So Much Pain for one moments Stupidity

Todays blog entry was going to be about how splendid my preparation is going as with just 4 weeks to go now I have been doing around 300 miles a week for the last for the last 8 weeks, made up generally of around 150 miles in the week over three or four days and then a hundred mile ride and a fifty-ish mile ride over the weekend.

Generally feeling tired most of the time but not too bad considering and my body seems to be accepting this regime with my dodgy knee’s coping with the strain.  Appreciating that 300 miles over five/six days is nothing like the 969 miles over nine days I will be asking of my body shortly, but feel I have done all I can to get my body ready for the mileage.

Further good news is that following a hundred mile ride yesterday I took the opportunity to sleep in the tent in the back garden last night to test out my new sleeping bag as clear skies forecasted a drop in temperature overnight and I figure it’s going to be cold as we head up north in September so need to make sure I am going to be warm enough.

Slept quite well although can see that getting the temperature is going to be tricky each night as whilst my upper body will be feeling the cold, my legs will be radiating heat from the days exertion so made good use of the ability to open the zip from the bottom of the bag last night, allowing my legs to poke out of the bag with my body still covered up.

Unfortunately I was a complete numpty today.  I was 20 miles into a 60 mile route when I stopped to select a pre-determined course to follow for the rest of the ride as was entering an area I do not know so well.  I would normally have selected the course by navigating through the menu’s on the cycle computer whilst riding along, but I felt I should be cautious and stop to do this in order to avoid potential hazards of trying to do both at the same time.

I was on a country lane, in the middle of nowhere stationary with my left foot unclipped from the pedal and supporting me on the floor.  I selected the course, pressed go and was letting the computer calculate the route when I heard the noise of an approaching vehicle.  Being considerate I thought best to get myself over to the side of the road as I was a couple foot over from the verge at the time, so I took a step to get out of the way.  

Problem is that I stepped over with my right foot, that’s the one still clipped to the bike!  Next thing I know I am on the floor with the bike half on top of me (I am still attached) and my right elbow pressing hard onto my ribs.  I was winded by the fall and when I do try and breath there is a whole load of pain in my chest.

I could hear the vehicle getting closer so untangle myself from the bike and hobbled to the side of the road.  The vehicle passed and I finally manage to get my breath back to find I am greeted by a whole load of pain, which unfortunately I have experience of from many times* before and know what this means.

So either my ribs are cracked or bruised and I am up for a whole lot of pain for the next week at least but hopefully it is just bruising and the pain will start to subside after that and I can get back on the bike without too much discomfort within a week. 

*For anyone who does not know I rode skateboard in big concrete bowls and pools until I was 37 and have taken lots of hard body slams onto the crete, many with an elbow digging into my ribs with the pain that follows this and no ability to do much about it other than rest.

 

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.