My longest ride ever! [7 weeks to go]

So, I set off at about 8:30 with the 55mile target set firmly in my mind.
About 7 or 8 miles in, on a climb, I noticed something strange on the bicycle computer: my speed was flicking between 11mph, 7 mph, 4 mph and back again in the space of about 10 seconds. I hadn't changed my cadence so I couldn't figure out what was going on. I thought it may have been magnetic interference or something. An alien craft buried beneath the hill I was climbing seemed the most logical conclusion. However, after further thought I decided that the battery in the computer may need changing. I engaged Sportstracker knowing that if I rode exactly the same route back, with a bit of mathematics I'd be able to work out the mileage for the entire ride.
I stopped three times on the ride: twice to eat some malt loaf and once to do a wee.
I passed loads of mountain bikers.
I raced an older bloke on a road bike. He dropped me after about 2 miles.
I saw some lovely countryside in the sunshine.
I saw lots of Japanese tourists around the Shakespearey parts.
I saw at least 50 or so Eastern Europeans in tracksuits smoking and walking for miles along Luddington Road.
By the time I got home I was tired, but my legs and lungs were OK. My bum hurt.


The cycle computer claims the ride was 57.12 miles at 13.5mph.
Sportstracker claims the ride was 57.36 at 13.3mph:
http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/Teece/9j1b7rr3e4c0l2hr


The important thing is that I cracked 55 miles and I'm well chuffed! Just another 20 to find!

Days to go: 86 [late report]

Had a lazy morning and didn't actually get up until 9am! After a healthy brekkie I eventually got on the bike at about 11. And set my personal best average speed! I was well chuffed with the results today: ‎15.46 miles at 15.3mph with 30.1mph top speed! I treated it like a 15 mile sprint and was rather red-faced and shaky when I got back to base.

Mom and Dad came to visit today and a result, Lucy got out all the lovely food and did some fantastic homemade cooking. We also opened a couple of bottles of cava...

So, good exercise, terrible diet and some booze. Sound familiar?

Food

Muesli with soya milk

Lots of homemade quiche with pork pie, scotch eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, coleslaw, ham and bread.

Rolo dessert

Apple strudel with custard AND ice cream

Exercise

Cycling: 15.46 miles

Booze

4 or 5 glasses of cava

Days to go: 87

After the healthy brekkie and some decorating, Lucy and I cycled to Solihull and back. It's only about 3 miles or so but at least it gets the blood pumping. After I picked Mouse up from school, she revealed some more Easter eggs! So Martha and I lounged around eating Mouse's chocolate while she did her exercises on the XBox Kinect!
After a huge chicken dinner I did some weight lifting, setting 3 personal bests!
It's now 11:15 and everyone is asleep. I think I might just treat myself to a glass of wine...


Food
Muesli with soya milk
chunk of homemade flapjack with a cup of redbush tea
slice of homemade chocolate cake with a cup of redbush tea
an Easter egg!
huge chicken dinner with green beans, potatoes, Yorkshire puds, peas, sprouts and broccoli


Exercise
Cycling: 3-4 miles
Press-ups: 87
Tricep-dips: 87
Sit-ups:87
Dumbbell curls[15kg]: 10/9/8
Barbell Squats[33kg]: 10/8/8
Barbell curls[33kg]: 9/8/8
Overhead presses [32kg]: 10/9/8


Booze
Probably going to have 1 glass of white wine now...

Days to go: 88

Up early doors to have my porridge and be at Dan's by 8:30. Today, we planned to cycle over the Lickey Hills, over Waseley Hills and around the Clent Hills. We intended to be out all day and had plenty of food and water with us. Unfortunately, the weather was against us.
When we set off, both of us were suffering with hands numbed by the cold winds and snow. Me being in shorts didn't help either... By the time we got up on the Waseley hills the snow was being driven at us HORIZONTALLY. We were the only people on the hills and the snow was hitting us so hard that my face and legs were stinging and felt like I'd fell into nettles. We were being blown 3 or 4 metres off the trail and it was impossible to look ahead, I had to turn my head out of the wind and just snatch glances of the way forward every few seconds. We were almost at the top of the Waseley Hills when we decided it was silly to carry on. I was enjoying the challenge but was not enjoying the ride. My shorts and socks were completely wet through and I was getting more and more sore with every turn of the pedal. Dan called me back and we headed down out of the blizzard and made it to the warmth of the Lickey Hills visitor's centre. In all, we rode only 13 miles today, but it was the kind of riding that toughens a person up.


The rest of the day was spent doing more decorating, eating lovely food and playing with the kids.


Food
rolled oats porridge with raisins made with soya milk
handful of cashew nuts
big chunks of homemade flapjack
4 slices of malt loaf
6 cups of tea [4 redbush, 2 normal]
2 salmon steaks with brown rice and veggies [Lucy's spicy rice]
1 banana


Exercise
cycling: 13 miles [off-road in a blizzard]


Booze
none

Days to go: 89

Today was a reasonable day as far as the training went, apart from an Easter egg disaster...


Up at 7 for my healthy muesli and then got on with some decorating when the kids had gone to school. I was supplied with tea and healthy snacks by Lucy and she also made a great lunch of homemade soup.
When Mouse came home from school I was FORCED to share an Easter egg with her while she played Pokemon on the DS and I watched the Tour of Flanders...


After that, I went off to the dojo for a fairly easy martial arts session, and then home for a carb-laden dinner in readiness for the day out mountain biking tomorrow!


Food
Muesli with soya milk
2 muffins with Marmite
4 slices of malt loaf 
2 cups of redbush tea
homemade carrot soup with 2 wholemeal baps
half an Easter egg and some choccy buttons!
bowl of tuna and loads of wholewheat pasta


Exercise
90 mins of martial arts


Booze
none

Days to go: 90

This is my last chance to get my fitness levels up to where they need to be to complete the 75 miles of the Birmingham to Oxford ride in July. Obviously, the theft of the Boardman was a big set-back, but, to be honest, I wasn't training anywhere near as hard as I need to if I'm to have a successful ride on July 1st. Over the next 90 days I will be laying off the booze and eating cleaner and training harder than I have done since I first started martial arts 12 years ago. I'll be using a combination of weight training, road cycling, mountain biking and martial arts to get my weight down and my fitness up. All of this combined with a healthy diet of course...

So, today I was out on the bike at about 9.20am. I did the same 45 mile route that I did in February. This time I was a lot faster and came home strong instead of limping home in the tiny gears. It still beat the hell out of me though and walking up the stairs has hurt all day! My average speed was 13.6mph.

Stayed in tonight and played with the kids and then took it easy on the couch with Lucy.

Food
Muesli with soya milk
2 bananas
handful of cashew nuts
big chunk of homemade flapjack
a slice of ham
tuna, cucumber and tomatoes on wholemeal bap
homemade Moroccan lamb with couscous

Exercise
Cycling: 45.2 miles

Booze
none

Cycled into work, ate healthily, cycled home, jumped on the mountain bike and took Montydog around the park, the children gave me some sweets, did a session on the weights, had a very healthy dinner, drank a small [330ml] beer, in bed before midnight!


Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
1 banana
2 satsumas
several sesame wholegrain rye crispbreads with hummus
2 salmon steaks with cabbage and brown rice
2 sweets and a 2 blocks of Galaxy


Exercise
Press-ups: 82
Tricep-dips: 82
Sit-ups: 82
Dumbbell curls [15kg]: 9/8/8
Barbell squats [33kg]: 8/8/8
Barbell curls [32kg]: 10/10/10


Booze
one bottle of lager [330ml]