Watts Down, Stress Levels Up

Nine weeks and counting...

I think I'm finally better apart from sore ribs (pulled from all that coughing this month) but the watts are down. I haven't been able to do a weights session yet this year as my ribs are too sore. Of course Ibuprofen helps with the pain but it's not recommended for asthmatics. Can't seem to win at the moment.

And now I've been reminded that it's nine weeks to the Tour of Flanders. Not a good situation to be in at the moment as I really should have the watts up and be getting some long, hilly rides in. Last weekend's riding was OK. I managed 90km on Saturday but I'm not up to speed yet.

On Sunday I had my first proper experience of mountain biking with a 30km ride. My old Specialized Rockhopper frame from about 1997 has been revamped with new forks and disc brakes in order for me to get some "off road" experience in preparation for Le Ronde. Although, I'm often reminded that nothing prepares you for the cobbles! Off road is scary, so is having a triple and so is having mud in my cleats. But my old frame looks pretty and I'll do some commuting on it as soon as it gets a bit lighter in the evenings. I haven't gone to the 'dark side' yet but I did enjoy my experience and will definitely be trying it again. Maybe this time with fewer stops to stare at the mud and announce 'I can't ride through that!'

One week tomorrow and I'm off to Majorca for nine days to get some long rides in and follow the 5 day Pro Race, the Vuelta Mallorca. I'm really looking forward to escaping the cold to the spring like conditions and almond blossom, oh and Alberto Contador. I guess a photo of me in team kit with Conti should satisfy the sponsors for the year.....

15 mph and Gaining....

Well, I took my first trip out on the bike last Saturday since 27th December. I don't think my doctor would have recommended it so soon after just getting upright but psychologically it was so nice to get back on my bike and into my Saturday morning routine that I think that outweighed any consequences there could have been. Bikes in the car and a short drive with my super-domestique allowed me to hook in with my local club run. I race for Trisportnews.com (which is our name this season) but I'm still a second claim member of my first and only cycling club, ACC.

When I first joined ACC as a complete novice I started off with managing to hang on to the 15 mph group most of the time. ACC accommodates all speeds from 15 mph to the racing group, which is usually in excess of 21 mph. Most people start in the 15's and I was no exception. In fact, I stayed in there for about a year on and off but I generally go out now with the 18 mph group or the 17's if I'm looking for an easier ride. I'm hoping to upgrade to the 19's soon. But, it was a real eye opener to go back to my "roots" last Saturday and get dropped on anything above a 1%gradient.

The most alarming experience was that when I stood out of the saddle, my legs didn't work and I had to sit right back down again. I couldn't stand up at all! But I stayed upright to the cafe and rode back some of the way with the club. And I really enjoyed it. I was far from better but I was out and it was a great atmosphere in the 15 mph group. It was refreshing to be amongst people who were so enthusiastic and just enjoyed being out riding their bikes whatever their ambitions or ability. Unfortunately, that ride coupled with a late night at the club's annual dinner completely wiped me out for Sunday and I spent a long time asleep.

I had a couple of easy spins on the turbo during last week. Just half an hour sessions at a low heart rate (nothing above lower level 2). However, my lungs just didn't want to cooperate and I had to have breaks to get my breathing under control. As an asthmatic I knew this was more an asthma related breathing problem than something like a chest infection. I am now on a short course of steroids to get my lungs working again. Now to the uninitiated the steroids used to treat asthma are called corticosteroids. They are not the same as anabolic steroids. So I would like to point out to my fans that my voice hasn't got deeper and I'm not yet shaving twice a day.

This weekend I managed to ride two days on the trot since the weekend before Christmas. It was a hard slog on the second day but a nice long cafe stop and thanks to Chris and Adam for not getting too fed up for having to hang around for me. (They didn't show it anyway!) My pace has crept up from 15 mph too but the uphills are still very slow (not that they are ever that quick). I don't think the steroids are doing their job properly just yet. I aim to turbo train twice during this coming week with a structured session on both days. My plan is to get back slowly (no matter how frustrating) so that I don't slow down my recovery or, even worse, have to go back to square one.

Christmas Cheer and a Happy New Year!! I think not!

Well, Christmas was OK. Even the threat of the in-laws was managed to a two night affair and went off very well. I'd had a cold leading up to Christmas, so to be sensible (which is unlike me) I didn't train in the week leading up to Christmas. Well, I did one run and that was it and I even left my work Christmas Do early. I was thinking of those twelve days off I had to just ride my bike. Get the winter miles in, see some cycling buddies, ride on the tarmac in the week instead of just weekends. I was really, really looking forward to it. No Christmas visiting or days away. No, this year I was going to ride the bike. I planned a group ride down to Brighton and a ride down to see Stevo, a team mate at Ardingly, among other things.

Well, I felt fine by Boxing Day and set off to Hillingdon to cheer on my husband, Chris, who was hunting out the BC points and my new team mate, Adam, mixing it with the E123's in his first race for Trisportnews. The next day a few of us did a ride to Edenbridge, about 65km with no break. I even had a couple of texts from the guys that evening to say I had ridden well, I had dug in and it was all good. Then that evening the temperature hit. I felt like I had been on a sun bed too long and couldn't get off. Oh well, at least the cold was making its final exit, I thought. Sadly, it was the Flu making its entry.

And so 12 days later I'm finally able to sit at the PC. I couldn't get out of bed, I had to be helped to the loo, I coughed so much I threw up and I had my first visit from the GP since I was about seven years old. I never thought the flu could be so debilitating. I've even had my flu jab this winter as I'm asthmatic. It's so weird how your needs change when you are helplessly ill in bed. I went from wanting to ride down to Ditchling Beacon and back to just wanting to be able to get to the loo. It took about as long to prepare for. I left the house for the first time this year yesterday and went for a walk around the block. I wasn't very steady on my feet. It is the block I usually run around twice a week

Of course, when you get slightly better you start to think about all the training that's been missed. I think with the cold I had previously, I've missed about 3 weeks. Not only am I left with the disappointment of just not getting out on the bike but the worry of how long its going to take to get back to where I was, will I get back, do I want to make myself hurt again after hurting for the last 12 days?

The only good thing out of it all is that I've lost 2.5 kilos and am already down to race weight for the 2008 season. Unfortunately, I have also lost what I feel is a lot of muscle in my legs oh, and I look like the corpse bride. I feel very weak at the moment but want to relaunch myself into the world this week if I can. I'm hoping for a return to work by the end of the week and a return to the bike by the weekend. I'm not sure what any of it will feel like. It's odd to think that the New Year has come and gone and I haven't seen any of my cycling buddies. I'm a bit scared I will catch something else or won't be able to make it to my local cafe stop on Saturday, but all I can do is see what happens. So the road to Flanders is now also the road to recovery.