Given Up The Ghost

I head off to Harvey Hadden this morning despite the 50m sessions not being on their App or their website. Do I trust their App? No. Do I trust the Leisure Centre enough to just turn up? Well, I’ll have to. I need to train.

I find the pool open as normal and it wasn’t particularly quiet, so perhaps it’s a good job they don’t advertise it.

It’s L’s birthday today for which she wanted me to buy her an entry for the forthcoming Colwick Park 5k race series but she’s not running at the moment. Instead I buy her a new rucksack as her current one has given up the ghost, probably because of the huge amounts of kit she carries in it. Thing is, now that I’ve replaced it she can go back to carrying huge amounts again which probably isn’t very good for her back.

Apparently, her Google home page is wishing her "Happy Birthday", which is really creepy.

Then it’s dog training in the evening.

(Monday 8^th May)

It’s All Happening

This week the City Council’s lovely Leisure Centre App says the 50m sessions aren’t on this morning. Do I trust the App? No. Do I trust the Leisure Centre enough to just turn up? No. So I don’t.

L does get her swim at John Carroll. Just the five of them, so pretty busy for John Carroll. 

Having not got a swim, I do the gym after work instead and then head off to dog training.

Meanwhile Daughter is still shouting at her internet people who haven’t reconnected her yet and she’s getting a tad frustrated with them and also her noisy neighbours. It’s all happening in Mapperley Park. 

(Tuesday 2^nd May)

A Completely Different Animal

With yesterday being a bank holiday and therefore the Leisure Centre being shut, my Monday 50m swim becomes the Tuesday 50m swim but it’s a completely different animal.

Monday morning is the only morning when they open three lanes, the rest of the week it's just two. So it is either a case of playing follow my leader in the nose to tail congestion that is lane one or to mix it with the big boys and girls in lane two. Naturally I chose the latter and am therefore exhausted afterwards. I also swam for an extra ten minutes but due to the lightness of the traffic I am still in work for 8.15.

Theresa May calls a press conference and we all assume she’s going to resign but no, she calls a ‘snap’ election. What joy.

At dogging in the evening we initiate a new recruit who also turns out to be a marathon runner and a triathlete. We don’t get too many of those in the club. She also trying to outdo me already and has a sportive this weekend with an open water tri also booked. She’s also swam Windermere. Great North Swim? I ask. No, ten miles, end to end. Gulp. I nearly mentioned my upcoming half arsed before I realised this person was well capable of doing a full arsed in their sleep. So kept stumm.

No L tonight, so no pub and no Wainwrights.

(Tuesday 18^th April)

Everyone's A Winner

L wins a swimming bag full of accessories (floats, paddles, googles etc) from the City Council. This was through a prize draw where you got an entry each time you completed one of their points cards, which got stamped after each visit to the Leisure Centre. Considering how often she’s there, it would have been hard for her not to win. I’m still on my first card but now it appears I may be too late to submit it.

The bag is actually bigger than her existing one which may not be a good thing if she can cram even more into it considering her back trouble.

A cosy night in for five tonight with a homemade Lamb Saag.

(Friday 7^th April)

Tippy Tappy

I'm on the bike today while L is at Pilates and bemoaning the ‘old codgers’ who were doing Yoga followed by Pilates before changing leisure centres and doing Aquarobics followed by Pump. She wants to be as fit a pensioner. Yes but are they all doing the Thunder Run this weekend? No? I thought not. They’re probably not that daft.

Back to the Fuddle preparations, the veggie pasta sauce is now ready and the meat sauce is on its way while volleyball is organised for tomorrow afternoon. Somehow, by actually focussing on the run bit, I feel we’re not quite getting in to the spirit of this. L has bought some wet wipes though, if that counts.

Later it’s tennis. Not my favourite sport but I do like to indulge my regular squash partner in his quest for some summer fresh air and a bit of tippy tappy over a net. The Tennis Centre is actually open, which is a rarity during the tennis season as it’s usually being used for competitions.

Afterwards we go to the Victoria where the Titanic Plum Porter is rather nice but I get the last pint in the barrel and everyone spends all evening looking at me disapprovingly while trying not to drool.

(Thursday 21^st July)

Another Four Day Week

I could get used to these four day weeks, if it wasn’t for the lost training opportunities. So here goes trying to cram five days training into four and there’s another bank holiday looming before my Half Ironman.

I bike to work and the legs seem ok after Sunday. Meanwhile L is being asked at the gym if she’s made room on the mantelpiece for my trophy. I can see I’ll never be able to show my face in the leisure centre again if I don’t win.

Daughter has three hours to go to her dissertation hand in. We’re all on tenterhooks, particularly as she’s got to cut nearly a 1000 words from the final draft. L has been grammar and spell checking it for the last few days.

She sends us a copy of page one, that all looks ok and spelt correctly. Then she sends a copy of the acknowledgements... I’m mentioned in it. I’ve never been mentioned in someone’s Oscar speech before. I’m choked.

L is at the theatre tonight, I outsourced West Side Story. The boys and I wait up, chucking balls to pass the time.

(Tuesday 6^th May)

A Solid Block

Today is my third day cycling in a row. I think that’s what they call a solid block. I'm getting quicker as well. 54:15 for the ride home tonight, that’s my quickest since September. I was a lot younger then.

Emerging from our pub lunch I think you can describe the weather as a bit foul. Actually, I think you can remove the words ‘a bit’ from that sentence. I cycle home in the wet which is totally my fault for cleaning the bike last night.

I win a game at squash, Yay and L joins us at the ‘centre’ (they’ve dropped the word leisure). L decided against running in the wet and did half an hour on treadmill instead. Hmmm, think I’d have taken my chances with the rain.

(Thursday 20^th March)

Red And Yellow Dots

Back to squash tonight after a two week break. My opponent quips that he’d be up for a game of curling if I can get a lane. I might be better at curling, perhaps the leisure centre could convert their courts. Given recent history, they probably will, so I best not give them ideas.

Tonight I have a new racquet to try which actually has strings with some spring in them. It also came with a ‘red dot’ ball which is a bit bigger than the usual ‘yellow dot’ ones which predictably my opponent doesn't like one bit. Not sure I do either. We revert.

This week the BBC is covering the World Track Championship from Cali in Columbia with some excellent late night live coverage. The only problem is staying awake to watch it or failing that avoiding the results the next day in order to watch it later.

The riders spend a lot of time battling against the wind which is odd for a velodrome. It’s a shame they didn’t get time to put any sides on it.

 (Thursday 27^th February)