On Tuesday I went for a quick recovery ride, to test me out, and also try out these Skins Cycle Pro Compression Long Tights in case I need them over the weekend…
Cycling time: 1:27 hrs.
Distance: 21.2 miles.
Avs: 14.6 mph.
ODO: 1857.30 miles.
I’d write more, but I’m faffing in pre Tour of Wessex *panic mode*…!
It’s been a tramadol zombie week. and this morning revealed that today was starting off as a red hot poker weepie day. Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman… Etc., etc. Moan, winge, pity party, etc. It did mean I wasn’t in the best frame of mind this morning. But I’d taken the pills, the sun was shining, I was due to be riding with George, and if sometimes the drugs don’t work, sometimes riding the bike does.
George had errands to do in Street, so we rode over to Glastonbury for coffee, in companionable fashion as she was laden down things needed for shopping trips, and besides, we had chatting to do. We weren’t the only ones out there, I was quite envious of this guy’s blue and white kit – it went very well with the sky and water and clouds…but it didn’t stop us chasing him down and leaving him for dust. OK, so he turned out to be old enough to be my father, but that’s not the point ;).
It took 53 minutes to get to my favourite café, in the somewhat windy sunshine, at an average of about 15.1mph. Why am I telling you this? Patience, O Best Beloved. The first person I saw in Glastonbury was tall, wearing layers of flowing purple and had flowers in her hair. As ever, Glastonbury lived up to expectations, which is what I love about it. We sat in the suntrap on the corner outside, watched a huge variety of humanity go to and fro’, and talked ourselves in circles.
But time ticked by, and ran out, and it was time to get home. Work and tide wait for no woman. Time for the wheels to go round instead of the conversation. So while George headed south for the debatable joys of shopping in Street, I sprinted for home. I did. For no other reason than because I felt like it. I put my head down, went as fast as I could, apart from those moments when an internal twist would take my breath and legs away, got home in 39 minutes, and increased my average overall speed to 17.0mph :D. What’s more I enjoyed it too! A little demon chasing can be a good thing. Once again: two wheels good ;).
Cycling time: 2:08 hrs.
Distance: 27.12 miles.
Avs: 17.0 mph.
ODO: 1713.48 miles.
Bet you didn’t know I have a favourite manhole cover? Well I do…and this is it :),
The legs on the bike went round and round…
Cycling time: 1:43 hrs.
Distance: 27.0 miles.
Avs: 15.6 mph.
ODO: 16438.09 miles.
Anyone else remember Words and Pictures? Well today, Gaz is doing the words, I’m doing the pictures, and Strava can do the route and stats…
1: he’s not slow. not any more, even if he ever was!
2: enough with the wind already…
3: it was nice out there 🙂
Cycling time: 2:18 hrs.
Distance: 37.7 miles.
Avs: 16.3 mph.
ODO: 1686.36 miles.
I was in a foul mood this morning, for many varied and no doubt not that important really reasons. I was supposed to be riding with George, but she had to cancel, but proffered coffee at her place as a silver lining. So I went for a ride on my own, with that as my goal. In order to try and ride the grumpy away, I decided that in the absence of George, there should instead be a Gorge.
Yep. Cheddar Gorge. Following the Somerset Hills Gran Fondo signs, as it happens. Something I did last year, and which quite a few of the ACG are doing this year, albeit without me. I didn’t take photos because I was concentrating, and while my legs were turning my insides were churning and I had things to think about so my brain was spinning too. I have to say it actually felt pretty good though, no idea why. And, just for once, Strava agrees with me. One of my better performances, and not just for this year. Interesting.
Across the top, before going down the Westbury way. Still head down. I even enjoyed the headwind all the way across to Cocklake, because sometimes fighting against something concrete is actually good. And I enjoyed catching up with George over coffee even more, having spent quite enough time inside my own head by then. It may not have been the greatest training ride, but I’ve been getting the miles in lately, and there’s enough sportives going on to give me hill training. It’ll do :). Mind you, I’m still grumpy!
Look what arrived today. It’s a really good deal – buy one box get one free. Mixed too – various flavours, including some caffeine ones. So if they’re your brand/gel of choice – Carpe Diem folks. I’m hoping they’ll help me get around on Sunday…
Cycling time: 1:23 hrs.
Distance: 20.9 miles.
Avs: 15.0 mph.
ODO: 1557.76 miles.
Ok, so the Tour of Pembrokeshire took its toll…but the only way to get back on the bike is to get back on the bike…and with the (windy) sun shining, what better way to do it than an easy recovery ride with MaxiMe? Lovely it was too, no agenda, just a ride in the sun with my boy. I quite like him you know, he’s almost human ;).. He was on form too, though I still didn’t let him win the sprint finish ;). Having said that, with my yet to fully recover legs, it was a close run thing! *grin*. That was Monday…
Cycling time: 0:45 hrs.
Distance: 11.3 miles.
Avs: 14.9 mph.
ODO: 1509.45 miles.
Look – new shoes! With cleats, attached and set up properly by my pit crew, aka Andrew, yesterday. He also re-aligned the gears on the Cube and, since he was there and is lovely, changed the puncture in the rear tyre. Well, if I did it I might break a fingernail right? ;). So I now have summer shoes to match the summer bike, and it turns out they’re pretty comfortable too. Not just pretty. Looks aren’t everything you know ;). That was Tuesday…
Which brings us to today, which last I checked, was Wednesday. Even having issued an all-points bulletin in search of company, it ended up just being me out there. Which was probably not such a bad thing. Head space ‘n all that. I went for a ride in the sun, happy going nowhere, taking photos as I went, and just enjoyed the ride. Apparently that’s kind of the point, and it’s a good thing to be reminded of that from time to time. It wasn’t quite time for shorts…but ooh, nearly….!
Have some pretty photos of the outside world. Where there were flowers, and herons, deer and swans. Where the skies were blue, and the grass was greener on this side as well as t’other.
It felt good out there. In lots of ways, mostly weather related ones. Sun on face, lack of wind in hair, and so on. However it was, interestingly enough, my fastest time up both Mudgely Hill and the climb to Christon this year. As I’ve said before, there’s no point me comparing this year with last year, but it’s encouraging to see things slowly improving this year. Let’s see how that translates on the Forest of Dean sportive on Sunday…*fingers crossed* it goes well! :).
Cycling time: 1:41 hrs.
Distance: 27.2 miles.
Avs: 16.0 mph.
ODO: 1536.65 miles.
Gary and I rode this afternoon. It was supposed to be 50 miles. But then it wasn’t supposed to be a red hot poker day. And the pills were supposed to work and didn’t. So it turned into this instead. On the basis that any ride is better than no ride.
It wasn’t a great ride – for obvious reasons. But my legs actually felt pretty good even if my insides didn’t. And if you look at Strava and obsess about such things, I’m slowly improving as the year goes on, which is encouraging. The company was good, not to mention also being very tolerant, though he did bomb up Burrington Combe like a bat out of hell…! The weather was fairly mild, the wind could have been worse, and a whole heap of assorted summer kit saw the light of day for the first time in living memory. Better out than in.
Cycling time: 1:42 hrs.
Distance: 26.6 miles.
Avs: 15.5 mph.
ODO: 1390.55 miles.
One of those weeks where, as someone put it, the law of sod applied on a regular basis. Work, health, and, then… Well if you’re on Twitter you’re probably well aware of the shoe saga…you lucky lucky people ;). If you’re not…I left one behind on the industrial estate where I parked at the Hammer. I didn’t realise until Wednesday when I wanted to ride and then I couldn’t. Ordered new shoes, cleats, overshoes on next day delivery from Wiggle and Tredz respectively. In the meantime the twitterverse conspired and a nice Mr Hamilton from the Hammer went and had a look, miraculously found it still there, and posted it back to me. Thanks to City Link failing to find a neighbour to leave my new shoe delivery with on Thursday, my old shoe actually made it back to me yesterday morning before my new shiny shoes finally did at lunchtime, both of which were after I was supposed to be riding on Friday morning, at which point the sun shone gloriously all day. *sigh*.
So when GB suggested I meet up with him on his way home from work, I leapt at the chance. Me and my two old smelly shoes :). It was my first evening ride of the year too – so nice to have that as an option again. It wasn’t a long ride, but it was an inexplicably fantastic one. I was just so pleased to be out – I’ve felt caged in in lots of ways this week. The weather was nice, the scenery was being all Spring like, and the bike and I felt good, though the gears were a little off (I think I bashed the cable/rear mecah when cleaning both bikes in the morning). Even the hills felt ok, and that includes Burrington Combe, though I wasn’t beating any records. Unlike my descent of Cheddar Gorge which was apparently my fastest ever! I had some patches of zone and full on mojo, and I think I grinned pretty much the entire way ‘round :D. It was also a massive relief to discover that I can ride when I’ve been taking the little green and yellow pills, because at the moment they’re not an optional extra. I feel a lot more positive about Sunday’s White Horse Challenge now :).
Stats are out because there was a forgetting to turn it back on again thing…but here:
Official time: 1:56 hrs.
Distance: 24.1 miles.
Avs: 12.4 mph.
ODO: 16411.09 miles.
Today the Hardy Northerner (aka Gary, bemoaning his decision not to wear shorts) dragged me over hill and dale in the still cold sunshine. I’m fed up of cold. I’m fed up of cold winds. But I’m trying not to moan so much, and hey at least it was sunny, so I should stop now. Essentially I went for a two+ hour ride in the sun, with a mate, who is exceptionally patient and very good at waiting at the top of hills and the like for me to catch up. Just as well since he had plenty of opportunities to demonstrate this ability ;).
But I did my best. Even if my best was considerably slower than I would like, up hill anyway. In fact there are probably glaciers that could have gone up Harptree Hill faster than I did. But, unlike Burrington Combe, which just didn’t work somehow, I quite enjoyed it. Yes it was really hard work, but it got to that point where you’re pushing bottom gear slowly but steadily, it isn’t getting any harder, you’re not dying, you’re not walking, you’re still moving forwards, ish, and it goes on for long enough for some sort of rhythm to settle in, and your mind feels free to start wandering off while your body gets on with it… And that, dear readers, is what I’m hoping will get me around the Quebrantahuesos hills. Or mountains as they’re probably more correctly known. Oddly enough, the Tour of Wessex is likely to be worse…*gulp*. Oops, moaning again ;).
The Cinelli gears might (allegedly) get normal people up the side of a house, as they delight in telling me, but I don’t know many residences built with walls that would suit me and also their inhabitants. Maybe a loft conversion? I doubt I could even get up a pyramid! But if I get up hills like today’s without walking, I’ll be ok. That’ll do me. Especially if I ignore what Strava has to say about my performance and just get on with it.
So, even though it looks like it, it wasn’t really a blue day. When I had to I fought. Smiling is supposed to make you feel more like smiling, so I did some of that. I, to use an over used cliché, kept calm and kept pedalling.
Cycling time: 2:19:38 hrs
Distance: 32.2 miles
Avs: 13.8 mph.
ODO: 1203.75 miles
That’s me that is…
Enjoy this trip. And it is a trip. It’s been a mad week. Birthday riding, girly stuff, work drinks, more riding, birthday party, and one final Sunday lunch to round it all off.
On Saturday five of the ACG, with no It, ventured out into the cold and windy for a Glastonbury coffee run. The hard men of the ACG were off doing 80 miles or so around the hills of the Quantocks and Exmoor… Much though I’d have loved to join them, brownie points and diplomacy meant that staying somewhat closer to home would be wise. Plus, let’s be honest, and more of this later, I was a bit too scared to join them. Having read GB’s ever erudite report, I’m thinking I made a good call. Perfection is as perfection does, and I don’t think it would have done it for me.
So there was Rob, Grant, Ian, Gary and me. All handicapped in one way or another, be it lack of mileage or injury or whatever. Ah, apart from Rob that is. He was just a machine. It was another day for trying out the summer bike, probably just in the hope it would make me faster. Plus it sure is pwerty :). We went straight there, over a hill, and straight back across the Levels. It was less about the ride, more about the coffee. Because they do do good coffee, and I still love my Orangina chaser. Sometimes history is important. As the residents clearly know. Glastonbury never disappoints, and with streets full of groups of medieval festival attendees, roaming free and dressed accordingly, it once more lived up to expectations. As I went down the stairs to the toilet, I passed a medieval princess. I thought she looked weird. She no doubt thought I looked weird. It worked on some level.
Cycling time: 1:43:41 hrs
Distance: 28.9 miles
Avs: 16.7 mph.
ODO: 1171.55 miles
And then I came home, and after some considerable faffing, had a massive (by my standards) birthday party. Brought to you by the letter F. With frock, FM heels, fabulous friends, fizz, the number forty, and…my very own rock band. Well, mine as in they did what I wanted them to, up to and including requests as previously arranged, and also repeats on the day. They rocked. We rocked. My mother may well have thought I was mutton dressed as lamb, but it was my party, so no-one else was impolite enough to say so. Not while I was listening anyway ;). Although I wish I’d had more time to talk to all the lovely people who came, it was, not unlike a wedding reception, exceedingly difficult to talk to everyone. And why talk when you can dance? I’m not the most sociable person in the world (*understatement alert*), and I love, and so miss, dancing… So I did what I was there to do. Me and a little girly posse danced the night away. Hey, it’s my party, and I didn’t feel like crying ;). At some point even Figgy joined us…everyone’s allowed occasional moments of insanity right? ;). I had an totally awesome night, and I walked home some time around midnight, with a hand full of purple helium balloons, still on my feet. A night well spent :D.
Still hate photos!
So there you go. It’s been a week of not normal. Which, sad though it may be, kinda left me looking forward to getting back on track. It’s the 1st of April, and mama didn’t raise no fools… Mutton clearly, but not fools. Time to get back to the gym, the training, the riding, the miles. I’ll take the pills when I need to, and if the choice is between pain with wine, and pills without, now that this week is history, the choice will always be pills. Time to get this show back on the road. It’s got to be all about training, eating the best I can, sleeping, and looking after me. Because I need to do what keeps me sane, and riding the bike is it.
I’ve been letting what’s going on with me knock me down, and I don’t think I’ve been fighting hard enough against it. I’ve been letting it get to me mentally, and it’s been quite some time since I felt much by way of PMA, or seen any signs of mojo. My physical performance hasn’t actually been as bad as I’ve thought or felt it was, but my head has had me in in some funny places. I’m pretty sure my future holds a heap more interesting pills, probably surgery, maybe other stuff…but that’s then and this is now. I know there will still be days when you’ll find me curled up in a dark corner whimpering, mentally and/or physically, but you know what? Not every day. And even then, it’s just pain, right? One day at a time, and every day should stand on its own merits. Time to MTFU and fight back. Remind me I said that…
I have the Joker next weekend. I have been massively fretting about it, but as of today I’m feeling a bit better. It looks like I’ll have company, at least at the beginning and maybe even the end. Even if I do the full route with all the scarey extras, it’s “only” 120km. I just don’t feel ready for 100 miles yet, and was having a huge mental block about that. I also did a better than expected gym session today. So, with all that considered, I feel a little, maybe even a lot, better about it now.
Here’s two things I have learnt this week.
