No Mean Feat

I’ve already done one short run this week and I’m intending on doing a long one tomorrow. Today was supposed to be a gentle bus day ending up at the beer festival tonight but L said that if I was getting the bus, I might as well combine it with a run. So I did, despite the bed pulling this morning.

At least I've got someone to blame if it doesn't go well... but it does. In fact I’m feeling very in shape for this race next week. Which means that I’ll do a slow time, I bet. I always seem to run faster when I’m feeling unfit.

I spend my lunch hour trawling through the list of 810 beers from 280 breweries that will be available at the festival tonight. My cunning plan is to narrow this down to around ten for a bit of a ‘session’. No mean feat. First remove all the ones that aren't dark, as this is a preference of mine. Then remove all the ones I drink regularly or have tried before but don't rate. Then erase anything too weak and anything too far the other way. Then anything described as floral or citrus or smoky or flavoured with paradise seeds and curacao... The apricot beer gets the chop as well. This leaves me with a list of around 35. Still too many. The final cut brings it down to 15. Need a few reserves on the subs bench.

The 'good advice' is to not go straight for the strong beers, as you won’t remember the weaker ones you have later. There are two holes in this theory. One, why would you revert to weaker ones later? and two, the strategy of leaving off on the strong ones until later only works if everyone else does the same thing and believe me, they don't. So this is just 'advice' put out by Camra members who want you to leave the best stuff for them.

The best beers and particularly the strong ones will start running out well before the end of day one, Thursday. So my advice is don't mess around and although it’s not advisable to hit the festival on a ‘school night’, it’s the only way.



So it’s straight from work to the festival at the Nottingham Castle where I’ve arranged to meet L outside at 6.30 but I’m a touch early, so naturally I start without her. The rum and raisin porter is a disappointment, as deep down I kind of expected it would be. It had only just made my list but with that one out of the way early, things get better and better.

L is well sorted because they have a selection of her favourites:- Screech Owl, Jaipur, Fullers ESB, and even Marston’s Owd Roger. It was particularly good to see Owd Rog’ there, such a rarity on draught and damn good tonight.

The food was good too. Not only did I get a two course curry but a cheeseboard (well cheese platter) as well.

Set List

SPIRE OLD JAMAICA 4.8% - Staveley, Derbyshire
THORNBRIDGE MURMANSK BALTIC PORTER 7.4% - Bakewell, Derbyshire
ANGUS DRIVER'S STOUT 4.4% - Carnoustie, Angus
MARSTONS OWD ROGER 7.6% - Burton on Trent
BRAMPTON MILD 4.9% - Chesterfield, Derbyshire
NOBBY’S T’OWD NAVIGATION 6.1% - Guilsborough, Northants
FLIPSIDE DUSTY PENNY 5.0% - Colwick, Nottingham
FULLERS LONDON PORTER 5.4% - Chiswick, London
MILTON MARCUS AURELIUS 7.5% - Milton, Cambs.
SHARPS SPECIAL 5.2% - Rock, Cornwall

I have counted the number of alcohol units in that lot but I’m not telling. I'll tell you about the hangover tomorrow.

I Must Be Cycling In The Wrong Places

I have to cling tightly to the handlebars this morning, to avoid getting blown off. Yep, it was a touch windy. Thing was the wind was against me on the way home as well and that never happens, the wind always seems to blow towards Nottingham. Today even the heavens were against me.

Nottingham is apparently Britain's second best city for cycling, that is according to a poll by Cycling Plus magazine. Who are, it has to be said, a respectable publication. Only Bristol is better apparently.

Now I really don’t see this. Nottingham to me is a total death trap, impossible to get from A to B on a bike; it always involves a lot of get off and walk. Nottingham may have many miles of cycle paths but I just don’t think they’re any good, generally badly designed and they largely go nowhere. In fact don’t most of the cycle paths go under the more recognisable term of ‘pavement’? Then there are the uncoloured (and therefore ignored) forward advance zones.

The criteria for the vote also included the number of biking commuters, cycling club members and the number of independent bike shops. On these I can see Nottingham would score highly. Also pollution, road quality and theft, again probably not too bad on these. For actually cycling though... nah. Clearly other people seem to disagree; perhaps I’m just cycling in the wrong places.

L’s latest fitness regime seems to be going well, powered along by her new book, ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’, on audio book naturally, it’s the only way to go.



She says it’s unputdownable. This is nothing like the one she palmed me off, which was Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ which is proving unturnonable.



Apparently her book is all sex and sadism, my certainly isn’t! Although L is at pains to stress that isn’t why it’s unputdownable. Do I believe her though? What’s that Dear? Off for another extended workout listening to it? Hmmmm.
Still it must be getting her incredibly fit.

Talking of incredibly fit... I’m not feeling it come squash this evening. A 10k race yesterday followed by biking to work today isn’t the ideal preparation but Duathlon training is more important than winning a game at squash.

So it’s incredibly surprising that I’m on the end of a very narrow, and I mean very narrow, 3-2 defeat. Yes, I win not one but TWO games. Perhaps I mistook knackered for well warmed up and well prepared... The legs had had enough by the time we got to the fifth and deciding game though.