Challenge Ahead

carrielou

Well all, after reading lots and lots on here over past few weeks and this evening I shall collect my "bike". 3 stone to be lost. 43 year old Mum of 5 (eldest 18, youngest 4), gave up "over 20 a day habit in January", aiming for Sean Kelly 90km at end of summer.

Have been doing some cycling on mountain bikes over past few weeks, struggling on hard drags but new bike should ease that some bit. Done 60km couple weeks back on real bad windy day, fairly flat route and took 4 hours with 3 x 10 min stops so how good or bad that is I have no idea.

Will try keep log going of diet (which needs radical change) and of training so any advice or help is very much appreciated.

Cookie_Monster

Firstly 60km in 3h 30 isn't bad on a mountain bike on a windy day

Secondly well done on giving up the smokes, try not to change to much to quick though... Giving that up plus starting a whole load of exercise plus diet changes is a lot of change in a short time, don't rush yourself.

There's plenty of sites to track you cycling on to help keep you motivated, google maps is pretty basic and mapmyride, ridewithgps etc can help your track what you've done and how much you've achieved even without a GPS

carrielou

Thanks Cookie Monster....... loving the new bike, went 36km yesterday evening in 1h40min so happy out, soccer match this evening so no spin, tomorrow is another day

seve65

yes, build it up, just do something/anything regularly, and if you feel good speed up every now and then and 'chase a few lamposts'. It will take a few years to get to your best. But the point is to just enjoy being on the bike, take in any scenery (traffic permitting) and whatever happens after that is a bonus well done.

carrielou

just back from 33km in 1h 30, nice easy with couple slight drags, enjoyed it a lot :-)

carrielou

Sat 21km in under an hour, mostly flat and Sunday went off on a hard one ! 30.69 km with some serious beginner hills, have to admint defeat as I had to get off bike couple of times but I will get these by the time the month is out. http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/36432418 I think is the link. I do know that a month ago on a mountain bike I failed on some of the earlier easier little incline but didnt even think about them today.

carrielou

Bit by bit I am getting there, going up the inclines can be slow but i get there. I can do the SK 90k at end of August, I feel pretty confident, just teeny bit worried bout 2 hills that have been mentioned.

Wed June 1 - 36 km
Fri June 3 - 33 km
Sat June 4 - 22 km
Sun June 5 - 30.69 km
Mon June 6 - 22.91 km
Wed June 8 - 36km
Sun June 12 - 53.82km
Wed June 15 - 40 km
Thur June 16 - 10km
Fri June 17 - 41.2km

mel.b

Well done Carrielou:D I admire you for going for the SK 90km event! I've just starting riding as well and I'm only going for the 50km one:o

Cookie_Monster

given all that dist you've done in 2 weeks I wouldn't be too worried about the 90. Yes it'll be tough, but not crazy hard. You're building up very well for it

carrielou

Yea, have it in my head that 90km isnt that far and there will be a stop or 2 so I should be fine, feel like I could do it now, its just the hills. Attempted what "map my ride" graded 5 yesterday and only made it half way. was tough and the road was so rough. I guess bit by bit the training will strengthen my legs but one thing I cant figure out is no weight loss yet.................... i would have assumed that if i kept eating the same as I had been and introduce the cycling that it would start slowly but nothing. Cos them hills will def be easier with 3 stone gone........................................

carrielou

Said i would just give a quick post here, havent done as much as I would like to have in the past week or so but hope to change that this week. Spins of 40 - 50km are no bother now but the hills are still out of my reach. Am gonna have a shot at a pretty decent climb up through the Ballyhouras later and see how it goes.

mel.b

You're doing great and I know how you feel with those hills!

carrielou

cannot believe it but according to mapmyride I done a grade 3 climb today oh yea oh yea oh yea..............4.69km in distance with 3.9% avg grade......elevation min 116m max 298m..........................think I am in shock......... 56km in total in 2h 37min
..http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/41187604

insinkerator

Moments like that make it all worthwhile! Congratualtions

carrielou

Sun June 19 - 15km (Kilfinane, hill out Ballylanders road, Kilfinane)
Wed June 22 - 40km
Sun June 26 - 36km + 40km
Mon June 27 - 35km
Wed June 29 - 35km
TOTAL FOR JUNE= 526.62km
Sun July 3 - 53km
Wed July 6 - 44km
Mon July 11 - 46km
Tue July 12 - 56km (over Glenenaar)
Wed July 13 - 47km in 2 hours...........

This has how training has been over past couple weeks.......delighted with lastTuesday (according to mapmyride I conquered a grade 3 mainly due to the length of 4.5km climb, it was over the Ballyhouras) disappointed on Wednesday, steep climb but not terribly long and i had to stop 2 times and get back on to eventually get to the top............ just hope there are none of them on SK 90km.......

triggermortis

Great effort. Good to see another newbie on here. Good luck with the SK - looks like you'll be fine with the training you're doing

carrielou

had my longest spin so far this morning of 70km. mostly flat odd incline. wind was terrible for the first 35km, head on but had it at my back on way home. could have kept cycling so surely the SK 90km is well within my reach if i keep putting up the miles and chancing the hills

carrielou

Did u know that cycling is addictive haha......glued to tour de France for the first time in my life. out for spin last night only 40km but conquered another climb up the Ballyhouras.............and not only that but had to climb again after the descent to get home. its hard going, have to change my gear bits and bobs on the bike as what I am using is too hard.......... i dont fully understand but think its gear ratio is too high for me..............

carrielou

So changed the chainset on the bike and went for a spin.............. def in my favour going up hill but hated it on the open road. Will use it til next spring and hopefully will be strong enough to go back to the other chainset. will def know tonight how advantageous this will be to me as I tackle a pretty steep incline with lots of hills after it. that is if my back will let me, hurt it other day and both back and hips are hurting now so really hope i can get on the bike and ride it this evening

Inquitus

carrielou wrote: »

So changed the chainset on the bike and went for a spin.............. def in my favour going up hill but hated it on the open road. Will use it til next spring and hopefully will be strong enough to go back to the other chainset. will def know tonight how advantageous this will be to me as I tackle a pretty steep incline with lots of hills after it. that is if my back will let me, hurt it other day and both back and hips are hurting now so really hope i can get on the bike and ride it this evening

Excellent progress so far, the SKT90 has a good few short sharp digs as it follows the coast on the way back from Tramore, so the new Chainset may come in handy if you were finding the steeper stuff tough before changing it. Only a month to go now!

carrielou

Another great spin with the club this morning, 65km in 2h 30 avg 26.6kph. Thinking this run has been my best so far, worked up a decent sweat. Need the lads so that I push myself on a bit :-)

mel.b

Way to go - you're going to fly through the 90km. Only 28 days to go - I'm getting excited now

And one day i will be fast enough to join a club:o

carrielou

Thanks Mel B, your flying it yourself, still pretty hopeless on hills, dead slow but sure we will be flying it next year . Yep only few weeks now and the SK shall be upon us. Dont know what clubs you might be near but I know our club are fantastic and have beginners improver nights and Sunday morning is tough going but a great incentive to up the training slightly

carrielou

two grade 5 climbs in a 50km cycle yesterday evening, tough going but got there in the end. I am fair slow on the hills but flying it on the flat......... hope to see a big difference by next summer :-)

carrielou

Am really delighted, went for 56km this morning and a hill that I attempted 5 weeks ago and had to get off, I cycled up it this morning. The new chainset is really helping with those hard hills but I am still slow on them. Really beginning to pick up speed on the flat so I would hope that this will start to happen in the hills also over time. Its amazing, I can get on that bike, cycle and forget everything else...............so relaxing !

carrielou

After doing a total of 526km in June I really wanted to up it in July but unfortunately due to other committments it didnt happen and only managed 498km. The only thing that I can say is I managed a few hills which were well out of my reach last month and also my speed has increased significantly. Can cycle faster is no.1 but can hold the faster speed for longer. Best one being my avg of 26.6 over 65km thanks to the lads in my local club, slowed them down but I felt great after it

Sun July 3 - 53km
Wed July 6 - 44km
Mon July 11 - 46km
Tue July 12 - 56km (over Glenenaar)
Wed July 13 - 47km in 2 hours...........
Sun July 17 - 70km
Wed July 20 - 42km
Mon July 25 - 36km
Wed July 27 - 39km
Sun July 31 - 65km avg 26.6kph

Will really try to put in extra distance for August but have to work on the hills also as they are really slowing me down.

Beasty

carrielou

I've just seen your post in Inquitus' log concerning weight loss. I managed a significant loss when I started doing some reasonably serious distance 3-4 years ago, losing getting on for 30kg in about a year. I think one of the keys is to keep up the distance year-round - if you can keep doing around 500km per month you will find the weight drops off (assuming you're not increasing your calorie intake to compensate) - however if you stop cycling over the winter the temptation may be to continue eating the same amount as when you were cycling, and come next spring you're back to square one

It's a lot easier when you have the excess weight in abundance. I started off losing 2-3kg per month, and when you see it like that it's great motivation to continue. However by the second year it was down to a couple of kg per quarter, and now I may see 1kg a quarter during the racing season. I always say to myself though that I would be in even better shape if I could lose another 5kg - it helps prevent me going back to the bad old days and ways. If I get the 5kg, I'll say well perhaps another 2-3kg wouldn't go amiss.

In total I've lost around a third of my bodyweight over 4 years, and one of the reasons I have for keeping up the distance nowadays is I don't want to start putting it back on again

carrielou

Thanks Beasty, I will stick with it, rain and wind and cold wont frighten me over the winter but ice and snow will. I am in a good position come September as I can tear off in the mornings when kids go to school so am really hoping to get in a good winter as the lads in the club keep saying, 1 winter under my belt and it will make an awful difference to me. as regards my diet the only extra i would be having is the bar i might eat on a ride and the drink I drink...........i have a sweet tooth though and hope to knock all rubbish on the head as soon as kids, all 5 of them, go back to school It is funny because now I can do 50/60km and not feel it until I go with the lads from the club who push it up to 30kph and on the flat I can stay with them but they spit me out at the hills haha but one always stays with me so I am never on my own. God is good for a 3 stone loss in the next 12 months, no panic but 9 would be nicer haha

carrielou

Good spin today of 65km in total including a good sharp short hill lasting maybe only .5km but tough and also 2 x grade 5 climbs. tired after it but satisfied that improving slowly but surely

carrielou

70km this morning, mostly flat, my first puncture and dealt with it myself, happy days........:)

mel.b

Fair play for doing 70km this morning in the wind:)

Well done with fixing the puncture too...I'm still living in a lovely land of ignorant bliss about how to change or fix a puncture First step I think though is to buy a puncture kit or spare tube...

carrielou

Thanks Mel, just changed the tube, took about 10 minutes............... was a bit dirty after it but who cares haha. have 1300km up on bike since I got it on 1st June, sound great when I put it that way haha................. U r flying it too, kinda hope we bump into each other in Dungarvan but there will be such a crowd down there.........................if its to be then it will be

carrielou

was to go out with club on a spin this evening as I have every Wednesday evening since I started cycling but something came up and I could not go. Cant tell you how pissed off and angry that I couldnt make it, cant wait now for tomorrow to come to get on the bike !

carrielou

What I believe to be my best cycle so far was today, 75km in 3 and half hours. This included 1 x grade 4 climb (3.66km) 2 x grade 5 climbs (2.15km and 2.08km).

mel.b

Good luck and have fun tomorrow Carmel:D hopefully we might catch up after the event.

Cheers,
Mel

Inquitus

carrielou wrote: »

What I believe to be my best cycle so far was today, 75km in 3 and half hours. This included 1 x grade 4 climb (3.66km) 2 x grade 5 climbs (2.15km and 2.08km).

Well done to date, and good luck tomorrow, carrielou.

carrielou

Thanks Mel and Inquitus..................so looking forward to it I am like an excited child, just wanna go bed and sleep so that tomorrow morning comes faster haha. Best of Luck Mel, I know u will be fine over the 50 and it would be great to meet ye...................oh lads I'm so excited and I just cant hide it haha

triggermortis

best of wishes and all that.... I wish I was going too.. I miss my bike already.. mountain bike packed up tonight for the flight to dublin...
I've really grown to love being out on my bike, whichever one, and miss it accordingly...

insinkerator

Probably a bit late, but good luck today

carrielou

Folks thanks a million,

I completed the 90km in under 4 hours (I think it was 3h 56 min). Had to get off twice :-(

When I came to the food stop in Tramore my foot refused to clip out and was beginning to panic when i managed to get it out, kinda scared me a small bit. Ate few bars and drank a good bit during my 15 min stop and then when off again.

I cant tell you the name of the place but at the bottom of one of the harder hills there was a bit of a bend on road and as i came up along about 4 unclipped and got off in front of me so I kinda panicked and done the same with the fear in mind that if my legs failed going up I may not be able to get my foot out and fall and perhaps bring more down with me.

Then the last real drag of the day and I cycled up so far and turned into a passage cos my foot was once again refusing to unclip and I managed to get it out on the farmers passage haha.

I bombed it back for the last 10km touching on 40 once or twice but holding 38ish. My legs felt great and I could have kept going.

Not a pain or an ache after, tiny bit tired for an hour of drive home but after that I was grand.

Fine again this morning, busy had to be up early to take my eldest daughter to cork for college.

All in all was absolutely delighted but I will be stronger, fitter and lighter for next year and will be quite happy to complete the 90km again, it is a tough one!

mel.b

I'd been wondering all day how you got on That is a great time ( i think anyway) especially considering you had to get off a couple of times. All the training you did really paid off and now you know what to expect for next year;)