I have moved!!

Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! I have recently moved it to a new bigger, fancier, better location where you can still find all the same brilliant content, but with even more information added, and easier to find search and categorisation facilities.

Please visit http://blog.ryding2health.co.uk

Thanks and see you soon.

Melanie

#10FactsAboutMe

I saw this trending on twitter this morning and I thought I would join in. :)
These are just facts that popped into my head, no planning, no order, just random!

ACL reconstruction: 13 years on

BACKGROUND

September 2008. Kettering rugby club. I am playing in the lock position. I had complained to the coach a few times that my fellow lock kept collapsing - bad technique - and was concerned that someone was going to get injured. I was ignored. She was his daughter.

Don't be under any illusion here - I was very new to this, built like a lock, but not through strength. I was unfit and overweight and this was the first game of my second season trying to play rugby.

Mens Olympic marathon: the Gamesmaker's view

It is the last day. I feel a little bit sad; but happy too because I can go back home to the midlands, relax, see my husband for more than a few hours, and NOT get up at 3am!

Mens Olympic Triathlon: the Gamesmaker's view

The men’s triathlon started a lot later in the morning, but no, this did not mean a lie in, as the gamesmakers had to be in place at the same time of day, sue to a scheduled course recce for the elite men prior to their race.

Womens Olympic Marathon: the Gamesmaker’s view

I have up till now, arrived at the tube station before the driver and before the newspaper, but today, my shift started so early that I was there before the station was even open! Yep, the glorious night busses. Again.

Women's Olympic Triathlon; The Gamesmaker's view

A 5:30am start in Hyde Park meant that this was going to be the earliest start of the games so far. 3am alarm, and it seemed like the middle of the night... What am I talking about, it IS the middle of the night!

Women's Olympic Tri: who will take Gold?

It's the eve of the triathlon, and the pressure is on. Historically there has not been a race favourite that has ever won the gold in The Olympic triathlon since it joined the Olympic Games in Sydney, 2000. Britain has two.

Helen Jenkins has the spotlight on her tomorrow as she aims to make history by converting her race favourite status into Olympic Gold. That would make the quietly spoken Welsh born athlete Jenkins both World and Olympic champion.

Cyclist killed in Olympic Park: BBC Northampton interview

Following the bus accident which killed a cyclist in the Olympic Park on 1 August, 2012, I was asked to be on the BBC Northampton Breakfast show to talk about cycle safety, and helmet law.

This is something I have spoke about many times before, and I still feel very strongly that the cycle lawys shoudl be addressed.

Olympics Cycle Time Trial: the Gamesmaker's view

This was the only shift I had that was not in central London, I was not looking forward to the drive to Esher, the 40 mile stretch of the M25 Car Park, or the queues to get through the road closure.
With a 9am start time, I decided to try and miss the majority of the traffic and leave at 5:30am, hopefully getting me there by around 7:30-8am. Nope, it didn't quite work out as I had hoped, and I still got stuck in nose to tail stationery traffic at around the M4 / Heathrow exit.

Monday Night Sport: BBC radio Northampton interview

Monday Night Sport: BBC radio Northampton with Geoff Doyle and Laura Cook

I was invited to the studios in Northampton to be on the show, all Olympic theme, due to the fact that I am a Games Maker, and because I recently found out that I got onto the GB team for the world championships for a fourth consecutive year.

If anyone says that men cannot multi task, then they should visit a studio and see what a radio show presenter has to contend with.

Olympic Road Race; the Gamesmaker's view

Two long days ahead - with very early starts but who's complaining, this is the Olympics!!!

With great excitement I donned my uniform I set out from my friends house to Uxbridge tube station to travel to my first Olympics shift on Saturday 27th July. Dawn was just breaking, and from a house just down the road out came another gamesmaker, well, who else would be about at 4:30am on a saturday?! Londoners dot talk to strangers though, right? Wrong! Rob and I had a great chat on the way to the station, he was heading to Lords for the archery, lucky enough to be working on the Olympics all of week 1, And the proud owner of stadium tickets for week 2!

Blood sweat and gears: the day I almost quit

It's been a hard year, I suppose you have guessed that already. In fact, it was only today, when a friend congratulated me on gaining a spot on the GB team for my fourth world championships that she also reminded me how well I had done, considering I lost a whole season to the head injury last year.

Bristol Harbourside Sprint Triathlon: last world qualifier

Pre race:

It wasn’t the easiest of pre race preparation, with my husband being taken into hospital 48 hours before race day. He insisted I should travel down to Bristol and race as planned, however.

Deva Triathlon - First Olympic Distance in 4 years!

The first Olympic distance triathlon in almost four years, and it was fair to say I was feeling a little apprehensive. Why did I do it? Why not :)

The main goal for this race was to see if I could hold the new run form I have been practicing when fatigued. 

Collecting the Olympic Gamesmaker Uniform

I was dead excited about this, purely because I will have the kit that will be all over the TV in just a few weeks, when I join history in the making as part of a 70,000 strong volunteer team that will help make the Olympics happen.

Finding the positives in the negatives.

Another go at the same 10 mile time trial As a few weeks ago, however this one not quite to plan.

 

 

Am I worried? No. Here's why.

The art of the longer ride?

I'm very luck to live in a place like I do. 5 minutes of cycling in any direction of my house and I am in the countryside, yet ten minutes down the road I have a high speed rail link to London.


As with everything, we get wrapped up in our daily life, training, racing, and forget to look up and what we have around us. Today, I did a 35 mile ride round the country lanes of my local area, and once again rediscovered the reason why I do what I do.

The first 10 mile Time Trial of 2012: N7/10

It seems I manage to leave at least 12 months between visits to the local cycle club weekly time trials, even though I quite like them! Hmmm?! This one I was not looking forward to though, thunderstorms were forecast this evening, and I drove through an ALMIGHTY one to get home from work, plus, the cycle club web site was reporting that a guy was hit by a car while racing this course last week.

Emberton National Sprint Championships 2012

It would be fair to say I was a little nervous going into this race. I know that the standard and popularity of triathlon has exploded this year, and nothing less than an outstanding race would do, given the massive field expected here this weekend.

Race report: Eton World Qualifier no 1, 2012

Nervous apprehension I think would be a good way to describe my mood going into this race. Training had been going well, but this was not reflected really in the Eilat race times, as I suffered majorly from dehydration which really affected my run.

The Perishing Waters of Box End

I often wonder why I do what I do. Why was I up at 6am today, why was I even considering a dip in a lake when my car thermometer was telling me it was 4 degrees outside! Why are we considering this an improvement on the weather lately (today being dry and still and cold, rather than windy, rainy and cold!) This is May, isn’t it? Well, I thought it was!

ETU European Championships, Eilat

Race report, photos and video footage of my trip to Eilat for the European Triathlon championships 2012

First open water outing of the season!

Normally I would not be dashing to the shores of Box End Lake the moment it opens in April, due to the incredibly harsh water temperatures involved with early spring in this wonderful isle of ours. BUT, due to the fact that I fly to Israel next week to compete in the European Triathlon championships, I figured I had better get in that wet suit at least once before my incredibly high profile first race of the season!

Winter training – getting the fitness back!

When I started the winter, it was with the knowledge that unlike other years, I was not progressing from a great seasons racing, I was in fact starting on the project ‘regain fitness’. I lost over two months training and racing during last summer due to the head injury, and I knew there was a lot of work to be done.

Tragic consequences of riding without a helmet

This was shared with me by someone through facebook - It is from the Wiggle Blog.

It is Definately worth a read. Helmets DO save lives.

Can the Injured Alistair Brownlee still take Olympic Gold?

Lots of talk surrounds Alistair Brownlee at the moment. With an Achilles injury to nurse, only months away from probably the only home Olympics in his lifetime, Brownlee needs to make sure that he will be back to his high class form, the one that won him the World and European Triathlon champion titles.

Should kids wear helmets? should adults wear helmets?

I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw this article in FIRST NEWS, a weekly children’s newspaper.

It states that there is little point in adults wearing helmets because they do not protect against and that not enough people died from cycling related accidents for it to be made law.

NLP visualisation: How to keep count of your lengths!

I was in the swimming pool the other day, nothing unusual really, I go regularly. But this time, I managed to stumble upon a visualisation technique that helped me keep count of the laps. Yes, really!

Want to know what it was?

A triathlete’s life: the amazing Chrissie Wellington

I met the amazing Chrissie Wellington the other day at the Triathlon show – the second time I have had the privilege actually. This time though, she was signing her book ‘Life without limits’. Meet Chrissie and get one of the most talked about books in recent triathlon history all at once? Oh yes!

Question / Answer session with Helen Jenkins - 3x world champion!

This question and answer session took place at the triathlon show, Sandown Park, 4 March 2012.

Guest Blog: Lumie Competition: Hurry - only 24 hrs left!

WIN tickets to the British Gas Swimming Championships!

As an Official Supplier to the British Swimming team, Lumie has been given fantastic VIP tickets to the British Gas Swimming Championships taking place 3 - 10 March. This is a big pre-Olympic event at the new Aquatic Centre so if you're a swimming fanatic, mad about sport in general or just fancy savouring the buzz as some of the country's top athletes warm-up for Olympics, then here's your chance. 

Powerbreathe Guest Blog: duncan Kerr

I have been using the POWERbreathe K5 for the past 3 months and have made some tremendous gains in my inspiratory muscle strength.

Gamesmaker Training: Olympics here we come!

It was when I heard on the news the massive project that was GamesMaker training, that I began to realise exactly how special a journey this was.

Melinda Hewitt: Helmets save lives

April 19th 2011 was a lovely day. I'd picked up my bike from the shop after getting it serviced and was really looking forward to riding home. It's only 24 miles or so and although it is uphill, it's not an unpleasant ride. My partner was going for a run with colleagues before he came home so I sent him a text to let him know what time to expect me back then he could plan dinner for us.

RIP Misty: (Aug 2004 – Jan 2012) One tough little cookie

It was right from the outset that I knew misty was one special cat. We decided to call Cat’s Protection league and get a rescue cat. I was told a local lady had a 6 week old black kitten ready for homing, so we went to visit him. Smokey hid behind the settee and was too scared to come out, whereas Misty was right there, checking us out. When I asked about her home, I was told she was too underweight and too ill to be vaccinated yet, and couldn’t yet be homed. She, at 6 weeks old, had already fended off cat flu (normally fatal for cats) and had lost most of the sight in one eye, probably as a result.

The last Cross country of the season: Delapre abbey

And it came at the end of a ‘recovery’ week, a day after the first bike / run brick of the season. Some rest, eh? Sharp frost, -2 and sunny skies meant I really wasn’t looking forward to the chill factor. I prefer cross country to be warm, wet and muddy!