1 week today, 1000 miles and almost 1000 blog visits :-)

OoooooOOOOOooooooooh! There's just one week left to go, folks!

Check out what I did with my blog content in Wordle:

Fun, huh?

If you fancy doing the same to any of your writings, you can do it at http://www.wordle.net/ and you can choose your preferred layout, colours, etc.

The charity I'm riding for, Mind, the mental health charity, has been really supportive via their emails and facebook page, as have all the other riders taking on this challenge. I've decided I have to complete the course because then I can legitimately go to the reception afterwards and get myself a massage :-) It will be lovely to meet some of the Mind supporters in the flesh too, having shared our training stories online!

When logging the miles in my training log today I realised I've ridden over 1,000 miles since I started this blog. I could be in the South of Spain by now! Not bad for a complete couch potato :-)

So, today was effectively my last major training ride before the big day!!!
I did 42 miles and worked on my speed - I'm currently averaging 14.5mph out on the road - a long way from the 8.24mph I started out at on 5th May!
I hit a 22mph split for mile 9 (don't tell anyone though - there is a 20mph speed limit in the park!). Yes, it was a downhill, I'm hoping there will be more of those than there will be uphills on the course next Sunday...

The trouble with speed practice in Richmond Park on a weekend is the many and varied human obstacles - if I could've won nectar points for people I might have mown down I reckon I would've accumulated enough for a year's supply of shopping today! You'll be glad to hear that I didn't hit a single toddler, pedestrian, cyclist, or any other road user though, and nobody hit me. I've done practically all of my training so far solo and my biggest fear about the day itself is that I will cause an almighty pile up at the start and ruin the day for thousands of people. My flatmate, Emma, has very kindly offered to practice riding together so I can get used to riding in tandem and overtaking safely. This has got to be of some help when I've got the prospect of riding in a group of 20,000.

Some sad news - Twitchy, my bike, lost a toe clip today :-( I have absolutely no idea at what point it went walkabout, but apparently my left foot will have to cope without until I can get a replacement. Trouble is, if I go into a bike shop I just know a toe clip is not the only thing I'll be leaving with. I'll want new cycling shorts (with extra padding), water bottle, gloves and helmet too, to go with my new Mind cycle jersey!

I told my Dad this week that this blog has had over 800 visits since RideLondon mentioned it across their social networks (currently at 922 so I'm aiming for the 1,000 now!). He subtly told me he wanted a credit - "remember who taught you to ride a bike?!" So, thanks Dad, your efforts all those years ago are about to pay off in a very big way :-)
Both of my parents are coming along to support me on the day, and my sister and her family as well as quite a few friends have said they'll be cheering from the side-lines. I can't wait to see everyone along the route. Tip - if you want to make sure I don't flash by in the blink of an eye, position yourself at the top of a hill ;-)

Well, my lovely readers, it's that time of the blog when I beg for your cash again. C'mon, who hasn't gotten around to it yet (you know I won't stop nagging!). Click here to donate a couple of quid, and I'll love you forever ;-) http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CathyHyland

Cheers, peeps,
C x

Double down on one little duck - less than 2 weeks to go!

It's arrived! This is what I will be proudly wearing on 4th August for the RideLondon-Surrey 100 event. I don't know if it'll make me any easier to spot amongst the thousands of cyclists but I've got some iron-on lettering to spell "CATH" across my shoulders so if you're coming to support - feel free to shout at my back! In fact, just shout "CATH" at every Mind cycling top wearing entrant and you'll be sure to get me at some point (there are 130 of us!). If you're thinking about coming to watch, you can download a fab spectator's guide here: http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/Assets/London+Marathon+Digital+Assets/Prudential+RideLondon/London+Marathon+Digital+Assets/Downloadable/Prudential-RideLondon-Surrey-100-Spectators-Guide.pdf
Also, let me know if you want me to put you in touch with friends and family that will be there on the day.

This week I'm super chuffed that RideLondon posted about this very blog on their Google+, facebook and twitter sites! https://www.facebook.com/#!/RideLondon?hc_location=stream! It's now had over 800 views and I've also received lots of encouragement from the (far more accomplished) Mind Charity cyclists page on facebook too.

Since my last post I have exceeded my initial fundraising target of £600, so I'd like to say another big THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to donate and support me with this :-)
It's not over yet, though! Having taken advice, I have upped the target to a whopping £1,200!!!
Yes - that's DOUBLE what I initially wanted to raise, so come on people, if you've been meaning to do it but haven't quite gotten around to it yet - stop reading right now, grab a credit/debit card and go here immediately: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CathyHyland
Remember, I have been out in some crazy hot weather (and picked up a few saddle sores) training for this ;-)

Last weekend my long ride (72.5 miles) went quite smoothly, despite the heat. It didn't go smoothly for everyone, though - I did stop at one point to check a fellow cyclist was OK after I saw him stumbling around on the side of the road. He was holding his head and I was worried that he'd been hit, or had hit his head on the ground, but when I reached him he was in the process of plucking a bee sting out of his scalp! Apparently the bee had flown into one of the vents in his cycle helmet and got stuck - poor guy had a shaved head so no hair to protect him. Another cyclist stopped and offered him antihistamines (something I'll add to my kit from now on!) and you'll be glad to hear he was fine :-)

What with all of the calories I've been burning, I love that I can have guilt free ice cream in this weather. In fact, I'm feeling pretty good - like I might actually be able to do this, after all :-)

Now, where to find the best remedy for chafed buttocks...

Cathy x
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CathyHyland

3 weeks yesterday

Hello, long time, no see!

5 weeks to be exact - I've had a lot going on during that time, but fear not - I'm still in training and dare I say a lot more confident about achieving success than I was!

Not in small part due to this:

Meet "Twitchy", my new steed.

He's a bundle of fun and a whole lot lighter and faster than his predecessor (anybody want to buy a 1 year old, fully functional hybrid bike, one not so careful owner???)
The only complaint I have is about the saddle - it feels more like I'm sitting on a razor blade than a racer. Still, gel padding will be employed on the day.

So, what have I been doing for the last 5 weeks? Well, finishing up one job and starting another, mostly. What with birthdays, weddings, visitors, house moves and leaving dos, I haven't had a lot of free time to update the blog!

I might as well bring you right up to date with yesterday's ride. I managed at least 67 miles, but my GPS app mysteriously can't account for a gap of about 3 miles, so I reckon it was more like 70 really.

Had to slow down several times to allow these guys across the road:

...and then there was the time I just had to stop so I could take this pic (I missed the bit where they were splashing around with joy) of deer cooling off in the pond.

I wish I could have joined them. Yesterday was by far the hottest day of training I've experienced so far. I lost count of the number of times I refilled my water bottle, but it made my end of circuits ice cream all the more appreciated!

This was my view after about 40 miles - stretched out under a lovely shady tree:

I can't write an entry on this blog without making reference to the fauna, as well as the flora, but, apart from the deer, there wasn't much willing to show itself to the summer sun. Except, that is, butterflies and dragonflies :-) They were everywhere and were clearly attracted to either me or the bike because we came into contact repeatedly. All that space they've got to flutter about in and they kept fluttering into me! Sorry, I don't have any pretty pics to add of those :-(

So, looking forward to the big day (Sunday 4th August) I've now received my registration number and start time!

There are going to be several waves of starters between 6am and 8am and somehow I seem to have been put up the front with the fast riders :-S
Oh well, I'm hoping that means I'll have longer to complete the course. If not, I'd better get practising my lassoo technique  so I can get someone else to pull me along...

Saving the best til last, another BIG Thank You to everyone supporting me with my training and fundraising for Mind. I am now less than £7 away from hitting my £600 target!!! I am blown away by everyone's generosity and am hopeful to be able to say the target had been reached very soon! Hint, hint, who wants to be the one to get me there?!

Http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CathyHyland

Thanks again,

C x