Paul's first blog

I know I am a late entrant to this blog - this is because I am still coming to terms with the facts that I have signed up and that we have a pile of cash to raise. Fitness needs to be addressed - my commute is a lot less that Jane's and 5 miles each way doesn't do much for cardiovascular fitness. I plan to build up to a reasonable weekly mileage, but am waiting for the weather to improve (flakes of snow in the air again as I write).

It has been interesting to hear the reactions from mates who have done some of our cycling trips before to the suggestion that they join this one. Some say they can't take the time off (semi-acceptable excuse), some think it is too far (they are possibly right, but how do they know without trying?), some express qualified interest and say they'll let me know (Mark Hudson), some say they are going to do it but have yet to register (Chris Vaughan, Simon Dalli). Some just don't respond (Dave Coomes - but then he never does). My eldest son, who will be 18 then, is keen to come but I am not sure he really knows what he would be letting himself in for. He might be able to tap up some rich parents at his school though.

The British Heart Foundation Rocks (and Clocks)

Tomorrow is the day that we are planning to launch officially our fundraising page at Justgiving.com. We are going public and  boy do I hope there are some generous people out there.

In preparation for that I have been baking. I made these for my colleagues at work who I am hoping will then feel sorry enough for us (and the enormous task ahead) to sponsor us. They are such lovely people I have every faith in them (wink wink). What do you mean, of course I mean it...!!

I really quite enjoy a bit of messing around with cakes and icing and am wondering if anyone would want a cake decorated in lieu of a donation? If you do let me know, materials and donation in exchange for a decorated cake. Fair?

I don't feel as though I have seen much of my bike this week and yet its Wednesday already. Yesterday I ran to the office as I am slowly extending my run distances and running another stop further down the train line each week is a good way to  slowly increase the distance and try and catch up with some precious reading time on the train. I started with Earlsfield, then Wimbledon and now Raynes Park. Next stop New Malden.

In the evening my dad and I went to see Arsenal vs Ipswich at the Emirates stadium on Tuesday evening. The Tractor boys held out as long as they could but eventually succumbed to the class and skill of the Arsenal team. It was a good game though and ticked a box on one of dad's long term wishes. He's been wanting to go there for a long time so it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss when they faced his team Ipswich Town in the Carling Cup. ITFC at Emirates stadium is not a frequent fixture thats for sure. I am just glad we can still do these things together, everyday is precious and at the end of the night I opted to go home with him and then come back early this morning. The journey to Saffron Walden is about as far from Tottenham Hale as Tooting is and so in my opinion it was worth it to see dad home safely and give mum a quick hug. Of course when we got home close to midnight tea and biscuits were waiting for us and toasty hot water bottles in my bed. There's no place like home eh? Thanks mum you are the best and thanks again Mr Varty.

Lessons in Humanity...

Several things happened this week that made me stop and think how relatively small acts by others can make such an enormous difference to the way we see the world. Its making me feel as though there is a chance that with enough work and effort we will reach our fundraising goals.

Here's what happened.

Dean is one of Healix's newest employees. He's an administrator in Healix International and purchased a new bicycle using the cycle to work scheme in order that he can save himself the £30 cost of public transport each week. We made sure he had his bike in time for Christmas day. It was the only way for him to easily make sure he was at work on the 25th December. However on the 28th December he left work to find that someone had stolen his brand new bike from where it had been locked in front of the building.

Luckily his bike had been parked within sight of the CCTV and we managed to get some decent footage of the theft occurring. Police were notified and we created and circulated posters around the town with CCTV images showing the offenders. Local shops displayed our posters happily. We were delighted when one was identified by an off duty policeman and within days all three offenders were known to Police. Sadly the bike wasnt recovered and Dean was left with paying every month for the next year for a bike he no longer owned. So a slightly shallow victory.

Buying a new bike for £399 pounds is a lot for someone on a modest salary. However when I worked out that if everyone at Healix chipped in £2.95 or thereabouts we would have enough to replace the bike. Could it work? I emailed the suggestion to my colleagues and sat back to await the response. Well it was incredible. within minutes I had amassed more than £100 and people were more than happy to donate often considerably more than their suggested £2.95. It was truly humbling.

Someone (a junior member of staff) emptied her pockets of all the change she had. Others said "I am not sure which one Dean is but here take this £5". WOW...! It was amazing. The original bike had been supplied by Birdie Bikes in Hampton. I called Adam the manager and asked him if I bought a new bike and took it boxed and built it myself could I please access a small discount to make our fund raising task a little easier? "No problem" he said "Of course you can have a discount and don't worry we will build the bike for you anyway". Oh the beauty of a Local Bike Shop (LBS). Fabulous. Thanks guys, you are the best.

And so last Wednesday we presented Dean with his new bike. It was quite emotional and truly inspiring. What a fabulous group of people I work with.

There are three people out there somewhere who were responsible for that theft. They may have unlocked a bike but I bet they are unaware that they also unlocked the power of the human spirit and reinforced the bonds that make us all part of the Healix family.

Oh and Healix (the company) bought a decent lock that might protect the new bike a little longer we hope.

That wasnt the only surprising event though. On Friday there was an email in my inbox from someone who I believe to be my half second cousin...! (yes its complicated), I think I worked that out ok. Its someone I have heard my father mention often but whom I haven't met since I was a toddler and that I promise you is quite some time ago. Tom Daly lives in Portugal now but was writing to me to offer sponsorship. I have to admit it made me cry. That someone who is now so far removed from my live in so many ways is willing to donate to the cause was overwhelmingly touching. I am so grateful that there are people out there who understand how tough a challenge this is and are prepared to go out of their way to help.

George Buckham I thank you too. Money from two Scots in a week. Heavens what's happened ;-) That goes against all stereotypes doesnt it? Ha ha ha..

So I ended the week on a high. Inspired to pursue my targets and not willing to let the sleepless night and worry of Thursday stand in the way (I couldn't stop tossing and turning at the thought of £6000).

As of today its £5930 to go...!

Oh and my other training, here's an update....

• 2lbs of fat lost
• 12 miles of running
• 70 miles cycled.

Making the fundraising target seem more achievable

Achieveing your goals is all about setting interim targets and goals isnt it? I am sure thats what some American management speak manual would tell me to do.

Well I have been pondering the amounts and trying to work out what it really means in reality.

The bike ride, well thats simple, ride all day long until my bike computer says something between 100-130 miles and someone in a red BHF T-shirt is waving at me and telling me I can stop until tomorrow. I can get my head around that. I can control it and make myself keep going. Ultimately I know I can, with dogged determination achieve it.

The money is where I need help. I intend to contribute a large chunk of cash myself. I dont want anyone to donate thinking they are contributing to a 'holiday' (haa it could not be further from the truth). I will be paying my way in that respect.

I am trying to breakdown the enormity of £6000 and in my mind make it more manageable  so I have come up with the following amounts. If you think you could manage to help by contributing to a fantastic cause that affects almost all of us at some stage then I would be very very grateful.

I can raise £6000 if I can persuade the following number of people to donate:

6 x        £1000      !!! In my dreams…
12 x       £500       I don’t have that many wealthy friends. :-(
60 x       £100       WOW, you’d have to really love me to donate that amount.
120x       £50        OOhhh that’s lovely. Thank you.
300x       £20        I love you… kiss kiss :-)
600x       £10        Thank you , thank you , thank you.

I have £50 in the pot so far (that was me!) so only another 119 of those (and Paul to do the same). Yeaahhhhh

Do I know that many people?

Rough route map

Once I get the hang of this blogging lark I will work out a way to make this map clearer to give you more details of the route. In the interim here is about as much detail as I have of the actual route as supplied by the BHF.

My daily Commute...

My ride to work and home most days of the week is what adds up to a lot of my training miles and core miles on the bike. Its about 11 miles each way (depending on which way I go as the route varies slightly in each direction) They are easy ones to fit into a busy week and although with 13 sets of lights along the way and wonderful London traffic, not always the best quality in terms of riding but they do the job. They add miles to my 'tacho' and in terms of bike fitness through winter its often as good as it gets. It works though. Keeping up this sort of mileage means doing a day ride of up to 100 miles is not really any great effort (doing that every day is a different story and i have total respect for the distances and terrain that C2R will demand from us). I am trying to add in some runs too Tuesday and Thursday mornings with 'The Bean' (my beautiful Heinz 57 dog) and occasionally Kirsty my stepdaughter of 14. I am going to try and add in a longer run at the weekends too. I find running helps with my strength more than biking and especially around the areas that are suffering and harbouring the excess lard currently. It will help to raise my Basal Metabolic Rate to burn a few more calories while giving me a good aerobic base to build on as the training rides extend.

The 21st December has past and for me a new kind of optimism grows from that day on. Each night the day gets a little longer and and the mornings a little brighter and soon with luck it will be time to put the lights away for a few months (apart from for the summer evening pub runs).

The last couple of miles of my ride in the mornings are through Bushey Park and they are magical. The herds of deer and morning mist are truly inspiring and an amazing way to start the day. It makes up for all that winter weather and hours of damp darkness when you look across the park to see the sun rising in the distance and a stag's antlers silhouetted in mist. Most mornings I nod a quick hello to Mr Heron along Cobblers Walk and ride alongside Mr Woodpecker as he skims the top of the bracken. At this time of year the bracken is low and I can cruise along confident that deer arent going to jump out onto the path in front of me. Its a real hazard in the spring and summer months.

The best thing is at the same time i am ticking the box for that precious cardiovascular exercise (even if I do ruin it with an over sized helping of porridge when I get to the office).

Come the lighter mornings and evening I will take the opportunity to ride home with friends who go via Richmond Park, its a good opportunity to avoid the traffic lights and to notch up a few more miles especially if a loop or two of the park are thrown in. Its also nice to have the company to chat and possibly stop for a quick Guinness (medicinal of course) at Ham Common.

Heres my daily commute data from the Garmin for today.

I have had a few fundraising ideas and hopefully our first event will be in a couple of weeks. news to follow soon.

Kate at the BHF tells me she's expecting 5 more to sign up this week to the ride so we are thinking there will be around 20-25 of us riding altogether. Hopefully they wont all be semi professional.. (yikes). I am pretty sure Pete is riding i think the whole event may even of been his idea along with the fabulous Rob Cox of the BHF Eastern Events team. I met Pete last year on the on road London to Paris for the BHF when i was marshalling and he had mustered a fab and enormous team from his work to ride the whole event. It will be fscinating to meet the other riders and share some fundraising ideas.

OK thats it... we signed up so its almost official.

Last Friday evening Paul and I signed our application forms and sent them in the post to the British Heart Foundation to request our place on their inaugural ride to Gibraltar. Starting at Big Ben in London (Clock) on the 2nd of September and ending in Gibraltar (Rock) on the 19th September. Thats about 1500 odd miles to ride in total with daily rides of just over 100 miles. Occasional 130 milers and a couple of days of less than 100. Phew!

Part of me is absolutely terrified. Terrified about the sheer distance and getting up everyday to do the same thing over and over and over again. the half of me is like a child in a sweetshop at the thought of just being on my bike for 2 weeks surrounded by friends and supporters of the cause all with the aim to see us succeed. Then there is the fundraising. £6000 each to be raised. Gulp. I don't even know how to break that down and manage it. I need some serious planning and inspiration there.

I have to start planning and like all these challenges and events, its about getting my head around what needs to be done then actioning them so here are my immediate thoughts,

1. Lose 2 Stone in weight..! Those hills will seem much smaller and I am quite sure there are more than a few Ditchling Beacon equivalents to be climbed along the way. 
2. Work out which bike to ride and make sure its fit to ride.
3. Plan some charity events and pester all my friends and family.. watch out, here I come..
4. Make a training plan with some multi day high mileage rides built in somewhere. 
5. Book the annual leave. 

So where to start....? 

Well I went to a bike show today at Excel and rode past the Olympic stadium hoping for inspiration. Does that count?

At the bike show i discovered TorQ Gels new Rhubarb and Custard flavour energy gels. Yum. I'll definitely be taking some of those with me. As for the Olympic Park, it was interesting to see it but its such a building site still.  Although not too long to go and i really hope that when the time comes i can get some tickets to the Velodrome and the Athletics with luck. 

So thats 30 miles today. A gentle start to my training and a good way to end the week.