7 Weeks
into Training
Well, 7 weeks (of a planned 20) have flown past
and I’m feeling pretty good “where I’m at” fitness wise. My Fitness and
Freshness scores are coming along nicely and when on the bike I’m feeling
pretty good when it comes to the hilly workouts. I’m getting plenty of PR’s on
many days up some of the “baseline climbs” too. I’m not a fast climber, more a
diesel than a V8, but I still get there in the end.
Several days a week I’ve been doing various “hilly
commutes” into the city, logging between 600-700m per day, though all the
climbs are short and (a couple in particular) very steep. Though they’re short,
they’ve provided some much needed muscular power to my legs and have also aided
in me losing over 5 kilo’s in weight. I figure this is a good thing J I’m trying to be far more disciplined
with what I put in my mouth too. Less weight, better strength = easier
climbing.
Following this block of 10 weeks, I then plan
to start extending the weekend rides to incorporate more distance rather than
straight out strength. I figure I have the strength now, but I’m lacking the
distance (endurance) aspect to undertake an Everest ride of at least 260k’s,
though of course, half of that will be
downhill.
The hill to be Everested has been done once
before (last year), so I know how many reps required etc straight from the
table on http://everesting.cc . I’ve also
ridden the hill before, last year, completing 18 laps one Saturday morning.
Despite a couple very short steeper pinches, I think this time I’ll complete
the required laps. I’m far (far!) fitter now, having benefitted from my prior
failures in that I know the how and why of Everesting, and feel far more
capable than previous. The hill itself isn’t particularly steep or overly long.
The gradients are far shallower and thus more “doable”. A big plus (for me
anyway) is that come the day, the whole family will be away for a couple weeks
meaning I’ll have no guilt about being out on the mountain. This has been a big
factor on previous attempts for me. I have incredible feeling of guilt when I'm away riding, when I have plenty to do at home, or being with my family. It's been a tough gig for me mentally to overcome.
This time, I’ll also have “sherpa’s” to help me
out. I’ve learnt from other people who have Everested multiple times that this
is an invaluable service and definitely needed for the mental battle that gets
waged in your head the further you climb. Some of the gang from The Bimblers http://www.bimblers.com have kindly offered
to come out on the day as “crew” and provide support for me. Awesome effort.
So, just 3 more weeks, then I’ll be into the
final block of training before the big day. I’m really motivated this time to
accomplish this goal.
