Recent progress and forward view into 2012

I was woken about 4:30am with the sound of heavy rain beating against the window and wind howling through the trees.  I had briefly considered getting up early but was not able to resist the comfort of staying in bed so was finally woken by the iPhone alarm at 5:50am.  The forecast had been for rain and strong wind but I was pleasantly suprised to find that the sky was now clear and wind was not as strong as earlier.  I followed my usual routine except I did not put on the kitchen TV for BBC 1 Breakfast as that would enevitably slow my getting ready and the news is always such a steady stream of 'bad' news.  Nonetheless I expected rain so took the decision to wear the overshoes and stuff the lightweight jacket into the backpack for when the rain came.

The commute journey is a routine and I have been back riding to and from work since returning from the fall in early September.  I feel I am making good progress and fitness is coming back now as a result of the continuous pattern of 5 weeks of riding daily the 13 miles each way.  I consider it at a 'satisfactory' level but not yet to an 'endurance' level. This was proven on Saturday morning on the 40+ mile ride with BCC where I was lagging behind the level 3's on the climbs and was not able to maintain the cadence on the gently undulating sections.  However, what was most concerning was my fear on the descents.  The fall that so badly bruised my hip has also taken away my confidence on the road with anything that looks like it might cause me to come off the bike.  Drains, manhole covers, potholes and adverse cambers all scare the hell out of me.  I have to find a way of overcoming this if I am going to ride any distance beyond to and from work.

The Enigma Ethos attracted some positive comments during the ride.  It's my new winter bike and commuter and so far its proved remarkably comfortable and enjoyable to ride.  Also what might appear to be a trivial feature but are in fact an important addition are mudgards that keep me clean.  No more the dirty splash marks of road grime (petroleum and bitumen) on my shorts and jacket.

The new steed does mean a decision needs to be made about the much riden Trek 1.9 that now sits unused in the garage.  I need to clean it thoroughly and then have it serviced before putting it onto eBay.  I don't intend to be gready about the sale price but anything above £250 will be very satisfactory.  I know that is not very much towards the replacement that could be half as much again as the Ethos but that will be a higher specification Ti frame with hopefully Chorus 11 groupset and matching quality wheels.  But that is not until May or June 2012.

The next few months will comprise a juggling of both marathon training and cycling.  I have two milestones for 2012.  Firstly in April there is the Boston Marathon and then in September the Ride Across Britain (or Lands End to John O'Groats known as 'LEJOG').  I know I cannot compromise on the marathon training as I intend to run a sub 3:30 time which I would consider a respectable but not a leg damaging time.  Whilst I might be able to go faster I have said to anyone prepared to listen "this is my last marathon".  I am not entirely convinced of my own resolution to stick to that I am sure that when I am pounding the streets in February for 3 hours or 20 miles I won't for a moment want to commit to any more after Boston. 

A LEJOG has been something I have had on a 'things to do' list for a while and had assumed that I would do a 'supported' rather than the 'unsupported' approach.  With a support vehicle all the spare kit, clothes, food and drinks are off the bike leaving the rider to just enjoy the ride.  Unsupported can be based on carrying a tent for camping whilst others are with accommodation in B&B's pre-booked.  But I have gone for this organised event with the 960 mile route in 9 days which is fully supported but has a camp set up for each night stop.  It also includes a training programme and pre-event activities to get you to the starting line ready for the challenge.

So far I have signed up for the training programme at an Intermediate level though the Map My Tracks service and the associated RAB private Rider Hub which is a closed community for the participants.  As a result I have discovered to my great pleasure that a clubmate from BCC has signed up for the event.  We are currently discussing the various sportive events for spring and early summer as a compliment to the training rides.

Lastly I have purchased a Kindle edition of a recent LEJOG account called One Man and LEJOG by Antony Last which is helping me appreciate the scale of the challenge ahead.

Tomorrow I want to look back on the success of the Nottingham Marathon and the nightmare that followed.