Q1, Q2 and Q3!

I only trained Tuesday and Thursday this week and although I'm hoping to switch to Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week I also want to train at least once at the weekends.

Yesterday I had a fairly big lunch and was just settling down and watching the build up to the Grand Prix qualifying when I decided to hop on the bike and train at the same time.

Qualifying, for those not into F1, is run in three sessions of reducing time; 18 minutes followed by 15 and finally 12.  They have a few minutes gap between each session so I decided to ride the same times simultaneously.

The biggest holdup to me doing longer rides is getting my backside used to the saddle so doing these lengths with a short gap between should help get more time in the seat.

Q1 was pretty easy as it was only 18 minutes so I added in a couple of 1 minute sprints.  Q2 was extended as they stopped the session for a few minutes because of a car conking out on track.  Q3 was only 12 minutes but after the first two sessions my posterior was glad to get it done.  Lewis Hamilton ended up in pole position and during one of his quick laps - about 1:49 - I sprinted at a cadence of over 100 for the duration.

Each ride gets a bit easier to go longer so hopefully soon I'll be able to rapidly increase my times and distances and get on with some serious training.

Lies, damned lies, and statistics...

1. Choose a challenge
2. Set a target
3. Work out a training plan
4. Log my weight
5. Log my food intake
6. Monitor my heart rate
7. Track my cadence

No, no, no, no !!!

Whenever I undertake to eat healthier or exercise more I can't help but go into it with military precision but the trouble is I put myself under pressure to "stick to the regime" and any slip up causes me to quit or feel like the entire mission has failed.  This is why the only way I can guarantee I will stick to it is to make the mission public and do it for some other reason outside of myself such as charity!  This challenge, as you know, is for Prostate Cancer UK and I've already had sponsorship so I have no choice but to get on with it.

I'm still going to log my exercise and food intake as an aid to getting fitter but I'm going to be more relaxed about it.  This week I've trained on the bike twice, once on Tuesday evening and again today at lunchtime.  Both of these were only short 20 minute rides but for now I just need to get my legs spinning and my arse used to the saddle again!

Living where I do I have my turbo set-up in my lounge as I don't have a garage or out house.  I have neighbours close by so I am trying to only ride at sociable hours because of the noise it makes and how loud I have the TV to be able to hear it!  This means that my only choices for riding during the week are lunchtime or straight after work before it gets too late.  Leaving it until the end of the day means that I battle with the fatigue of a long day at work but today I experimented with going home in my lunch hour and getting 20 minutes done.  I managed to drive home, spin for 20 minutes, shower and get back to my desk in just under 60 minutes which is great and I've already had permission to take some extended lunch breaks so I can do longer!

I'm hoping to get outside on the road within a week or three but before I do I want to work up to spending at least an hour in the saddle on the turbo trainer.  Past experience tells me that being able to do an hour on the turbo will mean that I can go for far longer on the road because what you don't get, when inside, are the small breaks from pedalling on a down hill section and the knowledge that if you are far from home you have no choice but to continue!

If you're reading this and will be following my progress then please dig deep and sponsor me.  As I stated previously it's all going to Prostate Cancer UK and here is the link:

http://www.justgiving.com/lonnys100miles/

Thank you...

It all begins here...

A friend of mine recently completed the RideLondon-Surrey 100 which is a cycling event covering, you guessed it, 100 miles!

The event is staged every year and starts at the Olympic Park and takes in a route through London and Surrey and ends with a ride up The Mall to the finish.

In September 2012 I challenged myself to ride 300 miles in 30 days and along with my sister and Mum, who did their own challenges, raised just over £1,600 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

A year later I did a similar challenge with a couple of friends and rode 400 miles raising over £1,850 for Prostate Cancer UK.

The reason I did these challenges (apart from to raise money for some worthy causes) was in an attempt to get myself fit and take up cycling as a hobby.

Unfortunately both of these challenges whilst hard work but fun only lasted 30 days and such was the intensity that I inevitably stopped cycling regularly at the end!

So, getting back to the RideLondon event I've decided to enter myself for 2016!  I'm currently extremely unfit (Jabba the Hutt could beat me in a slithering race) and apart from some sporadic goes on my Turbo Trainer I've hardly been on my bike at all in two years!

By opting to take on this challenge I will be forcing myself to train for the event as it would be impossible to just get on the bike and ride this distance without building up to it.

Last Monday I entered the ballot which, if successful, allows you to ride in the event with just a small entrance fee but unfortunate I won't find out until February next year.  Having spoken to my friend who rode in it this year for The Well Child charity I've learnt that you can get a guaranteed place by applying to ride for one of loads of great charities as long as you pledge to raise a certain amount for them.  Prostate Cancer UK is close to my heart as my Dad was diagnosed with it back in 2011 and after surgery was left with complications although he is cancer free.  I applied to ride for Prostate Cancer UK last night and earlier today I had a call from them saying they had accepted my place...  I'm in!!!

So now the fun begins...  First step for me is to start eating right and doing some regular short sessions on the Turbo Trainer.  My road bike needs a service and a couple of new tyres before I go out on it but to be honest at my current fitness level I'm too embarrassed to go out just yet anyway!  No one can see you stuck on a turbo trainer in your lounge!

I'll use this blog and Facebook to track my training and progress an hopefully this time next year I'll be fitter, healthier and will have completed the RideLondon-Surrey 100 mile race!

Watch this space...