AM's record so far this year
So some time in January we seem to have a tradition of sitting around our Senior Team Table and the boys think of the next "more demanding, than the last one, " challenge.
As a company we try to get all our teams involved so set a company theme this year of Mountains - the aim being everyone could set their own personal mountain to achieve in 2018. A good idea - I thought as having a challenge in the year is always a great target. Well, the Senior team decided that since the theme was mountains - why not crack the mother of all mountains -Everest on a bike. The challenge was born and played out as -cycle the equivalent of basecamp in 7 days after work. The following week cycle the equivalent height of advanced base camp - a two-day cycle in Wales, they have so many mountains, and it would be rude not too as we have an office there. Finally, to cycle the equivalent height to the summit it was felt we should tackle Ventoux an iconic mountain the challenges of which are mentioned in Matthew's blog.
Well, anyone that knows me - I have always played sports, I love the team aspect but I usually played a position that took little extreme effort but enjoyed the camaraderie of being part of all it had to offer. Definitely, not a natural sportswoman and here I am being cajoled each year into doing a bigger and more challenging cycle. This year cycling the equivalent height of Everest seemed an impossible challenge. I truly hate hills with a passion, the breathlessness, the pain and yes the summit is usually beautiful but worth the agony? ......definitely debatable.
We started training in April- though my Strava tells a different story, apparently I have done very little apart from a 307mile ride when I forgot to turn my activity feed off and was recorded driving the Wessex and Wiltshire Downs! I track my activity vicariously through the rest of the team, I'm a bit of a Strava stalker, they record the activity- I clock it to see my training is on track!
Anyway, I really did start April and found every training day tough. I didn't seem to be getting any fitter, my breathing was as laboured in April as June and I still felt I wanted to get off and walk most hills- the air around me was blue as I developed a little chant of swear words to get me up each hill. Why oh why did I say yes that day back in January?
My training, as well as cycling, has involved joining an intro to Tri club course - Swimming, running and cycling. Anyone who has messed with Tris- they are lovely people but just always want to do more! I thought I could swim till I went to Tri training night and found to my one length the rest of the club did 2. Cycling I was the slow steady one at the back and running - well much the same really slow steady one at the back. No-one minded and they tolerated all us Newbies with an infectious patience that made you want to try and do better, but that old struggle of breathing and legs hurting was becoming familiar.
More recently, I foolishly - can you see a pattern emerging(?) definitely a slow learner- signed up for Race the Tide in the Lakes. This little gem was courtesy of my niece, who chirped- "hey AM why don't you do the Race the Tide with us, it's fun!" Not wanting to be a party pooper I drove the 6 and a half hour journey to find the other "golden oldies," supposedly signed up with me weren't coming. So there I was entered for the event and my sister in law issuing words of warning about how challenging the event was and checking I was aware of what I had signed up to - er No I don't think so!!! It was a full-blown 7km obstacle course. Scaling 9ft walls, walking a plank 10ft above a river to jump into it's icy depths, crossing the river 5 times, throwing yourself under nets into black sticky mud and lots more.
So here we are three days till we start, I am beginning to feel a little fitter, I still pant up those, hills and the legs still burn, but somehow it is easier to climb each one we tackle. Will I manage 7 days on the trot? I have no idea. This for me has been a mammoth challenge. I can relate with every truculent teenager as I have had to tear myself from my bed to climb yet more hills which in my head was something I didn't want to do anyway!
As always if we are going to put ourselves to the test there is a request for sponsorship - we don't want much, just lots of you to give a little please. To donate please go to the link:
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/AbicareEverestChallenge
To view the full challenge:
Everest Route Book
As a company we try to get all our teams involved so set a company theme this year of Mountains - the aim being everyone could set their own personal mountain to achieve in 2018. A good idea - I thought as having a challenge in the year is always a great target. Well, the Senior team decided that since the theme was mountains - why not crack the mother of all mountains -Everest on a bike. The challenge was born and played out as -cycle the equivalent of basecamp in 7 days after work. The following week cycle the equivalent height of advanced base camp - a two-day cycle in Wales, they have so many mountains, and it would be rude not too as we have an office there. Finally, to cycle the equivalent height to the summit it was felt we should tackle Ventoux an iconic mountain the challenges of which are mentioned in Matthew's blog.
Well, anyone that knows me - I have always played sports, I love the team aspect but I usually played a position that took little extreme effort but enjoyed the camaraderie of being part of all it had to offer. Definitely, not a natural sportswoman and here I am being cajoled each year into doing a bigger and more challenging cycle. This year cycling the equivalent height of Everest seemed an impossible challenge. I truly hate hills with a passion, the breathlessness, the pain and yes the summit is usually beautiful but worth the agony? ......definitely debatable.
We started training in April- though my Strava tells a different story, apparently I have done very little apart from a 307mile ride when I forgot to turn my activity feed off and was recorded driving the Wessex and Wiltshire Downs! I track my activity vicariously through the rest of the team, I'm a bit of a Strava stalker, they record the activity- I clock it to see my training is on track!
Anyway, I really did start April and found every training day tough. I didn't seem to be getting any fitter, my breathing was as laboured in April as June and I still felt I wanted to get off and walk most hills- the air around me was blue as I developed a little chant of swear words to get me up each hill. Why oh why did I say yes that day back in January?
My training, as well as cycling, has involved joining an intro to Tri club course - Swimming, running and cycling. Anyone who has messed with Tris- they are lovely people but just always want to do more! I thought I could swim till I went to Tri training night and found to my one length the rest of the club did 2. Cycling I was the slow steady one at the back and running - well much the same really slow steady one at the back. No-one minded and they tolerated all us Newbies with an infectious patience that made you want to try and do better, but that old struggle of breathing and legs hurting was becoming familiar.
More recently, I foolishly - can you see a pattern emerging(?) definitely a slow learner- signed up for Race the Tide in the Lakes. This little gem was courtesy of my niece, who chirped- "hey AM why don't you do the Race the Tide with us, it's fun!" Not wanting to be a party pooper I drove the 6 and a half hour journey to find the other "golden oldies," supposedly signed up with me weren't coming. So there I was entered for the event and my sister in law issuing words of warning about how challenging the event was and checking I was aware of what I had signed up to - er No I don't think so!!! It was a full-blown 7km obstacle course. Scaling 9ft walls, walking a plank 10ft above a river to jump into it's icy depths, crossing the river 5 times, throwing yourself under nets into black sticky mud and lots more.So here we are three days till we start, I am beginning to feel a little fitter, I still pant up those, hills and the legs still burn, but somehow it is easier to climb each one we tackle. Will I manage 7 days on the trot? I have no idea. This for me has been a mammoth challenge. I can relate with every truculent teenager as I have had to tear myself from my bed to climb yet more hills which in my head was something I didn't want to do anyway!
As always if we are going to put ourselves to the test there is a request for sponsorship - we don't want much, just lots of you to give a little please. To donate please go to the link:https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/AbicareEverestChallenge
To view the full challenge:
Everest Route Book
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