Cyclonic Cycling

Dearest Reader!

Thank you so much for putting up with my moany, whinging self from last week. I appreciate your patience. Yours truly has snapped out of 'it' and is back to normal.

Sincerely,

Last-week's-Jen


Right, so now that's outta my system. Hello! How are you on this fine Monday morning? Did you have a good weekend? Mine wasn't half bad. We had a lovely day out on Saturday for G's bday, heading out to Beachy Head to have a blistery walk along the (suicide-) cliffs and then wined and dined-out rather delectably (my treat, so the boy didn't go completely present-less!).

Apparently this is where people come to throw themselves off the cliffs. True story, there are lots of crosses. Sad but beautiful!

Sunday morning was bright and sunny for a change and although the training plan called for a 12-mile run, we were really itching to get out on the bikes for the first time this year (and for the first time down here). So we did. 

The first ten miles out, along the coast were spectacularly beautiful!

We weren't exactly fast as we'd either stop for some photo opps, people, traffic or because we'd have to hop off the bike path, onto the road and back at various points. 

Unlike Cambridge, there were quite a few up- and downhills, which was actually pretty good since we really felt like we were getting a workout instead of just having a lah-dee-dah cycle along the sea. Also, I kept thinking that my strength work was starting to pay off as I felt pretty strong going uphill.

When we hit 9.5 miles, we'd run out of seafront path and were riding along a much-less picturesque road so decided to turn round. Almost 20 miles was gonna have to be good enough. 

And then it hit us! Ay caramba!!! When will you learn, child, when will you learn???? THE FRIGGIN' WIND. OMG. ALL-CAPS-SHOCK!!! I kid you not, it was so, so, so, so windy, when we hit the downhill bits, I didn't even have to break, I was slowed down that much. No wonder the way out had felt 'easy' and 'strong'! Pah!!! The wind was whipping us from the left (coming off the sea) and I was working seriously hard just to keep my bike in a straight line (these puppies are light, so getting whipped about can happen fast). 

I'm not sure why I look like I'm about pee my pants here. I clearly remember thinking that I was looking dead-cool posing like this...

It was pretty scary at one point. And friggin' hard work. I mean huffing and puffing and almost falling off the bike sideways cause you can't get up the hill hard work! By the time we'd hit the half-way mark on the way back, we were shattered. We stopped for a quick Nakd bar and realized that finally we know what 'proper' cycling feels like. With the kind of resistance we were having, I bet our 19-mile bike ride counts for more like 25 or 50!!! 

When we hit the last, flat 3-mile-stretch home, I thought, thank goodness... but 'twas not to be. Do you know how you get that thigh-burn going uphill? Well, with the kind of winds we were having, we were getting that same burn just on the flat. And for once I'm not even exaggerating because G pointed it out to me first, and normally that man is a machine on the bike. 

'twas a stormy day...

But hey, we did it, it was stunning and my legs sure as heck are feeling rougher than they would after a 12-mile run, of that I'm sure. (And yes, I know, the run will still have to be run...will try to squeeze it in tomorrow, promise!)

Ya know what? I think I'm gonna like it down here. If conditions like that don't get you fit, nothing will! 

Do you ever swap your long runs for a bike ride? 

Cyclists, do they make winter-cycling gloves? I was wearing my running gloves to keep warm but they were way too slippery to get a proper grip on the brakes, which wasn't exactly ideal. 

What did you do over the weekend?