God love you Mr Izzard

Weather: Drizzle, sun, wind, snow, sun and then drizzle again
Activity: Mountain bike, total 24.62k, 300ft ascent
Today's Tune: Blackadder theme tune (don't even ask)
Comment: Eddie Izzard is a god

Last night I took off my Schwalbe Snow Studs (odd name, as they should be called ice studs as studs are no use on deep snow..but I digress) and put on my slicks. Then I remembered where I live and what time of year it was and took off the slicks and put on my spring (mud) tyres.

You know when you've been out all day in the hills with a heavy sack and walked miles and miles and miles and you get back to the car and its dark and cold and miserable and you're mind has turned to mush? All you can really focus on is the prospect of a comfy seat, warm and dry socks, a curry and a very cold lager & lime (I'm a girl!) but you're not actually sure if you'll still be awake by the time you reach civilisation/pub? And then you take off your rucksack and its like being given a massive energy boost and you feel about 15 stone lighter (or you are actually 15 stone lighter if it is my rucksack you have been carrying..) and you realise that not only will you manage a pint and a curry but theres a distinct possibility you might even manage to stay awake for Sticky Toffee Pudding too? That's what it was like riding on spring tyres this morning. Oh my... it was like I had a jet engine strapped underneath my seat. Ok, not a jet engine, it wasn't that fast, but the effort required to be rocketing along was noticably less than I had gotten used to over the winter. I forgot how good and free that felt :) I enthused at great length to my friend Sue (who's husband is a serious roadie so she is aware of the Importance of Tyres) I was *that* happy. I might have to forgo a bit of speed though as I may have ever so slightly over inflated them. I was borderline rising trot over the tree roots....

Spring has also made me think about a roadie again. But do I really need one again (the last was admittedly er...um...thirteen years ago) or is it just pure greed or transient lust? On a bog standard roadie, I can cover the same commute distance in 21 minutes which is fine if I'm late in the morning but bugger all use as a workout. Even 2 x 21 minutes (work and back) isn't really any cop. So I'd have to go the very long way home via Westhill to get a decent daily workout. Which is ok I guess but I think I might get bored now. I've turned very much into a scenery cyclist. On my mountain bikes, even if I'm on a mission but spot a new bit of ground to play on, I'll stop and play. Or chain Bob to a tree and head off up a hill. I listen to music. I am generally just quite sociable if I see other people. I can do this as I ride offroad.

But on a roadie I turn into a grimacing, antisocial speed freak* and a rolling target for any arsehole in a car and so am continually just listening, checking, listening, swearing, double guessing, triple guessing, swerving..you get the idea. I don't actually enjoy the ride that much (its sore) but I do love the endorphin kick-in, I do love speed and I do like covering huge distances under own steam. I do like the single mindedness focus of road-biking. Its the end results I am after. And they are very sexy in a um...carbon frame-y, dropped handlebar, light-as-a-feather slimline kind of way. A bit like dating a superskinny model. Stunningly gorgeous but no use for anything other than their intended purpose.

Or I could buy new forks for Bob, my Boy Next Door mountainbike who is nothing special technically but who has a frame strong enough to handle a nuclear blast, doesn't throw a hissy fit even when you can't see his  paintwork for mud and forgives me when my amateurish attempts have us both unintentionally impacting a tree. I could get him those new wheels and the rest of the upgrade bits I have earmarked in my catalogues too.

Or upgrade the tourer.

Arghhhhh.


Anyhoo, this isn't a decision that going to be made anytime soon. I have things to focus on in the immediate future, like getting back running, which are more pressing. I feel no pain from hamstring even when walking so I am going to try a short run on Monday morning (I am away this weekend to a ceilidh tomorrow in the depths of Strathdon and then going up a wee hill on Sunday with my old hillwalkin' and treefellin' partner!) before work and see how it goes. I shouldnt bloody complain anyway! I've just watched Eddie Izzards Marathon Man Part II tonight and it had me in tears. I am in absolute awe of his single minded determination to complete his challenge (which he did in 2009 - 43 marathons in 51 days) despite never having run for anything other than a bus - with the exception of 5 weeks training -  prior to the challenge . If you are a) in the UK and b) interested then watch it here on BBC iplayer.

God love you Mr Izzard.











*Speed relative to a snail.