Saturday, April 27, 2013

Holy Cow.....Adding gear makes a difference!

So overall this was a good week of training. Started with a 35 mile ride on the Trace on Monday. Went to the gym at St. D's on Tuesday and along with riding a bike,, I did some upper body strength lifting. Wednesday I did a spin class at St. D's - brutal but effective. Rested Thursday, and Friday cycled 50.7 miles south on the Trace. I decided to load up my panniers (bags that I will carry my gear/ clothes etc.) each with a 5 lb brick. That's 20 lbs additional weight. Well what a shock that was.
Having ridden the Trace often now, I know what gears work well on particular hills. But with the addition of the weight on the bike, that all went by the wayside. I'm really going to have to watch what I pack to keep the additional weight to a minimum. After 25 miles, I pulled over and took the two bricks out of the back panniers and I could immediately feel the difference. They say it's best to load the front panniers heavier than the back for easier cycling. anyway going up hill requires a lot lower gears when carrying additional weight. This was a good test prior to my 100 miler to Natchez and then back the next day this coming Wednesday. Planning to rest until then. The other thing that affected me yesterday was the heat. 86 degrees in the sun. I had to stop at one point on the way home and get in the shade to cool down. They say only mad dogs and Englishman go out in the midday sun  and you know which one I am. The forecasters are calling for rain on Wednesday which I would rather have than 86 degree and strong sun. Staying hydrated is more of a challenge in the direct heat also. Stay tuned for Natchez and my first 100 miler!

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Back in the Saddle...Two new firsts.....

Spent five days this past week in Charleston, SC attending PAII Leadership Conference and Board Meetings. We stayed at the Inn on Middleton Place, a beautiful 2,000 acre complex with spectacular gardens, stables and steeped in history. I ran around on their free cycles but did not get a real workout in. However, Saturday was a gorgeous day and I was able to squeeze in a quick 40.2 miles in between functions. Smooth sailing up until 11 miles and then the pollen really affected me and my eyes started swelling and burning. On top of that, suddenly I caught a bug in my right eye that temporarily blinded me. I stopped and poured water in my eye and the bug was cleared. This is the first time I experienced either one of these distractions. Felt strong most of the ride, although I'm still experiencing pain from the extended hamstring pull. Only 34 days to go. Thank you again to all of you who have sponsored me. We're at 33 percent of the goal and climbing. Please pass along to your acquaintances this sponsoring opportunity. Hoping to cycle 60 plus miles on Monday.....

Saturday, April 13, 2013

86 miles Record Ride

Yesterday was a beautiful da, sunny and in the seventies, perfect riding weather. I planned to ride to Utica, MS and back. Took the Natchez Trace South from Ridgeland leaving just after 11am. Arrived in Utica at 2:30 pm clocking just over 42 miles. I wasn't sure at that point that I would make it back. After taking a 20 minute rest and eating French fries and a snickers bar I was ready for the return ride. Hwy 27 is pretty dangerous, with 18 wheeler truckers and a narrow burm on the road with grooves to stop drivers falling asleep, but not conducive for cyclists. Managed to get back on the Trace and stayed hydrated and fueled all the way. Within 10 miles of getting back to Ridgeland I experienced a pretty strong headwind that slowed me down quite a bit coming in. Anyway completed 86.4 miles in 6 hours 20 minutes. Climbed 4,275 ft and burned 2,748 calories. Average speed of 13.6 mph and ave. pace of 4:24 minute miles. I was really exhausted when I returned home, but recovered well after a good nights sleep. Woke up with a sunburn. I'll remember to put sunscreen on next time.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

46 Days to LEJOG

With just 46 days left to train, I mixed it up with three 30 mile rides, 2 spin classes and 2 days at the gym riding cycle and lifting since my last post. Spin class has to be the toughest work out of all, but gets the heart rate going and builds stamina. I took the bike into the Bike Rack yesterday to add a couple of gadgets. I also had them install a flag pole. It's a fiberglass pole that breaks down into three sticks. When put together it has a fluorescent flag that potrudes 10ft over the bike. In the UK there are several roads that have brick walls or hedges above car  height. The flag will make the bike more visible to cars on turns that will hopefully prevent me from being hit. I also added a Garmin GPS. It tracks lots of things like cadence, heart rate (if I'm wearing a strap around my chest), elevation, mileage, and calories burned among other things. Garmin can also be picked up by UK GPS tracking. We have been getting several bike groups from Vermont Bike Tours at the Inn and I do a briefing every Sunday evening about the history of the Inn and a little about Mississippi. The cyclists have been particularly interested about my upcoming ride as many of them have been cycling in Europe before. More soon...

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Sunny Days are here again!

Great day out yesterday although a little warm at 76 degrees. Decided to cycle from the Inn and went out towards Lakeland drive, then through north Jackson along Old Canton Road and Pear Orchard up to the reservoir. Took the Ridegeland trails onto the Trace and headed north for about 12 miles. At the 20 mile point, I turned around and headed back south on the Trace until Highland Colony. Crossed Highland Colony at I-220 onto Hanging Moss Road until Meadowood and then back to the Inn through Fondren. It was good to experience rush hour traffic, as I am sure to encounter it sometime in the UK. I didn't find it too difficult except for the bad roads having to dodge potholes and gravel. In town, too, car drivers are not apt to give you the three feet they do on the Trace, so there is no room for error and you have to stay close to the curb.Completed 40.2 miles in 2 hrs 59 mins. at 13.5 mph average speed. Climbed 2142 ft and burned 1269 calories. Pushed the ride a little too hard and was a little overheated when finished. I wore my winter undershirt and I think it kept in the body heat. Now we are switching from winter to summer temperatures, I'll have to remember to consume a lot more liquids.
Booked the majority of my B & B stays and the train to Penzance. Now I just have to finalize the last leg of my trip back from John O'Groats to London via St. Andrews. I'm really getting both excited and nervous about the trip. I'll feel a lot more confidance after the Natchez overnight. More soon...