Training Update Week 15

15 weeks in,  under 14 weeks to go - over halfway now - point of no return?
Fundraising up to £1,119.34, with some more added today, but not totalled in yet - quiz night and curry night interest at fever pitch - just book in will ya!

Another great week on the bike, had a rest day mid week this week, so don't know if that was better but certainly helped mileage wise!

The stats:
275 miles completed this week - most miles in a week and longest ride of the year as well - just under 63 miles - see post below. 16 hours- ish on the bike @ 17.2ish average speed That makes 2328 miles for the year!
Good ride out with Simon today, 23 miles on a blustery but still a warm afternoon.
No ida of current weight, nor Wii Fit age but i am really happy with progress and am sure that 5000 miles by end July is definately do-able now

In other news Gilbert takes Amstel Gold, and Contador takes Castilla y Leon. Volcanic Ash not helping movement of riders around Europe at present, but Fleche Wallone on Weds - lets see who turns up huh?

Likely to be less mileage this next week, missing my usual big ride day tomorrow as travelling to Oxford for my Grandma's funeral but what better way to start the week than with a rest day - schools back too this week so more traffic on roads no doubt?

Commute of the week

Thought I would just share my commute from Friday with you all. - 27 and a half miles.

It is a commute on the basis that I left home and later arrived at work, but as you will note from the graphic - shorter routes are available, in fact I think I travelled around 13.5 times further than the shortest alternative route!

Did 22 on the way home too!

Keeps the opposition guessing if you vary your routes I find...

Welcome to the Century

You know what its like, get up, decide that today is all about recovery and plan in a mid-day ride to do just that. Problem is, once you are in the saddle the legs start turning and before you know it you are slowly but surely clocking up the miles.

So there i was, with this loose plan of heading out to Acle and then north around the coast before heading back home - so got to Acle, then Martham, Sea Palling / Walcott / Bacton / North Walsham, then as i was heading down towards Coltishall realised that a ton was on the cards on km's - had to be done didn't it?

62.95 miles / 101.3km's covered - Not so quick as recent rides - well it was a recovery ride wasn't it! (it was flipping windy though  - a North Easterly - predominantly in my face until about halfway round) If you are remotely interested the route can be viewed here.

Training Update Week 14

Almost half way towards L2P24 - 103 days to go (14 1/2 weeks), sponsorship up to £809 and what a week this week...

Cloudy start to the week, but a finished so full of sun, i thought we had skipped spring and gone straight to Summer! Have had a week off work and so the plan was to aim for around a 2hour stint each day.

The stats:
231 miles covered this week, Or put another way around 13.5 hours on the road. That's 2053 for the year so far.(Maybe i need to extend the annual target as at this rate i should hit 5000 by July!)
Longest ride was just over 50, but managed to maintain 18.4mph for it!
Also as reported below smashed my time for a 10, with a 26.29
Wii fit reported me as being 28 today, with a BMI of 23.73 - no change there then!

Legs are feeling really strong, so i hope to build on this week - Looking to mix up the training a bit over the next few weeks - new routes and new mini targets to aim at - more news soon.

In Pro Cycling, Spartacus takes Flanders, by blasting away from Boonen in the closing kilometres, Paris Roubaix today, rivalry bound to be resumed for that, can he do it again? - I want big George to win, but we will have to wait and see. Chris Horner, takes Tour of the Basque country for the Shack, and  Sanchez takes Circuit de la Sarthe. BMC Racing have suspended Ballan for his implications in a doping investigation.

Amstel Gold next weekend and Tour of Romandie at the end of the month.

Back to work on tuesday, hoping to get a rollout with Simon next week again and try to install it as a regular feature.

The Golden Years

Done it!

Turned my Wii Fit piggy gold that is.

40 hours of muscle workouts, aerobic exercises, balance games and yoga, and with Wii Fit plus the Training Plus activiities too.

Not forgetting countless body tests, with BMI and weight going up and down like the proverbial fiddlers elbow!

Next challenge!

Stop all the Clocks...

This was going to be a post about me obliterating my previous best for a 10 miler yesterday...

But had some sad news this morning - my Grandma died overnight, she has been poorly for a long time, and although inevitable still a shock when it finally happens.

This post's title is still appropriate as W H Auden's classic poem has some great lines about time just standing still and life not being the same beyond this point. - In a sense this is true, but i do know that my Grandma is in a much better place at home with her God.

btw - my 10 mile time was 26.29 - kinda puts the things we get excited / obsessed about in perspective though at times like this...

Training Update Week 13

13 huh? unlucky for some - not a bit of it - best mileage for a week, longest single ride and another dip under 30 mins for a 10 miler it's all good! So 3 months in so that must call for a review and comparison of the year so far as well as a throwback on this week, so here goes:
Year to date comparisons:
Jan Mileage: 490
Feb Mileage: 355
Mar Mileage:865

As for the stats of the week:
227 miles completed this week, making 1822 for the year so far.
Longest ride a shade under 53 miles (and held 18mph for the experience!)
BMI - fluctuated but last reading 23.73 so around 160lbs now.
Wii fit age topped at 37 (still 3 years in hand!)
 Cleaned the bike this morning - boy did it need it! Enjoyed being all sparkly cruising the countryside this afternoon clocking my 50+ as mentioned above. Continuing to feel good, and am starting to feel progress is happening - legs stronger etc

111 days until L2P24, sponsorship up to £740 - little by little as the saying goes...

In other news, mixed fortunes in the track worlds, but a good overall result in the Olympic events for GB, elsewhere, Dave Millar wins De Panne , looking forward to Flanders tomorrow - LA competing for the Shack!

Rest day tomorrow, then out to Sandringham on Monday for a ride with Simon - Come on!

Spring has Sprung - Training Week 12

It might not be fields of sunflowers in Provence, as made famous by many shots during the Tour de France over the years, but seeing the daffodils out in the hedgerows and verges finally is the clincher that Spring may well be here? (Well it is Easter next weekend after all!)

Onto the numbers:
209 miles covered this week a smidge under last weeks total, thats now a massive 1594 for the year - almost 1/3 of the way towards my annual target.
Longest ride - another 40 miler.
Longest day in saddle - 46 (sound familiar?)

Achievements - other than the specific report below, I also dipped under 30mins again for 10 miles on Friday. - That's twice! All bar a little bit of rain it has been a dry, sunny week, and there have been no mechancial issues to report - all in all a good week!

Lidl came up trumps, with 2 pais of compression shorts, and a top, as well s 4 pairs of socks and a tool bag.

116 days until L2P24, sponsorship creeping up - just under £700 now, Quiz night, Curry night, and two non uniform days planned to boost that total plus more begging from family and friends. Sortened work wek this wek, plus week off next week so hoping to get some big mileage in too. Have booked Clarendon hotel in Blackheath for overnight stop on 22nd July pre-event, also need to find myself a bike bag allegedly for etting my bike home safely!?

In other cycling news, Cav get his first win of the season in Catalunya, but then drops out with flu symptoms a few days later, Fabian Cancellara won E3 Prijs Vlaanderen-Harelbeke. Criterium International concludes today and it is also Ghent-Wevelgem today... (April is also looming fast with all the classics)

On the track the Brits are a bit intermittent, with Hoy stuttering, winning and then bombing out over three events. Aussies take us in the team pursuit - just! Vicky Pendleton consistent as ever wins sprint, and Lizzie Armitstead at time of writing still in with a shout in the omnium. Worlds finishes today so maybe moe medals are possible?

For me - a rest day (well earned?) church followed by a family meal out at lunch - cracking!

Does familiarity breed contempt?

An old adage but is it true?

I know there are equal schools of thought for cycling different routes to keep the variety and therefore the spice of life perpetuated, as well as pedalling the old tried and trusted routes too.

Thing is I know that it is say 8 miles from my house to that particular shaped bush, or maybe 12 miles from my house to that road sign and also 20 miles to the brow of that hill...
I also know what time i expect to pass said bush, sign, other landmark in as well, and therefore can guage my performance and general fitness in round terms. - Contemptible, probably. Sad definately - am I bovvered - NOPE!

PS - Press release on L2P24 http://www.networknorwich.co.uk/Articles/191076/Network_Norwich_and_Norfolk/Regional_News/Norwich/Gruelling_cycle_challenge_for_Norwich_Christians.aspx
Feel free to donate at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RoaringFortiesL2P24

1st objective achieved!

Not sure if I published it or not, but one of my targets for this year was to dip under 30 minutes for a 10 miler - no biggie I accept but it means something to me.

Today was that day:

10 miles in 28.01 - 21.5ish mph  - I'm happy!