https://www.justgiving.com/JourneytoCapeTown
In all honesty I have had a very slow start to training, being slightly wary of my neck. being unable to run for roughly a month after my neck brace was removed, which took me to Christmas. Through this time I was using my fairly equipped road bike, clocking up the miles around my area, cycling through some lovely countryside. It sounds strange but this increased amount of cycling has really changed my perspective on bikes in general. Personally I feel it is one of the best ways to travel, and with the speeds available on a road bike, not too slow either, you get to take in your surroundings and cover the miles fairly effectively.
Here's a couple videos from my travels, tried to fit them all together with Windows Moviemaker, and failed miserably, so sorry for the lack of music and editing!
27th November 2011
This was my first outing, I covered 10 miles, which sounds like a small amount, but for a person who has been forced to take it as easy as possible for the previous months, it was fairly tough going! I have a plan to gently build up my stamina on the bike for a month, simply doing cardio work. When completing a journey of any length, the essential equipment includes a puncture repair kit and a set of allen keys.
5th December 2011
Here, I increased the length to approximately 15 miles. After having the brace off for a couple of weeks prior to this date, my neck felt a lot smoother, and more agile, making the trip much easier. Improvements I made on this journey, were to increase the amount of food supplies I took with me, just that little increase in sugar, enabled me to complete the home stretch a lot easier. I took along a Trail mix, which is used by people completing longer or tougher journeys. Basically its a mixed nuts and dried fruit combo, replenishing sugar carbs, and and the oils and salts lost from sweating.
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8th January 2012
A really positive day. in regards to training. After Clearing out my mates garage, the previous day (which was hard enough!), we set up a little gym, i.e. a Treadmill, a Heavy set punch bag and some free weights. After sorting a gym playlist, we set the tunes going, and figured a routine. Fairly simple to start with, just 5 minutes hard running on the treadmill while the other works the free weights or punch bag, then simply swap over.
I must admit it looks soft, but remember I was being careful of the neck!
This turned out to be such a good routine, it lasted pretty much all afternoon, so we are looking at a good 3 hours hard training. The routine developed slightly towards the end, as we had not really concentrated on the free weights, we decided to use these as a 'break' from the heavy work on the treadmill or punch bag. So, while one person took on the treadmill, or punch bag, as a 'rest' and to aid with muscle endurance and stamina, the other, simply did sets with the free weights.
8th January 2012
To evaluate the training sesh, its always good to push for the burn, The muscles were hurting a massive 3 days after. Also the neck was aching for a couple of days, which means I probably pushed those muscles just a little too hard. It's quite a strange feeling really, as when I usually train, well previous to the accident, i always pushed hard. There is such a want to do that, as that's when you see results, but a niggle in my head saying take it easy, you have a broken neck.
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Beginning on the 30th Jan, I start a 10 week fitness session at my local gym, here I will be able to tell a trainer my goals, which should help me no end, and put me firmly on the right track to achieving them.
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Here, is my first real test...
'Adventure is only a state of mind.
Adventure is stretching yourself; mentally, physically or culturally. It is about doing what you do not normally do, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability.'
Adventure is stretching yourself; mentally, physically or culturally. It is about doing what you do not normally do, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability.'
(Alastair Humphreys)
With that statement in mind, me and a good mate of mine, have today (23/01/2012), planned a Micro-adventure, to explore 'our doorstep', to push ourselves physically, and to something with our weekend, that wouldn't normally get done. A cycle route covering North Yorkshire and The Moors, over a couple of days, and camping near lakes and rivers.
Mirco-adventure is word I hadn't come across before a couple of months ago, but its a word that has made it to my everyday vocabulary, thanks to the amazing explorer, Alastair Humphreys. I'm sure Alastair hasn't copyrighted, or coined the word for himself, it just is a great name, for a small trip, into the wild.
To explore, to have an adventure, doesn't mean you need thousands of pounds, or even alot of time. It doesn't mean it has to stop when you hit those lazy teenage years, and for fear of preaching, l'll stop there. Do something unknown, even 'going the long way home' is adventurous.
If you need any more insight, inspiration or ideas.
or if you have any ideas of your own, about where our sense of adventure has gone, or micro adventure ideas, leave me a comment!
Having been given the inspiration we needed, a route needs to be planned! The distance between our homes, one living in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, and the other (me), residing in Leven, East Yorkshire, is just less than 73 miles.
So that's the direct route, Northallerton being Pin A, and Leven being Pin B. Having two different starting points means meeting somewhere in the middle. York is fairly central on that route, but would be cycling on main roads, not getting to see much at all, of that which we set out to see, our natural world. Another more northerlly half way point is Malton, showing a better route for both of us, covering B roads and cycle paths.
Malton (Pin B), would give each of us 35 miles (ish) to cycle, which is a decent distance to cover for the first day, not too little, not too much. Once hitting the half way point, it would be a case of picking up supplies then heading north, towards the moors and Dalby Forest. Onwards.. to Adventure!!
This would be our route through the moors, splitting this circle in half ,spreading the cycling over two days. Along the circular route, we will need to find suitable areas to camp, set a fire and hopefully grab a wash. so cycling must be done in daylight hours, with a few to spare to set camp, grab fire wood and check the bikes.
BUT before adventure, comes preparation. So today I have checked that all my cycling and sleeping gear, fits in the trusty rucksack. The answer being yes, we are well on the way to being prepped and ready, Now to get out on the bike to test run speed and milage.
This was the basic list we came up with, included what I would be wearing on the bike and in the sack. As my friend had the tourer, being a seasoned cyclist and the intrepid explorer with me on the agile road bike, his turn to carry the tent!
- cycling trousers
- wind-proof top
- scarf
- helmet
- gloves
- multiple socks
- woolly hat
- food/root vegetables
- trail mix
- snack bars
- bread
- matches/lighter/ kindling
- sharp knife
- fork and plate
- map
- sleeping bag
- roll mat
- waterproofs
- blanket
- torch
- spare clothes
- towel
- bike lock
- puncture repair kit
- set of Allen keys
- first aid kit
- pump
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So its the 26th January, the day before I embark on the 130 mile trip round the moors. Bike has been checked and rechecked, tires pumped and bike oiled. The list has been rechecked aswell, and everything seems to be in shape, ready for departure.
I aim to be setting off at around 10am, meeting anon. at roughly 1 o'clock in malton, covering 32miles in roughly 3 hours. this seems an easy feat. to most but as on a flat surface, with little headwind you can be riding at speeds of 15mph. However, with my fitness being not 100 percent, expected tough headwinds, and uneven B roads, it seems quite a good estimate.
I have trained hard this week, preparing myself for consecutive days of cycling, on the 24th, I covered just under 20 miles. On the 25th I then increased the distance to 28.7miles, followed by a 1.5mile run in the evening. Very much looking forward to this little microadventure! Certainly hope this is a taster of things to come.
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The Moors Micro-Adventure
The Moors Micro-adventure was a complete and utter success, one of the toughest and most rewarding things I'v done in a long time. We didn't cover the intended route due to time restrictions, but the total mile coverage was roughly 100 miles, give or take, equating to just over 30 miles a day.
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| Final Route, up to the Hole of Horcum, and back. |
One thing I underestimated was the weight on my back. I underestimated how much harder my muscles would have to work and the time it would add on to the journey. However, give me this before panniers (bike bags) any day. I tested my friends bike out, and it was so different to my road bike, heavy and cumbersome, but for touring it was perfect.
The journey to Malton, I admit, was a lonely one, and took a while to get into a rhythm. But once you hit that, your mind wanders beautifully, you tend to forget about the uphill struggle or the miles left to cover, and more on singing along to your iPod, or aimless daydreaming. On a bike is one of the best ways to SEE the route your travelling, and the beautiful rolling hills that pass beside you...
The weather stayed generally nice, pretty cold, but nice nonetheless. A few showers dulled the spirits slightly, but again once you get into your rhythm, it does really bother you. It thankfully stayed wind-less, which was a nice change for England, and a nice surprise for a cyclist. I split up the first part of the journey into 10 mile chunks, taking a decent break between check points. I took this time to take on plenty of water, remove or add layers, and take in some energy, in the form of chocolate and nuts, which I found to be a great source of instant kilojoules. When needing instant energy, I learned, if you look at the RDA information, or the amount of energy, concentrate on kilojoules (KJ) rather than kilo-calories (kc), joules is the energy is the food energy available.
Another great thing about cycling is that your journey is a mystery to you, yes you may know the road names, and villages to pass, but the physical journey, is a mystery, and stays that way the whole time you cycle. What I mean is, you cannot see round a corner, or over a hill. And these become great mini check points for your mind, especially in the last half of the Friday. 'If I can just make it to that next corner' was a popular thought for the day.
A learning curve for me, was the amount of food I shoved down myself in such a short space of time, when looking back, it seems very obvious, but you almost constantly eat. So at Malton, a time when I have never been happier to see my mates face, was a time to have a break, and take on board supplies.
We decided to break just after Pickering on the first night, not wanting to burn ourselves out within the first day. so with a couple of hours of sunlight left, we headed into a wooded area, and looked for a suitable area to camp. Pasta, Tinned hamburgers and tomato puree, a hearty poor man's 'spag bol' was on the specials board for the evening and quite honestly, I would have eaten anything that night. With light ebbing away, it was time to settle in, for a night of cold, Backgammon, and The Ricky Gervais Show.
After the effort from each of us on the first day (Friday) a little lie-in was in order, being up and away by half 10, on the route north from Pickering. It was a pretty nice feeling to see the heather of the moors, after finding the morning pretty tough, and I have to say, I'm not sure why, probably my legs not being used to the constant usage. We took an early lunch at some pub benches, finding the locals to be very interested in what we were accomplishing, I don't think the English public get enough credit, all were very nice! Us Countryside folk are sweet, its you city folk are the stressed ones! A mountainous sandwich of 3 slices of bread, corned beef, crisps with cheese and onion spread, a just reward for our morning efforts.
The moors just wouldn't be the moors without hills, of which there were many, here the terrain was tricky, but I just kept the motto 'what comes up...' safe in my head. This up and down nature of the roads, slowed us slightly but a decent pace was kept up. The beauty of the Hole of Horcum was astounding, as you can see I was able to play about with the panoramic app on the iPhone, not bad!
With a few hours left of proper sunlight, we turned back at Horcum Hole, back towards Pickering, where hills turned to slopes and the slopes turn to hills. Hit the pub we stopped for lunch at, just in time for a well earned bowl of chips, filled the belly and warmed the core! It was now starting to get cold. We kept our eyes peeled for a suitable place to camp. Due to the cold, and density of the woodland we chose, we decided to make it a proper adventure and make some fire! Our first control over the elements, our first grasp at controlling energy sources, I do love a good fire.
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| BaseCamp |
On the nights menu, was log roasted potato and parsnip, accompanied by a warmed harricot Joues (jacket and beans), and for main, slow cooked Chicken carbonara (spaghetti, condensed chicken soup, and tomato puree...that took bloody ages)
After another cold night, that froze our toes, and our water bottles, we awoke early, and set off to make the most of the daylight. It was time to go home. We rode a small distance back to Pickering, where we went our separate ways, my mate, went west, and I, south east, back to our individual starting points. Between us and home was 50 miles of open road, a tough day ahead, but one that HAD to be done nonetheless. This was the tough part, one of which I am probably most proud of. The Sunday was a lot colder, and a lot greyer, enough to dampen anyone's spirits, but the thought, 'if I can just make it to the next corner', prevailed.
Even views like this, become heartbreaking, I think at one point I screamed at the road, 'just why cant you be flat!?'. Those of you who are eagle-eyed will notice the 14% sign in the corner of the shot, add this into the mix, its not easy! As the day moved forward, faster than I thought it would, I just kept cycling, as it was what was needed. I split the journey at Sledmere, had THE best warm wash i have ever had, wolfed down lunch. And cracked on. the miles seamlessly moved into one another, and with hindsight, it feels like I didn't ride far.
and when I saw my village sign, The Rocky Theme music, almost like instinct, came blasting out my mouth. II was Home.
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| Groups shown here should be regularly exercised. |
The tip I was given, to begin exercise after, an injury or a long break from it, first build your core, so I have been concentrating on abdominal exercises within the first sessions. The increased core strength, strength in your abdominals, both external and oblique, and your pectorals and gluteus muscles. The reason being that a lot of essential muscle extensions (for weight gain) in your appendages connect to these groups. simply a stronger core makes every exercise, from squats to bicep curls, easier, and more effective.
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The realisation that the race is coming up very soon, has hit me very recently. And I must admit, to myself, more than anything, that my stamina work, has been lacking of late. The concentration on the core should help with the heavy endurance work to come, hopefully! Having had a serious run last night covering a good 8-10km, the main thing I noticed was that of my hamstrings, and upper thigh muscles (other than quadriceps) need some work at the gym.
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| Cross Trainer (Cardio) |
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| Abdominal Press/Crunch Sit and adjust the pad to be resting on your chest, then bend, pushing the pad towards your knees. |
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| The Lateral Pull down machine, and technique |
Notice, as I'm sure some of you have, I do little resistance leg work, and haven't touched the bike at all. The lack of leg work, is simple, muscle is heavy compared to other body tissues, and I have no reason to make my legs any bigger, they simply need to be toned, and improved for stamina. And the lack of bike work, i do enough of that outside of the gym. One out of the two days I will bike to and from the gym, a round trip of 15 miles, and i will spend one or two sessions on the bike within the week, covering a similar mileage.
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| Pectoral Fly machine |
Then get on your bike and cycle home!
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