Month: January 2012

  • Week 222: spinal tracts

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    Sam
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    Ouch – we had some monster neuroanatomy learning outcomes this week. From an anatomy perspective we want students to be aware of the major motor and sensory tracts of the spinal cord, what type of information they carry, where they run (and where they cross over from one side to the other), and what would…

  • I beat myself!

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    Sam
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    I had another crack at getting the me of 2012 to beat the me of 2011 today, and succeeded! Winner! I used a 113km course running from Gowerton out through Neath, up to Glynneath and over the Rhigos and Bwlch mountains, back to Neath and home again. It’s a lovely, lovely route, along the Neath…

  • Finishing my (winter?) base training

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    Sam
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    This week I’m coming to the end of my base block of training. For nearly 3 months I’ve been building my training load by increasing volume and workout intensity bit by bit, with an easier week every 4 weeks to allow myself to recover. Most of that work has been aerobic, but more recently some…

  • Sunwise Waterloo

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    Sam
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    I went out on the bike the other day in perfect testing conditions for the Sunwise Waterloo glasses. It had been chucking it down all day, the roads were wet but the sun came out. It was super bright and low, into my face on the way out (sometimes in Wales we don’t see the…

  • New sponsor: Swansea Health Solutions

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    Sam
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    If you’ve been reading this blog or following me on Twitter for any time you’ll probably know about he-who-looks-after-my-legs. When I started running again I had a few problems and biomechanical issues as my mileage got a bit thick, and he was key to working out what was going on, working on my legs and…

  • Cardiff Tri Male Athlete of the Year

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    Sam
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    I forgot to mention that I was voted Male Athlete of the Year for 2011 by members of the club. Thanks everybody that voted, and thanks even more to those that voted for me! I couldn’t make it to the Christmas dinner unfortunately, but it was a very lovely thing to be told of at…

  • Race yourself. Virtually.

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    Sam
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    I noticed some nice new motivational winter training videos and bits up on Garmin Connect the other day (here’s the cycling video) and it reminded me to use the virtual partner function for this morning’s ride as I ride solo & fancied comparing myself to this stage of training last year. I’ve built up a…

  • January training

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    Sam
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    I’m now in the third block of training for the 2012 season, and feeling pretty good. Knackered, but good. This will be the last block of the traditional “base” phase of training, so I’ve just got 3 long rides left. It looks like we’re moving on from the mild, wet weather of the winter so…

  • Week 219 – blood circulation in the lungs

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    Sam
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    The Christmas holidays are over and we’re back to teaching (and learning). This week we went back to the lungs and added a little detail by looking at the pulmonary vessels in more detail, and adding the bronchial arteries and veins to this. As this is a teaching week about pulmonary embolism this anatomy should…

  • I got there in the end

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    Sam
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    Don’t we always? Keep pushing forward bit by bit and you’ll get there. That’s what I keep telling myself every time I play golf anyway. But I’m talking about running. I tweaked my left medial gastrocnemius muscle (calf to some of you) at the end of the 2010 season charging up a steep, rocky hill…