Ok, so I think I'm no longer sick. Got out for 6.5 miles this morning and just felt a bit mentally off, body felt good in general.

All packed up and stoked to go visit family on the Isle of Arran in Scotland for a week or so. As mentioned they got hammered with snow in the mountains but I am undeterred now and am just excited to explore some new terrain whether it's in the mountains or not. I am prepared for mountainous snow runs if that becomes an obstacle! I need miles under my belt, I am behind once again and am worried about the Malvern 50 coming up in, OH SHIT, a month! All I want is to be a competer, not a completer but once again this is cutting it close to race confidently.

Anyway, I'll try to get some nice photos and get them up here.

Sickness, snow, and hitting the reset button

Been kind of a miserable week for training. Well the GI issues I mentioned stuck with for about 5 days and I'm finally feeling a bit better as of yesterday.

No idea where it came from but the wife and little one got it too but they got vomiting as well! Norovirus maybe?

Anyway, that pretty much shot the week of training. A week I was hoping to go big with and put in a next step up in my weekend long runs. Ended up with about a 20 mile week at the most.

I also neglected to stretch. BIG mistake. The leg medial knee injury (that I now think is a pes anserinus issue, not MCL) has returned. I stretched the heck out of it last night which helped but this could have been prevented.

Resetting and slowly getting back on track again. The weather has been snowy, windy, and wet. Doesn't bother me much but we are planning on heading to Scotland over Easter. I had some cool runs planned in the mountains but I think they may be snowed in. I guess I had better consider my gear choices then, maybe at the very least throw in my Kahtoola Microspikes.

Anyway, off today, may ride the bike for a bit.

PureGrits and the shits

another grey day

Had been pretty solid in the running department until Saturday. Who knows what brought it on but I've had the shits since Saturday night, stomach cramps, no appetite and now my entire body aches. Oh, and the little one must have some more teeth on the way as she has been freaking out abnormally. Sure would be nice to live near family for a hand as the wife is in London today and tomorrow. Fun. So Sunday off, Monday off, Tuesday who knows. Ugh. Tore down a big bowl of cereal this morning, kind of rolled the dice with that one, but it's holding strong so far!

Brooks PureGrit2

I did acquire a pair of the Brooks PureGrit 2's though on Saturday so soon I'll be sending off my PureGrit v.1 to get resoled at Lancashire Sports Repair. It still blows my mind that many of the reviews on this shoe claim the out sole works great in mud, yeah maybe pulverized granite of the western US mixed with water, not REAL mud. Looking at the v.2 I'm curious how they'll work in the muck too, skeptical. They almost look like they would be a great on-road off-road shoe. Well either way I know that the new soles I'm planning will work great and if I need to I'll resole the v.2 as well.

Great in all conditions my ass!

Anyway, one other fun thing that rears it's head when I feel like crap is the question, "what am I going to do when the little one is off at school?" Any professional experience I had is now gone. Experience outdated/gone. I have a useless degree. I have a plethora of useless knowledge pertaining to outdoor sports equipment and technical clothing from the years of retail work I've done. Where does that get me? No where but a retail job paying $10 an hour. Hey but I like retail, I honestly really do enjoy it. But all it will do is pass the time, there really isn't any self achievement involved, no self gratification. All you do is enjoy your day working for someone else, questioning their decisions, being held back, or being allowed to roll with it for limited pay. That's what full time retail seems to get you.

The wife says "you can take a course" essentially meaning go back to school. Well for what and by the time that happens I'll be almost 40. Most likely not worth it. So as much fun and as challenging being a stay at home dad is the future is grim. I guess I'll deal with it when the time comes as currently I really don't have time for this lame blog even as anytime the computer comes out the little one wants it!

Anyway, I'll keep you posted about the resole, I think it will be a winner.    

Chariot Cougar Front Fender DIY

Chariot Cougar 

We've had a Chariot Cougar 1 running stroller for a while now. We scored it off eBay for about $120! It was about 8 years old but had very little use. When the little one was born I scoured eBay for one of these and when we finally got it I felt she was a bit small for going out in it. I've used it a handful of times but ran into one problem, even on dry days the front tire throws grit and dirt all over my daughter! She doesn't seem to mind but I figured there was as solution out there.

Well there wasn't! Surprisingly the only fender or mudguard for the Chariot is included in the handbrake kit and it's pretty much a tiny piece of plastic that appears to do no good, plus it only works on the 2 kid version. I figured I could cobble together a fender out of soda bottles or a milk jug, no beer cans like college! I began my project and then realized that is was pretty shitty looking and wasn't going to last. Besides that I was having trouble connecting it to the Chariot considering the construction of the front wheel and it's arms to the main Chariot.

maybe in college this would have flown

So the front wheel being 16" I considered kid's bike fenders but they were all the clip on style for mountain bikes. They would look nice but I still wasn't 100% on the attachment to the Chariot. Then I came across a set of SKS fenders for a Dahon folding bike. They are essentially a miniature version of the kick ass SKS full commuter fenders with mudflaps! PERFECT! I even found them online at a discounted price, Dahon's a fairly common brand here on the UK where folding bikes are popular however the Brompton rules the lands (and rightfully so!). The kit obviously comes with front, rear and all mounting hardware for bike, I'd only need the front fender and maybe the hardware.

from Dahon's website

So why was I so excited? Well these bad boys not only have mad coverage but connect via a stainless steel "wire" that bolts on near the wheel axle (normally to the end of the fork blade of the bike). Then they connect to the top of the fork via a bolt also just under the crown.

So with no crown or normal fork to connect to I took the steel "wires" from the rear fender and connected them to the front fender giving it two points on each side to connect to the Chariot since there is no way to actually bolt the fender to the Chariot as you would under the fork of a bike. The rear also has two points of contact that the wires slide into (clips) that were easily moved from the rear to the front fender. These were connected to the fender via a screw that did go through two holes drilled in the fender. I just screwed it onto the front fender without drilling any holes and the clips seem to bite enough with only the screws. Being a lightweight fender the two wires appear to be ample support to hold it up away from the tire.

clip from rear fender

Next thing I needed to do was figure out how to attach the wires to the Chariot arms near the axle. I wanted to avoid drilling and modifying the frame if I could since it could promote a structural flaw (sounds official!) but after looking at different options mainly involving zip ties the drill came out anyway. Looking at the whole thing and considering that it's pretty low impact anyway I opted to drill a small hole right through the frame. I found a good central location (measure twice cut once!) and drilled a 5mm hole through both sides of the frame. Very easy job being aluminum.

drilled hole for bolts

 I had already visited the local UK version of Home Depot and gotten the wrong length screws so went back and not only got a longer version (5mm x 40mm pan head slotted machine screws) but also some wing nuts (M5). I figured that out on a run if it loosens I can then tighten without tools.

wing nut on the outside

bolt holding the wires

I threaded them through with the wires and arms, spun on the wing nuts, and we're ready to roll! Well, for now. The wires NEED to be cut down a bit and I need to put some lock tight on the wing nuts (maybe just use some electrical tape) to prevent them from spinning off.

wires NEED to be cut down

It looks kind of half ass with the longer wires and less clearance gives better protection. I have yet to decide how I'm going to cut them down. When I was working in a bike shop installing these things to bikes was a bitch and we'd cut them down with a bolt cutter! I've got a nice Park Tools cable cutter but I'd hate to ruin it on a fender install. This may warrant a trip to the Home Depot equivalent to purchase a new tool! Sounds like side cutters can work too.

Not only a solid fix with solid protection for the little one but a clean looking fit, well when I cut them down!

The Goods:

2 pan head slotted machine screws - 5 x 40mm (3/16" x 1 1/2")
2 wing nuts - M5 (3/16")
2 flat washers - M5 (3/16")
SKS Mini 16 Mudguards - mine were for a Dahon 

5mm drill bit suitable for aluminum and drill (duh!)
locktite
bolt cutters/side cutters

Obviously the screws could be slotted, hex, or philips. All personal preference. I believe in the bicycle world the M5 size is an industry standard for fenders so they can screw directly into pre-threaded braze-ons on the bike frame/fork. I added a couple washers as well to prevent wear and tear on the Chariot arms, not sure if they are even necessary but maybe even a locking washer could aid the whole set up?

Last minute thought: I may try to get the wires cut down at my old bike shop job today!

UPDATE: Yep I got into my old job, got my hands on a bolt cutter and chopped them boys down! Looks much better:

More miles in the future

A cold run this morning. Bad wind and temps in the 20's. At least it was dry I guess. It's been getting lighter out in the AM too but soon the UK has daylight saving time and I guess we spring back to darkness briefly. No big deal.

Running has been going well. Missed out on Sunday miles but probably for the better. It was time for an easy week anyway. I have been tired and sluggish feeling through the past few runs which makes it tough to motivate. Anyhow I need to start a new training cycle with increased miles focusing on the Malvern Hills Ultra instead of the South Downs Way which I have now officially withdrawn from.

Have finally found a good way to get a fender on our Chariot running stroller. I'll write a post on it in the next few days.

River Severn long runs, Pure Grits

Got out this past weekend for two days of heavier mileage. I think it was kind of too much but Saturday was just too nice and had been one of the better Saturdays I'd had in a long time and Sunday I was in a bad mood so two good reasons to go long.

Severn Way near Lincomb Lock

Severn Way single track

Saturday afternoon got out for about 12 miles along the River Severn which was nice and did the same run but further on Sunday. Made it round trip 16 miles Sunday. Felt pretty good both days but today am icing a sore achilles. I don't think it's a big deal but definitely need to ice it to be sure. The route I've ran before and is quite scenic and gets really rural quickly as you leave Stourport. Coincidence that everyone you meet in the middle of nowhere is happy? I don't think so, I always run into smiles and greetings out there. They become less the closer I get to town.

Just down river from town you pass through a marina with some huge old boats people are fixing up or just generally live in. Mainly all ocean going vessels, some newer house boats, and a handful of narrow boats. The big ones remind me of working on Isle Royale on Lake Superior; navigating at night via radar and GPS, keeping a watchful eye on the sea charts for reefs. Sometimes I wish I would have meshed a bit better out there but those small Park Service communities are tough groups to crack sometimes, especially if you're a police officer.

Some sections of this flood and are impassable, one which still has ankle deep slippery mud. Up above the actual trail there is a narrow ridge along the sandstone cliff that possibly could be made into a make shift by pass if one was to put forth the effort to clear all the brambles!

this seems to NEVER be dry

Stourport Basins

Well I made the decision to resole those Pure Grits with the fell sole. I'm getting a pair or the Pure Grit 2 through work so I'll have a less aggressive version to wear most of the time but then if the conditions are hairy I can pull out the big guns. Most likely wait until I get the new ones to send off the old but whether or not the outcome is exactly what I want at least the outsole will be better than what it is now.

Been trying to figure out a longer race for summer but most of the big names are full up or just too far away. The cooler races in Scotland require a chase car/crew which is lame. Was considering something longer than a 50 miler but am hesitant without any people to help as a crew. I'd love to do one without a crew but first time around it sure would be nice. So, I think anything longer than a 100km is out of the question but we shall see.

"fly by" photo of some drunk under the bridge drinking cider