Briefly back on the bike for Christmas

Hi all.  Thank you for your continued support and encouragement.  I hope that you all had a super Christmas.

Amazingly, despite not getting one bike related pressie (for the first time since my "Rediscovery") and regardless of the bitterly cold winds I actually managed to get my backside back onto the saddle for our annual Christmas day ride. We didn't get too far and sadly didn't make it down to the beach as we usually do, but we did manage a leisurely 6.5 miles. It was hard (due to the cold air in my lungs) but I was still smiling at the end and definitely ready for my Christmas dinner.

It was too cold for me to take my hands out of my gloves for a pic, but here is a Christmassy bike related pic.

Hope that you are all having a wonderful festive season and that you got everything you wanted.

Another pathetic month

Well, what another rubbish month. As you know I lost my mojo in November, however, I found it again at the beginning of this month. Sadly it was short lived and I lost it again, re found it and then boom it's gone - yet again!

Unsurprisingly, it is mainly the weather that is defeating me, but I've also been having a rubbish time at work (practically working myself into the ground) and the remnants of the cold/flu still lingering hasn't helped matters. Not having a cycling buddy available to ride with in daylight hours hasn't helped my cause either, as when the sun drops the temperatures plummet so even going to meet Mikey is hard work. *Sigh* They are all just excuses, but they really have taken hold and zapped all my motivation.

After my last blog I did manage another two Turbo sessions, but they quickly became tedious and even the thought of getting back is now hard work.

Consequently, I haven't got back on the bike in nearly 2 weeks. Eeek! I can feel my fitness deteriorating and see the weight piling back on, but I really can't get myself motivated.

Anyway, I have decided not to let it get me down, I will just ride when I want to in these last few days of December and not try and force myself out of the door.

Then maybe, just maybe, I will get back on track in January.

Anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone. I hope you all have a fantastic time.

My Asthmatic Lungs

Well, despite all my good intentions at the end of last week, the onset of a really nasty cold has left me again without any mileage so far.

I'm still not at 100% (maybe around 70% - as still absolutely full of catarrh) but today I really wanted to ride; because I want to at least try and meet that elusive weekly target.  I would have really loved to have gone out and ridden but despite the blue skies, the weather was miserably cold with an extremely bitter wind.  Grrr! There was just no way I could go out in that.   A lot of my Twitter friends urged me to go outside and ride instead, but seriously its not that simple.

That may sound dramatic but for those that don't know what its like to have asthma it's really hard to explain.  I guess most people have probably experienced coughing or a shortness of breath when they have done exercise in cold conditions.  This is because in normal conditions our bodies are able to effectively warm the air entering our lungs, but when exerting ourselves we take shorter gasping breaths, which means that in the colder weather, more cold air is entering our lungs; irritating them.  For an asthma sufferer these symptoms are really intensified, airways and lungs constrict which result in wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, coughing, chest pains and more significantly an inability to get adequate Oxygen.

On top of this, I am one of the many asthmatics that are susceptible to colds/flu turning into chest infections. So if my lungs became compromised it was likely that the germs I am still harbouring could migrate.  I jut didn't want to risk a chest infection!

Probably sounds lame I know, but it was for both of those reasons I chose not to put my body under any extra pressure as I want to get over this cold, without it developing into something more serious. However, I still wanted to at least try and meet my 25 mile weekly target, so out came the trainer!

Yes, I know it is dull and boring and I really felt the monotony today, as I didn't have Mikey at home, to encourage me to carry on when I got bored.  I only managed 5 miles before getting very bored, so I nipped onto Twitter looking for some inspiration.  Sadly all I got was a tirade of "Ride outside!" This frustrated me...  maybe they don't know I'm full of the lurgy, maybe they had forgotten I was asthmatic, maybe they just don't care!  It wasn't the motivation I had hoped for, but one thing it did do was make me slightly annoyed enough to get back on my bike and pedal for a further 5 miles.

Another blog

OK, at the risk of looking like a huge geek to those that don't know me very well, I'm going to admit that I have another passion; other than cycling, and I recently started a new blog about it.

Maybe some of you would enjoy reading it and joining me on my Lego Rediscovery. 

For those that don't wanna follow it, that's fine. I know it isn't every ones cup of tea... but for those that do. Great, see you there!

Don't worry though, I will still continue posting on here too. 

No longer a cyclist?

As I mentioned in my previous post I was desperate to get back on track with my cycling. After failing my target so many times, I have simply lost my motivation and I desperately want it back.

Anyway after Saturdays disastrous ride with my Mum, I knew I was a long way off target, so Sunday would be a challenge. I had 22.5 miles to do!

On Sunday we awoke to find very grim weather; it was wet and miserable with a hell of a wind. This would be tough.

Disaster

After having such an abysmal few months I decided I must get myself back on the bike.  I need cycling as an outlet for releasing my stresses/frustrations and after putting half a stone back on I knew I had to get back on the saddle.

So on Saturday I decided that I must ride. I'm not particularly a fan of riding alone so I invited my mother along, telling her we would ride slowly (as she has barely ridden her bike since May - she has been on sick leave on and off for the last 12mths).

November - A Pathetic Month.

Well, what can I say.... despite my best intentions, my knees, my asthma, a number of family issues; including the death of Mikey's beloved Gran, and the miserable weather have left me unmotivated to ride. So yet again my monthly mileage has been far from average.... in fact Novembers statistics speak for themselves.... they are pathetic. Again, I have done less than 100 miles. Only a mere 86.6 miles! Not the greatest of months, but things can only get better, right? ;-)