Liz Randall's Cycling Blog - a life behind bars

"With ordinary talents and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable"



Saturday 9 June 2007

Nostalgia, supplements, hydration and maybe a fellow sufferer


Clearing through piles of photos the other day I came across this one - me and my first set of wheels! The brake looks like it was one of those rod types, the mud guards look a bit battered and the tyres...would they be solid?


There's not enough detail to see properly, but the knees look unscarred, unlike now! Check out the blond hair too! Cute eh?..well...ok. cuter than~~60 years later!







I remember later on being desperate to have a "boys" bike..the sort we all have now. But at the time girls had "girls" bikes...no top tube and a sit up and beg type set up...just like this one..my second set of wheels and the scowl says it all! donja just lerv the woollen helmet.

Hydration is now the topic of the week...how do I cope with racing and not drinking for 60 minutes? Do I practise a routine of overhydrating and then riding for an hour? Too much water just goes straight through me resulting in me trotting when I should be warming up. I went to a sports dietitian who is researching the topic...trying to find a drink that will not go through at a rate of knots. Glycerol was mentioned; its legal and there is research confirming that it allows you retain fluid but there's no strong evidence that the fluid is retained in a usable way. So you might retain an extra litre, but all it may do is make you 1kg heavier.

Supplements. I seem to be surrounded by people who take supplements of one sort or another; me I just eat food! But should I be taking something??? would it make me any better? I certainly felt alot better last Sunday when I succumbed to the overwhelming urge to have some chocolate !!!

My training is going well...coupla days ago I was s'posed to do 60 mins mixed wattage and as I approached my house I'd been out 55 mins....now previously I'd have said..oh well 55 is close enough. BUT now all my graphs get read and so I'm accountable. Result... I cycle past my house and attack one more hill, returning at 61 min....how good am I?!

I was delighted to get an email from a friend and rival telling me she's been reading my blog and was interested in doing the hour too. She's in the age group younger than me, so no conflict there. It'd be good to have a fellow sufferer. Time will tell if she decides to go with it.


2 comments:

Anita said...

Wll here goes with attempt no 2 as I have just had to create a Google account, what I said was you must be mad or words to that effect!You must have got all that fitness on the walks up the fell, wouldnt granite be proud of you! Don't forget to write it up fot the school mag.I read in the Telegraph on sAT ALL ABOUT A sCOTS BLOKE WHO DID THE RECORD IN 1994 OR THERE ABOUTS, maybe you could read it on ther web site. Anyway best of luck keep eating that chocolate, I still run in a half hearted way and eat bananas to keep going!

Liz said...

Hey Anita...how's things up your way...yup granite would be very pleased!!!...my record is of course for my age group, the one you read about was an elite male...I might take 2 hrs to do what he did!!!! anyhow thanks for the comment and keep looking...I think I'll be adding weekly. Hope to hit UK in 2008 or 9. Liz