Week fifteen - Wednesday

I rode to and from work today.  Unlike last week when I found it really easy the journey in today was really hard work.  I’m guessing it’s due to having ridden yesterday whereas last week I had had a rest day the day before the commute.

I had quite heavy legs on the way in and I was fairly slow.  I wasn’t overly bothered by this though as I know everyone has off days.

The journey home was considerably better than the way in and I even managed my nemesis, the hill into Aynho.

Not many more rides now, but I'm pleased to report that my positive attitude is enduring.  

Fifteen weeks down, one more to go.....

Week fifteen - Tuesday

We are so, so close to the big day now.  I’m ok though.  I know I have prepared the best I can so far and that I am continuing to do so.  I’m also keeping to my very strict food plan so I know I am putting only good stuff in.

Tonight Ant and I went out on a 1.5 hour ride.  It went well.  It was a little slower than ideal but I always find that when I ride with Ant.  We don’t seem to be able to get into a decent rhythm together so we’re always waiting for each other!

Importantly however I felt fit and healthy while I was riding and it all felt really natural.  

We’ll be off out together again on Friday and on Saturday it will be my final long ride before the sportive.  I hope to do close to 70 miles.  Poor old Ant will be coming along.  I’m not sure he’s looking forward to it as much as me!

Week fourteen - Sunday

So, just a few big rides before the big day.  As I mentioned yesterday, theoretically I should be doing 3 hours on a Saturday and 4 hours on a Sunday but I can’t do this for a variety of reasons (we’ve been away, my bike is being serviced etc).  I have therefore rearranged the rides and come up with a plan I can stick to.

As such I set out for a big ride today.  I had seen a new route I wanted to try but decided to save that for when I have company as I didn’t fancy getting lost in the wilds of Northants by myself!  

Consequently I decided to do pretty much the same route as I had done on my 50 miler last week but with some additions to make it longer.

I set out with my new positive outlook switched on and once again it worked well.  I enjoyed the ride did pretty well.  I learnt from the last long ride and made sure I took a proper break several times to ensure I could carry on without too much difficulty.

I decided to add even more on the end as I wanted to try and achieve 60 miles.  This meant having to turn off the road when I was tantalisingly close to home but I did it which just shows my mind is now very much in the right place.

By the end of the ride I’d managed just shy of 60 miles at an average of 13.7mph.  I was in ok shape at the end of it too which is a great feeling.

    So close....

I feel confident I can do the 100 miles and intend to try and do close to 70 miles next week on my last long one.  I actually prefer the long rides to the shorter training ones.  I think this is because you can lose yourself in the ride.  When I’m on a 1.5 hour training ride my mind seems to know I’m training.  It says to me all the time ‘how quick are you going?’, ‘how do you feel?’, ‘you are doing this because you are training’, whereas on a really long ride I feel like I’m doing something for leisure.  This is obviously great as ever since I found out I was going to be doing the London 100 I have told myself to not get hung up on the distance but to think of it as a day on the bike.   I do have a small concern that despite my best efforts I still have not achieved a 15mph average which I had hoped to be at by the sportive.  However, it is my understanding that riding in a group makes you faster so hopefully the other 23,999 participants will help get my speed up.

Week fourteen - Friday

Today I cycled to and from work.

I last did this in April and pretty much hated every single second of it but today I set off with my new attitude firmly in place, hoping for a big improvement.

I’m pleased to report the new attitude seems to have kicked in.  I found the ride pretty easy and I knocked a huge amount off the previous times I achieved.

It was really gratifying to see not only a huge difference in how I felt now versus April when I last did the trip but also how much better and more positive I felt as opposed to Wednesday.

I have thrown out the Prudential Training plan and written my own for the next two weeks.  It is fairly similar to the official plan but it takes into account when I can cycle.  That way I will not feel bad that I am not doing what the official plan says I should be.  I have also added all my meals to the plan so I can see I am eating healthily on the run up.  

This last fortnight will see me going all hardcore.  No booze, no sweets, no biscuits, no cakes, no puds and lots of whole-wheat stuff.  As previously mentioned though, the most important part of the preparation is keeping my mind clear of negative thoughts.  I can and will do this.

Week fourteen - Wednesday

Today I set out on a new route which I had hoped would take about 1.75 hours. It started out on a route I know well and progressed to some unknown territory. Unfortunately it was not an enjoyable experience. I struggled from the word go yet again and found the whole thing really hard. I kept having to take mini breaks and generally found my legs to be leaden which only made my mind more and more negative. The route was very hilly, the weather was extremely hot and it was fairly windy – not three of my favourite things by a long shot. I struggled up several hills before reaching the halfway point where I stopped for coffee and a flapjack. At this point I had a serious think about what the issue was. Other than the physical conditions (hills, weather etc) I have come to realise that a huge amount of my ability to cycle is actually in my head. On Friday I took Ellie to school in my bike gear which was obviously commented on by my friends. The thrill of essentially ‘showing off’ that I was about pop out and ride 50 miles encouraged me on my journey. I was excited by the challenge and in a fantastic mood. The ride went great and I loved it. Since then, however, I have been riding because I have to and it has not gone well. Even today’s ride, which should have been a good one, saw me setting off in a relatively grumpy mood and what happened? Yup, crappy ride. Don’t get me wrong. I managed all the hills and after my coffee and cake I even did quite well on some of them. In addition the time I managed (12.1mph average) wasn’t actually as bad as I had feared, also at the very end of the ride I set my best time on a segment I do very regularly. So what is my issue? Why does my frame of mind reflect so negatively in my cycling? There is a school of thought that says it’s not really worth dwelling on. I will be nervous on the big day but there will be 23,999 other cyclists to help get me through it. I can’t see how it will be possible to be in a bad mood, or not feeling like riding my bike on a day like that, but this doesn’t help my training. Having bad training sessions is a vicious circle too. Yesterday’s bad training session does not make me want to perform better next time – it makes me want to curl up in a ball, eat chocolate and never get on a bike again. Bunking off training makes me feel guilty and makes me resent having to do it, which puts me in a bad mood which means, you’ve guessed it, crappy training sessions. In a way I think I am suffering from a lack of confidence. There’s a massive part of me that doesn’t feel capable of riding 100 miles and that brings me down. I see the serious cyclists whizzing by me and I feel like I am not, and never will be that good. I don’t know what I can do about that though. I know deep inside that I am good enough and that I can do it. I’ve seen pictures online of girls that completed the sportive last year and they don’t look any more like serious cyclists than I do. I have, to a greater or lesser extent, done the training and I will continue to do so right up to the last day so why wouldn’t I be able to manage? The best way forward for me is probably to feel more in control. Consequently I am going to redraw the training plan for the last 2 weeks so that it looks like what I will be doing (yet again I cannot follow it exactly due to personal circumstances). That way I will not have the horrible ‘I’m not doing what I’m meant to’ feeling. Also, from Monday, I will be eating like an athlete. No booze, healthy meals and all planned out on paper. I believe that by regaining a feeling of control I will be able to feel better about myself and improve.

Week fourteen - Tuesday

Quick ride today as I am going for a longer on on Wednesday.

I did an old favourite route but I was rather disappointed with my time, a 13.7mph.

My legs and mind weren't in the right place. I struggled hugely because I wasn't in the mood to ride.  It's amazing how much this can affect me.  It seems like I ought to try reading my inner chimp book more as if I can't get my head straight I am really going to struggle in August.

Week thirteen - catch up

So this weekend should have been a selection of the usual with two long rides at the weekend. 

Due to family commitments I was not going to be able to do a long ride on Sunday so I decided to skip Thursday, do a long ride on Friday, skip Saturday then do a shorter ride on Sunday morning. 

On Friday I succeeded in riding the furthest I have ever ridden – a shade off 50 miles. It was a fantastic ride. My mind was totally up for it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I stopped for coffee and cake and felt pretty good throughout. I did struggle a bit between mile 35 – 40 but I took a break and regrouped then continued.

   

  Almost 50 miles!

I managed 13.5mph average which isn’t bad given it was the hottest day of the year. 

    Not a bad mph

The most encouraging thing of all is the fact that even after almost 50 miles I still set a couple of personal best times at the end of the ride. I felt wobbly at the end if I’m honest BUT I also felt like with a proper break and some food I would have been able to do more. 

I was exceptionally please with my ride and attitude towards it. I'm starting to feel like a real cyclist which is a great mindset to be in. I have been told that a lot of long distance riding is in the mind and I do think that this is true. I just hope I’m in the right frame of mind on 10th August

On Sunday I went out for a quick 40 mins ride. It was really hard work as I feel I was not suitable recovered. Something I will need to keep an eye on.