5 weeks to go

It's been an eventful couple of weeks since the last post, lots of training, my first 100mile ride and then a chest and throat infection which put me off the bike for a few days. Two rides have resulted in faulty valves on the inner tubes provided with the bike, despite Specialized selling their own brand tubes, these were some cheap chinese rubbish. Along with the dodgy valves I also had another puncture. Not sure that I can afford to have that much bad luck, so may well put my Schwalbe tyres on from the Raleigh, they seem less prone to puncturing. Need to order a few more decent tubes ready for the JOGLE.

My first 100miler went well. I managed to do it at an average speed of 15mph, which is well above the speed that I expect to do on the ride, so pleased with that. The first 50 miles was lovely, nice and warm, slight head wind. However after a coffee break, the weather had changed and I got soaked for the next 50 miles. Luckily i had my waterproof jacket with me, so kept most of the rain off my top half and kept warm. Could have done with putting the shoe covers on though to keep the feet dry.....

On the Thursday before the 100miler I had started to get a sore throat, which didn't hold me back for the 100 miler, but after 25 miles on Sunday I was starting to feel weak and found it hard to breath properly. However by Monday I knew that I should go to the Dr., so 8:40 I am sitting in the Dr's listening to him say I have a chest & thorat infection and also high blood pressure to boot. Not happy.... A course of anti-biotics seem to do doing the business though, I went out for a bit of hill training tonight without any ill effects. Blood pressure also seems to be back to normal, so much have been connected to the infection.

Onwards and upwards, this time in 5 weeks I shall be on the Inverness sleeper train :-)