Started the regime the day after Boxing Day, but, after falling asleep on the way back from Southend to the dulcet strains of Metallica ( stepson likes them) blasting from the stereo I realised I might be a tad tired and let myself off with only 14 miles. Yesterday did the 20 and fully intend to do the same today. Still being a bit wimpy about the weather (the snow may have finally mostly melted on the pavements and roads but the fields are still covered) and keeping to the exercise bike until tomorrow. This has good and bad points:
- Riding the exercise bike is more concentrated than the real bike because I don't get to free wheel and other stuff plus the gearing is better. Hopefully this means I am building up muscle and stamina more quickly and I know I can go further on the real bike with less pain.
- The exercise bike entails me being at home and the padding on my cycling trous has bunched up a bit which is putting a bit of a strain on my marriage (how could any woman resist wandering around the house saying 'LOOK! I have a bigger lunchbox than Linford Christie'?)
- There is better scenery when I am on the real bike as I tend to have the telly on while pounding away on the exercise bike. Choice is a bit limited when you are spending a few hours peddling and think that I have now reached the nadir of televisual selection as I ended up watching the Beatrix Potter film last night and enjoying it.
- There is far less chance of me falling over and breaking my coccyx though with my high clumsiness quotient this should still be considered a factor even within the house.
All should not be doom and gloom as I am feeling reasonably confident that I am getting there. I know that I could do a 40 mile day and I might just about manage the same the following day.... it would be the day after that I think I would need to spend in an oxygen tent with nice young men peeling my grapes for me. So, while I am not following the regime that they recommend (I should be going further but less frequently) I think that I am doing the right thing for me as it will be the repeat exercise day after day that is going to be my problem (I am tacitly ignoring the heat and humidity). There is also the day of nearly 70 miles that is going to be a real challenge but the project manager in me is setting my milestone target at a regular 40 and will then focus on the end goal of the 70 miler :-)
Busy organising the party for the 15th Jan which will hopefully raise funds for the ride plus celebrate me being halfway towards four score years and ten (a score added on for better meds and diet than a couple of thousand years ago). Other than that I think Jan will be lacking in sociability since I must concentrate on pedals and pedaling.
TTFN