I'm not dead...honest

I got a rather nifty present from my ex this Christmas. I like to keep on good terms with the people I have had the good fortune to spend periods of my life with. Just because we are no longer in a relationship, it does not mean that I automatically have to hate you! Life is too short so friends it is.

Anyway, enough of the personal philosophies.....as well as Victoria Pendleton's book he bought me a Sony Smartwatch. This is a remarkable gadget that clips onto a wristband and streams what is happening on my phone to my wrist. (or you can clip in onto clothing) You see, when I go out on my bike and he tries to get hold of me it can take some time and he says he worries that I'm in a ditch somewhere and he has no idea where I am or what I am doing......

So this little gadget has a button on it that sends an automated response to a text. I can see a text arrive from him and press this little button that simply replies.........."I'm busy" he then knows that I am indeed OK but it is not so intrusive that I feel I have to explain to an ex where I am and what I am doing.........he just knows that I am not lying in a ditch!

I'm off to see if I can edit the response to "it's ok I'm not lying in a ditch"

It also gives me up to date weather info including wind speeds (handy) forward forecasts and if I enable GPS on my phone it would also give me the same info as my Cateye. Speed/time/distance. it tells me of any missed calls on my mobile so if I really do need to take a call while I am out I can, at least, see the caller on the watch and pull over and take the call or return it ASAP.

If I wanted to listen to music on my phone it can act as a controller for that too. And it even works with facebook and twitter if you wanted it to do that too. Though on a bike that is probably not such a good idea! I go out on my bike to get away from that kind of stuff, I really don't want to take it with me! But the Smartwatch was not built just for us cyclists and if you really need to be THAT connected you can. I turned that bit off :)

Thanks J, I'm not in a ditch......honest :)

Festive coughs and splutters

No exercise at all for me so far this festive season. I started feeling ill on the 21st, throat like I had been gargling with razor blades and temperature through the roof. What great timing! By Christmas day I had a head full of snot and a pair of lungs that were just about functioning enough to keep me oxygenated so long as I didn't move. So no cycling, no running and no swimming allowed (not that I could have anyway!)

It's now the 28th and I am just starting to feel properly human again. The head is clearing, albeit slowly, and the lungs are starting to feel properly functional again. All I need now is the stabbing pains in my head to desist and I can start to think about exercise again.

Ahh well, some imposed rest is not too bad this far out in a training programme and I have plenty of time to catch up. Zoe has been putting in some impressive mileages this week so I will be hitting the turbo as soon as I can and hopefully make the 50 mile ride we have planned for the 6th Jan.

I went out with a friend yesterday, photographing Manchester (Salford) and I had not seen David for a couple of months and he commented on the weight loss as soon as he saw me. "Keep doing that cycling thing.....I can see the difference already! A whole lot slimmer" Now that is one of the very nice side effects of getting fitter :)

Right, tyre change and back on the turbo it is!

Targets

As we approach Christmas and the shortest day of the year my thoughts are turning to the targets I need to put in place over the next three months to make sure I am fit enough at the end of March to take on this epic ride in May.

I want my base fitness to be there by the end of March otherwise I risk overtraining in the weeks leading up to the ride and that puts you into prime territory for injuries which is the last thing I want. The 4-6 weeks before the ride should be all about clocking up some miles and the last two weeks should be about maintaining that fitness/distance capacity.

What is left of December can still be my random, turbo/cycle/swim when I can, which is pretty much what I have been doing. I have lost half a stone on my random training cycle but I now need to look at some specific targets. Both in terms of distances cycled and weight loss......after Christmas dinner that is :)

I need to be capable of doing 80 miles in a day, and then getting back on the bike and doing it again the next day. Oh that is going to hurt!

So I am breaking each day down into 20 mile rides. 20 miles and a break. 20 miles then lunch, 20 miles and a break, 20 miles and done for the day, repeat the following day. It does not sound so bad when you are doing 20 miles at a time :)

Time to look for some good 20 mile and 40 mile rides from home. The 20 miles I can do already, I know I can. I've done 20  miles on the mountain bike, down Middlewood way and back. Now I have to train to do it twice...and then three times.....and then four times.... The turbo trainer is great for helping with the fitness and conditioning and if the weather is too bad to get out much in Jan I need to start doubling and trebling the turbo sessions too. One in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening to replicate those 20 mile rides.

Over Christmas I want to get a 40 mile ride under my belt. By end Jan up to 50 miles, end Feb 60 miles, end March 80 miles.

Some good can come from my insanity

I get asked why, at my age, am I taking on 170 miles of cycling?

Why not? Well that is my answer. Just because I am the wrong side of 40 by a distance with a wonky liver and only three ligaments in one knee......still, why not!

But one thing I have learned as I have gone through this life of mine. Not everyone is as fortunate to be able to jump on a bike and go and do something daft because they want to.

I have seen some darker times along the way. The death of my husband and both my parents. Coming very, very close to not being around myself. If it were not for the skill of a very competent surgeon and anaesthetist I would not have seen any of the last 7 years.

So I resolved that some good should come from my silliness and it honestly does help when at 9pm you have to go and sweat on a trainer for an hour when a glass of wine is so much more appealing......so I decided that MacMillan Nurses should be the recipient of every penny I can coax, cajole and blackmail people out of. I'm going to do their cycletta event which is 37 miles the week before the 170 and roll the two together for fundraising. So 207 miles is my new target :)

MacMillan were there for me when I needed help the most and that 207 miles will be for them.

First group cycle

Was fun!

One degree temp, ice on the road. Oh that will be a good day for a ride out on some hills! ha ha ha. These guys do have a sense of humour!

we met at Rivington Barn for 10.30 and after coffee got changed in THE coldest building, an unheated toilet block.....brrrrr! Still got me into my kit quickly! lol 11am and off we went.

Tony, Glen, Gary, Zoe and me. And if Tony had been honest about that first hill........holy heck!

This is the view from Tony's saddle. He and Glen have returned from doing the El Camino challenge which is 850km with proper hills so this is just a little un for these boys, for us, this is BIG! lol
Still we got up it and along the way I got more confidant in my hill riding technique. You see, when i was 20 i was really, really fit and very, very light. So hills were fun things to be blasted up. When you are 47 hills are things to be sworn at. In about three languages and Tony gets called names too :)

But is was a super day out with some absoultely stunning countryside and fabulous company kept a smile on my face all day. If this is what cycling is about, I'm hooked.

So 5 went mental in Lancashire but we could only get a photo of four of the miscreants as Tony had the camera, and the breath to actually get the thing out a bag and use it!

left to right Zoe, Glen, me and Gary. yes I still have that awful pink waterproof but Zoe said it actually makes me more visible than any of the others so regrettably, it might have to stay.

By the way....how short am I?

Training for something specific

I can be quite structured when it comes to training and the difficulty I have right now is that the bulk of the work I will have to do will be over the winter months. Dec, Jan, Feb and March. By the time I hit the end of March I want my fitness levels to be capable of doing those 170 miles albeit at a push. By the time May comes round I want those 170 miles to be within reach without pushing every bit of me to breaking point. So four months of time in the saddle it is. The mileages need to increase as well as the time.

And in this country, with this weather and dark nights? Not going to happen.

So a turbo trainer it is. I need to get that work in and if I don't I will leave myself too much to do and not enough time to do it. I'm all for going out for a ride but today it has been 5 deg and throwing it down. I might be keen but that is just miserable weather to be doing anything in. Plus it got dark at 3.30! So I have just finished a lovely bowl of pasta and I'm off for an hour on the bike.

I can still get some bike time and I get to stay warm, dry (who am I kidding I sweat like a fountain!) but most of all I stay safe.

Le Velocipede on the turbo.

On clothing

Ok so I now apparently need cycle clothing. My old Tshirts, fleeces and jogging bottoms are not good for this cycling in winter lark and I'm getting blooming cold!

So off I go for a trip to Evans at Trafford in Manchester. Out I emerge some time (and a pile of cash) later. Shoes, check...odd things that attach to the pedals.......hmmmmm
Winter legging type things so my knees don't freeze, that sounds good. A jacket, windproof on the front, breatheable on the back......this stuff is actually rather well thought out! A helmet (of course) and some eye protection. You have seriously got NO IDEA how much those things have increased my enjoyment. I can see where I am going without tears streaming out my eyes and if a stone comes flying at me I stand a chance of not losing an eye. That's got to be good. Overshoes......ok so now I need something to go over those expensive shoes because......ok they are breathable for summer, but it's winter and my feet will freeze.....Ok SOLD! A waterproof so I get wet from the inside? Seriously?
And gloves............Have I told you, I Love my gloves :)

Ok I'm getting geeky now, I'll stop it.

I had a laugh with the lovely chap who helped me with all of this....he asked what colour madam would like said waterproof jacket in......seriously dude, I look like a knob! Who cares what colour it is! So I went for the one that is least likely to get me run over ;) Sometimes it matters not what I look like, I prefer to stay safe :)

I went to Evans because they are the largest cycling shop in the area. Than meant that as a female cyclist I could get the most choice. And still it was a tiny selection compared to the choice that the guys have. Seriously vendors, get your act together, you KNOW how much us ladies like shopping for clothes? Give us more choice!

And honestly? I may be female but I really don't want everything in pink!

The new addition

The Tank is proving a sturdy steed. For commuting and blatting around locally I can live with him quite nicely thanks. Hybrid tyres mean he is well enough mannered on the road but can still just about manage some muddy stuff too.

But.

For 170 miles of Way of the Roses? I don't think The Tank is really cut out for that kind of ride. So I have found him a stablemate. She's cute (this one is definately a girl) in white and pink with newly refurbished cassette and chain, new tape on her bars and she is a supermodel. All skinny and light :-P

She is a Specialised Dolce Elite. And she is mine :)

I bought her second hand so I could afford a good quality bike but I didn't pay the new price for her. That may come in time but for now she will do me nicely thank you.

I had to be shown how to change gear! In my day we had things called levers. Apparently we now have shifters, who'd have thought!

progress!

6 miles. A poxy 6 miles was all I was good for first time out. well that had to change! And the only way it was going to change was by using the bike. For everything that I could. So I started taking it to do those little local jobs. Ones where I would have walked or taken the car. Take the bike instead. And I began to enjoy it. The I hit paydirt!

I was looking online for somewhere else I could cycle. The roads around Stockport/Manchester/Marple (where I live and work) are somewhat congested to downright dangerous at times. I wanted something I could enjoy and relax with too. And I found it.

http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/ranger_service/countryside_sites/macclesfield_area_countryside/middlewood_way.aspx

I have one of the best cycle paths in the area.........less than a mile from my front door, and I didn't even know it was there! It is a shocking realisation to know that you have this facility on your doorstep, have driven past it on numerous occasions and didn't even know it was there. No signs, no local recognition that it so much as exists. At least put a blooming sign at the end of the road so people can see we acually HAVE a cycle path in the area!

So I have started using The Tank on the Middlewood Way route. From the website it looks like it should be spectacular in summer. :) It's a bit mucky right now but when it is cold and clear it really is a lovely ride out :) Cycling through Cheshire countryside with no traffic, the sun coming thorough railway arches and mist in the fields.......THIS is what I like :)

First time out 6 miles, second time out 6 miles out and 6 back so 12....and last weekend I went on Saturday and did the 9 to Macclesfield and back so with the bit either end to home I did my first 2 mile cycle.

ohhh get me! ;)

So I have gone from 6 miles of hell to 20 miles of enjoyable riding in under 8 weeks.

Right time to get to work!

So having established that my base fitness is non existant what the heck am I going to do about it?

I'm writing this blog in Dec and going back to Oct to fill in up till now so I'll tell you what I have been doing about it! I started on the 10th Oct 2012. I know this because I wrote it down. And then I wrote down every session I did on the treadmill, just doing interval training, one minute walk uphill, two minute run, for half an hour....and I built that up till I could do it no problem, then I built the speeds up so I was working harder till I got I could do that one in my stride......then I injured my achilles....so I am currently restricted to cycling and swimming.

There is a fab little programme called MapMyRide and I am loggin my workouts on there so I can see them add up. It is intensely satisfying to see the miles add up and the calories (yes those little devils that live in your wardrobe and sew your clothes up tighter). I logged my ride on Tuesday this week and I have slaughtered 22,000 of the little blighters since Oct! I'm going to start addressing diet more in January, I figure there is the slight possibility I could get tempted by rich food, chocolate and alchohol over the festive season so I'll take it a little easier than otherwise I might but January will be the time to address that.

I have set myself a target weight to get to by the end of March and although my body shape is already changing the scales are not changing as I would like them to. I'm not going to get bent and out of shape over it though. I am burning fat and putting on muscle so there is a shape change without losing the amount in pure numeric terms. That can come in Jan-March 2013.

Now, going back to The Tank. What to do about the bike? it's old, perfectly serviceable but heavy.

I make a decision. I shall keep The Tank, fit mudguards, lights and change the tyres to hybrids. And I shall use him (He is definately a boy!) through the winter to commute when I can, generally cycle around locally and do some specific training simply because it IS heavy. One thing I learned in my sports training (years ago) was to train hard and fight easy :) If I needed to run a set distance in a set time I would train to do it that bit faster. There is no way I wanted to be struggling when I HAD to perform. So The Tank will be getting used for some hill work. If I can get up some hills on something THAT heavy, then a lighter, faster bike should, in theory, be a lot easier!

The first turn of the crank

My first run out on my old mountain bike was only 6 miles. I think I shall call the mountain bike "Tank" from here on in. It weighs in at 23 lbs and coupled with the weight I could happily lose it means I am propelling around close to a couple of stone I could do without!

Now I am not going to mince my words here but I felt knackered. It was awful. I wheezed my way round that 6 miles and I thought.....how the hell am I ever going to do 170 miles if I can barely struggle round 6? My base fitness is non existant and this is going to be tough. I questioned whether I had it in me to do it.

Then I read this :- http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/

Oh.....my....word....... Seriously, go and read it and I challenge any of you to either not cry or not want to applaud. 39 stone????? and if he can do it? Well, what am I waiting for?

In the beginning, before insanity..

Now if that image does not scare you off.......(this is what I look like after an hour of training)

Welcome to the very first entry in what I hope will become a regular blog.
So who am I and why am I blogging at all?

Well, I am currently the ripe old age of 47 and I have just got back on a bike again after some 27 years! That is an awful long time since I was last cycling.

I used to cycle everywhere in my late teens. It was my only form of transport back then and really did play a large part in a horrible teenager getting out the house. To me, it represented my independance. I could get out and about, spend time with my friends and I was not constantly asking Dad to ferry me around. I remember studying for A levels and cycling to the local (12 miles away) water park and spending the day lounging by the lake doing my revision. Gave me peace away from home. I was certainly a lot fitter in those days. I played a lot of sport, mainly hockey and was a good deal lighter too! Oh how I miss that power to weight ratio ;)

So why now? Why is this mad middle aged woman getting back on a bike?
I have some friends to thank (blame) Gary Hill and Tony Hemans. Gary is my right hand man in my photography business and a good friend and when I was discussing ways of getting a bit fitter, his entire contribution was to say.....bike.....bike.....bike. Then Tony pitched in with more bike....bike....bike comments and then somehow, in a moment of weakness...I agreed to go on a bike ride.....of 170 miles Coast to coast. Morecambe to Bridlington. it is apparently called the Way of the Roses. Right now I call it madness!

At this point I had a mountain bike. A fifteen year old Giant, gents mountain bike with no suspension and weighs a ton. So off out pedalling I go.........