Not a Huge Amount to Say Really……..

The whole weekend could be summed up with very few words – mostly, food, sleep, and training.  There was some drink, and a bit of laundry, but in the end not much more than that.

As you’ll know, I’ve shelled out good money to be a gym member of the local hotel, and to use their pool, so generally, whenever I can’t think of anything else to do I tend to just go to the gym and use some of their equipment.  Therefore on Thursday night, after a long day in the office, I couldn’t face anything else, and with the added excuse of a sandstorm/ high winds (which is still going on after 3 days, and is expected to go on for another couple of days), I made use of the x-trainer for an hour, just for a change.

Friday started well with the idea that I could ride my bike to the hotel, swim, and then ride back again.  That would mean about 40k bike and whatever swim I decided to do.  As it happens the holiday makers/ residents of the hotel must have wondered what was happening when some old geezer in a one piece lycra suit and a carbon fibre bike simply turns up, takes his helmet off and jumps in the pool.  I swam 500m (which is one set of my usual composition – 4 lengths front crawl, 4 breaststroke, 4 fc, 4 bs and then 4 fc) then climbed out, gathered up my bike and bits and wandered off again.  I had a lovely ride back, but it did remind me that it was getting warmer by the day.  I got home at about 12 and even though I’d only been out on the bike for about half an hour I could see the effects of the sun when I got undressed for a shower – mental note to self, suncream !

I was going to go for a run in the afternoon but I had some lunch and a nap and when I woke up I had a very sore hamstring – prudence being the better part of valour, and the fact that I’m racing next week, meant that Deep Heat and early to bed, were the only options.  You’ll be very happy to know that everything is fine now (probably !)

I got up yesterday morning and there wasn’t a hint of a problem so I struck whilst the iron was at least half warm, and went for a run.  I drove up to the camel track and was going to run a circuit (about 8.5k) but would you believe that there was racing going on.  All this time trying to watch camel racing with limited success and one day I just turn up and the whole place is awash with bloody camels and 4x4s churning up the dust.

The long and short of it, it turned out that the camel racing was on the inside (Sprint) track and that my usual running space on the outside of the big track, was generally fine. So I started running in the opposite direction to usual, for a change, and whilst I was running I was lamenting to myself what a shame camels didn’t run over 10k so that I could do 10k blah blah blah, when it occurred to me that I could just run for 5 and then turn around and run back !  Genius (derrrrrr).  As it turned out, it was probably a good idea anyway.  You see camels don’t run on a completely joined up track (like horses do).  Generally this is because they don’t have jockeys and if they were on a circular track they would be buggers to stop !  So there is an entry onto the track and an exit off, into a sort of big compound where they can’t automatically run off.  This means that for me to do a complete circuit I would have to go past this area, with all of the associated chaos, plus there were big wigs in big chairs in the grandstand , and where there are big wigs there are lots of hangers on, and security, and people with opinions.  Generally it’s better to steer well clear of Big Wigs. Turning around at 5k was actually a very good idea.

I was trying to run a steady pace (as I mentioned, I’m racing next weekend although it’s not a huge deal it is likely to be my first experience of something of this scale – I’m in the shortest race but the whole thing is on a massive scale with world class athletes competing and a worldwide coverage.  I originally entered it because it’s my “local” race but I subsequently keep seeing it advertised on triathlon websites and in specialist magazines, as one of the 5 you should do before you die !  So it might just be a little more involved that a “local”.  I don’t mind not winning but I do object to making a complete nob of myself by, say, coming off my bike in front of a crowd with cameras !) but trying to run negative splits (the second half faster than the first half).  As my race distances get longer (as they will after the next two races) then training becomes less about “how far” and more about “how long”.

If I can do 6 hours on a bike then I will be able to complete the 180km required in an Ironman, likewise, if I can run for 4 hours then I can do the marathon at the end of an Ironman as well………. Sounds like a piece of cake really !  The exception to that is the swimming, but I have yet to get my head fully around that so we just keep churning out the lengths in a 25m pool (it’s 154 I believe to complete an Ironman swim, except that that will be in open water and with hundreds of other people trying to swim over the top of me !).  I can comfortably do 2k now in sets of 500m (which is perfectly acceptable apparently) and have about a year to go before I need to 3.8k or whatever the Ironman distance is, likewise I shall be gently extending the time I spend on my feet and in the saddle, over the next 12 months, buy adding sessions during the week rather than generally getting longer each time (there will be a bit of both) but I’m sure there will be more to tell you as we settle into the end of this season and begin clocking up the Ks over the summer months (I must get a turbo trainer for the bike – one of those things that you put your back wheel into and gaily peddle away without going anywhere.  Unlike the UK where you can’t go out much on a bike because it’s cold, wet, dark and generally miserable - here it’s too bloody hot ! 

They’re predicting temperatures into the 30s here by the end of the week…….. I thought you’d be pleased !

 So that’s about it for my weekend.  I did a bit of laundry yesterday afternoon (by which I mean I collected some from the launderette and dropped the next load off – and before you start, it costs me about 6 quid a week to get someone to wash, dry and iron all of my laundry.  It’s not worth getting a washing machine for that, and I don’t have damp washing all over the place making it look untidy.) and whilst I was collecting my laundry I took the opportunity to treat myself to a takeaway.  Chicken kebab, salad, bread, pickles, humus, labnah, all for a fiver (aed30).  Can’t knock it really.  I sat and ate it whislt watching a film for the first time (I borrowed 3 or 4 from Julian last time I was in Dubai and had forgotten they were in my bag. 

I watched Michael Caine in Harry Brown……… that was a bundle of laughs I can tell you – still, the good guy won in the end, as usual !

Okey Doky, I’m off back to the apartment for some dinner – the Saints are making hard work of beating the Not Nots (London Irish, for the uninitiated – cause they’re not from London and they’re not Irish !) and it was all square with about 20 minutes to go according to my text updates (I was listening to it on the wireless over the internet thingy but I couldn’t concentrate on this and they were loosing, but as soon as I turned it off they started winning again so I thought I’d better leave it off until we’d won…..seemed like logic when I thought it through earlier !

Where to begin………….

Let’s start at the end – always a good place.  AS a favourite restaurant of mine used to say “life is uncertain – eat desert first” !

I’ve decided to spend the day out with one of my staff and I’ve just opened a savings account with my existing UAE bank.  It’s not very interesting really is it ? 

The savings account thing was a revelation though – the last time I was in the UK I tried to open a UK account with my UAE bank (who are a global bank with a good reputation and a red logo from the Far East) and I ended up having to go into the branch and sit with someone for an hour whilst forms were filled and computers consulted, simply to be told “computer says no”.  The nice lady was terribly upset, which was nice, but not terribly helpful.  Today, I logged onto my on-line account and clicked the button to say “open a new account”, chose one from a list of about 10 and clicked continue.  I was immediately asked if I wanted to transfer some money to the new account, so I said yes, AED100 (as a token effort, to see what happened). Then it said thank you and asked if I wanted to go back to the home screen……… I did, and would you believe it, in less than 30 seconds I had created an account, linked to everything I already had, and moved some money into it……… stunned – why can’t life be that simple all the time ?

Right, getting back to reality, and trying to fill you in on the last few weeks – yesterday I entered a 12 hour bike race at Yas Marina Circuit.  Madness I think, brought on by an evening at Yas Marina Circuit in the company of some very fit people.  I’m sure you’re all aware that Tuesday night is an open night for runners and cyclists (and walkers if you like), and I had taken P II up there for the first time last night with the intention of “doing a bit”.  I ended up doing 50k on the bike and then running a lap (5.5k) at sub 50min pace. 

The problem with that place is, you get caught up with the dick measuring contest going on (especially if you’re on a carbon Time Trial bike, covered in lycra !) and the pace gets faster and faster, and the distance gets longer and longer as you chase down someone and then think “I must do another lap, just to show that I’m better than them”.  As for chasing some lycra clad skinny fitness fanatic, who was at least 15 years younger than me, just to show him I could keep up with him……. Will I never learn !  I over took him with about 1000m to go – I sounded like a steam train, and he quietly jogged on, beginning his next lap as I was trying to get my breath back……. Bastard – I’ll get him one day !

Anyway – 12hrs on a bicycle.  Mmmmmmmm, an interesting challenge, not least what to eat for 12 hours and how fast to go etc.  I think that I’m going to have to buy some proper padded cycling shorts as my Tri suit has padding, just not nearly enough I suspect !  I’ll keep you informed – it’s on 30^th March so we have a little time to get sorted and sometime in the saddle.  I’m aware that I’m back at Yas for their triathlon in the middle of April so I’ll be sick of the track by then !

Backwards from that, it was my birthday on Monday and also the end of a holiday with the family, as I’m sure you’ll remember.

The holiday was great and was undertaken to gain the final pieces of information to inform the decision whether the family would move over to be with me for a couple years.  We visited schools and housing, as well as having a few well-earned days on the beach and by the pool, and some nice food in some nice places (they even put up with my cooking for a few days !

The end result was that it now seems to be when, and not if, they are coming.  There are all sorts of factors which drive the “when” issue, not least school terms, Ramadan and the heat of the summer, as well as the logistics of clearing out the house at home and renting it, shipping stuff to the UAE, storing stuff, throwing stuff away……. Decisions decisions decisions !

It doesn’t seem like very much to tell you after two weeks of not being here but it’s been a good two weeks, and I was very sorry to see the end of it.  I got some great presents from everyone (including a shark mug for my coffee in the mornings – I don’t like sharks and we went to the Dubai aquarium (which I would really recommend for interest and value) where there were loads of them all around the glass tunnel that you can walk through and the kids thought I was really brave (and least that’s what I hope……..) and bought me a shark mug in appreciation !

I got a new day sack for putting my various bits and pieces in when I’m going to the gym etc. and some really nice smelly things for shaving and the like.  A friend gave me some Ralph Lauren smelly stuff as well so my shaving shelf looks very posh at the moment (pity my face doesn’t – I really must make the effort to shave more often, but I hate shaving and in a country where having stubble is regarded as a manly thing, it seems a shame to waste lovely smells of grubby engineers every day !

I think I’ll get a haircut tomorrow so that seems like a good time to have a shave as well.

We did loads of cool stuff as well (this is Ian of Arabia by the way……just in case there was any confusion……)

(just look at that sky !)  I think we can all agree that clearly I look at home up there !

Followed by a BBQ in the desert in a real Bedouin tent, complete with authentic wood smoke and dung beetles (and let’s not forget the sand……in everything…..)

Right, for those of you shivering in the depths of winter, I’m definitely not off for an outdoor swim as part of my training for next weeks triathlon……….. then it’s back for an evening of domestic bliss – cleaning and cooking.  My idea of a good time (sad isn’t it !)

I’ll leave you with this picture……. Just because I like it really !

I'm back !

....... and I'll try and sort out an update tomorrow, but only if a few more of my readers make themselves known to me so I know who I'm talking to !

See you later Alligator !

As Well As Can Be Expected

Just a quick update cause I really should pretend to do some work at some point (I have just eaten the most enormous lunch courtesy of one of my staff – cutting a very long story short, a couple of weeks ago I suggested that we should lay on a simple breakfast, in the office, for all the staff one day soon, just a couple of pastries sort of thing – Arab hospitality being what it is we had a great breakfast and this seems to have set a hare running.  Last week, and I missed it, lunch was laid on in celebration of one of the staff getting a new car (?) and this week another insisted that she wanted to provide lunch for everyone – I’m not sure why but there was enough food for a hundred people, never mind 15 !........... I may have to go for a nap later………after I’ve been training obviously………)

Back to the story – I went to Dubai on Thursday night and stayed at Julian’s new apartment, which is on the 60^th floor of a new block not very far from where he used to live.  The difference between the 9^th and the 60^th floors is staggering, I haven’t got a before picture on this laptop but this is what it looks like now –

And there was this picture taken during recent fog (I can’t take credit for taking it though……) –

It’s a bit surreal isn’t it…….. 

Anyway, as usual, he seems to have fallen on his feet, and good luck to him – he’s been incredibly generous to me and I couldn’t wish for a better friend in Dubai (can I have the money now please…..)

Back to the plot (again) – I got up early on Friday morning (having gone to bed at a relatively sensible hour relatively sober) and went, on my own (missing Psycho see !) and did an Olympic distance triathlon with P II (who performed very well) and my old legs and swimming style (which didn’t perform all that well – but at least there’s room for improvement on both those fronts !).

The short excuse for a mediocre time is that I’m a dreadful swimmer who just “gets the swimming over with” and having been properly fitted for a time-trial bike for the first time I’m having to train new muscles to do their bit.  This was fine in the bike section but what I hadn’t anticipated was the pure pain I would have to go through when I got off the bike to run.  They call it the brick for some reason (it might be because I felt like I was trying to run with two bricks shoved up my arse !) and I’d been fine the last time because I’d practiced and practiced jumping off the bike after a ride and then running for a few K but because of the new bike position I’ve started using muscles for the first time – so, in theory, I’ve now used up that excuse !   We shall see I guess.  My next effort is the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon on 3^rd March and I will be soliciting sponsorship cash from everybody and anybody, in aid of some small fluffy sick deprived animals or children or something (I’m a sucker for blondes with big blue eyes fluttering their eyelashes, especially if they’re women !)

I do at least have a picture of me this time

Not particularly flattering but it could be a lot worse believe me !

Friday saw me vainly trying to spend money around Dubai but failing miserably to get any of the things I wanted (except for my Valentines present for my wife – cause despite everything, I at least try and look like a good husband !), and in the evening played pool with Jules and had pizza (yeah !).  I then had another horribly early morning on Saturday because Jules was flying back to the UK and needed to get a whole load of things from the room I was in…….. at 6am !  After that I slowly but surely wandered back, via various places, to my desert hideaway .

On a slightly related note, I have finally given in and joined the gym at the local hotel.  Mostly because the family are coming out on Thursday and it’ll be nice to go there over the weekend and the kids can annoy the locals in the pool, but also because I have to sort out the swimming thing, even if it’s just by churning out thousands of lengths.  I’ve sent an e-mail to a swimming coach to see if I can get on a course or something, in Abu Dhabi at the weekends, so we can see if we can address the technique issue at the same time (I read somewhere that I would need to do 154 lengths of a 25m pool to cover the correct distance for an Ironman swim…….I can do 60 now (Olympic distance) so it seems like a doddle !

Changing the subject completely, and finally, my family arrive in the early hours of Thursday morning so updates on here may be limited for a few days………but you never know !

As has become custom and practice with my blog, I seem to stir myself into action on a Wednesday or Thursday, so as to give you a rundown of my pending activities over the coming weekend – today is one such occasion (if only I could remember to do my time sheets in the same diligent way !)

Sorry, just been off and done my timesheet whilst I thought of it !

I’m sitting in my office doing this (I know, I should be working, but strike whilst the iron is at least luke warm !) and I have just locked (metaphorically) 4 of my staff and two representatives from one of my more difficult clients in the meeting room next door and told them not to come out until they have sorted out their differences – the “conversation” is getting louder and more heated by the minute.  The argument is over some work that the client commissioned (badly) back in the summer of last year, the badly was compounded by some incompetent preparatory work from my current company (my actual client), some badly managed subcontracting from the wrongly assigned contractor, some poor (very poor) personnel management to try and resolve some hysterical shouting and some pigheaded negotiating from the client.

In short, the client doesn’t think they should pay anything for work that has been 75% completed successfully by the contractor (who think they have done everything that was asked of them and that they should get the opportunity, at the very least, to put right and disputed issues.) and the whole thing is becoming a massive paperwork exercise – to make matters worse we now have engineers from different government departments arguing about the quality of finishes of paintwork on doors (as far as I can tell !)

Anyway, it’s probably become a matter of Arabic pride now or something, or a thousand year old tribal animosity, or inter-country dispute over a camel (I might have drifted into trivializing, but I’m sure you have got the drift !)

Moving on – this week has brought one or two interesting tidbits.  My good friend in the office, with a photographic interest, has been playing with some of my pictures in an effort to develop a few of them sufficiently so as to blow them up and make some kind of poster capable of being mounted in the apartment (in a very cost effective way you understand……… not cheap before you ask !).

I think my favourite is……

Although it’s run pretty close by…..

And ……..

We will see if they make good posters !

This week has also seen me take an enforced day off from training as I am now old enough to recognize when I’m over training – and I feel much better for it, thank you for asking.

I also discovered that I could have gone on sneaking into the local hotel, to use the gym and pool, for much longer (I think I had reached the end of my brass neck though – there is such a thing as pushing your luck too far !) as when I went up yesterday to use the pool, with the intention of caving in and paying the ridiculous fee for a month (aed 550 – nearly 100 quid – still not found a pound sign !).  When I went to reception and asked to join the club they looked at me blankly and said “we thought you were already a member – you need to get the form from the gym reception and just pay here” and when I went to the gym reception to get a form they said “we thought you were a resident still” – the upshot was that I went and had a good swim, took the form away to fill out and therefore got away with not paying until at least the 5^th February !

I will have to join officially soon, one way or another, besides needing to swim at least three times a week, the family are arriving next week and will want to spend at least one day lounging by the pool so if I’m to try and avoid paying AED 100 each for them then one of us has to be a member !

And so to the coming weekend – the whole weekend revolves around my race tomorrow – my first Olympic distance triathlon.  I was feeling very apprehensive but after my swim yesterday I’m feeling a bit better.  It’s also P II’s (Psycho II – my bike) first competitive outing, which I’m looking forward to.  It’s a shame that I’ll be there on my own but I’m sure I’ll find someone to talk to (if necessary) so it shouldn’t be too bad.  I’m not looking forward to getting up at stupid o’clock though, ready for a 7am race start. As always, you will all be one of the first to know what happened.

The other bit of news is that I’m going to stay with my old mate Julian, at his new apartment somewhere (I don’t actually know where it is yet so I may yet be sleeping on the beach !) so it will be good to catch up with his comings and goings, most of which I suspect you will never hear about so you might as well get used to that fact !

Lastly, as far as today goes, it now appears that I have finally got my Residency Visa completed.  This may not seem significant but opens up several “locked” doors, for instance I will be able to get internet in my apartment now because I can sign a contract at last, as well as getting my Security Clearance sorted out with my current contract.  This may not seem like a big deal but it should mean that I can get the relevant access cards and at least get into my office in the morning without ringing the door bell ! 

Only time will tell, as they say – and on that bombshell, it’s time for lunch (and I promised Psycho that I’d have a falafel for her, and it’s important to keep promises I feel…..especially where food is concerned !)

For those of you that are interested !

There were 5327 men entered (plus another 3017 women) of which 448 were in my age group (45-49)

AS regular readers will know, this weekend was looking pretty busy and pretty full, as well as fraught with possible pain and misery – well, sitting here at 2pm on Saturday (which is nearly the end of the weekend for some of us !), it hasn’t turned out too bad so far !

Thursday meant leaving the desert and driving to Dubai (with my house guest as well), which meant leaving the office early, which meant closing everything off that needed to be closed off, which meant actually doing some work on a Thursday for a change.  Most of this went as it should have, Dubai traffic making a mockery of the timings and best laid plans etc. but eventually everything worked out splendidly with Residency papers signed, car swapped for a service (and a hatchback delivered in its place – which means that I don’t have to have a bike rack to move my new bike around, this saving aed 600, which is nice !), I got to my friend’s apartment at a reasonable time, but sufficiently late to not want to go out with her (which turned out to be a real blessing as she got in at 2 am and didn’t wake me !).

The reason for staying where I did was because of all the road closures around the route of the 10k/ marathon.  Life would have been hard enough with the race, without worrying about where to park and how to get to the start.  Staying where I did was so simple – it took me 10 mins to walk to the start (my race went off at 0715hrs so even staying where I did I was still paranoid enough to get up at 5.45 so as to have time to do everything !).  To cut a very long story short, I raced, and bearing in mind I hadn’t much except some training runs to guide me because I don’t do much of this running lark, and I finished.

The slightly longer story is that I timed myself from line to line (rather than when the gun went off to when I finished – because with thousands of people there it can take a while just to get across the line) and when I got my breath back and looked at my watch I’d done 46 mins & 58 seconds.  I was very excited as I’d been hoping to go under 50 mins (my previous best time for a 10k training run was 51.15 so it was always a challenge).  Psycho’s response to my time was “I must have been fannying around before then !” – bless her………. I’ve taken it as a complement, along with her questioning the integrity of my circuit training last week……… She’s probably going to send me an invoice for her “motivational coaching” – I shall look forward to that !

I wait with interest to see what the official time was (at the time of going to press the official results had not been published) as there was a debate as to whether your time was line to line (we were all wearing a microchip thingy) or gun to line – either way, I know what my best actual 10k distance time is now.  For those that are interested, I spent the first 500m wading through people that frankly shouldn’t have been allowed at the front of any race – if you have to walk after 400m then go to the back before you start !  I then speeded up way to much but the first 3 – 4k went very quickly.  I then realised that I was going way to quickly but it was too late by then, so latched on to a black bloke running slightly faster than I wanted to go without sweating (I decided that he must know what he was doing……..) and tracked him for a couple of K before he ground to a halt and I had to leave him behind.  After that I just tried to run with people going slightly faster than I felt comfortable with, or just behind women with nice arses……. Anything to take my mind off the pain that was starting to remind me that I’m clearly mad.  It then go a bit like being on a treadmill in the gym, as I was counting down (or up) strides, metres, anything frankly, to get me to the end.  Psycho used to say that she could tell when I was struggling cause I’d be staring at the ground in studious concentration, and wouldn’t say anything (quite how anyone has the energy to talk at this point is beyond me, but still !). 

Crossing the line couldn’t come quickly enough for me – it was nice when there were spectators clapping and shouting, but it was the fear of looking like a fat old bloke in front of these people that drove me on, not their cheering – and long may it continue !

I met my big boss just after the line (which might be career limiting as it appears I had a better time than him……….) so I did at least see someone I knew at the whole thing, but it was nice just to drift off when I’d finished although I think it would have been nice to have had someone to share the experience with (my hostess did at least drag her hangover out of bead and make me a coffee whilst I had a shower).

I have a medal and a plastic bag to show for my efforts (I should have a tee-shirt but they had run out on Thursday when I went to collect my number – I wait, with expectations suitably managed, for the promised e-mail………).  I’m not aware of any photographic evidence of my participation, although I’m supposed to be able to download a certificate for printing, which may or may not have my official time on ?  I’ll search the internet for photographic evidence and you will be the first to know if I find any !

Then I went to meet friends for coffee, which turned into lunch at Barasti, where we were joined by another friend who has just moved out here, and is settling in nicely by the look of it, and then off for the big event of the day –

Meet Psycho II (I have had a short debate with a couple of people and of the choices offered up, the name was a unanimous agreement).

I wasn’t sure whether I’d get a chance to ride her today, or not, as I was supposed to be going to Abu Dhabi for some Triathlon Training organized in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi International triathlon that I’ve entered next month.  However, when I got up this morning (at 0545hrs for the second time this weekend !) and went to get in the car, it was thick fog – which can be quite common at certain times of the year here.  I set off but when I realised that I could barely see the traffic lights on the way out of town until I was at them, I decided that prudence was the better part of valour and went back to bed.  A two hour drive, mostly in the dark, in thick fog, sharing a road with some of the other nutters out here, didn’t seem very sensible !

When I woke up though, the sun was out and the fog had gone (it was nearly 1000hrs after all…….) and perfect for a nice little bike ride.  It was a bit breezy but nothing to get excited about, and 36k flew by.  I wasn’t sure how far I was going to go but the road I was on didn’t really offer much choice as there are only a few turning spots on this quiet duel-carriageway.  So at least I know that the second spot gives me that distance – next time I’ll try for the 3^rd turn (the big one is the first roundabout, which is about 50k away – it’s a challenge for sooner rather than later as we have always talked about doing it and never got around to it)

Right, you’re all up to date with my weekend (apart from collecting my laundry earlier and having lasagna for tea……..) so I’m off to do something less productive !