Taking the Wrong Route

I should've known. I've been here before, I should have recognised it.

When I started running I had a mixture of advice, both good and bad, ranging from getting the correct shoes to avoid injury to eating cake before I go out because I'd need the carbs. I was also advised on beautiful routes to take, most of which involved ridiculously steep hills along coastal paths that added nothing to my road running training. I know many, many people who take those paths and enjoy running them but I am not one as I like to remove my brain and run like a zombie for hours on end.

The same can be said for cycling; although I need to be a bit more switched on as there's traffic to avoid and the speeds can contribute to nasty accidents I still need as many long, steady routes as I can find. I have a good idea of which routes will be most beneficial in my training however I was struggling to get motivated to go out this afternoon and Mrs L suggested a nostalgic route that used to serve her well back in the day.

I made my way along a couple of familiar roads to get my mileage up, finding them to be congested as it was time for the schools to empty. I then decided to go along the sedate, traffic free route that I knew would be slightly more inclined and prepared to ride up it. What I came across was the filthiest, wettest, cow-pattiest road I've ever come across. When running this is not such an issue as shoes don't tend to spray the collection up and over the user, however it turns out a bike is a very efficient muck spreader. It should have clicked when I was told to 'go towards the dump and turn left'. The smell from both was out of this world.

I will now stick to what I know and leave the cows alone. Sorry cows.

The Training has Begun

Yesterday I officially started my RideLondon cycle training. I am nervous and excited, like that time I signed up to a marathon and thought 'now what?' I did 25 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes, averaging 11.67 mph, way below what I'm hoping for next year. I promise not to post all of my stats, mind.

I've also just arrived back with this little beauty - 

It's occurred to me that I may struggle with timings for training as I currently have time available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays but don't want to do nothing for four days and then cram it all into the weekend. I'm therefore combining family time and cycling on Wednesdays, leaving actual cycling to Fridays and Sundays - starting with shorter distances as 25 miles seems too much for early training. What can I say, I'm keen, but I know the risk of injury is high from overtraining. Been there, done that. Now it's time to stick to the plan.

No More Running for the Rest of my Life

I'm amazed at the cynicism of some people. I've just come off a pretty rigid ten week training plan that involved a lot of healthy eating, very little drinking and absolutely zero pizza or pasties yet when I mentioned that I would be taking this weekend off completely before switching to cycling next week I received a few knowing looks, more than a few titters and one person almost flat out suggesting I was giving up.

Although I have to put a lot into cycling I do have eight months to prepare and have to ensure I don't get bored of it so thought I'd have a week to myself to recover. This means I can celebrate a friend's birthday guilt-free and actually live a little before putting myself through yet another ordeal.

I promise you all though, I will be back. Oh yes. Back I will be.

Here's me looking knackered after my Autumn half marathon events.

I Own a Bike

I changed my training plan. This is a drastic thing to do but I thought that if I could manage a 13 mile run last Sunday then I'd be able to manage one next Sunday, the date of the Robin Hood half marathon, and that would allow me a long bike ride today...so that's what I did.

Falmouth Cycles organise a group ride every Sunday (details on their Facebook page) and, after Steve and Dom sorted me out with suitable wheels, I had a quick go last Friday to make sure I still knew how to ride a bike. That done, I signed up to the ride and decided to add an extra few miles on too. Hey, what's a few miles when you've got wheels doing all the work?

Unfortunately my lack of bike experience for the year saw me dragging my new pony up the inclines of Cornwall on what was meant to be a 32 mile or so ride. I had to throw in the towel after around 25 as I could see how badly I was holding the group up and, despite excellent encouragement from Mat French, I nipped back to the shop for a bit of a rest. I still had to cycle back, a distance of 11 miles if I took the normal route or 14 if I wanted to make up the mileage to 50, and figured this would have me back in one piece.

I managed to record my awful stats, the ride home being a particularly steady affair. This isn't a great picture as it's more of an 11, 25, 14 mile ride with breaks in between but 50 miles on the same day feels like something of an accomplishment...just need to get the ol' speed up to scratch now.

Back to the Future Past of Running in the Present

A quick update as I may be a bit quiet for the coming weeks. I've signed up to a couple of half marathons in September and October, the Robin Hood Half (with Virtual Runner, so I can complete it in a dressing gown and slippers with a cup of tea while running 13.1 miles around an area I know) and Exeter's Great West Run, a superbly organised event that I've done before. My training takes me to October 15th, the date of the second run, after which I will switch to cycling and build a foundation for RideLondon next year.

I don't need to raise  funds but should anyone wish to donate the link is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lyvitlondonclassics .

If you're into training plans, and hey! ...only you know why, I've just come off an eight mile run, the next two Sundays are 10 milers followed by the virtual half, than a training half, then a ten and finally Great West Run. I'll be doing intermediate two mile runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays and five mile runs on a Friday. 

Next time I post I'll own a BIKE!

I Can Swim

Things are going on in the background here all the time but I thought I'd best update the situation. Firstly I have been in the sea and can confirm that I am able to move myself forward meaning I probably won't drown. I didn't have a reliable gauge of distance but have recently worked out that I swam around 0.3 miles very comfortably and believe I could do a mile for sure. This makes me want to do the Serpentine Swim this year, although accommodation would still be an issue. 

I lost my wedding ring while I was swimming but fortunately it was a back up ring as I was worried about losing it while I was running due to a significant amount of weight loss. I have ordered another back up ring with a back up back up ring on the way too.

I've also been back to the bike shop to hand over more money, though I'm still a short amount away from owning a bike. I did remember to get a picture of it this morning, though. Isn't it pretty...(and more importantly, appropriate)?

The Bike

I've managed to save £200 for a bike. I went on places like Gumtree and eBay and can confirm that there are bikes out there for less than £200. I did not buy any of these.

My big plan with running London Marathon was to show it is accessible to all and it really is, however if you want to do it cheaply then you've got to be willing to work for it. I took a charity place and had to raise £1,625 to run. I could buy a £200 bike but would have to service it myself or ride with issues, something that would affect my ability to even finish as well as my overall time (though the latter doesn't really matter).

With this in mind I put a deposit on a bike, a Specialized Allez from a few seasons ago that probably highlights me as an amateur. This is not a problem in the slightest - the less people think I can ride quickly, the less they'll be expecting me to. I've seen a lot of bikes today and even test rode a £1,000 Giant, 1/9 of the cost of the bike the guy who works in the stores own, suggesting cost will definitely affect performance. However, 'get you round' end of season bikes are still around £350-£400. 

Also this is the right time of year to be buying. A good friend of mine has been cycling for a while and told me that people are looking to upgrade their bikes or get rid of them over winter as no fool wants to ride when it's cold and wet. Only me.

So £200 down with a £150 bill and no bike, today was insightful but came good in the end as I have a £60 pair of Sauconys to break in ready for the Half Marathon in October.  A five mile run is a great way to remember those crisp, purple notes you used to own.

The Plan

After signing up for another half marathon this October I decided that risking a two mile open water swim this September with no training was probably a bad idea. This means I will be riding in July and swimming in September 2018 which gives me plenty of time to get the miles in properly. I've done an event with very little training before and it was as much fun as rolling down an electrified hedgehog covered hill.

A good friend (you could say my new best friend) has given me some hints and tips on getting selected for RideLondon so there's a chance I won't have to ride for a charity. This will save everyone time, effort and money.

I also went for a ten mile bike ride today which turned in to a twelve mile bike ride due to a diversion followed by a three mile bike ride later on as I hadn't made it home initially. I also cut the grass. If my wife is reading this I'm not expecting a hero's welcome but a 'well done' will suffice.

It's on. 2018 is going to be my year. Hopefully.

Options

For those who don't know me, I first started blogging when I was training for the London Marathon between 2012 and 2013. I went from zero running to the marathon in eleven short months and achieved something I never thought I was capable of, putting my experience online so I couldn't back out. Since then I've always considered riding 100 miles to be a good next goal, filling the interim with the Amsterdam and Brighton marathons after a few halfs that left me feeling a little unfulfilled. Fortunately the London Marathon Charitable Trust have been putting together triathlon style challenges to complement the marathon and are now offering RideLondon 100 and the Serpentine Swim, a 2 mile open water event. Those completing all three are now eligible for a London Classics Medal which would look just right next to my others and so I am going for it.

For those who do know me...Hello again. Business as usual.

My email was alight last night with a picture of the medal and a caption that suggested the first medals would go out after this year's Serpentine Swim. I was offered a place at the 2 miler in September and I was massively tempted as, although I've never done RideLondon, I could do so in July next year and get my medal then. Finances aside it seemed a good plan, however money is money and so I decided to make this a goal for next year. As ever preparations are incredibly important and I've recently learned that the ballot for the ride is as difficult as for the marathon and so I've emailed a charity to go straight for a charity place. I'm expecting to have to raise around £500, a breeze in comparison to the £1,625 needed for the marathon, but will find out for certain very soon.

I'm still mildly tempted by this year's swim and if I can sort cash out I will jump straight in. I was due to hit the pool tomorrow to see if I can swim the distance however there's no point if I need to wait until next year anyway. As ever I will update you all on my progress as I go, try to keep it interesting and to the point as well as informative, and by September next year I'll have something else to stick on the wall. I figure if I train for the cycling in the first half of 2018 and the swimming in the second half it should all go to plan.

Thank you for reading, your support is what kept me going the first time round and will no doubt be needed during winter training. Brrrrrr.