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.
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