Day 2 - The pain begins

Woke up at 5:45 this morning but it was still quite dark outside so I didn't actually get out of the house until gone 6:30.

As soon as I sat on the saddle I could tell it was going to be a painful ride as my backside was killing me!  I remember this from last September and it is a result of not having been on the bike much this year.  It only lasts for a couple of rides so I'll just have to get on with it.

I cycled out to East Coker again then back along the Dorchester road and then headed out towards Ham Hill.  My intention was to do about 20 miles today but as well as the pain in my bum my right ankle was also playing up!  It's really painful at the back on the tendon so I'm hoping that also goes away soon!

I didn't ride all the way to Ham Hill instead I turned down into Montacute and then back into Yeovil and home.  Just under 13 miles done taking my total to just under 45.

Mum completed another hour in the pool today so that's 2 down and 28 to go!  She's had some offers of sponsorship from her pool buddies which is excellent news.

Kimberly managed a 9 mile training run yesterday which was brilliant considering she wasn't feeling too special!  Less than two weeks to go until the half marathon but she's feeling more confident now that her training is well underway.

Tom kick started his challenge today by cycling just over 14 miles to work and will no doubt do the same on the way home unless he's planning a detour to get some more miles in?!?

Jon is also feeling the effects of yesterday's big ride so is resting today but he plans to commute to work and back tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored us so far, the total is rising and we're up to more than £360 now!

1st September - A ride in three parts and three different paces!

So the first day of the September Sweat Challenge is finally here!  I woke up fairly early and was ready to go at about 8:15am.  I was feeling a few nerves as I haven't been out on my bike for a while and wasn't sure how I would do but I set off anyway.  This was also my first time out on the road with proper cycling shoes with cleats that clips my feet to the pedals!

I started my ride by heading down into East Coker then past the reservoir and out to Halstock.  I then did a u-turn and came all the way back - 12 miles done.  I headed back out of Yeovil and rode to Ham Hill through Odcombe and then over the A303 to Martock and Ash where I stopped at my sisters house for a top up of water and a coffee - 20 miles done.

Matthew and Lucy (10 and 7) wanted to go for a ride so we had a slow meander along the Mash Cycle Route to Martock - Mash is an amalgamation of Martock and Ash and Matthew helped design the signs that are on all of the lamppost showing the way!  It took us about 50 minutes to do just 4 miles but this challenge is not about performance it's about mileage so I didn't mind and besides it was nice to get out with the kids.

When we got back to the Quarterman's house Matthew was itching to ride for longer and at a quicker pace so I said he could ride back to Yeovil with me and I would then take him home in the car.  We cycled from Ash to Tintinhull then through the lanes to Montacute and back to Yeovil.  The biggest hill of the day was Forest Hill which we joined halfway up at the pub.  Stupidly I stopped on the hill to wait for Matthew to catch up and then had the task of starting up a steep incline whilst trying to clip my feet in the pedals!  I kicked off with one foot clamped in and tried to do a couple of revolutions before putting the other foot in but my foot slid off the pedal and I came extremely close to falling over sideways as I tried to put my foot down which was clipped in!  Luckily I just managed to rip my foot out and put it down before landing in a heap on the pavement!  Second time of setting off was a bit better but it was still hard trying to clip in while pushing upwards...  Lesson learned - don't stop on a hill!!

Mum completed here 1 hour swim today at 8am, just 29 more to go!  Kimberly has done two of her four weeks training and will run the half marathon in just two more weeks' time.

Jon has been out for his first ride and as expected did just over 40 miles to take an early lead.  I don't think Tom will be riding today as he is in a 36 hole golf competition but I'm expecting a big ride from him tomorrow.

I hope you enjoy my blog throughout this month I'll try to keep in interesting.  Please leave me a comment either on here or on Facebook and please please sponsor us by going to www.justgiving.com/septembersweat/.

Thank you.

Kimberly's training going well

From Kimberly: "Just did 8.15 miles. Thought it was going to be a nightmare but altho I'm now tired it wasn't bad at all! What a difference a week makes!"

Kimberly's third training run ends at the pub!

From Kimberly:  Just completed a running club pub run. 7 miles across fields and bridges with plenty of stiles and gates to climb. Sadly no alcohol at the pub after but the cold pint of diet coke and prawn and salmon salad went down well! Next run will be saturday, then a long run on sunday.

Kimberly's marathon training begins

Kimberly started her training for the marathon in earnest this week as she only has 4 weeks until the big race!

She went out on her own last night, and tonight she did the 5k timed run with the running club - the idea is that you improve on your previous time. She beat their estimated time by 20 seconds so she's chuffed with that. 

Her next run will be Thursday at the club pub run, this will be a stop/start run so she wont be worried about how long it takes and will be focussing more on just getting the miles done.

New year, new challenges!

Wow has it really been nearly a year since we did our last set of challenges?  Yes it has!  I'm pleased to say we raised over £1,600 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity last year and we're aiming even higher this year!

My Dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and had it removed back in 2011 which wasn't without its own complications but thankfully he is now cancer free.  This year we are going to be raising money for Prostate Cancer UK which funds valuable research in this area and helps men with information and after care.

My challenge is to cycle for an average of 1 hour a day - every day - in September and my Mum (who's 69 don't you know!) will be swimming for the same amount of time!  My sister Kimberly will be training for and running in the Bristol Half Marathon by running 5 times a week!  Her challenge starts now because the race is half way through September so please show your support.

I'll be blogging about our progress here and updating Facebook so I look forward to your support.

You can sponsor us by going to:  www.justgiving.com/septembersweat2013/

Thank you.

30th September

Well here we are, the last day of the challenge.

Mum and Kimberly finished their challenges on Friday as detailed in my last post but as you know I still had 0.5 miles left to do.

I played golf on Sunday morning and was going to be watching the Ryder Cup in the afternoon so the plan was to finish my last ride in between.

I had thought about doing just 0.5 miles (down the road and back) but that seemed pointless so I put my rucksack on and cycled to the garage to buy something for lunch and then home again. A total of just over 2.5 miles! By far my shortest ride but still long enough to take me over the planned 300 miles.

I know I keep saying it but I can't thank you enough for all your support and generous donations.

It's been emotional...