A Decent Week

My last update was slightly late so this one is back on schedule. 207 miles cycled since last Thursday including a gardening day on Saturday and golf yesterday (back 9, 2 over par which is definitely classified as 'No Bad'. This included a monster drive on the 18th of close to 290 yards which is substantially better than 'No Bad' and could possibly be classified as 'Jings, Crivvens, Help m'Boab, My Goodness Me'). I have also lost 8-9 lbs in weight which seems to be coming off my stomach. There has been quite a bit of wind about (The weather mainly!) so my average speed has dropped a bit. I did 59 miles on Monday in very windy conditions so was pleased to average 11mph. Today I set off along the Hadrian Cycleway which runs along the Tyne River. By the time I got to Ovington it had begun to rain. This was coming from the West and looked like getting worse so I exited North and climbed from Wylam to Harlow Hill without going lower than 3rd gear which pleased me a lot. Just the 37 miles which now feels just like a morning stroll. How times have changed! As the weight comes off the hill climbing should get easier. I really regret not getting an exercise cycle for the winter as there are 7 weeks to go. I received the final 'Joining Instructions' from America By Bicycle this week and began to feel some fear and trepidation. Anyway, loins have been suitably girded and I need to be doing 250-350 miles per week from now on in. Fortunately, it is light till gone 8pm now so no excuses, I must cycle 6 days a week or 8 out of every 9 days.

Continued Improvement

196 miles this week so very much on schedule. I was particularly pleased with last Sunday's 50 mile run as I averaged 12mph for the first time. In fairness, it was a calm day which seems to make all the difference as no matter how much psychological benefit I get from the wind being with me, when it is against me, it slows me down much more than I gain the other way. I had a bit of a scare on Wednesday as I pulled my lower back whilst playing golf. (Yes, a day off cycling means playing golf, can't be bad!!!). I came in after 9 holes, took a couple of Ibuprofen tabs and read a book. I had a couple of twinges the next day (62 mile run) but found if I stopped and had a couple of minutes rest, the feeling went away and all seems well now. Long may it continue.

Three Week's Worth

The first week following my last post was a non-event. I was at a Royal Doulton fair in Stafford over the weekend which included the obligatory Sunday morning dehydration!!!, then the rest of the week's weather was hellish so I did a grand total of 0 miles. The following week involved 4 days work at Harrogate so I managed 85 mostly very hilly miles. Last week was much better with a total of 162. This would have been much more as I set off to cycle to Beadnell and back on Thursday morning which would have been a round trip of 112 miles all by itself. It was so cold, mainly due to a North wind, that I did 16 miles and couldn't stand it any longer. by that time my knees were purple and I couldn't feel my feet which kind of took the fun out of it a little. This morning I got up intending to use up quite a bit of tread and found I had a puncture in my back tyre. This surprised me a little as my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres (as used by that chap from my home town who cycled round the world then North to South America) are fairly indestructible. I found the pin prick, repaired it and checked the inside of the tyre, finding nothing sharp. I replaced the tube and promptly had another puncture. This time I found the offending sharp bit, a tiny nail which had gone right through the thick protection underneath the tread. Anyway, I am hoping the weather keeps up so I can breach the 200 barrier again this week. It's Friday night so time for a beer!