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Amsterdam Race Week

Amsterdam, red light spells danger
Race Week

The week in numbers (so far)...

Miles ran: 10.7 (upto Saturday)
Times I've been to the gym: 0 (must cancel my membership)
Alcohol drunk: 2 beers and a glass of wine
Chocolate eaten: lost track this week
Diets maintained: 0

Weight: 11stone13

Monday 13th October

Back to boring Monday.

I'm really quiet work wise this week which isn't a bad thing as I'm knackered, I've got a kitchen to still fit and I've got a marathon this weekend.

So I spend the day plasterboarding a wall, building kitchens then units, putting the hanging rail up and hanging the firar row of base cupboards up.

A good day's work and then I have a shower and a snooze.

I've got another gig this week to listen to the super Adult DVD, terrible name, great band.

Tuesday 14th October

Working til the afternoon and then kitchen jobs and then off to the club for Sainsbury's reps. This will be my last proper session this week.

I skip the usual 5 mile warm up for a 2 mile warm up and decide to do 3 instead of 5 Sainsbury's reps, this week is all about keeping a good intensity but dropping the volume.

Rep 1 and I go in with C team, it's supposed to be a 4:15 rep which would feel a decent effort, we start and it ceettdoesnt feel like a 4:15 effort and Ben is pulling away at the front with the group following him. After 50m I'm off the back and deciding it's too fast for me, about half way round I realise the second C group behind are closing me down so put a spurt on and catch the group and finish in 4:05

I take a break whilst they go off and decide I'll drop to D for the next one. I join the group of Simon and Helen and off we go, now this is a more sensible 4:30 pace and Helen the pacing maestro nails it and we come home just under and it feels a nice effort.

Rest and then I've got one more to go. I have a sudden thought about doing a fast one with B and Chris tells me they are running 3:50 pace and I decide I'm not doing that. C team have now gone and are 5 seconds up the road so I just start by myself instead and then.....

I decide to see if I can catch them.

I catch Ivan and go past and just in front of the group spread out, I jump down onto the road as the paths narrow and go past the back few, back onto the pavement and catch the front of the group but not Ben, Ben's about 100m off the front and absolutely flying. Shuffling, sorry. Ben's off the front and shuffling so fast he's producing so much static electricity that the lampposts start flickering.

Matt encourages me to catch him, so my sensible final rep now becomes a ridiculous 700m effort of trying to close down Ben. I give it everything I've got and coming to the final bus stop before the turn I'm about 5m behind him, he turns the corner and lifts the pace, I put a surge on and damn Ben beats me, I come in about a metre behind him, a 3:48 for Ben and a 3:43 for me.

I skip the triangle efforts as I'm knackered and jog home a happy man.

Wednesday 15th October

Massaging all morning and then I've got my pre Amsterdam marathon booked.

My calfs are tight so I know this is going to hurt but it's not as bad as last time when I had an elbow driven through my quad for 10 minutes. Turns out to be a fairly nice and relaxing massage and legs and back feel way better.

Ben C also messaged me today to say my Soar vest will be coming on Thursday. This sends me into a slight panic as there's not a chance it'll fit so I go to the shop and buy a bag of Caramilk buttons and eat them to calm my fears.

Then Wednesday night is gig time yet again and to ignt I'm off out with Graham and Colin and super old Steve is also there. He's even older than when I was out with him last week.

We're at The Grove in Byker watching a Mercury Music thing with 3 bands on and here's my in depth fig review.

First up was Rye. She's a Lithuanian singer songwriter who sings in English, Spanish and Lithuanian and introduced each song by saying this one's even sadder than the one before and this is my saddest song and I've never written a song sadder than this. I shall describe her music as 'meh'.

Next up was a lad called Finn Forster and the room was suddenly a lot busier with a lot of ladies jostling for position. He's a local'ish lad from Middlesbrough, a sort of smoggie Sam Fender, he had a hell of a voice on him but much like Sam Fender it's not really my sort of thing. Graham's review of him was 'I have never heard Counting Crows music but he sounds exactly like what I assume Counting Crows sound like' and that sums him up perfectly.

And finally it was Adult DVD, terrible name, great band. A 6 piece from Leeds that sounds like kraftwerk playing music from 90's Nintendo games whilst singing over the top of them in a thick Leeds accent. They were bloody brilliant as always and finished with the song Bill Murray, if you haven't heard it and you like the idea of kraftwerk playing Nintendo 64 music whilst a bloke from Leeds sings over the top then give it a go.

I also had 3 pints.

I have nobody to blame for this as Graham wasn't drinking but it was a gig and I'm not really racing Amsterdam anyway so it's fine.

Thursday 16th October

There's another gig on tonight I'd like to go to, John Grant is playing the Boiler Shop and over the last few months I've become a big fan of his music but 2 gigs 2 nights in a row! I'm 50 for god's sake, I can't handle that kind of pressure so I decide to give it a miss and catch him next time instead.

Today is kitchen day. I do some plastering, some drilling, some banging, some screwing (fnar, fnar) and some lighting.

Then it's off to the Poly, plan is an easy run there, a couple of laps round Sainsbury's and an easy run home. I stick to this plan but do one lap with C team where I would t say I went flat out but I certainly gave it a 'little' effort, then done and home.

Get home and discover my soar vest has been delivered, cheers Ben C. So the big question is, can my fat ass fit in it ?

Well amazingly after a large bag of maltesers for lunch, yes, yes my fat ass fits in it.

Friday 17th October

Off to Amsterdam today.

I spend the morning fitting the glass doors to the wall units in the kitchen, then I get my haircut, eat a jalapeno cheese pasty and then pack my bag.

We head to the ferry and my dodgy eye doesn't feel great, this happens every now and again and by the time we're checking in I can feel it's swollen and really sore and I've naturally not bothered bringing my medication as I didn't think I'd need it.

Once we get on the ferry it seems to settle down but is very blood shot and itchy, I decide the best option here is to completely ignore it and that's sure to make it go away.

We're travelling on the party boat but this commited athlete will not be partying. I have packed sensible food (and some chocolate) but have promised Gail we can go to the onboard bar and I'll have one glass of wine.

So, it turns out that at 50 I am unfortunately still travel sick. Fine in a car, fine on a bus, fine on a plane but a ferry appears to return me to being a child again and even though it wasn't even that rough I feel my head swaying all over the place like I've drunk 3 bottles of wine. We sit in the bar and I manage half a glass of wine and start getting the cold sweats and need a lie down.

It's 7pm and I'm in bed with a bad eye and feeling like shit. I sleep for an hour and then wake up and feel a bit better but spend the next 5 hours awake and have a terrible sleep.

Saturday 18th October

At 7am I'm awake and suddenly feel crap again, we go for breakfast and make a point to eat as much as I can as I need to fuel. And then thankfully we arrive and I'm off the ferry and onto a bus for 45 minutes.

Into the main station and I can't face more transport so make Gail walk 2 miles through Amsterdam, luckily she doesn't complain as she's aware the alternative is to watch me vomit on a tram.

At the hotel and they've upgraded the room and let us check in 3 hours early, the day has taken an upturn. We have a rest and then out for a walk to Vondelpark and then the BodyWorlds Museum to look at cadavers with all the skin removed from them. My kind of place.

We also find ourselves in the red light district, my review of this place is it stinks of piss, it's filthy, the bins are overflowing, the men walking around (apart from me) are hammered, stoned and seedy and it is without doubt the least sexy place I have ever spent any time in and I've been to Bradford. They also have a place called the 'sexy loo'. It looks neither sexy or like a loo, I avoid it and we go to a nice part of the city.

A pint of Guinness, a huge burger and fries in a vegetarian restaurant and back in the hotel by 9 for an early-ish night and cup of coffee.

We have been given a room with the biggest bed I have ever seen, Gail's on one side, I'm on the other and I reckon you'd get another 3 adults inbetween us comfortably. Thankfully 3 more people don't turn up as I'm quite tired.

Alarm set for 6:15am.

And that's it for now ........

Sunday 19th October

Coming soon ....

London 2023

Want to read all about my London adventure in 2023.

It's mostly about Ben, my sausage dog nemesis and wine.

LONDON CALLING

Yorkshire 2024

Enjoyed reading about London?

Now its time for York and reading about Bilbo, mushrooms and wine.

And Ben.

YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

Manchester 2025

Well you've read the last two so may as well carry on.

Manchester, so much to answer for. Yeah Ben gets a mention or two

MANCHESTER - THE SECOND COMING