the-way-to-the-centre http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog a Lazlo Woodbine thriller Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:20:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 january – a review http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2010/02/01/january-a-review/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2010/02/01/january-a-review/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:19:48 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=872 So, January is over and had things gone to plan I would have been taking part in a 24 hour MTB race over the weekend1. Instead, my Ayups are out on loan and I will be secretly relieved as the Saturday forecast is hot and steamy with a helping of thunderstorms.

That change has not however derailed The Plan, and on yesterdays ride I rolled over 300 miles (500km) for the month. Not huge by real riders standards, but still a decent start to the year. I would estimate around 220 of the miles to be ‘good’3 miles so there is a reasonable balance of work and recovery, but with plenty of scope to up the workload.

Since I use a Garmin Edge 305 (which records the gps track as well as heartrate and cadence), I have been recording the data to Ascent for analysis, but since it is currently falling behind in features I have also been using the windows based SportTracks, which supports the training load plugin, allowing me to keep track of my fitness more accurately.

Sporttracks_sm

The vertical bars are the activities (taller indicates harder and/ or longer sessions), the blue is fitness (Chronic Training Load or CTL) and red is fatigue (Acute Training Load or ATL). The two gaps in the chart represent three weeks of fieldwork in the Queensland bush (November) and two weeks holiday in the UK (December), where I was without bike. From the graph is seems that my ten days hard work just before the Christmas break payed off in giving me some fitness to lose without going backwards.

Since the beginning of 2010, CTL has risen from around 25 to 40 and I see the change in my lap times at my normal training location (Centennial Park). This is one of few areas of Sydney where you can ride for more than 10 minutes without having to stop for a junction or traffic lights. It’s boring, but handy for short pre-work rides and speed sessions. After an easier week this week, I am hoping to ramp up CTL to around 50 and see how things go from there.

The weights are going ok too, though I am doing maybe three sessions a week whereas I feel four would be more advantageous. Rather than fancy machines at the gym or barbells, I am using kettlebells. I am currently using the ‘beginners’ weight of 16kg (35lbs) which doesn’t sound so much, but which is good enough to give me a good kicking in a session lasting about 20 minutes. I do have a 24kg (53lbs) under the table but I think that will be a while before I can work with it safely and comfortably.

  1. Stymied due to an 11th hour ‘we are not allowed to ship brand X outside the US’2 ↑
  2. But I have a cunning plan ↑
  3. I.e. non-recovery, making-an-effort intensity ↑
]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2010/02/01/january-a-review/feed/ 1 the plan (TM) http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/12/06/the-plan-tm/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/12/06/the-plan-tm/#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:34:27 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=842 I am planning to do a couple of big rides next year: the JetBlack 24h MTB enduro (as part of a team) in February near Sydney, and the 210km Around the Bay in a Day in Melbourne in October.

To pull these off without disgracing myself too much, there needs to be a Plan1, and the Plan is in two parts:

Part 1 – The JetBlack 24 Hour

The 24 hour enduro is far too close already, and I only have a good, but very old ‘93 Marin hardtail. Most of it is pretty worn and I doubt it is up to the rigours of hard riding, so a new machine is in order (and definately overdue). There are about 5 weeks from when I get back to Australia after holidays so just enough time to get back some lost fitness, but not much extra time to gain more.

  1. Get a new mountain bike – hopefully I will be getting an Ibis Mojo (or SL) over Christmas, and with luck it will clear customs and be here before the race!
  2. Relearn how to ride off-road. Could be tricky, but hopefully I will get at least a weekend or two to get my eye in again!
  3. Get fit. See Part 2

Part 2 – Get Fit

I am by no means unfit at the moment; I can ride a solo 80km, 800m ascent road ride at a good pace and also have a reasonable short track turn of speed. However, if I am going to survive the 7.5 hours minimum for the ATBIAD, then a few 80km (albeit hilly) rides are not going to cut it. Also, two weeks away from the bike for a UK Christmas break is going to undo the few weeks training I can get in before I go.

The remaining week before I head off will most likely consist of 2×20 sessions (or just riding hard for an hour or so) along with a longer weekend ride.

It will be the same again for the first few days back, and after that it will be a process of continuous increases in distances (though probably keeping one or two 2×20s per week).

I have not come up with a precise post-Christmas training plan but am sure I can figure something out based on the ’short hard rides mixed with longer slow ones’ regimen.

Since I have been slack in actually publishing this, I have started with some more serious training already:

  1. Tuesday December 1st – eight laps of Centennial Park ( 35.8km). Heart rate 165 – 173.
  2. Wednesday December 3rd – eight laps of Centennial Park, two with the ‘figure of eight’ hill (40.8km). Heart rate 168 – 180.
  3. Sunday December 6th – nine laps of CP (43.4km). HR 156-172

To augment the cycling I am planning to fit in some weight training on the off days which should also help to improve non bike specific fitness as well as undoing some of the tendon/ muscle shortening that comes from time on the bike.

  1. This might be considered to be a secret plan to fight inflation. ↑
]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/12/06/the-plan-tm/feed/ 1 and we’re back http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/08/02/and-were-back/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/08/02/and-were-back/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:19:30 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=831 My hosting provider seems to have tripped over the power cable on the way out the door, and then taken a week long holiday. Any recommendations for a good replacement?

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/08/02/and-were-back/feed/ 0 going downhill. fast. http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/07/13/going-downhill-fast/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/07/13/going-downhill-fast/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:10:16 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=826 On stage seven of this years Tour De France, just after the summit of the 1249m high climb of the Port del Comte, Fabian Cancellara stopped for a rear wheel pucture. After loosing about a minute1 the Tour leader set off in pursuit of the peloton being driven by the Astana team. No speeds are shown but I would estimate much of the time to be spent at between 80 and 90km/hr.

A masterclass in descending.

  1. He also took the chance to take a ‘break natural’.. ↑
]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/07/13/going-downhill-fast/feed/ 0 at night (i) http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/06/18/at-night-i/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/06/18/at-night-i/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:30:28 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=814

Sydney recent hosted the Vivid Festival curated by Brian Eno. I think the Opera House makes a pretty good canvas.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/06/18/at-night-i/feed/ 0 spring cleaning http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/04/15/spring-cleaning/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/04/15/spring-cleaning/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:04:15 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=793 continental
 

I spent a good amount of time of Saturday working on my road bike. After 4,500km the bar tape was getting a bit worn and the tyres and chain were probably past their best.

It was great to witness the transformation back to showroom condition – the dark grey sticky encrusted cassette being stripped back to former polished glory, faded & cut tyre carcasses replaced with clean black and the worn chain removed and a new one fitted that should be good for the next 2,800 miles.

As well as the dramatic aesthetic improvements, the clean also allowed me to look over the Focus checking for damage – the scuffs across the brake units from when I got hit by a car, the little rough patch on the clearcoat at the rear dropout caused by the rough bootliner when transporting my bike to my parents. Fortunately no cracks, chips or anything nasty to be found. It was good to minutely examine the frame and components as I went, reconnecting at a level that makes it more than just a tool for my enjoyment.

bartape

It seems there are 1,001 ways to wrap tape, but I went for the clockwise on the left and anti-clockwise on the right. Once it got the method down it was fairly easy to lay tight coils that nicely showed the embossed ‘Zipp’ logos to their full. A lot more padding than I am used to, but since I am thinking about getting new gloves (with thinner padding) it is probably a good thing.

Weather and miscellaneous other things kept me off the bike for the long weekend, but with luck the next 2,800 miles will start tomorrow.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/04/15/spring-cleaning/feed/ 0 on the beach http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/02/16/on-the-beach/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/02/16/on-the-beach/#comments Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:40:45 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=768

My brothers were in Australia for new year and we spent a week up near Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland where these were shot.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/02/16/on-the-beach/feed/ 0 the tweed run http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/01/28/the-tweed-run/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/01/28/the-tweed-run/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:51:34 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=765 Photos from the London Fixed Gear and Single Speed inaugural Tweed Run. Very dapper indeed, though short on the Penny Farthings…

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2009/01/28/the-tweed-run/feed/ 0 dropbox symlinks http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2008/12/18/dropbox-symlinks/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2008/12/18/dropbox-symlinks/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 06:48:49 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=740 After my laptop got a (non fatal) soaking due to a burst pipe, I have been looking at additional measures to backup some of my data1.

Remembering a post by but she’s a girl, I duly downloaded and installed myself a copy of Dropbox. BSAG mentioned creating symlinks for folders rather than copying so that is what I tried since I didn’t really want to be dragging and moving things too much.

After creating a symlink/ alias with crtl+click, I dragged it to the dropbox folder where it was duly synced. The contents of the aliased folder however, were not. A few repeat & fails later a bit more searching brought me to this post that stated that this only works if you symlink out from the Dropbox directory.

So, as far as I can tell there are no GUI methods for this so it was off to Terminal for me:

Last login: Mon Dec 14 22:50:49 on ttyp1
Welcome to Darwin!
Ians-MacBook:~ ian$
Ians-MacBook:~ ian$ cd dropbox
Ians-MacBook:~/dropbox ian$ ln -s ~/WordPress/New\ Blog\ Backups "New Blog Backups"

That creates the symbolic link (ln -s) from the backup folder (~/WordPress/New\ Blog\ Backups) to the Dropbox-synced folder ("New Blog Backups").

Now whenever I backup my site via ftp & drop it into the normal folder, a copy gets pushed up to the remote server as well.

Since I only have one laptop at the moment, between-system syncing is not needed (though I am looking at either the MSI Wind or Lenovo S10 as a ultra-portable2).

Hopefully this system will serve me well & transparently to keep important documents safe from burst pipes.

  1. Unfortunately the PSU for the backup drive also got a soaking and is currently dead too. ↑
  2. These seem to be the best bet to persuade OS X onto ↑
]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2008/12/18/dropbox-symlinks/feed/ 0 please accept this spider as payment http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2008/12/16/please-accept-this-spider-as-payment/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2008/12/16/please-accept-this-spider-as-payment/#comments Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:21:14 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=744 Man tries to pay bill with a drawing of a spider. Most bizarre, but I think emphasis needs to be placed on the word claimed in the report.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2008/12/16/please-accept-this-spider-as-payment/feed/ 0