Mile By Mile

As I cycled by the river Axe this morning I got to thinking about distance. The wind was blowing strongly from the north west and I knew today was going to be hard work. Hilly and windy make for demoralising cycling. It was then that it struck me  that Dale Carnegie's advice was right,about "living in day tight compartments". Any problem or for that matter journey looked at as a whole can seem too big to conquer. Broken into smaller parts it becomes more manageable and in the end doable. A journey can be treated in exactly the same way. 50 miles seems a long way but when you start enjoying the journey you  soon forget the distance and the miles start to roll by as each smaller target is accomplished. Sometimes when you get so distracted you even can't remember the road you have just travelled along and the miles that have been covered.  It seems to me that having the right mental attitude is therefore just as important as the physical training. I also am trying to apply the wise words of Lao Tz :

The Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step 
- (Lao Tz    or in my case a spin of the wheel!

Training Plan For This Week

Today has been wet and sea misty in this part of East Devon but at least my water butts are filling up! Training cancelled for today but the forecast for the rest of the week looks cracking. Here is the game plan. Tues 20 hilly miles. Wednesday 35 hilly miles. Thursday 48 hilly miles. Let get serious. Note to self, look out the spray tin of Ralgex.

The Cereal Bar Thief

Today I had to get out onto the road no matter what the weather was like as I needed the miles in my legs. Just two weeks to go and time is running out to get this body of mine "finely tuned". Some people have taken the view that  time had run out  long ago to achieve this! My route today was shorter but very hilly with long climbs and two 15-20% hills to wake my leg muscles up! I had no real problems and will have ago at the same route again on Monday and Tuesday. On my journey I saw a green woodpecker which I startled as I rode over a bridge . Near the old station at Seaton junction closed by Dr Beaching in the 1960's I stopped for a drink and a "munch" on my cereal bar."Bobby" a local retriever had other ideas as he walked along the road with his owners. He tried to steal it before I could get it in my mouth and I could feel his hot breath on my hand. Having fended him off, I told his owners they ought to feed him more, to which they replied "he looks under feed" . His portly figure indicated to me that he probably had eaten lots of cyclist's cereal bars !

Riding with a positive attitude

When I woke up this morning , I had real problems with my right shoulder as it was jolly painful. It was because I moved the compost heap yesterday. On top of this it was very windy and I just did not feel like getting on the road. I sat and had a cup of coffee and read about the apostle Paul when he was in prison, it seemed to me that my shoulder pain and the windy day was nothing in comparison to what he went through. I decided that I would have days like this when I was travelling the LEJOG so this would be good practice for then. Anyhow just imagine what it must have been like in Scotland yesterday for those poor souls who were on the road between B and B's. As it turned out I had a wonderful ride despite the windy day. I forgot about my shoulder after about 30 minutes and the weather and the countryside were wonderful. I was so glad I was out there on the bike, with the "wind in my Wheels"

Mad Dogs and Englishman

Today was my longest training ride 35 miles in the hills following the river Yarty to where  the A30 meets with the A303. It was a perfect day for cycling light breeze and not too hot. The road that follows the river is very narrow and a bit of a "roller coaster" and I did not see many cars or for that matter anybody else. Lots of Damsel flies and Speckled wood butterflies and some Bullfinches as I made my final crossing via a ford of the Yarty and that's where my trouble began. I'm talking dogs, because as I rested at the ford a nasty looking one came after me. I managed to fend him off for a while but he later chased me up a hill, and I just about outrun him. He had a "pal" who was a collie and he was very friendly so I gave him a stroke.Having got my breath back I relaxed too soon and nasty dog number two turned up. He gave me the "old bark and chase treatment" and I shouted at him and escaped up a bumpy farm track and eventually found the long road home. Note to self carry a dog Dazer or large cycle pump!

Buzzards and Nettles

A cloudy start this morning with very little wind. Just as well because I forgot to take my sunglasses with me and hoped I would not have to practice "take the fly out of the eye". Lots of buzzards about this morning and I got very close to one without him taking off. I felt a little put out at the start of my ride when the lane I normally take for training was closed for road works. This did not put me off and I weaved my way around the various bits of pot hole patching and arrived safely at the end of the lane. I have been experimenting with a very small video camera to help share my rides with you. As you will see I have not mastered it yet and in my keenness to share a view with you wandered into the local nettle patch. Also the "heavy breathing is because I have just cycled up hill not because I am a "Dodgie" character Thank goodness for the Dock leaves.

Experiments with Video

Hopefully next week my blogs will contain a more interactive approach to my training for you to share. What do I mean by this? I hear you say. Well I have just purchased a mini video camera about the size of a two pound coin that can record footage of my training and LEJOG ride. Hopefully the small box will arrive tomorrow and I can give it a shot on Monday.  Don't expect too much to start with however as it will be mainly footage of my coat and feet as you see me I trying to pick the thing  up, from dropping it in a muddy Devon lane , mastering my cinematic skills.

A Day of Hills and Horses

I thought I would start off early for a ride this morning to miss the regular thunderstorm and heavy rain we seem to be getting, which brews up nicely about 2pm ish. I set myself a challenge of going to Umbourne and Watchcombe which are hamlets in a particular hilly part of East Devon. The road out of Umbourne heads up 450 feet in about a mile and has a nice 15% hill near the top. As I wound my way up the hill I eventually arrived at the steepest point and wondered if my heart would hold out till I reached the top. Fortunately for me it did and I sheltered in the wood at the top and munched gratefully on my cereal bar. The place was like the" wild wood" in wind in the willows and the roots of the trees looked like they could stretch out at any minute and grab you! I met my regular "Nemesis" this morning "the horse who hates bicycles". Its all very embarrassing, as on the narrow lane, I stop and he will not pass me! The rider then has a battle of wills with him as he wants to head back home rather than pass me. Eventually he edges past me and we go our separate ways. I know that our paths will cross again when I'm out again on Friday!

The journey back was uneventful but windy although I saw a Jay and a dead Badger  . One of the good things about cycling is you re-live many childhood experiences, as I am now eating lots of Jelly Babies for that quick energy burst!

St Mark's flies and Red Campions

Today was the perfect training ride,a light southerly breeze, quiet roads, and the feeling after 28 miles that you could just keep rolling on. The St Mark's flies that buzz up and down the hedge near Beer seemed to have "moved on" as less kept hitting me on the head as I descended Stovar lane! Lots of gnats on my journey, one of which got stuck in my mouth till I spat him out. The road side verges are full of Red Campions and Cow Parsley and are a wonderful sight. I passed a farm today that was selling up. Unfortunately for me it was on a narrow lane which led up a long steep hill (15%) with very little room for my bike never mind the three 4x4's that tried to pass me going to the sale. My clip less pedals lock my feet into the pedals and removing them requires a sharp twist of the ankle.Easy to do on the flat but not uphill when you have pressure on the pedal. Every time a vehicle tried to pass me I had to fall into the hedge to get my foot out of the pedals. Care was needed to avoid the large patches of stinging nettles but I eventually mastered the technique! All in all a successful day!
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/scientific-advances/industry/bibio-marci/index.html





Training on a windy day!

I now know how Winnie the Pooh must have felt as I set out on my 27 mile training run this morning. He was blown about on a windy day and so was I. Everything seemed hard work, the hills, the flat, going downhill! Each way I went the wind would follow and blow in my face and the only relief came when the high banks and hedge rows gave me shelter. When I stopped for a drink at the top of a hill even a ladies dog  hassled me. Some days are meant for character building, this one served that purpose!