All in a day....

Hello

A day.  A lot can happen in a day, it can be the best of your life, it can be a day that changes your life forever, a bad day at the office or the day you vowed to chase the dream you've always wanted.  Days can mark a special point in time, your anniversary, your birthday, a religious holiday.

I've had a mixture of days recently.  Wednesday 28th May is a special day, but it is tinged with sadness.

If Lisa was still around it would mark her 31st birthday.  It's a tragedy that she is not here to celebrate it.  But sometimes the stars that shine for the shortest time shine the brightest, and that she did.  Lisa battled cystic fibrosis almost in private, as much as she could she kept it out of her life.  I hope you find the following video inspirational, it's a small example of the courage, bravery and determination that Lisa and my father had.



A strange coincidence that the same day is also World Multiple Sclerosis Day (http://www.worldmsday.org/wordpress/tag/multiple-sclerosis/), and as you will have read in previous posts, the MS Society and CF Trust are the two charities we are raising money for via LEJOG and elsewhere.

And whilst some days are tinged with sadness, others on this journey are filled with joy.  On Saturday 24th June we held a murder mystery night at North Baddesley Infant School, over 100 people attended and a huge amount of people helped out from the organising on the day to donating prizes to our charity raffle.  It was an amazing night, filled with laughter and a fair few drinks which raised £2,000 towards our total and hopefully raised awareness of multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis! 

Here's an article if you'd like to read more about it:

http://chandlersfordtoday.co.uk/chameleons-help-raise-2000-for-cystic-fibrosis-multiple-sclerosis-charities/#more-15218

On Sunday I managed a cycle with Brendon, we headed across the South Downs on an 85 mile circuit and I must admit, that day I felt like I floated up and down the hills, still buoyed by the tremendous time we had the night before.

Here's a selfie from the ride and the usual Strava profile

Lastly I'll sign off on Saturday 31st May - the most challenging day so far in my cycling challenge - the longest ride 103 miles.  It isn't as hilly as some of the others, so fingers crossed I can get a silver time (I need to cross the finish line 7 hours and 21 minutes after I start, last time out it took me 8 hours although I had wind and many more hills to contend with.  Fingers crossed

Here's a link to the ride if you're interested in the route:

http://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/maps/ukce_wss_bournemouth_sportive_2014.pdf

Thanks for reading and happy pedalling!

Mike

MS and me

It was a strange event, I was intrigued, my dad had come to visit me in junior school.  I was ushered out of the class and went down to the gymnasium where he was stood there waiting for me in his naval uniform.  It was quite a mystery why he had come to visit, the feeling I had was akin to creeping downstairs on Christmas morning, full of excitement.  Dad's face was serious, but I was too young to be fearful of stern faces about to deliver bad news, and in any event, I wasn't going to understand the news.  Dad had come to tell me that he and mum were getting divorced.  I didn't really know what that meant so I was quite excited when I returned to class and shared the news with my friends.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives

For a time, not much really changed, as dad was away at sea most of the time and I was at school I didn't see him as I was growing up, although it did begin to settle in and I began to despise my father.  Mum did a terrific job of bringing us up, she worked hard and my sister and I had lots of laughter and love.  Obviously funds were a little tighter than they had been, but I don't recall ever missing out on anything.  But at school I was teased for not having the latest trainers or the coolest sports top.  I struggled with that quite a lot and didn't handle the teasing in the best way, which just made things worse.  I guess as children we can be cruel sometimes and what we couldn't appreciate is that events at home were taking their toll, but it's easy to look back now and say we'd have done things differently.

Fast forward several years and my mum and dad had got back together and things were looking up and starting to feel settled.  Life felt good.

I remember the Saturday morning very clearly, mum, dad and I were going to head in to town for a shopping trip.  I was excited about the prospect of shopping for the latest trainers, but it was more important than that, it was an iconic moment that showed the Lashmars were back and I was bursting with joy.  I was sat in the living room watching television whilst mum and dad were in the kitchen, a few hours before our trip. And then it started.....

I froze to begin with, the noise was eerie and scared me, an inhuman wailing, like a wild animal was in the house and I was terrified, rooted to the spot.  Seconds seemed to last forever as the noise continued filling my young body with gut wrenching fear.  From somewhere I managed to summon up the courage to head to the kitchen to find out what was going on, by then mum was screaming and a huge part of me didn't want to know what was going on, but I was about to find out.

Dad was writhing on the floor, it was entirely unnatural, his face which was contorted in a way that scared me as he wailed and groaned, it was like he was possessed.  Mum was in a state of panic, but was in control, she was trying to force her hand into dad's mouth to stop him biting his tongue as he fitted, she instructed me to get help from our friends who lived nearby.  The rest is a bit of a blur, I'm not sure if I or our friends called for an ambulance, I do remember running as fast as I could in my socks to their house to get help, but not much else.

What I didn't realise at the time, but I do now, was that this was a seminal moment in dad's battle with multiple sclerosis ("MS").  I don't think I was even aware of his illness before then, he was still working in the Royal Navy and appeared to function normally, but this was the beginning of our MS story for me.  If you think of your nervous system as a vast swathe of electrical cables, insulated to ensure the signal gets from one place to the next, then MS somehow causes your immune system to attack the cables, disrupting the signals that are sent.  Dad had progressive MS, but not only was it affecting his nervous system, it was affecting his brain too, hence the fit.

From then on life for dad progressively got more difficult, he struggled to walk and eventually couldn't, lost feeling in his hands, struggled to swallow and more beside.  As he had it in the brain too it impacted everything from mood to memory and it was sad to see decline in the once sharp mind that propelled him such a long way from joining the Royal Navy as a school leaver to an officer charged with looking after weapons communication systems that were highly complex.

As a teenager I struggled to come to terms with MS, but perhaps that's a story for another blog.  Instead, now is time to focus on my fight with MS (and cystic fibrosis), and by taking on Land's End to John O'Groats there is a focal point that may help us raise funds to fund those clever boffin scientists to develop a cure for these diseases, because it's high time we gave them the heave-ho!  So if you haven't yet, I invite you to join me in our efforts.  Thank-you.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives

Training Update
This weekend was 100 miles, the first was a very hilly 60 mile route across the South Downs with Chris Moody, some beautiful vistas across the rolling countryside made the climbs worthwhile with some amazing weather to boot.  I must admit I struggled with the hills, it was definitely a mistake to miss out on my brekkie as I was short of calories.  Chris is a seasoned hill climbing cyclist, so I'm lucky he was patient with me and waited several times for me to catch up!  It just shows that with only 2 months to go there is plenty of scope for improvement and many small challenges ahead of the big ride itself!  Here's the ride from Strava:

And last but not least, some pics from my Jurassic Beast Sportive last weekend:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives

Jurassic Beast!

Hello

This weekend I decided to up the training a gear to really test how far I'd progressed, here's how it went.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives

Saturday - 50 mile warm up

On Saturday I was joined by Garts for a ride around the forest, I planned out a 50 miler that I've done before that heads from Bramshaw to Lockerley (north west of Romsey) before tracking West towards Salisbury before tracking down towards Salisbury and then back home.

A few bumps on the ride make it a nice little warm up and both Garts and I pushed it out quite hard, making 15mph average pace which is pretty good going for me.  The gusty high wind and my aching back are ominous signs for the next day, so I cut the ride slightly short to about 47 miles, but overall a cracking warm up ride.

Sunday - 101 mile Jurassic Beast

The alarm was due to go off at 5:45am, but it didn't, I was already awake wondering if the cramp I had in my thigh last night would a sign of things to come. I tiptoed around the house finalising my kit putting it in my car, nearly forgetting my cycling shoes - I'm tired and I hope I wake up properly.

At 6:25am the car is ready and so am I; I pull off the driveway and begin the drive to Bovington Tank Museum, the start and finish location of the Wiggle ride.  By the time I arrive the car park is already busy with people preparing bikes and I grab my helmet and get out to head towards the registration centre.  One thing strikes me immediately, it is very windy and the wind is making me cold.  I curse not having my cycling coat and start to worry about how cold I will be on the ride and how all he coated riders that are swarming around will think I'm an idiot.  There's nothing I can do about it so I decide all the other riders will have to make do with thinking I'm a hard nut and I'll just have to grin and bear it.

The registration area is in the tank museum itself, a cracking setting but a long way from my car which gives me plenty of time to think about the gusting wind and the ride itself.  I decide that if the going gets tough I will repeat a few mantras, think positively and even hum a few good tunes in my head.

Within no time I'm on the start line, my computer is started to record my time and off we go.  I start in a peleton of around 20 riders and as we reach about 3 miles the course splits and whilst I head right on the "Epic" course most of the peleton head left on the "Short" or "Standard" course and I curse them for having a much easier time of it!

At about 11 miles I hit the first hill at Winterborne Houghton, a chocolate box village with Aston Martin's on the driveways and a ridiculously steep hill.  One of the riders jokes to me that "it's a bit dodgy around here" and I smile, the hill is tough but manageable, I feel strong and I push on.  Another 4 miles on and then another big hill, I push on through and all is good, months ago I would have struggled with this so the training seems to be paying off.  The good thing is whilst I can hear the strong winds rushing through the trees the high banks and hedges on the side of the windy countryside roads protect us.  So far so good.

On 20 miles there is yet another massive hill, a lot of people get off and push and I don't blame them, I'm very tempted, I sterr to my left to avoid one rider who is painfully walking up the hill and my bike wheelies because of the steepness of the hill, I manage not to fall off and get back on to complete the climb.  My back has already started to ache and it's a tough climb, but I cannot give in and I don't!  It seems to take an age to climb the hill at 3-4mph, but I remind myself of the downhill that will inevitably follow and I dig in.  The downhill comes as my legs scream for relief, my lungs burning and my glasses fogged with the effort, very soon I'm well over 30mph.

All of a sudden I'm shoved hard from the left, my bike is wobbling dangerously and I'm really struggling to keep control, I can't anchor on the brakes hard, If I do I'll be off, and if I'm off I'm checking in to hospital. I'm terrified, this is seriously bad and could easily end my LEJOG dreams!  The banked sides have ended and the road is fully exposed to the buffeting gusts, I need to get the bike speed down and get in control of the bike.  I battle for what seems like an age, the bike fishtails and wobbles, this is not good. I struggle, adrenaline is ripping around my body, I'm very very scared, but after what in reality is 3 or 4 seconds I get the speed down enough to get in control.  Phew!

I've now convinced myself that all the major hills have been done and despite the near mishap, things are going well, another big hill arrives on 30 miles just after I ride past the first feed stop and I manage to ride with a group without dropping back - a new experience for me, normally I just get left behind.

At 40 miles I ride through Piddletrentihde and Piddlehinton and it's at this stage I start getting hacked off by the wind, if it's not pushing me back it gusts from the side, when I should be going 20mph I end up going 12mph, the hills become much tougher than they need to be as the wind pushes me back down them, but I'm still pushing an average of over 14mph so I keep going.

One good thing about these organised rides is the social side of it, people ride past and gee you up or briefly chat about the conditions, they also tend to point out potholes and warn of oncoming cars or let you know if the junctions are clear when ahead of you.  If nothing else it helps break up the ride, those few seconds of conversation make all the difference when you are otherwise on your own and for once I feel able to speak to fellow riders rather than feeling like I'm struggling to utter a word.  For the first time on one of these rides I feel like I'm a part of it rather than an outsider who doesn't belong.

On 56 miles is the second and my first feed stop, huge butts of energy drink and all sorts of food.  I gulp down a banana, jelly beans and some flapjack.  My two water bottles are empty and I'm very thirsty so I gulp down some energy drink and fill the bottles back up, all done and dusted and I'm back on my bike in a few minutes - a quick time check shows me at just over 4 hours in the saddle, I'm a bit behind where I want to be time wise, it's not too bad and I blame the wind for holding me up.  The good thing is I've done all the major hills so the rest is easy......

No it isn't.  It definitely isn't.  Just 4 miles further at 60 miles my hopes and dreams of a nice flat (or downhill) remainder of the ride are absolutely shattered as I head to West Lulworth, a massive hill takes the wind out of my sails, but I stay in the saddle throughout the agonising climb. When you hit a big steep hill it gets tough pretty quickly, road bikes don't have the gears that a mountain bike so you can't sit there and spin your legs, you have to push through.  Very shortly your legs start to burn, your breathing rate increases and the sweat starts to pour.  The steeper the hill the more quickly the going gets tough and you get worn out, after that it's a case of how long you can tough it out for, it's mind over matter.  I manage to dig in (just) and I give myself a pat on the back as I enjoy the decent into West Lulworth, as with all the descents the gusty wind means I can't go full pelt but it's nice all the same and the scenery is absolutely fantastic.

At 65 miles we head towards Corfe Castle, an amazing site as it towers over the road, a circular tour out to Swanage follows and I'm expecting cramps at this stage, they normally appear around the 70 miles and make life agony, but they don't, yet.  I'm not too concerned, my back is agony, what started of as a murmuring dull ache has grown to full scale shouting pain, I try to shift around position, occasionally standing to pedal but ultimately there's not too much you can do about it and I just have to grin and bear it.  Thankfully my legs still feel strong and as the clock ticks over to the 6 hour mark I'm on 76 miles, less than 10 miles to the next feed stop and some sweet relief as I can allow myself to get off the bike again and stretch out my back.  The thought of getting off my bike and lying flat on the floor is incredibly seductive, but I must resist it, the ride will get more difficult if I do and I will just prolong my agony.

At around 80 miles someone in front drives straight off the road and in to a bush, going head over heels.  I would laugh if it were in any other setting but it's not, I know how he feels and why he's done it.  Tiredness is creeping in and it affects your concentration,  it's easy to make a mistake and the incident is a warning to me. I stop to check and thankfully he's fine if a little embarrassed.  I manage to remain in a group of a few riders and whilst my legs are starting to feel a little tired and heavy, I feel like I have enough left and apart from my screaming back, I'm in good shape.

The next feed stop is at 86 miles and I'm delighted to see it, I gulp down some more food and fill up on drinks again before heading off - 15 miles to go, the end is within touching distance and I cannot tell you how pleased I am.  But not so fast, one last huge hill climb sees more people off their bikes, I'm tempted beyond belief but manage to hang on and stay in the saddle.  I've had a stretch at the feed station but getting back on the bike just reinstated the pain and discomfort, I can't wait to get to single figures for miles left to go.

I count down the rest of the miles with glee, soon I can get off the bike, 7 miles, 6 miles, 5 miles....  My legs feel good, but they are now more like lead, I've now gone through my entire vocabulary of ride words to describe my back, my back and I are struggling to be on speaking terms, but I just need to hold on.  The thought of getting off my bike and walking the rest is seductive, I repeat my mantra and sing some tunes in my head desperately trying to distract myself.

Soon I see the Wiggle flags and I know I'm very close to home, then the emotions hit me just like the blustery wind earlier in the wide, I ride past a Wiggle marshall and she congratulates me, I gulp down and somehow manage a smile, I'm really struggling all the way to the finish line to control my emotions.  I know I'm being daft but I can't help it, after 8 hours of cycling (bar a few minutes and the feed stations) I'm exhausted.  Finally I get control of myself as I pass the finish line and get my finishing medal and I beam with pride, a really tough ride, over 7,000 ft of climbs and I did it!

So how did it go?  Better than expected, training is well and truly on track - although I'm glad I don't have to get up tomorrow and do it all again - come July 26th I will not have the choice, so I need to keep plugging away at it!

Thanks for reading

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives

Can you feel it?

Hello

Have you ever had that feeling?  I bet you have!  It's about the best feeling in the world.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives

A huge surge of adrenalin combined with a heady mix of endorphins. you can feel your body truly come alive, powered by a million volts of super human strength.  Emotions race, you feel so elated you could fly and breakdown in tears all at the same time, it's an incredible feeling, special and amazing.  If you could sell it as a drug I'm sure it would be the most addictive, if you could bottle it, it would be priceless.  So what is it?

It's been a few weeks since my last post, a two week holiday to China has been a fantastic break from the all consuming training and fund-raising, but I'm glad to get back in to the groove as the timer has now clicked below 100 days until the Land's End to John O'Groats ("LEJOG") challenge (in fact, it now stands at 82 days!).  Whilst in China I had plenty of time to think about LEJOG, visualising crossing the finish line was one of the better thoughts to cross my mind, saddle sore, aching legs, back, tiredness were some of the others. I'm quite sure that when I cross the line those feelings will pulse through me in an uncontrollable burst of relief and elation.

Cycling 950 miles is (thankfully) not the only way to experience those feelings, but they are not easy to come by, getting married, winning the league, getting recognised for all those years of toil and effort, the birth of a baby son or daughter, landing a dream house, they're all on the list too.  I must admit, I've had more than my fair share of those feelings so I've been incredibly lucky

How would we feel if the money we raised help make a breakthrough in the fight against multiple sclerosis or cystic fibrosis?  I'm not going to shout about potential cures but there is plenty going on in both fields that gives us much hope for the future, MS with simvastatin and MS-Smart and CF Trust's Research Strategy launched a year ago.  The money we raise genuinely could make the difference.

We may be one step removed from these diseases, we will not benefit personally from supporting these charities and finding a cure, sadly it's too late to save the people close to me.  But just imagine being told that the drug you need to stop the progression of your illness, to even cure you, is now available to you.  I can't imagine that.  The strength of feeling would be so overwhelming, so incredible, and I'm glad we can play our part in that, because one day I'm certain it will happen, I hope that day comes soon.

Training Update
I realise I haven't done much in the way of training updates, so I thought I'd fill you in.  This last week I headed to the gym three times for spinning sessions, if you've not come across spinning it's a group bike exercise to music, high intensity interval training that combines resistance and aerobic training that really pushes you, ideal for LEJOG prep.

On top of three gym sessions I headed out for a few rides this weekend, a 40 mile ride around the New Forest with my LEJOG riding buddy (Brendon) and his brother (Gareth) and a 50 mile ride which took me nearly 3.5 hours!  On both rides I felt stronger and faster, fitter and better, the training is really starting to pay off, and just as well - next weekend is the first of my 100+ mile training rides - the rather ominously named Jurassic Beast!  Here's the Strave update of my 50 mile ride:

I'll be in tough again later this week to update you all on fund raising activities, it's been a bisy time and recently we've raised a great deal of money which has been superb, there's still a long way to go though!

Thanks for reading & happy cycling

Mike

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives