THE GOOD BUCK

Yes, I know that was an awful title. It’s in the style of those cutesy cat posters with the  allegedly heart-warmingly humorous slogans.  Search under lolzcats or some such, I’m not going to defile my blog with an example.   Now that’s a classy opening; a wandering digression before I’ve even started a topic from which to stray. I’m tired, leave me alone! To start again; wouldn’t you know it? I am massively overcommitted. I am supposed to be running 6 days a week, cycling most days (commuting to work, plus ‘proper’ rides) and swimming as often as I can get to the pool. Also I’ve gone back to my sax practise after a month or so avoiding it. The longer I left it the harder it got to pick up. Finally got back to it, now I have to keep it up. With work as well it’s difficult to ring-fence a few hours for sleeping!   I was doing swimmingly with my running and had made up my fitness and endurance after the treadmill debacle. I ran a poor 20 miles, then three days later a better one, shortly after I ran a fair good one, but hurt my knee a bit. The next day I went out and did a quick (for me) 10 mile run just to keep my hand in. When I woke up the next morning my knee felt the size of a balloon. It wasn’t all that visibly swollen, but it felt it. It took me two weeks to get it well enough to go out for another run. I did an ‘easy’ 10 miles, and buggered it again! I was getting worried as well as pissed off. I can’t afford to miss all this training time. I had a look on the Runners World website and apparently it’s ‘runners knee’. It’s where the knee bones aren’t travelling smoothly in their socket, so they grind the protective cartilage between the bones. Caused by over-pronation  (rolling the foot inwards whilst running, which I do and for which I have special trainers) not developing the inner thigh muscles (running develops the hamstrings and such which pull your leg out of shape, the thigh muscles hold it in place. Working on it.) and over training. The training programme said one big run, rest lots of little runs, not big run, rest big run. So it’s ice pack, ibuprofen, rest and thigh exercises.   So that’s where I stand. Trying to do 5 hours of swimming when I’m on 2-10, about 6 hours running per week, 6 hours sax and about 20 hours riding. Plus 40 hours work. So where’s the irony? The council have finally offered me an allotment! I’ve been on the waiting list for years. So long I’d kind of forgotten about it. Now, when I don’t have a spare minute where I shouldn’t be doing some training they finally offer it me. As you can see, it need a bit of TLC. It’s not […]

I saw  a link to this on Twitter. Obviously my first reaction was one of jaw-dropping disbelief. Then I read a bit about it. It seems some chap was following for two blocks, repeatedly trying to get past the cyclists who ignored him. The cyclists were on some sort of protest/ demonstration about how their world view of a cyclist utopia was the only valid one. There are further reports that the driver was trying to get a kid to a hospital, but that sounds too convenient and is only a side issue anyway. The real issue is; was it wrong?   Oh sure, the law says the car driver was a bit over zealous, but think about it. I have been dwelling on it overnight. I thought of the two cyclist tootling along side by side, holding me and other traffic up, not giving a fuck until I nearly clipped one and screamed “HOW MUCH ROOM DO YOU FUCKING WANT!”, at them. Then they learned some manners. I thought of the coffin-dodger car drivers who fanny around at 25mph, and how I’d love to smash them off the road. Or the gaggle of women (usually women, though not exclusively) who stand in the middle of the isle at Asda and chat when you are trying to shop. And how you just wish you had an axe so you could cut a bloody swathe through their ignorance. It’s about common courtesy and the barest hint of consideration for others. It’s just good manners. My conclusion therefore, is that crazed car driver is just doing what everyone would like to do. The cyclists wanted direct action and by fuck they got it. I think maybe he is some sort of modern hero. An example to which we can all  aspire.   You are probably thinking I wouldn’t be saying that if some car driving twat ran me over, and you would be right. Because I would not be sat in the middle of the road deliberately pissing people off, therefore would have done nothing to warrant it. Feel free to disagree or start a ‘psycho car driver for emperor of the planet’ page on Facebook.   Later, Buck.

Finally got the definitive answer today. “No.” It all started after I saw this (Initiatives, second one down) Which, incidentally, was still up in the freezer rest room until a month or so ago. I went through hell to get my licenses.I paid £5,000. I have been bullshitted for 19 months with promises and lies. I have been in on my day’s off, unpaid, just to show willing. I went in today, after the latest buck-passing and prevarication, and Claire said “We’ve had the period review, and because of the damage and the cost of the insurance, we can’t let you drive for us without having two years experience.”   And that is that. She said as soon as she hears anything else I will be the first to know, but they are not going to say ‘ooh, we’ve not had much damage this quarter, lets get some newbies out there and really run the bill up’. So I can’t drive for them to get experience, and without two years experience I can’t drive for them. *sighs*   That’s over then. I’ve already downloaded and printed off an application form for a class II driver. I’ll get that off tomorrow. Also I’ll have to get back in touch with the army, get that ball rolling again. FFS! The tour is back on the table as possibly the only route to experience. Shit.   Bit bloody miffed, me. Buck.

Good news at last! After the trauma of that 20 mile run my confidence was badly shaken. Two days later, in better weather conditions I set out to a do a long run again. I couldn’t face the whole 20 miles so I set myself a ‘there and back’ target. Run out for 1:15, then turn around and run back. The first half of the 20 mile course being the flatter, therefore easier.   I set off at an easy pace and just kept going, by the time I got to my half way point I was still feeling pretty fresh so I just carried on. I did the full circuit in one attempt, no stopping for breathers, and I knocked 14 minutes of my previous time. It was still a poor time, but the point is; it’s 14 minutes faster, and I now know I can do 20 miles. Next time I won’t even think about quitting. That is the odd thing, when you’ve done it once and know you can do it, the next time you have to do at least as well.   A major worry I’ve been having is the swimming. It is my weakest discipline and if you don’t make the time in the swim you’ve failed the whole race. Now I have my funky Ironman watch I’ve been using it to count lengths. Or rather, 4 length blocks, which is 100m. The time before last I failed by 4 lengths (to reach the half IM goal of 1.2 miles in an hour). When I first did it I was working off an incorrect calculation of lengths required so I thought I was there or there abouts. Turns out I was way out. I’ve been chipping little bits off the time but nothing substantial.Like I said, the swim before last I was still 4 lengths (just over 3 minutes) short of the standard. My best block (4 lengths/ 100m) being 3 minutes, most being 3.16- 3.26. Yesterday I set out and was pulling strong. I am still weak and slow, don’t get me wrong, I do get overtaken by people doing breast-stroke. But not as many, and not as quickly. For me, I was pulling strong. I got to 40 minutes and although I was knackered I realized I still had the strength to keep going, so I forced the pace for the last 20 minutes. I came home and worked out my blocks and time, and I’d done it! You need 77.25 lengths for 1.2 miles, I’d done 78! Scraped in, but I was chuffed to bits. A few swims ago some of my blocks had been 3.42, now I was doing 3.06’s regularly. I said to Wendy that now I know I can maintain the pace I’ll try and get each block under 3 minutes. Went for a swim this morning and had one block of 3.0, all the rest were under! That was supposed to be a short-ish term goal! Achieved the […]

I went in to arrange the next step on my scheme to get me driving at my works today. I finally tracked down Claire, the manager who set up the arrangement. She confirmed where I was up to; I’d been out with the drivers on my days off, now I was going for another assessment. Which in itself was a change of plan. I have done an assessment, been out with the drivers, the next step was supposed to be some reversing practice in the yard with the assessor and going out with a driver with him doing the delivery and me driving the truck back. I’m not in a position to argue the toss so I said ‘yes, assessment it is’. She got on the ‘phone to one of the other managers. A lengthy conversation later she said ‘as you’ve not fulfilled our usual recruitment criteria, (ie having two years driving experience) we will have to talk to the customer (Iceland) and see if they will let you drive our trucks.’ FFS! 1, They used to run a ‘warehouse-to-wheels’ scheme so should of already ironed all this out. 2, As they haven’t they should have realised they would have to sort it out. 3 They should have sorted it out before having me come in on my days off, unpaid.   The conclusion was; she is going to have to bring it up in the period review (when Iceland bosses and my DHL mangers get together). There to agree a policy and ‘set it in stone’ so it is not an ad hoc affair, with decisions being taken on the hoof. That is four weeks away. So I have to wait four weeks until I get a decision as to whether I can drive for DHL or not. If I can, the assessment is going to be a ‘live review’. Which is to say, I won’t be driving around a test course or practising in the yard, I will take a truck out and make a delivery with the assessor watching me. And, again without any sort of practise, back it through parked cars and into the delivery area. No pressure there then. I couldn’t even reverse it in to an open bay on my first assessment, and that was in the yard.   No point in worrying about that yet. I may not even get the chance to try.   In other news, disaster has struck with my training. About two weeks ago I went out with a driver who was recovering from a nasty bug, which I duly and promptly caught. It was totally enervating so I didn’t train for a week. When I got back to it I realised I should be doing a twenty mile run, to keep up with my training schedule for the Welsh marathon in eight weeks. Also I’d received the latest edition of Triathletes World, in which they stated that to train properly on a treadmill you should set it at […]