Putting the miles in

Well as usual i have been less than frequent in my blog updates and that is a little bit like how my cycling has been going just recently. Looking back at my last blog i was determined to be getting to a good level of fitness by the end of April and EEK it's now the beginning of April. I'm now in slight panic mode having had an enforced complete two week break from cycling, apart from cycling to work, due to getting ill YET again ( i think the bugs from keira's school, georgia's nursery and the hospital where i work have just all taken residence in my body) and now i have to restart in earnest. ( Tomorrow)
At least in my last blog i was still at the starting out stage and since then i have been going on and enjoying regular long cycles, and now have a fitted mileometer to show me exactly how far i am going which helps! I,ve had a few more cycles out towards the moors but have gone a bit further to tavistock and back, and next time it is nice i may try a loop from princetown to tavy and back. One of my first cycles was in the south hams going out to Newton ferrers and Noss mayo and back, which was a lovely scenic ride through country lanes but a bit hary on the section between kitley and Yealmpton with lorries flying past. Then turning right at Kitley i went up the longest steepest hill that had me panting in the lowest gear but determined not to get off i made it all the way to the top and was quite proud of myself. After all that i got as far as the ship inn but didnt actually stay for a drink and headed straight back. ( How stupid am i?)
Even more stupid than that, i headed out for a long ride three mondays ago( the ride that ultimately lead to my jelly legged decline) It was a beautiful day, so i got the cremyl ferry straight to cornwall, and immediately set off from Mount edgcume at 11am, and discovered that it was a long hilly climb until the next flat bit. Still, great training and it was beautiful scenery. I had a lovely cycle on towards penlee point and Rame peninsula, cawsand, and then all along the curve of whitsand bay, and then thought about getting something for lunch. ( I didnt take anything other than juice with me in my rush to get out, not even teeny weeny little snacks) I passed the sign for one pub i used to like years ago, but headed past it and then came across another with a nice beer garden. But rather than just stop there i thought i'd just head down the hill to Sheviock and see where exactly the whitsand bay hotel was, as i'd heard it was nice. So i went down had a quick look at the view then decided i would head back to the original pub i had spotted. Then i had a ridiculously steep hill past the Golf course to climb just to get to the main road, then headed back to the turnoff to the first pub i saw, headed back down another steep hill, was greeted by the owner who said they only did food at weekends, so then had to go back up this bloody ridiculous hill again. (It did defeat me in the end and i had to get off and walk) then cycled back to the pub with the beer garden and then on a complete whim( having now gone past this pub four times and probably confusing the hell out of the punters in the patio) i decided to take the turning that said " Seaton, 7 miles"
When i took the turning, i thought 7 miles isnt far, but of course it was 1 o'clock, i had been cycling for two hours and i then discovered it was 7 or 8 miles of hilly country roads with no end in sight.
Every time i came around a corner i thought i would see the long track i remember leading down to the sea, but it was just more country roads. My stomach was rumbling, i was really thirsty too having downed all my juice, and it suddenly occurred to me when i was equdistant between sheviock and seaton that should i have a puncture i would not know what to do. ( even if i did have a puncture repair Kit on me)
Anyway, having previously been dreaming of a lovely lunch at seaton admiring the scenery i ended up having a cheese and onion pasty ( cold but home made from the local shop) on the beach in downderry, as i didnt want to chance the final led to seaton once i had found civilisation only to discover that food was a further 5 miles away. And yes i did waver between the healthy sandwich and drink and the pasty and thought sod it i've earnt the pasty. So i had a half hour pit stop then set off again at 2:15 determined to make it back to pick keira from school, but it was another hour then of more hills back to the torpoint Ferry. Still, i arrived home having cycled 40 miles, far more than the 25 -30 i had been doing up until then. But as i say was pooped the next day and just as i was recovering picked up another bug. My first venture out since then was on sunday, when i was still feeling quite hot and fluey but it was a lovely day, and i managed to fit in 23 miles somehow going to wembury and then to Bovisand and back. Lots of lovely hills there too. But i feel fine now and am looking forward to a big ride tomorrow. ( should be up to 75 miles now, so it is going to be a long day tomorrow ...)
As well as being lazy on the cycling i have got really lazy on the fundraising front too, so will need to kick start that again this month to get the final amount. Still haven't managed to get any sporty shots either as my camera is completely not functioning any more and the computer's not much better either. My dad did take a couple of shots of me in the back garden with the bike, but they are not really very sporty looking and i'm not sure it will motivate people to sponsor me any more than the halloween pic keira took of me looking like i have a rolled up cat under my coat(The only picture i could find of me amongst hundreds of my kids)
As for the bike, i've had all sorts of teething problems that i am still trying to sort out. After discovering that my arms were shaking more than my legs after my 40 miler i sought advice from my fellow london to paris cyclists and was advised to (amongst other things) try raising the seat and taking it back a bit, and potentially raising the stem etc. I decided to have a bike alteration/maintenence afternoon in the garden one day and as well as adjusting things i also did all the necessary lubrication of the gears etc, and then discovered when checking that the wheels were running freely that the back wheel did one revolution and then promptly stopped due to the brake adhering( That would account for the constant feeling of resistance even when cycling on the flat then.... i did 40 miles like that, no wonder i was kanckered) So i had a tinker with the brakes as well... which resulted in me rendering my bike useless for the rest of the week. I,ve kind of sorted it now but the brakes were a bit squealy returning from work today. Still i finally have my delayed 6 week bike service next week)
And as for the fit Physique. Well that kind of got ruined a bit by Mother's day chocolates from keira, chocolates to cheer me up from james, and a recent pre easter chocolate digestives and chocolate fingers dipped in tea habit that seems to happen every year. Oh dear, must burn it all off tomorrow.
Yours, photoless and shapeless
Kimbo

Training has started ( sort of)

Well, i'm at least half a month later than planned doing this blog and have had to drag myself off the sofa to do it, after a 2 hr bike ride this afternoon. Not long i know, but i did cycle from here to the skylark at clearbrook on the moors then back through the plym cycle trail to Plympton and then back up from marsh mills so its not a bad time for only my second big bike ride.I know the ride from clearbrook to saltram is 13 miles so add on 40 mins actually getting to the starting point first and i must have done about 20-25 miles, which i know is really poor but at least it felt quite easy. wierd how i feel so tired now though 4 hrs later.
Yes i'm officially on week 7 of the 20 week training programme and i have officially done all of 5 bike rides. But this is owing to the fact that i had squealing brakes and was scared to go out on the damn thing when it was raining and then i finally returned to work and did two induction days during which i was ill AGAIN, with some sickness bug, keep getting ill since christmas. Then the day before i started work i had a gum infection and had to get antibiotics from the dentist, then i had to revise for a job interview on tues for a permanent job on tuesday which i failed miserably at and then i've been busy looking after the kids all this week with the other half being slightly incapacitated at the moment. So it was getting to the stage where i could barely keep my eyes open let alone remember my name or what i had been doing for the last five years ( how dare they ask such technical questions at interviews) or do anything remotely resembling exercise.
But hey, now spring is here, so today was the day to kick start the cycling and hopefully i will be on a roll now with 3 bike rides a week. And i'm even starting to like my bike( a liitle bit.) I did take it back to where i bought it and thank god i got a different bloke who actually listened to me, took it away and fixed it and told me yes the brakes were all over the place and also the gears weren't aligned or something. So it feels a lot better now. He was really good at explaining all the technical stuff to me so i plucked up courage to ask him what the little black thing was sticking up from the handlebar, and he pinged it and said " it's the bell" Anyway,whether it was the bike or the black lycra leggings i don't know but i fair flew past all the other cyclists on the plym trail today ( they were at least 65, i know) But the other week when i went up and around bickleigh and shaugh prior before heading back on the trail, i paused at the stile for a drink and two seasoned cyclists clad head to toe in racing gear flew past me and continued to make mincemeat of the 2:1 gradient signposted tavistock 10 miles that i had decided i was not going to even contemplate at this stage. And they looked at least 80. Which made me think- you're never to old to start, and if i start at 40 maybe i will finally be fit at 80. Although james told me today when he made some comment about how Keira is growing up too fast with the whole rock star dancing and sticking her bum out that she has started doing at the moment and said i bet your mum is looking forward to the teenage years, or something along those lines she apparently replied" won't she be dead by then?" Thanks. Even the two year old prods my face and suggests " magic cream?" and then prods my stomach and laughs when she says " bouncy belly"
At any rate by some miracle, or maybe not as the timing is akin to the sudden flash of inspiration i would get the day before my essays had to be in at Uni( the ones' that you got six weeks to prepare for), i have in one weekend seen my offline fundraising total boosted by a massive £300 so with any luck when i pay it all in tomorrow i will be around the £900 mark and not the nearly£600 mark which it has been for some time. The girls night on friday went really well and all the mums were such good fun and my friend kate had a steady stream of people getting their nails done. Despite at least 7 that couldn't make it 13 turned up with a tenner each, and yes i am ignoring what i spent on wine and booze for the evening. It was worth it and i got £130 for my pot. Then my mum did a great job down the church and with other sponsorship from friends and family and a generous £100 from james brother's company i'm finally getting there, and can hopefully take a breather for a bit. I haven't sold anything on gum tree yet, evidently no companies have any money to give me, which i was expecting, but i have got another car boot lined up for next sun and will be reeling in all those last minuters, as well as possibly annoying people at work for more pennies.
So that's all really, now the real training can start. I ve actually got a meet-up in london with lots of my fellow cyclists at the end of April and i will be mortified if i turn up looking like lard and they are all looking like the front cover of top sante. So i will definately be putting the hours in now.
Thank you for everyone who continues to have faith in me when i've had enough
I will hopefully get my camera fixed in time to post some sporty shots later in the month!
Laters, kim x

Kimbo's got a brand new bike!

Well, i'm again a bit later than i planned to be with the blog, but of course i have been busy fund-raising, and i have actually started training- just gently of course but there have been hills involved.
Prior to christmas i was actually going on 3 x weekly 20 min runs ( not marathons i know) but it kept me ticking along. I have officially done no exercise since Dec 19th or whenever the james concert was, and even the adult suck it all in, all in ones aren't doing the trick anymore and there is only so much hiding under layers of thermals you can get away with,(except today when it actually properly snowed for a good half an hour) so the time finally came for me to do some exercise. So about a week ago i think, i went for my usual run and arrived back wheezing, with my heart racing, and then could barely walk for two days, so i decided that i should just get on the Bike and practice hills,(there are plenty of them in Plymouth) but lo my bike(the blue one that i ordered) was not ready, so i grabbed James' bike and had a lovely cycle to saltram instead.
As i raced along i thought this is great, i have so done the right thing, i love cycling, i am so happy.
And then i picked up my bike( the blue one that i ordered) I turned up in my sporty top and jogging bottoms tucked into my thermals underneath, and cheerfully asked the till assistant/bike guru if he would remove all the remaining packaging as i was planning to cycle it home. How pleased he was. And how truly taken in by my sporting prowess. I declined his enthusiastic offer of carrying it down the stairs for me, despite James telling me to make sure he did, and carted it down myself, so keen was i to get going, unfortunately nearly knocking over the fire extinguisher on the way down.
Then when i got outside i realised i had a sixteen inch bike with a seat down as low as it could go and no tools to raise it with.( i was imagining a straight forward lever like i have had on all bikes in the past) but this had a secret place to raise it with and i didn't know that secret place, and i also didn't have the top secret tool.( so secret they don't even hand it out when you buy the bike)
So i did have a glance at the instructions, and i did hesitate for a moment and think about trapsing back in and asking the really technical question: how do you raise the seat? but then i thought no, i'll manage.
And so i cycled like a circus clown with my knees going up higher than my hips on each rotation of the pedals, from the embankment to Old laira Road, up Alexander Road to Mutley. I've done that journey lots of times. I felt sure i whizzed up the hill on James's bike despite it being much heavier and 6 ft man sized, but this was hard work.
Still undeterred, i got it home and read through the instructions, and after searching the cupboard under the stairs i found a little tiny tool which successfully raised my seat. I also found about four bike locks all without Keys. I have attempted to understand my shiny new bike but i am still struggling. There are lots of things on it that i can see that aren't on the bike diagram and i don't know what they are which is a little disturbing( should they be on, off, tightened, adjusted etc) and there seem to be a few elementary problems which even as a non bike guru i think aren't quite right for a new bike and i have been back onto google and Ask.com with the following questions:

• Should new gears( particularly V type tectro brakes) squeal loudly?
• Should the front brake( the one that is squeaking) be much looser than the back brake?
• And what exactly is a speed lock and should it be open or locked?

If anyone knows these answers i will be delighted to find out. And yes i will be phoning up the bike shop before the planned six week inspection but i have had a lot on my plate recently and haven't quite got around to it.

Despite that, i have had two further bike rides since then ( just 30/40 minute pootles and i have practiced going up and down some hills in Plymouth such as Mannamead road, Efford lane( a killer) and somewhere in compton. As i went down Efford lane at a snails pace, with my brakes screeching i was reminded of a former work colleague, a young physio at the time who amused us all by announcing that she preferred cycling up hills than down them, In fact she was so scared of picking up too much speed that she used to get off at the top of the hill and walk down. We thought this was highly amusing at the time, but halfway down the hill as i had visions of brakes failing, wheels falling off and my teeth being knocked out, i decided to get off and walk to the bottom. Which reminds me i have a dental appointment on Thursday.

The other problem i am wrestling with is getting used to the grip shift gears which i think will be ok in the end, and i could grow to like them, but i can't get used to the diferent wrist actions to go up and down, so i frequently mis-change gears at the bottom of a hill and find i am stuck and motionless in a high gear. For some reason i have to extend my left wrist, so finger tips go to the sky to move the gears down from level 3 to 1 , but flex my right wrist forwards to move up a gear from 1-8. Or something like that. Whatever, the end result is that i have nearly gone into the kerb three times due to looking down and concentrating on what my hands are doing instead of watching the road ahead. That also reminds me of one time when i cycled to Whitsands in cornwall and managed to do my nosey neighbour bit, staring at some lads in a car opposite, only to find when i returned my gaze to the road ahead that i had hit the Kerb and was sailing through the air luckily to land on a nice piece of grass with the sound of laughter behind me.

Well that's enough about bikes. what else has been happening. Well as you can see from my just giving page i have had lots of lovely people donating their hard earned cash. I've had friends from my training days,( lindsay) friends with Kids, ( Lindy sam and Nico) a pilot, captain Cheese who happened to be sitting next to me and was a passenger on the Exeter to manchester flight before christmas, and friends from Australia ( lucy and family, and even her brother who i have never met but i think keira and i swam in their pool last year) I am amazed at everyone's generosity and it is quite addictive checking the website every day to see if there have been any changes. Overnight today i had £75 donated from Australia, taking the total to £545 and then tonight it had leapt to a whopping £ 645, and i nearly fell off my chair before i realised that my parents had donated online instead of giving me a cheque. Unfortunately they gave me a cheque for the charity at Christmas but i hadn't banked it as it was made payable to me and not the trust, but i had counted that as part of the offline total raised. So now i have had to edit the offline raised amount and reduce it by £100 which looks a bit dodgy.. I can see me being hauled before the fraud office soon.

As well as the online fundraising i have been finishing a letter and flyers for a girls night in, with wine, nail treatments and nibbles at the end of Feb which i will be inviting the mums at the school to and charging an entry fee. I held a car boot sale last week which my parents and keira helped me with and raised the princely sum of £10, so i am now in the process of advertising my bigger things for sale, like high chair, bouncy chair pram and car seat on Plymouth Gum tree which is like a local e-bay and i am also seeking permission from the powers that be at Argyle football ground tomorrow to shake my charity tin about outside the match this saturday. One of Keira's friends' mum runs a cafe and has also allowed me to leave a charity tin there and i am waiting to hear back from businesses in Plymouth that i sent letters to, particularly Morrisons where i pointed out i spend a "significant monthly amount" I don't think i'll ever get a job in PR.

Well apart from all that i have been busy securing references from Ireland to allow me to start my new locum physio post at Mount Gould that i was accepted for before i went on holiday, and also applying online for the New permanent post that has come up since i have been waiting to start and which i would really really like, but it will be hard work, and i am running out of time.

My back room looks like a jumble sale after taking back most of the stock i originally packed into the car boot on saturday, and i keep finding christmas decorations up that should have been packed away ages ago.

And today, after school i got told off by keira for sending her to School with no shoes. ( i put wellies on her cos it was snowing and then forgot to send her shoes in with her as well)

Oh well, i'm getting old.

Well that's all for now i think. Thanks to everyone who has donated and i know there are others whi have said they will donate but are holding off for the moment so thank you too.

Take care

Kim x

New years eve photos

Thought i'd add a few pics of new year.

Happy Birthday to me!!

January 2009

Training update.

Well, i originally intended to have this blog set up alongside my www.justgiving/kimalgie website ages ago. Just like i intended to have completed a months training by now, and suddenly i am a week away from February ( when did christmas finish?) and i still haven't even got a bike, let alone got on one.
I feel slightly better after reading the training guide on the charity web site that suggests that absolute beginner cyclists have at least 4 months training prior to the ride, so if i get started within the week hopefully i will be ok. At least when i was working i cycled 5 miles to work and then back each day(for five years) and i have been known to cycle to whitsands in cornwall and back within the day for the hell of it ( in the summer of course) and also did Roscoff to llanion once ( again just for the hell of it and with my panniers stuffed full of cheap french wine) so that must have been a long way. ( I must get a cycle computer so i can see how far i'm going) Still, all that was when i was 30 and now i am 40. But i had a fair few training runs at that too, which must help in my fitness quest in some way, if only to set the absolute baseline that i cannot possibly sink beneath.

Being 40 training runs to date:

• James concert in manchester( dec 19th) ( lots of jumping up and down for cardiovascular fitness, and i seem to remember very sore calves the next day so they got a good workout.)
• Impromptu champagne limo into town arranged by bruv keith and sister-in law Jules the next day, followed by whiskey night caps with Bruv who was discovered asleep on the sofa at 4 am by Jules.
• Surprise 40th Birthday party on New years eve arranged by other half James ( not the band obviously) and best mate kate. 4 am finish so not feeling too fit the next day.
• My 40th birthday!!! (jan 2nd) After feeling so ill all day on New years day, i did actually go for a little cycle to Plymbridge woods via the cycle trail to meet up with the kids who were doing their usual, skimming pebbles in the water, and then cycled part way back with Keira on the bike seat behind. So felt quite virtuous for an hour or two, then ruined it by going out for a big dinner, and then more drinking and dancing until 4 am with Kate, trying to pretend i am still 20 and not twice that age now.
• Then a weeks skiing in colorado, ( my birthday present) where i spent the first day, screaming halfway down the mountain in a blizzard after taking the inappropriate turning from the chair lift, and then having to be rescued by a skidoo. The next day i went to ski school and felt much better, but to be honest i pretty much pootled down the green runs all week basking in the sunshine, determined not to break my leg and/or wrist, so not much energy expenditure there.
• Then a final 40th celebration in Colorado for willies birthday ( james brother) and again for me and in advance of lizzies 40th. Add on a few too many brandy night caps over the week and then two days in New York on the way back, stuffing myself with Huge portions of cheese cake etc, and you can see why when i eventually did walk into a bike shop in Plymouth i didn't have people falling over themselves to assist the non head-toe lycra shod lithe of limb kimbo who enquired after " hybrid bikes for a long bike ride"

Bike update

Well i still haven't got a bike but i do have one on order and should be picking it up on wednesday. I have agonised over this decision for ages as i like the rapid fire gears and this bike has some grip twist shifters which i have never used. Also not quite as light as i was lead to believe a hybrid would be. This actually sounds like i know what i am talking about- i don't. I have gleaned such terms from googling the different types of bikes and looking up bike forums to check that what i am getting is ok. To be honest i am still not sure i have made the right decision. I am very tempted to cancel the order and go for the slightly more expensive one in the local bike shop ( which has the rapid fire gears etc) but after explaining everything very nicely and assuring me i would be well taken care of there,and have free bike servicing etc, i decided to stick with the original bike, partly because it had a suspension seat post and a really comfy looking saddle( bum ache will be one of my main concerns), but mostly because i preferred the nice cobalt blue colour of the one i had already ordered. I know that won't get me up hills, but i am very swayed by colour.I don't even like blue particularly- i prefer purple and if there was a purple bike i would have bought it but i didn't see one anywhere. So i consoled myself by buying a purple helmet.

Fundraising update

Well i am amazed that with any luck i will have made the £500 mark by february with very little effort on my part so i feel i need to step up the effort with some fund-raisng ideas of my own during February. So far i have had two very generous donations on my just giving web site, (thanks Rob and sally) and thanks to my wonderful proactive sister-in law Jules who rounded up the manchester posse, and contributed £185 and a further £100 from my parents i've had a great early boost to my fund-raising. But now i will be pulling out all the stops in February, so anyone who knows me will most likely be contacted by me, and others besides. So if you are reading this please pass the message on,the more the merrier. I have some other plans up my sleeve and will update you as they come along.

Well that's all for now. hopefully i will manage another update before the end of january. If you have been contacted by me and mean to give but haven't got around to it, please consider giving early in feb after pay day,as i need to raise at least £1000 by the end of the month and then another £250 minimum after that. Hope to update you with some cycle training progress by then too.

Take care,

Kimbo x