Running after the metal lizard

I have previously talked about running styles of commuters that I have observed on the bus.  Last week I woke up to the fact that commuters running for the tube had very different running styles because the terrain they had to cover was quite different.

The kind of runner one sees the most are those running down the escalators towards a train that's stopped with passengers boarding.  Usually the speed increases when the beeping that indicates that the doors are closing sound.  Invariably it is impossible to get on the train even if one ran, or if one did it would most probably involve getting stuck in the door.  People would still run.  I suppose one has to take a chance and if the alternative is to be late for work then it may well be worth a try.  However often times it seems it is the beeping that alerts people to the fact that they need to run.  By this point there really is very little reason to try but people still do.

Running down the escalators alone is not perhaps the most elegant thing to have to do in heels; and there might be a faster runner behind who might be getting annoyed at being held up in the fast lane.  Trying to dodge the stationary passengers on the right of the escalators, who more often than not are carrying a fair bit of stuff, and who then proceed to get off the escalator at a more leisurely pace then the runners, can be quite tricky.  That can cause some delay.  Trying to find an appropriate train door to use may not be straightforward as the closest door is probably quite crowded with other faster runners, and usually necessitates some frantic head turning, hair whipping.

It is quite comical to watch.  Why can't people leave the house a few minutes earlier and not subject themselves to this?

Death of a cyclist

Cyclist Wouter Weylandt died racing downhill in the Giro d'Italia on 9th May 2011.  The kind of cycling he does is nothing like what I do when I am out on my bike, and the pressures that led to his accident are nothing like those I will ever face on two wheels.  I can't pretend to understand what it is like.  I don't follow competitive cycling but from the little that I have seen it doesn't surprise me that an accident can be fatal: these guys pick up a lot of speed and there isn't very much between them and whatever they hit if things go wrong.  There is also quite a large group of them together in pelotons, with individuals trying to overtake in close proximity to their rivals- the potential for a touch-and-fall is big.  And yet they seem fearless when they are racing.  Hats off to them.  Or rather helmets off to them.

Blue Monday

Another Monday, another morning of delays because of a dysfunctional tube system.  Does one ever get used to this?

Munch lunch

Lunch can be a bit of a challenge at times.  There are various canteens at work that I visit; they essentially serve the same food but have various different opening times so I visit different ones depending on when I decide to have lunch.  The cooked food is good but the sandwiches are not.  So the canteens are great if you want roast beef, vegetables and Yorkshire pudding with gravy, but not really for a tuna baguette.  I prefer a proper meal with my partner in the evening as that is our time to chill out and catch up on each other's day so, much as I like Yorkshire puddings, cooked meals at work are only occasionally justified. 

The nearest coffee/sandwich shops, other than the various canteens, are about 10 minutes walk away, making it impractical to go to these at most lunch times.  Having said that I do enjoy the little wander when I do have time.

I've tried to make my own lunch at home and bring them to work but there are obstacles to this.  If I make them the night before it has to be something that is unlikely to go soggy or limp in the fridge overnight.; there is not a lot that fits that description and it eventually gets a bit boring.  Cooking extra food the night before so that I could have seconds to take to work didn't work either; I just ended up eating a bigger dinner, with not enough left for lunch for the next day.  And a larger waistline.

The best option by far, and this is possible because there is a microwave at work, is to purchase soup and fresh bread or salads at a supemarket near work.  Even better still is to stock up on snacks, like fruit and biscuits, at the same time.  Planning ahead means not having to eat rubbish food out of desperation.  On the weeks when I did this for most of the week I notice that my diet and my bank account are healthier for the effort.  I just wish I could get myself out of the house early enough to do this regularly.

Bike Maintenance

Although I've almost always had a bike I've never maintained one myself.  My dad, when I was younger, and, latterly, bike shops were tasked with this.  I always have some basic tools and know the sequence to deal with punctures but I have never actually had to do it myself.  I think that is due to a combination of my being a fairweather cyclist, i.e. not cycling huge distances in all conditions, and having regular bike maintenance. 

My dad is great at regularly checking through our bikes to make sure they are running well.  He still makes a point of checking my bike whenever he is visiting.  Since leaving home I have gotten into the habit of taking my bike to a bike shop at regular intervals for maintenance.  It does cost but if I am to use it on the road then it needs to be in shape for that purpose.  I thought it would be too difficult to do it myself.  I read books on the subject but with manual tasks- getting the right tension, the right torque, the correct alignment, knowing what things should sound like, etc- there is an advantage to being shown.  With life being so busy it was easier to let someone else deal with it than learn myself.

Recently, I  attended a free bike maintenance workshop at Evans Cycle.  The workshop occurs one evening every two months.  It caught my eye as it was run at a convenient time- 8 to 10 p.m. in the shop near me- one evening during the week.   It takes 2 hours and you practice on your own bike.  There are two instructors to a maximum of 6 learners (there were only 3 of us at the course) and you are taken through basic bike maintenance.  I enjoyed it a lot and learned a lot.  The instructors were friendly, knowledgeable and didn't push anyone to purchase anything on the night.  

I also benefited from the experience of my fellow learners.  One of them had had an accident recently and because he didn't check his bike properly after the event he had a second accident soon after when a misaligned part caught his wheel spokes while he was changing gears.  The instructors went through his problem and a list of things to check if we were to have an accident on our bikes.  

I enjoyed being on the workshop and am now confident to tackle a few things myself.  Its worth checking it out if you need some help looking after your bike.