Sunday, May 26, 2013

A long and empty road

My training has become derailed

I am ill
Indeed I have been feeling very ill
Yes, I know that it is only a bad cough, streaming cold and tight chest making it hard to breathe.
And I have to be careful of taking antidotes in case they interact badly with my existing medication.
And yes, I know all the jokes about the severity of man flu.
I have felt so bad that I have not even wanted to eat cake! But as Melanie said #nomilesnocakes
In a week when a friend has died, my complaints pale into insignificance.

But the result is that I can only see a long and empty road ahead.



I have been off the bike for a week now and the training plan is in disarray.

Total distance cycled this year = 3052 km
Total climbing = 22380 m

I am hoping that in another few days this illness will have passed and then it will be back on the bike

But where to re-commence?  The aim has been to gradually increase the furthest distance and then taper towards the end when the London100 approaches. Have I enough miles/fitness in the bank to just ignore the missing week? Or do I take it easy for a few days and then ramp up more quickly to get back on track?


Saturday, May 11, 2013

Reverting Back to Childhood

I am now at the end of Week 2  ( out of 12 )  of the Beginners' Training Plan in preparation for my attempt at London100. Overall things are going reasonably well and I am sticking fairly closely to the set programme.

The latest statistics show that

Total distance cycled this year = 2855 km
Total ascent = 21259 m
and in accomplishing this I have used up 65213 calories

The maximum distance remains the same at 125 km

I said fairly closely because I am now instituting a Rest Day  on the day following the endurance ride, instead of the one hour ride,  as last week I obeyed instructions and ended up with an ache behind  my left knee. So as not to shirk on the total exercise, I am using the proposed Rest Day ( Monday ) as a general gentle ride with friends.

It cannot be denied that as an Old Age Pensioner my body perhaps needs more rest and recovery time than the vast majority of riders taking on this challenge, and as a newcomer to cycling I have no reservoir of endurance and stamina.to call upon.

It is said that as you get older you start to revert back to childhood, indeed as far back as the baby stage. My young grandchildren seem to need copious quantities of Sudocream to protect their undercarriage, and now I need the same!



Indeed I am coming to think that I need a veritable medicine cabinet of stuff, what with anti insect bite cream,  massage stick for knotted muscles, small tube of Sudocream just in case, and a Savlon spray if saddle sores or chafing should occur.  Not forgetting the jelly babies to provide that extra boost when I have reached the summit of a hill. Luckily, I will have my own super domestique on the ride itself, namely my son, whom I am hoping to load up with all the spare tubes ,multi-tools, chain links, pump, provisions, medical support, phone, money and other essential stuff.

I am taking this challenge to support the mental health charity Mind and if you would like to support me, and every donation however small is gratefully received, then I will send you a copy of


Cycling Food on the Go - Recipes for Success !  

This pdf booklet contains 20+ recipes, each with a little story as to why it was special to the contributor,  and all monies donated go straight to Mind.

You can contribute here