Training? What Training?

We have had a lot of people ask us what type of training we are doing for the trip. For quite a while there, we were doing great. Long rides on the weekends, intervals during the week. Going to the gym to work on weights, running on the treadmill, stretching… We were doing great. Our mileage was up to 300 km every week we were really getting used to putting in the time on the saddle..

Now however, things have stalled.

By the end of this week, Dave will have worked 21 days in a row non stop on The Incredible Hulk. Obviously he hasn’t had much of a chance to ride. 7 days a week and 12 hours a day can really put a dent in the training schedule. He is pretty dedicated though and has managed to fit in some rides after work .

I have taken the opportunity of Dave working these insane hours to avoid any strenuous exercise what so ever and keep myself busy with everything but working out. There is a lot that needs to be done for the tour and it is my duty to save Dave from having to do all of these mundane things later on right? So I will force myself to take on the responsibility of shopping!

The end of season sales at the bike shops are great at the moment. We now have shiny new jerseys and shorts, arm and leg warmers, colourful socks and some stylish hoodies which won’t be coming to Africa with us, but they were a great deal! I have taken the bikes in for tune ups (again and again), we have bought most of our spare bike parts (aside from the little things), we have our camping gear organized, have all of our shots from the travel doctor, our prescriptions are filled, and I am pretty sure of where we are going to stay in Cairo for our 10 days prior to the tour. I have even rented our storage locker and started packing up a few things in our apartment. We are looking good!

I am a little obsessive about being prepared way ahead of time to avoid having too much to do in December. However, all I am really doing is missing out on great riding weather. It is going to be cold soon and I am going to wish that I was on my bike more in September so that maybe I could take it easier in the colder months. Too late now.
I have to admit that I do feel good that so much is done though. I really feel that I can let myself get back to my workouts 100%. I am ready to ride again baby, and I hopefully won’t be stressing as much about the overwhelming “to do” list that I have waiting for me at home.

Today, I got back in the game and joined Nani and the gang for a group ride. It is surprising how quickly stamina can go (at least for me). I didn’t feel nearly as strong as my last 120km ride two weeks ago. I was pretty tired for most of the day and cursed myself for being so lazy. Why didn’t I go to the gym, why didn’t I get up and go for a jog? Why didn’t I join Dave for a ride in the park after work? Questions that can only be answered with a “because you are a lazy bum Deb.”

O.K, O.K, I am not a lazy bum, I WAS a lazy bum, because as of today, I am back in training mode. And I promise to keep it up until I am on the plane to Cairo. I have no choice. Time is going faster than expected and I am not at all where I wanted to be by now. Here is a picture of the ride today, you can barely see me squatting behind Nani in the yellow jersey.

I have to say that I am really proud of Dave though, he had a few hours off while waiting for a location move today, so he came home and did an hour and a half of hard interval training. What a guy!