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21. Committing

No. Not a crime.  Today's the day I'm committing to doing this challenge.  It's three months to go and my training is going well. Various long distance hilly, slow and steady  jaunts in the bag. The knee is holding up. Back-to-backs and triple back-to-backs planned.  190 miles ticked off in February.   Quite frankly, up until now, there was always a grey doubt-cloud hanging over me with my knee. I can't believe how far I've come, both in distance and confidence,  from only a few months ago.  A few days in Scotland on the Applecross Peninsula. 18 miles over the pass in the rain, making new friends with the animals.... ...to be rewarded with a lovely view of Skye as the rain clears and the run ends.  This is why I do it.  Another 26 miles back near home, running down memory lane as I do a loop around the Washburn Valley, up and along the Chevin, down to Menston (where I grew up) along the moors to Ilkley, and back to Timble.   Su...

15. Left or right?

I don't want to get political. But I've been turning left for quite some time, and now I'm a bit sick of it. Ok, it's been a change, with a smoother ride, less bumpy and less chaos. But all the doom and gloom about what's gone on in the past and how it takes short term pain for long term gain, it's all got a bit pessimistic.  I want to turn right again.  I want to get back to the good old days. You know, like reaping the rewards after investing in steep climbs, by sitting back, drinking and enjoying the less taxing rolls.  Like partying at the top despite others still struggling to climb up. 

So I ditched my usual left inclination, reformed and turned right the other day.  And I have to report it felt good. I came out in a cold sweat. Breathless.  But I did it. I actually turned right for once. 

Nothing to do with politics of course (I'm very comfortable with which way I'm turning on that front). It was whether I turn left or right out of my house on my bike.

To turn left is to go east, to the Vale of York, and the long uneventful flat roads around Boroughbridge. A bit boring but dependable. No surprises. Apart from the wind which whips up in middle of the vale seemingly from all directions. No hills or frills means less load through the knee.  It means I'm able to get the aerobic workout without the inevitable flare. 

But to turn right is to go west. Up. Towards the Dales. Climbing into the hills. More excitement. Harder sections. More strength as well as aerobic work. More load through the knee.  I haven't been able to turn right for sometime. There had been no choice. It's been left for a good few months. 

But last weekend I flipped. I pivoted. I was ready. It was still gentle, but it was freeing. And rolling down those hills after climbing them definitely felt, for that moment, less taxing and like a party. Progressive. 

To be honest, I'm actually doing less cycling now as I'm building up my treadmill running in the gym, with only one long cycle a week. The one, two and then three minute running intervals, with walking in between, three times a week, have now increased to 2 x 10 minutes with 2 minute walk in between. The treadmill is good as the impact is less and load predictable.  The gym is proving priceless as that's where I always am, and it's helping with the strengthening of my core more.  The next stage, whilst increasing the time running, is getting outside - onto flat grass fields. 
The challenge (apart from trying to take a photo whilst running on a treadmill!) is converting twenty minutes to eight hours, every day, for five weeks, in just eight months' time. Hmmm. 

I should forget worrying whether to go left or right and concentrate on just keeping going onwards and upwards.

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