IN PREPARITION OF OUR BIG CYCLE CHALENGE:
MY PERSONAL DIARY

Week Ending 2nd June

Spent the week in the Lakes, and pedaled with Michaela (my wife) and Dan (my youngest son 12 years old) 190 miles which included all sorts of weather and climbing the Kirkstone Pass – 65 minutes up and 15 minutes down, brakes smoking!  Dan is far fitter than us and just dances his way up hills, and waits for his puffing parents catch up, to meet us with a ‘what took you so long?’  Next ride will adjust his brakes so he knows what it feels like for us…

Learnt a lot about hills and trying to relate to gravity as my friend.  Eddie Lizzard said, he who ran 43 marathons in 51 days round the UK for Sports Relief, said when asked where he finds the strength from – 90 % of it is in your mine, the other 10% you can find in your head’…

Also found out a lot about how your body responds to high mileage, ie 50 plus miles a day, and then back on the bike the next day.  Learnt a lot about, the best cycling shorts, butt cream, nipple rub, recovery trousers (yes not the latest Wallace and Gromit invention but trousers that speed the cleaning of you blood after exercise) and numb willy syndrome!

On Sunday 2nd took part in an incredible event with 1300 other riders, Help for Heros ride in London.  We did 30 miles through London, but seeing what some of these guys and girls have accomplished with fewer limbs than us was nothing short of inspiring.  Will never complain again!

Week Ending 9th June 2013

Three gym sessions during the week and 75 miles ridden at the weekend and one training session with our Personal Fitness instructor – yes we have a series of sessions booked with Nicola at the gym who did the LEJOG last year, for her though it was more of a sprint, covering up to 175 miles a day….

Getting easier, old hills don’t get noticed and feeling better after long rides.  Still not up to full distance but fitter than I can remember ever being.  Michaela is ahead of me, she is doing 3 or 4 full on sessions during the week, and cycling 25 miles there and back each time, as well as what she does with me at the weekends.  Have suggested she tows me along, have suggested I order the bungee cord, but didn’t go down too well!

Only 9 weeks to go – yikes!

Week Ending 16th June

Bad week – feeling tired from the Nicola gym session, used muscles I’d never used before…well if I’d never used them before why do I need to start now?

Been very busy with work, so only one spinning class, too much food, not enough sleep and too much wine!  Feeling I’ve gone backwards several weeks.  Must get back into it only 8 weeks to go…bugger