langeoog morning run - part three

langeoog morning run - part two

langeoog morning run - part one

on saturday betty, bella and i set off by car on our summer holidays to the little island of langeoog, a short journey by ferry off the coast of germany in the north sea. betty spent many summer holidays on the island as a child and having dreamt about going back for so long, this is her first visit since 1999, we finally arrived on sunday afternoon in baking hot weather.

what an epic drive it was, we took the euro tunnel from folkstone to calais in france, arriving into gent in belgium where we stayed over in a hotel called hotel lepelbad. owned and run by norbert and his daughter cathy, norbert is semi retired and used to do catering for team csc during the heady days of tyler hamilton, ivan basso and of course carlos sastre. aged seventy three he now limits himself to providing the catering for the belgium national team. yes he will be managing the food for the belgium team at the world championships in limburg in september but more of norbert and his wonderful hotel later.

early sunday morning we set off through the remainder of belgium, up through the netherlands and finally into germany and the area to the north west called ostfriesland.  our car was left on the mainland and we took the ferry over to langeoog.  only a few electric vehicles are allowed on the island so our bikes came with us and in addition to getting in as many runs as i can betty, bella and i will be doing plenty of exploring by bike.  during our stay in langeoog i plan to post images from my runs and maybe bike journeys too as often as i can.

strength training

a few months ago i decided to start the process of re-training myself to become a personal trainer. after many years of searching i have decided on a profession that will enable me to turn a couple of my passions, namely fitness and nutrition, into what i hope will be a way of earning a living. i embarked on a distance learning course in may of this year and aim to become a reps (register of exercise professionals) level 3 personal trainer / fitness instructor by the spring of 2013 when i will launch my own business, but more of that later.

since my early twenties, i am forty one now, the physical exercise i have done has predominantly been in the form of running and cycling, the two disciplines i have the most passion and interest for, and still do. however, with my new aim of becoming a personal trainer it has been essential for me to join a local gym and start to really get to know how all the machines and weights etc work. it also comes at a relevant time in terms of my age and the fact that i will, and probably already have, started to lose muscle mass as i entered into my forties.

in the initial consultation with my personal trainer i asked him to design me a total body programme to help improve my cycling and running, so muscle endurance based as opposed to muscle strength. this involves working with lower weights and high repetitions. due to time restraints and my not wishing to compromise too much on the time i spend running and cycling i have been using the gym once per week with a session that lasts between 1 to 1.5 hours. although i have only been doing this for three months i can certainly see an improvement on the bike although not so much in my running.

i have noticed less lower back and shoulder/neck pain (i was professionally fitted for the bike i use for long rides a few years ago so it was not a fit problem) and put this down to an improvement overall strength, particularly though in the lower back, upper back and core. i have also noticed an improvement in my climbing ability although it is difficult to know how much of this is due to regular riding in hilly terrain and how much is from working out in the gym.

i say i have not noticed an improvement in my running but then i have not been doing any really long runs, above 24km, so maybe have not tested myself enough with distance to notice a benefit. either way i am really enjoying my time at the gym, it feels good to do something different, mix it up a bit, and i am slowly building my repertoire of exercises and how best to execute them with good form, essential if i am going to be showing others what to do in the future.

below is the second programme my personal trainer has designed for me listed in the order i do each exercise along with weight and number of repetitions and sets. i have also included youtube videos for each exercise.

kettlebell squat - 8kg 3sets x 10 reps
kettlebell squat press - 8kg 3 sets x 10 reps
kettlebell romanian dead lifts - 8kg 3 sets x 10 reps

dumbbell chest press - 9kg 3 sets x 10 reps
dumbbell single arm row - 9kg 3 sets x 10 reps

dumbbell incline bench press - 9kg 3 sets x 10 reps
dumbbell incline bench row - 9kg 3 sets x 10 reps

dumbbell shoulder press - 5kg 3 sets x 10 reps
dumbbell seated curls - 5kg 3 sets x 10 reps
dumbbell skull crushers - 5kg 3 sets x 10 reps

v-sits - 3 sets x 10 reps
swiss ball crunch - 3 sets x 10 reps
swiss ball plank - 3 sets x 30 seconds

paul smith - inside his studio - cycling jerseys

i worked for paul on and off for the best part of ten years during the 1990's and into the early 2000's both in his warehouses in nottingham, we are both nottingham lads, and in his offices above his flagship store in covent garden, london.  they were great days, i did not get paid much but with a hefty staff discount my wardrobe was nearly all paul smith.  one memory that stands out is when i worked at his warehouse.  he used to store much of his vinyl and book collection there and i spent quite some time re-boxing and archiving it for him.  i mention this because watching this video of paul in his office you will see what a prolific collector/hoarder he is.  the stuff you see here will definitely just be the tip of the iceberg.  i never got to get my hands on any of his cycling jerseys though.

moulton bicycle company

less than ten miles from where i live in bath is the quintessentially english town of bradford-on-avon. it is home to the moulton bicycle company.  launched in 1962 by dr alex moulton he is the pioneer of the original full suspension, separable, small wheeled, high performance bicycle.  although i have never had the pleasure of riding one of these machines dr alex moulton is certain one could ride a tour de france route comfortably and at speed on one of them.  maybe somebody already has?

MOULTON BICYCLE COMPANY - MADE IN ENGLAND from WellPlastic Films on Vimeo.

moulton bicycle company

gold medal cyclists by the royal mail

great britain has dominated nearly all cycling events at the london 2012 olympics. all gold medal winners are being celebrated by the royal mail by having a special edition stamp released for each of them. below are the designs for all the cycling related gold medal winner stamps the royal mail has released.  with bmx still to come there could still be more additions to this exclusive club.  i have never been a stamp collector before but i might start now.

giro gauge shoes for sale

now on sale via ebay.
i am selling this brand new pair of giro gauge mtb shoes in black, size uk 8.5 (euro 43) as they are a little too small for me. I have tried them on once so they come unused and boxed. wiggle currently sell them for £144.47 reduced from £169.99. i am selling them for £90 + £6 (P+P uk) or £90 + £15 (P+P worldwide). you will not see them anywhere else cheaper than this. here is what giro say about the shoe:

race-worthy performance with the durability and comfort needed for off-road adventure. the gauge features an exclusive easton® EC70 carbon composite sole that delivers optimal power to the pedals, with a reinforced microfiber upper that is supple, yet durable enough to be worn everyday on the trails. fit adjustment is made with a secure, micro-ratcheting buckle and two wide, offset straps that provide a snug, comfortable fit. the aggressively-lugged, dual-density outsole offers excellent traction in the mud and dirt, and will also accept toe spikes for winter riding and cyclo-cross racing.

anyone interested in buying these shoes can email me at velorunner@gmail.com with their name and paypal recognised email address.  once i have these details i will email the buyer back with the invoice.  paypal payments only please.  the sale ends on sunday 12 august 2012 and will be made on a first come first serve basis.