The Long and Winding Road

As 'Shinny Rich' highlighted – thank you to Aldi for this weeks bargain basement cycling releases. To add to this I got slightly carried away in Decathlon this morning and instead of leaving with just the intended purchase of a high Calorie drinks mixer (to supplement our growing training plan) I picked up a cracking set of ‘bib style’ shorts which extend over the shoulders, kind of like braces if you were as clueless as me. Hopefully a photo never gets out with me in them, I look atrocious, but once you throw a cycling T on your cycling public is non the wiser. Thanks to Redmond for the advice on this being the NUMBER ONE clothing purchase for our challenge. This was delivered with the supplementary advice that they are like £100 expensive to get a decent one! With this in mind I jumped all over the Decathlon £60 reduced to £35 shorts. They had one Medium left on the rail, a clear sign that they are good right? It was also cold outside and they had long legs to keep me warm on the planned afternoon ride. Purchase made! Hopefully there not too cheap to function at our level of miles, only time and miles in the saddle will tell!

So, to today’s ride….

I've just come back from the attempted 50 mile ride (15 above the training schedule!) however “your cycling eyes are bigger than your cycling legs” here did just 20 miles, and that was at a push! Yes I may of opted for the fantastic option of joining JP, my cycling guru mate down the road, on the Trans Pennine Trail towards Woodhead…..however it was flawed as we increasingly became separated by my apparent lack of pace. To allow JP to break sweat (and to stop myself from panting between every word) I called it a day after just 5 miles and went back home to cycle randomly until the speedometer hit 20 and I could again show my face on here.

However I have solid excuses Blog readers..

- the Manchester 10km is a week tomorrow, so mixing training (like drinks) is obviously a deadly mix (what about Triathlon athletes – shusssssss!)

- I started my first ‘Hairy Richs Weights and Circuits routine’ on Thursday, and it hurt then and it hurts now. Having never done many of those exercises before I guess its like anything my immunity needs building up. As proof, Friday afternoon’s 10km felt slightly like I was running in lead boots. So as proven today I’m still not over that.

- Two little girls had left their bikes on my cycle trail while they played pat-a-cake near the river. I had to stop suddenly and start again, that was unexpected.

- I forgot I had energy packed Haribo in my bag and thus ran dangerously low on Kcals

I’m all out....Ok pathetic excuses I know, I’m crap is the simple fact. It’s Week 1 of 20 and boy do I know it!

Ok, that’s where I am. Just wanted to share the challenge with you, and let you know how tough this will be for me.

Please feel free to support us with kind words, free (high end) bib shorts, Haribo or even better a Zoe’s Place donation at www.justgiving.com/helenandrich. After an excellent start we’ve slowed down of late as I know lots are waiting for nearer the day itself on September 20^th. But we all like snow, so lets start that snowball effect today and sponsor us before Britain’s Got Talent comes on. Come on you non Donny mates, show us how tight we Yorkshire lot really are. Donny mates, come on now cockers, lets show the other side how we love to throw our money about.

Cheers,

Daz x