Top of the morning

Great, back in the saddle and managed 18+ miles ..... I felt ok actually, but Christian and I did not really push the pedals too hard.

I have uploaded a picture of "the bike" I am using for the training , the Norwich 100 mile and the big challenge next year!! You never know your luck ......I may get a pic of me riding it!!

My 2 young boys have started training with me, picture evidence ..................

Getting back to it

Just a brief note......following a recovery from this crap stomach bug, I'll be up and out on the bike on Friday, so hopefully I'll blow the cobwebs away and get a few miles under my belt......hope to get some pics online soon.

Set back

Not a good few days!! the boys, Tanya and I, have been hit by a nasty stomach bug doing the rounds and so we have not had a pleasant weekend. In fact you could say we are glad the weekend was over. It is a great way of losing weight though!!
Now we are slowly recovering, I am missing the regular football this evening to give my aggravated groin a rest and then see how I am in couple of days to get back on the bike. With the clocks going forward at the weekend I hope to cycle to work at least a couple of times per week, with a round trip of 34 miles. That should help with the training.

The fundraising side of things is a little quiet but I did envisage this, because I have started the requests for money very early, but hey....its a big target and I am hoping to get press coverage nearer the time and also when the route and dates are specific this will help people focus on the end product. Thanks to those who have donated already and for their faith in me completing the challenge.

I'll try to put some pics on soon to brighten up the Blog.....or otherwise!!!

Friday 20th March

No training today...........our 15 mths old boy was ill with some sort of bug.....all night! Bless him.... and Tanya was constantly up and down changing towels....I won't go into too much more detail than that!!!! and I was trying to be supportive.....so with very few hours sleep and then looking after our 4 yr old when he rose from his pit, I just could not make it onto the bike at 6am! Lets hope we don't all catch it now! Back to it over the weekend hopefully.

Birthday training

An early morning Birthday ride for me this morning at 6am, only did 10.5 miles with my cycling buddy Christian...........it was a frsh cold morning but a great sunrise! Went well and it felt quite easy, but will push on hard and do a greater distance Friday morning to make up for the shorter ride. When I got back from the ride did some gym work for 15 mins....then ready for the office! I'm wondering what training I can do whilst away in Majorca in May, hope they have an excercise bike at the hotel!!!

Training so far

A brief history In short, I have been cycling between 8 and 20 miles every other day from the start of January and also play football every week. When possible I try to cram into the week a game of squash.
I suffered a groin strain in December but have not really rested it......in danger of feeling lazy again like I became last year!

To help keep me more motivated and set a goal, I have entered the Norwich 100 mile Cycle Ride on June 7th 2009. This will let me know how cycling 100 miles in a day feels......only need to do it 5 days straight next year!!! In addition I plan to enter the Norwich Half Marathon in October time of this year.

My training schedule I am trying to increase, and last saturday I managed to get a 24 mile ride in, with my friend Christian. It was a sobering thought and made me realise the training is necessary to be able to complete the challenge ahead. We then did a 14 mile ride yesterday morning which I followed with football last night.
I plan to have an early start in the morning in the saddle!

Update

So my plan is for 2010 (circa May, June time, date to be finalised towards end of 2009) is to do the 3 Peaks challenge but not in the 24 hours like most people do, but all under my own power. That is to trek up and down the UK's highest peak, 'Ben Nevis', then get on my bike and cycle to the Lake District, trek up and down the highest peak in England, 'Scafell', finally cycling to North Wales and trek up and down 'Snowdon', the highest peak in Wales. All this in 5 days!!! In aid of The Multiple Sclerosis Society is the UK's largest organisation dedicated to supporting the 85,000 people, their families and carers affected by MS.
This challenge has been prompted by events within my own family. In 2005 my sister-in-law was made aware of the chance of developing MS and so it is a charity very deserving and close to my heart. I have already commenced training at the start of January 2009 and I am determined to achieve my goal of finishing the challenge and reaching the Fundraising Target!
Follow my highs and lows of the training etc on this Blog and if you would like to make a donation direct to The Multiple Sclerosis Society, visit my website http://www.justgiving.com/neilrussell .......donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain & Northern Ireland gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Training for Fundraising challenge

Welcome to my Blog......I will be providing updates on training progress on this blog