Bread

With some people its beer or wine, others chocolate or sweets, some like burgers and pies but for me, its bread. I like food in general but I can put most of my unwanted cuddly bits down to bread.

Hot buttered toast made with thick white bread, croissants, chunky brown bread with soup, ham sandwiches, fruit loaf, pita bread, cinnamon bread, cheese toasties and malted brown bread still warm from the over - to name but a few.

I'm pretty sure that if I'd never eaten bread, I'd be the svelte person I've always wanted to be. So after the disastrous two weeks following the Devon trip of eating and eating and being injured, I had to regain control and at least keep the weight off before the Fred Whitton.



The easiest and hardest solution is no bread. Easiest in that it will produce results, hardest in that I just can't do without bread. Its now been 4 days with not a slice in sight. I've not even nibbled the crusts off my daughters school packed-lunch.

18 days to go and I can taste the 9 slices of toast I'm eating on the Monday morning in the B&B after the Fred. Yum.

(I can't tell you how hard it is just looking at these pictures)

More chairty thanks

Its time for more fund raising thanks.

I've had 6 more donations recently. My Mum & Peter, Grant, David, my brother Phil, Malcolm, Helen & Isaac and Ben & Sarah have been fantastic and pushed me over the £400 mark.

Less than £100 to go to reach my target and still 88 days to go.

A huge thanks to everyone.

Feeling lucky

I got back on the bike today. Its the longest I been off the bike in over 10 months. So after 15 days, I took the bike out for a spin. It is a stunning day in London. A perfect blue sky and warm without being hot. I took my Shuffle, put on some tunes and was away to Richmond Park. I didn't have a plan other than to check out my injury so I stayed in a low gear and high cadence and just span along.

I got to Richmond Park and my legs were good. The left had no problems and the right was ok although I could feel the tightness in my quad and a slight feeling in my knee but very very low level.

I first did an anticlockwise loop to avoid the steepest section up Broomfield Hill and minimise the stress on my quads. It all went very well and I had to keep reminding myself to take it easy and not go flying off. When I got back to Roehampton Gate, I turned around and did a clockwise loop. Again, nothing too serious. Just some niggles if I chose a high gear or pushed up a hill.

I was really enjoying the second lap. The sun was out, my music was good (it always is) and I was back on the bike. I counted my lucky stars that my injury was not half as bad as it could have been. By the end, I did feel my legs were getting a little tight. I could have carried on but this was perfect for a first day back.

When I got home, I quickly changed into my gym gear, switched bikes and went down to the gym for 40 minutes of stretching and a bit of core. The worse thing I could do now would be to think its all fixed and revert back to my old bad habits. Its stretch every day from now on. Promise.

I've just been back out on the bike. 30 miles. I could feel the injury but only a little. I didn't push on it at all, just span around RP twice. Then came home, into gym gear and off to the gym for 40 minutes of stretching and core. Feeling more positive today.

Injury Update

After 4 full days off, I ventured back into the gym today. My legs have felt gradually better each day with my left leg feeling really good on Friday morning. My right leg felt ok but I was aware that is was not completely healed.

This was confirmed as I cycled the 2 miles to the gym. I was fine on the flat but as soon as the road rose at all, I would feel a tightness in my right quad. Nothing too serious but enough to know I couldn't go out and ride up Box Hill without risking future injury.

At the gym, I did another 25 minutes of cycling and then did 50 minutes of core work and stretching. I did loads on my aductor, quads and ITB and I could really feel it. The good news is that my legs are definitely less tight than there were before Tuesday's sports massage. That was money well spent and Rene at Balance Physio is fantastic.

I'll either do the same again tomorrow or try a little ride out on my road bike. I'll see tomorrow morning if I get any reaction to today's cycling.

Injury

Well it had to happen eventually. I've been injury free for over 18 months so I was almost expecting something to go wrong before the Etape.

I ran 14 miles yesterday and for the first 11 miles I was really enjoying it. I ran from home to Richmond Park and then ran the 7 mile trail around the edge. It was going really well but then I could feel my quads on a couple of the hills. I stopped to stretch but it came back as soon as I ran again. I stopped as soon as I got back to the car park where I was meeting my family. I had originally planned to run 16 but I was in some discomfort.

I stretched for a while and then felt ok so went for a walk with my family. My legs were still a little sore but nothing too bad. I stretched again in the evening and went to bed. This morning, the first thing I thought as I woke was "Oooh, my quads are tight". Then walking to the bathroom, I knew it wasn't good. It felt at least as bad as the morning after a marathon. My thighs are shot.

So I'll stretch on and off all day and I have a sport massage booked so I'll ask her advice. I might go to the gym tonight and do more stretching as well as some core and upper body weights.

I am worried about this. It does seem that there is an underlying problem. I hope its nothing more serious than tight ITB, quads and adductor. I don't know if its better or worse that its both legs. I guess its just rest and stretching for a few days and then reassess.

Oh and I also have a cold and I got a really big blister from the run, my first blister in a long time. I am going to retire my trainers. I have three pair that I rotate and they have all done between 300 and 500 miles. I already have one brand new pair and I've just got another from ebay.

Lazy week with chocolate

This was never going to be an outstanding week but its turned out as a nothing week - a wasted week. Ever since coming back from Devon, I've been tired, unmotivated and very very hungry. I've done practically no exercise and eaten loads (Easter eggs didn't help). If I lost any weight in Devon, I've certainly put it all back on.

I know I gained a lot of fitness cycling 240 miles and it was all worth it but I've got a serious case of post event lowness. I've got to draw a line under it and start again, eating well and doing loads of hard work. It will have to be mostly running as its still the Easter Holidays so I've got the kids all week but anything will do. I'm looking for at least 6 sessions in the next 7 days. Nothing less.

Pictures from Devon

I took a moment to stop and look at the view on the 6 mile climb from Tavistock to Princetown. This was the longest climb we rode and was perfect training for Mont Ventoux.

The top of the moor was bleak but very striking. The weather helped a lot. Apart from Saturday when it was blowing a gail, we had sun and little wind. Very lucky.

Ed beat me up the hill by such a distance that he had time to make a phone call!!!!

Just ahead, the road dipped steeply and is where we recorded our fastest speeds. 48.6 mph has my fastest. The second and third time we decended here, we were a little more tired and more timid and only got to about 42 mph. We'd have liked to get over 50 mph but there is a bend in the road which made it a little hairy.

Ed crests one of the many climbs. About 30,000 feet of climbs in 4 days.