The NEW training plan

After some ups and downs with my patchwork training plan, which has been somewhat cobbled together and left me unsure whether I am doing too much / too little or am just plain past it, I am giddy with excitement as I now have a training plan (thanks for the tip Paulo!) which a) tells me exactly what to do, b) takes me right through the next 14 weeks to the Big Event and c) has rest days built in and easy to understand advice on how not to over train. So I have a lovely new spreadsheet all ready to tick off as the days go by. And I'm even - get this - going to take my bike with me when I go away for weekends and find somewhere to ride while I am away, so I'm checking out some routes in Hastings, London and Suffolk to do while I am off visiting friends and family. I have discovered that I quite like exploring on my bike, so this is all good stuff. I will be a Cycling Superwoman, oh yes I will....

Big hills and a castle

Gorgeous spring day after a few days of rain, out on my bike today round the back lanes to Abergavenny and then off on route 46 towards Hereford - I was't intending to go all the way as a) didn't set off until gone 11am and b) I'm a wimp. However I did manage to crack all the hills, albeit VERY slowly. Stopped for lunch (tomato and basil soup, mmm) in a sunshiny corner where I was visited by some curious sheep, scared a few horses and said hello to some alpacas. Decided after lunch that if I carried on for another 5 miles or so I would make Grosmont which was well worth the effort, a pretty village with a nice looking pub (I resisted) and a lovely castle ruin where I stopped and took some pics and sat in the sun enjoying the view for a while. The ride home was hard work and I slogged up the last (tiny) hill chanting 'Bakewell Tart, Bakewell Tart' - which I wolfed down with a cuppa the minute I got home - fabulous. Am kind of reassured that I can do a respectable 30+ miles with some proper hills thrown in, but just a teensy bit worried about how exhausted I feel at the end - how will I cope with no hot bath, cosy sofa, and the thought of doing it all again the next day, and the next...? Hmmm.

Pedal, Picnic, Party

Our next little warm up fundraiser is in the pipeline! London, April 2nd - that's the plan, only in the early stages - 30 mile ride, picnic/pub then DJs dancing and drinking - who could resist?! Well... we'll see - but I'm counting on my London based kids to rally some troops. Watch this space...

In the meantime, must get on my bike this weekend - forecast says sunny and mild on Saturday so fingers crossed that's the day. Hmmm - where to go? Early doors to Llanthony and beyond? Or pastures new? Off to google some routes from my armchair - I like a spot of planning.

Llanthony Priory

A frosty day on Saturday put paid to my cycling plans but thankfully it was a bit milder today so I set off at around 11am, round the back roads to Abergavenny, up a stinky hill on the Old Hereford Road and through some very pretty lanes, lapping up the scenery and saying hello to several sheep and horses on the way. I arrived red faced and sweaty (lovely) at the Priory just in time for an absolutely fabulous cheese and ham toastie and a cheeky half of pear cider - lush. The ride home was a whizz - the roads I had found a bit of hard work on the way there must have been deceptively uphill, although they looked straight enough to me. Or perhaps it was the cider that gave me a boost. .. I was musing on the way home about the effect that 2 paniers + tent + sleeping bag might have on my ability to manage a decent pace, but in theory by the time I'm fully loaded I should be a bit fitter. On with the training plan then.

Tent!

Very excited - after months of umming and ahhing, I finally committed and ordered a tent - yay! It's super lightweight, has good reviews (well I read at least two) and although there's room for two in theory its all for me me me. Am feeling upbeat and inspired thanks to the fabulous Vogel family - click and read, its just brilliant. Am also thinking I should get into the 21st century and pick up an iphone or something like, to serve as camera / internet / email for the ride, as my lovely camera is sadly too heavy to cart around. Am sure by the time May comes around the next new gadget will be on the market and I could pick up a second hand one for peanuts - or doesn't it work like that...? Also making plans for a weekend-in-wales practice run in April across the Brecon Beacons with my son and husband - lets hope we get on, or it won't bode well for the big ride! Hoping weather warms up a bit tomorrow so I can get out for a decent ride, it's been freeeeeezing cold this week. Fingers and toes crossed...

Free my mind

My poor little brain is suffering from planning overload so I've gone all 1980s career woman and created a mindmap - I feel a little calmer now. Planning now proceeding apace on several fronts:

- PR

- fundraising events

- route and timetable

- equipment: bike, camping and clothing

Need to get that last bit pinned down so I can try packing my panniers, which are still wrapped up in the boot of my car - however I want to get a bit further into the training plan before trying them out, don't want to upset the delicate balance between enthusiasm and despair at this stage.

Clothing's my biggest challenge; getting cold and wet will, I know, be the biggest de-motivator for me. I've always been a wimp on that front and although I can tough it out with gritted teeth on a day ride, that's with a warm bath and cosy bed waiting at the end, which won't be the case on the Big Ride. So far, I have listed one lightweight casual outfit, 3 changes of cycling underwear/tops, waterproof trousers & jacket, 1 pair of leggings and one thermal sleeping outfit. I'll try that in the panniers and see how it goes. As for bike equipment - just how many inner tubes should one take when likely to only hit a bike shop every 4 or 5 days??

As for PR and fundraising - am roping in the help of my younger daughter for a launch party in London in the spring and to spark off some other ideas - that's the thoroughly good fun bit I am looking forward to!

4 and a bit months to go

Righto, festive fun is all done, back to work and on a countdown to May (130 days to be precise - gulp) and the big ride. Had a bit of a mental hurdle to get over to start planning, flipping between excitement and a quiet sense of dread, which was a little tiresome so I'm shaking myself out of it by getting off my arse and doing something about it.

Back on my bike last week on the one day it got a decent amount above freezing and had a good whizz round the lanes and over a few little hills. Changed my gym training to challenge some different muscles, and on the practical front booked our airport car parking.

Things on my essential must-buy list:

• 2 man super lightweight tent (all for me - I need to wriggle)
• extremely lightweight but extremely warm sleeping bag - am thinking down rather than synthetic, as reputedly warmer as long as it doesn't get wet
• maybe some eVENT waterproof trousers - reviews say they are actually waterproof AND breathable, unlike the ones I bought last year for a cool £70 which are useless
• more cycling shorts
• nappy rash cream - no cycling shorts can be that good
• ibuprofen gel

Things on my to-do list:

• Make a list of who to contact to put the word out and get a spot of publicity
• Set up a UK donation website for Brigadoon
• Ask Brigadoon if we can call in on them on route through Aylesford
• Review the route map and work out where we'll be when in case anyone wants to join in the fun
• Double check the campsites
• Plan a fund raising / launch party in London
• sort out a bike rack for our buddy Chris to transport us from Halifax to Cape Breton / Clarks island back to Halifax

That'll do for now I think.