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.