I wanted to go out for a ride today. I didn’t and now I feel guilty. I gave myself the option of going to the gym where I could have watched football from the cycling machine, thus combining two things I wanted to do this evening. Instead, I fell asleep on the sofa for a few hours and couldn’t motivate myself when I woke up.
At the moment I’ve only really been getting out properly once a week, which I suppose is maintaining the level I’ve built up over the winter. 50 miles is a comfortable ride for me and 60 or 70 doesn’t hold much fear. But that’s on the relatively level surfaces of London and the South East. Now’s the time I need to start thinking about hills and how to get up them quicker before March arrives and the big three month push begins towards the final goal.
My biggest problem is not motivation so much as time. My life off the bike is complicated by more things than I can throw a spanner at: very imminent redundancy and lack of job to go to, new flat/flatmate needed in June, finding time for my friends who hardly ever see me.
I guess as it is getting lighter – it was still light at 5pm today – the time factor should become easier to manage as I can ride in the evening after work or before work if I get up. In theory redundancy should give me more time for riding while I’m looking for a job but I’m finding the stress of it quite tiring. The flat problem should sort itself out somehow and is better than when I thought it was the week before the Etape.
And as for my friends who are peering into the internet abyss to find out what I am up to, you may find me on your doorstep with a bicycle at some point in the coming months. I apologise for the fact you will see me early morning and late evening looking exhausted. I thank you for putting me up and watching me head off into the wilds with my bike.
I have some plans for developing this blog over the coming months, so watch out for some exciting developments hopefully – like me actually putting a decent design on the place.