21st July 2015
When I agreed to blog again, I thought about the topics I’d like to cover and how to make them interesting. One of the things I thought I’d do each week or so was update you on my cycling achievements since the last blog.
So this week, I have cycled a total of 0 miles. Zero. Maybe not the best idea I’ve ever had then!
If you speak to any cyclist and ask them how they prepare for a ride they will give you a number of different strategies – some, for example, like to do interval training, or focus on the hill climbs, or practice parts of the route they will be riding. But one thing they will all tell you is ‘you need the miles in your legs’.
Whilst that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to do a 75 mile ride every time you go out, it does mean that you should a) actually be going out and b) increase the miles you complete.
Not riding for a week, therefore, isn’t really recommended. But one of the advantages of blogging – publicly – is that I have now shamed myself into addressing this. After all, I can’t report having completed no miles again in my next blog. Not only would this be embarrassing, it’d be pretty boring for you guys too.
So I am going to commit, right here, to completing at least one ride of 40 miles plus, with the aim of riding at least double that, in total. I might even try and throw in at least one of the three most testing climbs on the ride.
On my most recent cycle rides, I’ve tried some interval training – mixing speedy segments with some gentler paced recovery sections. This is partly to try and increase my fitness, and also to try and add variety to some of the shorter rides I do.
I’d love to tell you the technical and fitness reasons for why this is a good thing to do, but they’re largely beyond my comprehension. But what I do know is that varying your heart rate while exercising is a good thing to do, and I think you’ll even burn more calories. If you want to give it a go, I’d recommend one of the many fitness apps that exist, or have a look through some issues of Cycling Plus – every issue gives some useful hints and tips that will hopefully help you reach your goals.
I’ll let you know how I get on in my next blog.
And in the meantime, if you need more inspiration than I’m providing, why not take a look at my blogging colleague, Nigel Lowe’s posts. I’d like to commend him on his training and fundraising efforts, and wish him the very best of health too – he’s doing all that whilst battling Low Grade Lymphoma.