Brad the lad and Lucky Lukie

Commute again and now wracked up a lot of ks for the week. Early start (again) but persevered with the gym strength at the work gym before rolling slowly home.

Lukie's hand has been given the all clear thank god. The consultants were concerned about him severing a tendon but all good.  I love him to bits. It's funny when the boys need each other's support it's unconditionally there. I won't mention the 99% of all other time.

Brad the Lad took home the team pursuit gold breaking the world record in the process. Fantastic.

Night rider

Left home before 7 on my bike and got home past 10. Long long day but did my 40 gym work out and with the 90mins of cardio from the commute.

The night ride home with no lights was insane. And had to draw on all of my bike handling skills to get home with no close shaves. In fact I rode like the wind and got home in just over 35 mins. It was exillarating from start to finish with the adrenalin pumping me home. The one way section around the Elephant & Castle was memorable.

It reminded me about the close shave from last weekend whilst riding with O and Mo behind when on the last flat country lane before Westerham O and I were chatting and all of a sudden a Merc came screeching round the corner. I looked the lunatic right in the eyes and thought I was a goner but somehow dropped the left shoulder and avoided him whilst also not knocking O off. Riding a bike is no joke. I can still hear the screeching from the car's brakes.

Lukie hospital

Shock horror when I got the call from J - really bad cut on the hand and they spent most of the day at the hospital.  They need to go back tomorrow to see surgeon and decide whether they operate.

Work nuts too with a massive deal signing and a couple of other things happening.

On the exercise front I cycled in and home for 40ks /,90 mins of cardio plus 35mins of strength at lunch. Core strength getting a lot better.

Today was challenging on so many levels. Aside from the news re boy number 3, the worst was when I read that Bolasie may be heading to Everton.....sob sob sob.

O dog

Met O early doors and took him on my route around the lanes. Stunning morning and as always nice company covering all the usual subjects trying to solve all of our problems.

We then stopped in Beckenham for coffee at Delinene before we headed into Forest Hill and then me heading further to the City and work. 50 odd ks for the morning.

Then gym at lunch and the 20k home fast in the evening. I was cranking > 40kmh on the last flats. More than 70k for the day and a solid gym session. Now busted and feel like I am coming down with a cold.

O attacking the hill at Cudham:

Bike commute

So after 2 years I finally committed to the bike commute which turned out to be a revelation. Why the f'ck did I not do this sooner. It avoids all the miserable bastards on the train and I get 40ks and 1.5 hrs of cardio in every day.

The bike facilities at work are second to none too with a full scale security garage with the partner Porsches as well as the awesome gym.

The big downside are the fumes. It is really bad. No one else at work notices it. I swear to god I could taste the tar on the back of my throat all day and then after getting home at night I could not enjoy my dinner because of the taste.

Triple session: 40k bike and 60 mins strength in the gym incl Mark P exercises.

Hangover

Woke up to head ache from hell and made for a lazy day. No excerise.

We all watched the women's road race in the evening and were all shocked to see the Dutch girl Van Vleuten take that fall. The worst crash I ever saw. Absolutely horrendous. And to think the guy filmed it all on his phone and then continued to film for the 2 minutes it took for the medical folks to give here assistance whilst she was motionless on the ground. Sickening.

2016 Rio Olympics

Opening ceremony last night. Today ticked all the boxes.
1. Good sleep
2. Coffee with J
3. Ride with O and Mo to Westerham and back. Nice company.
4. Garden time in the sunshine
5. Mark P exercises
6. Out with J in Shoreditch at Dinerama to see Alex who is over from Aus. Really nice to be out in shorts and T in on a summers evening.
 

Coming down the pike

This is a term I hear every day from my colleagues in NY. I had always understood 'pipe' as in pipeline (things coming up). Pike is though short for turnpike or a broad road, even Toll road - riveting stuff I know! But why then do they not just say road?

When we first moved to the UK the boys found it highly amusing how we say things differently in the Uk. Here are some examples:

- innit is a prerequisite for every single English sentence, innit!
- how you doing? Versus how you going in Oz?
- in Oz the word for hat is beenie. The boys could never understand why hat covers all head wear including caps etc in the UK
- sweets vs lollies. Have to say I am with the Brits on this one. A lolly is a sweet on a stick plain and simple.
- footie refers to all sports in Oz. Sorry guys footie is a game played with a round ball. You know that truly global game which isn't played by 5 countries with an oval ball.

I wrote a whole page of these out somewhere and will need to find. Here are some more:

On the American theme here is what it takes to run a 1.42 800ms:

http://www.flotrack.org/article/44586-nick-symmonds-releases-pre-1-42-olympic-games-training-log

Got home at 6 and desperate for cardio I hit the bike loop for 80 mins or so. Beautiful evening with a baby deer running out in front of me on the way to Downe.

Time for a swift one

Manageable day which was good. Got 50 minutes at the gym persevering with the excerises. In fact here they are below.

On other matters need to get on the bike this weekend. My body starts screaming at me after 3 days of no activity. Also day #15 with no run. They are slowly clocking up and still no clearer when I will be able to pound the pavement again.

Also apparently this stuff 🔼G is all the rage at the Olympics.

It got me thinking about doping in amateur sport.  You cannot tell me that someone holding 45kmh over 4 hours is not on some kind of juice (may be they already had the stuff above). That's basically what they do for Ride London and that goes over a few hills including Box Hill. The reality is though that for every top 10 club runners or riders there will be at least 2 who are cheating. In the UK they reckon it got so bad that professional riders were loath to racing with amateurs due to the risk of being smoked.

1. Standing Decompression : (decompression refers to breathing pattern, imagine fully inflating and deflating lungs with each breathe)

Breathing should be:
A. Rhythmic - refers to ratio so 5 counts in/ 5
Out
B. Smooth - even power through each breathe
C. Heart centred.

Stand with big toes touching. Expand gap between bottom of rib cage and hip bones. Hinge hips back slightly. Create a frame with your arms in front. Breathe hold position for 1min. Squeeze through inner thighs, butt, and abdominals.

2. Woodpecker : stand in a split stance.  Rear foot on the ball. Keep front knee behind ankle. Expand gap between ribs and hips. Press chest forward over knee. Create frame with arms. Press down through front heel, squeeze butt. Breathe and hold for 1min. Rot other side.

3. Founder : Place feet as wide as you can. Turn toes in slightly. Expand gap between ribs and hips and hinge forward (maintain length in spine) squeeze up through inner thighs and butt. Breathe hold pattern for 1min.

4. Oblique crunch / ITB stretch pattern.
Lay on your back.
Cross R leg over L and pull down to R side.
Reach up with L hand to make crunch and then reach back behind head.
Do 10 reps each side.

5. Supine Bridge :
Lay on your back.
Reach both arms overhead (behind)
Turn up toes
Expand gap between ribs and hips.
Squeeze butt and lift up about an inch
Hold and breathe for 2 x 15secs

6. Back Extension
Face down.
Feet and knees together
Position arms at 90 degrees and pull elbows towards butt.
Squeeze inner thigh and butt.
Lift chest up and down slowly, eyes down.
Do 15 reps

7. Sky diver hold.
Immediately after back extension.
Bent up lower legs about 6 inches off floor.
Pull elbows back towards butt.
Squeeze up through inner thigh, butt, abs and lower back.
Hold for 15secs rpt x 2.

Then repeat these exercises in order 2-3 x do every day.

Gym

Wow almost had a spare afternoon. I have not had one like this in ages. Only 1 call at 2 and then at 6. And no late night ones either. Was welcome relief and got some much needed housekeeping done.

Jumped out of the office quite early too to hang with my boys with J out and about.

Got in 45 mins of gym time at lunch doing the Mark P sciatic exercises but have to say the pain is not getting any better.  It officially sucks.

Leroy Sané

Today the news in the UK was all about Leroy Sané becoming Germany's most expensive footballer having been sold by Schalke to Man City - some accolade with the amount rising to £45m for the 20 year old.

Jack met him whilst at Schalke 6 months ago when Leroy was 19. A super nice kid. I've been tracking his progress ever since and he even made the Germany squad for the Euros though I was dismayed at how little game time he got.

It got me thinking about other English players who have gone the other way. There aren't many. Mandela Egbo who came through the Crytal Palace youth academy did though last year go to Borussia Moenchengladbach at the age of 17. He basically figured that his chances of success were that much higher in Germany than here with the emphasis on youth development as well as having much better facilities (something we saw first hand at Schalke). The conveyor belt at Schalke is startling with Ozil, Neuer, Draxler and now Sané all having gone through their set up and sold for > €40m.

This is the interesting story of Egbo: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/sep/29/mandela-egbo-borussia-monchengladbach-crystal-palace


*Managed 45 mins strength at the gym - Matk P sciatic excerises done.

Pain

Seriously what is it with Mondays? They almost kill me. Simply relentless. Home gone 10 and had the pleasure of riding my bike home in the rain.

25 mins at lunch doing my exercises. I neglected them over the weekend and the sciatic is now even worse than it was. Wondering what to do about it as now is going up into my back. Sitting 13 hours at my desk everyday is not helping.

PS Sané close to his Man City move from Schalke. Keenly tracking this.

Yesterday's ride:

Brick Lane / Shoreditch

Rode my loop with cousin Florian in the morning whilst Jack was playing a football match. Nothing quick but nice to show him the countryside. Despite Ride London I counted well over 100 bikers who passed us or were coming the other way.

In the arvo we went up to Brick Lane - it was literally heaving. It's an amazing part of London. The boys were on the look out for Street Art particularly Banksy stuff. Tommy went to one of his exhibitions in Amsterdam last week.

We then left Tommy and Lukie with Paula and Marlena (Lenny) with their parents Flor and Karin to came home early.

Lots of nervous tension with me this afternoon and feeling over whelmed with the amount I have on at work. Hoping I do not crack.