Thanking my lucky stars

I sit here typing this as a very lucky man.

I normally consider myself unlucky in most respects but last night, the big man in the sky was most definitely looking after me.  I'll explain in a mo.

It has been a good week.  I'm getting back in the swing of doing my regular chest and abs sessions around my cardio, although I havent been to the Gym in a while, almost 6 weeks now, my longest break in a while.

I've blogged recently that I havent been enjoying my running, so I've been getting back out on Hayley and getting some cycling done...and this week has been good.

Out on the bike Wednesday night.  My old favourite Welling to Higham and back loop.  Just a fraction under 2,000ft of climbing, so not particularly hilly but more than enough to give the legs and cardio a thoroughly good work out.

 

I'll take the 17.1mph average speed all day long for that course. My legs were really it and I was backing down the pace on some stretches where I would normally be going flat out but it was more than sufficient for a Wednesday evening ride straight from work. Pretty chuffed with that. In at 5:30pm, out by 6 something and 50 miles done in less than 3 hours. Happy Days. 

Throw in some pretty heavy duty gardening into the mix then it was back out on the bike late Saturday afternoon.

Riding at pace on a reasonably flat course is fine but that never compares to hills. The only way to improve is do hills and lots of them. Not necessarily all on the same ride though. Saturday was supposed to be a rest day and I was only going out for a gentle spin but it didnt really turn out like that.

As it turns out, I headed out to Westerham via Cudham Lane at Orpington.  Dropped down Hogtrough on to the Pilgrims Way and dropped down into Westerham then I done the three absolutely stinkers.  Hosey Hill, Toys Hill and Ide Hill.  Thankfully, at the top of Ide there is a lovely long descent back into Dunton Green and then back to the Pilgrms Way to climb Old Terry's Lodge before heading back to Dartford via the Fawkham Valley.

It was a lovely ride, albeit very hard on the hills as I'm just not bike fit right now but I was going great guns.  Until I hit the single track part of Pilgrims Way.  This takes me back to my opening line.

The road/track is only wide enough for one vehicle to pass.  If there's a cyclist in the road, you can get past until the road widens.  Cue me on Hayley cycling around a left blind bend and a speeding White Van Man coming the other way.  I had two seconds to make a decision before I got hit.  I either throw myself left into the tall hedge or get hit.  It was a simple decision.  I had nowhere else to go.  So I threw myself to the left, missed the van thankfully but when cycling along at 18-19mph, landing in a 8ft hedge isnt the best option but its a damn site better than ploughing head first into the front grill on a van.

Its a real blur now but the cuts to my forearm, bicep and bruising to my ribs are testament to how much little protection you get from lycra.  Getting out the hedge was fun.  I was almost laying on my side in the hedge and I was still clipped into my pedals.  I managed to unclip myself from Hayley and crawl out.  I was a mess. 

Thankfully I'm ok and so is Hayley but it could have been so much worse.

I was more shaken than hurt although the blood coming out of my arm was a concern but made my way back towards home but stopped at my parents for some First Aid.

So there you go.  After almost 15,000 miles of cycling over the last 3-4 years or so, thats my first proper incident.  Not bad going really.

As a whole, I was really pleased with the ride, aside from the mishap.  To average 15.2mph with such little mileage in my legs this year was great with that amount of climbing involved (approx 3,400ft).  

What with a 8 mile run last Sunday, a 10k on Monday and a slow 5k thrown in for good measure too, it was a good week of training.

8PM EDIT: And if that wasnt enough for one weekend, Izzy's Mum phoned at 6:30pm to say they'd spent the last couple of hours in A&E after Izzy fell off her bike.  They'd been on a nice family ride and Izzy took the last corner too fast.  Came off on the alleyway down the side of their house and on top of some road rash, she's got a pretty nasty cut on her knee which needed 6 stitches.  That means she's now going to have to miss Sports Day on Tuesday :(

Izzy's leg all bandaged up after six stitches in her knee...

And if that wasnt enough to top the weekend, the THIRD cycling incident of the weekend happened on the way home from my parents on the quick time trial back home.

As I was decending down Central Avenue at Welling Station, some blind Ford Focus driver nearly wiped me out. He turned right into Station Approach as I came down the hill at 20mph+ and somehow, somehow, I managed to avoid him and stay upright. It was so close that I actually shut my eyes and prepared for the impact. I was so sure he was going to hit my back wheel that I was already clipped out on my right pedal and I was preparing to roll right and stick my leg out to stay upright but no need.

Central Avenue, Welling.  The Ford Focus was turning right from where the car is pictured here...

One near miss too many this weekend.  Am now beginning to remember exactly why I decided running was much better for me than riding!

A date with Hayley

With the realisation that my running seems to be getting worse, I made a decision to vary things with some serious cross-training.

Since the garden revamp, Hayley, my carbon-frame steed, had been standing in my bedroom, literally begging me to ride her, so it would have been rude not to really.

I'd had a broken up week at work.  Monday was spent in the office and then I didnt return until Friday as I was doing my St John Ambulance First Aid at Work training course.  The good news is that I'm now a fully trained First Aider but the bad news is that I almost passed out when the trainer was describing the symptoms of a broken pelvis.  My stomach just churns at the thought.

So with the training course being held locally, I was home by 4pm every night, which gave me the extra time to get off my backside and out on Hayley.

Tuesday was great.  A quick(ish) 20+ mile of my old training loop, averaging just over 17mph.

It was great to be back out on Hayley. I'll be honest, the legs were hurting big time. My HR was all over the shop but the feeling of flying down Birchwood Road at over 30mph came flooding back and the adrenaline was buzzing big time. Two laps of the training loop and I was done.

Got home, had a quick stretch and then put on my running shoes and went out for a 5km run. No effort, no pace, just a plod. I was determined to enjoy it. It was seriously slow but my legs felt like jelly after the ride.

I was spent by the time I got back but thats exactly what I was looking for. I need to start pushing myself through the pain barrier and then the fitness will start coming back.

On to Wednesday. I enjoyed the Tuesday night ride so much that I wanted to get back out on the road again. So thats what I did. I was planning to do the same again pretty much but as I pulled up to the traffic lights at Avery Hill Park, I realised my old buddy Richard Williams was just ahead. A quick sprint and I was on his back wheel. When he realised I was there, he was happy to see me and delighted to see me back out on the bike again. I'd been thinking of phoning him about going out for a ride one night but I thought he would have been doing some proper training so I resisted.

Rich asked what I was up to and I said I was going for a potter. He said I was more than welcome to join him. When I asked where he was off to, he casually replied oh, just a 50 mile loop out to Toys Hill and back via Cudham Lane. 

Now in the old cycling days, this wouldnt have been a problem for me. Cudham Lane is a long 4 mile upward drag averaging out at 4% gradient and most Kent riders will know Toys Hill at Westerham. Not particularly steep but its long. I thought to myself, ok my legs are still sore from Tuesday but I'll give it a go. If I struggle, I'll just turn back and cut the ride short. I know my way back so it shouldnt be a problem.

Well I need not have worried.

Seriously, what a great ride. 50 miles in just over 3 hours at an average speed of 15.5mph. Ok, it wasnt my fastest ride of all time and I did sit in Rich's tow for 80% of the ride but I dug in and got it done. The hills hurt a lot as I'm not bike fit these days. Having only ridden 150 miles this year so far, its little wonder. The only riding I have done has been on flatish loops but this was much more like it. My HR was much more stable and lower than the previous day (understandibly because of being in Rich's tow) and I felt great. My legs did feel drained for 24 hours after the ride but that was to be expected. 

It was by pure chance I bumped into Rich but I'm so glad I did. I've got the bike confidence back now and thats exactly what I needed. I think it may well be time to step away from running for a while and cycle some more miles instead. 

Cheers Rich, a much needed break from the norm and it really was like the good old days :)