Six Months Sober

Since signing up for the challenge it’s pretty much taken over my life.

If I am not out training on my bike then I am either at work, or asleep, or fixing my bike, or tracking down all the additional bits I need for the trip (sleeping bag, head torch, ear plugs, spare tubes & tyres….there is a long list).

One of the many positives coming out of this is how I have completely stopped drinking alcohol.  I am partial to rum and really like to unwind at the weekend with a few glasses, invariably mixed with coke, so much so that cola does not taste right to me without rum in it!   

I realised back in 2012, when I first started cycling, how my body would not perform as well on the bike the morning after a drink (even just the one) so know that I have to stop my little indulgences to complete a challenge like this. 

The after effects of a particularly indulgent night combined with the prospect of Lejog on the horizon I stopped drinking back in December.  What’s been great is that my focus on the preparation has made this become mostly unconscious for me with little desire to crack a bottle open and even when the thought of how I quite fancy a nice rum comes along I instantly think about the negative effect on my training and dispose of the idea.

I am finding myself very tempted to towards a tipple recently, especially with BBQ’s, sunshine & Pims etc all around at the moment but having achieved 6 months T total it’s now become part of my personal goal.  I plan not to drink before John O’Groats where I may allow myself a wee dram to celebrate completing the ride.

Six Consecutive Days

I appreciate that some people think the ride from Lands End to John O’Groats (Lejog) is going to be a walk in the park for me because of the amount of cycling I have been doing over the last five years and how my training has gone so far, but I can categorically say that I am going to suffer doing this, especially my knee’s due to the hyper mobile knee caps I am gifted with. 

Of most concern is the impact on my body of doing a hundred miles day after day for nine consecutive days.  I rarely ride anything more than three consecutive days, and even then these would tend to just be 40 miles each day (15 in the morning, 25 in the evening) with me feeling the cumulative run down effect each day as I ride.

With all this training I have been putting in this year (just over 5000 miles covered so far in 2017) I have been concentrating on building up my stamina to do the longer distances and whilst I have done a few weeks including three or four consecutive days I have still shied away from anything more as basically I am knackered!

Last week I decided to make a concerted effort to try for six consecutive days and somehow I have managed it.  Completing 280 miles over the six days the distances are nowhere close to what will be demanded for Lejog’s 967 miles over nine days but I still feel it was a great achievement.

The cumulative effect was present as ever, especially setting off in the evenings on days five and six so I made sure to stick with the advice those far wiser than I have given me to just take it easy, use the gears and spin the legs.  Surprisingly the ache and complaint from my legs then eased off after 10 to 15 miles and I could then push on a bit, however my body then felt depleted each time I tried to push and I had to just tick over to make it home but this could be due to lack of fuel as it’s the end of the day, at least that’s what I am telling myself.

I have been very aware of the cause I am raising funds for this week, which helped motivate my training as I had heard about an air ambulance being in attendance on three different days in the week.  Just look at Junes Mission map for Kent Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance.

I was also aware of how London Air Ambulance had assisted at the Grenfell tower fire, and still in spite of everything the Air Ambulances do, they are charity funded!  Gives me a great boost knowing my efforts may save someone’s life.   All sponsorship I raise is being matched by my employers so could be 2 lives.