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.