for 9 miles, left the house about 10.30pm and back in an hour. Felt pretty good with myself and I knew that the effort was going to ensure I fell asleep quickly.

However this morning I awoke and there was very little noise outside. Normally I would hear many cars going past, or my housemate or brother up and about, but today it was unusally silent. My phone was off, so I quickly looked at my watch, which said ten to 4. Relieved at this, I looked over at the windows and my joy quickly turned to suprise, as the light which was winding it's way round the edges of the curtains suggested sunrise must have been very, very early today. Thus curious at the strange natural phenomenon outside, I shook the sleep from my eyes and looked again at my timepiece.

Twas actually 10.20 and I was going to be exceptionally late for work.

Encouraging...

So I talked last night with a friend of mine Nick who is a regular cyclist, and his face said it all when I mentioned the 5 day limit!

Nick did give me tons of tips though which was excellent. To give you an idea of his level of interest in the sport, he's heading off to France in a few weeks for a long cycling weekend with some mates, aiming to do 60/80 miles a day. And not for charity, just for fun.

Anywho, Nick says there's a big psychological barrier every day when faced with having to get back on the bike, so has encouraged me to try two days back to back cycling. Will try to plan to have a go at that within the next week or so.

The look of suprise...

People seem to be genuinely suprised that I have even considered this challenge let alone am going to attempt it! I don't know why.

Surely my athletic physique, healthy diet and toned buttocks all lend themselves to the idea that this cycle will be easy?!

More pressure

So now that I've got some sponsors, I'm now feeling added pressure to actually succeed at this cycle!

Prior to beign sponsored, if I could not complete the cycle, at least I was only failing myself; but now that others have become involved, there is the added weight of other peoples' expectations.

When I am cycling along and faced with another 40 miles before a break, maybe I will think of my sponsors and how they will share in my triumph of completing the journey, and that will spur me on with renewed vigour.

Or not.

Breaking the Silence

So following a year of silence on the bloggin world, I am now;
1) Employed full time and working my butt off (except right now as I write this!)
2) Taken it upon myself to complete the Mizen 2 Malin cycle with a group fo people from Saintfield
3) Am getting married in July

So life is busy.

Currently the only thing worrying me is the cycle. Over 400 miles of cycling within 5 days. 7 weeks of training. Pretty intense.

Feel free to follow me as I venture forth over the next coupla months.

It's gonna be a bumpy ride!