The return to interval training: Ouch!

Time is absolutely flying. Where is the pause button????!!!! The last month has gone by in a blur and it is now less than a month *yikes* until the start of the one of my biggest adventures and challenges yet: The Cape Epic.

At the end of January Dave and I went along to have a go at a Brass Monkeys 4 hour enduro and it was well worth it. Despite the freezing temperatures and frozen, icy ground the course was really good fun. There were some nice fire road climbs, all of which were rewarded with loads of sweet singletrack descending. It was a mass start and Dave held on to my wheel - well for a few seconds at least ;0) Unbeknown to him one of my aims was to lap him, but he had other plans and managed to get to the finish line just before me (but minus 1 lap).....damn!

We've just come back from a week - far too short - in Tenerife which was really great! I've never had a dedicated training holiday in the winter before and now I am wondering why - well apart from the obvious problem of getting time off work! We stayed at a nice B & B in El Medano and our hosts could not do enough for us. It was a great location because, being at sea level, the only way was up! Waking up each morning to see El Teide was like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey! I absolutely love to climb so making may way up and through the cloud to c. 2300 metres each day meant that I was in heaven! The only problem was that the sheer drops left me feeling like I had vertigo. At one point I found myself wanting to get off my bike and lie flat in the middle of the trail - weird! The scenery was spectacular and so diverse, my only regret is that I didn't take many photos!

Back at sea level after a great ride from the south to the north

The highlight however had to be spending time with James Ouchterlony and his inspiring girlfriend Cristi. James showed us some of his local trials which were super technical in places and at times had me walking. James is one of the best technical riders I have ever seen. His bike was laden with panniers filled with 2 litres of my water amongst other things, yet he managed to hop and jump it around with the ease and agility of a mountain goat! No wonder Cristi has gone from a non-rider to a long distance trekking queen!

Where's the action? Planning the next ride!

Back in the UK the plane landed in the rain, and it's barely stopped raining since! Welcome home! I've started structured interval sessions now for the first time since October. I have to confess that intervals are my least favourite session, but the only advantage yesterday was that I didn't get wet on the turbo trainer! Am I the only one that dreads interval day??? Oh well two more days until I mount the torture machine again ;0)

High Miles

Well I've been training hard for the last few weeks and I'm starting to feel stronger. I've been doing lots of zone 2 endurance rides with some shorter but faster zone 3 rides, and the miles have been clocking up! I've found some new routes to ride which has been keeping things interesting and I've also found a new female training partner - the miles go so much faster when you can have a good natter! Although we're not the same pace we've manage to figure things out so that we both benefit from the ride: sometimes this means that I ride my MTB while she rides her road bike, this = zone 3 for me and zone 2 for her; other times we both ride road bikes which = zone 2 for me and zone 3 for her.

I've also had a computerised training partner for the last month or so: a power tap. Although I'm not using it to it's full potential at the moment (mainly because I'm still figuring out how to use the software etc.) it has meant that I have been able to base my rides on keeping in specific power zones rather than basing my training solely on heart rate zones. At first I found it incredibly frustrating and I didn't think that we would get on very well, mainly because it is so sensitive. However, this is actually one of the benefits of training with power over training with heart rate: you get instant readings rather than the delay you get with heart rate. In other words, heart rate takes longer to rise and fall meaning that you might think that you are working easier or harder than you actually are. I'm starting to get quite attached to it now, but the jury is still out on whether I consider it to be an essential training tool for me.

Tomorrow I'll be doing my first race of the season: the Brass Monkeys 4 hour enduro. This is very early in the season for me, but given the fact that the Cape Epic is looming I think it's time to blow off some cobwebs! It'll be a fun race, not least because Dave is doing it too. He's taking annual leave from his pit duties :0)

I'm looking forward to a week of warm weather training in Tenerife in a couple of weeks, where we'll be catching up with James Ouchterlony (British Marathon Champ 2007) which will be a lot of fun. I'll be able to put in some high miles and hopefully get used to temperatures higher than what we've been having in the UK for the last few months! This will be important because it could be pretty hot in South Africa. I also need to get a little bit of colour - I'm feeling a bit pale and translucent at the moment!

2010 Adventure Number 1: Cape Epic

Wahooooo! Yay! I've just booked my flights to Cape Town in March for the Cape Epic 8 day stage race, and I'm VERY excited :0) I'll be riding in a mixed team called Adidas Big Tree with Nico Pfitzenmaier. I now have 8 weeks to get super fit and strong. What more motivation could I ask for?! Bring it on :0)

Battling the elements: ice, rain, sleet, hail, fog and snow

Well the last few weeks have certainly made training interesting! We spent Christmas visiting my parents in the Peak District and we were looking forward to getting some long rides in around the great local trails. I love the Christmas holidays because I get to ride for hours with Dave and my Dad and then sit in front of the fire while watching TV and munching through a range of festive treats and drinks. As soon as we arrived we were itching to ride one of our favourite loops around the Goyt Valley and Macclesfield forest. We were greeted with -5 degrees, bright blue skies, and icy trials. Smooth pedaling and staying off the brakes ensured that I managed to stay upright, needless to say Dave didn't.

Errwood Reservoir

The next day we drew back the curtains to reveal snow, and lots of it. On went: two pairs of socks, winter boots, overshoes, winter tights, base layer, windstopper jacket, two pairs of gloves, and a buff; and out we went. It was absolutely hilarious :0) I've never ridden in the snow before; I highly recommend it. We were treated to some amazing views and deserted trails. The going was slow and we didn't cover much ground but it was excellent skills practice. We felt like children as we skied our bikes down the steep descents; we all took turns to go 'over the bars' but the landings were soft! We'd have got down much quicker if we weren't rolling around in the snow laughing at each other! We repeated the routine of breakfast, ride, and post ride recovery (food and feet up) for the next couple of days. But alas, the snow started to melt just before the temperature plummeted again. The result was black ice and completely unrideable trails - the only thing I'd be riding would be a stationary bike. We decided to retreat back home to the South of England in an attempt to escape the ice and the turbo trainer.

Brrrrrr

Riding back at home in the Purbecks was nice and although there was no snow we had thick fog to contend with....it was a case of holding your nerve and hoping not to hit a cow :0) Today however my mission to abstain from the turbo trainer was broken. Almost the whole of the UK has had at least a sprinkling of snow, so I doubt I was the only one pedaling on the trainer whilst looking out of the window watching the snow fall.

Winter training: love it :0)

I've been back in training for 4 weeks now. It was a real struggle the first couple of weeks; I just couldn't get into it. However, I'm now fully motivated and really enjoying it. I've had a hard week this week and my legs are sore - it's such a great feeling and I've missed it! Dave and Jon at RideBike have built my road bike and I LOVE it. Up until now all of my road riding has been on the mountain bike; road bikes never really appealed to me. After three days out on it I'm now totally hooked and I'm even thinking about racing it now!

In the winter I tend to prefer to train before rather than after work. It's not always easy to get out of bed when the alarm goes off, especially when it's dark and cold outside! However, I get a real buzz from early morning rides and seeing the sun rise over the harbour makes it all worth while. I also like the huge appetite that I have for the rest of the day - guilt free!


I've been making sure that I get off road at least a couple of times a week, so we've been searching out new riding spots. We've been riding the trails around Holmbury, Pitch Hill, and Leith Hill, which is just brilliant! With the help of Pete Flynn, our excellent guide, we've been able to hunt out lots of techy stuff that has allowed me to work on my weak points. There have been some scary moments that have had me exercising my vocal chords and Dave has been keeping us entertained with his 'over the bars' antics. We're off to check out the riding near Ruthin, North Wales, next weekend. Wahoo, I can't wait!

Off season: over already!

Well, I've just had 6 weeks out of structured training; riding as and when I've wanted. It's been GREAT :0) When coach Matt first suggested it I thought it'd be awful. It seemed odd to just willingly 'let go' of my fitness and put on weight. Why?! It didn't take long though until I got used to the idea and settled in to the routine of not doing much. I started running again which left me hobbling around for a couple of days. I also started to go out and play on the bike, something that I very rarely do. I've perfected track stands and started to progress with my wheelies ;0) I've also been chasing Dave Whild and Stu Bowers (Scott UK) around Wareham forest in an attempt to improve my singletrack bike handling skills; something I hope to prioritise this winter.

The off-season is now over and I have been back following a structured training plan this week. Early morning training sessions before work have been a bit of a shock to my system, and to Dave's ;0), but it's a great feeling getting to work knowing that my training is done for the day.

This year I've had trouble with a really tight hamstring, glute, and ITB in my left leg so my 'new season resolution' is to do loads of stretching and core work. I've been thinking about starting yoga or Pilates, neither of which I've ever done before. Any advice would be great….

British Cycling Interview

A few weeks ago Luke Webber from British Cycling came down to Poole to interview me. It was a great opportunity for some social riding and an all important tea and cake stop, which comprised of more than one pot of tea! As the photos clearly show, the weather couldn't have been better :0)

Here is the link