LEJOG Day 5 – learning not failure

Today I took a rest day.

I cycled to the Preston rail station near to where we stayed last night and then caught the train to Carlisle for a short ride to tonight’s hotel.

I was broken by the end of Day 4 and had nothing left.

I may have bonked on Day 3, been able to recover some strength with a late lunch but not enough and then depleted my energy levels all again on Day 4.

I was struggling to eat as my throat was painful and constricted. That may have been as a result of short hard extreme panting pushing up the hills on Day 2 and 3.

With a sore throat I wasn’t eating enough and so the spiral took hold.

Having chatted with Dipesh and Colin I wanted to make it clear that I’ll be slow and if thats going to mess with their race place or their heads then let me know and I would leave them to carry on. They were both great and we’ve all agreed that we’re using the same gpx files and have several planned catch up points during the day so every one goes at their own pace

I am going to rejoin the ride tomorrow and see if I can get more food down during the day.

I found chocolate milk and Huel to be good for this. oh and scrambled eggs with melted cheese in it.

I also naturally want to give a shout out to my wife Sandra for offering words of wisdom, encouragement and gathering support from lots of family and friends. All those little messages can help far more than the time it takes to type them.

Sandra managed to do all this whilst also juggling her own work and family life so that I had the space to focus on the ride. Thanks Sandra, I love you.

MY LEARNING

Sometimes you have to take a step back, or sideways to continue making progress to your goal.

Never underestimate the power of positivity and messages from those near and far.

Have a strong team around you to egg you on when its tough but to look out for you when its silly.