Absolutely no excuse these days for riding an unlit bike in the dark these days with the cheap, efficient and effective lights now available, and you were on a pedestrian crossing!!

I was really fussy about using the best lights available when I used to commute into London. Of course 'best' in those days were Eveready Night Riders with 3 volt incandescent bulbs and rechargeable NiCad batteries. Now I use some Aldi LED lights that can blind oncoming drivers at a 100 metres but I use the low light setting on road and the high beam on the unlit pathways through the parklands. It continuously amazes me how good they are for something so small and cheap.

 

These unexpected setbacks always seem to occur when the performance stars are aligning. You seem to have come out of it quite well, I hope there are no further repercussions from the incident.

 

thanks, yeah, still a bit tender, and the forehead is a bit swollen, but no Cmdr Worf levels of obviousness. i can cover it with my, over due a trim, hair. 

right elbow is annoying as i took the fall mostly to that side, so resting it on the arm of my office chair niggles.

 

weathers been too ****e last couple of days to go anywhere now too 🤦‍♂️

Worf (haha) sized bumps or not, it can take surprisingly little impact for some concussion effects. Based on years of watching my son in his chosen physically interactive sport, self-assessment is not recommended.

 

My go to site for new peer reviewed health advice has just published timely comments on concussion recovery:

Concussion and exercise - Health Report - ABC Radio National

And this one is really interesting regarding screen time after concussion. bit late info for you though.

 

Concussion and screen use - Health Report - ABC Radio National

oh its okay, the kerb tap was literally lighter than bumping ones head on a kitchen cupboard door. all the crash impact energy was already dissipated on the way across the road.

mostly absorbed by my right forearm - i think it both stopped the bike and was my principle landing point. just the roughness of the kerb bevel split the skin. i was kepping an eye for signs of anything else during the day - headaches/dizziness/lethargy/pupil dilation/ loss of visual focus etc. i do be paranoid about the kids when they bonk their noggins and on the couple of occasions weve gone the gp for a confirmation of all ok, theyve been impressed by my level of monitoring but not in that "ohhh youve done that because you think your a doctor but your stupid" way they can sometimes, it was genuinely "welldone, youve kept an eye on a lot of stuff, if more people would do that and tell us life would be easier"

quick catch up..

between the post crash aches and weather warnings during the week i didnt get out again until Thursday morning. 

but courtesy of the weather warnings, the accesses to my 6k riverside route were closed by the flood barriers crews. so i had to invent a new 6k route on the western side of town. bit "hillier" as in theres 5small inclines compared to the almost flat riverside route. it also means more town footpaths - so dog eggs need more vigilance - and corners and road crossings that mean slowing down too. thus... 2 runs on thursday and friday were both about 32min for the 6k. noce runs though, just more awareness needed than along the unlit riverpath ironically.

got a nice run on Monday and again on Tuesday. 

 

took my rest day on Wednesday and got out yesterday morning for another decent run. 

today... not so lucky. jr woke at 4am. but resettled himself. but woke again at 6am! and that was that. like a confused angry drunk, he wanted to sleep but didnt want to lie down eventually he nodded off again around 7, but thats just too late for me to get out 

i set an alarm this morning -

if woke up myself before it went off id get the bike out. 

if the alarm woke me it was a run.

spud sr woke up 1 min before the alarm, so i went for a run.

6k, in the freezing cold in 31.54. not brilliant but not terrible.

 

it was strange though, it was a clear sky and heavy frost but, there was a pocket of genuinely warm air along the last 300m of the route by the river. as in it felt like someone had a 2 bar heater on the go no breeze or anything just this weird heat. and its not like it was just the trees retaining heat from yesterday, it never got warm at all yesterday, and the sun is so low these days that bit of the river doesnt get much direct sunlight either. plus, its all tree lined for about 900m, but it was only along one section of it. turned and back up along the same way, and the temp just dropped again. weird..

It's that time of life... Hot Flushes 😁

34 minutes ago, olduns said:

It's that time of life... Hot Flushes 😁

cheeky, Mickvrs said the same in the other thread..

it definitely wasnt me getting warm...

i took christmas off..

got out last thursday for a middling 6k. was alright but near 32mins.

 

 

this morning felt knackered while out, but when i got back i saw my time was 30m 50odd. a minute faster than thursday. im also changing my "sprint" gait, im trying to stretch out the stride and really push off for distance, rather than just faster leg movements on my short stride. seems to be working, i set a 2nd fastest 400m, 1/2miles and 1k! not sure where it was on  the route, but surely it along the longer sprint bit plus either side of it.

 

felt good 👍 

i was out tuesday too, it was grand just a handy jog out. 

 

today..... i fell asleep at 2345. i woke at 0250 needing a piddle. 

then Sr arrived at my bed side at 340an- could i bring him for a wee? ( he never asks for company during thenigjt??)

and then, 455am Jr wakes up and starts calling me..

off i go, but.. no, im not allowed on the too snall mattress, thats where he decided to go asleep. so i was on the foam tiles.. sothat was me done sleeping! managed to sneak out at 630am and headed away to the west. rverything felt a smidge "handy so i powered on, and cleared ny first 10k run since the knee pains of last

January! and it was sub 1hr!

 

 

legs were sore in the shower though!

another early morni g, another tidy run...

 

 

consistent enough pace, if a bit "slow" but countered by it being a 10k route

 

ugh..... what an 'orrible night of not sleeping on spud jrs floor and in his 1400mm long bed..

but i eventually got out of there, at 625am. just in time for a run..

oh my good lord the wind was more like high velocity ice particles than air. i was also aware despite the black dark time of day, that the sky was clear, but there was a slowly approaching cloud bank that the forecast was saying is heavy rain on the way from the sth west. so i gambled but hedged it - 8k in under 45mins to get the extra distance but hopefully not be 3k from home on the 10k route when the rain got here.

 

i got home dry other than sweat, but it was bloody baltic. 

i'm out later with the BBC weather saying 80% chance of rain when i start  

 

group ride so not the only lunatic!

got a 6k in this morning.. 

slept.... middling. jr woke up early in the night, and resettled pretty fast so i got back to my bed for a change, and slept, but i was dreaming all night... those dreams where when you wake up you feel like you were doing whatever it tha went on in the dream? so i nodded off again for 15mins when the alarm went off, thus a late start so shortened distance.

 

nothing special, just glad to get out and try to keep the routine.

I applaud your determination.

I would not be able to run at that time of the morning, in complete darkness in a UK winter nowadays, and not sure I would have done it in my prime either.

 

Not keeping a close eye on your times but I'd say there is some improvement occurring that will become more apparent when conditions and light also improve.

thanks Gerrycan, yeah, its a bit... weird.. running moonlight and cloud reflected street lights, but i try to stay to the riverside path which is relative straight, and quiet at that time of day. the cold and wet can make it feel a bit miserable but makes finishing and having done it anyway that bit more rewarding for the day ahead.

Tuesday was an over sleep morning...

 

but i got out for a nice 8k on Wednesday. 

then i was a little getting up yesterday, so knocked it to a 6k.

a 6k that ended really annoying.

if you add them all up you get...

30mins 12seconds... i wouldve been sub 30mins except.. i had to slow up for 50yds as i approached a corner because there was 2 other giys approaching from the other side who i wouldve run i to if i kept my pace, and as they were going straight while i was turning left, i gave them right of way.... then ended up maintainng their slightly slower pace for the last 400m of my run to keep a responsible social distance between us 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

 

today was a 3rd day in a row after not great sleep sub 31 30 average meander down the 6k route, was tired...

ive been running away since the last update, 6k, 8k... times are all hovering around 31-32mins on the 6k and 42-43 on the 8k. sleep hasnt been brilliant. waking up, and being restless while getting into bed... 

back to work today! ick. 

but i got my last 6k of January in this morning, after spending an hour during the night in Jr's room on the floor.. 

 

and the reason i pushed myself to get out...

 

i needed the 6 to finish the 100k challenge... quite happy with it

 

So.... today is a Sunday..

it is night time. i should be drinking.. instead i went for a run, as swmbo finally admitted on Thursday night  that shes sick of waking up at 615am with me and then only dozing until its time to get up, and being tired enough as it is with the migraine etc etc... I had to take that on board and have to accommodate her needs too, so... im back to nights.

 

ooooooh it felt weird. there was more people around and yet it felt as quiet as it does in the mornings. that will change as the evenings stretch out and the clocks change, but for now it is as it is. 

the running though.. well, thats odd too, but not unexpected. I ran faster! i set off feeling lighter than when im only up 15mins, legs didnt feel like they were still under the duvet gwtting some extra REM sleep weighing me down. so much so after 2k i could feel the cold damp air starting to hurt my airway from sucking harder at the faster rate. mornings this wasnt happening as the lungs were able but legs were not.

 

did my 8k route, and by luck decided to check the distance covered at a "waypoint" marker i use - the turning point on the 6k route, return leg of the 8k - to see how close it actually adds on to do the 8k. it should be about the 5k and it is 4.8km, yeah pretty bang on. but i notice i was only in my 23rd minute... so i pushed a bit and

cracked the 25min wall for 5k!

i then manged to keep that going and checked again after a few mins... keep it going, keep it going...

BAM! sub 30mins for 6k!

and finally - 8k in just over 40mins.

 

absolutely nothing award winning about it, but i am feckin buzzed after it. setting a couple of 3rd fastest whatevers and 3 new segment PRs really helped it too 

 

 

 

probably wont sleep until 2am now though 🙄

Given you the 'trophy' uptick, you earned it.

While I like evening runs it often ruined my sleep pattern, especially when it was a good run and the adrenaline levels seemed to be and stay high.

Edited 8 February, 20224 yr by Gerrycan

thanks @Gerrycan

Went out last night and did a 10k in just over 52mins. legs are feeling it this morning, the stiffness is setting in. 

yeah im not a fan of the evenings either for the same reason. i reckon my prime running time is most likely about 3pm. but i wont get to run at that time of the day until im retired

 

oh lord this is overdue an update...

 

not much to report, i havnt been out since Sunday 2 weeks ago.. i did a different kinda run that night, chancing a run up the 15-25% grade hill i cycle up to get to the hills, to see how far id get.. made it about a km up the hill, after about a k to get there.

 

also held a reasonable pace up it too.

 

given the gradient etc.

 

then swmbo had a couple of work things that stung me for the start of that week, and the weather was appalling, and then i got covid! been down since. 

really want a good cycle, but feel like my lungs might split if i try.. fingers crossed for later this week thougj.

 

it got to me... 

i went...

i hill climbed...

i got to the first junction on the climb...

 

ignore those pr times, that first km has a data issue... no way i did a 2m 11s km! i wouldnt cycle it in that! the 8m for km3... yeah, thats accurate... i was practically crawling towards the top. 

 

it was good push though, think i needed it, hoping it will help blow out my lungs and reset this f'ki g covid cough...