Rough Ride Time

Oh dear I have just entered Rough Ride Mountain Bike event taking place on the 12th June 2011.  The event will see me and few member of the North Cheshire Clarion taking on the 48km route which has 4,000 feet of climbing.  This is my first ever mass start Mountain Bike event and already I am pretty nervous.

Time flys when your having fun

Wow where have the weeks gone.  I cant believe it was the 8th March last time I posted here sometimes you forget just busy life can be.  It appears that all the winter miles are starting to pay off as riding on Sunday "over the top" (first time I have done this ride and its not raining) my legs felt good and the usual tiredness didnt hit till much later in the evening.

In terms of weight loss things have stagnated a bit now.  I have gained a little bit of weight over the past weeks as I have taken the foot off the gas a little on the exercise front.  Really need to get my finger out now the evenings are lighter and I am already thinking of a ride tomorrow night. 

I am going to be undergoing training to become a Go-Ride coach though my club North Cheshire Clarion and have done my first art of training, the first aid course.  I am really glad I am getting this opportunity as this is something I really believe in and want to take forward.  My two day course is in May and I have a lot of reading to do for it.

Im happy with the amount of riding I have done this year so far 61..84 mountain bike miles now to build on this!!!!!

The next steps

Having achieved my first goal of the year and losing a stone it is now time to set my sites on another goal.  Firstly my next step is drop to 14st which means i need to drop 1st 3lbs over the coming weeks.  I have a holiday booked in June and I want to be at or below that target by then. 

Secondly, I want to become a cycling coach and will be taking my first tentative steps into this in May when myself and two others from North Cheshire Clarion will be undertaking the Level 2 Go Ride Cycling Course.  The aim of this course is provide the coach with enough training to handle teaching kids how to ride and to hopefully install some competitiveness into kids.  My training manuals arrived on Saturdays so I have a lot of reading to do before it starts.

On Sunday, 5 MTB riders went to Gisburn Forest to sample a different trail centre.  Gisburn Forest is located just north of Clitheroe on the edge of the Pennies and is a part forest, part quarry type ride.  The first half of the ride was very very tough and through very narrow sections of forest where there was just no flow.  The second half of the centre opened up with some impressive berms and single track which really made up for the first half.  I really need to build my confidence at centres like this as there are some pretty big rocks and the whole route is rocky.  My slow speed skills need vastly improving now and that is one of my goals for his season. 

As the weather keeps improving my mind is turning to getting the road bike out and dusted off now.  With lighter evenings and hopefully some warmer weather I am hoping to really up my mileage.  Last year I was out most evenings covering anything from 15 to 40 miles.  Please hurry up spring.....

I'm a loser baby

Well after 8 weeks of dieting while taking part in the North Cheshire Clarion's first ever Biggest Loser i have successfully shed a stone.  When I started this I weighed 16st 6lbs which is the heaviest I have ever been but today I sit here weighing 15st 5lbs so as you can imagine I am well made up and have celebrated with an hour of the spinner and chilli and jacket potato tonight.

A couple of people have asked me how I have managed this.  "ell for me it was not easy; I cut out all sweet foods and fizzy drinks and replaced all processed foods with fresh veg, meat and fruit.  I ensure that I eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day mainly oranges because I love them.  I try to get on the spinning bike as much as possible but as we have decorating this isn't easy but on the plus side the decorating has had me up and down stairs.  I don't use the lift at work any more I walk up and down the stairs (5 flights).  My next target is to get under 15 stone,  Overall I am happy with my weight loss which has resulted in a 6.3% loss of body weight.