Journal

Picking up a gear

Tuesday May 8th 2012

I recently had the gears ratios on my road bike changed in preparation for the Bealach Beag cycling event that’s coming up. The route features a climb over the highest mountain pass in Britain and the concensus was that it’d be exceptionally tough to make it up the climb and have anything left in the tank using the 25 tooth climbing cog that came with the bike. So in it went to Helensburgh Cycles to have a new spread of gears with a larger 28 tooth cog.

On the weekend I picked the bike up I set off on a training ride using a new route that would include some of the steepest climbs in the area. Taking me past Shantron Farm, the first climb on the road from Loch Lomond over to Garelochhead was the first time I used the 28 and it really made a difference. I knew within a couple of hundred yards that there was no way I would have made it up that hill with the 25 tooth cog driving the back wheel. It’s rare that you have an equipement decision like that validated so immediately, but as each brutal climb came on the route I was really glad I had the 28 to shift into if I needed it.

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Journal

In sickness and in need of health

Tuesday April 10th 2012

I’ve been under the weather for a couple of weeks now and it’s really getting frustrating. I’m generally quite resilient when it comes to illness, but this winter has taken its toll and when spring arrived with a welcome boost in temperature a few weeks back I was delighted. All too soon it was back to being wet and cold again, though, and that’s coincided with me getting this cold.

I’m taking my vitamins and eating about as healthy as I can do, but this thing isn’t shifting fast enough for my liking. I have a cycling event in one month’s time and I’m behind on my training already. I’ve managed to keep the pace up with my Tough Mudder strength training, as that doesn’t really require me to be able to breathe efficiently.

Still, if this cold hasn’t cleared by the end of the week I’m going to far enough behind with my fitness on the bike that it’ll make that first event of the year even more daunting than it already is.

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Journal

The biggest challenge of all

Sunday March 4th 2012

From last year’s experience, I know I can cycle a hundred miles. I might not have been as fast as I’d like, but I was able to put myself through it and my recovery time was pretty good. This year as part of my challenges I signed up for a few tougher cycling events in addition to Pedal for Scotland in September, just to raise the bar a little and keep me motivated to train harder through the year.

However, I’m not a huge fan of the long endurance rides. I don’t think spending six or seven hours in the saddle is as much fun as a manageable two or three hour ride that leaves plenty of time in the day for other things. My first ride of this year is a 45 miler in May that I’m quite looking forward to. Training for a 45 mile ride with some tough climbs is doable when you have a busy family life, while training for 100 mile rides isn’t quite as practical.

To that end I decided to limit number of cycling events I signed up for so I don’t end up in a constant onslaught of training for and participating in events. This left the door open up for some other fitness challenge, though, and when my old college mate Eoan suggested doing the Tough Mudder, I had to have a serious think about it.

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