Twyford - Windsor

I haven’t been in a club run for so long that I had lost all the morning routines. Wheels needed to be pumped, breakfast took a bit too long, and I had to go back into the house twice for things I had forgotten. I was lucky I still remembered where my bicycle was stored. 

Everything felt like something that you used to do a long time ago but not anymore. Even my riding mates, Andy, GC Denis, Luca, and Seb. It’s been ages since I’ve ridden with them. Although, some of them (I won’t give names), have been absent longer than me.

The first moment of feeling at the right place, doing the right thing, was sitting on GC Denis’ wheel between Kingston bridge and Hampton Court. Suddenly I felt at home. I knew what I was doing.

Well, that was just what I thought. 

How would you explain that I found myself at the front of the group? If I knew what I was doing, the real Javier cyclist would never have hit the front. Especially if there was not a sprinting line involved.

I blame running. It has screwed my RPE, I now tell myself. It makes me feel I’m going easier than I’m really going. 

A coffee at the stop made things even worse. My optimism went to the roof, I was back to the front.

Luckily for me my riding mates didn’t contest any of the sprints. So despite my terrible tactics in the first one and almost crashing sprinting alone in the second, I took both.

I don’t feel like a winner though. Even after a one hour siesta my legs are fried after a ride that was supposed to be short and easy. 

I clearly have no idea of what I am doing when riding anymore. 

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16609934970 

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González 

 

To Hampton Court bridge and back

Last week I had a slight discomfort in my left leg. That week Saturday’s run (https://www.strava.com/activities/16532167404) exacerbated it a little so I decided to take this week off running. It helped that it was a busy week at work. 

My cyclists friends decided today’s weather was not suitable for riding bicycles so I decided to go for an easy run to test my leg.

Run slowly to Kingston bridge (5km) and I felt fine so I decided to keep running towards Hampton Court. 

Got to Hampton Court (10km), I crossed the bridge heading home and I was feeling fine so I decided to turn around and head back to Kingston.

That is a much nicer way of going back home but it adds 5 more kilometres to the route.

Back again to Kingston bridge (15km) and I started to think that, maybe, I was a bit too optimistic. I was still running slow but my legs, especially the left one, were feeling the effort.

Finally got home (20km) and I now have the slight discomfort back in my left leg.

Follow me if you want great advice on how to deal with running niggles. I know what not to do.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16599061825

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

I'll never run alone

I'll never run alone.

Like a one man Liverpool trail running team, I'll never run alone.

I’ll always run the trails with JFW.

That is my sentence.

Whenever I run in the hills all I see is JFW's back. Even when he is not there with me. 

Looking back to see if I'm still there. Half smile in his face like the child that is torturing his new toy.

8 ramps I had today, JFW was there with me in all of them. Making me hold my pace, getting ready to sprint in the last 30 metres.

But because he was only there in my mind I never launched the sprint and managed to run steady through the ramps.

And now I know I'll never run alone.

When I run through a storm

I hold head up high

And I’m not afraid of the dark

At the end of the storm

Is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark

Run on through the wind

Run on through the rain

Tho' my dreams be tossed and blown

Run on, run on

With hope in your heart

And I'll never run alone

I'll never run alone

I’ll always run the trails with JFW. 

That is my sentence.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16532167404

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

 

Cyclist’s, runner wannabe, training plan

Had breakfast and a coffee. Sat for a while to answer a few work emails. When I finished I was undecided between going back to bed and having a morning nap or going for an intervals session.

Went for the intervals session, but when I started to run I felt something wasn’t quite right on my left leg. My English vocabulary doesn’t allow me to describe without using questionable words so let’s leave it at me deciding to quit the intervals session and going for an easy run instead. 

I guess by the time I got to Kingston bridge the caffeine started to make its effect because I was feeling just fine. Without me thinking about it I started to run faster and faster. At a certain point I noticed I was running faster than usual because I stopped paying attention to the podcast I was listening to. So I stopped the podcast and kept the pace until Hampton Court bridge. Where I fell back to an easy pace and ran back home happy with myself.

And this, my friends, is how this cyclist’s, runner wannabe, training plan is executed. Pure improvisation.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16381798817

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Intervals + Kingston Bridge - Hampton Court loop

Yeah, those intervals didn’t really go as planned. 

Did two “long” ones and I thought I was rubbish. I look now at the numbers and I see I wasn’t that bad, but the seed was planted in my brain.

I died half way through the third one. That is when the swearing and self deprecating started. All in my head because I was so out of breath that I was unable to say a word.

Managed to complete the fourth one. I still thought it was terrible. The numbers tell me now it was a fine effort for a fourth one. In my brain I was starting to pile excuses. Lots of them. I was looking for a reason to quit.

Tried the fifth one anyway, but, again, I died half way through it. Oh my, I was in a bad mood. I had given up again. I was hating myself. What a loser! 

Without interruption, after the five “long” intervals, it was time for the “short” ones.

First one felt fine. I attributed it to being such a mentally weak runner and having had the extra recovering of having given up half way through the previous interval. 

Second one brought me to reality. I finished it. But it felt hard. 

I finished the third one too. It was very hard, but third ones are always very hard. 

I was hesitant on the fourth one. I was so terrified of not finishing it that I think I started a bit conservative. And, of course, that was exactly what I needed to finish it.

That was it. Whenever I have a set of five intervals I know I’ll finish it if I finish the fourth one. In fact I believe my fifth one was my fastest. 

I say “I believe” because the “short” intervals are only 250m long, Strava doesn’t allow for segments that short, and I don’t bother marking the segments on my watch. Who cares anyway?

All I cared about was that I was happy again. Yes, my performance felt a bit shit on the long intervals but I had finished the short ones. Add to it that I wasn’t feeling that tired, it was sunny and warm. I was so happy that the only reason I didn’t put my arms up in the air is because the park was full of dog walkers and I was pretty sure some of them were neighbours and suddenly I worried about what they would think of me. 

I felt so well that I decided to go for a Kingston Bridge - Hampton Court loop. 

That is 15 extra kilometres, but I figured that if I run easy it would be fine.

And it was fine.

So much so that as I was running by the river I was thinking that I was close to believing that 15km at 5:30min/km was a recovery run.

That belief didn’t hold. By the time I got to Hampton Court, 20km into the run, I started to feel tired, the silly optimism took a step back and I was just looking to end the run as dignifiedly as possible.

And I did.

I can’t claim that I attacked the hill, but going up Ditton hill I felt just fine. Kept the pace, heart rate went up, passed the hill without slowing down. What a way of finishing the run.

I was happy again. In love with myself again. Optimistic again.

Still fearing next intervals session though.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16320102743/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Two laps to Richmond Park with Jim

This is great training, I believe.

If I were running alone I would have settled for a slower pace. Running with Jim needs me to push a bit harder. Nothing too crazy but still challenging enough to force me to focus on the running. 

More running, less chatting. Especially in the second lap. 

As said, great training. For me anyway, not sure if for Jim though.

The bad news was that by the end of the second lap I was feeling tired so I had to play the “All right!” trick.

You don’t know what the “All right!” trick is?

It is a good tool to avoid sprinting when you know you are not going to win. 

It goes like this. As the finish is approaching and you are getting to the moment to start sprinting for the line say outloud: All right!, exhale loudly and slow down every so slightly, like you were starting your cool down. 

90% of the time your running mate gets the sign that there won’t be a sprint for the line, sometimes not even realising there was going to be a sprint for the line in the first place, and you are saved from a sure defeat at the sprint. 

9% of the times the trick doesn’t work but that is because you were not loud enough when you said All right! Or when you exhaled. If you are not loud enough your running mate might not get the sign and go for the sprint. Not good for your winning record.

What about that 1%?

Well that 1% is for when you try that trick with someone like me.

For me, hearing “All right!” followed by an exhale is not a sign of truce. It is a sign to attack. I know it doesn’t speak too well of me but, hey, nobody is perfect. 

Now if you want to be like me, be warned that attacking when your running mate has played the “All right!” trick still has the risk of losing the spring.

When that happens you look like a proper loser. 

It happened to me once or twice (mostly in cycling). That’s why you don’t really want to be like me.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15634151332

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

 

The influence of Spanish lessons in cycling style

 Back on the bike after pretending (and failing) to be a runner for the last couple of weeks.

I shouldn’t have had that coffee in the morning. 

All I wanted for today was to sit at the back of the group and enjoy the ride. 

The morning coffee got me too excited and before I realised I was at the front, riding parallel to GC Denis. Sometimes I can’t believe how often I fail to follow a perfectly designed plan.

Somehow I still managed to get a decent first half of the ride. 

I was able to hold GC Denis’ wheel going up Effingham despite all the help I gave him in the form of very strong moral support and admiration for all the work he was doing at the front. 

I took the very important sprint at Holmbury St. Mary attacking from the front, deploying an explosion of power that no one was able to match and that allowed me to celebrate with arms in the air such a great win.

Finally I did a decent job leading the pack in the last climb before Seale. Richard L. took the Seale sprint proving that learning Spanish also gets you into Spanish riding style. 

I say finally because that was it. Got to Seale, got a coffee and scone and realised I was tired. Dead. Finito. Kaputt. 

I sat towards the back of the group the whole way back. I struggled quite a bit. On a few occasions I was tempted to drop and let the group go. The pace was nothing crazy, just too much for me. 

By the time we got to Cobham I told everyone I was not going to sprint. I was destroyed.

But I changed my mind. 

It is not that my word can’t be trusted when it comes to sprinting, it is just that the approach to Esher was slow enough for me to believe I could take the sprint. 

That’s not my fault. 

What else could I have done if I found myself at the back of the group with a clear view on who was ready to sprint.

…flesh is weak.

So, from that privileged position I made my calculations and decided Jack, Nigel and Richard L. were the ones to look out to. I also decided to wait as long as possible and attack from behind, passing everyone and taking the (second) win.

Richard L. screwed everything though.

Once again, he showed the influence of his Spanish lessons and he went a bit too early.

A bit too early for me.

That was the moment when I realised that going at the back of the group was not that great. It turns out you have to close a bigger gap. Not ideal. 

I didn’t win. That’s probably all you want to know about the sprint.

But I’ll tell you that Richard L. took it. 

I am very, very, very happy. I mean, very, very happy. That the second most Spanish rider of the group won the final sprint.

Now you know. If you want to be a sprinter, start taking Spanish lessons.

 The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15579819367/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González