Still standing

But hardly able to walk or cycle!

I somehow got persuaded to do a club base ride today. That was before I realised it was 30 miles plus which was always going to be a stretch given my last ride was a whopping 5 miles. Add in cross winds, head winds, lots of flooding, repeatedly slipping out of the pedal, cramping in hips and then calves and it was never going to be fun. I thought I was going to have to stop on the second hill. I wanted to stop by 10 mile and I'd done a fair bit of cursing and yelping by the time we made the coffee stop. It was so tempting to just say I'd wait there while K rode back and and got the car. But by hook or by crook and with huge amounts of help from the guys leading the ride I made it all the way. Gutted to have to walk 50m on the final hill after I fell off my pedal and just couldn't get started again on a busy road but I made it and somehow after several hours of hell I found myself saying I'd do better next time and getting training tips. I may just be hooked.

Next time though I'll have the clips fitted (cut comedy falling over moments probably) and I'll have tried changing the saddle position. Ouch!

K reckons 35 miles makes me a proper cyclist. I won't think that until I can do it without needing a push uphill! The 50 miler is only 6 weeks away. Eek. Definitely need to get some miles in my legs. They've had 4 1/2 years off proper exercise since I first injured my hip. Although every muscle ached when I'd finished and my several layers of clothes were soaked it perversely felt good to have been able to exercise that hard again.

And that is a optimistic way to start my second year on blip.

Vx