And finally there is light...

Something great happened during my usual Monday evening run (while Little Miss Outdoors goes to a French class) - it remained light for the entire outing. While this new occurence (for 2010) has obviously been creeping up on me over the past few weeks it was most noticeable this evening. I ran until 5.55pm and still it did not get properly dark. "Woohooo!" - that's what I thought to myself (I may even have let out a happy squeal but hopefully not too loud!)

So finally I can look forward to warmer days and longer evenings. Being a female runner the lighter evenings are a true bonus. For too many months I have been forced to stick to lit-up street areas for evening runs, sometimes going round in circles, or find the time during daylight hours (there aren't that many some days) to go for a run further afield. But now I can begin to stretch my evening outings into the more peaceful and interesting country roads and off-road. I don't mind running alone but I'm careful not to go out in the dark in unlit areas unaccompanied.

The same is true for cycling. The lighter evenings offer greater opportunities for an hour or so of riding without having to worry about bike lights and an inability to see on dark, unlit roads.

I can imagine there are many runners and cyclists like me feeling a little more positive about the prospect of spring and summer training outings. Time for a collective "wooohooo... spring is in the air" moment! (Bet it snows tomorrow just to prove me wrong!)

Speed running in the sleet

While 20 or so of our fellow Glasgow Tri Club athletes headed out to the warmer climes of Club La Santa on Lanzarote today, eight of those left behind in Scotland braved a chilly and sleety run session tonight.

Led by Major Tom, aka the Captain of Communication and one of our fab coaches, we completed a 30-minute speed session, with one minute of fast running followed by a minute's recovering. Now I know that doesn't seem like a long time to to be running but speed intervals are always tough.

The session is as much about gauging pace (ie starting at a pace you can manage for the whole set) as it is about mental resolve over physical pain. These sessions are always the same for me. I set off thinking that the first three reps are really quite nice, then by the halfway point I start to think I'll probably puke. By the time we get to the last few reps I am close to actually puking ... and then on the last two reps it's mind over matter that always wins and I find I can just about make it to the end of the last rep before my legs give way.

Ah, and while it is painful, these sessions do work wonders on overall speed. We're starting to build up for the triathlon race season – and the aim for many will be to pull off a decent run time at the end of a triathlon event (swim, then cycle, then run on wobbly legs).

Thanks Major Tom for keeping our motivation up tonight - while we all tried to forget about the warm weather training our fellow members will be doing this week in the Canaries. Hurumph!

"i" really, really want one!

So I didn't really want an Apple iPhone. Not really. I could appreciate it was a thing of gadgetry beauty and that it offered all kinds of nice apps. But I thought I could get by without one - and that I didn't want the expense.

But now I've changed my mind! On Sunday the G-Force showed me how he'd tracked his cycle ride via the app, MapMyRun. Now I've used MapMyRun and MapMyRide a few times via my Mac and I know how useful it is to be able to plan a route or to check the mileage covered during a run or cycle outing.

But with the iPhone app it's possible to actually track the exact route covered, check out your speed, and also discover overall pace and time thanks to the in-built GPS. And I am now very jealous. I know there are other gadgets out there, such as Garmins, that offer a similar tracking facility but do they a) look as good as the iPhone? b) combine as a mobile phone? c) have a music player? d) have the facility to integrate with Twitter? In short, no.

Oh, and I've just noticed that it's also possible to download a Nike+ app to turn your iPhone into some kind of personal coach. I really, really want an iPhone now.

PS I'm wondering how many brownie points I'll to need to earn before the G-Force lets me borrow his iPhone for my next run or cycle ride.

The bike and wine diet

Some years ago I recall the Herald's flamboyant wine writer Joe Fattorini waxing lyrical about his great new weight loss plan. Rather than deny himself all his favourite treats, Joe told me that he'd save up enough calories every day to allow him to enjoy a large glass of fine red wine every evening. His theory was pretty sound (although not all the health experts would agree) in that he realised that total denial of all things tasty and calorific would only lead to desperate cravings and an inevitable caving in. The plan certainly worked for him as Joe seemed to lose half his body weight over the space of months.

Yesterday I wondered on Facebook about whether I'd worked off enough calories cycling over recent days to justify a couple of large glasses of wine. The idea was that my cycling endeavours could cancel out a slight excess of wine.

It seemed that my Facebook pals agreed. Replying to my Facebook poser one came up with the calorific facts: One bottle of wine = 500 cals consumed, while half an hour of cycling = 200 cals burned.

Another Facebooker stated: "One bottle of standard red wine would provide about 28% of your total daily calorie count but since nobody drinks standard red wine it probably has 50% extra alcohol so maybe 40% of daily calories." Gosh!

So I reckon that the fact that I've cycled for a total of more than three hours in two days means I could allow myself a couple of large glasses of vino.

Now, I'm not for a minute suggesting that wine is packed with lots of health-giving nutrients and to be honest I'd be a whole lot fitter and healthier if I carried on cycling and running and ditched the wine. But, then, where would be the fun in that?

Does anyone else have the same ideas about balancing keep-fit and booze?!

Get on your bike to get fit

It's lighter, ever so slightly warmer (on some days) and there's the faintest whiff of hope in the air as finally we all allow ourselves to look forward to spring and summer. So there's no better time to embrace your shiny new 2010 Get Fit for Summer campaign.

Whether it's walking, running, swimming or cycling that's your chosen activity why not give yourself a little momentum by aiming for a race? There's a host of mass participation events taking place across Scotland this year and there's sure to be one to suit your aspirations and location.

Better still, why not get fit – and raise money for charity? One new event that provides the ideal goal for women is the Pedal It Pink women-only cycle event. Coming to Scotland for the first time on Sunday May 16, the event aims to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Campaign – and get more women on their bikes.


Organisers are predicting hundreds of entries for the event, taking place in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. There will be a choice of routes from a family 5k lap to a half marathon (13.1 miles) to a full marathon (26.2 miles). All routes will be traffic-free on the day and are suitable for a wide range of cyclists.


Cycling offers a great all round, cardiovascular fitness. The average person will burn around 200 calories per 30 minutes cycling at a moderate pace. Pedal a bit faster and you'll burn more cals and also work your leg muscles just that bit harder. So, ladies, cycling will give those wobbly bits – the thighs and bum – a good work out.

Another great thing about cycling is that it can be done socially. Why not get out for a ride with friends or with your family? Scotland has a wealth of safe cycling routes, too, including many, many miles of Sustrans routes, both on-road and off-road, and more mountain biking trails than you could ever imagine. Scotland is Europe's number one mountain biking hotspot, don't you know?

All this cycling will have you aiming for the full marathon distance in the Pedal It Pink event, for sure. Entries are now open.

All a load of spin?

Just a few miles into a cycle ride from Bearsden to Falkirk (to meet with my ex-husband's father.. you must know by now how I like to slot a run or a cycle into my everyday schedule) I suddenly realise that one of my gear lever cables was on the verge of snapping. I can't think how I had not noticed this before as it sits right in front of my face while cycling but there it was, a severed cable sleeve and an almost slashed cable. This meant that I dared not force the lever to change the front cogs and so for the rest of the 30-odd mile trip I could use only the smallest front cog.

I reasoned that it was better to be stuck in the smallest cog with access to eight of the easier gears, rather than left only with the eight hardest gears as there was a fair number of hills to tackle. So, I found the going up was just fine but when it came to the downhills I quickly ran out of gears. In this way, I ended up doing a whole lot of pedal spinning.

This got me thinking (you do a lot of thinking when you're out cycling solo) and I recalled being out with a cycle friend recently and noticing that his cadence was a lot faster than mine. At the time I didn't have the energy to ask why (I was trying to keep up and so I was out of puff) but with my limited gear span on Saturday it did give me the chance to try out my own form of faster cadence cycling. What I noticed was that there was less requirement to think about changing gear (mainly because there were fewer to choose from!) and that my spinning legs felt a lot smoother in terms of momentum.

The strange thing was that the journey seemed to speed by much quicker than I'd expected and before I knew it I'd come across a sign to the Falkirk Wheel, where I was to meet my father-in-law.

So this had we wondering further. On further investigation I have found out that "spinning" can bring some benefits to cycle training (and, boy, do I need all the advantages I can get). It seems that while casual cyclists have a cadence (ie pedal turn) of around 60rpm (revolutions per minute), the pros are up there at 110 to 120rpm. Apparently, as an aspiring (or perspiring?!) amateur, my cadence should be somewhere in the middle.

It seems that it is a good idea to get used to cycling at a faster cadence because it is less stressful on the leg muscles. If you think about it, cycling in difficult gear at 50rpm is much more work for your legs than cycling in an easier gear at 80rpm, assuming the same overall speed.

Technically, cycling in a low cadence is called "mashing", while high rotation is called "spinning" (ah, so that's where the concept for spinning classes came from). Also, cycling at a low cadence uses "fast twitch muscles fibres", while cycling at a high cadence with less force utilises "slow twitch muscle fibres". Fast twitch fibres use locally stored energy (glycogen in the muscles) that will tend to run out over a long ride, while slow twitch fibres use fat, which is more readily available in the body and much better at coping with endurance rides.

Of course, there will still be times, like on hills, when slow pedalling is useful (and also over short time trial style events) but it seems that from a longer-distance point of view it's better to aim for a cadence of 90 to 100rpm.

I guess, if I'd thought about it, this is a similar theory to running. Only I just hadn't thought about it until my gear cable decided to give up!

The "fat burning" potential offered by my almost snapped cable also meant I was able to scoff a whole lot more tea and cake in the Falkirk Wheel cafe. Ideal!

It's all in the detail: Part 2

As I've blogged before, sometimes it's the small things that make the biggest difference. See It's all in the detail: Part 1

This time a discovery of something seemingly small but mightily significant came about after a 20-mile cycle on Sunday afternoon. As usual, for a winter bike outing, I had on my padded cycle shorts with a pair of running leggings over the top. This time it was the favoured Skins leggings.

While I did feel a little chilled to begin with, just a few miles into the trip around the Campsies I was contentedly warm and thought nothing more of my legs, and definitely nothing about my knees.

But then something new – and not very nice – happened. Having completed the ride and then jumped into a hot shower I felt my knees becoming extremely itchy. I looked down to see that my knees had turned a horrible red/purpley shade. Fearing some kind of blood clotting nightmare I called on the advice of the G-Force (not only a force to behold in the hills, but also pretty dynamite on a bike!).

"Chilblains," was his immediate answer. "Aaaargh, but they are sore and I've never had this before," I whimpered.
"So get yourself a decent pair of cycling leggings," retorted the G-Force.

But I had no idea there was anything much to compare between a pair of running tights and cycle leggings, except perhaps the butt padding. Now I know better.

After rummaging around in one of his outdoor clothing drawers (he has a few!), the G-Force found an "old" pair of his cycle leggings. Although a little loose on my girlie frame, his Assos (apparently the best – and most expensive cycle clothing make a rider can get) leggings offer more than a little attention to the smaller details.

The first thing I noticed was the extra material over the knees (to prevent cold knees, and therefore chilblains). These extra special leggings also have loops that go over the feet (to keep them in place and prevent chilly ankles?) as well as a bib that keeps your back, stomach and, importantly, your kidneys cosy.

Here's the technical stuff: Apparently the newest Assos tights "feature an almost genius knee solution. Whereas in the past, any incorporating of Airblock material always meant a reduction in elasticity and hence fit, the Airprotec’s kneezone is designed to make you forget that your knees are Airblock protected. Assos has also redesigned the patternzone behind your knees. The ASSOS solution is pretty sharp, eliminating the overlock seam on the back of your knee which can cause irritation. This tight is designed for high frequency, no restriction pedalling'". So now I know! And oh-so-very different from my plain old, straightforward running leggings!

I tried these ultra special leggings out for the first time today (and, boy, was it a cold day) but for the first time in winter my legs, ankles, knees, bum, back, stomach and kidneys felt amazingly snug.

As I said, it's sometimes the smallest of details (although sometimes at a big price) that can make the biggest difference. I guess I might need to buy my own pair of "proper" cycling leggings sometime soon!

It's all in the detail

Sometimes I come across new fitness/outdoors kit that includes a detail that is so fab I want to tell everyone about it. This time it's a couple of new Nike products that I recently bought.

The first is a Nike Dri-FIT Running beanie (and also the Nike Thermal Running Skull) that features a small but highly useful hole in the back. For us girls with ponytails this fab detail offers a truly genius solution to the usual bunched-up-at-the-back-of-the-head-hair nightmare that all too often occurs with a ponytail and a woolly hat.

You don't have to have a pony tail to wear this hat as guys or women with short hair won't even notice the hole, but for women with long hair it is nothing short of fabulous. (Actually, come to think of it, guys or women with short hair might find the hole useful for feeding through earphone wires.)

Since buying the hat numerous long-locked pals have commented on the brilliance of this hat. I plan to wear the thinner Dri-FIT beanie under my cycle helmet, too, and as an additional layer when out walking in the hills.

Nike also have a pair of running gloves called Nike Lightweight Running Gloves with a tiny wee pocket on the inside of the palm just perfect for slipping a key into. If you're a runner then you'll know the problem well: you're heading out for a run from the car or the house but you're only wearing a basic pair of leggings or shorts and a top. So where on earth can you stow the key?

These Nike gloves offer the ideal solution. Pop the key in the palm pocket and then hold your hands in the natural curled position for running and you'll find the key stays perfectly in place.

These two features might only be small additions to a couple of pieces of ordinary running kit but they make a huge difference to comfort and practicalities.

The fab running specialist store Achilles Heel, Great Western Road, Glasgow, sells these Nike products.

Scotland's the best!

Pic right: Mr and Mrs Outdoors at Glentress



Sometimes I forget just how lucky we are in Scotland. And then I spend a few days in our great outdoors and it all comes back to me with a great, splendid feeling of warmth. Over the last 10 days I have been lucky enough to mountain bike in three of the 7stanes mountain biking centres and take part in a 100km Audax (a cycling challenge that is not a race but requires the rider to meet certain checkpoints in a given time.)

Last Monday Mr Outdoors and I took our good friends G&T and their son Master A (he should be renamed a "ice and a slice of lemon".. anyways..) to Glentress for a few hours of mountain biking. Being from doon south they were completely amazed to find the fantastic network of bike routes - and all completely free. I guess we have come to take the work of the Forestry Commission (and all the volunteer trail fairies) for granted but to G&T Glentress represented something "totally awesome" and "out of this world". Master A (pic left) spent the afternoon shadowing his shiny new hero Mr Outdoors. It was difficult to decide who was acting more like a 10-year-old boy (Master A who is actually 10 or Mr Outdoors who is edging 50!) as they wheelied up tracks and flew off jumps and over obstacles.


Then, over Easter weekend, Mr Outdoors and I headed to Dumfries and Galloway, which surely has to be one of Scotland's best kept cycling secrets. Away from the two main roads that cut through this region, is a network of some of the most beautiful, almost traffic-free lanes I have ever come across. Cycling the 100k Audax, led by Scotland's most enthusiastic Audax rider Tom, was an utter pleasure. We even passed by the old smithy where Kirkpatrick MacMillan made the world's first ever bike. (I later took a replica of this bike for a spin at Drumlanrig Castle. See pic left. How MacMillan ever managed to ride the bike from Dumfries to Glasgow and back is mind-boggling. It was heavy, a nightmare to pedal and almost impossible to steer.)

During the weekend we also learned how to wheelie and bunny hop with mountain biking expert Clive at Ae Forest and took in the blue route at the gorgeous and amazingly extensive Kirroughtree 7stanes centre. Thanks to the patient guidance of Clair from the brakepad I learned how to descend some of my first properly stony slab sections (normally I get off to walk round like on old lady for fear of breaking a few bones). I'm thinking of heading back there for a Women on Wheels weekend.

The fabulous sunshine definitely gave the whole trip some added polish but even so this is a location we plan to return to more often. If you fancy it then why not take in the first ever Original Bicycle Festival taking place from May 9 to 24?

When the sun has got his hat on and you’re outdoors, it is difficult to imagine being in a better place than Scotland.