Forgive me father for I have sinned (2)

Last time I committed this specific sin (https://www.strava.com/activities/6430407945/), running a San Silvestre, a popular run (aka. race) that happens in every village towards the end of the year, I run a 6:12/km pace and in my report I wrote "It would have been perfect if my legs were not so painful by now that I know that tomorrow I won’t be able to walk".

I was so bad at this specific sin (I’m very, very good at pretty much any other sin) that, back then, I recorded the run (aka. race) with my Garmin 1030 (for those of you runners, that is a bike computer).

This year I wore a running watch but I did the whole run (aka. race) based on feeling. 

I thought I was doing well. Running at a good pace, showing a fantastic running style.

Then a member of my family shared a video where you could spot me for about five seconds at the end of the second kilometre and I realised my running style was very far from gracious. The video is now censored, I have a public image to maintain.

What caught my attention was how hard I was gasping for air. From outside I looked like I was dying.

From the inside I was feeling like a perfect machine. Keeping a sustainable pace. Passing runners. I was smashing it.

That feeling took a hit when in the long straight I saw the first runner coming back when I was still running out. 

My god he was running fast. And his running style was fantastic. I realised the gap to the front of a local popular run (aka. race), and it was huge. My ego also took a hit. 

But my ego was destroyed when in the last 100 metres I was passed by a boy and a girl. I estimated they were 10 or 12 years old. They were sprinting against each other and they beat me even if I was sprinting myself trying to get under 19:30. 

They both beat me and I got 19:31. 

Guess who is going to sin again in the future.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16868196033 

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

KW - Henley

13 signed up for the ride. Add to that JFW that showed up unannounced.

A roster full of sprinters. I knew GC Denis was focused on GC so didn’t have to worry about him. Grant was clearly the most dangerous one, but JFW, Will R., and Nigel also to be considered. Andy L., Oliver and Peter L. were a bit of a question mark. I needed to be clever playing my cards.

For me, being clever in cycling is synonymous of wheel sucking. And that is exactly what I did. 

It helped that five riders DNS’d. Being a group of nine riders I was the odd one at the back of the group.

As always JFW was the protagonist of the first couple of sprints. Grant and Will R. played ball with him. I didn’t. Clever cyclists don’t bother with minor points. That’s a loser's game.

I’m sure they will come with a list of excuses, but the pace was so hard that by the time we got to Windsor we dropped JFW and Will R.. 

Good for me. Although I was still a bit worried about Grant.

He rode steady in the first three “climbs” and I got to experience what riders feel riding next to van der Poel. Happy to be there, almost at your limit, praying to God he doesn’t accelerate.

 

Getting to Henley I got a puncture in my rear wheel. That was my opportunity!!!!

I told them to carry on, I’d catch with them at the coffee stop. 

But I knew Grant was pressed on time. If I took a bit too long to fix my puncture he would have to skip the coffee stop and would DNF the race.

I was riding tubeless and, of course, I didn’t have my saddle bag with me. All part of the plan. Unable to pump up my wheel I was forced to ride very slowly to Henley and find a bike shop in Henley to pump up my wheel (thank you Henley Cycles).

To be on the safe side I lost a bit more time pretending to be trying to find my riding mates in Henley when I knew all too well the race plan was to stop at Twyford for coffee.

My plan worked to perfection. By the time I got to Twyford Grant had DNF’d. 

Not all was ideal though. My riding mates had finished their coffee and cake so I felt compelled to skip mine. 

No caffeine for the critical part of the race is a huge disadvantage but I am always up for a challenge.

At Drift Rd. we agreed to ride through and off. 

Position in a through and off when you ride towards the second most important sprint of the day is critical. 

I decided to sit on Nigel’s wheel. 

My plan was to wait until the last time he would lead me to the front. And as soon as he moved left I’d go for the sprint. The idea was to take everyone by surprise and Nigel was “tired” after his turn. 

I wanted GC Denis on my wheel to make it very difficult for anyone to jump after me as GC riders don’t take part in sprints. Unfortunately it was Andy L. who was on my wheel. Not ideal but not much I could do about it.

I was unlucky because the last time I was hitting the front was a bit too far away from the line but it was then or never so I went for it. 

Boom!!! The plan worked wonders. No one jumped after me. I was leading the points competition.

The problem was that by Virginia Water I knew my legs were empty. Time to play the team card.

I sent Nigel in a suicidal breakaway to force Peter L., Andy L. and Oliver to chase while I took a free ride sitting on their wheel.

When they caught Nigel Andy L. moved to the front preparing the sprint for Peter L. and Oliver. That was the situation for most of the approach to the sprint.

At the right time GC Denis came from the back allowing me to get into position. Only the great GC riders do that.

I had to wait until the last second to launch my sprint and I took it.

Being so heavily competed made the victory even sweeter.

One more proof that I am a master strategist. 

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16731033762/ 

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

"2 hours" of "easy" running in the hills

 That is what I asked for. "2 hours" of "easy" running in the hills.

What JFW delivered was two and a half hours (25% error) of not that easy running (for me anyway).

Definitely not the best run organiser out there. 

Especially if you consider that it was me who told him that we were one hour and a half into the run, time to start thinking of heading to the finish. And now, when I look at the route, I see we were the farthest we got in all day from our finish point. 

And I’m not surprised at all. I suspected it as we were stopping at every crossroads for him to decide our way home. That, inevitably, means running longer and more climbs.

Great training on how to deal with uncertainty. You are running tired, you don’t know which way you are going, you don’t know how many climbs are left, you don’t know for how long you will have to run.

I finally recognised the last climb (“Love lace bridge ascent” in Strava). I knew then there were no more climbs left, I knew exactly how long I’ll have to run for. A shame I was still tired and, somehow, I went for the sprint a bit too hard and a bit too early.

I, obviously, ran out of steam miles away from the top. JFW took the sprint, put country music in the car all the way home and made me pay for the coffee at Cobham.

Proper torture I went through today.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16674082133/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

KW - Elstead - Normandy

I thought I was doing well riding with GC Denis.

Taking some turns on the front, managing to stay on his wheel on each of the “climbs”. If I am around GC Denis in the climbs I’m doing well.

I noticed, though, that he rode each “climb” on the big chainring while I was on the small one and almost running out of gears. 

But I didn’t think much of it. When I mentioned it to him he admitted he was becoming a bit like JFW. Not exactly the role model I’d have chosen, but, hey, each to its own.

At the coffee stop Bidders showed up.

I welcomed him with a smile, like a friend you are happy to see. The chat over coffee was very nice and relaxed. Nothing indicated to me what was coming.

But it didn’t take long.

Bidders and GC Denis started to ride. I lost a few seconds doing something I can’t remember and when I looked up there was already a gap. Nothing big. Easy to close.

In theory.

In practice it took me a lot longer than I was expecting and by the time I got to GC Denis’ wheel I was already out of breath.

Tough luck because just there a “climb” started.

“Wow! Bidders is pushing it”, I thought. I was finding it hard to stay with them.

Almost immediately came another “climb”. Hogs. Short and sharp. I hate it.

On this one Bidders opened a gap but in my mind I played the “too much traffic” excuse to justify it.

The penny dropped in that section that leads to Fox corner where we normally cycle chaingang. Not today. 

Today Bidders was at the front, followed by GC Denis and I was at the back. No chaingang. I was all tucked in aero position, struggling to stay with them and when I looked up I saw Bidders was completely upright, pedaling very easy. He wasn’t even trying. I knew then I wasn’t doing that well. My form is, for lack of a better word, rubbish.

That emptied my legs. 90km into the ride and my legs were empty!!!

Complete rubbish.

But I’m a lucky man. By pure chance the route passed in front of Bidders house so he abandoned the ride the precise moment I was about to start crying.

I said goodbye with a smile bigger than when I saw him at Elstead and focused on my next problem.

Beating GC Denis in the final sprint having empty legs.

A huge challenge because at some point we turned right, GC Denis said we were heading towards Esher and I was completely lost.

I was “preparing” for a sprint in Hampton Court and suddenly we were heading towards Esher, which, for me, was like at the other corner of the country.

Of course I was second at Esher. GC Denis didn’t even need to sprint. When I finally recognised where we were he was already at the front and stopping at a traffic light.

I thought I was doing well riding with GC Denis but struggling on Bidders wheel when he was just cruising and then losing a sprint to GC Denis is a hard shock of reality. It is going to take me a while to recover from this.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16665576388

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Twyford - Windsor

I haven’t been in a club run for so long that I had lost all the morning routines. Wheels needed to be pumped, breakfast took a bit too long, and I had to go back into the house twice for things I had forgotten. I was lucky I still remembered where my bicycle was stored. 

Everything felt like something that you used to do a long time ago but not anymore. Even my riding mates, Andy, GC Denis, Luca, and Seb. It’s been ages since I’ve ridden with them. Although, some of them (I won’t give names), have been absent longer than me.

The first moment of feeling at the right place, doing the right thing, was sitting on GC Denis’ wheel between Kingston bridge and Hampton Court. Suddenly I felt at home. I knew what I was doing.

Well, that was just what I thought. 

How would you explain that I found myself at the front of the group? If I knew what I was doing, the real Javier cyclist would never have hit the front. Especially if there was not a sprinting line involved.

I blame running. It has screwed my RPE, I now tell myself. It makes me feel I’m going easier than I’m really going. 

A coffee at the stop made things even worse. My optimism went to the roof, I was back to the front.

Luckily for me my riding mates didn’t contest any of the sprints. So despite my terrible tactics in the first one and almost crashing sprinting alone in the second, I took both.

I don’t feel like a winner though. Even after a one hour siesta my legs are fried after a ride that was supposed to be short and easy. 

I clearly have no idea of what I am doing when riding anymore. 

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16609934970 

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González 

 

To Hampton Court bridge and back

Last week I had a slight discomfort in my left leg. That week Saturday’s run (https://www.strava.com/activities/16532167404) exacerbated it a little so I decided to take this week off running. It helped that it was a busy week at work. 

My cyclists friends decided today’s weather was not suitable for riding bicycles so I decided to go for an easy run to test my leg.

Run slowly to Kingston bridge (5km) and I felt fine so I decided to keep running towards Hampton Court. 

Got to Hampton Court (10km), I crossed the bridge heading home and I was feeling fine so I decided to turn around and head back to Kingston.

That is a much nicer way of going back home but it adds 5 more kilometres to the route.

Back again to Kingston bridge (15km) and I started to think that, maybe, I was a bit too optimistic. I was still running slow but my legs, especially the left one, were feeling the effort.

Finally got home (20km) and I now have the slight discomfort back in my left leg.

Follow me if you want great advice on how to deal with running niggles. I know what not to do.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16599061825

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

I'll never run alone

I'll never run alone.

Like a one man Liverpool trail running team, I'll never run alone.

I’ll always run the trails with JFW.

That is my sentence.

Whenever I run in the hills all I see is JFW's back. Even when he is not there with me. 

Looking back to see if I'm still there. Half smile in his face like the child that is torturing his new toy.

8 ramps I had today, JFW was there with me in all of them. Making me hold my pace, getting ready to sprint in the last 30 metres.

But because he was only there in my mind I never launched the sprint and managed to run steady through the ramps.

And now I know I'll never run alone.

When I run through a storm

I hold head up high

And I’m not afraid of the dark

At the end of the storm

Is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark

Run on through the wind

Run on through the rain

Tho' my dreams be tossed and blown

Run on, run on

With hope in your heart

And I'll never run alone

I'll never run alone

I’ll always run the trails with JFW. 

That is my sentence.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16532167404

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

 

Cyclist’s, runner wannabe, training plan

Had breakfast and a coffee. Sat for a while to answer a few work emails. When I finished I was undecided between going back to bed and having a morning nap or going for an intervals session.

Went for the intervals session, but when I started to run I felt something wasn’t quite right on my left leg. My English vocabulary doesn’t allow me to describe without using questionable words so let’s leave it at me deciding to quit the intervals session and going for an easy run instead. 

I guess by the time I got to Kingston bridge the caffeine started to make its effect because I was feeling just fine. Without me thinking about it I started to run faster and faster. At a certain point I noticed I was running faster than usual because I stopped paying attention to the podcast I was listening to. So I stopped the podcast and kept the pace until Hampton Court bridge. Where I fell back to an easy pace and ran back home happy with myself.

And this, my friends, is how this cyclist’s, runner wannabe, training plan is executed. Pure improvisation.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16381798817

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Intervals + Kingston Bridge - Hampton Court loop

Yeah, those intervals didn’t really go as planned. 

Did two “long” ones and I thought I was rubbish. I look now at the numbers and I see I wasn’t that bad, but the seed was planted in my brain.

I died half way through the third one. That is when the swearing and self deprecating started. All in my head because I was so out of breath that I was unable to say a word.

Managed to complete the fourth one. I still thought it was terrible. The numbers tell me now it was a fine effort for a fourth one. In my brain I was starting to pile excuses. Lots of them. I was looking for a reason to quit.

Tried the fifth one anyway, but, again, I died half way through it. Oh my, I was in a bad mood. I had given up again. I was hating myself. What a loser! 

Without interruption, after the five “long” intervals, it was time for the “short” ones.

First one felt fine. I attributed it to being such a mentally weak runner and having had the extra recovering of having given up half way through the previous interval. 

Second one brought me to reality. I finished it. But it felt hard. 

I finished the third one too. It was very hard, but third ones are always very hard. 

I was hesitant on the fourth one. I was so terrified of not finishing it that I think I started a bit conservative. And, of course, that was exactly what I needed to finish it.

That was it. Whenever I have a set of five intervals I know I’ll finish it if I finish the fourth one. In fact I believe my fifth one was my fastest. 

I say “I believe” because the “short” intervals are only 250m long, Strava doesn’t allow for segments that short, and I don’t bother marking the segments on my watch. Who cares anyway?

All I cared about was that I was happy again. Yes, my performance felt a bit shit on the long intervals but I had finished the short ones. Add to it that I wasn’t feeling that tired, it was sunny and warm. I was so happy that the only reason I didn’t put my arms up in the air is because the park was full of dog walkers and I was pretty sure some of them were neighbours and suddenly I worried about what they would think of me. 

I felt so well that I decided to go for a Kingston Bridge - Hampton Court loop. 

That is 15 extra kilometres, but I figured that if I run easy it would be fine.

And it was fine.

So much so that as I was running by the river I was thinking that I was close to believing that 15km at 5:30min/km was a recovery run.

That belief didn’t hold. By the time I got to Hampton Court, 20km into the run, I started to feel tired, the silly optimism took a step back and I was just looking to end the run as dignifiedly as possible.

And I did.

I can’t claim that I attacked the hill, but going up Ditton hill I felt just fine. Kept the pace, heart rate went up, passed the hill without slowing down. What a way of finishing the run.

I was happy again. In love with myself again. Optimistic again.

Still fearing next intervals session though.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16320102743/

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Two laps to Richmond Park with Jim

This is great training, I believe.

If I were running alone I would have settled for a slower pace. Running with Jim needs me to push a bit harder. Nothing too crazy but still challenging enough to force me to focus on the running. 

More running, less chatting. Especially in the second lap. 

As said, great training. For me anyway, not sure if for Jim though.

The bad news was that by the end of the second lap I was feeling tired so I had to play the “All right!” trick.

You don’t know what the “All right!” trick is?

It is a good tool to avoid sprinting when you know you are not going to win. 

It goes like this. As the finish is approaching and you are getting to the moment to start sprinting for the line say outloud: All right!, exhale loudly and slow down every so slightly, like you were starting your cool down. 

90% of the time your running mate gets the sign that there won’t be a sprint for the line, sometimes not even realising there was going to be a sprint for the line in the first place, and you are saved from a sure defeat at the sprint. 

9% of the times the trick doesn’t work but that is because you were not loud enough when you said All right! Or when you exhaled. If you are not loud enough your running mate might not get the sign and go for the sprint. Not good for your winning record.

What about that 1%?

Well that 1% is for when you try that trick with someone like me.

For me, hearing “All right!” followed by an exhale is not a sign of truce. It is a sign to attack. I know it doesn’t speak too well of me but, hey, nobody is perfect. 

Now if you want to be like me, be warned that attacking when your running mate has played the “All right!” trick still has the risk of losing the spring.

When that happens you look like a proper loser. 

It happened to me once or twice (mostly in cycling). That’s why you don’t really want to be like me.

The run in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15634151332

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González