Sun shine = Generous shoppers

I had another bag packing today with a local guide group. They are fund raising for a trip to the World Guide Centre in India so we agreed to split the money raised.

The last bag pack made £316, but it was at a much bigger store and was on a Saturday so I was expecting to make a lot less this time. However, the very generous shoppers at Sainsbury's proved me wrong on that one! We made £592 in total! I counted the money, and then counted it again, and then once more to be sure. I could not, and still cannot, believe how amazingly generous people are!

Adding the £296 to my total brought me over the £2,000 mark, which is very very exciting.

Yesterday's hard training sessions left me on a bit of a downer but this has definitely cheered me up!

50 Miles...

I did 50 miles this weekend and it seemed like a long hard slog compared to the previous 40. I got to 30 and didn't think that I was going to be able to make it another mile, let alone another 20! I did finish the full 50 but it was slow and gruelling and seemed to take forever.

I think that perhaps having the weekend off last weekend (due to Mother's Day and other commitments) did me a lot more harm than good. I'm not sure why I was so tired, perhaps a virus or a touch of cold coming but it definitely made me a bit worried about what is to come if 50 was a struggle...

40 miles...

I woke up this morning full of energy so managed to get out an about on my bike by just after 6.30am.

I did 40 miles and was home by 10.30am. I seem to be averaging about 10mph at a comfortable and sustainable pace. Thinking in terms of 40 miles being almost half way through the first day, I think my pace is about right. Also, thinkling about that makes a 95 mile day seem much (well, slightly) less terrifying!

My chain feel off a few times which was a bit annoying as I kept having to stop but other than that it was a really good ride. i feel a lot more confident about road riding now, as a lot of this was through town.

A few things I have learnt over the past few weeks:
Sneaky hills: Even if it seems flat in the car, it can still be a horrible hill when cycling.
Distance: Places seem to be a whole lot closer when you have got a high mileage count to reach (I arrived at a destination, via the long route, very disappointed to find I'd only done 12 miles!)

Would you like a hand with your bags, Sir?

We managed to raise a total of £316 from the very generous shoppers at Tesco on yesterday.

A group of Young Volunteers from the Lighthouse Music Hub very kindly gave up their sunny Saturday to help out with some fund raising.

The Lighthouse is the Bay’s (and the South West’s) only young people’s music hub, run by the Devon Music Collective - a not-for-profit community organisation, set up in 2009 to provide opportunities for local people to make and experience music in all its forms.

The backbone of the project is their Rock School; from 4pm to 6pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays they run an after school drop-in for 14 to 18 year olds to learn new instruments, jam with friends and try their hand’s at song writing.

The Lighthouse is currently looking to expand what they offer to the rest of the community. If you need a place to hold musical events, or an idea for a project involving local people in music and the arts, they would love to hear from you. They would also like to get more people with different skills and backgrounds involved in the project, whether as a volunteer or by joining the Board of Trustees.

Ready for the assault on Tesco next weekend...

35 miles...

I've had a mega busy week at work so have not made it to spinning/swimming/the gym or even out for a run this week. I thought I'd better step up my ride at the weekend to make up for it.

I went to a gig on Friday night and got home at about 2am, so despite my best intentions to get up and out on my bike at 8am...it was closer to 11.30 by the time I actually made it out.

The weather was cold (so cold) but sunny so I was happy. The 35 took me 4 1/2 hours which is twice the time 26 took and not a huge increase in miles. However, the 26 was flat all the way...the 35 was not! Living in Devon, I am used to hills but until I started cycling I hadn't realised just how many hills there are!

I am proud to say that I only got off and pushed my bike up a hill once (well, technically twice but once was by order of a sign so I'm choosing not to count it) and it was an ALMIGHTY hill that seemed to go on forever...I think I was climbing for about 45 minutes so I am not even ashamed that it defeated me.

This was the first big run on the new bike and it was amazing! So happy with it!

The (not so) long road home

I work about 4 miles away from home and have been saying for the last 6 months that I was going to start cycling the journey rather than driving. However, the excuses have been vast as to why I haven't up to now. I say excuses, they were all genuine reasons at the time ;-)

"I'll start when I get a new bike" - Good enough, but when I got the new mountain bike it was still freezing cold and raining.
"I'll go on days when I finish early so it's not dark out"  - If I've finished work early, I usually have 500 things to do so a car comes in handy
"I'll go on dry days" - Dry days are usually cold days!

You get the picture. Since I now have a shiney new road bike at my disposal, the excuses are not really cutting it. Since I didn't get out at the weekend I a) felt guilty and b) had yet to road test the bike!

If I new on Sunday what I know now I'd have been out like a shot. Road bikes are amazing! The ride home was not far at all (although it still took me 40 minutes as I took the wrong cycle path and ended up waaaay out) so wasn't too taxing but I felt like I floated all the way home. Minimal effort for better speed, time and ease than the mountain bike.

I can't wait to get out on it for a big run at the weekend - not even weather permitting this time!

Rain rain, go away!

I am a little bit ashamed to say that I did not get out on my bike this weekend. 7am was not happening at all when my alarm went off. When I woke up the second time, the rain did a fairly swift job of removing my last remaining dreg of motivation.

 

I did, however, get a little bit of shopping done at the weekend. I now have a very comfy gel seat, some very bright jerseys and, probably best of all, a new shiney bike computer! Well, okay it's not shiney but it is new and very very cool. No longer will I have to resort to mapping my routes online when I return from a ride. 

Training schedule

When I signed up for the bike ride, I downloaded all the forms and filed them in my 'London to Paris' folder. The training schedule went along with these forms and that's pretty much where it stayed until February 6th. I knew that training would have to start on the 7th as it's a 17 week programme.

The basic layout is 3-4 sessions a week, with one being a big cycle. The sessions increase in time/intensity/distance as the weeks go on.

I am now coming to the end of week 3 and it is all going well so far. The workout schedule is pretty easy going as it's designed to gently introduce you to regular exercise. Since I've been getting out on my bike and going to the gym for the last 6 months, the tasks are still fairly simple.

I was well aware of the physical demands of the schedule before I started and so they haven't caused me any particular distress (except maybe week 13 onwards 60/75 mile cycles) but the one thing I hadn't really factored in is time. I'm generally a fairly busy person but with work, fundraising and training I think I am going to struggle to have time to do it all. I've started to have to schedule in my sessions a week or more in advance so that I can allocate enough time for them.

I knew when I signed up for this that it was going to take up a lot of time but I think I have now had to resign myself to the fact that 'London to Paris' is my life until June 5th.

Mixing it up

Up until this week, my training has pretty much consisted of going to the gym in the week and big cycling at the weekends. Although I am only in week 3, that has started to get pretty boring so I decided to try a few new things to keep it interesting.

Zumba.
For those of you that don't know, Zumba is " an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party" (according to google anyway). I would say it's a bit like aerobics and salsa combined. I went along to the session with a few ladies from work on Tuesday night. It was definitely interesting! I was worried initially that the fact that I have absolutely no rhythm or coordination might hinder me but was told that this wouldn't be a problem. And it wasn't, to an extent, in that no one laughed at me getting the steps wrong, moving the wrong way (and several beats out of time) or flailing my arms around wildy. However, I think it created overall problems in what I was able to get from the workout. I spent a lot of time concentrating on trying to get the steps right and so subsequently did not end up working as hard as everyone else. At the end of the workout I didn't feel like I had done much at all so thing that perhaps Zumba is not for me.

Spinning
Spinning is "a type of aerobic exercise, done by cycling indoors on a stationary "spinning" bicycle". It differs from using the normal bikes in the gym because it is a much more intense workout. I know quite a lot of people who swear by spinning so have been meaning to check it out. Again, I was nervous about how hard it would be, would I be slower/less fit than everyone else there. Everything I knew about spinning prior to attending the class was learned from American TV programmes (which, I think you'll agree, is usually an accurate description of real life) so I was expecting a class of stick thin middle aged women. There was a mix of ages, gender, fitness levels in the class so I was happy. I was also happy that it was really really hard! Which may sound a bit sadistic but I definitely like know that something's working properly. I usually gauge how hard I've worked by how sore I am the next day and I think it's pretty safe to say I worked incredibly hard! So, time permitting, I am planning to sub spinning in as one of my weekly sessions.

26 miles...but faster this time!

This week I did the same route as last weekend but in reverse (Dawlish to Exeter and back). I went with my friend Dan, who teaches PE and coaches football, and does not know the word 'slack' or 'rest'  - which proved a very good motvational tool.

As I was doing the same route as before, I decided it would be a good idea to time it so that I can get a good idea of my average mph and get an idea of what pace I will need to be setting for myself on the actual cycle to Paris.

Not including a break for some lunch, it took 2 hours and 20 minutes, which I think is more than reasonable. I did it on the mountain bike too as I don't have the equipment for spares/repairs on the road bike and didn't want to risk getting a puncture/flat tyre and not being able to fix it (26 miles is a long way to cycle but even longer to walk while pushing/carrying a bike!). With that in mind, I can safely assume that I will be able to go further/faster on a road bike with the same level of effort.

One of the great things about doing this is how good it has been at motivating other people. A lot of my friends and family have been keen to get out their old bikes and dust them off ready to come out for the day with me.

The Evolution of Bike

As I may have mentioned once or twice before, I am in no way a keen cyclist and know next to nothing (if not actual nothing) about it. Prior to taking on this challenge, it had probably been about 10 years since the last time I have owned a bike. For this reason, I definitely underestimated how difficult this challenge would be. Not just in terms of the physical but also in terms of having to learn so much about bikes and cycling.

The main and most important aspect of the whole ride is having the right bike. However, a few months ago 'a bike' was pretty much that category covered as far as I was concerned. I realised that the bike I started with would not be suitable for the ride but I didn't really have any idea what would be.

Bad....

Luckily for me, I know a lot of people who know what's what about bikes who have been amazing at giving me advice and tips. Now, when asked about tyre leavers, schrader valves, cassettes etc I can actually answer rather than just stare blankly (in a mild panic that I've never even heard these words before). I am now able to repair punctures and change an inner tube by myself - I realise that this doesn't sound like the most impressive thing ever done but it is still a great feeling to know that you can fix your own bike (please see 'a cautionary tale' if you still fail to see the relevance).

Better...

A friend at work saw a picture of my new mountain bike and quickly realised how hard it would be to complete this challenge on it. Worrying about my choice of bike, he custom built me a hybrid road bike from an old frame and parts he had lying around in the attic. (I will make clear that he is a keen cyclist/enthusiast and owns several bikes - one friend commented that she was imagining a bike built out of old rocking chairs and other things you might find in the attic!)

Best...

So, I now have another new bike (although only on loan) to train and complete the ride on. I also have an expert on hand to advise me on kit lists, clothing, bike repairs etc. I feel like everything is coming together now to make this a really enjoyable experience.

Sugar and spice, and all things nice...

I spent a good 4-5 hours baking and decorating cakes when I got back from cycling yesterday. My lovely friend Tara and her mum also donated a vast portion of their weekend to baking for me. See below the finished result...Cake, anyone?

Fingers crossed people will be wanting a nice sugary kick start to their week tomorrow...

UPDATE: In total, the cake sales managed to raise £80.88!!n :-)

26 miles...

I went out with Adelaide and Pete this weekend and we managed 26 miles. We took the cycle path along the canal from Exeter to Dawlish and back again. I don't know if it was having a new bike, or the ride being flat or just being generally a bit fitter (or probably a combination of all three) but 26 miles this weekend seemed a lot easier than 19 two weeks ago.

I've started to really panic a bit about what this cycle actually means. I think before it was just something that I was saying I was doing, without really thinking too much about it. Now training's started it's all very real and I've realised just what a mission it's going to be.

However, I am very lucky that I have a lot of good people who are happy to come out on rides with me, give me pep talks, assist with fundraising etc...and probably most importantly - educate me about bikes and cycling!

A cautionary tale...

I took the new bike out for a test run yesterday...

All went well for the first mile or so until I noticed that the back wheel was catching. When I got off to investigate I thought that the brakes were rubbing. On closer inspection, I realised that the wheel had actually come loose and was resting on the frame! I'm guessing that Halfords, who supplied the bike, are not as thorough in their bike builds as their adverts might suggest! Luckily, I was staionary and not flying down a hill when the wheel decided to shift.

A very nice man was cycling past and obviously noticed my damsel in distress routine and stopped to help. He, being a sensible biker unlike myself, had a tool kit handy and was able to tighten up the nuts and bolts and send me off on my merry way - but not before bestowing some cycling wisdom on me. 1. High vis vests are not trendy but definitely necessary. 2. You're own tool kit is a must (the shame of looking like an idiot girl who cannot fix her own bike pretty much made this a given anyway). 3. Changing both sets of gears at once stops your legs from spinning around like crazy. 4. If you buy a bike from Halfords, make sure you get it checked over by someone who is not a cowboy!

With a safely bolted together bike, with two wheels firmly attached, I managed to do 19 miles. The difference between the new bike to the old one is amazing! I honestly cannot express how much easier it is having a bike with fully working gears. I don't think I could really appreciate how rough the old bike was until I'd been out on the new one. Simple things like being able to peddle when I'm going fast, and keep up with the momentum of the bike, made life so much easier.

I still realise that it is not going to be an easy task and that training is going to get tougher as the week's go on  but with my new bike I know it is definitely an achievable task and much less of an uphill struggle.

With a little help from my friends...

This week has been amazing! On Sunday night I received two messages, within an hour of one another, offering me the loan of a bike for my training and eventual cycle to Paris. My friend Lucy's boyfriend Rob offered me the use of his road bike as it is currently unused and gathering dust in a garage. About 30 minutes later, my friend Marissa let me know that her bike is currently surplus to requirement as she is deep into her marathon training.

Then, when I thought it couldn't get any better, my lovely friend Olly donated me a brand new mountain bike!

So, my ride is now sponsored by, and thanks to, OJ Carpentry.  Having a new bike will make things so much easier - not least because it weighs about a stone less than the old one, and is not made up of 85% mud and rust!

I'm very lucky to have such awesome friends who have been going above and beyond to help me out with this cause!

Read all about it!

This week I made the front page of my local newspaper. I knew that I would be featured somewhere in the paper but did not know I would be front page news - Imagine my suprise when I went in to the shop to pick one up!

 I am very excited as it means that more people will get to know about what I am doing, as well as raising the profile of LCD locally. Karen Perrow, who wrote the article, was kind enough to put in a bit of a shameless plea for support with a new bike so fingers crossed some sponsorship might come out of this... 

January 2011...5 months to go!

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a fantastic Christmas and New Year.

I had asked Santa for a shiney new (or less shiney second hand) bicycle this Christmas but I guess I must not have been a good enough girl! "Santa" informed me that days of bike buying were over, I am now old enough to buy my own bike...Charming!


While I did have a lovely time over Christmas and New Year, there was an unfortunate victim in all the overindulgence...my motivation! I had, somewhat foolishly, thought that I would be able to have a choccie here and a glass of wine there over Christmas and it not really make a difference. I was wrong!

I am a little bit ashamed to say that  training sort of fell by the wayside all over the festive period. It is so hard to get motivated once you have been out of it for even a couple of days, let alone weeks! However, while my training schedule has been relatively non-existent, I have been putting my time to good use by using every social event as an opportunity to let more people know about what I am doing.

As suggested in my fundraising guide, I asked that if people were planning on buying me a present that I would want nothing more than a small donation to my cause. Feeling very festive, lots of people dug deep and brought my total up to £503 (37% of my total goal...but almost 50% of the amount I need by February). I am very excited that I am getting closer and closer with each generous donation!

Christmas Market Fundraiser

I managed to rope in several friends and family members to help me produce some Christmassy crafts to sell at a Christmas market as a means of fundraising. Several lovely colleagues of mine knitted hot water bottle covers, tea cosys and scarfs while my mum provided some knitted tree stockings (I provided the chocolate santas and candy canes to go in them).

I am not especially talented when it comes to all things crafty but I was able to produce some Christmas and Birthday cards, a selection of assorted felt finger puppets, tree decorations and jewellery/gift bags.

My lovely friend April gave up her whole Saturday to help me out and only wanted payment in the form of bacon sandwiches for breakfast.

The day was a great success and I managed to raise £78.15 total towards my fundraising target. I also managed to speak to a lot of people about the event and Link Community Development and have hopefully made some good connections for future fundraising.

Update: The second sale raised a further £45 towards my target. :-)

A well earned rest?

I have been away for 2 week but was determined to still get some training and fundraising in while I was away. I went to Seattle to visit friends so had looked up local cycle routes and came across the Burke-Gilman trail - a 27 mile route popular with bikers and joggers.

In addition to wanting to tackle this route (I say ''tackle'' - it's all flat and I'm used to Devon hills, but it would have been good for distance) I had also planned on two wheels being my main mode of transport - since hiring a car and driving on the wrong side of it, as well as the road, scares the pants off me! However, you know what they say about the best made plans...

The 8 inches of snow that fell the day after I arrived soon put paid to my plans of cycling everywhere. - degrees and icy roads did not seem like any fun!  But, don't be alarmed...in spite of not being able to cycle, I still managed to get a bit of fundraising done! I had a meeting with a lovely gentleman called Scott at Washington State University who not only gave me some excellent fundraising ideas, but also sponsored me!