Pretty in pink?

Target rides - 1 x 15, 1 x 25, 1 x 35, 1 x 45

Actual rides - 1 x 24 (hilly)
                       1 x 40
                       1 x 22 (hilly)
                       1 x 46 (with David)
                       1 x 29 (with Debbie)

I've had a few folk volunteering to come out with me on rides this week - must be the warmer weather! On Saturday, David came along. He's just starting training for his own long ride in June, so he was happy to get out (at first!). I chose a really hilly route to Keswick and back along part of the End-to-End route I'll be doing in May. It was a real killer! 46 miles and All uphill (or it felt like it!). Just made me realise that I'm not yet ready.....! (and I don't think David will be volunteering to come out again anytime soon!) Sunday morning, I went out with Debbie - mostly 'undulating', but just lovely to chat in the sunshine along the back roads.  A great weeks training!

My charity, the Watchtree Wheelers , kindly offered to help towards any bits of kit I still needed for my trip. Recently I've been either too hot or too cold, so I needed a breathable windproof jacket. I've never been a 'pink' person, but I have always been thrifty, and this pink version was £25 cheaper than the other colours! It's now got their logo printed on the back, so I'm quite recognisable! If you see a vision in pink pedalling somewhere between Lands End and John O'Groats, give me a wave of encouragement! Better still, visit www.justgiving.com/JanesBigTrip and donate - there's no better motivation than sponsorship!!

Pretty in pink?

David at a snack stop, after the first few hills - I was more tired after this ride than I've been through all my training!

Setting off with Debbie on Mother's Day - I blame her for getting me into all this in the first place!  She bullied me into doing the coast-to-coast last year.

The Route

Target rides - 1 x 25, 1 x 35, 1 x 40

Actual rides - 1 x 25
                       1 x 40
                       1 x 35
                       1 x 31 (with Ed and William and a good few hills!)

Hours on trainer - 1.75

Mother Nature seemed to be against my training this week.  I know I have to get used to cycling in all weathers, but 60mph winds and sleet/snow are a bit scary! I've still put in the miles, but all but one of my rides have been low and sheltered - hills next week hopefully!

With 7 weeks to go, I've received the full itinerary, kit list and daily route maps for my trip. This includes a profile of each days ride - the ups and downs - and the first 2 days are going to be challenging to say the least! The longest day is 82 miles and the shortest is just 57 miles!  Getting really excited now, but I do need to get more hills into my training!

www.justgiving.com/JanesBigTrip 

Day 1 Route Profile - very scary!!!

Ed and William - waiting patiently for me at the top of the hills!!

Riding Solo

Target Rides - 1 x 20, 1 x 30, 1 x 35

Actual Rides - 1 x 16 (but very hilly!)
                         1 x 23.5
                         1 x 34
                         1 x 35 (very flat to stay out of the wind!)

Hours on Trainer - 1

We treated ourselves to a mini-break in Budapest this week.  Stunning city with amazing history, and fantastic food and wine!  Four whole days off my bike, and didn't my legs know it when I got back on!  Stupid to start with a mega-hilly route......!

Couldn't persuade anyone to join me for a ride this weekend - something to do with the vicious bitterly cold wind, I suspect!  So all my rides have been solo this week.  It's strange what goes through your mind on a 3 hour ride.  A few weeks ago I mostly thought about me - how tired my legs are/how much further do I really need to go/how much more my lungs can take without actually bursting etc.  But now I'm a little fitter, my mind wanders through the weirdest places.  Yesterday I spent much of my ride singing tunes from Les Mis (can't get it out of my head after a recent school concert!) and today the topics ranged from solving the crisis in Crimea (our daughter is still studying in Russia), to making a plan to have a 'sort-out' in the loft this afternoon.  I didn't get round to the last bit.....!

www.justgiving.com/JanesBigTrip

Beautiful Budapest!

A Minor Setback

Target rides - 1 x 20, 1 x 25, 1 x 30

Actual rides - 1 x 31.5 (with Ian - a lovely morning, and the miles flew by!)
                        1 x 24 (cut this one short - see below!)
                        1 x 25

Hours on Rower - 1
Hours on Trainer - 0.5

Whilst I was out riding early in the week, a strange noise appeared, almost like a grinding noise (and it wasn't coming from me!).  I headed home and popped the bike on the trainer, so that I could let Bob hear it, in the hope that he knew how to fix it.  Apparently, it was my bottom bracket (!) and a bit beyond his toolkit, so we had to take it in to Scotby Cycles to be replaced - parts under warranty.  Thankfully, it didn't take them too long, so it only set me back 2 or 3 days - good job it wasn't later on in my training schedule!

www.justgiving.com/JanesBigTrip

Bob - chief mechanic, nutritionist and soon-to-be cycling widower!