Tag Archives: Resolutions

30 Days Of Biking

By 6 commentsCycling Challenges, Rides, , , , ,

A few weeks ago, Phil at TheTribe mentioned a website to me that I think you should all register on.

30 Days Of Biking

30 Days Of Biking

You’ve go to love the strapline these guys use: “We Ride Our Bikes, Every. Friggin’, Day“.

The idea is that you ride your bike every day in April.  Then you tell the guys about it.  Register here.  I’m not going to be riding every day, but I’m certainly going to keep looking at the website and I’m going to be inspired by other people’s stories.  It seems to sit ideally alongside our 100 mile month challenges and I’ll be emailing everyone on the Mar100 sheet about it.

What do you think? Are you joining in?

Tell ’em Phill sent you 🙂

Review and Renew

By 12 commentsCycling Challenges, Rides, , , , ,

For my first post of the year I thought I’d follow an old routine and put 2010 to bed before waking up 2011 with a bucket of cold water and a strong slap around the chops.

2010

So, how did I do?  Well, I registered one substantive Fail: the Great Manchester Run, which I didn’t do.  Running and me have decided that we don’t really get on, so we’ve parted company.  So I won’t be joining the triathletes among you.  Maybe I’ll do a duathlon one day if the swimming isn’t too bad (and if I get another bike).

On the plus side, there was much Win.  I completed the Manchester to Blackpool ride and was very happy with my (very mediocre) time.  This helped me to hit the 100 miles in that month’s challenge, which spurred me on to other months too.  Many of you joined me trying to amass 100 miles each month until the end of the year.  With your help (and I can’t say how much you helped me, you really did) I rode 628 miles last year.  My furthest ever, mostly to Littleborough and Hebden Bridge.

Raising £500 through the year for Springhill Hospice was fantastic.  To those of you who helped, I’m more grateful than you will ever know.  My Mum will be smiling on us from whichever afterlife you prefer to imagine – or if you don’t believe, then those who are spending time in that wonderful hospice will be grateful for the dignity and care that you’ve helped to support.

I’ve also made my life linger and happier with the fitness you’ve motivated me to maintain.  For this I am thankful, too.

2011

Once again, I’m keeping my goals SMART* this year.  I’m focusing on a small number of them, as I have difficulty concentrating on more than one thing at a time.  I am a man and I make no excuses.

This year I shall try to:

  • Cycle 1,000 miles
  • Raise another £500.00 for Springhill Hospice

If you can help me achieve either of these, then I love you. But not in that way.

You can definitely help by joining our January 100 Mile Challenge and simply getting on your bike.  I will keep the link always on the right of this blog, in the little brown box.

* SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed.

So What?

I realise that this post is mostly in the first person.  That’s because it’s about me.  But I hope you can identify with what’s happening, especially at this time of year.  Please join me on the challenges.  Please divert what money you can into a worthy charity for the sake of others.

Please have a fantastic year and lots of cheesy grins like this when you get home:

2011 - A Year For Grinning.

Chilly and Cheerful, 2011 The Year Of The Grin

I know: scary, but I’m having a great time.  Will you this year?


Christmas Haul

By 13 commentsCycling Challenges, Tat, , , ,

God Bless You, Santa Claus

I must have been a good boy in 2010.  Santa brought me pretty much everything I put on my list (what’s wrong with a letter to Santa if you’re 41 years old?) including some bike stuff.

Here’s the bike stuff I got, including a bunch from Secret Santa at work:

Bike stuff for Christmas

Cycling Santa Goodies

My favourite is, without doubt, the light.  It’s a 900 lumen job straight from China, as recommended by Jon.  It’s as bright as a really bright thing and seems very simple.  At £50, it’s excellent value without much weight and lot of seeing power.  I can’t wait to test it properly.

What did you get?  Call me nosy, I don’t care, I just want to know what you got…

Next Time…

…Some more news about the monthly cycling challenges for 2011.  I’ve only been out once in December thanks to the weather and a sore elbow, so I’m hoping to impress myself next year.  Watch this space.

Don’t forget to tell me about your Christmas Goodies 🙂

Thinking Back. Looking Forwards.

By 8 commentsTat,

Thinking Back

One year ago today, I was coming to terms with Mum not being with us any more.  After a few short weeks of preparation and a few short days in the wonderful, calming and caring Springhill Hospice, Mum left us.

A woman with wisdom and tolerance, driven by an unwavering moral compass, Mum taught me many things.  She gave me just enough rope to get myself into trouble, but never quite enough to hang myself.  Her ready smile hid a steely determination, making her a fearsome adversary but a powerful ally.

She looked after cats. She liked a bacardi or two (ahem).  She loved her grandchildren.  These things are all true.

My most enduring memory is of her pulling her face at a mug of tea in the hospice. “Oh, she’s not thirsty”, everyone understandably thought.  She was just bored of tea.  I made her a quick coffee which she drank, then that night I took her some cheapo milk-shake mix which she sipped quietly through a straw, smiling.

Looking Forwards

Last night, the kids and I went to see Mum’s Lights Of Love card, hung on one of the Christmas trees outside the Hospice.  We shared a moment of respect, then each of them dropped a pound into the collection box on reception before we went home and they carried on playing.

These kids are the next part of life’s great adventure, growing into the spaces left by our lost loved ones.  We shouldn’t dwell on the loss, but simply remember the people we’ve loved with the fondness they’d hope for.

So now, we’ll build the best life we can for the people who are with us.  It’s the right thing to do.

Things Achieved

By 14 commentsCycling Challenges, Tat, , , ,

I’ve not been very happy with myself this month. Focusing on the rides, I’m going to be very lucky if I hit 50 miles in the November 100 challenge, which doesn’t make me proud.

However, a quick look at the goals I set way back in January has made me feel much better.

  • With your help, I’ve raised over £500 for Springhill Hospice, a wonderful and necessary place where they looked after my Mum until she left them, and us, in December last year.
  • I completed the Manchester to Blackpool ride, the first time for me in 9 years and a major step in becoming the fitter bloke I want to be.
  • I’ve ridden over 600 miles this year, something which I absolutely know I would never have done without this blog and the support that so many people have given me.

So, now I feel better.

The community which I’ve joined whilst writing this blog has been a massive source of motivation for me.  Cajoling, mickey-taking and gentle but firm pokes in the (virtual) ribs have been extremely necessary.  I’m not self-motivated enough to get the shed door open on these cold nights and without you lot it simply wouldn’t happen.

So I just wanted to say thanks.  You’ve helped me a lot.  Give yourselves a pat on the back. 🙂

My Final 2010 Goal

I’ve not put this into the little box on the right, so I’m putting it here.  I reckon I can force myself to clock up a total of 700 miles in 2010, so I’m publishing that to force myself to try.

God, I hope I do it now.

So… who’s going our for a ride in the next few days?

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