Change of direction

2 hours core workout.
Very swollen left knee.

Pedals to Peak 2013 has had to have a change of direction, the plan to go South to North, Snowdon, Scafell and Ben Nevis in 72 hours  has had to be postponed to June 2014. Partly due to logistic problems, injury problems (not me) but mainly that when the challenge was accepted we were not expecting a birth so close to the event.

So a new Pedals to Peak challenge has been thought up going From North to South, starting at Snowdon, heading South to Cader Idris in mid Wales and then to Pen-y-Fan in South Wales. The Welsh 3 peaks and 150 miles of cycling. The challenge is to climb each mountain and cycle between the three all in 24 hours.  This is set for August 8th 2013. Watch this space!

She made me do it!

Sore quads.

Excellent excuse to no go spinning.

Told no excuse and to man up grow a set and get on with it by personal trainer who wanted me out of the house while she got things ready for road trip so 1 hour spinning 501 calories before breakfast av hr 113 peak hr 194 which I think is a new high. Massive hill drills session, hr peak in final sprint finish.

Really sore quads

Knees getting better

Announcement re P2P soon

D Day is 8th August 2013

Catching up to do with new PB

Monday knackered knees rest day so slow bike rides 5 miles x2 max 15mph
Researched knee problems, right probably too much extension on pedal turn, left probably poor technique or poor cleat fit.

Tuesday slow, 15mph max, 5 mile bike rides x2
Researched bike fit, hi tech video analysis of ride, £180 quid a throw, forget that idea and buy 50p worth of painkillers, adjust saddle height and concentrate on pedal technique.

Wednesday faster bike rides x2 5 miles and 1 hour spin session, hill climbs, no pain from right side, pain easing on left

Thursday faster bike ride in av speed 18 mph 5 miles slower return 5 miles, big blue lorry tried to kill me, 80 mins on cross trainer 1011 cals av bpm 134 max 150

Friday, today, massive attack on ride in 12mins 16 seconds, big blue lorry went past me very carefully, av speed 21.2 mph slow return as puncture, even with slime tubes a 110 psi.

New personal best on anticlockwise circuit of Bonsai Mountain 18 mins 35 seconds 273 cals av hr 145 max hr 160 beats previous time on June 3rd of 20 mins 50 ish.

New weight 15 stone 11 pound. Have lost over 10% of bodyweight in 6 weeks.

P2P announcement this weekend

Rest day

Bad weather meant no need to make an excuse to rest knees. Volterol and Ibruprofen.

Man down

Spinning class today, not great, both knees playing up, right knee acute pain meant that sprints were a no no but I did manage the 17 minute hill climb. Fitness wise in good shape but pain wise an indicator that rest is needed. Liberal applications of volterol has not helped. Rest day tomorrow and work out core fitness and upper body sessions for later in week.

Power to weight ratio

Power to weight ratio is improving.

1 hour cross trainer max effort 830 cals av hr 134 max 149

5 weeks diet

Start weight 17 stone 9.5 pounds

Today

16 stone

Loss 23.5 pounds

Power to weight ratio improving.

Feeling it

Fast ride 5 miles

Fast ride 5 miles

Moderate ride 5 miles (16 mins instead of 12 and a half)

Mental spinning session warm up runs sprint hill sprint hill sprint hill sprint hill runs hill sprint cool down die

Slow ride 5 miles 17 mins

last two rides and spinning 846 cals av hr 108 max 148 lazy boy

sore achilles tendons sore left knee

Back on it

Yesterday was a rest day, today was a moderate 5 miles in and a quicker 8 miles back. 8 very hilly miles (15% hill) in 34 minutes 36 seconds, that's 3 plus minutes faster than last week. Did not match flat out sprint speed though only managing 30.4 mph top speed.

Have now found route for the P2P challenge. 455.2 miles. Nothing too it!

Shropshire Highland Challenge 2013

My first sportive and what a test it was, mental hill climbs, first meeting of serious club riders, learned the etiquette of group riding really quickly, it seems to involve a lot of shouting phrases with the words ON YOUR RIGHT in them before a blitzkrieg of sweaty Lycra arses zoom past at Mach 5.

Really enjoyed it. Really tired at the end of it. Proper tired, not just yawn I need a nap tired, more the stare into the distance blankly tired.

Stats

Time 6 hours 13 mins 39 seconds distance 66.71 miles av speed 10.72 mph max speed 36.41 mph ascent 5826 feet descent 5830 feet (route card stated 6500 feet) cals 3786 av hr 126 max 163

Sugar!

5 miles in and 5 miles back slow steady ride, 14.5 mph average. For some reason sugar/chocolate craving. Emergency Bounty helped.
Logistics of challange ahead discussed and all difficulties ignored in favour of just getting on with it.

Behind you!

I took the 8 mile route back on tuesday night which has an interesting 15% hill and as I had not done this one that way (uphill) before so I thought it would be an intersting test, which it was as just as I started up it a car tucked in behind me. bear in mind we are on a single track road and I am clipped into the pedals thus unable to put a foot down to allow car to pass safely or go slowly enough on such a steep hil to be able to unclip so as not to fall over I was forced to maintain lung bursting tempo to the top, max hr according to gizmo was 168 on that ride and I know exactly where that was, not quite the top of 15%hill. Finished ride with an almost flat out sprint which saw a new PB flat speed of 31.4 mph and I could have gone quicker but ran out of road.

Wednesday (Yesterday)

5 mile fast ride

5 mile fast ride

1 hour spinning sprints and hills mega workout max hr 164.

Core strength exercises

Today so far

5 mile fast ride

Catch up again!

Too much going on and not paying enough attention to the training blog.

So far today...

5 miles fast 13 mins 38 seconds

5 miles fast 14 mins 45 seconds

8 miles slogging up hills av speed 13.4 mph 32 mins 328 cals av hr 119 max hr 158

its either a 5, 8, or 16 mile ride back depending on time, weather and motivation.

Yesterday

5 miles moderate

5 miles super fast 13 mins 26 seconds and its slightly uphill :) New PB for ride home

6 mile gentle stroll

Sunday

2  mile treasure trail

Saturday

Rest day

Friday

Rest day

Thursday

1 hour x trainer

Wednesday

5 mile moderate bike ride

5 mile moderate bike ride

1 hour spin session hill and sprint session.

New PB

New PB for anti clockwise circuit of Bonsai Mountain. 20 mins 52.5 seconds 256 cals av bpm 137 max 154

Diet food

 OK so its not ideal sports nutrition but I enjoyed it!

Saturday
Spinning hill drills and sprints

Sunday

Guilt trip 1 hour x trainer and 1 mile sprints and lunges. 907 calories. About half the pizza's worth.