Sunday was the 10th anniversary of, and my first time competing in, The Great North Bike Ride. The morning started with a lot of stress trying to fit the bikes into the car and make it to the pick up point for 7am. We didnt incidentaly make it, although luckily the buses and bike lorries were still at Tynemouth loading up when we got there at ten past. We had taken the front wheel off Taryn's bike to fit it into the car and so she had to run to the lorries with bike in one hand and wheel in the other! I had her brake pads and other essential pieces in my pocket and luckily there was someone with a tool kit and the know how to put it all back together before we loaded it onto the lorry. Thanks to that man whoever you are!
We got up to Seahouses for 9:20am and started the ride around 9:30am in sunny weather, with a lot of wind! The first 15 miles or so were difficult, with the wind blowing sideways as I tried to pedal forwards.....I think i was wobbling around and zig-zagging for a lot of the way! I stopped at Warkworth to refuel with a banana and lucozade powder, and half wished I could join those riding for fun that had stopped for lunch in the pub! By this time Taryn had lost me, and I jumped back on the bike to finish the rest of the ride. The second half of the ride was easier, as I began to recognise where I was riding through. I've never been as happy to see Ashington and Blyth in my life!
The last 10 miles were really fun as I picked up the pace and headed for the finish, back at Tynemouth where we had started. The ride had been difficult: my back and shoulders were really hurting, and at points my hands were so numb that I couldnt change the gears: but it didnt seem like I had been riding for over 4 hours as I must have been really focussed and full of adrenalin. I completed the ride in a time of 4 hours 25 minutes which I'm happy with as I have never cycled or exercised for this length of time or distance before. Taryn was waiting for me at the finish, where I went to pick up my race tshirt and medal before heading home.
I'm really pleased with having completed the Great North Bike Ride and would definitely recommend it to anyone considering entering either as competitive event, or just as a fun bike ride to do in a group without riding for a time. Thanks to Lynn Lucas and all of the guys who helped to organise and manage the event, it all ran really smoothly and gave me, and I'm sure all of the other riders too, a great sense of achievement.
I managed to come away without any cuts or bruises, and although my back was aching for the rest of the day and I was pretty tired, I didnt have any muscle soreness or stiffness which I'm pretty impressed with. I had a day off training yesterday and am straight back into it today, as have my second event, The Great North Run, in less than 3 weeks. I ran 3 miles to work this morning with a heavy rucksack, in a time of 24 minutes, and will be doing an hour class at The Barre later tonight.
I really need to get my mileage up this week for the run and will be looking to incorporate a hill run, intervals session, and cross training session into this week, along with a long run at race pace on sunday.
Thanks to those of you that have sponsored me so far. Specifically my dad, Kimbo, Neal, Ian Johnson, Graham Keddy, Sarah Garnett, Alan Findlay from Pin Point recruitment, Alan Fidler, Sarah Caine, Kevin Lister, Jan Campbell, Jacqui Patterson, Stef Pendleton, Martin Wardle, Sarah, Sam, Rach Maxwell, Gaff, Sunny, Dani, Mark & Davina, Rob O'Neill, Aunty Elaine, Tove, Az, and Peter Conroy. THANK YOU!
I have passed the half way mark for my fundraising and have 2 weeks and 5 days to raise the rest (and more if possible). Please sponsor me at www.justgiving.com/niycpidge
Thanks
Niyc xx
Tuesday 31 August 2010
Thursday 26 August 2010
Exercise, nutrition, psychology.
Yesterday I cycled the 17 mile round trip to see Adam at KB Cycles to get the bike I'm now using for the Great North Bike Ride adjusted and serviced. The gears and chain were oiled, the brakes tightened, and the seat moved forward to make it more comfortable to ride, and I can notice the difference already. I would definitely recommend KB Cycles for any bike related purchases, advice, or servicing http://www.kbcycles.co.uk/ The 17 mile ride took me 1 hour 30 minutes and was a really nice route which runs along the riverside for a lot of the way.
Whilst I have done a lot of miles this week on the bike, my running has been left behind a bit. It's quite difficult trying to train for two different endurance events at once, especially since cycling shortens the hamstring muscles and actually makes it more difficult to run. I did a short 20 minute run this morning, and will do at least another 30 minute jog later today, with some fast intervals beforehand to improve my fitness level. Intervals are a really good way to increase fitness quickly, and I usually incorporate these into my workout for one session a week. Even though my two events are long distance (I will be on the bike for 4-5 hours, and running for just under 2 hours), not all of my training is long distance. By doing interval sessions, which involve incorporating bouts of sprinting with short recovery jogs in between, the anaerobic threshold is pushed upwards, which means that in general you can then exercise more comfortably for longer, without feeling out of breath.
I usually like to have a breakfast of oats, with an activia yoghurt, and fruit such as blueberries and strawberries. The oats are a good source of carbohydrate and fibre, and provide slow release energy so they keep you feeling full for longer. Fruit such as blueberries are a great source of antioxidants which act to neutralise harmful free radicals that can cause cell damage. Free radicals are atoms which have an odd number of electrons, formed when oxygen reacts with certain molecules, and can produce a chain reaction of damage to muscle and other tissue. Because more oxygen is used when exercising, more free radicals are produced, meaning that the exerciser is at greater risk of cell damage. To combat this, the body's antioxidant defence system works harder in athletes, and foods rich in antioxidants should also be included in the diet in larger amounts.
I find nutrition really interesting and definitely believe that what you eat impacts upon energy levels and wellbeing. A combination of physical exercise, good nutrition, and a positive psychology, definitely works to make you feel good. With only 3 days to go until the Great North Bike Ride my diet consists mostly of carbohydrate (70-80%) with at least 600g per day being advised. This, along with a few energy gels during the ride, will allow my muscles enough stored carbohydrates in the form of glycogen to get through the 54 miles with plenty of energy. If you would like to sponsor me please visit www.justgiving.co.uk/niycpidge
Thanks,
Niyc xx
Whilst I have done a lot of miles this week on the bike, my running has been left behind a bit. It's quite difficult trying to train for two different endurance events at once, especially since cycling shortens the hamstring muscles and actually makes it more difficult to run. I did a short 20 minute run this morning, and will do at least another 30 minute jog later today, with some fast intervals beforehand to improve my fitness level. Intervals are a really good way to increase fitness quickly, and I usually incorporate these into my workout for one session a week. Even though my two events are long distance (I will be on the bike for 4-5 hours, and running for just under 2 hours), not all of my training is long distance. By doing interval sessions, which involve incorporating bouts of sprinting with short recovery jogs in between, the anaerobic threshold is pushed upwards, which means that in general you can then exercise more comfortably for longer, without feeling out of breath.
I usually like to have a breakfast of oats, with an activia yoghurt, and fruit such as blueberries and strawberries. The oats are a good source of carbohydrate and fibre, and provide slow release energy so they keep you feeling full for longer. Fruit such as blueberries are a great source of antioxidants which act to neutralise harmful free radicals that can cause cell damage. Free radicals are atoms which have an odd number of electrons, formed when oxygen reacts with certain molecules, and can produce a chain reaction of damage to muscle and other tissue. Because more oxygen is used when exercising, more free radicals are produced, meaning that the exerciser is at greater risk of cell damage. To combat this, the body's antioxidant defence system works harder in athletes, and foods rich in antioxidants should also be included in the diet in larger amounts.
I find nutrition really interesting and definitely believe that what you eat impacts upon energy levels and wellbeing. A combination of physical exercise, good nutrition, and a positive psychology, definitely works to make you feel good. With only 3 days to go until the Great North Bike Ride my diet consists mostly of carbohydrate (70-80%) with at least 600g per day being advised. This, along with a few energy gels during the ride, will allow my muscles enough stored carbohydrates in the form of glycogen to get through the 54 miles with plenty of energy. If you would like to sponsor me please visit www.justgiving.co.uk/niycpidge
Thanks,
Niyc xx
Tuesday 24 August 2010
Overcoming obstacles!
Well! What a day yesterday was........with less than a week to go until the Great North Bike Ride I found out that my bike had been stolen! I had been training using the same bike for almost 6 months and had been feeling comfortable and confident when riding it for long periods of time. Now I will be doing the ride using a borrowed bike which will inevitably be more challenging and a lot less comfortable.
I headed out into the rain yesterday and did a 22 mile ride on the afore mentioned borrowed bike, managing to get myself three or four decent puncture wounds from the pedal and a few scrapes before I had even got out of the car park at work! It probably wasnt the best idea to try out a new bike for the first time in Newcastle's finest monsoon weather, but the ride on a whole was really enjoyable. My friend Taryn and I did the 22 miles in just over 2 hours, tackling a good few hills and puddles along the way. The bike was quite uncomfortable on my wrists and I'm not used to the gear ratios yet, so I will be doing a few more shorter training rides this week to get used to these things in time for Sundays 54 mile Great North Bike Ride.
This morning I did an hour class at The Barre, which is a small city studio complete with ballet barre that offers a workout design based on a combination of pilates and dance, using small, compact movements that work each area of the body in turn. The classes at The Barre are quite challenging and always fun. Natalie and the other girls that take the classes are excellent and are always on hand to correct your form if something isnt exactly right. Classes at The Barre are a brilliant fat burner and really good for strengthening and toning muscles, giving a lean dancer-esque look. I'm using them as cross training and strengthening for my events since May of this year and have found them really effective http://www.the-barre.com/
Today I also did a 6 mile bike ride which felt fairly easy after the 22 miles I did yesterday! If you would like to sponsor me for the Great North Bike Ride this Sunday, and the Great North Run on September 19th, please visit www.justgiving.com/niycpidge
Thanks
Niyc xx
I headed out into the rain yesterday and did a 22 mile ride on the afore mentioned borrowed bike, managing to get myself three or four decent puncture wounds from the pedal and a few scrapes before I had even got out of the car park at work! It probably wasnt the best idea to try out a new bike for the first time in Newcastle's finest monsoon weather, but the ride on a whole was really enjoyable. My friend Taryn and I did the 22 miles in just over 2 hours, tackling a good few hills and puddles along the way. The bike was quite uncomfortable on my wrists and I'm not used to the gear ratios yet, so I will be doing a few more shorter training rides this week to get used to these things in time for Sundays 54 mile Great North Bike Ride.
This morning I did an hour class at The Barre, which is a small city studio complete with ballet barre that offers a workout design based on a combination of pilates and dance, using small, compact movements that work each area of the body in turn. The classes at The Barre are quite challenging and always fun. Natalie and the other girls that take the classes are excellent and are always on hand to correct your form if something isnt exactly right. Classes at The Barre are a brilliant fat burner and really good for strengthening and toning muscles, giving a lean dancer-esque look. I'm using them as cross training and strengthening for my events since May of this year and have found them really effective http://www.the-barre.com/
Today I also did a 6 mile bike ride which felt fairly easy after the 22 miles I did yesterday! If you would like to sponsor me for the Great North Bike Ride this Sunday, and the Great North Run on September 19th, please visit www.justgiving.com/niycpidge
Thanks
Niyc xx
Saturday 21 August 2010
Newcastle parkrun #32
This morning was week 32 of Newcastle parkrun and we had a record turn out of 113 parkrunners. As Event Director for Newcastle parkrun I am always up and about early on a Saturday to ensure that everything is organised and set to go for the start of the run at 9am.
Today I arrived at the park for 8:20am with all the Km signs and other parkrun kit, and made sure the volunteers were happy with their responsibilities which had been assigned earlier in the week. I did the pre-run briefing talk over the megaphone which involves thanking the volunteers and parkrun sponsors (Nike, Lucozade, Sweatshop, London Marathon), explaining the run route, and making runners aware of any hazards on the course. At 9am the runners are off and I head over to the finish area to wait for the first finishers to come across the line. parkrun is ideal for everybody and we attract a range of runners from those who are really competitive and come over the line in around 16 minutes, through the steady runners and joggers, to those runners who are just starting out and prefer to alternate walking with running for the 5km course.
Today my friend Bex came along and ran Newcastle parkrun for the very first time. She got a time of 23:12 which is really excellent, and something to be proud of. She brought along her boyfriend Matt and baby Finlay to watch and cheer her on. Its great seeing the range of people that parkrun attracts, and seeing everybody enjoy soaking up the atmosphere is really uplifting.
BBC Look North are running a feature on Newcastle parkrun during next week, and I was interviewed for it this morning. The feature will be part of a TV news mini series that looks at how to improve fitness in the build up to the Great North Run. Its excellent to be able to get some media attention for Newcastle parkrun, and hopefully the number of parkrunners will continue to increase as a result!
In terms of my fundraising for the Great North Bike Ride and Great North Run, I have received some generous sponsorship from the members of the gym I work at, for which I am very grateful. I also cycled over to The Princes Trust North East office yesterday to pick up a collection tin so any loose change that anybody has can go to a worthy cause. Whilst I am on my way to reaching my target fundraising amount, I still have a long way to go! If you would like to sponsor me, please visit www.justgiving.co.uk/niycpidge and donate online. Thank you!
Today I will be doing a 3 mile bike ride and also a 6-8 mile run and then enjoying some well earned rest!
Niyc xx
Today I arrived at the park for 8:20am with all the Km signs and other parkrun kit, and made sure the volunteers were happy with their responsibilities which had been assigned earlier in the week. I did the pre-run briefing talk over the megaphone which involves thanking the volunteers and parkrun sponsors (Nike, Lucozade, Sweatshop, London Marathon), explaining the run route, and making runners aware of any hazards on the course. At 9am the runners are off and I head over to the finish area to wait for the first finishers to come across the line. parkrun is ideal for everybody and we attract a range of runners from those who are really competitive and come over the line in around 16 minutes, through the steady runners and joggers, to those runners who are just starting out and prefer to alternate walking with running for the 5km course.
Today my friend Bex came along and ran Newcastle parkrun for the very first time. She got a time of 23:12 which is really excellent, and something to be proud of. She brought along her boyfriend Matt and baby Finlay to watch and cheer her on. Its great seeing the range of people that parkrun attracts, and seeing everybody enjoy soaking up the atmosphere is really uplifting.
BBC Look North are running a feature on Newcastle parkrun during next week, and I was interviewed for it this morning. The feature will be part of a TV news mini series that looks at how to improve fitness in the build up to the Great North Run. Its excellent to be able to get some media attention for Newcastle parkrun, and hopefully the number of parkrunners will continue to increase as a result!
In terms of my fundraising for the Great North Bike Ride and Great North Run, I have received some generous sponsorship from the members of the gym I work at, for which I am very grateful. I also cycled over to The Princes Trust North East office yesterday to pick up a collection tin so any loose change that anybody has can go to a worthy cause. Whilst I am on my way to reaching my target fundraising amount, I still have a long way to go! If you would like to sponsor me, please visit www.justgiving.co.uk/niycpidge and donate online. Thank you!
Today I will be doing a 3 mile bike ride and also a 6-8 mile run and then enjoying some well earned rest!
Niyc xx
Friday 20 August 2010
A little bit on me........
At the minute I'm working at a gym in Newcastle, instructing and also assessing people that are training to become Fitness Instructors and Personal Trainers. I love what I do, and love being active and doing exercise every day! My background is both fitness and psychology based, and I find Sport Psychology and Positive Psychology really interesting. I aim to tie together the practical aspects of my training with the academic side of my work in order to provide a service which covers a range of aspects, from exercise and nutrition to mental skills training and new industry research on positive psychology, and also sport and exercise related topics.
I am doing two long distance sports events this year to support the work of The Princes Trust charity, who help disadvantaged young people into education and work. I am doing:
I bought my bike from KB Cycles in Newburn, in April of this year (having never been on a bike for nearly 10 years!). I have been training casually ever since, using my journey to and from work as an ideal opportunity to put in some miles. I am yet to cycle the full Great North Bike distance of 54 miles so only time will tell how I find that........
In terms of running, I again use my journey to and from work as training time (often complete with heavy backpack!), and also run for fun as well. I am Event Director for Newcastle parkrun; a free, weekly, timed, 5km run, for all ages and abilities, set up and managed entirely by volunteers. parkrun is a nationwide not-for-profit organisation that has the aim of building communities through running. Newcastle parkrun is on every Saturday at 9am in Exhibition Park, Jesmond, and runners and volunteers can register at http://www.parkrun.com/ or www.parkrun.org.uk/newcastle You can find us on facebook (search 'newcastle parkrun') and also follow us on twitter (@newcparkrun). Whilst I never get a chance to actually run at Newcastle parkrun, as I am usually there running the show instead, it is definitely an excellent tool to use when training for a long distance running event such as the Great North Run, as it allows you to see your progress over time via your automatic online run record.
I ran to work 3 miles this morning with a 5kg rucksack and am going to do a 14 mile bike ride this afternoon to ensure I am developing my fitness within both the running and cycling disciplines, in preparation for my two events in a few weeks time.
If you would like to sponsor me, please visit www.justgiving.com/niycpidge
Thanks,
Niyc xx
I am doing two long distance sports events this year to support the work of The Princes Trust charity, who help disadvantaged young people into education and work. I am doing:
- 54 mile Great North Bike Ride on Sunday 29th August
- 13.1 mile Great North Run on Sunday 19th September
I bought my bike from KB Cycles in Newburn, in April of this year (having never been on a bike for nearly 10 years!). I have been training casually ever since, using my journey to and from work as an ideal opportunity to put in some miles. I am yet to cycle the full Great North Bike distance of 54 miles so only time will tell how I find that........
In terms of running, I again use my journey to and from work as training time (often complete with heavy backpack!), and also run for fun as well. I am Event Director for Newcastle parkrun; a free, weekly, timed, 5km run, for all ages and abilities, set up and managed entirely by volunteers. parkrun is a nationwide not-for-profit organisation that has the aim of building communities through running. Newcastle parkrun is on every Saturday at 9am in Exhibition Park, Jesmond, and runners and volunteers can register at http://www.parkrun.com/ or www.parkrun.org.uk/newcastle You can find us on facebook (search 'newcastle parkrun') and also follow us on twitter (@newcparkrun). Whilst I never get a chance to actually run at Newcastle parkrun, as I am usually there running the show instead, it is definitely an excellent tool to use when training for a long distance running event such as the Great North Run, as it allows you to see your progress over time via your automatic online run record.
I ran to work 3 miles this morning with a 5kg rucksack and am going to do a 14 mile bike ride this afternoon to ensure I am developing my fitness within both the running and cycling disciplines, in preparation for my two events in a few weeks time.
If you would like to sponsor me, please visit www.justgiving.com/niycpidge
Thanks,
Niyc xx
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