Lights OUT Night Hiking

Hi all, as you know I am a big fan of an active lifestyle and always trying to think of new things to do.
Here in the the south east of Spain in July it is almost 40º in the day so outdoor activities other and the pool or the beach are limited. Bit like the UK in the winter. So I put together a Night hike.

I got inspired by an area while out on the mountain bike in Gebas and the reservoir and thought this would be a great place to come at full moon to see the reflection. There is a marked PR and we could do a circular walk, distance of about 14km so with a snack about 3.5hours.

With an international group, French, English, Spanish, Colombian it was good fun, English was the common language and off we set at about 8pm. Full moon was the night before at 10.30 so with about 7km walk out and a stop for dinner stack we should start to see the moon come up.

Conversation was in full swing only on a few climbs did  the pace of talking start matching the walking.

                                 

we weren't alone thou it might look like it

The sun was starting to set and we would make it to the waterside to have a rest and watch the night. Unfortunately my planning was a little off; I hadn't calculated the 45 minute change per night before and after the full moon. The actual moon-rise time would be almost an hour later. So after our dinner we had to head back by torch light rather than moon.

This was actually very useful for night navigation as there were no clouds we could easily see the Big Dipper. And then behind us part of the way back there were shouts of joy as the moon quietly came up to show a hazy orange face. :))

Thank you all for coming out on a warm evening and doing something different.

Fitness Training Behind the Sceens

I thought it would be fun to show you what I do to prepare, how I decide what equipment and sessions, where and when the training is done.

As you know I like to use the triathlon style of training, so a typical week will have those three elements plus, resistance training in and out of the gym, stretching and also hiking.

weekly record of training, keep it simple pen and paper.

My bike element is one that is given the most focus and this year I have gone through the process of training as a Mountain Bike Instructor, this involved not only bike skills and fitness but also navigation with map and compass, learning to read the features of the land, So when there is no signpost I still know where I am.

Planning the route on the Mountain Bike Instructor course

I break the week up to include a bit of everything, using the basic three week build of either intensity or duration, then dropping the load on week 4. this way whatever my focus is, a race or just fitness then I can see at a glance if I am heading into over training. Right now I can see that my duration is down to a total of 50km per week. And that is because the weather is nearly 40º so the focus is on intensity and more gym work. This Spanish summer training would also be and UK winter training plan.

Just some of the extra reading, training books, maps.

Lets look at some of the gear that I use, Here is my home gym and as you can see I am working through a session and making combinations, Like all gym work there should be a balance, if I do a back exercise then I  should do a chest. If I focus on legs and gluts one morning then the next will be the upper body. I'm always trying new things, never staying with the same routine. Yes it is important to repeat movements to train those muscles but when your body has learnt them it's time to move onto another.

5lts of water = 5kg

adding a dice to spice up sets and reps. Plus it's good to get ideas from your peers.

Lets look at other activities, swimming is a big mind game, it's all about the feel, technique is everything so if you are not focused then you won't improve. Part of being comfortable in the water is the goggles that you have. Yesterday I was sent a message asking what brand to buy. And that got me thinking about all this, how and why. Goggles need to stop the water getting in your eyes. So you need to do the suction test, A bit like buying shoes. If they don't fit right then it doesn't matter how expensive they are. They need to stay on your face without the strap.

suction not sucky

Hiking is a nice way to slow things down, be more social and it also helps me improve my navigation skills and works other muscles, for example the abductors as we step up and over rocks and obstacles. But it also requires preparation, looking at maps, deciding the steepness up and down, the weather conditions the time it will take, food and water are just some elements that need to be organised to make the hike safe and enjoyable.

Bags, hats, maps, helmets, shorts, waterproof

So as you can see there is a non-stop list of elements that go into planing a ride, hike, swim, or gym training session. If you have any questions or comments please write below and I'll add more details.

Thanks for reading

Cas

Get Your Food Right.

Eating the best food all year round is how we need to be thinking about how nutritional our next meal will be. Sounds hard but lets break it into parts. Each meal should have three components, Carbohydrates, healthily fats from oils such as olive, or fish oils, Proteins, from fish, lean meat, nuts, vegetables. These foods should be 'clean' no E numbers preferably organic.

Side note here, E numbers are the silent killers, destroying stomach flora, causing intestinal problems. So we should be avoiding these. And topping up our good intestinal flora with the help of Kefir not chemicals added to small plastic pots.

Our foods want to be ticking many boxes, nuts for example, give us healthy fats and proteins. Vegetables also provide and good source of carbs and some proteins and of course vitamins and minerals. Here we could look at the number of studies that show how vegetarian diet is proving to be the age, diabetes and cancer fighting and staying away from processed meats and dairy products that are now linked to lots of health issues. see Gerson Therory and The China Study

So back to our daily menu, in my kitchen right now, I have to go shopping as I have no garden to grow my own, I have some organic potatoes, some salmon and some tomatoes, Kumato in fact. Here I can see that I have the proteins and omega 3 fish oils, carbs from the potatoes and vitamin C from the tomatoes, but I'm missing some leaf or flower vegetables, so on my shopping list is some spinach or celery and broccoli both providing anti-oxidants as well and vitamin A. Link to Vitamins in food

The idea is to cover the main food groups and which in turn will provide us with the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need, not the E numbers.

'It is easy to write about but in reality...' Well it's about thinking and planing a bit more, today I cooked extra and saved it as I know when I get home late from work that I'll will be hungry and there is a meal waiting. We can try to buy and cook extra and keep it either frozen or in the fridge. We want to give our bodies the best opportunity to stay healthy, It starts with what we put in our mouths.

Thanks for reading and post any questions or comments and I'll try to help.

Cas

Natural Suplements

In sports and fitness there are too many options and bogus information. I have been spending some time to understand how we can apply this to our diet and if we need to.

The basic idea behind any extra ingested source is to give us better energy during and event or better recovery after. For those of us that do endurance events the main use will be glucose energy from bars, gells, or drinks. This 'instant' boost to a depleting quantity of glucose stored in the muscles from our previous carbohydrate meals. I'm not going to get into fat sources and diets here but we can see that one use is based on carbs.

What about recovery, there is a window of time post training that can be used to restore both carbs and water and protein and we may want to try a protein based shake. We have all seen or used these powders mixed with water, using fruit juice can push the carbs up too much and with skimmed milk is ok but ingests slower, but what is really in this powder? The purest form of protein is whey as in curds and whey but then it is treated to add other elements that 'help' recovery. As a basic guide then if you are not lactose intolerant, whey products are ok but if you are intolerant then look for Isolate meaning that the whey has been heat or cold treated to reduce/remove the lactose.

Personally  I like to get into the kitchen and make a second breakfast, that covers all, protein and carbs then I know what is being ingested. The reason I say this is most supplements have less control than normal food products and it also is real food meaning that it's something you can do anywhere you don't have to rely on getting that specific bottle.

One supplement that is going in my diet right now is black garlic. You may not have heard of it or tried it. Basically it is fermented to make it soft and sweet, and this process increases its vitamin E, good for our immune system. It is also claimed to be anti inflammatory and many other things, whether that is true who can really say but I don't think anyone would dispute garlic being beneficial for our health.

So my top-tip is keep it natural and try the black stuff.

Santa Pola Triathlon Cross 2015

Repeat until perfect that basically what we know is a solid way to get things right. Arnold Schwarzenegger used this throughout his career as, bodybuilder, actor, and Governor; musicians too know how important it is to repeat. So this year I have broken away from my 'never repeat' motto to try again.

This year then has been the Santa Pola Triathlon Cross that I did back in 2012, it's a great race, at the start of June, perfect swim conditions 1000m in the Med, at 22º. Plus a 19km mtb ride over some fast cross country then a coastal 5km run to finish. This is actually the biggest Tri-cros in Spain right now with over a thousand inscriptions.  A big event for women too over 120 and very well organised.

perfect conditions.

ON with the race, good things about repeating an event is you know where to go and what to expect, bit like doing your driving test for the second time. So relaxed and confident it was time to see where I had improved. Working on my open water swim has been my big focus in the last year and I was pleased to see that it paid off, I got my line right, did some drafting and spotted the markers without interrupting the flow (thank you Brian) also managed to stay in the main pack with a few elbow and feet blows but nothing that put me off my objective. Two minutes quicker, which is huge in swimming, and I came out of the water sprinting to the bike not gasping and wobbling. Transitions were also a minute faster both T1 and T2.

The  bike, I was on a different bike (26" wheel same as 2012) but my training over the last year has been long 3 hour rides in high mountain with an average speed between  10-12km/h, but this was a fast 19km circuit, my average was up to 22km/h which compared to my normal rides was fast but actually this was my slowest component. If we look at 2012 I was averaging 24km/h. Lesson from this is if we want to get better results we have to train the area in question. I had done very little intensity training on the bike so though I did ok with my base fitness the muscles needed for this race didn't get the same training focus as the swim.

one of the first to get bike ready

There is a nice take away from this, we all know that if we focus on something we will improve, and our bodies are no different but we must have that vision and drive to achieve it. Just working out for the sake of it won't see much improvement do it with a goal in mind and get a lot more.

The run, as I opted for flat pedals on the bike I saved time in the second transition and didn't have to change shoes and got straight into my run taking the first km to get the calves working and tipping water on my head as the temp was now up to 30ºc many people were trotting as I started to pick up the pace keeping to the shade where possible but the last 2km are directly next to the beach and that is where the sun was at full power. Luckily two locals that have houses on the beach had a water hose to cool us as we ran past, makes a big difference. I tweeted a 'big thank you' via Santa Pola tourist board. So as a friend of mine (Tom.F) says you have to 'blow the doors off' but at the finish not before it like Jonathan Brownlee. I saved my sprint for the last 50m to come in quicker on the run than 2012.

Overall I was two minutes slower but only because of the bike, but the rest of my race I was beating myself. So I am happy to accept the medal for it.

Beach Body: Buff or Blubber

When we strip off at the beach are you happy with your body or the body of others?
Most will say no, but lets look at this in another way. having a buff muscular body may be the image that we are all bombarded with in the fitness industry. But what can you do with it?

What do I mean here? Well lets look beyond the big biceps, big chest and back. We need to look at the foundations, the motors, we have a hybrid engine, the heart and lungs. With these two working properly we can shift the extra weight, gain some muscle if we need to, but remember what is your objective. To be a body builder - then great, or do you want to be able to run swim and ride without keeling over.

For most of us we don't have the time to eat, sleep and workout like a pro, however we can work on reducing the junk calories, fizzy drinks, kicking the bad habits, beer after work and increasing our activities. Swim, run, walk, ride, skate, dance, do a workout, sweat. That way will develop a better inner body and help shift some of the unwanted extra.

So next time you're at the beach if you have been working on your foundations the rest will take care of its self.

Saludos
Cas

free training Apps + mtb mag + youtube channels it's all in the HIPS

There are a lot of mobile and Tablet apps out there and some are better than others here are a few Android Apps that I have been using that are helpful.

this is one of a series that Virtual Trainer have done, they cover, bosu, resistance bands, kettle bells, most of the every day  fitness tools that we can use at home or in the gym. This one Body wight is free the others are about five euros. It would be nice to see them sold a pack at a discount price. Having said that, The Apps are nicely put together with simple video instructions, married with timers for hitt with a nice range of exercises to keep your workouts fresh.

selecting the muscle group displays a number of options.

Next up is a swimming App, sounds a bit strange but it has some nice tips from instructors with some clear video showing common errors and instruction on how we can change. I like this as the verbal and visual combination help me imagine how my stroke is. It's a free App that and some work has gone into this so well worth a look.

the App is all in English inspite of the Spanish title, just my IP address

The last App that I enjoy using is International Mountain Bike Magazine, much the same as mbr in the UK or Bike in Spain, new bike reviews, tech, riders and rides in different parts of the world, nice glossy pics and good stories. Some nice video links. Like all mags they have one focus to sell products and this does that too. So why spend five pounds when you can have a mag that is free.

there are lots of back issues so you have plenty to catch up on.

 

Youtube is also being used as a kick off point like facebook to promote business as we move away from normal TV and try to find what interests us directly. Here are two top picks for both fintess and mountain bike.

Jeff Cavaliere is a physio and trainer that puts together the scince and bio-mechanics with his athlean x brand as we try to get in shape. In his videos though he says the word 'guys' at the end of every sentence but I have found his explinations very helpful and his variations on the standard workouts are refreshing. For example why to we thrust out hips forward at the top of a squat or kettlebell swing? these things start to make sence when you after watching a few videos. If you know write me a comment below and see if you're right.

Staying with hips, the boys at Global Mountain Bike Network have some nice skills videos that can help us all polish our riding. And its all in the hips. Again if you know why the hips are so important than write a comment to see if you're right.

Tri-cas are your new Workouts

Weekly triathlon fitness workouts. You don's have to be into triathlon, in fact there is a move away from training plans that focus on base and build and peak schedules. This is a way to spice your weekly workouts using a wide range of muscle groups, reducing monotony and increasing your fitness.

This a cardio focus but we also need to mix in strength and flexibility workouts again giving us more scope.

Lets have a look, so you might want to swim one day, run the next have a active rest day walking to work, use the weights in the gym the next and get a good ride in on the weekend. An active week without the pressure and boredom of the same old sessions.

We can also adapt this to  working strength and power by doing sprints, high cadence laps in the pool, hill climbs on the bike, so you always have a surprise for your muscles.

As the seasons change then we can move into other activities, more winter hikes, indoor yoga, hitt sessions, long slow laps in the pool using a different stroke. Summer time outdoor swims, fun runs and a trip abroad to ride or hike somewhere new.

The only plan you need is try new things stay away from your old routine and get a mix of training into your week.

Bread, Beer and your Bank Balance

A huge part of our culture, toast with butter and jam for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and few beers after work.
Treat these two like chocolate and ice-cream. Both are calorie dense easy to overdose and addictive.

Think about your body like your bank account. If you spend more than you earn you go overdrawn and it takes a long time and hard work to get back on track. If you eat more than your body uses as energy you will gain weight. And again it will be hard work to get back into shape.

Beer as much as we like it, and the old-school riders will still say that it is good for you after a long hard ride, it has iron and the like, but the quantity of empty calories from alcohol far out strip any nutrients. It may feel good but what our bodies need is water and clean calories from carbohydrates such as fruits.

Lets look at bread, the main problem is the refined flours used to make this product, bread is not a natural product like rice, so therefore it's mixed and created by man. Even healthier breads with seeds and nuts and are still hard to say they are good for you as we cannot prove that they are made with a better source of flour the Un-Refined type.
All food that is prepared in a factory has not only been through a mechanical process a lot of its ingredients have also been modified with e numbers, sodium (man made salt) so it is hard to find a clean product in the bakery.

So what do we do? Well like I mentioned treat them like ice-cream and chocolate, keep your consumption low and the quality high and remember that your body is like your bank balance.

calorie re cap,
1gram of fat = 9 calories
1gram of alcohol = 7 calories
1 gram of carbs = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories

keep and eye out for products with this symbol it means that they sould be using Un-refined products

Did High Altitude Make me Fitter?

I was asked this question a little while back after a friend was looking back at his performance over the year. One of his main improvements was after hiking across Sierra Nevada; Granada over several days, spending that time mostly above 2000m

My initial answer was yes, but then I thought I would try to give a fuller answer, taking some information from various soures. 

 Some background:

here we can see the baseline for different locations and the general trend is a small increase 13 - 15

here we can see that two weeks spent at altitude has had a small increase too.

here is a test to see how training affects lasted in runners post events

Well Ben, you will see that some runners had some increase from training but not much.
High altitude tests showed a increase of a couple of percent and some longevity post training. 

What is interesting to note is the anaerobic, sprints, short burst, things you can do holding your breath are not an issue, its the endurance events that we have to consider.

So your hike in Granada last summer might have increased your hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, or it might not have had much change or did you just get fitter heart and lungs and therefore feel in better form after some rest days?

Without a blood test and Vo2 oxygen test both before and after we will never know. I would put my money on the latter, compiled with supercompensation (regeneration of muscules to get stronger after training) with perhaps mild changes in hematology.

hope that helps.
thanks for the question

Summer Fit Surprise

So what have we all been doing over the last few months, have you been preparing for a race, wedding or just the beach?

Motivation to get up and out a training for our sports and activities is a challenge that we need to cultivate. Using social media, pictures and images can help us a little but maybe we need new challenges to get that major incentive, some new equipment, new place to train, a new race to run, new muscles to develop.

This year I have repeated one race, Confrentes mountain triathlon, Normally I prefer to change my yearly goals but this race was so much fun that I had to give it another go. And it didn't disappoint.
Staying at the hostel and spa, was also new joining in the pre and post race meals too meeting new people. A great atmosphere from beginners to elite racers, 26km mtb, 4km run, 4km kayak and 10km mtb to finish. And what a finish as you come up the hill into the main square there is a very steep climb and the are a group of drummers that really motive you to make it even when your muscles are about to cramp up you know you can't fail here.

start the down hill section

the final climb into the main square

I have been reading Arnold Schwarzenegger's new biography Total Recall, One clear message from this sporting and movie legend in that you have to have a plan, a goal to stay focused to achieve but also change is necessary to develop; this comes from his years training his muscles to grow,
So for now don't forget to surprise your workout, shock your muscles get a new routine try and new sport or activity

Franco doing abbs at the beach

Hikes, Bikes and Books.

Its's been a couple of months since the last blog, so here is a bit of what has been happening.

Winter hiking

Over Christmas visit to the UK I managed to get out on the frozen ground up to Stafford castle and Cannock chase and a very wind swept coastal walk in Dorset.

Back in Murcia plans got under way for some hikes too.
English Active has had two sucessful hikes, one near Totana and the other in Ulea; Murcia. Both had a small group with two guides myself and Ben, leading and bringing up the rear. Oppotunities for all to chat and practice their English and of course followed by hearty lunch and more conversation.
Next English Active event will be a Moon-lit Hike, in Gebas in April. Keep an eye on Twitter for details. @yooglecas

part of the old irrigation system in Sierra Espuña

View of the Embalse de Ojós

Along with the hiking has been some navigation practice with map and compass, plus First Aid traning was completed this month too, just incase.

Biking, has been mixed with some wind and rain but mostly mid-day rides have been dry. Navigating new routes through Sierra Espuña often up to 900m, the hill of Bullas (600m) and Sierra de la Pila was a nice bit of base fitness with a steady climbs of 1200m.

Flat Peddles has been the big switch along

with more technical rides, do it make the move and get out of the cleats for a bit. for the long non-tec rides clip-in but for working your way down rocky steps riding flats feels like you're back on a bmx. your forearms get quite a work out too so you might want to introduce some wrist curls in the gym during the week to get some strength up.

Snow well for making Ice back in the day at over 1000m

Books, this brings me nicely to the top training read, Fast After 50, by legend in the triathlon world Joe Friel, who is now 70 has put together a very readable 300page book outlining the changes our bodies go through and how we can deal with them and adjust our training. (side note, Brian you will enjoy this)

next on the winter read and or reading list is How to Run Like the  Kenyans. a personal account of Runner's World UK journalist and his move to Kenya for three months to see if he trained seriously could he break his 3 hour marathon goal. he also outlines the many aspects that combine to make the Kenyas the best.

First Aid in the Wild and Ultimate Navigation are two texts that are my big focus in preparation for Mountain Bike Instructor Award, training that is coming up next month, with mountainbikingspain down in Almeria.

And Finally, don't forget to get your dairy/training plan up and running keeping a log of your workouts, rides in preparation for your A race this year. For me I'll be repeating Cofrentes Mountain Triathlon at the end of March. 

Don't forget if you want some coaching I have a word.doc I can email you which you can fill out with all your data, and for a small fee I'll give you recommendations to help you improve 2015. 

Run to Chill Out and Swim Smooth.

As Christmas obligations get evermore it's nice to get out for a run to clear our minds. I used running many years ago for this, then it became a hobby, a sport and then something more professional. But it's nice to get out and run free of times, distances, and heart rates and chill out. 

Also this time of year, I'm not brave enough to open water swim, but getting a swim in once or twice a week is also nice just to feel the water. It's a good time to meditate on how you move through the water, rather than the drills and distances.

One of the things I have been keeping an eye on is the amount of glide that I have, quite a lot, I was thinking about how the Garmin Swim watch shows quite a fluctuation in lap times. That said it has only been recently that I started to make sure that all laps were under a set time. But I soon realised that its is very hard to judge. Then last week I was looking at Swimsmooth.com and they have a very interesting page about, rhythm and stroke rate.

There is a new product by Finis the Tempo trainer Pro, It is the perfect little aid that beeps to you laps or stroke rate to see where my swim dead spots are and also to set my stroke rate and lap times. I used Amazon to buy it at 47 euros delivered. I thought it is worth a try. I noticed right away that my lap times are bang on, I can touch the wall every 30seconds, beep, beep. Meaning the Garmin Swim metrics are a little inaccurate.
So on with hunting out the dead spots, now this take a few sessions to get the correct beeps per cycle of your arms. Mine is about 50 strokes with both arms per min.

What now, well over Christmas I will be playing with increasing my rate to very gradually and timing it over a 100m. I will have to be careful not to increase my strokes per lap as that will decrease my efficiency. So its a fine balance to find the 'sweet spot' as Swimsmooth call it. But it's a nice little project for my winter swims to fine tune getting my swim better without the 'junk miles' as they say in running.

Merry Christmas.
Cas

Re think Stress = Wider Vessles and Bigger muscle Fibres for endurance sport

Two Size topics that I found interesting this week. 

 1. How we think about stress controls the diameter of our blood vessles. Kelly McGonigal heath psychologist and Yoga teacher, describes the affects of those who deal badly with stress have a higher percentage of mortality due the affects on the heart.

screen shot taken from video

 Interestingly people who are courageous and those who give up their time to help others don't have this reduction in diameter. I can think of  those that won the Victoria Cross Award for Bravery, many who have shown amazing strength of character to do the impossible. Kelly tells us how we should be rethinking stress it is actually helping us.
here is the link via Ted Talks.

The second is an article blogged by sports scientist Alan Couzens how us endurance athletes should spend more time lifting heavy weights and not just to strengthen the weak areas, Our muscle fibres actually reduce in size to help them function for longer with the same amount of fuel. Us ectomorths need to take note as over time we will reduce muscle mas. That of course can be see in older age and problems with osteoporosis.

Part of Alan's study, muscle mas

To quote Alan. "Muscle Moves Stuff" and we want to move our bikes better we need some of that fast twitch white stuff. Time to get out and toss a caber or two over the winter. And time to get out your old body measurements to see whats has been happening, or start recording them for future reference.

It's Easier When You Know Where the Finish Line Is.

Why some people find exercise harder than others

Watching this TED Talk by Emily Balcetis Psychologist, about our perception of things related to fitness is a good way to look at a race or fitness goal. We all know that doing things in smaller more manageable parts is easier and combines to achieve our bigger objective. From losing 5 or 10 kg to finishing an endurance race.

At a recent running race, I had no real goals only to finish strong, I didn't worry about times, or position, I could look at that after the race. But it was somehow comforting to know the area where the race started and finished. In fact the same place. Meaning that as the race progressed, making the 5km marker was one of the small parts, I only then had to focus on the finish line. Mentally I could see it and knew how to get there. Keep running.

Many endurance athletes use a similar techniques, rewarding themselves after every small part of a race. It may be broken down into distances between lamp-post or mile markers, drink stops. It is a key factor in achieving the task we have set.

This talk looks at how this perception is used by those who feel motivated to do sports and those who don't.

I will be re watching this TED Talk, to see how it can be applied to real people that want to get fit but lack the focus and perhaps rewire their perception to suit their goals.

Running Accidents Why am I not Wearing Them?

Trail run today, although I have done many in training and in duathlon cross races, today was the first 10.5km official trail run. Linea de Salida, Mountain trail run, La Manga Club; Portman, Cartagena.

Menos a Más, as always running negative splits is a safe way to run, avoiding using up those precious white fibre - fast twitch muscles, saving them for unexpected climbs, rocks, banks, tree stumps. I started then from the back of the 300 runners.

The cliche, "all the gear and no idea" sprang to mind was I began to pick off some runners in their, compression socks, Batman style belts laden with stuff, energy bars, one woman looked like she had a flask of tea. Nice ;) I spotted a man wearing the same gloves I use on the mountain bike, fingerless with palm protection. There I was thinking it's only 15 degrees why is he wearing them!?

As I passed many on the ups who seemed to have blown a gasket in the first kilometre, we got on to the trail/single track, this is where I stated to see how my mountain bike experience crossed over well, short steps quick cadence up and log stride using gravity to spring along the down sections. I saw a lot of heavy footed runners braking here, slowing their average speed and causing them to use extra effort to get up the next slop. On the bike you do this, use the speed of the down to get you up the next part. So I picked off half the field.

At the 5km turn point we started a long wide down section, here I am afraid is where I needed to moderate my speed as my right knee (broken twenty years ago) always reminds me not to run too fast. A few runners came past, but not too many ten or so, then back on the undulating final few kilometres to the finish. Knee stared to feel better, and my power was ok for a fast finish. So on with race, I could see a man just up ahead and new that in a few hundred metres I would overtake, just as get close I trip, a root, a rock, karma, took out my right foot and I fly both hands out.

The runner in front stops to help, what I surprise, "thanks, I'm ok, I just left some skin back there" I ran along-side him for a bit chatted, looked at my bloody wounds and got my rhythm back, then sprinted the last kilometre to finish mid-pack and under the hour.

The question then is, not, why are you wearing them, but why aren't I?

profile of race, finger marks the learning moment ;)

Mountain bike gloves in the kit bag for the next race.

Thanks for reading.
Casp;)

Pancakes and Mountain biking

Every weekend for the last three years I have been out on the bike, all over the Spanish countryside, from the hills in Istán; Malaga to the Arragones peaks in the Pyrenees. It is safe to say I know my way around and when are where is a good time to ride. see link to April blog

So with my girlfriend in the UK, I started thinking how lucky I am to ride all year, she's just moved for work near Cannock trails, so I'll be checking them out in 2015, but for now its back to rides, rides and more rides with the sun on my back and never having to think about rain.

If you are interested in doing some riding check out the link to the April blog, and get in touch and maybe we can sort some rides out for you. crjc75@gmail.com

this morning's pancakes

Heading out to check out this ride in Sierra Espuña, 40km from home, part of the Yeti mtb trail that runs through here once or twice a year.  ;)) Be safe, be lucky and enjoy what you have on your doorstep. (unless its a message from the neighbour's dog;)

....some hours later, the pancakes did well but the hot coffee and ham bocadillo in Camping El Berro went down well. Without doubt Sierra Espuña is visually impressive, higher than Snowdonia and BenNevis at almost 1,600m, so there is all types of weather, the isn't much single track but there are now four officiil routes thanks to Espubike and I was able to pick up a map, all gps track are on Wikiloc. So quite a bit more riding to do.

146km in 4 sections. the ride today used the final part of No.4

Get some Coaching

Having a personal trainer is a bit of an expense that maybe most of us don't need, however all of us need some coaching to see perhaps the small changes we can make to improve our run, swim, bike, workouts and nutrition.

We might have a 'go to friend' or web page that we can search for answers. But I want to take a more personal approach. The next stage for PersonallyTrained is to offer a service to look at data: from runs and races, workouts, training plans - intensities/duration. And give feed back on how to cut out junk kilometres and give you some professional input. Speak to you about diet, performance and all those little things that we like to fuss over, what gear, when and where to train or race. A lot of what us athletes do can cause some nerves and stress having someone that gives you confidence in the choices you make will make any event much more enjoyable.

So bottom line, I will look at data from the start or the end of your season or every six to eight months for 50 notes, this way I get something for my time and you get a personal feedback on how you are progressing and where you should be heading.

Those that are interested send and email to crjc75@gmail.com and I'll send you the data pack that I'm putting together.

find those flat spots and tweak your motor