Yesterday threw gale force winds, relentless driving rain and cold temperatures our way all day and all night. I couldn’t imagine being able to get out and cycle today.
However, in true British weather style, the winds had passed, the rain had stopped and with true British stoicism, Roland and I ventured out for a hilly 50km cycle. There is something about facing the challenge of a lifetime in less than six months that makes us get on our bikes and ride.
Up Harp hill, which, I don’t really consider to be a hill anymore (progress indeed) with a Personal Best (PB) time. Next up came Ham Hill. Known to local cyclists as a tough climb, I have to confess that I had never actually cycled the length of Ham Hill without having to stop to catch my breath. It is on my list of ’50 things to do at 50′ and today, I did it! I can’t say it was easy but it wasn’t too hard either (progress again).
I learned from Ham Hill today, something about the importance of mental attitude as well as physical preparation on performance. I had a written goal: I wanted to conquer Ham Hill, I have trained hard on hills in recent months, it was important for the rest of my 2020 Raid Alpine training to conquer it. Ham Hill is a tiny fraction of what I will need to do during The Raid Alpine, I needed this tiny achievement to confirm I was making progress. The belief that completing The Raid Alpine is within my reach is as important as any other aspect to my training. I wouldn’t allow any ‘what if I can’t’ thoughts to invade my mind and before I knew it, without much ado, I conquered Ham Hill, with another PB.
Bouyed by the confirmation that I could do Ham Hill, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the ride through beautiful undulating Cotswolds countryside. During the ride home down Ham Hill, littered with flood water, debris and potholes, I found myself wishing I was going up and not down it. Now there’s a change in mindset if ever there was one.
As always I returned home invigorated, a little tired but pleased with my performance and thrilled to get 41 Strava Achievements! I’m becoming slightly Strava obsessed but that’s another story……..
Challenging Times 