Where did it stop?
Just a month a go Dennis and I headed to Cape Town for the ABSA Cape Epic, strange how I thought I was in good shape before the prologue, then realised at the end of Day 2 that I wasn’t in quite the shape I thought I was. A week later, I was in the shape of my life. Coming home, tanned, toned and super fit – for a 41 year-old – my times tumbled and I felt super strong on every ride. Now it’s like someone has turned the tap off. How do I get it back? My legs are heavy and tired my breathing is rasping through lungs and as for speed, well it is like I am towing giant anchor behind the bike. I’m still cycling everyday 40km to work, some days I’m doing both directions some I am just going in then using the train to come home.
I don’t think it’s cycling that is the issue, it’s food. I burned 8000 calories a day on the Epic and could hardly eat enough to sustain myself. Now I’m only getting through about 4000 and of course I’m at work so I’m grazing on the odd chocolate and bag of crisps – and the occassional big mac (I have only had one since I got back!)
So I lost exactly a stone over the course of the epic, now I’m noticing what happens when you lug an extra few pounds up hills and the difference is quite telling.
Now I’m not exactly big – 74kg – but every cake, biscuit, bag of crisps and sweet treat counts. I ahve no will power when it comes to chocolates and crisps either I’m weak minded. They call to me in their shiny wrappers, seduce me with their flavour and finally leave me wanting more. Sweets and cocolates are the scarlet women of my life, luring in me in and lulling me into that “you’ll never get caught” and “you know you like it feeling” until finally you wake and realise that they have added several pounds to your body and made slower that a snail with a cold.
So a new motto – stop eating rubbish – I promise to try and be good and not stray from the path of fruit, veg, pasta and rice coupled with an increase in the hours on the bike, really I do. If only they would take away the vending machine of ill repute from near my desk at work, then temptation wouldn’t get the better of me!
Time for tea now and a cake, well it is Sunday!