Monday 28 February 2011
Sunday 20 February 2011
Whats that coming over the hill is it a monster ??? is it a monster ????
Training Weekend No 4
Saturday
Avoch-Inverness- The back of beyond-Dores-Back to the back of beyond-Inverness-Munlochy -Avoch - 52 MILES ;-)
Nope.... no monster, just me coming down the hill to the shores of Loch Ness at 48 km p/h ....woooooo hoooo, who'd have thought it, four weeks ago i would hardly take my hands of the brakes and now I'm quite liking this descent business ;-) I have to say, we had a fab ride on Saturday, the sun was shining, it was nice and warm, the scenery was gorgeous, we had some cracking wee hills to go up (and down), a lovely pub lunch at the Dores Inn and to top it all of we cracked the 50 mile mark.
When i got my bike, i thought it was realistic to set a target of a 20mile increase each month. Its week four and I'm well ahead of schedule, so I'm delighted with my progress. No challenge is to big if you split it into little bits right ?
Later that evening, of i went to the theatre (feeling all chuffed with myself) to listen to a fascinating young man called Alistair Humphreys tell his story about how he travelled 46,000 miles around the world on a push bike. Motivating with a capital M. He told his story with such passion and humour aided by his amazing photos and inspiring quotes .... 'its better to live one year as a tiger than 100 as a sheep ' , ' life is not too short, its just we waste a lot of it ' . I liked those two :-) http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/ Take a look, he's some guy !
Sunday
Avoch- Ardendrain - 21miles
I had a nice run round Rosemarkie and Fortrose this morning before going out on my bike on my lonesome whilst Richard was away doing his first half marathon of the year. A huge well done on your time Richard, sooooo proud of you ;-))))
I had a wee cycle over to my mums, it was a bit chilly but apart from that pretty enjoyable. I climbed the same hill i went up on my second ever bike ride, much faster and with much more ease. Perhaps because i wasn't blethering to my partner in crime or perhaps I'm just getting stronger !?!?!?
My bike is having a rest next weekend whilst i get my cocktail / city fix with little Lou so nothing to report till the Ullapool ride in a couple of weeks.
Saturday
Avoch-Inverness- The back of beyond-Dores-Back to the back of beyond-Inverness-Munlochy -Avoch - 52 MILES ;-)
Nope.... no monster, just me coming down the hill to the shores of Loch Ness at 48 km p/h ....woooooo hoooo, who'd have thought it, four weeks ago i would hardly take my hands of the brakes and now I'm quite liking this descent business ;-) I have to say, we had a fab ride on Saturday, the sun was shining, it was nice and warm, the scenery was gorgeous, we had some cracking wee hills to go up (and down), a lovely pub lunch at the Dores Inn and to top it all of we cracked the 50 mile mark.
When i got my bike, i thought it was realistic to set a target of a 20mile increase each month. Its week four and I'm well ahead of schedule, so I'm delighted with my progress. No challenge is to big if you split it into little bits right ?
Later that evening, of i went to the theatre (feeling all chuffed with myself) to listen to a fascinating young man called Alistair Humphreys tell his story about how he travelled 46,000 miles around the world on a push bike. Motivating with a capital M. He told his story with such passion and humour aided by his amazing photos and inspiring quotes .... 'its better to live one year as a tiger than 100 as a sheep ' , ' life is not too short, its just we waste a lot of it ' . I liked those two :-) http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/ Take a look, he's some guy !
Sunday
Avoch- Ardendrain - 21miles
I had a nice run round Rosemarkie and Fortrose this morning before going out on my bike on my lonesome whilst Richard was away doing his first half marathon of the year. A huge well done on your time Richard, sooooo proud of you ;-))))
I had a wee cycle over to my mums, it was a bit chilly but apart from that pretty enjoyable. I climbed the same hill i went up on my second ever bike ride, much faster and with much more ease. Perhaps because i wasn't blethering to my partner in crime or perhaps I'm just getting stronger !?!?!?
My bike is having a rest next weekend whilst i get my cocktail / city fix with little Lou so nothing to report till the Ullapool ride in a couple of weeks.
Monday 14 February 2011
David and Goliath .....
Training weekend No 3
Saturday
In fear that Heidi may divorce me as her mummy if her third birthday party was anything less than organised, training was limited to a very quick, solo, 15 miles in misty conditions on the Black Isle.
Sunday
Looking out of my bedroom window i wonder if the weather is going to hold ..... As i drive to Beauly to meet Richard i wonder if i should suggest going a different route to the one we'd planned just in case we end up with the wintery conditions we've been forcasted, i decide to remain half full, think positively and keep quiet.
9am of we go .....
The planned route was Beauly, Inverness, along Loch Ness to Drumnadrochit, Culnakirk and back to Beauly. An estiamted 42 miles
From Beauly to Inverness the roads were nice and peaceful, it was a bit drizzly and there was quite a bit of surface water but generally ok. My new saddle seems nice and comfy but still dont have my new mud guards fitted so i have a bit of a wet bum. Once we reach Inverness we nip up through the old hospital and then stop for a quick break, heading out on our route to Drum the drizzle turns quickly to light rain, then all of a sudden we seem to bypass medium rain and go straight to really cold wet heavy rain. The next eight miles were fast and furious, it woud have been nice to take in the beautiful scenery as we passed along the side of Loch Ness but all my concentraion went on pushing and pulling the pedals.
We stopped at the Clansman Hotel, i was just so wet. When i got of my bike i felt like i'd doubled my body weight. I took of my waterproof gloves and rung them out !!! Waterproof my eye !! My feet felt like mush and made a really attractive squelching noise as i moved, anyway after a wee joke with Richard of we went again along the road to Drum. We hadnt planned to stop in Drum but after another four miles i could hardly feel my fingers, i was struggling to change gears and pull on my breaks so suggested we drop into mum and dads church to try and warm up. The timing was impecable, the service had almost finished and it was coffee time.
Rewind a couple of weeks - I had a conversation with Richard about how to keep my toes warmer. He suggested carrier bags inside my trainers, i have to say, i was thinking there must be something a bit more fashionable than that. Isn't it funny how your priorities change ????
Before leaving the church Mum managed to find me two food bags and a pair of dads old socks which he just happened to have in his car. I'd never been less bothered about fashion in my life !! Food bags are the fashion item of the year if you ask me ! Satchel bags and skinny jeans are so 2010 ! After two black coffees and considerably drier feet i'm feeling a bit more psyched to take on the last leg of the ride. Just before we leave a lady in the church hall tells me how she was telling the story of David and Goliath in Sunday school today .....somehow it felt appropriate to tell me that.
As we approach the Goliath of a hill, Culnakirk, the heavy rain turns to sleet. In the past i have watched many cyclists struggle up this hill and today i was no acception. I dont know what it is in terms of gradient, height or distance, all i know is its really really steep and it feels never ending. I had to get of my bike twice and walk as the sleet turned to heavy snow ........................
By this point i'm feeling a bit miserable but trying to keep smiling, the snow is falling really heavily, we're leaving tyre tracks on the roads, its slushy, i'm getting irritated by the snow in my eyes and i'm starting to feel like a right moaning minnie (sorry Richard ). Two miles from my mums, my fingers go again this time worse than before, i couldn't even bend them enough to change into a low gear to climb the last hill so for the sake of safety we cut our ride short by seven miles and finish at my mum and dads house. After some hot soup and a defrosting in front of the fire we start to feel human again. A very cold and wintery 35 miles ................
That afternoon the so called waterproof gloves were returned to TISO and were replaced by some new seal skin ones. Finger crossed these work a bit better.
Saturday
In fear that Heidi may divorce me as her mummy if her third birthday party was anything less than organised, training was limited to a very quick, solo, 15 miles in misty conditions on the Black Isle.
Sunday
Looking out of my bedroom window i wonder if the weather is going to hold ..... As i drive to Beauly to meet Richard i wonder if i should suggest going a different route to the one we'd planned just in case we end up with the wintery conditions we've been forcasted, i decide to remain half full, think positively and keep quiet.
9am of we go .....
The planned route was Beauly, Inverness, along Loch Ness to Drumnadrochit, Culnakirk and back to Beauly. An estiamted 42 miles
From Beauly to Inverness the roads were nice and peaceful, it was a bit drizzly and there was quite a bit of surface water but generally ok. My new saddle seems nice and comfy but still dont have my new mud guards fitted so i have a bit of a wet bum. Once we reach Inverness we nip up through the old hospital and then stop for a quick break, heading out on our route to Drum the drizzle turns quickly to light rain, then all of a sudden we seem to bypass medium rain and go straight to really cold wet heavy rain. The next eight miles were fast and furious, it woud have been nice to take in the beautiful scenery as we passed along the side of Loch Ness but all my concentraion went on pushing and pulling the pedals.
We stopped at the Clansman Hotel, i was just so wet. When i got of my bike i felt like i'd doubled my body weight. I took of my waterproof gloves and rung them out !!! Waterproof my eye !! My feet felt like mush and made a really attractive squelching noise as i moved, anyway after a wee joke with Richard of we went again along the road to Drum. We hadnt planned to stop in Drum but after another four miles i could hardly feel my fingers, i was struggling to change gears and pull on my breaks so suggested we drop into mum and dads church to try and warm up. The timing was impecable, the service had almost finished and it was coffee time.
Rewind a couple of weeks - I had a conversation with Richard about how to keep my toes warmer. He suggested carrier bags inside my trainers, i have to say, i was thinking there must be something a bit more fashionable than that. Isn't it funny how your priorities change ????
Before leaving the church Mum managed to find me two food bags and a pair of dads old socks which he just happened to have in his car. I'd never been less bothered about fashion in my life !! Food bags are the fashion item of the year if you ask me ! Satchel bags and skinny jeans are so 2010 ! After two black coffees and considerably drier feet i'm feeling a bit more psyched to take on the last leg of the ride. Just before we leave a lady in the church hall tells me how she was telling the story of David and Goliath in Sunday school today .....somehow it felt appropriate to tell me that.
As we approach the Goliath of a hill, Culnakirk, the heavy rain turns to sleet. In the past i have watched many cyclists struggle up this hill and today i was no acception. I dont know what it is in terms of gradient, height or distance, all i know is its really really steep and it feels never ending. I had to get of my bike twice and walk as the sleet turned to heavy snow ........................
By this point i'm feeling a bit miserable but trying to keep smiling, the snow is falling really heavily, we're leaving tyre tracks on the roads, its slushy, i'm getting irritated by the snow in my eyes and i'm starting to feel like a right moaning minnie (sorry Richard ). Two miles from my mums, my fingers go again this time worse than before, i couldn't even bend them enough to change into a low gear to climb the last hill so for the sake of safety we cut our ride short by seven miles and finish at my mum and dads house. After some hot soup and a defrosting in front of the fire we start to feel human again. A very cold and wintery 35 miles ................
That afternoon the so called waterproof gloves were returned to TISO and were replaced by some new seal skin ones. Finger crossed these work a bit better.
Sunday 6 February 2011
We have the technology .............
After a trip back to the bike shop and several hours of watch beeping and aligning, my GSC10 is now fitted and working ....which means i can now bore you with stats and graphs, average speeds, heart rates, cadence, calories, km/ph
Earlier this week...................
Txt msge
Moving on ............ Training Weekend number 2
Saturday
It was damp leaving Avoch but thankfully it wasn't raining. We made our way through Fortrose, and Rosemarkie then climbed 210mtrs to Eathie on the back road to Cromarty. Leaving Cromarty the wind started to get wild and nippy but we soon warmed up after another long long uphill climb. Richard assures me that even the buses struggle getting up this hill so when i get to the top without stopping I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. Anyway, what goes up inevitably, must come down and we all know this isn't my favourite bit, so instead of going down an equally steep hill, i opt for a seven mile detour in the rain to avoid it. Am i the only person who doesn't like coming down hills ??? Arriving back in Avoch i pass a speed detector and it flashes 26mph, i find myself wondering if i can get charged for speeding on a road bike ? A hilly but fun 32 miles :-)
Sunday
9.57 am Leaving from Beauly on a lovely crisp Sunday morning we head round to Inverness via Kirkhill, through town and up on to the Kessock Bridge. I had a few new obstacles to overcome in town, speed bumps, traffic lights and roundabouts, you may laugh but this is new territory for me ;-) To be quite honest I'm not so sure if i'd be here writing this if Richard didn't watch my back quite so much and keep me right. So here's a public thank you Speedy....thanks for keeping me safe ;-) We continued our ride through North Kessock, along the cycle route where we eventually joined the main road just outside Muir of Ord and had a leisurely ride back to Beauly. A very pleasant 25 miles
The general feel is..... so far so good. We're both fancying a significantly longer ride within the next couple of weeks. Physically we're feeling just dandy and actually really enjoying it. Sore bum though !!! Two things to purchase this week, a new saddle and mud guards ...... the journey continues.....
Earlier this week...................
Txt msge
Louise 'hey speedy (aka Richard) what do we do about training at the weekend if the weather is still bad '
Richard 'we get wet !! Anyone can be fit but its hard being hard 'So with those words in mind there was only one thing to do, get my head down and get on with it.
Moving on ............ Training Weekend number 2
Saturday
It was damp leaving Avoch but thankfully it wasn't raining. We made our way through Fortrose, and Rosemarkie then climbed 210mtrs to Eathie on the back road to Cromarty. Leaving Cromarty the wind started to get wild and nippy but we soon warmed up after another long long uphill climb. Richard assures me that even the buses struggle getting up this hill so when i get to the top without stopping I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. Anyway, what goes up inevitably, must come down and we all know this isn't my favourite bit, so instead of going down an equally steep hill, i opt for a seven mile detour in the rain to avoid it. Am i the only person who doesn't like coming down hills ??? Arriving back in Avoch i pass a speed detector and it flashes 26mph, i find myself wondering if i can get charged for speeding on a road bike ? A hilly but fun 32 miles :-)
Sunday
9.57 am Leaving from Beauly on a lovely crisp Sunday morning we head round to Inverness via Kirkhill, through town and up on to the Kessock Bridge. I had a few new obstacles to overcome in town, speed bumps, traffic lights and roundabouts, you may laugh but this is new territory for me ;-) To be quite honest I'm not so sure if i'd be here writing this if Richard didn't watch my back quite so much and keep me right. So here's a public thank you Speedy....thanks for keeping me safe ;-) We continued our ride through North Kessock, along the cycle route where we eventually joined the main road just outside Muir of Ord and had a leisurely ride back to Beauly. A very pleasant 25 miles
The general feel is..... so far so good. We're both fancying a significantly longer ride within the next couple of weeks. Physically we're feeling just dandy and actually really enjoying it. Sore bum though !!! Two things to purchase this week, a new saddle and mud guards ...... the journey continues.....
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