Training Challenge - Ten Days of Pain!

I find myself 10 days out from the end of July, and what have I done on the bike? A big fat nothing...

The first half of the month was planned that way - I was away in Canberra for work, and then had the big family driving holiday to the snow.  But the next week was a combination of weather, injury, and laziness...

Some early rain in the week meant the bike stayed in the garage for the first couple of days.  Plus, some sort of injury flared up in my foot.  I have no idea what it is - basically, its pain & soreness at the front of the arch of my right foot...  I'm guessing it plantar fasciitis, but that's typically more at the heel end of the arch.

At any rate, I decided to take it easy so I didn't make it worse.  It started to come good at the end of the week, but I decided to wait until the weekend before riding again, just to be sure.  Which was an easy decision to make, given that I was so tired from staying up late to watch the Tour de France...

So where does Ten Days of Pain come in?


With 10 days of July left, and coming off almost a full month off the bike, I decided I need a goal to really kick start my training towards the Ipswich Open.

One of the things I've learnt in recent months is that consistency is the most important factor in my training.  The best results come from stringing together consecutive days on the bike.  Up until now, the most days I have done in a row has been seven...

So my goal for the rest of this month is to get on the bike and ride every single day - my Ten Days of Pain!!

Sure, I could've called it "10 days of consistency" or "10 days on the bike" - but that doesn't have the same kick-butt, motivating hook!

The weather forecast is looking great for the next week or so, with fine, sunny days likely for at least the next seven days. So no impediments there!

I'm feeling confident and excited to see how my legs cope with ten days of cycling in a row - hopefully I'll learn some more about how my body reacts to that much training, and it'll give me a basis for further structure in the future.