Back home in Glasgow – can’t blame jetlag for lethargy anymore – was cold in house so quick run and I feel much better ….
Even Strava worked hard to cheer me up …
Roger ‘4 Minute’ Bannister |
Room 101, the hate half hour or the running interval session as it has come to be known. Five kilometres in half an hour three of which are done in the style of a fat Robert Bannister all sweating, heaving and eye-popping.
I casually say to my running partner Douglas,”I did six of these last week. Let’s go for eight this week.” By the time we’ve completed one interval I make the executive decision that six will be more than adequate.
The Route on Glasgow Green |
For this weeks painful experiment we chose Glasgow Green. At first glance Glasgow green appears to be flat. Let it be known to anyone attempting an interval session, unless you are running on a bowling green nowhere, I repeat, nowhere is flat. The slightest gradient becomes the north face of the Eiger and even flat surfaces begin to take on hill like properties.
The Charts. NB: 3rd interval nearly killed us! |
On the charts ‘Fast Wednesday’ you can see that our attempt at jogging between intervals didn’t last long. I hold myself fully responsible for that second executive decision. We did stick to our guns on one of missions. In fact we excelled ourselves in the final part of the exercise routine which was to Jog in a westerly direction for the full 5k then walk in a north easterly direction towards West Brewery and replace all the carbs that we’d just burned off. This we did in the form of a pint of their finest Hefeweizen which lasted all of two minutes and had to be chased with a further pint of St Mungo’s. We did get some funny looks. The pair of us sweating profusely in our running gear pushing through the crowded bar carrying huge pints of beer. With that reward I am actually looking forward to next weeks half hour of suffering.
Mmm… beer in the sun. |
[This post originally appeared on Findlay Napier’s blog]
Never ever would I have imagined myself running along the Clyde footpath before 9am unless I’d been at a party the night before and was being chased home by some over zealous neighbourhood watch nazi. Nevertheless I found myself chasing Richard down to Glasgow Green and up river towards Rutherglen. Not a bad morning for it either and watching the racing skiff crews being shouted at by grey haired men on bikes kept my mind off my aching legs.
Pretty pleased with the 10k time here. I’ve knocked another two minutes off my personal best.
[This post originally appeared on Findlay Napier’s blog]
I am missing out as I am off to Cambridge Folk Festival but for those in Scotland ….
July 31st 14:00 – 17:00
Start at Kings Court, outside Mono
The Glasgow Bike Station presents a fun ride around the city exploring some of the many green places. Visit checkpoints, complete challenges and gather clues to win prizes.
We’ll meet at Kings Court (outside Bar Mono) at 2pm on Sunday 31st July, finishing in the West End. Everyone welcome, just bring a bike! A map and a pen might help too…
An Alleycat race is an informal bicycle race. Alleycats almost always take place in cities, and are often organized by bicycle messengers. The informality of the organization is matched by the emphasis on taking part, rather than simple competition. Many Alleycats present prizes for the last competitor to finish (sometimes known as Dead Friggin’ Last or DFL). The first race to be called “Alleycat” was held in Toronto on October 30, 1989 and continued, in its original form, around Halloween and Valentine’s Day for the following five years. In 1993, when Toronto messengers shared Alleycat stories at the first international messenger race (C.M.W.C Berlin), the name and the concept spread far and wide. Regularly organized Alleycats can be found in cities across North America, Europe and Asia. Many smaller cities with no cycle messenger population are also home to alleycats run by the burgeoning urban cyclist subculture.
Alleycats reflect the personality, contemporary environment and level of competition based on the organizer(s). Races may be less competitive and designed to be enjoyed by the local messenger community around set holidays, such as NYC’s July 4 Alleycat, or they may be extremely grueling and designed to eliminate all but the fastest and best overall messenger.
Rules vary, but include:
Riders do not wear conventional race numbers; instead, “spoke cards“, originally Tarot cards but now often specially printed for the event, have the rider’s race number added with a marker pen and are then wedged between the spokes of the rear wheel. Spoke cards are often kept on the wheel by riders as a souvenir, leading to an accumulation of them over time.