Like many others so far this weekend, i've used the extra day(s) holiday to get some more miles into my legs. I started off with a 60 miler on Friday, which I found surprisingly hard. Unfortunately at around the 45 mile mark I well and truly blew up, which was far from fun - the subsequent 15 miles back home was incredibly tough and I had to work hard for each pedal stroke. I'm not sure if it's a lack of miles in my legs, insufficient fluid/calorie intake on the ride or just a bad day in the saddle but it is certainly something I need to nail down pretty quickly. In the past I have had an almost over-active metabolism, so I'm hoping that if I increase the amount I am eating whilst riding, I may be able to survive for longer periods in the saddle. Again, I feel this could be yet another lesson learnt the hard way (despite Andrew's earlier tips)!
On Saturday I decided that a bit of confidence building was in order and rode a shorter 28 mile course. The route was quite an undulating one and it never really allowed me to get into any sort of rhythm. I find these sorts of rides quite useful for building my recovery rate whilst not completely killing my legs and the slightly shorter distance was welcomed. Finally, due to a lack of time, I only managed to get in a short 22 mile ride this morning, although I did get in a relatively long climb on the way. Regardless of Friday, a fun time was had by all this weekend and it's the first time i've ridden 3 days on the trot for a long time. Although I'm definitely feeling it this evening, I'm starting to feel like I'm getting some rhythm and fitness back into my riding. Having said this, I have a sneaking suspicion that taking things to the next level is going to be a bit of a 'sufferfest'!
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