those cats were fast as lightning

Training this far ahead of the the event, the aim is to improve general fitness. I'm not getting enough time in the saddle to make a huge difference, so I decided to do some cross training. Ritchie Walker, one of the guys from work is running a 10-week kung fu fitness course, so I signed up. I thought it'd be full on kung fu fighting, but it's just using the punches and kicks from kung fu to improve fitness. Perfect.

Yesterday was the first day, and we started off with chain punches. I counted up, and we did more than 2000 punches in the first ten minutes as a 'warm up'. For me, whose strength and endurance are all in my legs, this was a real eye opener. I have NO upper body strength. After the chain punches I went to take a drink of water and couldn't lift the bottle to my mouth. I'm not exaggerating. I couldn't lift the bottle to my mouth.

Then we went on to learn a variety of punching and kicking combinations. First day, so I spent more time learning the techniques rather than actually working out during this part, but I know Ritchie, so I'm under no illusions; from next week those chain punches really will be just a warm up.

Ten weeks of this will either kill me, or it'll turn me into a killer fighting machine, and riding from St. Bees to Robin Hood Bay will seem like a bit of a rest.

any fool can be uncomfortable

When people say "Any fool can be uncomfortable" they're implying that the intelligent among us put in a wee bit of effort and find a way to be comfortable wherever they are.
Usually when people utter that phrase (in their knowledgeable tone of voice) they're talking about sleeping or sitting down; but I'm thinking I'll be spending two thirds of the day in the saddle and only one third in my bed, so it's more important to be comfortable while pedalling than while sleeping.
That means our camp has to be as light as possible. I already said I hefted our McKinley Katmai 3 tent when I was first thinking about gear, and decided 3kg is too much. So I've been thinking about how to go lighter.

Everybody who has one gives rave reviews for the Argos Pro Action Hike Lite one man tent. They're currently listed on the Argos website as £15.99 which is a steal, considering they used to be £50, and their nearest competition still costs nearer £100. I would buy one at £15 even if we weren't planning this trip, but they're not available for home delivery and there's not a single store in Northern Ireland, eastern Scotland, North East England or the Peak District (all the places where I've got friends who'd be willing to pick one up and send it on to me) that still has one in stock. It also weighs a couple of kilos, so it's probably heavier than we'd want to be carrying anyway.

I have one of those orange survival bags. Alex once spent the night in one in February, in the snow, in Ballypatrick forest, and she insists I don't need anything else. I'm not convinced. They're windproof and waterproof, I know, but they are completely not breatheable, and they're really slippery, and they might be OK for surviving an emergency uplanned one night out (that's what they're designed for), but we are planning to be out for nearly a week and I don't want to wake up every morning drenched in my own sweat.

My original reaction was to get an Alpkit Hunka. I do like Alpkit - I like any tiny company that takes on the big guys and wins, especially when their stuff's good quality and cheap. but I realised that I've not looked into what makes a good bivy bag, and what else is available. Time for more in-depth internet browsing.


There appear to be two main types of Bivi. One is like a mini tent with hoops to hold the fabric off your face. Those are generally more expensive and heavier than the other type - which is really just a waterproof sleeping bag cover.

Of the sleeping bag cover types, prices range from £2.99 for the emergency bag, to several hundred pounds for goretex or eVENT fabrics. The variables seem to be (in no particular order)
1. waterproofness - to keep the rain out
2. breatheability - to let sweat and breath condensation out
3. weight - as light as possible
4. price - My total budget is definitely less than £50 - hopefully much less.
5. abrasion resistance - it has to withstand me lying on it.
and some bags have extra features like built in stuff sacks, hoods etc.

Without going into all the details of every bag I looked at, the strongest contenders are the Hunka, from Alpkit, the MSR Fast and Light, and the Rab Survival Zone. Quechua also do a Bivi bag for £20 that looks quite acceptable, but there are no Decathlons in Northern Ireland. They all weigh around 400g, and all seem to get good reviews. I'm never keen to spend too much money, and they're all close to the top of my price range (though Alex would say they're all about £35 over my budget)

I do have one more option though. A while ago I was browsing and I came across a shop called Point North who sell 'performance fabrics'.
I was thinking coated ripstop Pertex on the top with 2oz PU coated Nylon on the bottom, all seams sealed, and maybe a hood with a drawstring cord as well. this would give me the same features as a pretty expensive bivi bag, it'd weigh aroung 250g, and the whole lot would come to less than £25 including postage. There might even be enough nylon left over to make a micro tarp to keep rain off my face. This is a tempting option, but I'm always thinking about stuff like this and I rarely ever get around to doing anything about it.

Result!

Mr Swain, the orthopaedic hand surgeon, phoned me at home last night with the results of my MRI scan.
The bad news is that I've got a perforated TFCC, a ganglion and a perforation in my scaphoid cartilage.
Since I've got no pain on the radius (thumb) side of my wrist, we can ignore the scaphoid 'problem'.
The ganglion and the TFCC issues would be solved (probably - there's no certainties with wrist surgery) with ulnar shortening. That's the operation where they break my arm and bolt it together again. It's supposed to be really really painful, but then after you recover from the surgery the odds are very good that everything will be near normal.

The good news is that he agreed to let me just get on with the training until I can't stand it any more, and do the operation then. That might be never, but somehow I think I'll throw in the towel within a year if it stays as bad as it's been lately.

Second gear

We need to carry our gear in something.

I've got three backpacks designed for the bike - I know I can only wear one at a time, but let me finish.

1. I've a Hydrapak Big Sur that came with a 2.5l water reservoir. I'll use the reservoir, but the bag itself is a bit small for a 5-day trek.

2. my old Jack Wolfskin Stinkfoot. Excellent bag with a pocket at the front; a big secure flap for a helmet, but I've used that for everything from shoes to shopping; and a big main compartment for everything else. I used it every day for nearly ten years and it's taken shocking abuse, but it's still in pretty good condition. If Martin needs a bag I can lend him that.

3. Deuter Bike 1. I got it on the cycle to work scheme last year and use it every day instead of stinkfoot. The back breathes better, and it's got a couple of mesh side pockets, a pocket for the water reservoir and a waterproof cover. It's very well designed and it seems to be standing up well to the way I treat it.


I don't intend to carry everything myself. Not when I've a bike beneath me. I have a rack that should fit the bike, I chose one that would fit with disc brakes although I haven't tested that claim yet.
Originally I thought panniers, but surely they'd get in the way on rougher terrain.
I checked out what other people do.

In Alaska they have multi-day mountain bike races on the Iditarod trail, and most of the riders seem to use Frame bags from Epic Designs. Genius idea. I actually have an old frame bag, but it's a tiny thing, just big enough for a spare tube and a mobile phone. Then I was reading a story on Alpkit's website and saw this picture! Of course it's a prototype, but I wrote to them anyway, asking if I could at least test it. They'll probably say no. I wonder if my sister could throw one together - postage is a bit much from Alaska.

I'll also bungee a drybag to the rack.

How much carrying space I need depends on how much we take, and I'm hoping to pare that down to the bare minimum.

map reading skills

The blue line is the route I planned to take from Castlerock train station, a wee stop in Articlave and then bomb down the main road to catch the next train home. It's got great views, steep hills, a couple of offroad sections and a reservoir that I could stop to look at. I stopped to buy a pastie in Castlerock before I started, stuck it in my bag and ate it when I got to Bishop's gate. Riding through Downhill wood I noticed that it's well used by mountain bikers, I could see tracks everywhere, but although I knew roughly what direction I needed to head, I was never quite sure where I'd pop out the other side. There were also a couple of pretty steep drops that tested my nerve (OK I failed on one occasion and walked the bike down) Again, that's the whole psycology thing. I wasn't expecting them and would probably tackle them much more confidently if I knew in advance they were coming up.



And this is the route I actually took. It's approximately the same as the plan, but my route following skills still need work. It was getting dark sooner than I expected, so I missed a lane that's marked on the map. I was also covering ground quicker than I expected. I'm a bit more used to using a map while hillwalking, so on the bike turnoffs were coming up before I expected. That's a good thing of course, so long as I don't keep riding past them. The snow didn't help either; I thought it had all gone, but once I got away from the coast and the main roads there was snow, slush and ice everywhere. The big climb wasn't too steep, but it was a long slog. Didn't cause any consternation though. I did get to the reservoir and take a picture, but it was too dark to make a trip into the forest worthwhile. Pity.



After the reservoir most of the journey was down hill, especially from Articlave to Castlerock - that's downhill all the way. I'm sorry now that I turned off the GPS, because I'm sure I was speeding coming into Castlerock.

yes

I did ride up Lawrence Hill, and if anything it confirms my theories on psycology and hills. I knew how steep it was, I prepared myself for it and got up it no bother.

Red light district.

Remember I said last week I had to hunt to find lights to fit my mountain bike? well obviously I didn't hunt hard enough. Last night as I was riding to the train in the dark along unfamiliar roads among rush hour traffic something bounced against my foot.
I looked round and my rear light was lying in the middle of the road. I stopped and waited for a break in the traffic so I could go and retrieve it. I watched helplessly as cars and vans passed over the top of it. I knew it was only a matter of time until something would flatten it. Sure enough, it got crunched. I stuck to the pavements as much as possible after that - I suppose you could say I was practising riding offroad.

what's on my mind?

Saw a girl today with her arm in plaster. I wonder if she had her ulna shortened. Nah, probably just slipped on the ice.

Lawrence Hill

I used to live in 'derry; I studied at Magee university there for a year. Part of the time I lived on Lawrence Hill, where one side of the house had three storeys, the other had only two.

If I'm to get over my fear of big hills, Lawrence Hill is the place to do it.

This week I'm taking a training course in Springtown Business Park. I'll be getting the train and riding up to the park, which includes a ride up a selection of big hills. In my mind, Lawrence Hill is the pinnacle of those.

This morning, first time here and all, I chickened out and came up Rock Road instead. It's pretty steep, but not compared to Lawrence Hill.

Maybe tomorrow.

clever mummy

Alex had an idea.
I could use an exercise bike to work on my fitness.

hospital gowns with missing ties

I caught the bus up to the clinic this morning and got directed through to the MRI department.
I forgot to bring my insurance details, but that wasn't a problem - just phone them through when you get back to work.

"Have you had brain surgery, heart surgery, eye surgery...?

have you ever had a job working with a metal grinder?

Are you wearing a pacemaker, hearing aid or drug infusion system...? "
The Radiographer looked at me as if I might actually be wearing a drug infusion system and just forgot about it.

then into a changing room "you can keep your T-shirt on, and boxer shorts and socks, but take off everything else."
At this point I'd like to point out that I don't like energy saving light bulbs, because my socks really did look the same colour when I put them on this morning.

The hospital gown (which contrary to popular opinion, is not open at the back) is supposed to tie with two ties at the side. Of course mine only had one. I improvised - Oh yes, I watch Gok Wan - and if I may say so myself, I made that gown look good.

Normally when I've seen these MRI scanners on the TV everybody looks pretty comfortable, lying flat on their back for what looks like a quick pass through the magic gateway. It wasn't quite like that. For a start it wasn't my brain they were scanning (keep the jokes to yourself) it was my arm, so I had to get my arm in the centre of the bed with my body hanging off the side. A bit awkward. Then I had to stay like that until she pushed the bed inside the machine - except of course the bed's a tight fit - so I had to hunch up a bit so I could actually fit inside half the Stargate tube. Uncomfortable.
So all hunched up, hanging off the side of the bed, squeezed into a smartie tube - I think I can just about hold this position for a few seconds. 25 MINUTES I was in there like that! and it might look high tech, but it sounds like you're sitting in the engine bay of a John Deere.
When she eventually let me out, I sat up and stretched my aching limbs. There was a blip and the radiographer looked worried. "power cut" she said. I didn't ask too many questions - If she didn't save the images she'll have to draw them with a pencil from memory, because I don't intend to repeat that experience in the near future.

The results should be available in about a week.

just got a phone call

MRI scan on Monday morning

off my stride

My base training schedule calls for a one-hour ride today or tomorrow. Given the news I got yesterday I really don't feel like it, but I'm taking a training course in 'derry next week, so I'll probably make up for it then.

So what did he say?

He sent me for an X-ray to check for ulnar variance. Normally the head of your ulna is a bit shorter than your radius. Mine's about 2mm longer. That increases the load placed on the ulna, but also allows the ulna to compress the TFCC Triangular FibroCartilage Complex. It is likely that my TFCC is torn or worn through. This can be confirmed with an MRI scan.

(That picture's not my x-ray, but it looks similar. I hope Oregon Uni don't mind me using this)

The solution?
IF that's the problem ... he'll slice open my arm, break the ulna, shave off a couple of millimetres of bone, and bolt it back together. I'd be in plaster for 6-8 weeks, but because I cycle and canoe he'd want me to take a bit longer recovery time. Maybe 10 weeks.

All very simple and matter of fact. He does it every day.
I don't do it every day, and I thought it was a sprained wrist.

Now with the NHS I'd expect the MRI scan to be in December 2012 and the surgery to be in August 2015 (OK so maybe a very slight exaggeration there) so I'd just do this ride as normal, but Mr. Swain mentioned that IF the MRI scan shows a tear the possible date for surgery could be as soon as THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY!!!!! Four Weeks! 30 Days! NEXT MONTH!!

I told him about our planned coast to coast. He was confident that IF it's torn, and IF he operates in February, it could be healed in plenty of time, even allowing for minor complications, but he very sensibly pointed out that missing 2-3 months of training could scupper me for the ride. Another option he offered would be to do the surgery after the ride, but IF it needs done I think I want it done and dusted and out of the way as soon as possible.

I think I do.

Now I just have to wait for the MRI scan.
It's not the coast to coast ride I'd intended for this blog, but you've got to admit that it is mildly exciting.

NOOOOOOOoooooooo!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I saw an orthopædic hand specialist. I've had wrist pain for years. I went to A&E a long time ago and they checked it wasn't broken. "You've got a sprain of your triangular ligament" they said, gave me a splint to wear for two weeks and sent me home.

A sprain should get better, so although this didn't, I decided to give it a while, then I just got used to the discomfort, changed the way I do things a bit so I wouldn't have to turn my palm face up, or put pressure on that side of my wrist.

A month or so ago I sprained my thumb. It healed within two weeks and I realised that maybe the other side of my wrist shouldn't still be sore. So I did something about it.

I get health insurance through work, and this is my first time using it. For somebody used to the NHS, this is frighteningly fast.
I rang my GP two weeks ago. He recomended physio first. My first physio appointment was last Thursday - she tried some manipulation, laser treatment and ultrasound. I had another physio session on Monday (the one where I had to ride up the big hill) where she did the same, but then said "we're really only guessing what's wrong. You would be better seeing a surgeon who specialises in hands to get a proper diagnosis." Actually, unbeknown to me my GP had also written that on my notes as the next course of action. So I arranged an appointment with Mr. Swain at the Ulster Independent clinic. That was yesterday.

If I'd been going through the NHS I probably wouldn't have got referred to a physio in the first place, but if I had it'd be a 6 month wait before I saw one, then probably a month before my second appointment. Two years to see the specialist, and another year before anything was done.

dusted off

Normally I use my hybrid for commuting; when the snow started, Alex' Giant was at the front of the rack so I lifted it down and used it for a couple of days. She's been complaining that it's not there during the day, so last night I lifted down the marin, dusted it off and spent half an hour trying to get a set of lights to fit it.
This morning I rode it to the train station through the snow. Couldn't resist cutting a few corners, bunny hopping kerbs and ploughing through the grass. It's just that sort of bike - I know it sounds daft, but it makes you a wee bit cheekier, a wee bit more daring. It makes any ride more fun.

big hills scare me

I was riding to the physio on Monday. It looked flat enough on google maps (!), but I turned a corner and I could see the road towering above the houses up ahead. I tried to reason with myself - I've surely cycled up steeper, longer hills than this before; but try as I might, my heart was pounding, I was breathing unnecessarily hard and I couldn't bring my body under control. I had to face the embarrassment of getting off and walking the last 100m to the top.
It wasn't that the hill was too steep. I know that because I rode it on the way back without breaking a sweat. It was purely psychological - it looked so impressive stretching up in front of me, and also it was totally unexpected.
I need to get my head into shape as well as my body.

First Gear

So what do we need to take? and how do we carry it?
At this stage we don't need to work out everything, but if we have a fair idea now we'll know what we've got and what we need to buy.

bikes.
We both have marin hardtails, though mine's a Northside Trail (less than £500) and Martin's is a Rocky Ridge (more than £1200) Both should be capable of doing the journey, but his is more capable than mine. I wonder should I get something new in next year's cycle to work scheme.
I suppose we'll have to take a couple of spare tubes and a pump between us too.

clothes.
No need to take the whole wardrobe. We both came up with similar ideas: lycra shorts (mine came from Lidl) with combats over the top, a cycle jersey, a windproof and a waterproof. My montane featherlight smock is definitely going.
Will we smell after five days? Undoubtedly.
It looks as if there will be some serious carrying done, especially on the first day, so I'll be taking proper walking shoes as well as my cycling ones.

sleeping.
sleeping bag - I've got a couple of old synthetic bags that'll do the job, I've always wanted a silk sleeping bag liner, so this is a good opportunity.
bed - no problem here, I'll nick one of the wains' Wee Airics

shelter.
I lifted our 3-man dome tent last night. It's only 3kg, but I set it down straight away. it's much too heavy; we'll have to bivouac.
Alpkit's hunka is about £30. I wonder if I could get away with just a bivvy bag and a silk liner in July in England?
I've a tarp and a few wee ponchos. I'll have to try them both to see which is best.

cooking.
I think it's fair to say the Kelly Kettle can't come. Pity.
My sister got me a great book, Moveable Feasts, for Christmas. It's got all the technical stuff about how your body processes carbohydrates, proteins and fats, it's got advice on kit for carrying and cooking food, and it's got piles of recipes.
What's really good is that the authors are normal people. They aren't trying to tell us how to dig snow holes in the jungles of Borneo using nothing more than a toothpick and a lock of hair, but neither do they try to persuade us to spend £300 on a new sort of lightweight folding spoon. It's all sensible advice that I might actually use.

Needless to say I'll be devouring (see what I did there?) this book over the next few days, but in the meantime I'm thinking the trangia's too big, my eurohike solo saucepans are too wee, but my coleman outlander is the perfect stove for the job. (I might take my homemade 7-up can stove and some meths just so I can say I've used it)

training schedule

My regular cycling involves a short commute from home to the train station in the morning and back in the evening. I occasionally (very occasionally)ride the 25 miles into work, and maybe once a year I ride a longer route - maybe 40 miles, maybe 80, but it's never been more than 100 and it's never been off road.

My mountain bike experience is even more limited - there's some pretty technical stuff about a mile from the house that I tackle maybe half a dozen times a year, and once I borrowed Tiny's bike and Martin and I went for a blast in the peak district. I have an awful lot to learn in the next 6 months.

Plus, I'm not fit enough.

So I hunted around for a training schedule for a mountain bike event that's not too different to what we're planning. The closest and most comprehensive I could find was the website for the Merida Bikes MTB Marathon series
The marathon distance is only about a third of what we'll be covering, but it looks like a pretty detailed training plan, and most importantly, it caters for the "New to MTB rider" That's me.

following in other people's tyretreads

To find out what sort of challenge we're taking on I started searching to see who's done it in the past and what they thought of it. I vaguely remembered Julia Bradbury walking coast to coast on one of her TV shows, and sure enough - St. Bees to Robin Hood Bay. Shows how much I was concentrating on the route.

So that means there's an Alfred Wainwright book, albeit for walkers, covering the general route we'll be taking. I'm told his books make good reading.

So what about mountain bikers? well I found the packhorse website where they do organised holidays, looking after your bags, arranging accomodation, providing minibus support etc. £345 is probably quite good for a 5-day crossing, but last year our family holiday cost £60 for two weeks, so I'm sure I can whittle down the costs.
Their website mentions Tim Woodcock's book, which looks like another one to add to the library before we go.

I liked Nick Bauer's blog. it gave an insight into the actual journey - struggling, carrying, taking wrong turns... They had a support van and stayed in Youth Hostels; we intend to carry all our gear and I've got to camp out soon or I'll get claustophobic. Martin thinks we'll maybe camp out some nights and stay in B&B some (he's getting on in years). I might be able to live with that.

After that I dug up the maps and gps data from mtb trail finder. I had to register to see them, but it was well worth the effort. that's some scary climbing - though of course they did it in four days, not five.

Where? to Where?

Not being English myself, I'd never even heard of either St. Bees, or Robin Hood's Bay.

I know a bit about bees (Mmmm, Honey; Aow, Stingy) and I've seen Robin Hood, Men in Tights, and can still play the guitar solo to Bryan Adams' "Everything I do, I do it for you" but if I'm actually going to go to either of these places, I need to improve on that.

Thankfully we've got Multimap, Bing and Google all crying out to help. The map on the right is the British Isles, with a little piece of England highlighted.

The map below is of that little piece of England all blown up, and the two big red dots are St. Bees and Robin Hood's bay. We'll be riding from St. Bees on the West Coast, to Robin Hood's Bay on the east, passing through the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors National Parks, so the scenery should be good - and we'll be going through the Cumbrian Mountains (taking in Scafell, England's highest peak) and the Pennine hills, so the riding should be good.

I have to start somewhere.

We'll never be the world's greatest explorers, but Martin and I have decided to venture outside our usual routines and ride across England from St. Bees to Robin Hood's bay.

I know Martin's wanted to do it for years, ever since he read an article in some mountain biking mag, and I have all this outdoor gear that never gets used because I feel guilty enough abandoning Alex with the kids as often as I do.

At first I thought he meant the Sustrans route and couldn't work out why he thought it was a tough challenge. Then he showed me on the map when the family all got together at Christmas.

Oh Boy.

It's set then. At the start of July we'll get the boat over, Alex and the wains will stay with Tiny and the kids while Martin and I kill ourselves.

We've only got 5 days, and we have to do it self supported, carrying everything on the bikes - camping gear, bike gear, cooking gear, food, water... no point making it too easy eh?

I've been thinking and planning a bit already, so i'll bring you up to speed over the next few posts.