Staying Strong WITHOUT Cycling

One of the challenges I've had over the last few weeks has been staying motivated to keep fit even though I wouldn't, after all, be joining the rest of the Paris to Venice team on this years mini-adventure.

I had planned to be part of the foursome riding London to Paris this weekend, but circumstances intervened. Being pressed for time also meant I didn't always feel I could justify taking hours out for training rides when I had no real need to be in peak form.


But coincidentally, I've also noticed the trend towards shorter, more intensive training sessions that several fitness coaches have been advocating.

That has helped me in two ways:

Firstly, I concentrated on shorter training rides, mostly around an hour long, at a higher intensity to build strength rather than trying to improve endurance by doing loads of miles.

Secondly, I've added running to the mix. Running is more intensive anyway and I was a runner long before I was a regular cyclist. Getting back to it felt odd at first (in fact, I felt old and stiff!) but I'm back to more like the form I used to have, albeit I am a few years older. Shortish runs have meant I could mix in a few sprints at times as well. My knees seem to be holding up so far...

Psychologically, missing out on this weekend's adventure hasn't been pleasant, but knowing I'm doing something towards 'keeping up', fitness-wise, has made it easier to bear.

So, I have no need for regrets - just a heightened resolve to be better placed for the next opportunity that comes my way.

And that's next week, when the Tour of Britain visits Bury St Edmunds and local cyclists of all standards get a chance to join in the fun. More on that in a couple of days!

Roy

Just Ticking Over

With no major rides planned, it hasn't been easy to motivate myself to train lately, but a warm afternoon and a bit of work-related stress made an hour on the bike seem a much more attractive proposition on Monday.

There's also the possibility I might get to ride with brother in law John at the weekend and it pays to be at least semi-fit for that!

So I did a fairly gentle 15 miles - I even stopped to pick and eat a few blackberries at halfway - and I remembered right away what I'd been missing. I have been running more in the last few weeks but my cycling legs hadn't completely deserted me!

I didn't even time myself for the outward half, although I had half an eye on my average speed. Fueled by those blackberries, I found the return amazingly smooth. Despite slightly soft tyres and not really 'digging in' I almost exactly matched my last ride on the route while feeling like I was just ticking over for most of it.

I think the running has helped me aerobically, but I expected to feel weaker on the climbs than I did. 

It's encouraging to know I haven't lost too much fitness in the three weeks since I last rode - and running has helped not hindered that - but a bit frustrating, if I dwell on it, to know that I won't be putting it to good use!

Roy

Pedalling as Fast as I Can!

Well, it's been a while since I found time to post on here, but I have at least found some time to get out and pedal. (And peddle, as I'll reveal later.)

Being somewhat short of free time, but still wanting to get fitter, stronger and a bit lighter if possible, I've been concentrating on shorter, more intensive rides, mixed in with some running as well. After not running for a while, the first couple of times I went out on foot seemed quite odd. My occasional dash to the shops didn't prepare me for the way my legs felt after running a mile or two, and I felt a long way away from the half-marathon runner I used to be!

Proof that running and cycling use different muscles and that our limbs modify themselves very effectively for specific needs.

So, I was pleased when my running legs seemed to return last week, but now I worried: would that hamper my cycling?

Well, possibly. Now I can time my rides accurately I know I did my fastest 15 mile ride of the year the week before I felt my running improve, and since then I've actually become measurably slower. Today I was one mph slower than on that fastest ride.

However, it's probably also significant that my fastest ride happened on the second of two consecutive riding days - the first time I'd ridden two days in a row since Paris to Venice.

So maybe I just proved what I've been saying all along: that I will be Stronger Tomorrow!

Roy

PS. I've also lost just over half a stone in weight in the last month, so I must be doing something right :-)

News from the Norwich 50

Norfolk is not flat, except where that helps increase your exposure to a headwind.

Heading generally north out of the city this morning we had some degree of headwind for most of the first 24 miles, until the two routes (100 mile and 50 mile) divided. For most of that first stretch the countryside undulates rather more than you might expect. There are no big hills, of course, but there are some that drag on a bit when the wind's against you as well - not least the last mile or two of that northward section.

Thereafter, we were headed more or less southeastwards for about 15 miles. JR and John agreed we had a tail wind component for that part - as we must have done - but again those little hills were wearing me down. At one point I wondered if my tyres were soft because riding felt harder than it looked. About ten miles out we turned almost due west and it was faster on the flat, with just a few minor undulations before the downhill sprint into the city - interrupted by traffic lights, traffic and, in my case, a detached rear carrier one mile from home.

The rack and my one pannier bounced as I hit a bump in the road at quite high speed and the right-hand stay dropped inside the hanger and briefly onto the block. I've no idea where the bolt went, and it might have fallen out some time earlier. Anyway, no harm was done, as far as I could see, and as I had nearly finished and the bolt hole was too small to thread a cable tie through I took a chance on the remaining bolt hanging in there for a few more minutes.

It did, JR found a bolt of the right size in his bag of bits and it was mended in minutes of me finishing.

I actually measured today at just over 52 miles and, added to the nearly 18 I did yesterday afternoon, that makes this a 70-mile weekend. The biggest mileage since last September's trip.

Today's ride was easily my longest of the year - until next Sunday's St Edmunds Wheel 100!

Roy

Tour of Britain Route through Suffolk and Norfolk

The official launch of the East Anglian stage of this year's Tour took place on Thursday 12th May.

As I revealed recently, the penultimate stage of the Tour of Britain will start from Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds on September 17, meander through the Suffolk and Norfolk countryside and end on the royal estate at Sandringham.

The next day the riders will race to the finish in London.

If you're wondering how the organisers have created a 120-mile race stage between Bury and Sandrigham, the answer is that the route takes in a 60-mile loop south then east before heading north to cross the county border near Diss.


Lavenham Church

Parts of the route will be familiar to anyone who's done the 100 mile version of the St Edmunds Wheel, as the professionals race through the picturesque and historic Lavenham and Hintlesham, also taking in Cockfield, Debenham and Eye.

You can also ride this stage yourself in July. Full details of the route and your chance to test yourself before the professionals arrive in September are on the Tour of Britain website.

Roy

Stronger Today

Hello again

Just a very quick post today to record the weekend's training rides. Despite the sunshine, the weekend was raw and cold, but at least the roads are largely dry again.

On Saturday I headed south as usual, to 'my' hill at Hartest, then carried on to Long Melford. At this point I was feeling quite good, although I reminded myself (this time) that I'd enjoyed a slight tailwind.

Turning east towards Lavenham meant running into the northeasterly wind more, and the slight climb over the next few miles was tougher than I would have liked. Still, I knew that hard work today would make me stronger tomorrow - even though I was planning to rest on Sunday. At Lavenham church, which dominates the small town below it, I refuelled myself and decided, belatedly, to pump some more air into the tyres. About 150 squirts later, the tyres were somewhere near their correct pressures...

So, running northwards, almost into the wind, should have felt easier than it did! Still, despite at one point feeling too weary to reach into my back pocket for my last banana, I got home after about 35 miles in a little under 3 hours. Not great speed but a hard enough work out to be going on with.

Then brother-in-law John phoned and suddenly I would be riding again next day...

But it's true what they say: 'Ride harder today and you'll be stronger tomorrow.'

Sunday's ride was in the opposite direction and a whole lot easier and faster. Heading north from Elmswell, we made reasonable speed into the still brisk (and colder) northeasterly as far as England's only (I think) Scottish wisky distillery. Over 18 miles in roughly 75 minutes.

At this point, John headed north for home and I turned back southwards, then southwestwards to Bury St Edmunds. It's roughly 22 miles home from there, via the lanes to Ixworth then the main A143 to Bury, so the day's ride gave me a round trip of about 40 miles. John probably did 5 or 10 miles more.

Again, I was home in around 2 hours 45 minutes, for an average of close to 15 mph. Which is not bad at all on my old mountain bike.

Today I have a few minor aches and pains but I'll be ready to go again in a day or two.

But it feels great to be making progress again after months of moving inexorably backwards!

Roy

What's So Special About Will Carling?

I'm sure Will Carling is a really nice guy, and I'll accept he's a little bit more famous than I am.

He might even have shapelier thighs (a big thing for cycling groupies, I imagine).

He certainly has more powerful friends in the Twitterverse:

But the fact is, he's only doing London to Paris - just over 500 km, whereas I'll be starting where the former England captain leaves off - almost exactly.

Our ride starts in Paris, heads for the nearest hills on the way into Germany, then south into the Austrian and Swiss Alps, before crossing the Dolomites and finishing over 1200 km later, in Venice.

So, it's much further, it's a lot hillier and we'll be carrying all our own kit. Will Carling could probably do it (although he might expect a bit of help from the forwards with his luggage), but the fact is, he isn't.

I am. So Make a Wish Foundation and Multiple Sclerosis Society will be really pleased if you can all stop admiring Will's admittedly more muscular physique and just put your hands in your pockets, or more accurately, your mouse pointer on either of the two Just Giving widgets on this page.

If the widgets aren't showing, go to the blog front page at http://stronger-tomorrow.blogspot.com/

Thanks. And I'm sure Mr Carling won't mind, either.

Roy

Paris to Venice is On!

This time there's no support vehicle so we'll be carrying all our kit

Preparations for Paris to Venice in September have begun in earnest, at least for John C, who's at week-long training camp in Lanzarote. I have a feeling that wasn't how he sold it to his other half, but that's between them!

Meanwhile, in dull and rainy England, we've realised we do actually have to book the time off work, or away from our families, or otherwise just unavailable for more mundain duties. To do that, we need to fix the dates for the trip, and it's looking like 5th to 20th September, or thereabouts.

I've added two Just Giving pages for the event and you'll see the widgets on the right that link to each of them. Naturally, I'll be delighted with any donations for either of my two charities: Multiple Sclerosis Society and Make a Wish Foundation.

I'll be supporting the MS Society again because my dad died after more than 30 years of increasing disability from MS. And I promised a friend I'd give half the proceeds from my next fund raiser to Make a Wish, the brilliant charity that makes children's dreams come true before it's too late.

My father's poor health makes me all the more grateful for my own good fortune, and anything I can do to help rid the planet of that horrible disease is worthwhile.

One more thing: we will need to get home from Venice to various parts of England at the end of the ride. One option is the sleeper train to Paris and then the Eurostar. So if you've any experience of the train services from Italy to Paris, I'd be very grateful for any advice or comments!

I don't think a slow ride home is an option...

Oh yeah. Better get training, too.

Roy

Back on the Road - Bliss!

It wasn't this sunny!

After what felt like an eternity of snow, rain and gales, Monday was the first passably good day when I could actually spare the time to jump on my bike.

So I took the chance and ignored the mud and puddles on my usual route. There were surprisingly few potholes out in the countryside from the recent icy weather - far fewer than there seem to be in town, in fact.

So after preserving my knees on the first little climb south of the town I was soon enjoying the reasonable temperatures, lightish wind and brightening sky on my way out to Hartest and Stanstead.

There was plenty of water on the road in the first mile or so and I could hear the snowmelt and recent rain pouring through the ditches and gulleys alongside.

Further out, there were still patches of snow in the shadier spots and remains of some deeper drifts but the roads were all damp, wet, muddy or puddled - reminding me I still don't have any mudguards on my bike!

But riding a gear lower than at my best I felt comfortable on all the hills and was pleased to make the top of Hartest hill in reasonable shape. It's the steepest hill in Suffolk, even if it's not very long. Just past the top is my ten-mile mark, and I was there inside 45 minutes, which is roughly five minutes slower than my best time.

I decided to carry on to Stanstead, to 'my' bench overlooking the lovely little valley there, which is my usual fuel stop.

Having taken it quite easy, I felt in a better mood than I have for ages and I was quite pleased with my condition. Under 55 minutes for around 12 miles on a heavy old mountain bike and fat tyres, and with hardly a minute on the bike in the last two months, was quite acceptable.

I was out on the bike anyway, which was about all that mattered. I savoured the air, the view and the Kendall mint cake for about 15 minutes.

The ride home was taken at about the same pace. Starting with a niggling little climb from Stanstead, then a more significant one after the fun of going down Hartest hill, I realised something was missing - knee pain. I felt no knee pain at all, even when I tested it. So the enforced rest might have been a good thing after all.

A few more undulations and one more biggish climb, taken in the usual gear, if a bit slower than normal, and I was racing along the gentle descent towards Bury at somewhere close to full speed.

Haring back through the floods and mud, spattered from head to toe and probably grinning like a lunatic, I got back to the house two hours after I set out, with my mood about 100 shades lighter.

In fact, I felt fantastic!

How lucky are we to be able to do these things?

Roy

I Can Take a Joke, But...

Maybe I should rename this blog 'Be Warmer Tomorrow', but I'm not too hopeful!

Several weeks of too wet, too icy and too much else to do means I can't help but feel wistful for those uncannily warm days just twelve weeks ago...

This was Hadrians Wall on 10 September:



And this was the start of our return journey, coast to coast, at Workington on 11th:

It was as warm at it looks.

Roll on spring!

Roy

Amazing Video - Push Pull

Here's an amazing video by Landis Fields. Two minutes of inspiring magic.

I don't think I'll be trying that trick at home!

PUSH PULL from Landis Fields on Vimeo.

Nothing more to say, but 'Great stuff.'

Roy

What is it with Suffolk Hills?

Hello again.

While the Suffolk lanes are filled with huge trucks collecting sugar beet from the fields, a detour or two is inevitable. Today I squeezed past two articulated lorries being loaded on my usual route and set off some kind of proximity alarm.

I guess a beet on the head from that height might have hurt a bit!

So I changed my route for the return and ended up riding further than I intended. I planned a very short ride anyway, so a couple of extra miles didn't hurt.

Plus, I found some hills I'd forgotten about.

Suffolk hills are odd: too short to get settled into a proper rhythm (and the right gear) and too sharp to just fly up regardless, unless you're in very good shape already.

Better shape than I am in right now.

Today, my feet were cold, my knees were aching and I proved to myself I definitely haven't been out enough lately.

But I will be stronger tomorrow!

Roy

PS. I also need a new touring bike for next year's expedition. Evans Cycles and Wiggle both have some great deals on at this time of year. Click on their banners to see what they can offer you.

Not Enough Bike Time, But...

Well, at least I got out there today, and boy did I need it.

Just forty minutes on the bike and it took me the first thirty to warm up. Still, the last ten minutes was good.

Actually, it was all good, even the stiff muscles and aching knees at the start, because there's no doubt that I felt ten times more alive out in the fresh air than I did in the warmth and comfort of our house.

And it was good to feel strong for ten minutes, at least!

No great insights today, except to say I should get out more...

Roy

Be Stronger and Happier

A quick question today:

So what is it about cycling that males us feel so much better mentally?

Partly the endorphins, I think, but did I read somewhere that the average cyclist's cadence is a good match for the alpha waves that scientists detect in a relaxed brain?

Whatever it is, it works. I forgave the learner driver who tested my emergency stopping skills a couple of days ago before his instructor had the time to wave his apologies...

No harm done :-)

I have seen aggressive cyclists, especially after car or van drivers have put them in danger, and I suppose you need more innate aggression if you're a racer, but however hard I'm working on a bike I always feel happier in myself.

And always stronger for it! How about you?

Roy

Keep Your Head Up

My head is up, honest

When you're cycling at speed, several competing forces come into play.

Mechanically, you're fighting friction and aerodynamic drag.

Physically, you're pushing the limits of your physical strength, stamina and aerobic capacity.

And mentally you're battling against the urge to reduce the discomfort.

So, for aerodynamic reasons, when you're travelling fast you need to make yourself as small as you can.

But you actually make better use of your core strength, and breathe more efficiently and pedal more strongly when you sit up. Nonetheless, when we need to 'dig in', we habitually crouch low over the bars, because aerodynamic drag is the main consideration.

Now, unless we're serious racers, we'll be riding somewhat slower up hills than on the flat, so aerodynamic drag is much reduced and that habit of 'hunkering down' actually makes us less efficient. Still, we often do it anyway and make the summit through shear bloody-mindedness.

(There is something to be said for bloody-mindedness.)

But getting the best out of ourselves physically has a psychological aspect to it, as we all know.

We perform better when we feel optimistic than when we feel mentally 'down'. Our physical and mental states are closely related.

Plus, it works both ways - when we're physically strong we feel better mentally, too. This is bio-feedback in action, and even our body language, our posture, has an effect on our mood.

Now, do you feel more optimistic when your head is up or when it's bowed? Do you feel stronger when you walk tall or when you slump? You know the answer.

How about when you're on a bike? Do you feel happier when you're 'hunkering down' and 'digging in' or when you relax a little and sit up?

And do you feel stronger when you can see the summit of the hill quite clearly or when all you can see is the endless road in front of you?

I find, and you can test this for yourself next time you go out, that I am much stronger, mentally and physically, when I keep my head up and my eyes fixed above the top of the hill.

Because any problem you can look down on is smaller than you are.

It takes practice and some mental discipline, but the pedals spin faster, you'll breathe more easily and, above all, you will enjoy climbing more when you keep your head up.

Work harder today, and stay tall - be even stronger tomorrow.

Roy

Planning Your Route

A long way to go but I know where I'm going!

We all know that mixture of feelings we get when we reach a destination.

If the journey was extra tough or very long there is a sense of achievement when we finally make it to the end, but the feeling is often muted with a question of 'what next?'

Knowing that and knowing anywhere we aim for is unlikely to be our final destination, we could easily drift along with no plan at all. Except we often wouldn't get out of the door, let alone travel any distance, if we had no idea where we were going.

So, to motivate us to do anything, we need to have an end in mind. That can be literally a point on a map, or it can be a familiar route or known distance done in a certain time. A measurable goal like that is certainly easier to record and set against past and future achievements.

So now we have a goal and a way of measuring whether we achieve it.

Our bigger goal might be to get fit enough to take on a bigger challenge in the future, and that's measurable, too. If we have a date for that big challenge, we also have a time scale.

So now we have a big goal, a specific time to achieve it by and a smaller goal that's a step along the way.

And we have a route map (literally) to get us to that first goal, too.

Is this starting to sound familiar?

Our big goal is now specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timed. It's SMART. And smart goals get results.

Goal-setting. It seems to be a lot easier to set and attain a goal for a physical challenge than it is for a life achievement, but the principle's exactly the same.

Roy

You Don't Need Matching Jerseys

... to be a team, as you can see from this team picture taken in Keswick, on our coast to coast trip in September.

By the time we assembled at Carlisle, we had already done a few hundred miles between us, by various means. John C and I had cycled from North Shields after driving up from Suffolk, John H had taken a couple of trains from somewhere in the Cotswolds and JR had taken the train from Nottingham, via Newcastle.

Staff at the Travelodge in Carlisle were friendly and very obliging about bike storage overnight and we did some team bonding over a Mexican meal near the station.

Next day we rode about 80 miles to Keswick, via Workington, and we were already a team.

The best test of a team's cohesion is when things go wrong or tempers are tested, so it might be a pity that we're all so even tempered and get on so well. We didn't even have a puncture to deal with. The nearest we got to being grumpy with each other was when the pre-lunch stretch to Workington turned out to be longer than anticipated and our blood sugar levels dipped.

We mostly stayed together on the flat stetches. And while we all climbed at our different speeds (because you can't really help each other at those slower speeds) the top of every hill was a reunion of sorts, where every word was an encouraging one and every greeting came with a smile.

And the end of each day was another little triumph, a social occasion and a time to share stories of that day and other days - even when we couldn't get a proper meal on Saturday night!

So, while we all face a unique and almost solitary challenge on every climb, being part of the team makes it doubly worthwhile. That, and the promise that, with the team's support, we can take on even bigger challenges in the future.

That's the point, really. Challenging yourself is one thing, but you can do so much more as a team.

Next year, The Alps.

Roy

Celebrate Your Successes

celebrating a very minor triumph

...but not for too long.

Reaching the top of a big climb, like the culmination of any big effort, brings a real sense of triumph. It doesn't really matter how many people have done it before, especially if it's your first time.

So we should recognise our achievement and allow ourselves to enjoy it.

Sometimes that's a hot chocolate from the cafe at the summit, as we enjoyed at the top of Hartside in September or the Col de Tourmalet two years ago. Sometimes it's the fantastic descent that you've worked so hard to earn.

In scientific terms, what you accumulate by climbing is potential energy, which you lose as you descend again. In fact, you convert some of that potential energy into kinetic energy - the rest is lost to friction - and that will get you a little way up the next hill, as you know.

But it can be disappointing to discover how quickly that energy is lost and how soon you have to start pedalling again.

So our triumphs are inevitably short-lived. Does that mean we shouldn't bother achieving in the first place?

No, because today's triumph is, if nothing else, great training for tomorrow's bigger challenge.

The biggest success stories come from people who took on the biggest mountains. And they did that after starting with the foothills and building their strength (physical or mental) with ever bigger challenges.

Because the more you do today, the stronger you'll be tomorrow.

Roy

Yes, Literally Tomorrow

It's an odd thing about cycling.

It doesn't work the same in running. And it never worked for me at the gym.

Some people say the same thing about swimming, but I'm not sure.

But you really can be stronger tomorrow when you cycle today.

I saw evidence of it in the Pyrenees, when I was just the back up driver, but I thought it was because the guys had prepared so well that they were just warming up.

Then I found out for myself last year, when I did the coast to coast. I had prepared, but not enough, and I know I hadn't done enough hills. Yet, despite feeling shattered at the end of days one and two, I was definitely stronger next day. By day three I was enjoying the climbing.

This year, doing the coast to coast 'there and back', on even less training, I felt sluggish on day one and tired at the end of a long second day, but I was disappointed not to have a bigger climb at the end of day three, the longest day of the trip.

In other words, however tired I felt at the end of each day, I was definitely stronger the following morning, and I was less fatigued at the end of day five than at the start.

If you stick at it, you'll find the same.

So, as long as you don't push so hard you make yourself ill - and a healthy person can push pretty hard - you will feel stronger tomorrow.

To get the most from your cycling, whether training or touring, it's important to 'refuel' properly, and often. Unless you're a regular cyclist you might be surprised how important refuelling is, and I'll talk more about that soon, but for now, the lesson is ...

... work harder today - be stronger tomorrow.

Roy

First Lesson:

It won't always be easy ...

First lesson is ... get on your bike.

A couple of years ago I was training for the Great North Run when I got a call from my brother in law. He was in a predicament. Along with three friends, John was planning to cycle the length of the Pyrenees, and their support driver had had to pull out.

'LeKnees' was at risk.

'Could I possibly help?'

I suppose ...

It was the journey of a lifetime for me. After sharing the driving duties down to Hendaye, on the French-Spanish border, I supported the team for the first half of their two-week trip towards the Mediterranean. (The scenery was fantastic.)

Between driving duties (and eating and drinking duties) I tried to keep up my own training. But the best day of my week in the Pyrenees was the one where I took the spare bike and joined the boys on a ride to the Cirque du Gavarnie. It was an easy day for them but it was the highest I had ever cycled and I loved being a part of it.

All week I envied them the steepest hills and toughest climbs, even as I marvelled at their ability to get up them. I was thrilled for them at the top of every col, and I told them I'd be there again next time.

But next time they'll need a new driver, because I'll be on my bike.

Which is why John and I did the coast to coast (Whitehaven to Sunderland) last year, and why two of the other team members joined us when we did the trip in both directions this September. Lots of lovely hills and a great team spirit. And the more we rode, the stronger we got.

Next year we'll take on The Alps.

By getting on the bike I wasn't a spectator any more. By joining the team I became a doer, not a watcher; a participant not a spectator. You could almost say I became a winner not an also ran.

Get on your bike, literally or metaphorically, and you start to take part - in cycling or in life.

And the more you ride, the more you take part, the better at riding, and taking part, you become.

Ride harder today - be stronger tomorrow.

Roy

PS I did the Great North Run, too, even if it was my slowest half-marathon ever.