Fear the Horn!

Since May I've been absorbing inspiration in the hope that some of this rubs off on me for Outlaw! I took the BMX and Morphsuit to the Outlaw Half to support with Team Bear. I think we made ourselves noticed on the path leading down to and off the lake. The 'Awesome' sign seemed to go down very well with the athletes.

Certainly the athletes seemed happier to see Michelle with the sign than to be chased part way down the lake by a BMX riding Morph!

 

It was a great day out to be able to give support especially when, in less than 4 weeks time, I will be appreciating any shout of encouragement I get! I met loads of well wishers which was really surprising. It's great to know so many people have taken an interest in this challenge. Nice as well to meet loads of mates both racing and supporting.

Another injection of inspiration came in the form of IM70.3 Staffs. I was lucky enough to be marshalling. I was to bike marshal 2nd lead male on the run. After the swim and bike only 3 mins separated the leader Markus Thomschke from Javier Gomez in second place. I got to marshal Javier Gomez out of t2 as he chased down, very rapidly, Markus Thomschke.

Javier caught and overtook Markus at the end of the 1st run lap of three. He soon disappeared into the distance to win and I brought in Markus in second place. Really nice bloke by the way. Thinks I am nuts to attempt 140.6 on a BMX though!

I also got to meet the female winner Lucy Gossage. Now she can shift and she smashed the field with a blistering bike and run. The smiliest triathlete there is she has always been encouraging of my fundraising efforts through triathlon. This is possibly due to her being a recently qualified Cancer Doctor and an Ambassador for Action for Children East Anglia Byte Night.

Of course, most of the inspiration is absorbed from the rest of the field. The athletes fitting triathlon in around life, family and work. IM Staffs was a tough shift for many and it was great to give them a shout around Shugborough Hall on the run.

I see a lot of event snobbery on the World Wide Web. People belittling a 5km run race because its not a marathon, or a marathon because it doesn't follow a swim and a bike, or a 140.6 because its not an Ironman brand race or even an Ironman brand race because it's not Norseman. It happens and it's endless. I may even have been guilty of this myself in the past as I recall being clipped round the ear by Michelle for looking down at a relay competitor in a 140.6 event. She was right of course. This past weekend I supported Michelle and my sister in law Lisa at the Race for Life Mud Run. There were some athletes and there were some obvious couch potatoes and a load in between but they were all there for a purpose. They all had a Cancer story to tell and they were all trying to do their bit to make things better for future generations of Cancer sufferers. The overwhelming feeling was one of unity and support. You would have to go a long way to match it!

Of course, inspiration alone wont get my legs to power the BMX 112 miles at a minimum of 14mph. I've been training. Started swim training and even have two OW swims under the belt already! One of which at 2000m was my longest ever OW training swim. I will get four more OW swims in before the day and along with my weekly coached swim session with my lads swimming club, Kingsbury Aquarious, I am confident I can be out of the water in 1hr 20 mins and on the damn BMX 10 mins later!

 I've kept up with the BMX rides as best I can. Short blasts now hitting 16 mph plus regularly and a 64 miler last week with 300ft more climbing than the whole of Outlaw done at 15.5 mph average! Pleased with that. Two long rides in the next 2 weeks and I'll be better prepared than in either of my previous triathlons. Here's the final edition of the bike having added the slicks!

That leaves the run. I've fully returned to running with some on and off Piriformis pain. I am ignoring it as stretching seems to help me recover from it quickly. When I run, although its been no further than 8 miles or so, I feel strong. Very strong in an 'I could run all day at this pace' kinda way. This bodes well and over the next two weeks I am hopeful of testing this feeling with a couple of  longer runs thrown in up to 15 miles in distance. Yesterdays Morphing of the Tamworth Gate Gallop 10k trail run for St Giles Hospice went well. Michelle guided me round brilliantly. I love running with Michelle. She gives me all the inspiration I need as she smashed out another recovery run whilst also dragging me round. A pure example of determination if ever one was needed!

You'll spot the new Team Bear Tri shorts which are ace. Thank you to Team Bear who are my official sponsors for the kit for Outlaw. I am still toying with the idea of whether the Morph will play a part at Outlaw. Common sense of course says it shouldn't. Yesterday was supposed to put me off.....it didn't!

As a warts and all blog and having dealt with the training stuff here's a dose of life. Thursday the 25th June I found a lump in my undercarriage! Friday the 26th doc says not to panic its just a cyst. Nothing sinister. They will arrange a scan and then either leave it if it is one type of cyst or cut it out if it's another. For you blokes reading this make sure you keep a check on your nads. Lets face it we get told off enough for messing with them so we may as well check 'em out while we're there right!?

Saturday the 27th was the 28th anniversary of my Mom's death after a 4 year fight against Cancer that started out as breast cancer and became a brain tumour. It has been particularly on my mind as a young family locally have lost their mom to Cancer within a few months of diagnosis with two young kids having their lives turned upside down. My Mom's memory both inspires and comforts me as much as it saddens and upsets me. Her image always makes me smile!

My heart goes out to that young family as it does to my Sister in Law Kate who's father passed away in the early hours of yesterday after a long battle with Cancer. To be fair to him he eclipsed the 6 months he was given to live by about 10 times and quite clearly had a huge amount of fight and spirit.

Life will always give us distractions, hurdles, problems to navigate and overcome. Some will accompany us and we have to learn to live with them. The next 27 days are all about focus. If you're reading this and you will be on the start line with me I will leave you with something to focus on. The Horn of Overtakement has now been fitted to the BMX. Anyone I pass on the BMX on the day will get the horn! If that doesn't help you focus then nothing will.

Thank you for all the continued support and encouragement and sponsorship and general awesomeness you bombard me with. Thank you!

The biting off of an amount thats considered almost impossible to chew!

It's the 'almost' bit that gives us hope right?

Recently I have slacked - there are no excuses.

Finally started swimming and 3 coached sessions in I know I will be out the Outlaw water within 1 hour 20 minutes!

There has been a lack of running but running is less of an issue. I will run/crawl the marathon if I have too!

That just leaves the BMX. 112 miles of BMX! In 8 hours! It's all about the BMX!

This week I finally went long and constantly thought I'd bitten off more than I can chew with this challenge. Steady, maintained cadence is the key. Lose it and on a single speed it's very difficult to recover.

https://www.strava.com/activities/308183165

The stats were more positive thankfully. Whilst I tired towards the end the undulating route was twice as lumpy as Outlaw! There is still 9 weeks until I need to peak. 9 weeks to improve endurance. 9 weeks to improve on 72 miles at the magic 14 mph average. After all, 14 is the magic number!

Recovery has been quick, magic number hit, 9 weeks and 2 days to go. This challenge is on! It won't be pretty, it will push me to my limit, it will sting, but it's possibly chewable.

With the addition of The Horn of Overtakement the BMX is nearing completion! Fellow Outlaws, my only advice to you is to stay ahead of the horn!

You're almost certainly wondering 'why?'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pksOO5qmdx4

If you watch the clip you'll perhaps now be wondering 'how can I help?'

www.justgiving.com/bmxbandit

or text OBMX99 £10 to 70070

Make a difference!

PS I use too many exclamation marks!!

Diary of a Wimpey BMX Kid!

Since beginning to exercise in 2010 I've had a few niggles to contend with. My brain tells me I don't suffer injuries but my much better half reminded me of bouts of sickness, manflu, diarrhoea, Basel Cell Carcenoma (skin cancer), ankle injury, back injuries, shoulder injury, calf injury. Of all the events I've been signed up for it was only London Marathon 2014 I missed because of illness. Preparation for the events I have done has been disrupted to varying degrees.

I am currently unable to run (5th week) and ride (3rd week) due to Piriformis Syndrome which is something to do with the Piriformis muscle falling out with the Sciatic nerve and all hell breaking loose in my left ass cheek, left thigh and my back! Looking back it has been niggling since the New Year but only recently has it become intrusive enough for me to pull up on a run. Strangely it isn't a problem while cycling but I have stopped cycling while I try and sort it just in case its the new cycling position of using a BMX that is causing the problem.

As I see it I don't need to panic yet ( I am panicking) as there is loads of time until Outlaw (there isn't!) for me to get it sorted and pick up training where I left off (which takes an age due to loss of fitness). I can at least swim (I haven't started yet) and eat healthy (unless Kebabs are healthy I am failing there) so that I maintain some fitness (no chance) for when I can fully train again!

As for the BMX I now have a 34t front ring to go on which I think will be my limit for Outlaw, striking the right balance between flat speed and hill climb ability. Thank you to Tony Jeffreys and my little bro for sorting that for me.

Finally, enforced training breaks play havoc with the mind. Idle hands and all that. I am now thinking that perhaps this challenge needs to be done in a Morphsuit. Not the whole thing of course that would just be silly, but the run at least....or maybe the ride and run......don't be daft......or maybe I should........the Tuxedo Morph or Splash Morph look cool......no don't look, look away now........or perhaps.............

Tri Bars....on a BMX?

When I started this Outlaw BMX nonsense the initial plan was to butcher a 24" Cruiser BMX to effectively make it an odd looking roadie/BMX Frankenstein of a bike. As I couldn't blag a 24" cruiser I settled for the 20" standard BMX that I have now. Other than a few tweaks it will be a standard BMX but a few things do need to be........modified or added.

I can justify clip in pedals and the extended seat post no problem. I am going to be in the saddle for 8 hrs trying to hit 14mph ave so some things are a necessity. I can also justify the upgraded front cog to give me the optimum gear for this single speed journey. On the standard original gearing the challenge simply wouldn't be possible. I can justify slick tyres that will go on nearer the day as they are standard BMX tyres and it would be daft to not have the right tyres on for the event that it is.

Before Trimming

After trimming with Tri Bars

This leaves the handlebars and the tri bars question? The handlebars are standard (if a little Old School) and I have had to cut them down in size to comply with the bike specifications in the rules. That's fine. The question is do I add tri bars? Or, more accurately, is it a modification too far and will I lose the essence of the challenge? I should be considering can I use them comfortably and effectively and do they make a positive difference? I understand they take some getting used to! Instead I am backwards and forwards over whether they belittle the challenge. The pros (subject to me being able to use them properly and my back being able to cope) are that they will help spread the weight which is currently massively spine loaded, they provide an extra position, they may improve my speed overall and they look ace! The cons are that they are hardly standard BMX issue and, essentially, do they make the challenge too easy? Am I cheating?

Its not a modification that fundamentally changes the BMX like a set of gears would. I can look on it as an addition rather than a modification cant I?

The question is of course redundant if I cant get on with them and I wont know the answer to that until I am cycling again after my thigh improves.129 days to Outlaw!

OutlawBMX is on!

I looked back on my training for Outlaw '12 & '13. I only did 17 swim sessions (inc 3 ow), 40 runs and 26 bike sessions for '12 and only 14 swim sessions (incl 3 ow), 65 runs and 55 bike sessions for '13! I had a look because the BMX training is going pretty well but I've yet to swim and not been able to run for nearly 3 weeks due to a leg injury. I am pretty calm about things as the leg has time to recover and the main challenge this year, the bike leg, is going better than I had hoped it would. The swimming I can get done in April, May & June.

I got a big BMX boost this weekend as I took it long (ish) for the first time. I was up to 25 miles at 14.5mph ave with some of my shorter rides (10-15 miles) getting up to an average of 16 mph! Its all well and good getting the speed up by going hell for leather over a short distance but I needed to check what the drop off was going to be when going long!

On Sunday I managed a 45 mile, hilly, windy ride out with Daz Brady (he on his brand new carbon Planet X geared up thin tyred 26" wheeled roadie!). Managed to clock 14.6 mph ave which I was well chuffed with. I know its only 45 miles but with 4.5 months to go I am really quite pleased. I am only going to get stronger and faster.

A revelation on Sunday was my knew Old School handlebars. They stopped the numbness in my hands from the standard cut down BMX bars, they let me brake properly and provide loads of positioning options I didn't have before! In fact the BMX has undergone quite a transformation so far.

It came to me like this

The first change was to extend the seat post and pop the clip on pedals on

Then we upped the front cog from a 29t to a 32t

Sadly the handlebars were too wide at 70 cm

So they were cut down to 50cm but the bend in the bars made them very uncomfortable and braking was really awkward

Here it is compared to my Merida Ride 75

I managed to track down some Old School BMX bars that I had on my Apollo prototype BMX circa 1985

Griff cut them down for me again

And Daz taped them up

This is the BMX as it is now compared to Daz's Planet X

The only things that will change from now until Outlaw will be a 34t front cog, slick BMX tyres and possibly tri bars depending on whether my back is suited to them and if I think they provide any benefit.

See you on the start line.

#PACT2015

Life is a challenge. More so for some than others. We are going to choose our challenges throughout the year to raise money to help kids battling brain tumours - a challenge beyond comprehension. If you want to get involved it is this simple:-

1. Pay a £5 registration fee at www.justgiving.com/poppyfieldschallenge or simply text PACT98 £5 to 70070.

2. Tell me you have paid and I will let you have the Poppyfields Challenge login details.

3. Sign in to the site and log your challenge for February 2015.

4. Exercise everyday in 2015 and pay a £1 charity fine for each day you miss up to a £5 maximum. Pay on the above link in a monthly lump sum or text PACT98 £1 to 70070 each time you miss a day.

5. At the end of the month confirm whether you have passed or failed your challenge and set your challenge for the next month. Repeat throughout the year. NB: You have to confirm you completed your challenge by the 2nd of the following month otherwise the logging system will assume you didn't complete your challenge so don't be late. Also you can add as many challenges in a month as you wish but you have to have completed them all to 'pass' the month.

6. You pay £5 if you fail your monthly challenge. Use the link to pay or text PACT98 £5 to 70070  but you enjoy an exemption for daily fines for the following month if you pass your challenge.

7. Join in at the FB group Poppyfields Annual Challenge Team https://www.facebook.com/groups/609304449197838/ and tell us what you're up to and how your challenge is going. Spread the word on Twitter with #PACT2015

Disclaimer: We cannot be held responsible for the increased awesomeness you experience as a result of taking on this challenge nor for the jealousy of friends as your brilliance reaches epic levels. You will become more attractive and richer in the heart for becoming a Poppyfielder and we make no apology for that! Every penny raised in registration and fines goes straight to Birmingham Children's Hospital to support their treatment and research into child brain tumours.

Thank you for making a difference!

Poppyfields Annual Challenge Team

Life is a challenge. The luckiest of us get to choose our challenges and our lives are not on the line if we fail. Sadly, not everyone is as lucky. Many have challenges forced on them. Often the challenge of surviving a serious illness. Not too long ago a child diagnosed with a brain tumour had an impossible challenge to overcome but thanks to places like Birmingham Children's Hospital and the work of experts like Dr Peet the odds are turning. My niece Poppy was diagnosed with a huge brain tumour when she was 14 months old. She had her first operation within days of diagnosis and was given a 50/50 chance of surviving the operation. After a further three operations (the last in 2012) and radiotherapy and chemotherapy her tumour is a negligible 0.01% of what it once was. It has meant that Poppy is now in her first year of secondary school and thriving. Poppyfields was set up to raise money for Birmingham Children's Hospital and their research and treatment of child brain tumours.

In 2013 we tried to have a bit of fun and exercise everyday in January and raise a bit of money. That steamrolled into a year of exercise and about £2000 being raised. In 2014 we planned to log our exercise miles and exercise the equator. We managed that by mid February and so over the course of the rest of the year we have logged enough exercise miles to reach the moon! 217,000 miles, £3,200 raised and counting!

The 2015 challenge has a new FB home, a new Justgiving page, a new structure and a new logging system. The aim is still to get fit and raise money but with a set of personal challenges within the challenge.

The Challenge is to exercise everyday in 2015 and pay a charity fine of £1 for each day we miss up to a maximum of £5 per month.
You define your exercise so it can be a 50 mile run or a 1 mile shuffle. It can be 10 press ups or a 2 hour weights session in the gym. It can be a Zumba marathon or a 30 mins yoga class! Its your challenge and your exercise so don't fret that you've got to break yourself everyday. Rest days are important and its easy to exercise on a rest day too.
Each month we set ourselves an individual target. A public target! We set it for our circumstances that month. There are no restrictions and you are your judge as to whether you pass your challenge. It is entirely based on your honesty. Of course if you cheat then you're only cheating yourself. If at the end of the month you have passed your challenge then you get a daily exercise fine exemption for the following month. If you fail your challenge you pay a £5 charity fine.
The challenges are yours. They are limitless based on your imagination. Some examples could be
Run 100 miles
Ski 10 times
Cycle everyday at least 5 miles
Swim 5 miles
Do the 30 day plank challenge
Complete a level of insanity
Attend 10 Zumba classes
Race 4 official half marathons
Do 2 unofficial marathons in a month
Learn to swim
Walk a mile a day
Lose half a stone
Increase max lift in the Gym by 20%
Row 20 miles
Hit the cross trainer everyday
Go to the gym 4 times a week
Do every parkrun this month
Improve a PB by 10%
To not use the car to go to the local shop for a month
Run 3 times a week with a friend
Do Outlaw on a BMX
Commute by bike each day
Swim as a family every weekend
etc etc etc etc
Hopefully you can use your imagination to test yourself and have fun with it. The options for a challenge are endless and can be as easy or as hard as you want for that particular month.
You put your challenge up at the start of each month and at the end of the month either confirm you hit or missed your challenge and confirm the next months challenge. If you have failed a challenge you might want to have another go at it or you may have a different challenge each month in mind.
The aim is for us all to improve ourselves and raise money to help improve the lives of others less fortunate than ourselves.
If you want to register and do nothing but pay a tenner a month then that's fine with me. Anyone can join at anytime so spread the word.

It is this simple:-
1. Pay a £5 registration fee at www.justgiving.com/poppyfieldschallenge or simply text PACT98 £5 to 70070.
2. Tell me you have paid and I will let you have the Poppyfields Challenge login details.
3. Sign in to the site and log your challenge for January 2015.
4. Exercise everyday in 2015 and pay a £1 charity fine for each day you miss. Pay on the above link in a monthly lump sum or text PACT98 £1 to 70070.
5. At the end of January confirm whether you have passed or failed your challenge and set your February challenge. Repeat throughout the year.NB: You have to confirm you completed your challenge by the 2nd of the following month otherwise the logging system will assume you didn't complete your challenge so don't be late also you can add as many challenges in a month as you wish but you have to have completed them all to 'pass' the month.
6. You pay £5 if you fail your monthly challenge. Use the link to pay or text PACT98 £5 to 70070 but you enjoy an exemption for daily fines for the following month if you passed your challenge.
7. Join in at the FB group Poppyfields Annual Challenge Team https://www.facebook.com/groups/609304449197838/ and tell us what you're up to and how your challenge is going. Spread the word on Twitter with #PACT2015

All donations go straight to Birmingham Children's Hospital via Justgiving. Justgiving take a nominal percentage of online donations for providing their services however if you donate by text the full amount goes to the charity. This challenge is based on your circumstances and is judged by your honesty. It is your challenge! We will do our best to support, cajole, encourage and assist but if we are going wrong anywhere or something isn't working right or needs a tweak just let me know either on the FB group, on twitter @sidowski or on the blog www.shortfatbaldsid.blogspot.com

Good luck in your challenges and thank you sincerely for helping kids fight brain tumours, We know the difference you make!