However, I've not been totally detached from cycling as I've been watching some fantastic racing on the telly. The Paris-Roubaix yesterday was so exciting! Jeeso, so many cobbles! How do they do that on a road bike??! And, some of the cyclists risked getting hit by a passing TGV train when they jumped the level crossing barriers! Absolute eejits!! (But, I'm ashamed to say, quite entertaining to watch...)
Of course, I would never do anything so stupid when I'm out on bike. I might be a not-so-serious cyclist - but I do take my safety (and the safety of everyone else on the road around me) very seriously indeed.
Anyway, I digress, This morning I did manage a very, very short cycle but, even though it was very, very short, it was very very tough! A paltry 5.6km (3.5 miles)!
I'm writing this post one hour since arriving back home and I still have lung burn! I clearly have a long way to go in improving my fitness before riding 100km through the night in London at the end of May, and definitely before riding 350km across Tanzania in October.
What I learned today though is that training doesn't always have to be about clocking up lots of miles.
I hardly ever get lung burn during, or after, one of our long leisurely rides. Even if they've included big hills. So, I'm not sure what was so different about the very short ride I did this morning. I guess it was because I cycled fairly fast, and I included a couple of steepish hills, which I also managed to cycle up fairly fast (well, fast for me!).
I absolutely love our long, leisurely rides - cycling for me will always be mostly about exploring, taking in the scenery, the freedom, managing a few more miles, feeling chuffed about getting to the top of big hills, and the indescribable pleasure that I get from whizzing down said big hills. But the short ride this morning taught me that the sprints can be just as rewarding as the marathons.
I felt like I'd really 'worked out'. I broke a big sweat after only a few miles and I could hardly breathe when I was finished. Until now, I'd felt that a few miles on the bike didn't really 'count' as training. But, I've learned today that that's not true. It's how I do the miles, as well as how many I do, that really matters.
I guess I got a bit of a buzz from cycling hard and fast, even if it was only for a few miles. Maybe there's the makings of a serious cyclist in me after all! Though, no matter how seriously I ever take my cycling, I'll never, ever feel the need to try to out-sprint the TGV...
