March Medal

Golf
Shot 93 from medal tees today. Better than I expected but still 7 shots over handicap. On saying that I had a four-putt on the fifth green and lost a ball after hoiking it far left on the eighth, couple that up with three or four duffed chips and some rubbish putting it's easy to see where all the shots went!! Still April medal next week so chance of doing better (or worse).

Superbike
Done ten miles on super fast bike. Good fun, traffic in middle of Ashbourne rubbish though so my average speed took a bit of a hit. Checked that the potholes I meant to report were still there, so have reported them. http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/hazard/12735

This is the third lot of potholes I've reported at http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/ - you can't fault them, every time I've done it the pothole's got fixed.



See that, that's my foot that is...

DCFC Absolute Garbage Yesterday
We were on top for twenty minutes and then they scored and we folded. Rubbish. It was deadline for season ticket renewal at last years prices yesterday, I'm not renewing this year. Derby have been just plain poor all season and am sick of the manager who blames players for not having any spirit while at the same time doing nothing to inject any spirit into them. I think they'd struggle in League one with this manager let alone Championship next season (which will be a struggle, have no illusions, Derby will not bounce straight back).

Example of what winds me up most - ten minutes into seocnd half I think it was, we're 3-0 down, he puts another striker on? Why the hell didn't he start with three strikers? We've got NOTHING to lose at all, not like we've even got any pride to lose now with worse goal difference and almost certainly lowest points tally in premiership. Crap, crap, crap.

Saturday - tired

Derby County Nil
Apparently Derby are being referred to as Derby County Nil on Radio Derby which is no surpise I suppose and there's going to be a massacre at Pride Park later, no doubt. Am really hacked off with Paul Jewell. It's all the teams fault, he doesn't ever mention his own responsibility as manager to motivate and direct the team on the field and I find it rather arrogant. He comes across as honest and the fans pal but when's he going to put his hands up and say I should be getting more out of the team I've got. Have not heard that once...

Running Record Week ending 15/4/08
A steady 25 miles this week as have missed a couple of mornings when weather's been bad. Ran 7 miles this morning in shorts for first time this year which was good. Average pace of 9:17 am pleased with too. Even though not happy with weight gain am well pleased with measurable improvements in fitness.

Hurrah a home draw

DCFC played last night, didn't capitulate, didn't give in but actually stuck it to Man City. Earnshaw played well and was unlucky not to be on score-sheet. Kenny Miller worked his socks off as usual. Claude Davis is low on confidence it's fair to say and even the keeper had a good game - was unluck to concede one off the post, when Earnshaw hit the post for us of course it stayed out but 1-1 against City gives us something to smile about!!

Leg wound weeping again - not going to get hung up on it - it is what it is and there's far worse thing to suffer than this mild discomfort.

b.p. 140/85/60

Wahey Wednesday!!!

Fast Ride round Ashbourne.
Pounded round Ashbourne tonight. Only 9 miles in 34 minutes but averaged 16mph!! Getting the hang of it now!! Have got the little bars on the end of the handlebars set up right tonight and it means I can go at it almost like a racer.

Average sort of a Gym Session

Did 12 mins at 12km/h for a fast sort of a run, then did some weights, then did 23 minutes worth of 5000m on the concept 2 rower at resistance level 10 which was ok.

Giant FCR1 Class
Just to break up the monotony of route maps and such, here's a pic of the glorious FCR1 from the other side - note the Shimano 105 read mech which is supposed to be jolly good as well as the fancy Giant IOU wheels which Sean says are pretty good too. All you need to know is it's light and fast and best bike I've ever had!!



13 Whizzy Miles
Did 13 fairly quick miles this morning on the super Giant FCR1!! I think the avg won't be far off 15 mph average when I download the data. Have left the gps tracker on the bike this morning as have an 8:30 meeting.

Derby in F.A. Cup Fourth Round Shock!!!

Hurray for mighty Derby. Managed to take Sheffield Wednesday to extra time, hold out and then beat the championship side on pennos. A win (of sorts) at last!! Preston in the fourth round on Saturday now.

B.P. still not happy with 137/86/50

Poor old Derby / Week 45 Weighin - half a pound off

9:30 Missed Gym
I'd intended to do another gym session tonight but with one thing and another I didn't quite make it. Mainly due to dearly beloved going 'food' shopping after she'd been shopping most of day but also wanted to pop to Boundary, a local drinking establishment to see off colleague Mike. Mike, who is a deluded fan of Nottingham Forest (bless) is moving jobs so he can be nearer his beloved City Ground (bless). Seriously, though he's a good sort and will be missed.


Raising a glass (of diet pepsi) to the deluded and departing Mike!!


7:15pm Week 45 Weighin - 14st 10.5 - half pound loss
This week’s weigh-in is a lie, I tell ya! According to the scales which seem to be fine I’ve lost half a pound this week which will be something like a minor miracle given the sheer amount of alcohol I’ve taken on board – enough for Damien Hirst to float a cow in and then some! So I think it’s going to be a bit like when I came back off the cruise in October and it looked like I’d lost until the following week when there was a big old gain to moan about. Anyway, I’m not displeased at the minute have got 58 miles on the clock and a gym session under me belt and the badly bruised (downgraded from my initial broken meta-tarsel diagnosis) toe is only hurting when I walk on it. Well pleased.





Have got an appointment for a retinopathy screening tomorrow which according to my doctor is the Gold Certificate of eye checking for border-line diabetics such as myself (see - won’t admit am fully diabetic). I think in February have got another one of the diabetic clinic things to attend where they poke your extremities with pins and what have you to see if it’s getting worse (shouldn’t be as I was pretty much tickety boo last time they did a blood sugar test).

7:10am
14 Miles - retraced the same route around mappleton twice and then up park and it came to 14 miles on GPS so there's a half mile or so in the tunnel to add. Not bad guess yesterday when I said 14/15 miles!!

5:30am
Gutted for Derby last night. Played better than Bolton and managed to concede a goal to secure a defeat in second minute of extra time after 90 minutes. We get no luck at all.

Am going to have to do something about the blood pressure I think, it's 131/95 this morning which is the fourth recent high reading.

Off on bike in five minutes - was a bit late getting up as Lucy's been up most of night with a bad cough. Life's fun ain't it??

Sunday Post

Finished off cycling goal last night with a quick spin. Did a solid ride today that would have been about fifteen miles if I could have waited for the gps to lock in. Think it was all the fog that made it struggle to get locked in. When I'd climbed all the hills up to Stanton where it was beautiful sunshine! Wierd weather in this county eh!!


Quick ride up through stanton and down throug Bloore - get a load of that gradient profile!!! Some hill to climb eh!!



Cycling goal achieved - not all tiny little rides - that's what a cold and Christmas does for you!!

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/kml/episode.kml?episodePkValues=4633924
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=4633924

We managed to skank a draw with Newcastle but a point is worth next to nowt really. If we had a just slightly better defence we might be in a much better position that we are but you just know every time you watch the Rams that we are going to concede a stupid goal at some point and we managed it twice yesterday. Am just hoping we don't make any stupid buys in January that we have to let go for next to nothing at the end of the season.

Week Ending 15/12/2007 Stats Catchup

Haven't been keeping my exercise stats up to date for a week or two. Am definitely slacking (in exercise as well as publishing stats!!!). Did 60 out of the 70 requisite miles this week which is more than I thought and if I'd checked I probably could have rattled off the final ten miles but am just fed up of riding in the cold and tonight don't seem to be much warmer so am going to bed earlier instead!!!

Running was better got 20 miles near as damnit which is five miles better than my original target at a pace of 10mins 44seconds per mile. Have added the pace, distance and averageMPH to my weekly stats spreadsheet. Am expecting improvement with time. Certainly seeing it in the Gym. Although haven't put gym stuff on spreadsheet - goal is three 40+ minutes sessions per week which am achieving in spades so no worries there.

15/12/2007 Cycling Stats


Running stats - ignore the 9.85 mileage it doesn't count the mileage through the railway tunnel in Ashbourne which takes it past the 10 miles that was my must do before 40 years old goal.


New overall stats thing.

Still not totally happy with it - am thinking about doing something with Gym stats but it is a but dull I suppose.?

Really disappointed with Derby County. They didn't play bad but there's no cutting edge upfront like we seemed to have last season. There was nothing they could do to stop Middlesboroughs goal, a volley from a cross into the top corner is pretty much unstoppable so today was no disgrace but also no more points. Hey ho that's football.

Sunday Post - Weather to match the mood

Bloomin Weather
Been peeing it down with rain all night and no sign of it stopping yet. Had everything ready for a big run but am not setting out with rain bucketing down - not that daft yet. Am taking kids over to my mum and dads while Janette out shopping so I might just nip to gym for an hour so day's not a complete loss (from an exercise front).

Gutted about Derby
It sounded like Derby were giving it a real go yesterday with new manager Paul Jewell in charge so it's a bitter disappointment for them to lose in injury time after they'd had the better of the match at times (certainly sounded like we were running them ragged after the restart). Kind of seals our fate as that game was definitely a six pointer and now Sunderland have moved further away - we're beginning to lose touch with the rest of the league. Never mind only poxy Man Utd next week, three points in the bag!!

Monday Post 1 - Happy Mondays!

Ye gods, I do love Mondays. Reasons to be cheerful….

Bonus Ball is mine!!
We put 50p per bonus ball into a kitty every week at work and I’ve won three weeks worth of rollover!! Ha Ha. Only problem is Janette knows!

New Paul World Running Record
Did eight and half miles this morning which is my new world record – pace was down a little bit which is a bit surprising as I was going for it in places, was perfectly in time with a couple of MCR tunes off Black Parade (am going to look at pace though Okeover Park where I was bop on). Although in hindsight, my legs were all but done for at the end of it (funnily enough was listening to bits of Van Halen’s 1984 album in IPOD going round which features “Drop Dead Legs” and funnily enough was in danger of dropping dead (at least me legs were)). Still it’s pushing the boat out a little bit further every time. I reckon 10 miles by Christmas is well doable and so am well-pleased, really.




http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4510050


New Cycling Goal and New Cycling Route
Have decided that my cycling goal is no longer realistic with running and gym attendance goals added to the exercise regime so rather than try an kill myself with an unrealistic expectation have decided to lower the mileage goal to 70 miles which is just ten miles every day. To this end have also worked out a new route that is just a single lap through Mappleton and loads of criss-crossing of Ashbourne which works out more or less bang on 10 miles. Tried a version of it last night and it was dead good and have done something similiar tonight as well

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4510051

Sid , a teacher? What next??
At work have trained a number of managers in using a GIS (geographical information systems) product we developed and have done coaching sessions with small teams in the past but someone’s asked me to teach her to play drums. So gave that a crack today. Tried to keep it simple and in all fairness the girl done good, but by crikey it's hard work - more to come when I get some progress in this newish field!!

Wahey Billy Davies Gone!
Doug rang me up this morning and asked if I’d heard Billy Davies’ had gone. Doug’s a bit upset at the news but I think it’s good. My only concern is us ending up with Steve McClaren but in fairness to him he did okay with Middlesborough even if watching England last week was a bit like watching Derby!!! New manager, bring it on, hopefully we’ll start playing two up front at home soon instead of negative 4-5-1’s!! I'm not sure whether Billy Davies wanted it on Saturday when he had a pop at the new chairman Adam Pearson or whether he was set up to do it as he knew he was going to get the chop. Whichever way you look at it though he's not done well this season and to moan about wanting money to buy in quality seems a bit rich with the club's most expensive signing not even getting an occasional full game but spending most of his time on the bench.

14st 7.5lbs
Weighed in this morning after the weekend and am 14st 7.5lbs so well pleased!! Am thinking about upping the running to three runs a week as I seem to do more exercise time if I run. This morning was a solid hour and a half of running for 8.5 miles which I think if it were cycling would probably have been fifteen minutes less.

Sunday Post - 4 out of 4 Winter League Golf Victory over a Legend

Long Overdue Exercise Stats

Have added basic exercise goals onto biking spreadsheet, not totally happy it's doing what I want but it's a start and now am thinking about how it should be. So next week it should be better. Good thing on stats is have done just over 3000 bike miles this year which is kind of cool!!




Me and John took on a pairing featuring Rams Legend Roger Davies today. Roger and his partner Carl (both nice folks, but then most golfers are) took us on in our fourth Winter League encounter of the season and guess what?? We won again and convincingly too! After the 12th we were 6-up with 6 to play so again in a position where we couldn't lose like last week. John made two great birdies in the front nine and I made a ruck of pars going round including another 25-footer on the tenth which is beginning to be my trademark. Roger and Carl won three holes I think including the thirteenth and fourteenth when we took our collective foot off the gas a bit again which is a habit we need to break I reckon, although in fairness Roger won the 14th with a birdie so no disgrace there. Anyway good stuff 100% record remaining intact. Next week it's the Christmas Fayre better-ball stableford so we'll probably play terrible with there being money on it!


Picture of 6'4" Rams Legend centre forward Roger Davies from 1972/73

Have been tidying "Slow but Comfy" up this afternoon as it was cakked up to the eyeballs with muck off Tissington Trail - not going to do it again til next summer I don't think. Am going for a
spin on the it in a bit after kids are bathed.

Saturday - Cycle goal missed but gave it best shot

Cycling 85% complete

Missed the 100 mile cycling goal but not through a lack of effort. Did damned near 30 miles today including 22 miles in the rain covered in cak after doing 11 miles up Tissington. Still two out of three goals ain't bad.

Derby Not Good Enough Again

Better performance from Derby but a case of same old, same old. Defence goes awol and we leak goals. Still 2-0 to Chelsea sounds a damned sight better than 5-0 to crappy West Ham.

Leacock, Miller and Jones all put in good performances today which was good to see and you couldn't fault em for effort in the second half. Performances gone our way at the bottom again especially with Sunderland getting hammered. Very good to see that!!!

Sunday Post

Well there was no comment on yesterday, was a wee bitt gutted at the time. Derby were just unbelievably poor, we made a very average West Ham side look like Chelsea or Man Utd which is a worry when we face Chelsea in a fortnight and Man U next month, am praying we avoid double figures. Am ashamed to say I walked out after West Ham scored their fourth, I was just mad as anything so stood up and walked out. Only problem was that I found myself outside Pride Park with 30 minutes to kill! So went into JJB sports store and bought some lights for the mountain bike, £15 reduced from £40 and some trackie bottoms for Phil. 5 bloomin nil, aaagh.

Anyway on the bright side, me and John won in Winter League golf again today, shook hands on fourteenth green 5-up!! Played a nice couple of fellas, Geoff and Terry from Langley Mill, we were never behind from the get-go and I finished the game of with a two on the par-3 fourteenth so things went well, 100% record, 2 out of the 8 wins needed to get through to the
finals stage.

So didn't get a full 18 holes of golf but about 1pm this afternoon set out on the bike to get over to me mum and dads. Janette was already over this way as Lucy was playing rugby against Bakewell and Phil had gone for a spin on the go-kart with me dad. Did a really good 22 miler, went anti-clockwise round Ballidon Quarry down something called Royston Lane. Saw this fine old building that looks like a chapel with no glass in the windows?

So even though Derby sucked am in a sort of a good mood.


Link:http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=4403745

Come on u Rams - Derby's a black and white town...

Wahey - we done them Northern low-lifes with the big bank balances! Owen? who he? Might be able to score against Russia but he ain't used to quality like Derby County!!

As Janette's in Gran Canaria I had to give Season Ticket to nephew, what happens? Derby beats Newcasle Utd, a side unbeaten until they visited Fortress Pride Park. New signing Miller has what sounded like an awesome debut on the radio and I'm stuck at home. Jamesy has texted and said if I want Derby to stay up I need to sell my season ticket - if I could guarantee it I bloomin would!! Come on u Rams.

Am also unable to do the normal exercise regime as am stuck at home until morning so am developing a new home-based one that's going to work great - will update you at the end of the week. Involves weights, golf and all sorts of stuff - quite pleased on a monday night!!!

DCFC 1 Birmingham 2 - we suck!

Oh no, it's as I feared, we're rubbish! This was without doubt the worst performance I've seen from a Derby County side ever. And that includes a 3-1 drubbing from a rubbish Millwall side over the Xmas period a few years back. Click on the picture at the bottom to understand just how bad it was - we were 1-0 down before there was a minute on the clock! We just opened up and give 'em a goal. Matt Oakley gets one back and you think game on! Then we do the same thing let em walk through and score. It was pitiful.

And how's this for tactical genius, we're 2-1 down with ten/fifteen minutes left to go, who do you put on when you need a goal? You guessed it Darren Leacock a full-back?? Not going to lose sleep on it though, even if we get relegated at the end of the season we'll still be a league above Forest!

Think Billy Davies has got found out in this league, he made some funny decisions last season but he buys a record transfer fee striker then leaves him on the bench for most of the games - what's the thinking there??


Paul outside Pride Park - smiling cause the game's not started yet!


Phil in jazzy England shirt outside Pride Park


Click on the photo to see 0-1 down in first minute, dire!

Derby - first defeat of season.

So Derby have lost for the first time this season. Inevitable that we're going to have some tough games but 1-0 is hardly a thrashing against a side that have spent 40 million on players in the last month compared to Derby who've spent probably under ten million. Anyway it's early days, whatever will be, will be. Come on u Rams!

Couldn't resist.

Just had a quick look at football results to see what happened yesterday so thought I ought to make a note online that currently Derby are sitting higher in the Premiership than Manchester United! We rock!!! I know it's early days and we have the same number of points and all that, but it might not happen again for a while!!!

Derby County 2-2 Portsmouth - a point to the good.

After last weekend's "friendly" against Espanyol I had some concerns with Derby County for their first weekend of Premiership football but should I have ever doubted Billy Davies' management skills? Not on your Nellie!

As usual the boys done good and have risen to the occasion. A two-all draw against Portsmouth is a terrific result. Look at some of the quality in Portsmouth's side - David James ex-England international, Sol Campbell ex-England international, Distin, Hreidarsson, Kanu, Nugent - all top names but DCFC were not phased by em, even coming back after being 2-1 down with less than ten minutes to go. Goals from Oakley and new-boy Andy Todd on his debut show that we can mix it with the big boys, come on you Rams!

Derby County 2 Espanyola 2

Went to see the Mighty Rams today at Pride Park - it said on the ticket "Pre Season Game" - notice the absence of the word "Friendly" cause it was nothing like friendly. Something like seven yellow cards and a penalty during the match and one of the Spanish guys ended up on the touchline with a bleeding nose. But these Spanish guys, they can't half act, they go down as if they've been shot, bless em. Definitely graduates of the Ronaldo school of theatrics.

That said, they were a match for Derby and had plenty of pace and realistically were unlucky not to win really. Derby looked like a side who didn't know each other yet with all the new players which is a big worry when the premiership kicks off next Saturday. Never mind, what will be, will be.

Look what I got!!

How cool is this - a Season's worth of the finest side in the East Midlands playing and beating loads of the Country's top footballing sides! Woohoo! Come on you Man Utd let's see yer!

Have sent off me subs for the DCFC Ashbourne Supporters club this morning so have nothing to organise for next season. Have given season tickets to Nephew for first game vs Portsmouth as I'm going to be in red hot bestest place in the world Mallorca!!

A Grand Day Out! - Derby win at Wembley!

Didn't we have a loverly time
The Day we done the baggies ...

Paul standing poshly at Wembley.

What a great feeling it it to wake up in the morning and know you're two leagues above the forest! Fantastic. Billy Davies' Derby did us proud yesterday - fought like lions, had plenty of chances and took advantage of West Broms shaky defence to fire us into the stratosphere of premisership football next season. Wembley is a great stadium but the club debenture middle tier being empty is an absolute joke when there were thouands of Derby fans being turned away from queuing up at Pride Park. A real shame that Wembley couldn't get themselves organised. I went to the game from Ashbourne bus station at 7:30 we were queued up for the bus parking at 11:30 with half an hour stop at Toddington services which wasn't bad at all. Coming back was a different matter with us on the bus for 5:30 and getting home at 10:30 with only a ten minute stop on the way back. Wembley, it is fair to say is not sited in the best place for road-based vehicles. Mental note: use train and underground next time you fool. Prices at Wembley weren't as bad as some made out Fish and Chips was £7.00 and wasn't too bad if a little on the small side for the fish. Lager (yes had to have a few - knew we were going to win!) was £3.50 which is 60p more than at Pride Park without the massive queues. Wembley is certainly well resourced in terms of catering staff, which is nice.

Anyway we won and the baggies lost and now my season tickets which cost £400ish for Phil and myself are for premiership football and not coca cola championship football. Which is ace!