Good news - I am now officially under 15 stone! 14 stone 13 appeared on the scales this morning. Whoohoo! I'm going to celebrate with a couple of beers :D
Bad news - I had to miss Friday, Saturday and Sunday cycling because of a darned cold. Monday I cycled to work, yesterday I went out first thing, as I did today. Chest still a bit tight, but it's just about doable. Trouble is, I am off on my hols next week, with minimal cycling on the horizon.
So, here's my plan. Cycle twice today, twice tomorrow, to work/back Friday. Go on hols, come back and cycle like a madman on that week and weekend. Then on the final week a few gentle rides on the Monday and Tuesday, perhaps Weds, then Thursday off, then Friday is THE BIG DAY!
Wednesday 26 May 2010
Wednesday 19 May 2010
Gauging Progress
I was out taking stock this morning as to how far I have come in the last few months. This was on my 3 peaks (Devizes) then Rowde, Bromham, Seend and back home route.
If I think back to my first real cycle, where I dropped the car off at the garage in Chippenham and cycled the 2 miles to work. It was a tiring experience, but one that I got a lot of satisfaction from. I was, however, very tired after the ride. I then go back to when I cycled to Devizes, where my body decided it wanted to get rid of breakfast and an old chap asked me if I was OK. The following weekend Capt, Purser and I did our first Sunday ride, and I remember my legs feeling tired before I had even left the village, and we all felt incredibly pleased with ourselves after we had done 20 miles.
Fast forward to today. I got on my bike and cycled to Devizes over the 3 peaks (Potterne). I was in the centre of Devizes before I even realised it, I had been away with the fairies, thinking about this, that and the other. Not even out of breath, and no sign of fatigue. I then went round Rowde, back way to Sells Green and up Spout, again no problem at all, not even out of breath. I have started using 11th gear on these hills rather than granny gear that I started off using. I got home, had a shower, and felt like I had just got up. No aches, no pains, no tiredness, nothing.
The same was true on Monday when I cycled to work. I cycled there, cycled back, not tired, just feeling great.
I have lost nearly 1.5 stone and gone down 3 inches on my waistline. I am still on (just - see a recent post) on course to be under 15 stone for the charity ride. My last few cycles have averaged 17 mph.
I am wondering now just how much more fit I can get. Am I in the 'middle' of my fitness curve? I just don't know, seeing as I have never been fit in my life. Time will tell, I suppose.
If I think back to my first real cycle, where I dropped the car off at the garage in Chippenham and cycled the 2 miles to work. It was a tiring experience, but one that I got a lot of satisfaction from. I was, however, very tired after the ride. I then go back to when I cycled to Devizes, where my body decided it wanted to get rid of breakfast and an old chap asked me if I was OK. The following weekend Capt, Purser and I did our first Sunday ride, and I remember my legs feeling tired before I had even left the village, and we all felt incredibly pleased with ourselves after we had done 20 miles.
Fast forward to today. I got on my bike and cycled to Devizes over the 3 peaks (Potterne). I was in the centre of Devizes before I even realised it, I had been away with the fairies, thinking about this, that and the other. Not even out of breath, and no sign of fatigue. I then went round Rowde, back way to Sells Green and up Spout, again no problem at all, not even out of breath. I have started using 11th gear on these hills rather than granny gear that I started off using. I got home, had a shower, and felt like I had just got up. No aches, no pains, no tiredness, nothing.
The same was true on Monday when I cycled to work. I cycled there, cycled back, not tired, just feeling great.
I have lost nearly 1.5 stone and gone down 3 inches on my waistline. I am still on (just - see a recent post) on course to be under 15 stone for the charity ride. My last few cycles have averaged 17 mph.
I am wondering now just how much more fit I can get. Am I in the 'middle' of my fitness curve? I just don't know, seeing as I have never been fit in my life. Time will tell, I suppose.
Tuesday 18 May 2010
I Seem to have Plateaued!
Well, quite a successful few days since my last post. I did an 18 miler on Weds (with a stop off at the Brewery for a pint or two and a Beer Fest wash up meeting). On Thursday I did a 14 miler in the morning, then Friday I cycled to and from work. I took a new route which adds a further 10 miles on, and cycled up Bowden Hill on the way home.
Saturday I did another 14 miler, and then that was it for the weekend seeing as it was my daughters birthday celebrations (house full of kids, sleepovers, cinema, swimming....). Capt and Purser did some hill climbs on Sunday morning, and stared at young fillies through shop windows in Lacock (imagine looking round and seeing them peering at you whilst dribbling cream soda down their chins. She is probably in counselling as I type).
Yesterday I cycled to work again, and then today a short 8 miler so that I could get back early for my daughter to open her pressies.
Thing is, I feel absolutely great. Even after my cycles to and from work I don't ache, and my legs don't feel at all tired. I certainly don't have any fear of 75 miles a day (although I know it will hurt). Interestingly my knees are starting to ache a bit, but nothing major.
What has happened though is that my weight has plateaued. I have now been round about 15 stone 4 for a couple of weeks. Not really sure what is happening here. I still have that target of getting under 15 stone for the big ride.
Need to work harder.
Saturday I did another 14 miler, and then that was it for the weekend seeing as it was my daughters birthday celebrations (house full of kids, sleepovers, cinema, swimming....). Capt and Purser did some hill climbs on Sunday morning, and stared at young fillies through shop windows in Lacock (imagine looking round and seeing them peering at you whilst dribbling cream soda down their chins. She is probably in counselling as I type).
Yesterday I cycled to work again, and then today a short 8 miler so that I could get back early for my daughter to open her pressies.
Thing is, I feel absolutely great. Even after my cycles to and from work I don't ache, and my legs don't feel at all tired. I certainly don't have any fear of 75 miles a day (although I know it will hurt). Interestingly my knees are starting to ache a bit, but nothing major.
What has happened though is that my weight has plateaued. I have now been round about 15 stone 4 for a couple of weeks. Not really sure what is happening here. I still have that target of getting under 15 stone for the big ride.
Need to work harder.
Tuesday 11 May 2010
I Need More Hills!
Apologies, regular readers, for the delay in writing this blog, but I have been busy you see, busy cycling, busy raising money, and busy planning our trip!
To get up to date since my last post, on Bank Holiday Monday (the 3rd May), Capt and I went for a 45 miler without Purser, who had a horrible cold. Bless him.
Capt fancied a trip to a hill he never managed to get up as a kid, near the Dumpost Inn (if that's how you spell it). So we met up at 7:45 at the bottom of Caen Hill, went out via Bromham, Sandy Lane and then to the hill. It was steeper than a 1 in 4, but we both made it up in record time (Capt even overtook me at one point, but I soon caught him up again :D). Then we went on the cycle track between Chippenham and Calne which is a super ride, very flat and well maintained. I took Capt on a trip up memory lane in Calne, as we cycled round a few old haunts of his from when he was a child (he seemed to spend a lot of time in back alleys)!
We then went round Stockley, up Sandy Lane again, and down Bowden Hill. Wow, what a ride! About a mile, brilliant downhill, and straight away we were saying that we needed to go up it, but perhaps next week. To celebrate, we had a Cream Soda from the Post Office in Lacock, then went back home via Gastard, Whitley, Semington and the canal. When we got back to Seend we decided to do Bollands Hill (well if we can do that after 40 miles then we are in good shape), so we did! Straight up, no messing. Hurrah!
After that I decided to go out every day, so Tuesday I did a 14 miler in the morning, Weds I did a trip to Seend to the pub (where we discussed strategy and drew up a list for the trip), Thursday I did another 14 miler in the morning, and Friday I cycled to work. And back. Brill.
Saturday I spent with the kids, so the next ride was Sunday, where we decided t do every hill we could think of, including Bowden! Purser drew up a super route which took us from Bulkington through Trowbridge, up the hill at Farleigh Hungerford, down to Iford where we took a look at the river. Then we set off and round the corner came the steepest hill I have ever come across! Capt was wheel spinning, Purser couldn't get it in the right gear, and I pushed on to the top in granny gear, standing up! An incredible hill!
We then went down to Freshford and got lost looking for the road to Limpley Stoke. When we finally got there we had a banana break and then set off up towards Bradford on Avon. Now then, that is a looooong hill, I would say, from bottom to top, at least 1.5 miles. It was a long, hard slog! Then over to Neston via Atworth, and over to Lacock, where we had another Cream Soda (well, Capt and I did) and a finger of fudge.
Then we set off up Bowden. What a hill. It is steep and long. It gets steeper about 3/4 of the way up. It was a real trial, but again we made it, puffing a touch at the top. Our reward was downhill all the way to Bromham, then we finished off with Spout Lane (so called, we reckon, because there is a spring there which means that the road is always wet). We bid our farewells and then back home. Brill.
So, almost up to date, except to say that I didn't cycle yesterday but I did give my bike a service. Tightened the brakes, cleaned and oiled the chain, all lovely and shiny. This morning I did 14 miles.
In total I am now 15 stone 5, and have cycled 730 miles since the start of March.
What I need now is more hills. More bigguns. I'm getting to quite like them, which I tought would never, ever happen!
To get up to date since my last post, on Bank Holiday Monday (the 3rd May), Capt and I went for a 45 miler without Purser, who had a horrible cold. Bless him.
Capt fancied a trip to a hill he never managed to get up as a kid, near the Dumpost Inn (if that's how you spell it). So we met up at 7:45 at the bottom of Caen Hill, went out via Bromham, Sandy Lane and then to the hill. It was steeper than a 1 in 4, but we both made it up in record time (Capt even overtook me at one point, but I soon caught him up again :D). Then we went on the cycle track between Chippenham and Calne which is a super ride, very flat and well maintained. I took Capt on a trip up memory lane in Calne, as we cycled round a few old haunts of his from when he was a child (he seemed to spend a lot of time in back alleys)!
We then went round Stockley, up Sandy Lane again, and down Bowden Hill. Wow, what a ride! About a mile, brilliant downhill, and straight away we were saying that we needed to go up it, but perhaps next week. To celebrate, we had a Cream Soda from the Post Office in Lacock, then went back home via Gastard, Whitley, Semington and the canal. When we got back to Seend we decided to do Bollands Hill (well if we can do that after 40 miles then we are in good shape), so we did! Straight up, no messing. Hurrah!
After that I decided to go out every day, so Tuesday I did a 14 miler in the morning, Weds I did a trip to Seend to the pub (where we discussed strategy and drew up a list for the trip), Thursday I did another 14 miler in the morning, and Friday I cycled to work. And back. Brill.
Saturday I spent with the kids, so the next ride was Sunday, where we decided t do every hill we could think of, including Bowden! Purser drew up a super route which took us from Bulkington through Trowbridge, up the hill at Farleigh Hungerford, down to Iford where we took a look at the river. Then we set off and round the corner came the steepest hill I have ever come across! Capt was wheel spinning, Purser couldn't get it in the right gear, and I pushed on to the top in granny gear, standing up! An incredible hill!
We then went down to Freshford and got lost looking for the road to Limpley Stoke. When we finally got there we had a banana break and then set off up towards Bradford on Avon. Now then, that is a looooong hill, I would say, from bottom to top, at least 1.5 miles. It was a long, hard slog! Then over to Neston via Atworth, and over to Lacock, where we had another Cream Soda (well, Capt and I did) and a finger of fudge.
Then we set off up Bowden. What a hill. It is steep and long. It gets steeper about 3/4 of the way up. It was a real trial, but again we made it, puffing a touch at the top. Our reward was downhill all the way to Bromham, then we finished off with Spout Lane (so called, we reckon, because there is a spring there which means that the road is always wet). We bid our farewells and then back home. Brill.
So, almost up to date, except to say that I didn't cycle yesterday but I did give my bike a service. Tightened the brakes, cleaned and oiled the chain, all lovely and shiny. This morning I did 14 miles.
In total I am now 15 stone 5, and have cycled 730 miles since the start of March.
What I need now is more hills. More bigguns. I'm getting to quite like them, which I tought would never, ever happen!
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