Gone Loopy!

Hello blog lovers!

I am chasing my cycling mojo, I think I am seriously gaining on it!  Today I went out by myself on one of my loops, trying to get 'match fit' as they say, and there isn't a hidden meaning in there, just in case you were wondering.  My cycling is strictly for fun!  But I have noticed that I am slower that I used to be, so I need to build it up again.

I procrastinated for the whole day, I found things to do, things to wash, things to change, look after little Deci (when the little fellow came to see me)  but I really wanted to go.  I just knew that when I sit on that saddle it's going to hurt!  Naggy and me had only just done a 20 miler yesterday, and that was after having a week break from the 28 miler last weekend!  I was just going to have to grin and bare it!

I got my cycling gear on, got my bike out of the shed and went outside!  I looked at my saddle and I thought "This is gonna hurt!"  I sat on my bike and I could feel the pain straight away!  It's like sitting on a couple of huge peddles! Oh my goodness!  But I just have to get over it.  I know that eventually the pain will go!  Just not today!  I cycled out towards Petts Wood, I wanted to do that loop today.  I thought that maybe the roads there will be quieter, even though with my procrastinating it was home time, so there was a bit more traffic on the road that I would have hoped!

I cycled to the start of my loops, just at the top of Petts Wood Road.  The down hill bit looks good, but then there is the road that goes up!  I start cycling down hill, trying to ignore the fact that I could quiet easily coast down, I do need a bit of speed to get up the hill using momentum!  It's a good plan, and I was thinking that as I am not as light as I used to be the last time I did these loops I was hoping that it will 'flip' me right up the hill before I had to start coming down on my gears.  That was my plan.

The first loop I thought "Yeah, I got this" as I remembered our ride yesterday to Downe Village.  There was no forgetting my ride yesterday as every tiny little stone or bump in the road I was feeling! At the top of the first hill I was feeling a bit smug as I found it, well, not as much of a struggle as I thought!  This is only the first hill though, only half a loop!  I should not get so cocky just yet!

I rode along Orpington road before turning left to go down Birchwood.  A nice down hill before the undulations of Great Thrift and the other roads that I need to do before I get back to the beginning of the loop.  I felt that I did that first one ok, buy my bottom was not liking it at all! "Maybe I should just do one one and then go home" I thought, "What's the point of pushing yourself" was another thought that popped into my head!  But I continued to do the second lap.

I know I was feeling so cock sure of myself on the second loop, but I was still enjoying it!  That's good at least, I need to be able to enjoy my cycling and not find it a chore!  Oh my bum!  And I need it  be pain free too!  That is going to take time in the saddle to ease the pain!  It's just like when I practised to play guitar, my fingers used to bleed and hurt like hell, but I was loving it so I continued practising!  That's what I need to do with my cycling!

The second loop done, I was fairly happy with that and I also though that I could do the third one, and if after that I am not really feeling it at that then I will go home!  So up again Petts Wood Road! This time a bus had decided to take up the whole road, right on the down hill bit, the bit that I needed to build up some speed to get up the other side!  This one is going to hurt!  I wasn't wrong!  I had to dig deep to get to the top of the road!  A bit of a rest at the top as I ride along Orpington Road and the nice down hill.  I got back to the start of the loops and I thought "It's only one more to do, so go do it" and I took a drink and then started up for the last loop!  It was tougher, I could feel my legs hurting....and my butt.....and I still have to do those other hills!  But I was feeling good! Well I felt good when I got to the top of Petts Wood road, and I felt good after I did those other little inclines!

I was feeling really very satisfied!  I did it, I missed Hollyoaks to do it, I was still totally bruised from Sundays ride, but I did it!

Check out my geeky stats!  I was quite pleased actually! (not sure why I can't get it to do the usual map) but you can click on the link and check it out.

Garmin Connect