Kenya is off

Unfortunately, I've just had a call from the charity cancelling the Kenya cycling trip (they couldn't get enough people to sign up for it). Apparently cycling 400km doesn't appeal to many people - can't think why.

I'm now working with the charity and tour operator to find another challenge instead – having put in 3 months of training already, I'm not letting it go to waste.

So… hold the donations please! For those who have already donated, please bear with me for a few days while I sort all this out. You will of course be able to get your money back if you prefer, of I can transfer it to my new challenge instead (whatever that may be).

Boo. What a shame.

GUTTED. But I will be back.

What a difference a week makes...

I never thought I would write these words together in one sentence. But... I just had a personal training session at the gym and it rocked!

Especially compared to last week, when I hadn't been to the gym for 10 days (even though I had cycled to work and back for 5 days in between), felt knackered and found it really hard going.

Today, Liam mixed things up a bit and we've started doing 'super sets' (mixing 2 previously separate exercises into 1). So 10 arm pulls on the TRX were followed by 10 press ups (x3). 10 ab curls on the TRX were followed by 10 tricep dips x 3 (still my least favourite, hate it).

Plus a few new treats mixed in as well - like using a contraption I've always strictly avoided - you put your weight on your arms, hang legs down straight then raise them 90 degrees in front of you - legs still straight. Repeat 10 times, mixed in with 10 exercises where you are sat on the floor, legs straight in front, you lie back 45 degrees and do 10 twists with a 4kg medicine ball.

We finished with a 5 minute warm down on the treadmill, during which I was even able to maintain a conversation.

I walked out feeling energised, rather full of beans and a little bit proud of myself. Oh, and I reached a new PB (personal best) of 133 metres on the rowing machine sets of 30 seconds, with the lever thing (technical term) on level 8. Compared to last week's 126 metres, that's a big gain.

Yes, I am now a gym bore as well as a cycling bore, but I feel great. Whoop whoop! Feels like I'm making progress at last.

Now it's time to start making progress on the fundraising... oh, and yes. It's still bloody raining. Back on the bicycle tomorrow.

Weather within, without...

I am now almost convinced that the Gods of Weather have a personal bone to pick with me. Honestly, I wake up in the morning... blue skies, no rain. I open the door to collect my bike and the heavens open.

Or, I watch the weather through the windows at work. Right on cue at 5.30pm... deluge.

Or even better, the sun is shining, blue skies! I set off, through puddles from the previous soaking and just as I get 10 minutes from home... yup. Downpour again.

Even when I went to visit my brother in Leeds the other weekend (no bicycle)... we would open the front door.

DELUGE!

Close front door.

Rain stopped.

Open front door.

DELUGE!

Close front door.

Rain stopped.

AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Double whammy

Another milestone yesterday - I cycled to and from work, and also went to the gym (the first time I've done both on the same day). And it didn't kill me! OK, so it may have been a 'gym-lite' session - I reckon about 65-70% of what I would normally do. But this was after 18 miles of cycling... I slept very well last night. ;-)

Thumbs!

As weird as it may sound, the only bit of me that has started to hurt since I started upping the training is my thumbs.

Or to be more accurate, my thumb joints. I used to get a painful left thumb joint when I was a barmaid (about a hundred years ago), caused by collecting towering piles of empty pint glasses, in my left hand, supported by my left thumb. Ouch.

I've also always had double-jointed thumbs (well, until I sprained my right wrist quite badly a couple of years ago). Now I just have a double-jointed left thumb.

So I was a bit worried and mystified when my thumb joints started hurting about a week ago.

I asked a few cycling tweeters on twitter about it. And got some good advice back. Mainly to do with my posture, pressure on the handlebars and gripping too tightly.

Turns out Mr-know-it-all at the spinning class may have been on to something.

So as much as I hate it, I stand corrected.

Made a conscious difference in stance and grip today (God, I am boring myself now) but it made a real difference.

Just don't get me started on pedestrians who wait until their green man goes red, then do a dash across the road.

Really? You'd do that if I was a car?

A little breakthrough

My legs were quite tired this morning cycling into work, after yesterday's spinning extravaganza. So I wasn't expecting to get in particularly quickly. But the bike computer logged my time as 51 mins. Fastest yet! A small 'woo' and 'yay' for a Monday morning.

Spinning wheels

I survived my first spinning class yesterday. I must admit, I wasn't particularly looking forward to it.

But, after an early night on Saturday (dull, but rather essential) I shuffled off to the gym on Sunday morning and approached the dark room in the corner with all the shiny bicycle machines in it.

I sat next to a gentleman (the only guy there) who kept making helpful comments.... my laces were too long and might get caught... Had the instructor warned me about the dead weight free wheel (or something)..? I was gripping the handbars too hard...

Yes, he may have been trying to be helpful, but he was actually really annoying. Especially as I was trying to hear what the instructor was saying (seeing as she was the instructor, and it was my first time). Grrr.

Anyhow, we cycled and cycled and cycled. Very hard. And for a long time. To lots of loud music, with the instructor shouting at us. At one point, I think I had sweat actually dripping off my chin. Nice.

But the main point is, I survived! It was bloody hard work but it didn't kill me. And while I don't think I could ever call it fun, it will definitely help with the training.