Never gets easier

Goal setting

It's been awhile. Lots has happened..

Just after I recovered from my back injury I learned the hard way what doing nothing about a hernia can do for you. It'd been sore for some months but as usual, in the interests of continued cycling I let it go, and put the irritating pain to the back of my mind. Finally, something I did (no idea just what it was) triggered a massive wave of pain and I had no option but to book in to see a specialist about it.

Specialist Day came and his words were "This is bad, we can do you tonight". Hmmm not exactly what I needed to hear as I wanted to have (yet) another go at Everesting and things had been going really well, I had a decent climb in mind, and I was confident in pulling it off this time. So, in my normal fashion, I put it off for a week to see if it would settle down and I could continue training.

Come my scheduled appointment time my stomach was killing me and I could barely move without searing pain. Spent a couple nights in hospital and finally went home with a large patch across my stomach. When I was being released from the hospital the nurse took out the "line" in my hand only to have blood go spouting all over the floor and everywhere else cause they've given my blood thinners overnight to stop any potential blood clots. So with blood all over my clothes I headed home.

So now it's been several weeks since the operation and I've tentatively started back on the bike. Taking things easy, and although there's some mild pain it's bearable. So for now it's just one day or so "on" and a couple days "off" till I'm sure nothing's going to burst open! Because the hernia was deep, they put a patch over it, about the size of my palm. Reminded me of patching a tube, which basically it was. My daughter tells me those things can move if you're not careful or do too much too soon. Again, not something I wanted to hear.

I've also started running again. I used to be "a runner" for many years, doing half and full marathons and quite enjoyed it. I'd seen a race in NZ called "Motatapu", and it's always drawn me to the scenery and the nature of the trail marathon through some epic countryside. The thought of doing a trail marathon in such a spectacular place (Lake Wanaka - Queenstown) is really a drawcard and so I've decided that will be next on my goal setting list for next year. It's somehting I know I can do since I've done it several times before.

With that in mind I've started running in to work a couple days a week when times permits. It's only 17k, but with a pack of clothes, shoes, lunch etc on my back it's definitely not easy. I'm running, or shuffling along pretty slowly for now, just till I get back into the swing of foot power again. The first few times were really tough, but now I'm settling in to a slow but sustainable pace and in the coming weeks I'll start to speed up a bit.

It's certainly working wonders for my weight (I put on too much sitting around the house for weeks). Along with my daughters famous "Green Soup" for lunch I managed to lose 5 kilo's in 5 weeks so far. Another few kilo's and I'll be in a good place.

After reading "The Dandenong Ranges" Everesting articles I'm motivated again to have another go. That and having my Hells 500 jersey on certainly gives me the desire to prove I can do and rightly belong to the crew. It's never over till the fat lady sings....

The Intervening Months

Well, what a few months it's been. Just as I was getting fitter and reaching a reasonable standard, aiming for an Everesting in June/July I came off my mountain bike and smashed my back quite badly. Badly enough it seems that I injured my Psoas Major, a large muscle at the bottom of my spine (which continues down through your hip). That was enough to see me off any exercise for several weeks, along with several trips to the doctor to get some sort of electrical prod shoved into my back.

Just when I thought things may have been getting better it then turned out I'd made a slight hernia far far worse, necessitating immediate surgery. If I'd thought my back injury was painful, this was another level altogether! So in reality it's been the best part of nearly 3 months of doing nothing but sit around feeling sorry for myself and driving my wife up the wall complaining about getting fat because I wasn't able to do anything. I was right though, I've put on several kilo's that need to be shifted in a big hurry.

It's been several weeks since my surgery and I'm only now getting back into some gentle exercise. I did ride into work last Tuesday but that saw me quite sore by the time I got home, not to mention exhausted, which only made me feel more irritable about my situation. It also saw me get a scolding from my wife about the hazards of cycling (she's not a fan..).

Short Term Goals

My son, being an excellent runner, suggested I set some running goals since it's been 12 years since I last did a marathon. Running always got me lean and fit quite quickly and "back in the day" I could smash out a half marathon under 1hr 50 minutes (just over 5:20min/km pace). Buoyed by that we've decided we'll try and do the Gold Coast 50 Ultra in December together. I've told him he'll be waiting a few extra hours for me to finish, however the goal is to train and get thin, and above all, to finish.

Running is another world to cycling. It may take me 5-6hrs, but I see it as a fairly easy target provided I do the requisite training beforehand, and I don't bust my notoriously weak knees in the lead up. My knees were the reason I stopped running in the first place and took up cycling again. I figure it's an easier path to weight loss and that ever present "want" to doing an Everest. Weight weenies should start with their body first, then worry about the weight of the bike. It's less costly :-)
So from here on it'll be a combination of both running in to work and commuting by bike, with the monthly Strava Climbing Challenges thrown in to provide some extra motivation.

I have to say though, following #withallihaveblog, #worldeverestingproject and #yodaandthebike provides me more than enough motivation to want to continue with my desire to complete an Everesting. I bought a Hells500 jersey too a few months back and that also is a source of inspiration and aspiration.

Anyhoo, off to do some of the "wombat shuffle" and remove some fat from this sturdy frame of mine. #pathlete

See you on the road.

Blip in the Road to Nepal...

From Ferrari to 1972 Skoda

Hi everyone,

As you're no doubt aware I haven't been riding much in the last few weeks. I've had immense back pain that's been quite excruciating and just haven't had the motivation to ride.

So eventually I went to the doctor who ordered blood tests and x-rays (and now ultrasounds). Turns out I have some curvature of the spine, something not quite right with my vertabrae (flattened off or some such term) that apparently was the result of something from my youth, a problematic muscular issue with my lower back (it's been painful as all hell) and to top it all off, looks like I also have a small hernia. All only a week out before I was thinking of having another Everest attempt. Ugh!

So, what to do? I've been given a pile of painful exercises to do, as well as a referal for ultrasounds to see the extent of this hernia. Really feeling quite annoyed and frustrated at this moment. I'd enjoyed a relatively good buildup these past few months, and have been feeling really energetic and fitter than ever. All I really needed was some distance in my legs, which becuase of my back I haven't been able to get in. But before my back got really bad I was still in the frame of mind to have another go "on the quiet" and see what transpired.

This was the ideal situation for me to have a go at Everesting as my family will be away for a week. With the exception of my Ay-Up light battery dying a few weeks back (and no replacement due for another 2 weeks), I'd be doing it with a "25 lumen" handlebar light from K-Mart. Definitely NOT ideal, but still "sort of" doable.

To pass the time commuting by train I've been reading a LOT of books - all cycling related. Recent books were Graham Obree's Flying Scotsman and just 2 nights back, Chris Boardmans latest Triumphs and Turbulence which is proving to be an excellent and highly recommended read. Brad Wiggins My Hour has been one of my key motivators so far these past few months though. Just love his candid style.

So next weekend I might sneak out and see how far I can go before falling off my bike. My initial thoughts are to see 1. If I can get on my bike (probably a major point), 2. How much it hurts to ride, and 3. How far I can go before failure/exhaustion sets in.

No thoughts of Everesting due to my body's failure to work correctly, but I've missed riding and need to do something to keep me occupied. God knows mowing and gardening aren't high on my list!!

Jeff

7 weeks in - 13 to go

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.

Starting Over

Given my errors in what's required to Everest I've gone away, had a think about things, and decided to start building up once again. I'm not one to quit any challenge and that grey jersey is still at the forefront of my mind.

Since moving back to Brisbane I've easily completed the Strava climbing challenges without too much effort being required. To achieve these I've started my own plan as to how to go about building both strength and endurance via two 10 week plans.

Stage 1 involves commuting to work as much as possible, and to this end, I've managed to find the hilliest route I can take to build strength in my legs. I can sometimes manage over 800m of climbing per day just by commuting to work. Added to this is a Thursday or Friday ITT to raise my threshold level, and in between some rest days to ensure I don't get overcome by fatigue.

The weekends are taken up (depending on family requirements) with a ride I call "Mt Pain", which is basically 1300m of climbing in 40k's. This ride includes 2 x 20% climbs and then some very steep punchy climbs to round it off. It's a killer.

I've decided to give the Strava Fitness and Freshness app a go, following it religiously each ride to monitor both my improving fitness levels and my associated fatigue. Once fatigue gets too high, then I'll back off or take a rest day to get it down.

Stage 2 will involve longer rides to get some much needed endurance. So I'm working on getting my weekend rides up to 160-200k's. This was a major shortfall in my last Everest attempt so I'm determined to address this, this time around.

Sometime in the next few weeks I'll also plan in some time spent where my next attempt will be made. It requires 66 laps of a mountain with a much easier gradient than I've tried before. I'm going to aim for "half way" or "Mt Blanc" as I call it (a 4000m mountain in Europe). This will be a good indicator as to how my fitness and "plan" is going.

I'll update this blog as my fitness grows.