My First Club Run

Glendene is the name of the cycling club I joined, based in Navestock just outside Brentwood. The club night is on a Wednesday so I went down there and met some of the members. My first thought was I am carrying too much weight compared to these guys and girls.

My plan was over winter to get myself fit and be in good condition for the cycling season. Unfortunately this didn't happen due to work but not one to completely write things off I changed my diet. I have never been out of shape but in October last year I was 81kg at 5'10, 2 weeks ago I weighed 75kg my target is 70kg.

18.05.2013 was the date of my first club run.  My sleep the night leading up to it was patchy, as it always is when I am looking forward to something in sport. My head filled with how to stay in the bunch and not make too much of a fool of myself!

The morning came my breakfast was two slices of brown bread toast with margarine, my first mistake. I was slightly late but I was lucky they were waiting for me. The club run is up to the Blue Egg Cafe in Great Bardfield and back again.

We set off from Blackmore a group of about 20. In my jersey I was carrying spare inner tube incase I got a puncture and one bottle of water in my bottle cage, my second mistake.  It was my first time riding in a group. I was nervous, trying to stay in someones wheel without crashing into them and holding a good line so the person behind can stay in my wheel. My fear was getting dropped by the group on hills as me on any kind of hill was always a struggle, but I got to the Cafe with the group even participating in the group sprint. I'm not going to lie I was chuffed 35 miles in total and not dropped once.

We got into the Cafe and I was just going to drink fluids, but someone said to make sure you eat somthing for fuel. I had a slice of beans on toast, I didn't  want to eat much more as I didn't want to feel lethagic, my third mistake and my last mistake was not to stretch at the cafe.

We got back onto our bikes and headed home, it was going to be about 30 miles back. Instantly I got cramp on my inner thighs. I tried shaking them off and it worked but anytime I tried to stand up and climb the cramp would return. As the ride went on I was finding it more difficult to stay in the wheel. Then someone said we have 14 miles to go, encouragement that I needed, but then it happened my legs gave up on a hill. No matter how small a gear I went in they were offering nothing in return. I had been dropped in a horrible way. One of my clubs mates pushed me up one of the hills. I must buy him a drink the next time I see him. The rest of the ride was painful at one point I was doing 10mph on a flat. My legs had well and truely disowned me. The club captain stayed with me and lead me home, while the main group raced away. He spoke with me about the importance of fuelling myself right which from mistakes 1-3 I failed miserably. Mistake 4 was just me being an idiot. I have never done any sport for this duration before and it showed.

I got back to Blackmore and went straight into the shop Lucozade, Cheese Sandwich, Snickers and water was what I bought, my body needed fuel and needed it fast. I devoured it all within about 10 minutes.

I was dreading Sunday and Monday as I feared severe DOMS but they weren't too bad. I had a pint of milk on the Sunday as I read that milk helped reduce DOMS. Whether it was the milk that helped or not I was just glad a could walk relatively normal.

Hopefully my second outing on the club run would be slightly more successful.