Holiday in the sun

I'm off to Spain in the morning for a week in the sun. When I booked the holiday I had planned to take the bike but although I've been off it for 5 weeks with only one 40mile ride I'm leaving it at home.
There is a gym in our villa and I will do some weights. The forecast is good. Family time!!
When I get back I will go for a nice 6-8hr offroad ride then download the Mountain Mayhem entry form and send it off with my solo entry.

Now where the Hell is my set of travel plugs?

One thing I don't need more of right now is....

MOTIVATION
I have plenty of this
I don't think I have been as motivated as I have been over this winter for this coming season. Keen is a word I'd use. I haven't been this motivated to train hard for a long time. Never so with cycling. When I was in Uni I pretty much up gave up road cycling as I had lost motivation. I was pretty crap as a junior and my 1st year as a senior was terrible. I turned to rock climbing. I really tried my best get get to a very high level. Training was something I was very good at for this. I was like a machine. At 9st 7 I was stupidly strong and had a body that had no fat and muscle only where I needed it.
Since I started my comeback (I should say restart on the road) four years ago I have learned to suffer, something I never did in cycling before. I'd give up too soon. I guess I learned to suffer when rock climbing. You don't have a lot of choice. 5 weeks off the bike is the longest I have had off since. I had a double knee op three years ago and only had 3 weeks off. A broken collarbone was only a week as I was straight on the Turbo Trainer. 5 weeks seemed like a long long time. I'm glad I put a lot of miles in before Christmas
Last night I re started my training. It's damn good to be back. I only did 2.5hrs last night but it was quality. I left my Powertap at home as for my 1st ride back I didn't really want to know how I was doing I just wanted to enjoy it. A big Gym session this morning and now I'm feeling it.

YES!

I've decided to have a crack at Mountain Mayhem solo

One of my favourite photos taken by my team mate on the final lap in 2010

This year wasn't sure if I should do Mayhem solo or as part of the mixed team that did so well last year.
Knowing that Norwood Paragn CC will be sending three teams this year. So many people want to ride this year they shouldn't miss me too much. Well I was the backbone of the mixed team last year but we do have plenty of quick riders.
Knowing that I will have at least 14 team mates at the event I know I will have plenty of motivational support. I have my first 24hr solo race in 13 weeks. Training hasn't gone to plan so far. It was going very well. Excellent in fact I was very happy with how things were going. The the Swine Flu which I still haven't recovered from. Come tomorrow I will have missed two races which I was keen on using to build my form. Not trained for over 4 weeks now. Fingers crossed I will get out this coming week.
So Mayhem it is. I'm really looking forward to it. I am still really focused on the 24hrs of Exposure which is 6 weeks before Mayhem. I am though realistic with the chances of my performance here being one I could write home about. Being my 1st race I was really going to try hard at winning the Rookie jersey. I'm not daft I know my chances of this are slipping. This year I will have a hardtail 29r for Mayhem. I feel this will make me a little quicker on this not very technical course. I know a hardtail would have made me a lot quicker on the climbs (not that my Lapierre is crap on the climbs) I'm Aiming for top 10.
Between now and then I have one more week in work then a relaxing family holiday in Spain. When I get back I will have the 2nd round of the Welsh XC resies then the Black Park XC. A week after that I will be catching the train down to Winchester to do the South Downs Way. Plans plans plans. I've made them before, lets hope I can stick to them this time.

Looking forward to getting this at the end of March

I better make sure I get my entry in on the 28th of Feb. I can get another years supply of shower gel again.

http://www.osmountainmayhem.co.uk/

Can't See The Wood For The Trees

All I can think about at the moment is when I can get back on the bike and start training. It's driving me mad. Three weeks off the bike. I feel a lot better and I can ride my bike but no training. I now have Bronchitics which I know for past experiences with my body will take a few weeks to shift. I have to think of this years as a whole. I'm not going to risk trying to get riding in time for a XC race in a weeks time when I can mess up my season by keeping this bad chest for longer.
Time to step back and sit this one out. I will be ready to train when I am ready. My focus on the season was 24hrs of Exposure on the 1st weekend of May. Christ I'm still riding that as my first 24hr race but with no illusions on a sterling performance.
I remember as a junior I had this small stage race just outside Bath that I had planned to do for months. Two weeks before I managed to get a bad chest. I was taking all sorts of mediation to shift it. Well the day before the race felt OK. I finished the short prolgue TT coughing up little bits of blood and came last way way down on the rest. I've never done so bad in a TT and never felt so shit on a bike. I'm not letting that happen again.
I'm desperate to test myself over 100 miles off road and by now I'd expected to have already ridden the length of the South Downs Way. I have a nice family break in Spain this month. I'm sure I will come back from that fully fixed.
Then we will 'AVE IT!

I feel like all I do at the moment is moan about not getting out on my bike.