Weekly update 3 from our Westportif warriors

With 2 1/2 weeks to go our weekend warriors are feeling the impact on their bodies. Read about how they are progressing for Westportif.

Wednesday Evening 24th June

I was hoping that the swelling in my knee and ankle would have gone down by today but unfortunately they hadn’t. On advice from the physio I didn’t go cycling. I can feel a head cold coming on too (the excuses are beginning to pile up!).

Friday Evening 26th June:

I’m eager to get back on the bike to get the legs moving again. After chatting to Paul, who I train with on the bigger cycles, we decided that Saturday evening suited us both to cycle this week. Paul recommended that I keep my legs fresh at this stage for the bigger cycle tomorrow evening (and a newbie like me takes all the advice they can get – more so if it involves not having to do a cycle!)

Saturday Evening 27th June:

I headed to Sligo where I am meeting Paul to go cycling. It’s hard to motivate myself as it feels like it’s been awhile since I cycled. Meeting someone else to train with makes it a little easier (and harder to back out of!). Easy wasn’t the word that came to mind after we started! I think Paul took me on every road that had a hill (Mountain!) on it. We were out for 1hr 48mins and managed 36km. I just about got through it! I felt it was very difficult in places with a lot of hills (the dreaded inclines for me!).

Afterwards, I felt happy as usual, it really does always feel better that you went out and done the cycle. Also, I felt I needed that cycle to focus myself. It made me realise that we are less than a month away from Westportif and at what stage I’m at. I need to stay focussed for the next few weeks. It amazed me and gave me some confidence that even though I hadn’t been cycling for nearly two weeks that I was able to get back in to it quickly and my legs felt good (Although I’d advise not leaving it any longer than that, it was still hard!). I felt if I had even been getting out forsmall cycles that I would have kept up my fitness a little better.

Sunday Morning 28th June:

My enthusiasm is restored (or the ‘don’t let it get the better of me’attitude!). After a hard weeks work you might like to go out for a few beers and that’s what I did last night (maybe it was to celebrate [or commiserate!] my achievement of been back in the saddle).

That said, you can have the best of both worlds, get fit and a social life, it would seem! I got up this morning and cycled out to get the car, taken a detour on the way around Castlebar. I ended up doing a 22km in 57mins (cycling!). Delighted with myself. My legs felt freer than they were Saturday evening. After finishing the cycle really felt that I am not that far away from where I want to be. I felt invigorated! I know there is a tough couple of weeks ahead and I need to push myself and get all my cycles done this week.

Cycling comes with a warning! (I’m sure there are many more that I will find out about along the way!) For any aspiring fathers out there, on an incline make sure that you avoid any cow dung/cow paths on the road (It may lead to a serious groin injury, which I narrowly avoided!).