Weight loss, O yes!

Well end of the month and time to weigh in and check the progress. End of January I went 16s 4lb, had not set myself a target for the end of Febuary, that way I could'ent be disappointed. So what am I now, 15s 8lb, very happy indeed as thats another 10lb last month. I did think I had slowed up a bit but thats now two months running loosing 10lb. To say I am pleased is an understatement, "Roll on Paris".

Chiily dogs and seagulls!

My week has been quite a full one with work, cycling and fund raising. At work we have been approaching the end of our big sale period and the pressure to deliver the numbers has meant a big draw on my time, thankfully it paid off with a very busy weekend. We have also set up our grand raffle draw at work this week with three great prize's topped by a Kindle fire HD. We only have a matter of a 1,000 tickets to sell, but the girls at work did a fantastic job in selling £50 to customers on Saturday, with the draw on May 6th we have a big task ahead to sell them all. I picked the best day of the week to have as a day off on Tuesday, the sun shone bright even if it was slightly chilly. I am still getting up to full speed after hurting my back and left home on the bike with the view to seeing how I went, no set mileage in mind just suck it and see. I felt OK and was operating at a steady pace, turning off the main road in Rochford I headed for the country roads. Up ahead and at a low altitude came a suicidal seagull, it was one of those moments when you look and think it will see me, it will see me, for F*@! sake why can't it see me, and as I started to break it did see me and like an X wind fighter after bombing the death star it pulled out at the last moment. Now cruising through the lanes and the sun on my back I was dreaming of the summer days that lay ahead, I felt real good and ended up taking the longer way back from Wallasea extending the ride to thirty miles. While coming up the final drag to home I encountered my second animal near miss of the day, the old boy with his dog up ahead had obviously not judged my speed and had started to cross the road. I made the decision to speed up to clear him before he reached my side of the road, this was fine until I jumped out of my skin as his dog, unbeknown to me, had a pathological dislike for bikes. He strained at the leash and growled and snarled like a rabid beast, I was truly thankful for the short leash he was on at the time. We then came to the end of the week and to today, a nice peaceful Sunday at home which with Paris in mind means a bike ride is a must. Now today was nothing unusual Gray and overcast like a lot of days, one thing stood it apart was a keen North Easterly wind giving a wind chill of about -4. Gearing myself up for a cold one I got the bike from the garage, a flat tyre, where did that come from. After changing the inner tube I picked up the trip computer, flat battery, ahhhhhhh, I could see how today was going and I was not liking it one bit. At least I had my new thermal top and the gloves came straight off the warm radiator as I left the house. Boy was it cold but I was well wrapped and in good shape, head warm, check, body warm, check, hands warm, check, feet warm, no. You see I still haven't invested in shoe covers and while the rest of me stayed real toasty my feet ended up as blocks of ice, peddling was fine clipped in and with twenty miles the order of the day I could live without my feet. Summer still feels a long way off but Paris is rushing up fast, with work getting busy and fund raising in full swing my focus in firmly on being ready for D day June 6th "Roll on Paris".

Back in the Saddle.

I was at the physio on Saturday to check out the back. I was a bit concerned and not looking forward to the prognosis but as the days went by and Saturday came it felt a bit easier every day. It had been a while since I have had the need for physio and had forgot the art of contortion performed by such individuals on your body. Well the good news was that there was no damage to the discs, I had opened a facet joint though and been given a number of stretches to help it recover. So now its time to re strengthen and not over do things, easier said than done. Like a good boy I have been keeping up with the stretching and on Thursday went out for a leisurly 15 miles on the bike, felt ok if a little stiff, looking to repeat again on Sunday. Still a long way to go and with a renewed determination "Roll on Paris".

Painfull problem!!!

Just a small update from today. I undertook a small 20 miles this morning in the wind. Everything was going well until turning into the end of my road. Pushing away from a stationary position on an uphill junction, BANG. It felt like I had been shot, the pain through my lower back was intense. I coasted home and needed help getting off the bike. Lets hope the back gets better soon, at the moment its a bit sore, Paris looks a long way away today so please support me with a small donation. "Roll on Paris".

A weight off my mind!

It has been a good week all round, I have been out three times on the bike racking up a total of 100 miles and the healthy eating is starting to deliver results. Even West Ham won this week, so could not get much better than that. After the twenty miles in the high winds of Thursday I set myself the target of fifty on Friday, it was wet when I left and the wind chill made it a bit colder than I had expected. However the rain soon dried up and the coldness in my hands was not quite so bad now they were dry, I really can not wait till it warms up a bit and all I have to worry about is building up the miles and not about how I will keep from freezing. I enjoyed the ride and it was good to be able to get out in the saddle two days running, as the training progresses this will need to be two days running and four hours in the saddle each day, but for now just getting out is good enough. The other thirty miles was done today (Sunday) a blast out to Wallasea Island, a reasonably flat route that enables me to put some extra effort in and build some good speed. The wind was still blowing a bit and the way home was a little harder than normal. As I mentioned earlier I have been eating healthy since my Birthday on the 3rd of January and the big weigh in came at the end of the month. I was 17 stone on the 3rd and was looking to have dropped half a stone, so I was over the moon when the scales read 16 st 4lbs that was 10lbs lost in under a month WOW. So with four months to go till London to Paris I feel really positive and looking forward with a little less intrepidation than a couple of months ago, the big thing now on my mind is fund raising. £1,000 is my target and if everyone can give just a little I will feel all my efforts will be worthwhile, so if you can follow my link to the right for my just giving page I would be eternally grateful. With a renewed vigour "Roll on Paris".

Sailing bike needed!

To say it was windy today is a bit of an under statement. Over night it blew a gale and to tell you the truth put me right off going out in the morning, so I didn't. So come the afternoon the rain had cleared and the sun was out, sitting in doors is not getting me any closer to Paris so out came the bike and the elements had to be braved. The wind had eased a little but it was still very gusty, I set off with twenty miles the goal and a long trip planned for Friday. With the wind behind me it felt like I had raised the spinnaker sail and was flying along, touching 30mph with a slight decline aiding me, for the first few miles it was great. I left the town behind me and found the fields, with cross winds now trying to blow me to the other side of the road, I started to think about the journey home and heading into the wind. It was on me before too long and boy did I notice the difference, the spinnaker was now down and it felt like I should start tacking my way into the wind. At times when it gusted I felt like I stopped dead in the road, for all the speed and effortless riding out it was hard and energy sapping on the way back. I was glad I did go out and after all if the wind blows in June I'll still be doing 460 km. Roll on Paris.

Snow reason! Yes there is a reason.

The snow in the last week has kept me off the bike and meant I've had to find other ways of keeping the fitness training going. The exercise machine has been recovered from the loft where it has resided for the past ten years and a newfangled machine to aid the perfect sit up has followed me home from the shops. So now the front room is starting to resemble a gym and the fridge has never looked so healthy my get fit campaign is in full swing, I've lost half a stone since my birthday on the third of January and found today for the first time my trousers attempting to slip my hips. I did 15 miles on the mountain bike today and managed to dodge the remaining ice patches on the roads, can't wait to get back on the road bike though.

I would like to bring to everyone's notice the reason I am on this journey to be fit for London to Paris come June, that is to raise money to aid research into beating blood cancers. I have attached some facts on the different types of  disorders that effect around 30,000 people a year.

My aim is to raise over £1,000 through my cycle ride and would ask everyone that can to donate to my just giving page by following the link on the right of this page, every pound will help, so please support me in helping beat blood cancer. Thank you.

Roll on Paris.

Facts about blood cancers

Anyone can get a blood cancer at any age. Around 30,000 people, from babies to grandparents, are diagnosed with blood cancer every year in the UK.

Leukaemia

Of the 7,600 cases of leukaemia diagnosed in the UK every year, 94% are adults.
We are leading research into tailoring treatments so that rather than a one size fits all approach, every patient in the future will receive the individual treatment they need.

Childhood leukaemia

Childhood leukaemia is the most common form of cancer in children.
In 1960 when Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research was founded, a child diagnosed with leukaemia had almost no hope of survival.
Today 9 out of 10 children survive the most common form of leukaemia thanks to our continued investment in research into better treatments.

Lymphoma

Around 11,700 people in the UK are diagnosed with lymphoma every year. Lymphoma is challenging to treat mainly because there are so many different types (over 35) of this blood cancer.
Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer in young people aged 15 to 24.
Thanks to our pioneering research, doctors are able to diagnose lymphoma more accurately which means every lymphoma patient receives the best possible care.

Myeloma

Myeloma is a cancer which occurs in later life: only two percent of cases occur in people under 40.
Around 3,750 people are diagnosed with myeloma in the UK every year.
Our scientists have developed a treatment that relieves the painful symptoms of this debilitating cancer. Now they are looking for a cure.

Other disorders

Over 5,300 people are diagnosed with other blood disorders in the UK every year. These disorders are more difficult to treat because they vary so much from patient to patient.
We are integrating insights from laboratory research with information from patients on clinical trials to improve the diagnosis of these blood disorders. Accurate diagnosis will mean that patients receive better treatments.