Better Cocking Experience

Cocking was the demise of my SDW attempt - I spent the night awake with a stomach bug which meant that I was unable to progress to day 2 on the bike. However, it looked like a good area to ride in, so we decided to follow a suggestion from C & M a while back to do a day ride in W.Sussex. Goldfish found a route from Cocking from the Rough Ride Guide SE book. 17 miles-ish - can't find my forerunner atm to put in the proper number... Just Husband, me, C, M & Goldfish.


Gorgeous day - bright sunshine, not hot, virtually no breeze. The chalk terrain was so much easier than earlier in Sept as it hasn't rained heavily for a couple of weeks. The route didn't disappoint - quite a few climbs for M (aka the whippet) to zoom up, some fab descents, mixture of farmland, deciduous woodland, conifer forest and glorious downland (esp close to Goodwood). I enjoyed leaving the navigation to the boys.



Husband took out his SNFS (Shiny New Full Susser) for the first time & apart from a harder saddle, got on well with it. He reckons it's going to take a little while to get used to bumpy downhills where he's used to getting feedback from the

back wheel - whereas now that's transformed into suspension bouncing. I can't really comment as I completely chickened out & walked the long descent he was talking about!

No punctures - but I accidentally killed a rodent that shot across the track under my wheel. I convinced myself it was a large mouse but Husband (who had the lovely job of finishing it off - broken back meant it was beyond recovery) reckons it was a young rat - yuck yuck yuck.

After the ride, we retired to the Moonlight Tea Rooms in Cocking for a very pleasant lunch in their garden - proper tea in proper teapots!

Other stuff - gym on Friday where my knee still didn't feel up to 30mins jogging so I did 10mins instead plus more time on x trainer. I tried a new Nautilus machine - weird split treadmill that you walk on with each half switching incline each stride - odd! Apparently it burns more cals than running - not entirely convinced. Also used lat pulldown and weights rower.

Lots of gardening on Saturday - including digging over the tomato bed at the allotment. Cycled to work today.

Fat Bird’s Guide to Exercise – Cycling to work in BST

More and more people are cycling to work now. If you’re thinking about it & haven’t cycled for a while, I recommend starting now before the clocks change so that you can hone your skills and build traffic confidence before facing pedalling in the dark.

I’ll do a separate write up for winter commuting as it expands the kit list considerably.

I have a pretty good route – about half is off road and only 1 hill. I’m bad at observing “Cyclists Dismount” signs which I interpret as “pedestrians have right of way – be extra considerate”. There’s only one red light that I sometimes jump – but only coz the sensor doesn’t pick up my bike! On a commute, it's important to be lovely to everybody you pass as you're likely to pass them again tomorrow - and you don't want bad karma....

Facilities at work are pretty good for me – locked, covered bike shed, showers and towel loan. My work bike is Husband’s first mountain bike with road tyres & mudguards added – plus many lights.

Have I done it? Yup – currently my most frequent form of exercise.
Sociability? 2/5 – kind of sociable – often get chatting to a colleague whilst locking up bike & occasionally bump into B or Goldfish on my way home.
Convenience? 4/5 – My commute is only 3.5 miles and due to heavy traffic, I can pedal the route as quickly as driving – only additional time is showering & changing.
Calories per 5 mins: 50 for me. However, as it replaces a drive, dividing total calories by the extra time spent getting changed etc makes it a 200 calories per 5 minutes result!
Fun Factor? 5/5 on a sunny day. Goes down a bit when pouring with rain.

Pros:
· Stress relief – I can really notice the difference in my mood when I drive versus cycling.
· Seeing more of my neighbourhood.
· It’s integrated into my routine so it’s easier to keep up than, say, going to the gym. Rather than seething with road rage, I get to burn calories! As it replaces a car commute, it’s turned sitting on my bum time into exercise time.
· No issues with parking.
· Toned legs!
· Smug self satisfaction at saving the planet single handed....

Cons:
· Traffic – drivers are great at not seeing me, overtaking me too closely....
· I’m not great at manoeuvring into tights in the shower room at work! I tend to choose clothes for work that aren’t too heavy (no knee length boots) and that don’t need ironing!
· Difficult to transport big stuff.
· Getting past teenagers on paths can be stressful – I have been hit by a flour bomb, but to be honest, 99% of the time it’s fine.
· Pre planning is required to get to off site meetings.

Kit:
· A bike! Good idea to borrow one to start with rather than buy something you end up not using that much. Many types to choose from – I like mountain bikes or hybrids coz of the upright traffic viewing riding position. However, road tyres make pedalling easier than knobblies & so far, the armadillo reinforced tyres I use have protected my tubes from punctures.
· Additional kit – lock, helmet, something to carry work stuff in. A and C both use panniers, I like my Crumpler bag. Bags/panniers seems to be an area where the more you spend, the better the quality and as you don't want to be changing into soggy clothes when you get to work, probably worth spending!
· I also wear gloves and take a waterproof jacket. As I get changed & showered at work, I wear similar gear as for mountain biking – breathable t-shirt, sports bra, cycling shorts, skirt, trainers, buff.
· I am really good at delegating bike maintenance to Husband – who does a great job! I don’t even carry a pump as my commute is so short – longer and I would be taking inner tube/pump/multitool.
· I don’t cycle with my ipod as I like to be able to hear the cars who haven’t seen me.

Other Cyclists:
Seems to be becoming ever more popular. C started riding to work a few months ago on a fab new bike funded by a bike to work scheme. A’s also been riding to work more this summer. Both of them have a much longer commute than me – and both have the weight & stress of transporting laptops. G has my former hybrid & is putting it to good use for her commute. Goldfish does a cycling sandwich on a home made single speed with a train journey in the middle.

Resources:
· Your employer – mine provides showers, towels, a covered locked bike shed, training sessions and free lights/reflective stuff. They are also looking into the tax free bike purchase scheme.
· Staring at a local OS map can pay dividends – find new routes.
· Sustrans website can also help to identify routes.
· I regularly think about joining CTC – good lobbying plus membership included personal liability insurance. Must do that....

· Kit - wiggle, chain reaction, minx, girls run too, she active, venus sports, evans cycles

Big Mac Index: 50 minutes

Olympic Gold Medals

It's not everyday that I get to hold 2 Olympic gold medals! Sarah Ayton was at work today as she's part of the sponsorship programme that my company run & she brought her gold medals from Athens and Beijing - I preferred the Athens design. A bit more impressive than the little medal I got for completing Sunday's 10K.... She talked about juggling training with raising cash to fund sailing - I thinnk some of my colleagues were surprised at her having to do so much of the latter herself.

No flour on my pedal home tonight & I went to gym with Husband. No treadmill or stepper as my legs are still recovering from Sunday. The x trainer and bike seemed to be OK, and I did some weights.

The Folly of Not Training for a Race

Really enjoyed Saturday's bike ride - despite feeling very out of sorts for no readily apparent reason. Went with Husband to Verwood to do a 23 mile Rough Ride Guide route. Like most of the rides from this book, we found the navigating challenging - esp in forest where not every fire road appears to be on the OS map - and as I wasn't in a great mood, I resorted to deep self loathing at my inability to navigate! Husband was very tolerant. It was a beautiful day - sunny & bright.

I didn't really know what to expect from the landscape as I don't know the Verwood area at all. The route was varied - starting on rolling countryside, then to a mud bath through estate type woodland, tracks alongside a nature reserve then the route of a disused railway, finishing up with classic New Forest heathland. A roe deer dashed across our track at one point.

Sturt's Folly was a surprise - a 140 foot C18 tower built so that its owner could still view the hunt even though he was too infirm to participate. It was recently restored by a phone company so that it now serves as a very attractive mobile phone mast!

I had a puncture - which we were able to fix outside a Spar that had some good pasties. With just a couple of hundred metres to go, I had a more serious problem - a stone worked its way inside my front disc brakes. Husband had to yank the pads & bent clips out completely in order to get my wheel to turn so I finished the route with just my back brake.

I was debating whether to run as planned on Sunday's Beaulieu 10K as I haven't run since mid August & have been struggling to jog on treadmill recently. But I loved the race last year and C & M were planning to run so I persuaded myself I should. Another beautiful sunny day and as the race was at 10am, it was nicely cool. M was pleased to have race number 69.... It's actually 9.5K (I do wish Cancer Research had made use of Garmin to sort out their race lengths - esp as Garmin was a sponsor this year!) and I completed it in 57:30 - OK I guess. M ran a speedy race, C had problems with her achilles so took a more measured pace.

I started paying for not training later on Sunday - and today. My knee has stiffened right up & my quads are very achey.

Got hit by a flour bomb on my way home from work cutting across Lidl carpark - not great, but it's difficult to get that angry about revolting little boys being revolting little boys....

Eeks - need to do more exercise!

I'll have done 125 minutes of exercise this week by the time I pedal home tonight - but according to a study by University of Pittsburgh, I'll have to do an extra 150 minutes this week if I'm to lose weight permanently - the magic number is an average of 275mins per week! So, pedalling tomorrow will take it down to 110 mins, Beaulieu 10K on Sunday will be 55mins (hopefully!), leaving 55 mins to do on Saturday - so long as we go for a bike ride, I'll be fine!

Big D is going OK - but I'm at G's tomorrow for dinner and out for a meal on Saturday, so a few challenges to my very feeble willpower coming up. Recent Big D discovery is Waitrose Cassava Crackers - properly spicy and 80cals a bag. We buy 2 multipacks though as Husband's philosophy is that he needs to eat 2 bags at a time to get a full on crisps hit (hmmmmm). Our other addiction on the high taste/low calorie front is Waitrose light ginger ale - I'm sure that I read somewhere that ginger is an appetite suppressant.

Body Combat yesterday - it worked its magic at transforming me from weary slug to (almost) a human being. I'm enjoying chatting to H at this class - she's a work contact of Husband's. Pedalled today.

Bruised

Realised that I have a very blue, but not v.deep, bruise on my leg today - I thought it was a bit of dirt on my leg acquired en route to work (I'm still in shorts), but on failing to rub it off, realised it was the result of my little tumble on Sunday. It's very insignificant though compared to the monster Kitty acquired on her North Downs adventure!

Only my ride to/from work to report as I have another week of early starts & late finishes. I resorted to "I have to leave now as my bike doesn't have lights yet" this evening - only to find that my lights are attached and (even more surprising) actually working after 6 months of idleness.

Picked up my new car yesterday - my lovely-but-expensive 2L Focus is now a cute little red Panda. Better fuel consumption, lower insurance & tax and (so far) seems to be a sharper drive than I was expecting. I shall be driving it tomorrow as I have to be in a store by 7am....

Husband's Nemesis met & overcome...

There's a ride that has achieved infamy amongst Goldfish, Kitty, Husband and myself as Husband's Nemesis - it's a 34km route from the Rough Ride Guide South West from Winterbourne Gunner around Porton Down. We tried it a couple of years ago (Jan or Feb 2006?) and Husband was getting over a nasty chest infection. He looked grey as we made our way uphill but insisted on carrying on. Then his chain broke - we were relieved as he was looking increasingly ill & as we couldn't fix the chain on the trail, I headed back to the car with him. Hence, Husband's Nemesis!

We've been waiting for a good time to try it again - and as today was dry (as was yesterday), we figured the chalk shouldn't be too slidey. And we had the time available!

Just me, Goldfish & Husband. All the way around, we assessed the Rough Guide's description of the route as fast & free draining - still plently of claggy & boggy bits! It wasn't quite as dry as we hoped either and I chickened out of riding down White Shoot Hill (pictured here) as the chalk was horribly slippery. Tree roots were also very slidey and I came off towards the start of the ride.

Very few gates on the ride until the end (Husband & Goldfish are competing for the title of Imperial Gate Monkey atm). No punctures & not too many mishaps - just my tumble & Goldfish having a few issues with his legs.

I wouldn't say the ride was easy, but I enjoyed being able to push myself a little more than usual and felt that we are all a notch up in fitness compared to 2 years ago.

My va va voom is MIA

It’s taken so much longer than I expected to get over the stomach bug – not in terms of keeping food in my system long enough to absorb it, but my energy levels are still not 100%. It’s been a tough week at work though which I’m sure has contributed. I also managed to stick to Big D for 5 days – which has to be a record atm! I don’t think this was the issue either as my calorie allowance is a respectable 1600 a day.

Quite a bit of walking on Sunday. We started with a gentle wander on the Downs at Devils Dyke – fab views. One the way home, stopped at Petworth to look at the house & had another walk through the deer park. I felt exhausted afterwards!

Cycling this week has been more tiring than usual too. I drove on Thursday but compensated by working in a store all day lifting & shifting kitchen doors – which has to burn at least a few calories!

Gym was rubbish on Tuesday – I managed a full 17 minutes on the treadmill before accepting defeat! I did manage 14mins on the stepper and 10 on the x trainer. Body Combat was fine on Wed though – so I guess I am recovering.

South Downs Way cut short

Husband & I set off from the house at half 8 yesterday in the rain, meeting up with Kitty & Goldfish to embark on the South Downs Way from Cheesefoot Head. All morning, the weather varied between light rain & heavy rain - the high winds remained constant! Tiring because I had to concentrate more on getting my line right - less margin for error.

Having said that, spirits were surprisingly high - once wet, didn't really notice the rain. We all sang at points - Singing in the rain, Only Happy when it Rains, Mud Glorious Mud.... notice a theme?!

Got to Queen Elizabeth Country Park for about half 12 where we had lunch - bacon baguette & a big piece of coffee cake for me - and looked out of the window hoping that the rain might ease off - nope!

So set off into the rain again. The first noticeable change between Hampshire & Sussex parts of SDW was signage - Sussex has more! Also, the route has less tarmac, and the scenery became a little grander - more of the big sweeping downland scenery. Just as we got to Harting Down, the sun came out! Even Goldfish waxed lyrical about the view from there. The route kindly took us around Beacon Hill, but the climbing became harder. Kitty noticed her lunch a little too much for her liking & Husband started getting cramps in his thighs.

Just as we got to last descent, saw a red kite close to the track - I haven't seen one in the UK outside of Buckinghamshire. Close enough to appreciate how big & beautiful it was.

Very impressed by Kitty - esp as her training regime had only started 4 weeks ago. She seemed tired but chipper at the end of the day. Also v.impressed with the waterproof map we were using - really was waterproof! Everything not in a poly bag was wel & truly soaked. We invested £5 at the pub in Cocking to have all our kit washed & dried.

Fish & chips for tea with some beer. However, I started feeling unwell - as did Husband - and we spent most of the night on the loo! This morning, we decided we couldn't carry on. Neither of us could eat and I didn't think diarrhea and a 35 mile off road bike ride would be compatible - would have meant acquiring immodium & not drinking - and the latter wouldn't have been sensible.

So we've cut it short. Kitty was also feeling off colour so the 3 of us caught bus to Chichester, train home. I'm OK-ish - feeling delicate & Husband tells me I look green. We're getting the bikes later (with car) and will go to tonight's B&B. But just planning on some tourist stuff tomorrow.

I am very very disappointed. But I think we made the right call. We'll give it another go next year.

More not cycling

... and not cycling on Thursday either as I have to be at a store for 7am! At least this means I'll have rested nicely before the great South Downs Way adventure on Friday (hereafter, SDW).

Body Combat tonight, good as usual.

I've created a very small pile of stuff to pack for the SDW. We're doing it over 3 days with Kitty & Goldfish. Hoping to get away with:

• 1 set of packed bike kit (shorts, sports bra, top & socks)
• Wear another set
• First evening, wash bike kit I'm wearing (all quick dry stuff), change into top for day 2 & my lightest trousers (grey jeans - I did weight them!) & flipflops.
• Day 2 - wear same top as day 1 evening (not too smelly hopefully) & pack newly dry kit.
• Same routine evening day 2, but without the need to do any laundry.
• Same routine day 3.

Toiletries - lots of teeny tiny samples & sharing some stuff with Husband. Other stuff - mobile phone, long sleeved top, charger (also charges my forerunner), pen, hairbrush, polybag to keep clothes dry.

And all other stuff is bike related! Spare inner tubes, pump, first aid kit, tools, chain grease, water, emergency tiny bike lights, waterproof, helmet, shoes, waterproof oversocks and gloves. And a buff.

I want to ride my bicycle

Hate it when I need to drive to work! Compensated for the lack of pedalling by walking from & to the Park & Ride site - 25mins each way-ish. I need to drive in tomorrow as well - only benefit is that my weekly mad dash to Body Combat won't be as tight for time as usual!

Cycled yesterday though - the new Park & Ride scheme at work has resulted in a fuller bike shed - it'll be interesting to see what happens when the weather gets less summery (joke!) and the nights draw in.

Gym last night - tried & failed to run which I'm blaming on a fabulous pressure-behind-my-eyes headache that kicked in just before we set off. X Trainer & Stepper helped it to clear.

I promise to be less whine-y in my next blog posting!