31st July - Another 10 mile ride

Well tonight I got home and had some jobs to do. I finished decorating my sons bedroom and got out on the bike about 7:30pm. I decided I would try and ride without my padded short and I forgot to take any drink!! Having said that it was ok and I did 10.13 miles in 37mins with an avg speed of 16.2mph.

I did my normal route.......Hopefully on Saturday I will ride my furthest yet beating the 30 miles I did a few weeks ago.

July 29th - Another ride, no thunder but wind!

Well tonight I set off about 6pm, I had no set route although I had an idea of where I wanted to go.  I had not checked on gmap so I had no idea how many miles it was.  I wanted to do no more than 15 tonight.

I set off in the opposite direction to normal and I was straight into the wind.  It was really slowing me down.  I did the first 4 miles with an avg speed of 13mph:-( It was the strongest I had cycled in.

On the plus side the next 4 miles were really fast as I changed direction...I was shocked how difficult even cycling on the flat was into the wind, even down hill I was only doing about 15mph and had to work to do that.

Anyway no incidents, I covered 15.12 miles in 58 mins with a avg speed of 15.6mph.

I am playing golf tomorrow so a day off from riding. I will be back in the saddle on Thursday Night.

Route Here

July 28th - Biggest after work ride

Well tonight I got home had tea (Cod on Rocket Salad, with home made potato wedges)........I got on my bike at about 5:30pm and after one false start (I got down the road and realised I have forgot my helmet!) I got going.  The sky was starting to go very dark however I am not scared of thunder and a bit of rain...or so I thought

Anyway just 2 mins into my journey it started to rain, these were those big pre-thunder storm big rain drops. This sort of rain continued for about 4 miles then stopped for a bit.  However about 9 miles into my ride the thunder, lightning, heavy rain started, I got soaked, it was actually quite scary because I was quite exposed to the weather as I was riding in country lanes.

At one point I could hardly see from the spray and rain in my eyes (mixed with sweat of course)........

I continued on and did not take any shortcuts home and completed the 25.4 miles in 1hr, 37mins with a avg speed of 15.6mph.  I also extended my top speed to 34mph coming past the Waterman Pub towards Warwick.

I am actually really pleased with tonight, It was not easy as the conditions were at some points very difficult, I achieved 25 miles in just over 1hr 30mins and this was after a days work. Although some of the hills were hard work I could have continued. I had one slight scare towards the end when I decided to try and get up the final hill in top gear not dropping below 17mph, half way up I felt something in my right nee move and it did not feel good! however there has been no pain and it feels fine.

I will go out again tomorrow (Probably just 15 miles), Wednesday i am playing Golf.

Route Here  

July 27th - Not gone to plan this weekend!

Well I had big plans for this weekend, however no bike ride has happened! I could list my excuses on here but there is alot! 

I will be out as normal in the evenings next week, I am on early shift so I hope to go further in the evenings

July 24th - 15 mile ride tonight and a new route

Well I decided I needed to more than the 10 -12 miles I have been doing in the evenings so I came up with a new 15 mile route.  Still not loads but ideal for after work.  This route also included no lanes and was all A and B roads which we will be using mostly on JOGLE.  There were no big steep hills and it was mainly a flat route with the odd hill however It was a good ride which worked the legs.

I did the 15 miles in 56 min and 6 secs with an avg speed of 16mph - I also did a top speed of 32.8mph.

I enjoyed the ride, Oh I listened to music for the first time while riding tonight and it was good.  Definitely good to have as an option when during those longer rides.

The Route:

Here

Tomorrow is a day off and then I plan a big ride on Saturday.....

July 23rd - A small but fast ride

Tonight I thought I would repeat last nights route however the road between my house and berkswell is gonna be closed for 8 weeks for whatever reason.  I therefore decided to head down the A road from my house to Meriden and then continue towards Hampton, Barton and then home. Doing the A road meant very fast moving traffic however a flat first 4 miles. Due to this I was able to keep my speed at 20mph+ for the first 4 miles which was new because I had to work hard to keep my speed at this level and it was not a case of hard work up a hill and then rest down the hill.

Anyway I did the 10 Miles in 37min, 10secs with a avg speed of 16.4mph my fastest yet although this means nothing really because it depends on so many factors.

I do feel like at the moment I am training for a sprint and not a marathon as JOGLE is going to be. This is because my training is over short distances and the only thing I can improve is the speed so that is what I am trying to do.  I am sure it all counts but I have put a couple of dates in the diary for some big rides.  Watch this space........

July 22nd - I'm back on the saddle

Well after 8 days off my bike due to a combination of illness, tiredness and trying to decorate my sons bedroom I had not been on the bike for 8 days.  I was totally out of the routine and could have easily not gone again tonight, however I knew that I had too and I am so glad I did.  I only did the 12 mile Meriden > Hampton-In-Arden > Barston route and I felt great. I got on the bike like a man possessed and managed to add 1mph to my average speed.

I did 12 miles in 47min, 22secs - with an average speed of 15.2mph.  I also hit a top speed of 32.1mph........More importantly I did not stop once not even for a drink, I felt strong and like I had not been off the bike.  This has taught me that it is OK to have a few days break although 8 is too many, also my plan of not riding the week leading upto JOGLE will probably work.

I will go out again tomorrow night and will hopefully complete a long ride on Sunday 30+ miles.

July 17th - Bad training week

Well i'm afraid I have done nothing in the way of biking this week.  I have been busy and really tired all week.  I was gonna go out tonight but I have not been feeling too well and chose not too.................Hopefully I will get some energy, and strength soon because I need to do more cycling..

July 15th - No Training!

Well yesterday and today I'm afraid I have done no training.  I got home and the kids were playing in the garden, I went straight out to play and then started working on the garden.  It was 8:30pm before I looked at the time!

I do feel bad and I know I am unable to train tomorrow because I am playing golf straight from work, Golf is like training though!!! I will however go for a ride Thursday, Saturday and Sunday

July 13th - Longest ride so far

Well today has been a busy day, we were out as a family this morning and then got home about 1pm.  I straight away took advantage of the sun and decided to cut the grass.  We then ate some pasta and salad and I did not get out on the bike until 3pm! The plan today was to do 25 - 30 miles today, it would have been very easy not to do the miles because of the time I got on the bike and we had made plans to go round my brothers house about 5.  However I headed out on the Meriden > Hampton-in-Arden route and it was good, it was quite warm today and after 12 Miles it was decision time, 1mile back home to complete the 13 mile circuit or head out towards Knowle.  I took the decision to carry on.

I then went towards Knowle > Lapworth > Rowington > Warwick > Home.  In total I did a total of 29 miles, in 2hrs 2min cycle time (2hr, 10mins total) with a AVG Speed of 14.2mph.  This is the longest cycle I have ever done.  There were times during the ride when I felt tired however It was actually OK.  I felt good, the last few miles were hard but I probably could have carried on.  I certainly felt a lot better than I did after my 22 mile ride on Day 2.

I also beat my top speed and hit 31.7mph.  I got home, jumped in the shower and then went to my brothers house to try out his new hot tub! My legs don't ache (Probably helped by the 2 hours spent in the Hot Tub).  Even though I was out for 2 hours it felt longer. I won't say that I enjoyed it because I was rushing to get back in time.  I find that you never enjoy the first time you go for a new milestone (If you start enjoying it then it is time to push on again!!)

Anyway, I plan to ride to work a few times this week and will look to try and do another 30 miles next weekend. I don't think the jump from 30 miles to 50 will be to difficult, beyond that seems too much yet.  My biggest concern so far is my speed, it seems like my avg speed is around 14mph, I am quite happy with this but is it enough for JOGLE and the others?, I am however only on day 16 of training!

My Route:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2074538

July 11th - Night Off

No training today, however I did fit my new bottle holders and I finally pumped up the bike tires.........

Instead I ate dinner, had a pillow fight with the kids and then watched some TV.

July 10th - New Route

Tonight I tried a new route which was a great route, it was only 12 miles however it was unknown and boy were there some hills! I managed however to do the 12.1 miles in 51mins 28seconds with an average speed of 14.1mph. I totally understand about warming into a ride. The first 5 miles are ALWAYS the worst, as the time goes on I get faster, stronger up hills and really feel like I can keep going. I really need to be pushing my distance now however it all about time. I did not get home until 7ish tonight, had dinner spent a few moments with the kids and then went out about 7:40pm. I have got to get the balance between biking, increasing my distance but spending time with the kids and Becks.

With this in mind I am not going to ride into work tomorrow or else it will mean missing the kids bedtime and that is very important to me. However I will go for a long ride on sunday. I think this 12mile route is a good after work ride, I can use this to try and beat my time, increase my speed. Sunday however I have now decided to do a 25 - 30 mile ride, (I may do the first half of the ride which we will be doing on 31st August).

Oh also I managed to increase my top speed to 29.4mph. However there were not many downhills tonight!

The Route
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2066177

July 9th - Quick ride in the rain

Matt popped in this morning and dropped off the bike computer, thanks Matt. So once I was home I could not wait to get it set up and go for a quick ride. At 8:15pm ish after setting up the computer, I went out in the pouring rain, no padded shorts, new led lights flashing to test the computer. I went too a round-about that on gmap was 1 mile away so I headed there and the computer was spot on. I went round the round-about and headed back home (it is amazing how wet you can get on a 2 mile, 8min, 24second ride). So from my quick ride I managed a top speed of 27.1mph, avg speed of 14.7mph (Towards the round about it was 18mph avg speed, coming back was up a hill?). I went down the hill on the way at 27.1mph, I came up it around 7.5mph!

It was really good though. A couple of intereting things: The bike was surprising comfitable with no padded shorts! and I need mud gaurds ASAP.....We have a provisional date of Sunday 31st August for our next 50mile get together hosted at my house this time and a bike pump, bottle holders and bottles should arrive tomorrow.

I will go out for the meriden route tomorrow night (13 Miles) and then will ride into work on Friday. Sunday I plan to do a 25mile ride

July 8th - Work and Back

Today I actually stuck to my plan and cycled into work and back (18.6 Mile round trip). I did it in 40 mins each way which I was pleased with, no major incident. Oh I did have to ride through a flooded lane which was new and got most of the dirt from the lane on my back (must get mud gaurds!). Also on the way home I got overtook by a middle aged lady and a very old man! I was just thinking how I was doing really well and keeping up speed on this hill when it happend, obviously I still have a long way to go!!!!

On the Bike front I need to put some air in my tyres, I have not added any since the bike arrived. I will hopefully clean the bike tonight and fix up my lights.

I will not ride into work tomorrow and will probably have a day off. Thursday, if John Berry remembers the pump :-) I will go out for an evening ride. Friday I will ride into work and back, Saturday will be a day off (Im in work during the evening) and then on Sunday I will hopefully go for a 25 - 30mile ride in the afternoon.

July 7th - Change of Plan

Well I was going to ride into work today, however after arriving late back from Devon last night and with the weather forecast I decided to drive. Instead I went for an evening ride. I went into Meriden and felt really good, I did the 4 miles in about 15 mins which I was very pleased with. My legs, bum and everything else felt good, no issues and I was able to concentrate on building up speed. I decided to pop into my brothers house for a quick hello and ended up staying for about 20 mins, this left me with a small issue as I had promised to get back in time to put my daughter to bed, so I chose a route back which I did not intend to do until much later on in my training because it was down a very busy and fast A road. In fact it was fine, yes the traffic moved fast but the road surface was batter quality and in fact in the lanes I have been down are very up and down, steep hill then free wheel for a bit. This was a constant hill for about 5 miles, this really worked the legs and I was able to get into a rythm. It also helped get used to the traffic and busy roundabouts which I needed to do. All in all a good ride, not as big a distance as I had planned but a good work out. If the weather is good in the morning I will ride into work and back tomorrow as I believe tomorrow is my best change of some sun. I really need a pump also as I have not added any air to my tires since my bike arrived and they will need some air soon.

My Route: 9.1 Miles Total
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2056297

6th July - No Training

No training this weekend....I have been in Devon with my Dad and have been without the bike. I am however planning to ride into work Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week.

I have however bought a few items. I have purchased a new rucksack and LED lights for the bike. I am actually looking forward to going out on the bike tomorrow and kicking on with my training

Week 1 complete

Today I took the ride into work option. It was fine, no major problems although the early start was not great. It took me a while to wake up, oh and while placing my bottle into the cage while riding, I missed, fortunately no cars were around so my drink and bottle were safe, I just had to retreive it from the middle of the road!

The ride back was different, I was planning on a longer route home but I left my map at work and the weather did not look great. I made the right choice because just as I hit the A road, I experienced a scottish summer: wind, driving rain, spray from lorries and I got soaked. It was fun but also a little scary. It was totally different riding, I just gritted my teeth and rode as fast as I could but I really had to concentrate. The puddles are all at the side of the road, just where I have to ride and there was no choice but to ride through them. I think it is important for us all to ride in these conditions because I am sure that at some point on our journey this is going to happen.

So in total today I rode 18.8miles today (9.4 each way)....I will now be having a break until Monday because I am off to Devon for the weekend minus the Bike. My plan next week is to ride into work on Monday, Wednesday and Friday......I may then do a 25 mile ride on Sunday.

It is now 1 week since I got my bike and did my first blog post. It feels like I have been doing this for ages however in 1 week I have achieved 73.6 Miles. Two cycles into work (18.8 miles each), A cycle at John Berry's house (22 Miles) and a single cycle into Meriden of 12.3 Miles. I am quite happy with this although I know I now need to step this up because when I ride into work my legs do not ache, this is not a good sign. I need to push on.

Night Off

No ride tonight, took the kids out for tea......I will either ride into work tomorrow or do a 20 mile route when I get in.

Fantastic Ride

I did not ride to work today as I overslept so I decided I would go out for a ride this evening.

I got home about 4:45pm and was on the road by 5:05pm. I came up with a new route using gmap and it was great. It was not easy, in fact there were some very steep hills however the steep ones were not that long but there were some other steady climbs that were quite long. It was a great ride because I was shocked how I felt on the bike. I seemed to have loads more power in my legs and only dropped down a few gears when taking on hills and was able to maintain momentum which was an issue the other day. I was able to really attack the hills accelerating and increasing my speed. I am looking forward to getting the bike computer because I am very interested in my speed and avg speed.

The route was 12.3 miles and I did it in 1 hour. Not the fastest, in fact I thought I was faster than that however there were alot of hills and an avg speed of 12mph is not bad.

I was really excited about going out tonight and was buzzing when I got home again not because of the distance achieved but how much stronger I felt. It will be very interesting to see how I get on riding into work on Thursday because if it goes as I expect then it will be very easy.

I am away this weekend so no long rides however the following week I will try and get to the 20 mile ride mark in the evening, I will probably stick at the 20 mile mark for a few weeks and concentrate on increasing my avg speed. 12 Miles is no problem and it is a good bench mark to push on from. I really want to achieve 50 miles by the end of July, early august.....But we will see I want my avg speed to increase first and time at the moment is on our side......

My Route = Balsall Common > Berkswell > Four Oaks > Meriden
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2037139