Tea and cakes (Training day 33)

So the farewells begin - tea and cakes laid on by the department for two of us leaving this week. The redundancy leavers are spread across the spring and summer, to allow projects to be completed. Lots of peolle popped in to say thanks for help, keep in touch, and to remind me how far the cycle ride is! One more day of training to go and then I'm off.

Cycled to work, and the long way home. Only about 15 miles today - but it's go to be worth double that distance on the mountain bike.

Training summary: 15 miles today, 645 miles total

Close to the End (Training day 32)

Visit to mobile phone shop this morning, as I lose my company mobile at the end of the week. Given the 33000+ choices there were on moneysupermartket, it was impossible to choose without going into one of the shops. I loved the look of the Blackberyy Pearl, but I eventually settled for a new SmartPhone from MDA. Now I can keep up to date with email while I'm on the road ... in theory. It also claims to have sat nav included, which might come in useful in case of fog, fire or just getting lost.

Just a short ride to Betchworth and back. It's really hard work being back on the mountain bike. The road bike seems so much easier - not sure how much of that is an illusion, just because I can't ride it at the moment.

Training summary: 10 miles today, 630 miles total

Back on the Mountain Bike (Training day 31)

Back on the mountain bike for an early, but short cycle to work. Just getting used to the different shape of bike, heavier weight, lack of cleats etc. Same way home, for 15 miles in total.

Submitted my blog for inclusion in The Ultimate Links List of Land's End to John o'Groats Cycle Trips, maintained by Ian claire. Lots of great descriptions, helpful tips and useful (and conflicting) advice from the huge array of people who've written about doing this before. Around 4,000 people manage the LEJOG ride each year, generally taking 10-15 days.

The sponsorship crept over £1500 yesterday. I've requested matching contribution from the organisation before I leave, which has helped move towards the target of £2000. There are still a few outstanding pledges that haven't been recorded yet, but it's looking like I might need to rattle a collecting tin in pubs along the way to make the final target!

Training summary: 15 miles today, 620 miles total

Non training (day 30)

Today is the first day of training that I have missed out on training ... if that makes sense. Packaged my new bike up and delivered it to Evans cycles this morning for servicing and delivery to Lands end. After a full day at work , Icouldn't face taking my old bike out for training this evening. The old mountain bike, that was my pride and joy three weeks ago, now seems old and heavy. Time for a good night's sleep, and tackle this problem in the morning. I've still got 4 days training to go before the tour starts, and I want to get up to 55 miles in day before starting.

I also had the rather starnge experience of emptying my office today. With redundancy on Friday, and plans to cycle to work for the rest of the week, I emptied out all my files, folders and documents. All the work that I saved as important for the last six years ... now in the recycling bin. Strange old world isn't it?

Sunday Night (Training day 29)

Home at 9.30 after a weekend away, and jumped on the bike for a quick run round Dorking and surrounding areas. I feel that I was missing my bike over the weekend, perhaps too close a relatonship is developing. Should talk to my pertner about this ... maybe not until after the tour is over. After only 11 miles, it was really too dark to continue. But this was enough to take my total training log to 600 miles.

Had to pack the bike up tonight, as I'm leaving it back at Evans Cycles for servicing and collection tomorrow. Bike Adventures have arranged for a courier to collect and deliver the bike to LAnds End for me ... saving me the hassle of arranging bikes on trains and planes.

And finally the blogsite is fully up to date. I'm now writing in real time rather than transcribing words from other sources relating to training over the last few weeks. One week to go before the big start, I plan to leave the site in capable hands for updating while I'm on tour.

Training summary: 11 miles today, 605 miles total

Saturday morning (Training day 28)

With more family duties this weekend, I can't quite fit in another 40+ mile ride, but I get out early on saturday morning and out 30 miles under my legs before heading off with the family. Needed an extra lap round Dorking at the end to bring the total up to 30 miles, which is great as this brings thios week's total to 200 miles - 40+ on three days and 30 today. This is now starting to sound like the serious mileage of the tour ... well maybe half of it.

Found Simon Berry's diary blog from his LEJOG last year. This is great, as he seems to have set out to do the tour in 10 days, with no more training than I have done with 15 days tocomplete - he needed to target 90+ miles a day on the tour, while I have a much easier 65 miles a day on average. On the other hand, his blog highlights some of the hills I will meet in the first couple of days - he has mentioned 40% ... considerably more than the 20% mentioned in Bike Adventures information sheets.

Training summary: 30 miles today, 594 miles total (200 in week 4)

Short day (Training day 27)

Another reduced training day as parental duties come first. 15 miles added to the training log with just over a week to go before the tour proper. 15 miles now flashes by in just over an hour, and feels like the warm-up that it now is. At the start of training, this felt like a tour all by itself!

Training summary: 15 miles today, 564 miles total