Aches, pains and a crisis of confidence

I suffered a bit last week from various aches and pains. Tuesday’s ride was tough with my thighs burning at every exertion I put them through. In addition to this I have a niggly pulled muscle and painful groin and a really sore hand. I assume the hand is due to me being unused to the new style handlebars now I have a road bike. 

The question is of course, does one push on and train through these aches and pains or is a rest in order? There is now less than 5 weeks until the London 100 and in my head I cannot afford to miss any training sessions. I already missed two this weekend as we were away at the Tour de France (yes, the irony of not cycling because I’m at the world’s most famous cycle race is not lost on me), and this is already playing on my mind. 

Of course aches and pains are your body’s way of saying ‘enough’ aren’t they? If one continues to push through will it just get worse? 

I don’t know the answer. Obviously if I was actually ill, or I had a real issue with pain I would stop training for a bit but I just have general fatigue and malaise. I personally think the way forward is to look at what I’m eating, look at how well I’m sleeping and try to make things right that way. 

I feel tired today which is understandable after a weekend camping. I could have cycled to work today but didn’t, using this as an excuse. 

Watching the Tour’s Grand Depart was unspeakably brilliant and I will review the weekend properly in a later post, but interestingly seeing all the other cyclists and fans has left me, yet again, with an uneasy feeling and a crisis of confidence.  

They say that up to 2.5 million people lined the route over the weekend and certainly where we were was packed. One of the best things for the fans was the chance to ride the Tour route on closed roads. The area we stayed at had road closures from about 5am but no Tor action until 11.25am. This meant hundreds of people were riding their bikes up and down the route. As I watched them I began to feel less and less confident in my ability to complete the London 100. 

I don’t feel like I am anywhere near fit or dedicated enough. I seem to still find it way too easy to not train or eat a cake or drink a beer (or several as was the case on Saturday!) 

I honestly feel that one of main issues is the loneliness I discussed last month. I think cycling with a group or just a friend would make me more dedicated and confident. With this in mind I am 100% going to go along to the cycle club I contacted. I am nervous about doing so but I’m more nervous of ending up weeping at the side of a road in Surrey in August! 

I need to change my whole attitude and mind set and start to see myself as a cyclist and then treat myself accordingly. 

Consequently starting today I will be drinking considerably more water, eating considerably less crap and really putting the effort in. 

It’s definitely time to make a change.