And so it beings...

Wow!

Have I seriously not posted since last year?

Wow!

Okay, here I go...blogging away. I'd forgotten how much fun this.

Sometime ago I entered the ballot for the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100.  I didn't actually think I'd get a place.  I really didn't.  So, you can imagine my surprise when I did.

I was of course thrilled by this...and then terrified. However, there was one slight problem.

I no longer had a bike.

Well, okay I do still have a bike, but I can no longer ride it.  One fine day last summer an irresponsible dog owner on Rollerblades lost control of his rather large dog, which threw the full force of his weight into me as I was cycling along.  This lovely dog owner did stop to ask if I was okay.  As I sat in shock and bleeding on the ground, I answered that I was fine when in fact it was quite obvious that I wasn't.  Instead of asking me again to make certain I wasn't just in shock, helping me or giving me his details, the dog owner leashed his dog and skated away quite quickly.  Another stranger assisted me up and I limped to a shop to get some plasters.  This unfortunate event resulted in two things:

1. I re-injured my shoulder.  I've hurt this shoulder in the past in a couple of car accidents (not my fault and I wasn't even driving in one) and a climbing incident (nothing dangerous, just something stupid).

2. The frame of my bike was cracked and I've since been told it's now dangerous to ride.

I'm currently in the process of purchasing a new (and very nice) bike through the the Cycle to Work Scheme, but there's been an issue in regards to my training.

My damn shoulder began acting up quite painfully again recently.  In fact, I couldn't raise my arm above 90 degrees to my body without crippling pain.  Nor could I open a door or pick things up without wincing. After about a week of this, I finally saw my GP.  He gave me some physiotherapy exercises to do and prescribed Naproxin.  This past Friday, two weeks later, I went in for a follow up appointment, much improved, and he gave me the okay to begin to train. He did say, however, that I must start out slowly.

And so, tomorrow I begin with a pilates class.  My plan is to go to pilates at least once a week for core strength, spinning class at least once a week and cycle at least twice a week for very long rides.  (Until I have my bike, I'll be taking spinning classes to make up for not having a bike).  By June I intend to ride to and from work (about 50 miles round trip) at least twice a week.  I will also cut down on gluten, eat healthier in general and may even consult a nutritionist. Finally, I will no longer go to the pub for a casual pint or catch up over a bottle of wine with friends.  Alcohol may only be consumed on VERY special occasions (birthdays, weddings, travelling outside of Britain).

So, on the eve of all this as I sit drinking my last 'casual' glass of wine, I had a thought.  Perhaps I should track my progress via my blog.  After all, it will be interesting to look back on the changes I am about to undergo physically, as well mentally, after I complete this ride.  Therefore, in addition to the training, I'm going to post regular updates on how it's all going.  While these postings will really be more for me, I of course welcome you to read and feedback if you wish.  I wouldn't be posting this all publicly if I didn't want to share it with you.

Hmmmm...maybe I should change the name of this blog to "H on her Bike".

For those of you who are curious about the route, here's a little video mapping it out.