Starting to pack

Beginning to pack with help from Felix! He wants to come too, but Geoff won't let him!

This time next week!

This time next week I will have finished my first day of the trip - Land's End to Helston, 25 miles. Six months of training is complete, I'm nearly there. I did my last serious ride on Thursday. I'm tapering now, just going to do a couple of easy rides next week, on the flat to keep the legs moving, but also to give them the chance to recover from the last week of training which involved cycling six days on the trot and climbing a lot of hills.

Looking back since January:

• I've cycled 2056 miles - that's Land's End to John O'Groats twice!! (Geoff says: "there's no need to go now, stay home with me!").

• I've done 137,440 feet of climbing - that's equivalent to cycling up Everest 4.73 times! (Geoff says: "you can't cycle up Everest, it's impossible - too much snow").

• I've spent 213 hours training - and I've lost NO WEIGHT; I still weigh 9st 3lb. (Geoff says: "yeh, but feel your quads!!).

All that remains is to pack. Feeling strange..

Packing about to start

Beginning to pack, with a little help from Felix. Geoff says he can't come with me though, he needs the company!!

Paranoia setting in..

With less than a fortnight to go something is going on in my head.

• I was wandering around Sainbury's shopping when I suddenly started feeling sick - it lasted about 10 minutes - so I'm thinking is it stress, tension, am I anxious about LEJOG? That's the paranoia bit - the sensible bit of me said, "No" it's because you took your vitamin tablet an hour after food instead of with food!
• My left knee started aching - is it stress, referred pain from my head because I'm anxious about LEJOG? "No" it's a bit of pain left over from running 5 kms recently, it'll calm down. 

I SHOULD CALM DOWN!

14 days to go!!

In a fortnight's time Geoff and I will be in Marazion, Cornwall. This is significant! - it is the day before I set off! The picture below, is of St Michael's Mount in Marazion. The campsite we'll be staying in is a stones-throw away from this lovely spot. 

I have no idea how or what I'll be feeling the day before I set off. There'll be no packing to do; I suppose I could fiddle with the bike - polish it, check the tyre pressures, oil the chain, clean my shoes etc. It's going to be a long day of waiting for Saturday to arrive - but hey! we'll be in Cornwall, home of cream teas - perfect carbohydrate loading food - all that jam, yum! 

The plan on July 2nd, is for Geoff to take me to Penzance for 12.30pm. Then, load my gear onto the van, (that's right I'm not carrying my own gear, no way!). Then, say farewell to Geoff and cycle to Land's End from Penzance (about 15 miles). Meanwhile, Geoff starts driving back to Macclesfield - he's running the next day, otherwise I think he would have stayed an extra night. 

All the members of the group (there's about 16 of us I think) have to be at Land's End by 4 pm for the "group picture". Then we get on our bikes at 4.30 pm and begin our adventure! That first evening we'll be cycling 25 miles to Helston. 

I know the routine (and the route), for the first day like the back of my hand, the other 17 days are a bit hazy. Day 2 we cycle to Lostwithiel, Day 3 to Exeter, Day 4 to somewhere near Cheddar and Day 5 to Hereford, Day 6 who knows?!

Fortunately all the routes will be on a GPX "gismo" - all I have to do is learn how to use it. One of the reasons I chose the "CTC" to do LEJOG with, was precisely because the routes are uploaded onto a "computer-like-thingy" that I can attach to my handlebars and have permanently "on" showing me where to go - all the other groups I looked at gave you maps and bits of paper - I could just see me coping with that in the pouring rain, NOT!  

SO wow! 

14 days to go. 

6 months of training going to be really tested soon! 

Oh no! I've done the physical training - but not thought much about the mental side of things - other than, I must be mental! (Thought I'd say it before you did!!!).

Essential Kit - Milton sterilising tablets....

Only three weeks to go now. In reality, that is two weeks left of training, 'cos the third week will be a "tapering" week. That means I will be be doing short rides on the flat, just to keep the leg muscles turning over. Lots of trips to Jodrell Bank for coffee and flap-jack!

I've been reading a few cycling related books over the last six months..

Mark Beaumont's book is a "must-read" for anyone really. He is so inspirational. He cycled 18,000 miles around the world in 195 days; with rest days that worked out that he had to do 100 miles/day. HE DID IT!! But what was amazing for me was that he did it with open pressure sores on his bottom!! This really hit home to me, because last year I bought a new saddle and had real problems with a sore backside. The thought of cycling every day for 100 miles with open sores on my bottom - well, I just couldn't have done it, no way. 

So I have bought a tub of "chamois" cream to lather on my delicate parts. This topic is also raised in another book I'm reading. This one is by my next-door-but-one neighbours, Annie and Paul. They did LEJOG two years ago now and the book describes the experience from Annie's viewpoint - from the back of the tandem!

This is an hilarious account of LEJOG! As I said, bottom's are mentioned(!), but the main tip I got from Annie's experience was to look after my hands. She got some quite nasty blisters on both her hands - the area between her thumb and forefinger, from gripping the handlebars. So, I will be packing blister plasters along with the chamois cream! I haven't finished the book yet - so there may be more valuable snippets. 

The final book I've read is by Tim Moore:

Tim decided to ride the 2000 Tour de France route a few months before the actual event after minimal training!! Another laugh-out-loud read.

The main piece of info I gleaned from this read (apart from training for an endurance ride is essential?!) was to wash my water bottles ("bidons") out thoroughly! Tim had made the mistake of a quick rinse out under the tap, followed by filling his bidon with high-sugar drinks, which basically grew masses of bacteria in the French sunshine resulting in ..... mega- intestinal "hurry"!!

So - chamois cream, blister plasters and..... "milton" sterilising tablets, are all on the kit list!

Happy Days!

Year to date; 197 hours on the bike and 1833 miles travelled!

Up at 7am today for my last training day with Rich. Well I say last day, but in fact Geoff came too - it was a training day for Geoff really, I tagged along. Rich went over descending skills with Geoff - so I had a bit of revision!

Been busy this week-end - on Saturday we cycled to The Wincle Fete via Tittesworth reservoir and Gun Hill. The Fete was fun - there was a dog-show; "the waggiest-tail" and "the best sausage catcher"!! Good old fashioned summer, village fete. Then Sunday, we both went out with Macclesfield Wheelers, 46 miles. We climbed up Mow Cop the easier route, and went down the 25% route. Going down it was a lot worse/scarier than climbing it - in fact I couldn't believe I'd climbed it only 6 days before! Stopped at a great farm cafe for lunch - sadly didn't have room for ice-cream after chicken wrap and scone with jam and cream, mmmm delicious!

Hoping to do 6 days on the trot training this week - three down (Saturday, Sunday & Monday), three to go; although Thursday I'm planning on going for a 4Km run instead of a bike ride, having successfully completed 5Km last week with Macclesfield Harriers "couch-2-5K" programme. I'm only going to do 4Km 'cos my leg started hurting at that point last week and I need to save myself for the park run on Saturday - phew, it's all go.

I'm waiting for my new Garmin 810 to be delivered - lots of data to be analysed with that! Oh what fun!

So far this year I have cycled for 197 hours and done 1833 miles - so since January, I've already done LEJOG and almost cycled back to Manchester!! Awesome!  

Last 4 Weeks
Avg Rides / Week	3
Avg Distance / Week	86 mi
Avg Time / Week	7h 27m

But! When I see stats like these above I begin to worry that I've not done enough; everyone (well 3 people!!??) is reassuring me that I have - Geoff, Rich, and one of my neighbours, Paul (who did LEJOG 2 years ago with his wife Annie, on a tandem!!); they all say I'll be fine. So, as Paul has actually done LEJOG, I should believe him!

I believe!! I believe!! I believe!!

Graduation Week

What a momentous week! 

On Monday I went out with Rich and tackled "Mow Cop" near Congleton - it's called "The Killer Mile" and has a nasty, infamous section, two-thirds of the way up, at average 25%. According to "Strava" one bit is 27%!!

The picture above shows the 25% bit - I looked nowhere as comfortable on my bike as the chap in the picture. I was weaving across the road (on purpose trying to reduce the gradient a bit!!). Rich was behind me shouting stuff like "Half way there!" and "You've got this, Janette!" and then suddenly, after a huge "roar" (literally) of effort I crested the 25% bit and gasped my way to top - pleased as punch! Rich was pretty pleased for me too!

So, now I feel confident that I can tackle anything that Cornwall has to throw at me. I feel sure there won't be anything as bad as "Mow Cop". I'll be able to let you know in 28 days - as I  start on the 2nd July - wow! in one calendar month I'll have finished Day 2.

So "Hill Training" is now complete! With lots of thanks to Richard (aka "Tigger" - in-joke!?) Storer, super-coach! I certainly could not have done it without him. He's built up my confidence in my own ability (which means I can keep my feet clipped into the pedals - I used to unclip one foot 'cos I was frightened that because I was going so slowly I'd fall over!!). He's also has helped me to learn how to pace myself up both long & short hills, using my Heart Rate data. Thanks once again, Rich.

I can recommend getting the help of a coach if you want to take your cycling onto the next level. I've learnt how to ascend and importantly how to "descend" hills safely too. Just got to get Geoff to feel comfortable descending and Alpe d' Huez here we come!! (His turn will come on Monday with Rich....). 

My other achievement this week has been to  "graduate" from the "Couch-to-5K" programme, held over the last 9 weeks with Macclesfield Harriers. On Thursday night a group of us ran 12.5 circuits of the athletics track to complete 5Km. We were given a certificate each! The final run is in a week's time - we run the Congleton Park run and then that's it, we can continue with Macc Harriers or ?? 

In all honesty I think I will probably stop - I have developed a niggley pain in my left knee, which I have had before when running. The last time I tried "couch-2-5K" I had to stop because I couldn't run anymore, the pain was so bad. So best to quit whilst I'm ahead.

A very satisfactory week all round, I feel GOOD!!