Real Talk
15 weeks until the Yorkshire Beast and my training progress is abysmal. I have remained the same weight and despite my fitness improving it isn’t at any level that I hoped it would be.
I could fill this with excuses but the last weeks have been dire on my part. Something needs to change but not much can in March as we’ll be in Kent for the funeral in two weeks and the time before is proving hard.
I think I just need to plod on for the next few weeks and then once back from Kent start again. Week commencing 28th March will be a fresh start. Get back on the diet, clocks will have gone forward so outdoor rides after work and make sure the distance is improved on the weekends. Get the gravel bike back out and get exploring.
I will take stock at the end of April to see if The Beast is a realistic target and if not get a refund and then enter the Lincoln 262 which is on the 18th June. It’s flat so I might have a better chance of getting round and still is an epic challenge as it is a 163 mile ride. I wanted to try and beat 150 miles this year so this seems like an ideal replacement as the weight is proving hard to get off!
We’ll see anyway. All hope is not lost.
Tuesday 8th March
The Zwift Racing League came to an end last week so now the Tour de Splitters takes it’s place.
I again woke up feeling dreadful, so much so I took a Civid test (negative). I hoped to improve as the day went on but sadly I did not.
I completed my warm up and felt ok but when the race started I was really blowing and feeling super hot. I made it with ‘my’ group to first KOM and then just went pop. I couldn’t go on any further.
Spent the rest of the night feeling hot and went to bed early. Somehow though I managed to get a new FTP so the power was there… sadly the mind and body was not.
Saturday 12th March
Started to feel better by Thursday but my brain knows that things aren’t starting again until after the funeral so motivation is low. Spent the rest of the week getting jobs done and relaxing (and eating too much chocolate – Easter is a bitch).
Woke up – bad stomach. Great. Still bad 10 mins before I had to go so popped some tablets down and rode up to the cafe to meet the lads. Di2 now working. Great. Back home to get gravel bike. Gravel bike doesn’t have my road wheels on. Great. Tried to keep up for 10 miles but my lack of fitness and the headwind caused me to call it a day. Great.
I left the lads and headed on back home but thought seen as though I was on the right bike for a couple of bridleways I would take advantage. Ended up with 23 miles banked and and early finish to keep the wife happy so not all is lost.
I could have bailed totally 3 times today but didn’t so that is the positive I will take. It was nice been out on the road and it would have been even better on the right bike!
I think I’ll give it a good bash next week and try and get on the right track. Hopefully the weather will be kind and I can get a head start for April.
Pub tonight and maybe some shopping tomorrow so looking forward to the rest of the weekend. Have a good one kids!
The Yorkshire Beast 