After Alps

The last big day in the Alps was a good one. Another Tour de France climb up wildly unpredictable Col de Saisies finished me off. My heart was so tired from a really solid week of training that it refused to play the game and I puffed and panted my way up very, very steadily. The descent was absolutely fantastic as my confidence at cornering had improved vastly throughout the week. 


I returned home a broken girl, not broken in the usual 'egg fell over and forgot to put her hands out' sort of way, but just completely and utterly exhausted. It's nice to know that I do actually have a physical limit - as I have often thought that so long as I keep eating, I'll be able to keep going.


Speaking of eating.. the food in the Alps was certainly not the healthiest and I blame myself entirely for failing to a) make healthy choices and b) put any sort of limit on portion size. The trick now is to not dwell on the bad choices but to get back on the wagon. A plethora of salads, chunky vegetable soups and protein shakes have had me back on the straight and narrow and there isn't a baguette or a chunk of cheese in sight.



This week now is all about sensible training and getting the recovery in so that I am in the best possible shape for the Tour of Wessex at the weekend. Climbing all the hills in the Alps has definitely boosted my confidence about getting through the three days.


My last tough cycle before the event was this evening. A ten mile time trial; the same route that I did on my first one just over a month ago. After a pre-TT sneaky wee in the bushes that resulted in a meeting of buttocks and stinging nettles, I knew I had to push hard on the bike and make it hurt just to distract from the rather uncomfortable tingly sensation that was spreading over my derriere. It worked. I pushed hard and managed to come in at 30:07: a whole 1 minute and 58 seconds quicker than my previous time. All that leg work in the Alps has obviously paid off! 


Now for rest, recovery, and a properly healthy carb-loading week that doesn't involve ice cream and cake.