Katy’s Touro Journey – Junk Food, Motivation and childhood memories

Time is flying! It’s now the end of May and the weather has been very kind to me. I have been on some beautiful sunny rides in the last few weeks, including completing my April target from my trainer Phil Mack.

I took off with my Dad one evening after work to complete Paddy Slacks and home in under two hours (my challenge)…according to Strava we completed the 37.2km ride in 1hr52mins !! We were so chuffed.  I loved this ride, I gained a few personal bests on a few different sections along the route but my favourite was gaining speed going downhill on the way home. From the top of Paddy Slacks down to Traquair was superb!!

The last couple of weeks have been my toughest, I don’t know if it’s making the wrong food choices , recovery from a chest infection, busy family/work  life or a combination of it all but I’ve found it really hard to gain the motivation to get out. I sat on the edge of my bed early one Sunday and just sat looking in the mirror in all my riding gear having a silent argument with myself.. “I am so tired” “I really can’t be bothered” “ I could catch up with some housework” “what would Phil say” “get a grip Katy and get on your bike” “it’ll be so good for me”  “Yeah I can do this”!!

And then a slightly louder voice from down stairs shouts “Katy your dad will be here in 10 mins!!!” Panic sets in and I rush a half slice of toast down me before heading out.  This was not my greatest ride. I felt sluggish, tired and slow. I obviously hadn’t eaten enough or drank enough water during the ride. I can honestly say it was nearly a full week before I rode again. During this time I felt run down, tired and just a tad drained. I am now aware looking back and reviewing the time that I’ve let a few bad habits slip back in. My food choices haven’t been the healthiest lately after a great start and loosing around 7lbs, I’ve struggled to make the healthier choices rather than the quick options. I am definitely snacking more on chocolate and crisps. It’s now clear that this sort of junk food is no good for me and it’s so important that while I train I feed my body the right things and drink plenty water. I haven’t gained any weight which is a bonus but I do feel like my tummy is a little wobblier again.

The last few rides have been more enjoyable again. I have discovered a new route for our midweek rides. We’ve been going from Peebles out to Haystoun Estate and round Cademuir and up to Manor Head. As a child that is where we would go as a family for picnics in the summer. It was so nice to be back up there and I never thought in a million years that I could actually ride that far!! It’s only about 37km there and back but as child it felt such like a long way. I had however forgotten just how hilly it was to get there. I did curse myself a few times on the steeper parts which fortunately don’t last long on this road. I also rode part of the Cycle Law Skinny Tweed route recently, which was absolutely stunning! I would strongly recommend riding it on the 10th June as part of the Shimano TweedLove Bike Festival in Peebles. This will be my first ever Sportive!

During the last couple of rides I’ve tried to vary the snacks I take, I’ve taken nuts and cranberries/raisins, liquorice allsorts, cereal bars and I’ve now tried the energy gels.  The energy gels give you some kick… I was still buzzing after my ride, the house work was no bother that afternoon !! I’ve come across the High5 selection pack of sports nutrition so I’m going to work my way through them and see how they make me feel and how they affect my riding.

My latest piece of kit has been my saddle bag, it’s a great little piece of kits for holding all the essentials and a few jelly babies of course!

Now that I am over half way through my training, Phil and I are putting together a little Progress Report that we hope to share with you all soon. There have been a fair few kilometres since the start!

Cheers for now!

Katy

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This post was written by hillsideoutside