Some of The Cure Parkinson's Trust (CPT) team, Will Cook (CEO) and Mike Tindall (Patron) are used to being in front of the camera but for me, as one of CPT's ambassadors, my first 'first' of the day was being filmed by the BBC. The three of us were talking about the exciting Raid Local, … Continue reading Three ‘Firsts’
Category: Parkinson’s
Blogs about living with Parkinson’s
Mission Accomplished
100 Mile Monday We've often said "If it's not on Strava, it didn't happen' but despite only recording half my ride, my aching limbs are testament to the fact that I did indeed complete a 100 mile ride yesterday. With a ride time of 7.5 hours and an average speed of 21.5km, it was a … Continue reading Mission Accomplished
100 Mile Monday
A 100 mile cycle with friends. What a way to start the week. What a way to 'celebrate' five years since my diagnosis of Parkinson's. What a way to support the relaxing of lockdown requirements. What a way to train for the Raid Local. What a way to enjoy the great outdoors. What a way … Continue reading 100 Mile Monday
Sunday Morning Riders Return
What a joy to cycle with our Sunday morning group again this morning after three months of lockdown.....
Testing, testing……
My mission this week was to cycle a total elevation of 3,700km from the vast range of Cotswold hills that surround us. On the 28th June for The Raid Local, I shall have to do this in one day. I cycled six days out of seven. My training was to test a few things that … Continue reading Testing, testing……
A Day with a Difference
Today's ride was always going to be a little different. I had arranged to meet with Will Cook, the CEO of The Cure Parkinson's Trust, and Mike Tindall, a Patron of The Cure Parkinson's Trust to do some hilly cycle training in preparation of the Raid Local which we are all taking part in. It's … Continue reading A Day with a Difference
An Occasion
On Monday, it will be exactly five years since I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. I'd prefer to let the day pass by without reference to this fact but the day is imprinted on my memory and there is no hope of Monday, coming and going without my acknowledging this. So, how could I mark my … Continue reading An Occasion
Again & Again
Hills, hills and more hills...... I sincerely hoped I'd eventually learn to love them by now but......I'm still waiting for this to happen! Gloucestershire hills can be unforgiving: steep, sharp turns, uneven surfaces, gravel, pot holes, flood water, debris, branches, narrow lanes, to name a few of the hazards. So despite trying, I'm finding it … Continue reading Again & Again
The Shard
The tallest building in the UK, The Shard stands at 310 metres tall. Last night, I cycled up hills totalling twice the height of The Shard, covering 620m of elevation and found it exhausting. On 28th June, for The Raid Local, I need to cycle up twelve times the height of The Shard........ That's a … Continue reading The Shard
Raid Local Challenge
The Raid Local challenge is to cycle 137km and climb 3700m of hills on 28th June 2020, to raise awareness and funding for The Cure Parkinson's Trust. This is a colossal challenge for the fittest of cyclists. 137km is hard enough but add in hills totalling nearly half the height of Everest in a single … Continue reading Raid Local Challenge
A Sociable Cycle
After so many weeks of lockdown, it was truly wonderful to meet up again with some girlfriends for a socially distanced, sociable cycle. These girls can cycle far and fast but today there was an equal emphasis on cycling and socialising and I was reminded of how much I love: The girls!Their friendshipTheir laughter The … Continue reading A Sociable Cycle
Challenging Times
I've grown to love a challenge and I'm so disappointed not to be setting off on our Raid Alpine challenge this year to raise funds for The Cure Parkinson's Trust. So, I am delighted to be invited to do a local challenge on 28th June, the day we would have started The Raid Alpine challenge. … Continue reading Challenging Times
Guidelines and Goals
After weeks of cycling solo, the government guidelines have changed and with the change, I've found a new motivation to clock up those miles. My goal? To cycle 300km this week with friends whilst keeping within the slightly more relaxed Covid exercise guidelines. My first cycle of the week, was a 50km round trip in … Continue reading Guidelines and Goals
Still Pedalling
Despite the inevitable postponement of The Raid Alpine Challenge, cycling has still kept us Cyclopaths busy this year. This year, between us, we have: Cycled 15,306k Climbed 151,629 metres (17 times the height of Everest) Spent 717 hours in the saddle (Don't underestimate the pain & discomfort!) Cycled on 325 occasions Cycled in rain, hail, … Continue reading Still Pedalling
Long Overdue
It's been a long time since I last posted. This blog black hole has been mainly because it was recently confirmed that The Raid Alpine challenge has sadly been postponed and won't happen this year. Given that the majority (in fact, possibly all) of my blogs have been about training for this challenge, there seemed … Continue reading Long Overdue
Walking and Talking
Walking in the park this morning with the dog, I started speaking to a lady I'd never met before. We exchanged pleasantries about the beautiful sunshine and how nice it was to be out. From our two metre social distance, it took me a while to realise this lady was close to tears. She was … Continue reading Walking and Talking
Cycling ‘Together’
Anyone who cycles with us knows that when we cycle in a group, John and I rarely see each other. My average speed is half John's average speed. He is fiercely competitive and thrives on the challenge of being the fastest, going the furthest and climbing more hills than anyone else. Usually all three together! … Continue reading Cycling ‘Together’
Motivation
For the first time in a very long time, I am finding it hard to motivate myself to keep exercising. The fact that exercise has been proven to slow the progression of Parkinson's is usually a pretty big motivator in itself and exercise is a great coping strategy. Obviously social distancing regulations have played a … Continue reading Motivation
Training Stats
During 2020, I've done three months of hard, hilly cycle training: 37 cycle rides, most of which I've arrived home exhausted from, nearly 102 hours (moving time) covering a distance of 1782km and climbing 22,200m of hills and yet..... I've climbed just over twice the height and twice the distance that we need to do … Continue reading Training Stats
Snail’s Pace
Another sunny day, another day of social distancing and another day of 'stay at home' except to exercise. There is much concern about the impact on people's mental health and wellbeing of social distancing and isolation, amidst health, employment and financial concerns and so much uncertainty. My antidote to all things stressful is to get … Continue reading Snail’s Pace
Family Time
With the go ahead from Boris to leave the house once a day to exercise, I yet again opted to cycle. None of my three boys are particularly keen cyclists. There are frequent mumblings that parental obsessions with all things cycling may have put off any budding Bradley Wiggins in our family! So it was … Continue reading Family Time
A Little Normality
Amidst a stark 'Stay at Home' message from the Prime Minister, a little gift....we're allowed to leave the house to do one form of exercise a day. After debating for a nanosecond what kind of exercise that might be, John and I chose cycling! During these unprecedented times, it is lovely to be able to … Continue reading A Little Normality
Gratitude
Even in these difficult times, I have found a lot to be grateful for this week. I am grateful beyond words that my Dad is recovering well following his heart surgery. I'm grateful for the skill, expertise and dedication of the doctors, nurses and all the other NHS staff who made this possible during such … Continue reading Gratitude
A Small Matter of Percentages
Guest Blog by Ewan Mac<ean Preparing for the Raid Alpine 2020 0-10%: An honest assessment of how prepared I felt arriving at our Lanzarote training camp to cycle previously unattempted distances and heights over consecutive days in a totally new environment. 25%: Approximately the number of the Cure Parkinson's Trust Raid Alpine group that met … Continue reading A Small Matter of Percentages
Longest Day
With everyone feeling at least a little better, we set off with some optimism for our last day's cycling. Optimism proved an essential component for our longest day in the saddle...... The Challenges of the Day With different bikes, I struggled to clip into my cleats and should have guessed I would struggle to clip … Continue reading Longest Day
Plan, What Plan?
The Plan 9am start prompt - 'No pfaffing'!160km route (100 miles)2300m climbTo complete within 8 hoursA few brief stops onlyCycle all day with the wider group The Reality 9.30am start Lots of pfaffing (mainly me)80km route1454m climbCompleted within 10 hoursLong lunch stop and frequent other stopsCycled for 20 minutes with the rest of the group … Continue reading Plan, What Plan?
No Plan!
(Just Realised I Hadn't Posted Sunday's Adventures!) Our plan today was to have no plan today. To keep things flexible, have a range of options and see how we felt as the day progressed. Ewan has the same stomach upset that John had, so couldn't cycle this morning. Miraculously, he joined us mid afternoon, feeling … Continue reading No Plan!
My Big Sis
Guest Blog by Lucy Ferrier Well, where to start? Growing up as the eldest of three girls, Alison always had a sense of responsibility and she embraced her role as the elder, more sensible one! She took her role seriously and enjoyed keeping her younger siblings in check. Alison was kind, fun and as I recall, … Continue reading My Big Sis
Team Training
For the first time today, twelve of the Raid Alpine team are getting together for some training in Lanzarote, many of us meeting for the first time. After an easy journey, we arrive at the resort reception and only half an hour later, with our hire bikes fitted, we were ready to cycle together. With … Continue reading Team Training
Guest Blog
TRAINING & TEAM-BUILDING by Ewan MacLean The Cyclopaths have all been training in our own way: individually, in pairs and in a variety of groups. We are only one small part of a much bigger 'Raid Alpine' group who have all been doing the same across many different UK geographic locations. Between us, we have … Continue reading Guest Blog
Challenging Times 
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