Winter training

I normally don't train through the winter, but I'm "ticking over" this year on two fronts. The first is running at lunch from work, which is always a good way to clear my head and get some daylight.

The second is my new gym.

As you'll see this is a state-of-the-art facility complete with entertainment (Mrs Noel's old laptop) to watch DVDs on. I'm particularly pleased with the rustic appearance of the laptop stand.

So far, I've been watching "The Wire", a US cop drama. The rule is I'm only allowed to watch it while cycling at 90 pedal strokes per minute. I started on one gear which was a bit of a challenge, and could only just do 45 minutes. After a few more sessions, I was up to the full hour's worth of an episode.

I've just finished the first season (13 hours of it) and have recently moved up a gear so am back to only being able to do 50 minutes.

I hope this helps my fell running. It's my first race in a few weeks. I'll let you know.