180. Hobbling along

Exercise is bad for you. Which is why I am currently loafing about "resting" a sports injury...

Said sports injury has turned Sunday's 10k from a run to a walk. Mostly because there's a time limit on the half-marathon the weekend after... The Proclaimers Challenge is endurance madness!

Luckily, the Tour de France is on, and so whilst trapped on the sofa (sobbing softly into my box of therapeutic chocolates) I at least have some mad sporting action to watch. I cannot quite understand the desire to go to the south of France in summer to cycle endlessly uphill (I'd be on a beach, frankly), but it's remarkably relaxing watching others do so.

Nothing much else happening. I should be unhappy about that, but really, this is more like my idea of a good time... Still, hopefully leg will get itself sorted sharpish, as there are 300 miles to go and they aren't the sort of miles one can do from the sofa. So to speak...

:o)

Today's stats:
Walking - 2 miles, 34 mins [Uphill...]
Walking - 2 miles, 33 mins [Downhill]

Friday's stats:
RPM - 50 mins [hard work - might need to make sure to extra stretches at end from now on]

179. An educational day by the sea

Managed to knock another 62 and change miles off the Proclaimers Challenge today. Things I've learnt...

1) Best to try (harder) to get to the start of events on time. Turning up later than scheduled (albeit with over an hour's drive completed) leads to rushing, panicking and starting the event 12 mins late and on one's own... Allowing absolutely no chance of drafting and setting one up for a long old slog.

2) If you take things with you, best to use them and/or remember them. Fix number to front of bike (makes using the feed stations easier!). Apply suncream to arms (even if it is raining because you did check the forecast and the sun will be appearing. Eventually...). Attach spare inner tubes and pump to bike rather than leaving them in the car - so much more useful that way...

3) Bike rack concept needs work. Mark (the car) was not a fan (Boris scratched him! The ignominy!). Boris was largely ambivalent, but he did shudder distractingly throughout. I did not find having to drive at no more than 65 mph all day much fun - particularly on the way home, when my 2.5 hour drive went on, and on, and on... Still, it did work, and was way less stressful than taking Boris apart and putting him in a box (nothing before or since has been that stressful): just need to work out how to protect Mark better...

4) Must do more training. Was scooped up in the latter half of the ride by a group of cycling club people who (strongly) encouraged me to join them and take advantage of the resultant drafting. I found the pace a bit high, but managed to keep with them to the end. Important thing to note here is that said cycling club is made up of (mainly) retirement-age cyclists - I was being outpaced by a group of people which included at least one septuagenarian! Must do more training...

5) People can be very lovely. Said group of cyclists not only shepherded me to the finish (a good thing, as they'd started removing the directional signs by the time we got to the end of the ride!), but one of them gave me money for the Proclaimers Challenge! Even though this was a charity event intended really to raise fund for another charity.

Well, I think that's enough learnt for one day. I'm off to eat more chocolate (can't be bothered eating healthily today - too much effort) and collapse into bed.

Onwardzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

:o)

Today's stats:
Cycling - 62.137 miles, 6 hrs [oof! A little wind goes a long way...]

178. Oh for a sense of direction

So I was out and about last week - lots of travelling, which should have included lots of cycling-in-gym training.... But didn't (oops!).

I did make up my mind and bought some cycling kit - rack for car so that Boris can be transported without bad-tempered shoving (at least that's the plan). I have already been warned that "simple to fit" is a relative terms.... Joy!

I decided to walk to pick up the rack. Should have been about 3 miles round trip. As it turns out, it was over 5 miles because someone (that would be me) has no sense of direction. Noting that this was from my home to a part of town I know relatively well, and then back again. Not that hard. Except it was...

I should be happy to have "gone the extra mile" but... Would really rather have sat at home with my feet up.

Satnav would be good - if you could guarantee a signal... Google maps almost always does not work with anything resembling speed when you really, really need it to. Or, alternatively, I could develop a sense of direction! Any time now would be good...

:o)

Saturday's stats:
Bodybalance - 1 hr [try to stretch everything out before Sunday...]
Friday's stats:
RPM - 50 mins [7am class, ridiculously hard work, start working day ready for bed]

Thursday's stats:
Walk - 5.64 miles, 1 hr 18 mins [7am class, ridiculously hard work, start working day ready for bed]
Monday's stats:
Walk - 3.04 miles, 50 mins [out for a wander by the sea]