Froome. Is he clean?

There has been lots of talk whether Team Sky and particularly Froome are clean.

How did he ride away so easily? His stolen numbers suggest off the chart performance? He never used to be that good? Don't like the bloke and he's not one of us so he must be cheating!

Well folks, it's really not that simple.

Point #1 this is not new, he's been around for some time. He's been the strongest rider for the last 4 years. In 2012 supporting Brad he was the strongest rider and has been ever since. 

Point #2 the whole Sky team are strong this year as they have been since their intro in 2011. To suggest Froome is cheating is to suggest that Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas are also. To add, there is consistency both with the team and with Froome's performances in the post Lance era.

Point #3 Contador is a case in point.  In the Tour there is a clear disconnect between his pre and post drug ban performances. I saw with my own eyes how he rode in the Alps at Verbier and later on Mont Ventoux in 2009, destroying the field. He has never gotten back to those levels. Froome is the other way around and in his mid 20s he found a team and improved which is totally normal. A GC contender is almost always in their late 20s and is why the best young rider jersey is not an < 18 or 21 age category.

Point #4 Team Sky have raised the bar in sport science. They have been super smart in their approach. David Brailsford masterminded the UK track revolution and single handedly is the reason why Team GB have cleaned up at the last few Olympics (excuse the pun). The other teams have been slow to react and have been amateurish in their approach. 

Point #5 Froome climbs like no other.  His cadence is > 110 revolutions per minute. He does not crank like the other riders. *For the record his style is horrible.

Point #6 take time to listen to Froome.  He speaks with integrity. Ok he is boring but if I were him I would be exactly the same. Whilst we cannot say that because he is a genuine guy he is not a cheat, it provides further support.

Point #7 the stolen numbers. Chris Broadman spoke eloquently about how the numbers are being oversimplified and that it is rediculous and impossible to triangulate that with doping based on predicted numbers. He hit the nail on the head that 'they' did not understand cycling, were drawing over simplyfied conclusions to complex issues and that if we go down that path we might as well pack up the Tour right now.

Point #8 let's please remind ourselves that we are in the brave new 'post Lance' world of cycling where scrutiny is at an all time high (pun #2).

Point #9 do we really think that Froome, Brad, Cadel and others would risk everything, their status, credibility, financial stability, relationship with their family and kids for the sake of winning the Tour through cheating? Do they really want to be the next Lance? Someone who has lost everything and been thrown on the scrap heap, really? Do they really want to live that lie? Risk their entire livelihood? I really don't think so.

I remember reading Brad's article back in 2012 and it is a compelling read - it hits home what riders are risking: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jul/13/bradley-wiggins-dope-drugs

The attached Lance tweet is simply unhelpful and serves as a timely reminder why Lance needs to be removed from the sport altogether. 2 months ago I met Geoff Thomas (former Crystal Palace captain) and asked him about Lance riding the Tour with him ahead of the pros. He was quick to defend Lance's charity record and that by him riding alongside would help his own charity cause. I went away and thought Ok fine. To see this tweet now makes me want to vomit.

I am happy to be proven wrong but don't think it acceptable to make wide sweeping accusations. It's just way too easy and whilst we cannot gurantee that the sport is 200% clean it is equally naive to think that every successful rider is taking performance enhancing drugs. If you are one of the 'DOUBTERS' rest assured you are directly contributing to ruining the sport I know.

Ultimately only time will tell but it's really imporant that in the meantime we give Froome the benefit of the doubt for the points I raised above particularly so when there is little heat let alone smoke.

Pyrenees

So today was day #5 of a supposed 7 day rest period but found myself frazzled at work and needing some air time so headed to the work gym downstairs. The thought of going on the trainer (bike) was not appealing and so jumped onto the treadmill with a view to seeing how I go. Started at 5 min kms then ran a 4 min k. Spontaneously decided to do 5 x 1km @3.32s (17kmph) with 90s recovery but only if the ankle felt ok.  Ploughed through and added a little warm down and then got stuck into 20mins of core work. Felt a thousand times better when I got back to my desk. It never fails to amaze me how a short session can reinvigorate the mood as well as work ethic for the afternoon.

Scandals continue around the Ashes with rumours of Haddin leaving the touring squad and the Aussie lads refusing a post match beer. What on earth has the world come to? 

But the real news of the day came in the form of Christopher Froome. A sensational effort in the first mountain stage. As I have been saying all along if he stays upright he wins. Geraint (Thomas) was super strong again today and Porte also rode extremely well in perhaps his final outing in the colours ofTeam Sky. He will be a credible GC contender next year. 

Geraint is fast becoming my favourite rider. He was the strongest rider in the autumn classics and was super impressed to see him last the pace on today's mountain stage. He would have been a minute quicker but for sitting on TJ's wheel for the sake of the team. Factor in Olympic Gold and his time trial ability he is some talent and in every facet of bike riding - he was Sky's strongest rider in the recent TTT. Not only that, he is humble, a top lad and always comes across very well in post race interviews. The team always comes first.

Shock horror, our Tommy has 3 days left of Primary School before he starts Secondary School at PLSB in 7 weeks. I am in denial. 

Stand up if you're one-nil up

This was the song being belted out by the English cricket fans at Cardiff over the weekend. I have to get in on this.  I have tasked MKM to find tickets ASAP.  We have tickets for the Saturday at Lords but regrettably we are away that weekend.

No running today as am on day #4 of 7 rest days. Ankle better but not taking any chances. 

Stat of the day: Mark Wood has only played #26 first class cricket matches. Pretty impressive when you think how he is contributing to the new dynamic 5 (Anderson, Broad, Wood, Stokes, Ali). Many newspapers in the UK are drawing parallels with that of the 2005 attack. Nasser has dubbed him 'a mixture of attitude and ability'. 

In this blog one of the themes will be the infamous Mediocre Cup, the comp started with my Sydney mates volunteering their respective footie teams. In order of class: Palace (me), Villa (Enda), Newcastle (Tom), Stoke (Timmy), QPR  (Heydo) and Cardiff (Jimmy).

The requirements are simple, you must be in the Premiership and the team which finishes highest wins. It also involves much banter throughout the year with a weekly wrap written by the person whose team has had the best result of the weekend.  Needless to say, I ended up writing most weekends in the 14/15 season. 

Here is an amusing quote from today's BBC:

Meanwhile at Stoke, interpretative dance is high on the agenda as pre-season training gets going in earnest. 

Presumably that's why Begovic left... 

Link if the picture not viewable: https://mobile.twitter.com/stokecity/status/620554935906635777

With Nzonzi goneski (Stoke's best player) they are now in dire straits.

A couple of other pictures which made me chuckle today, the Aussie rain dance and Michael Vaughn's LBW tweet:

Bike TT and Arthur Ashe

Midway throuh imposed running break to help the ankle recover so rode out at lunch and with only an hour to my name I gave it 90% gas around my normal TT route, the local lanes loop around Biggin Hill.  This is also my 'Hilly Long' loop for my London Marathon training. Tried to keep my HR 》150 and surprised myself as I flew round despite this being my first ride for 6 months.  The 2nd half of Layhams Road is a steady and tough drag and had to keep the cadence high. Half way between Tatsfield and Downe though my chain jammed and assumed the chain had come off but through closer inspection 2 seperate cogs (in my chain had come loose). Stopped the clock at that point and fiddled around for a while. Managed to jam them back in and then took the last 10km home easy spinning the legs over worried that at any time the chain would jam again and send me flying.  Dissapointed as felt that I had a lot of gas left. Parts of the route remind me a little of the Akuna Bay loop (low hut to high hut).

Strava:
http://strava.com/activities/344468129

Another great stage in today's TTT with Team Sky finishing 1s behind BMC. Nicolas Roach was that poor bugger I mentioned a few days ago, the dreaded 5th man. He was clearly shot with 2k to go but with only 5 left he had to empty and more to cross the line with the remaining 4. Massive respect and one of the more likeable fellas on the world circuit..

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Arthur Ashe winning Wimbledon. The first black man to win it. He was also the first black man to win both the US and Australian Opens. He remains the only black man to have won a slam. A great man who spoke vehemently against apartheid and for the civil rights movement in the US. A few days ago I asked the question whether Teklahaimanot winning the KOTM jersey this week would change cycling and see a black African rider one day win the Tour? I hope that it won't follow the tennis example.  Amazingly he had a heart attack aged 36 and became HIV positive from a blood transfusion through one of his operations and died from AIDs. Even on his death bed he was still raising money for his AIDs charities. His legacy is not his sporting prowess but all the millions he raised.

Nice article putting European immigration into perspective:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/swedish-minister-gives-strongest-case-yet-on-why-eu-should-stop-turning-away-asylum-seekers-10366910.html

Article on Teklahaimanot and cycling back in East Africa:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/10/tour-de-france-daniel-teklehaimanot-africa-eritrea-cycling

Rest day on the Tour tomorrow and with Wimbledon finished and the Ashes only starting on Thursday again I won't know what to do with myself.

On the family front Ryder #5 had his first dance performance tonight with his dance school. Breakdancing and 'hop hop' moves as he calls it . They have been practising all weekend as well as the last 10 weeks. Photos to follow :)

He bowls to the left he bowls to the right....

No running today and will take off the next week to recover. Ankle too sore to bike today too.

Lots to write about on the sporting front. I have purposely tried to steer away from any Ashes comments as didn't want to jinx it. This is though undeniably party time for English cricket. I was not expecting this week's events and anyone who says otherwise is damn right fibbing.

Whilst Glenn McGrath was one of the best ever bowlers, I remember he said that Australia would thump England 5-0 ofn the eve of the 2005 series. For once though he is now lost for words:
"There was a fair bit of talk about whether they were going to play Moeen or Rashid. I don't think there will be any more talk about that. I'm sort of lost for words about this match."

Well Glenn, happy to talk on your behalf if you want?

Over the years, I have learnt to celebrate the successes as they don't come around very often.  With a German mother (football) and Australian wife (cricket) it's fair to say I have been glutton for punishment.   

As I asked a few days ago did Brad 'dad's army' Haddin drop the Ashes when he dropped Root on day 1?  Those 140 odd runs and the fact that it meant that Australia had to chase the game made the difference.  Only time will tell but worryingly for Australia Stuart Broad looks like he has Michael Clarke in his pocket and 'LBW' Watto is absolutely toast. England it has to be said did have some luck, they won the toss (which will be vital for this series) and had the weather gods on their side yet again - it will be chucking it down in Cardiff for the next 4 days.

England will now take tremendous belief for the rest of the series after winning this first test by 170 odd runs.

In Australia I always clashed with my Aussie mates on the subject of Mitchell Johnson.  Yes last year he was arguably the world's best bowler. Yes last year he demolished England but over his career he has lost many more Tests for Australia than he has won. His stats versus England are poor and his first innings figures here (125 for zip) were one of the worst in any Ashes test. I will never forget being in the SCG in 2011 with the Barmy Army belting out 'he bowls to left he bowls to the right, that Mitchell Johnson his bowling is sh*te' with Swannie dancing along to boot!  Even if he demolishes England from here on in his overall record is still going to be poor.

The Tour is ramping up today and tomorrow is the team TT. The time of the #5th rider in each team will be the time for the overall GC contenders. I would hate to be that 5th guy as he is going to be under immense pressure. If I were them I'd be sitting on the back of the Peleton today.

Reflecting on yesterday's stage, it saw England take out the stage as well as take the yellow jersey. 10 years ago no one would have dreamt that let alone predicted it. With Brad winning in 2012, Froome in 13 (albeit with some African help) and possibly again this year that would make it 3 out of 4. In actual fact I think Froome would have won last had he not crashed out - he was the dominant rider in the lead up to last year's Tour. In addition to all that the Manx Missile now has #26 stage victories sitting behind only the iconic pair of Merckx and Hinault. Quite remarkable.  The pipeline looks super strong too with Geraint (the dominant rider in this year's classics) and the Yates brothers at Orica-G who remind me of the Brownley brothers.

Mum and the identical little J, aka Andre Agassi:

Not looking good

No running for me today as had a lot of pain through the night and this morning.  Am fearing the worst and in hindsight the track session last night was not the best idea I've ever had.

The last three years I have been injury plagued and cannot remember the last time I was able to run continously for 12 months.  Even in 2011 when I had the best recent form running sub 35 mins a couple of times, was only off the back of 20 weeks straight.

I would go as far to say that the injuries in the last three years have had a profound impact on me and has made me depressed. It's such a trivial thing but to me having a form of exercise in my life gives me the vital energy and balance to tackle everything else. Breaking my foot in 2013 and then ankle surgery in 2014 meant that I spent long periods on crutches. The ankle I rolled is my dodgy left one and the one I had a cortisone injection in November from Sam Singh, the UKs #1 specialist.  At the time he advised me that I have a bone spur which was not diagnosed by my Australian surgeon and that highly likely I will need operating on in due course but recommended the cortisone to kick that as far down the road as possible.

It is so very dissapointing as I know I will get form if I can get that proper training block in and feel like I have / had momentum building with a solid platform to push on from after a subpar 251 London marathon. That all being said it is really important now to think positive and keep going and not suffer like I have done in the past.

Tomorrow I will go out on my bike and not push too much on the hills so that I don't exert the left ankle. Odin my cycling buddy and friend of 30+ years is away next week but will get back into the flow with him soon.

Today I headed to the work gym and rode for 30 mins watching the Aussies succumb to the English quicks followed by some light core exercises.  The lad Wood looks a class act.

Aside from my ankle it has been an amazing day, not least the official news that Cabaye has signed, Crystal Palace's first £10m player.

Secondly Mark Cavendish, write him off at your peril. Love him or hate him his record speaks for itself, #26 Tour victories. He is a champion. Phenomenal.

We found out today too that our Tommy did really well in his Y6 SATs. Tommy is a quiet achiever, no frills and we love him dearly. In 2 months he will start secondary school. I have often spoken about phases in the life of parenting and that will be a real landmark and the beginning of a whole new chapter.

Cabaye and today's bike routine:

Track 6 x 1kms and the day Africa made its mark at the TdeF

Manic day which started with a 7am conf call followed by walking the boys to school followed by mad dash into the office. Work was similarly relentless all day but was determined to jump at 6pm and get over to Norman Park track for the 6 x 1km session I had planned with Roger aka Messi lad from Barcelona.

My left ankle has been troubling me ever since I rolled it a couple of days ago and extensive taping this morning only helped a little.  To be honest I was sat on the train on route to the track thinking what on earth am I doing.

Surprisingly the ankle began to feel better as I jogged over from the train station. After brief hellos with the Blackheath Harriers crew and a quick chat with Keith we got going.  Rep's # 1, 2 and 3 were all done off barely 60s recovery and I was going lactic with my chest burning like hell. The ks went 3.25,  3.23 and 3.33. Figured I would sit out the next to recover and split into 2 sets of 3. Reps 4 5 and 6 were about the same but affording more than the 60s recovery (guessing 90s).  Kms went 3.19 3.30 3.26. Would have liked to have seen what my HR was maxing out at. Whilst my HR remains low the older I get the more difficult I find it is to get into the 170s. In fact in the recent marathon I don't think my HR got anywhere close to 165. I need to improve on that front and the regular track sessions I am hoping is the way to do just that. There is no hiding on the track and takes no prisoners.

Times not great but session done. Big thanks to Messi for pulling me round. All up 13kms today. 

Bizarrely I bumped into my old coach Andy who is still coaching 12-14 year old Blackheath Harriers. It was as close to a time warp as I am ever going to get. 

http://app.strava.com/activities/342531661

I have been feasting on Wimbledon, the Ashes and the Tour. Not sure it quite makes up for the harsh winters in the UK but it is an amazing time of year.

News of the day is that Cabaye has signed for Palace. This is an amazing signing. I thought today it could not get any better and then I hear that Stoke (the encumbant Mediocre winners) have sold Nzonzi to Sevillia. This is what you call a seismic shift. Unfriggin believable. I can hear Timmy lad Lindop crying from here.

Man of the day has to go to MTN-QUEBEKA'S Eritrean rider Daniel Teklehaimanot who became the first black African rider to win the King of the Mountains jersey. An unbelievable achievement and question mark whether this will change long distance cycling. It certainly needs more color and if it is to be a true global sporting icon it needs to have strong representation across the board. The token Colombian is not enough.

Quote of the day has to be from Nibali when after fistycuffs with Froome (Froome was unfairly blamed for causing the crash) he was asked if they had cleared up their misunderstanding: “Did we clear it all up? Yeah! We are not footballers, we are cyclists!”.

Norman Park, taking boys to school and the current KOTM.

Standing on one leg watching the Ashes

Despite strapping and icing last night, I woke up with a sore ankle.

I tested it by walking to the train station and have to say it did not fill me with a huge amount of optimism.

Spent the day standing on one leg.  Going to take the day off today and head over to the track tomorrow night with the Blackheath Harriers crew, ankle permitting.

It was Tommy's Y6 school play tonight. Very amusing.

AND thank bloody goodness for Joe Root and Brad 'Dad's army' Haddin who dropped him on zilch - reckon England would have been bowled out for 200 if that had been taken. Geoffrey Boycott said that Haddin along with Root was England's best player :)

Pavé

Cobbles today at the Tour and is going to be hectic. Will put my money on Degenkolb. He is a beast of a man, the German gladiator.  He has form and of all today's favourites Valverde et al he is the best finisher. Interesting that he competed for yesterday's intermediate sprint which suggests he is gunning for the green jersey too.

In my opinion the Tour is the toughest sporting event out there. Even when the riders fall off and remove several layers of skin they continue with sun, sweat and rain topping up the pain thresholds for the 3 week slog. It is also super stressful as the riders are constantly on the move, dropping back to pick up water or looking after their leaders.

Yesterday's crash which took out Cancellara was spectacturly brutal (Sparticus would have been my favourite for todays pavé). A case in point is the Australian Lotto rider Adam Hansen who dislocated his shoulder only to soldier on to the end of the stage and that is why they are the toughest sportsman out there. Hansen is going for a record 12 Tours completed. An unbelievable stat and would be fitting if he were able to last the next 2.5 weeks.

My overaching memory from being on Mont Ventoux in 09 was not the ding dong between Schleck vs Contador up top or Lance vs Brad for the battle for that final podium place but rather the eery glazed look of the domestique's shot eyes staring right through me akin to a lost child crying out for help.

Evening:

Commute home saw me roll my dodgy left ankle (the one I had surgery on 1.5 years ago). Flipping marvelous.

Strava: http://strava.com/activities/341240830

On a brighter note my pick Degenkolb was second on today's stage to his countryman Tony Martin another sublime rider. After his near misses it was only right that tomorrow he will be in yellow. Another majestic stage.

Tomorrow the Ashes start. England's chances are exactly that, ashes.

Monday morning commute

Nice sunny morning and the best way to deal with the Monday morning blues.

The route takes me through all the joys of south east London.

Felt sluggish to start off with (not helped by a heavy rucksack) through Beckenham, Sydenham, East Dulwich, before kicking down to some quicker ks through Camberwell and Elephant & Castle. You need to run quick there.

Felt better as the run went on which is always a good sign. Jogged home from station in the evening to make it 19kms all up for the day.

Froome is in yellow. Yikes! I will go on record again and say that if he can stay upright for the next week of flats he will win the Tour. Bizarrely, so much more important than the much hyped mountain stages in the Pyrenees and Alps.

Strava: http://strava.com/activities/340146058

This mornings view from the top of Sydenham hill (the heighest point in London) looking towards the Shard and farewells to the Manly crew from back home in Sydney:

Sunday Progressive with Roger

I got the call from Messi last night so jogged up to meet him at 830 sharp. We had no plans but ran over to Norman Park starting at 4.25 min kms to then ratchet up to 3.38 for the 14th k. Between 8 and 14 we must have been averaging low 3.40s. It was a tough old session after yesterday and whilst I was puffed at the 14 km mark after a jog down I felt comfortable running the final 2kms home solo at 3.35 pace. All up the morning yielded 16.5ks at 4.14s.

The session proved that my aerobic fitness needs improving (not surprising given the last couple of weeks) but feel strong and now being 2kg lighter than when I ran the marathon in April am beggining to feel good.

Messi was strong as ever and could not quite hold onto him for that 14th k. I really think he can run 2.35 next year which bodes well for me if I can tag onto him for as long as possible. The long runs with him will be key.

A special mention to Tommy Highnam who emptied everything at the Gold Coast Marathon to run yet another PB this year in a time of 2.33. I often joked about him to friends that there I was thinking I was doing well with my running, solid career and 4 kids when I meet Tommy and all of a sudden he made me feel very ordinary, 5 kids, a successful career and a dam good runner. He is one of the nicest blokes (and one of the nicest families) you will ever meet too which puts him in the seriously annoying category. Tommy has been running competitively for 30 years now and that is why I know he will reach his goal and run 2.29 in London next year. The cool conditions, the deep field and fast course will mean I will wage heavily that a 2.28 is on. Tommy ran at an English school boy level and competed against the Blackheath Harriers group I trained with such as Jonathan Murray (800ms) and none other than Mark Steinle who went onto run a 2.09.xx at the 2002 London marathon. Small world!

This weekend we have enjoyed the visit of another Sydney Manly family for the second weekend running with Sarah, Tana and Kaia here.  Lots of memories shared in Aus together.

Pre and post haircut pix:

Bromley Park Run (#7th place)

After cajoling Jack and Lucas to run Bromley Park Run with me this morning we turned up at Norman Park on a balmy hot Saturday morning with a cast of thousands. After a few hellos to Brendan and Roger aka Messi we were off.

Yesterday I had convinced myself that jogging round after 2 weeks of sickness was ok but ditched that plan at the last minute and decided if I have any chance in running 240 next year I need to commit to more regular racing.

The first km beeped at 3.30 followed by 3.38 and then 3.31. Km 4 was tough at 3.40 as tried to keep Messi in sight before ramping up to 3.31 for the final km to hit 18 mins (17.56 per my watch).

Then waited for Jack age 10 (23.46 new PB) and Lucas 8 (28.01) to come through. Grandad (my dad, 71) will be gutted that Jack has taken his age group PB as they have been going head to head this year, nothing like a Grandad Grandson rivalry with a 61 year age difference!

Come back trail

First run in two weeks after being infected by the family.  A heavy cold that decided to stay for 2 weeks. 

Did not feel great out there today as was coughing and spluttering but was good to shake off the cobwebs and surprised to see the ks ticking by at 415s. It was hot too on an absolutely stellar London summers day. 

Will jog around Park Run tomorrow and catch up with some of the crew.

Today's Strava: http://www.strava.com/activities/338171388

On other matters am beside myself as the Tour kick starts tomorrow. I have taken on bets with London and Amsterdam colleagues that Froome will win. You heard it here first and think he will win by 3 mins.  With Alpe D"Huez on the penultimate stage it is going to be exciting to the very end. He just needs to stay upright in that treaturous first week. It's going to be epic and a little annoyed with myself that have not organised a trip to visit. 2009 and 2012 were absolute highlights and even dragged the entire family in 12 to see Brad in yellow lead the pelton down the Rue De Rivoli on that final circuit in Paris with Cav taking out the stage. Interesting to see whether Cav can get his mojo back with Kittel injured.

My predictions:

1. Froome 

2. Quintana 

3. Nibali 

4. Contador

Massive sporting weekend all round as my Aussie mates battle it out at the Gold Coast Marathon. Am excited for them just writing about it. 

Special mention too for Heather Watson who battled back to be 2 points away from victory. She had Serena on the ropes and has a big future. It was the best women's tennis match I have seen by a country mile.

Ryder as batman in first school disco:

Under the weather

Home from work today with cold. No running. Today marks the 1 year anniversary being back in the UK. It's been quite a year, with highlights in Mauritius and the 2 weeks skiing in the Alps.

Lucas:

Roasting and still crook

Hot hot hot. Today's BBC Weather forecast for Beckenham: Sunny. Max 33°C, min 18°C. Wind 9 mph SSE. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2656065

No change

Still no running. Feeling crook and cannot shift cold.

Great article about the magic first sub 2 hour marathon in the Guardian:

http://gu.com/p/4a3n7/sbl

Lazy running weekend, busy otherwise with visit from Manly Australia and Anna's wedding

On the running front there was a complete no show by me as still feeling effects of heavy head cold and today nursing a hangover from Anna's wedding.

It was a busy weekend all round with more Jack football trials, the Whites over from Oz (Manly) culminating with the wedding on Saturday night with all the old SE London crew. I had to drag myself out of bed this morning to get to footie. 

Picture with the Manly crew at the Tate Modern.

The wedding on Saturday night.

Have been close friends with these 4 lads for over 30 years (> 120 years of friendship).  Stevie and I (far left) started playing footie together in U9s.  He is now one of the best young football coaches which England has to offer.  We are crying out for them right now.

More from the Manly crew:

Ryder sports day

Still feeling lousy. Spent the morning with Ryder at his school sports day.

On a separate note Mo really needs to ditch Salazar. I accept there is a witch hunt against the American coach and that not all the accusations are true but there is a little too much smoke for my liking. Why did Salazar not simply say that they could have 100% access to all his records rather than going on the defensive. Surprised too that Cram and others have vindicated Mo's handling of the situation. More on that to come.

Getting started

Have been meaning to do this for a while now. So after 3 years of injury misery in 2012, 13, 14 including breaking my foot and ankle surgery this is it.

The blog will focus mainly on my running and the build up to London (Marathon) 2016 - to be ran on my 42nd birthday - but will also include many a mention about family life.

My quest is to run a 2.40.XX marathon and be a better dad and hubbie. It sounds simple.

Am looking forward to sharing.