A four month break…

I can’t stand on my foot. Every time I do, pain shoots up from my ankle. Its September 2010 and I have decided to go for my first Wednesday evo run session. Something that I have been putting off for a couple of months. The reason, as much as I love cycling…well let’s just say that running has never been my thing.

But here I am ready for the run, yawning as I always do when I am nervous about doing sports. I have decided to start with the beginners, although one of the ladies in that group looks at me and ask me that I surely must be in the wrong group.

We start I stick to the back don’t want to be showing off. (I know I can’t keep it up). So there I am trotting along, thinking this is a bit slow, I guess I am all right… and whack my foot goes into a hole and all my weight on the ankle. I blow out, it hurts. I am cursing myself for being stupid and not focusing on what I am doing.

It hurts but I try running on. I catch up with the group, we start running up the hill towards the castle, the pain is still there but maybe I can run it off.

We do sprints and run around the block a couple of times. And then we stop and start stretching. After the stretching we wait I while till everybody finishes. And then we set off…and that’s when I stop, I can’t run, I can’t even stand on my foot.

I come home, do RICE which I know from my first help courses. The next day I go to the GP. She tells me to rest it. I do for 2 weeks at which point I do the palace to palace ride. I do the 70 km off biking. My ankle still hurts and a week after the ride, my knee starts hurting when I bike. Its back to the GP who tells me that I have probably over compensated on the ride and my knee has taken the brunt. She tells me to rest further. After a month with no change I go back and tell her what now. I tell her I have private healthcare. She lights up and says, “Why didn’t you tell me straight away”.

So in short I have been dragging my foot along for a month, to the detriment of my knee . And NOW she tells me I should go see an expert? Hurra for the NHS.

I see the expert, he sends me off to Windsor Physiotherapists and Jiallil becomes my new best friend, task master and healer. We work hard, I follow his advice. I run on the grass, I do the home training. I get the wonderful ultrasound.

When we hit February I am back to training again.

First taste of the TT

It’s a Friday afternoon and I have done my commute back and forth to work. I didn't go too fast, let the legs spinning around. Why?

I've decided to join the Friday TT. I turn up at the meeting point, nervous anxious. Am I going to make a fool of myself, are they friendly? Will I run out of energy?

I am greeting by a guy I recognise as Hank. Luckily I recognise him from the Facebook page. It's a big friendly smiling hello. Are you new? Great that you showed up. Welcome to the club. Big handshake.

I relax; the shoulders come down feeling welcomed. Kevin, the guy I recognise from the club website as the founder, bestows upon me two nick names, the man in black and the milk tray man.

Now the man in black, that one I understand, seeing that apart from my red helmet and shoes, I am riding a bike and wearing a shirt short combination that a mortician would be proud of. But not being from the UK I have no idea who the milk tray man is? Have I just been insulted? I smile and laugh...best defence really.

Not knowing the route of the TT and not being able to do a conversion of kilometres and hour speed into miles, I'm too nervous; I get paired with an older gentleman. He too is very friendly.

We set off. I ride behind him, enjoying being out of the wind and following the pace quite nicely. After the initial 10 km we hit a road that I ride every day to work. I feel confident. I know where I am going. And in a moment of beginner’s cockiness I first ask the older gentleman if it is ok that I ride on ahead of him. He smiles and I set off, charging forward.

I hit the first hill, I'm into it, breathing is heavy but I am enjoying that speed.

I'm so focused that I get a shock when that dump thumping noise comes up again. One of the other EVO rides flies by, flat disc wheel and everything. I mutter cheater to myself, and try to keep up. He dumps me in the next km. I hit a hill that at this moment feels like the Galibier. Ok not really, but I can feel I haven't dosed my ride right and I am running out of energy. I see a slower rider ahead and aim for her. I pass her just as we hit the crest. But it feels like my left lunge is coming out. I take a sip of the bottle and nearly choke on the water. Rooky mistake I think and laugh at myself.

But hey that was the last real hill. The rest is downhill in towards Windsor. My speed picks up and I go faster and faster. It’s like flying. I hit the 55 km an hour coming down the hill and start getting nervous, but push on, enjoying the momentum from the hill.

I almost fall off my bike when another biker comes by me, thumping sound again. We hit Windsor and I try to hang on to him. He is just too fast. But hey there is the finish line.

I stop, sweat pouring down and catch my breath. A short time after the old gentleman that I started off with comes in. He asks for my time. I tell him. He then looks at me and says;"Naaahhh don't worry If I hadn't kept you up in the beginning you would have gone faster". I am not sure, but the endorphins are almost making my head spin.

This is definitely not my last TT.

Oh yeah...milk tray man...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM4DMe25CvQ&feature=related....not too bad ehhh....

Black and Red

Pedals going round, tarmac flying bye…well, flying is being generous. Rolling would be more apt.

I want to go faster, I should be going faster. Legs are getting tired, but I want the wind to whistle past my ear. I’m running out of breath. This has been my way to work for over 2 years. But I’m not progressing, I realise, I’ve hit a plateau.

I bury my head below my shoulders trying to get more aero, emulating the pro’s, my idols on the bike. But I’m going as fast as I can.

Red and black flash bye, three or four riders, I hear the wizz of the the cycle chains, the dump repeated thumping from the aero wheel. I manage to sprint after them. I catch up as they have to turn on to a main road. I stick to the tail of the pack of four, now speeding along at 40 km an hour. I hang on to the train, hiding from the wall of wind behind the four riders ahead of me. I last for 3 km and then I turn off on a side road, with a big smile on my lips.

I have just met 4 from the EVO crew.