Goals should be S.M.A.R.T right...?

Specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, timely. Meatloaf suggested that 2 out of 3 aint bad, so I guess 4 out of 5 aint bad.... Well, it may have been good enough for him, but I've been putting off updating this blog recently, because the prospect of not achieving my original target of 12,000km is rather stressful. Riding 250km every week would indeed be an achievable goal, but the reality is that motivation has been low and family life has taken priority recently. Whether 12,000km is realistic now seems painfully debatable.

Hold onto your hat Kev and weep at my excuses. I’ve always been an early bird and one of the first to arrive at work in the morning; since Dad passed away (during which period I ‘lost’ 2-weeks of cycling...how inconsiderate), the heart-warming morning cuddles with the Wife and Kids have proven too much to sacrifice for the purposes of increased corporate revenue and profitability - life has fundamentally changed. Even riding a bike, which feels as natural to me as walking, has to some extent lost its appeal.

Tanya is 36 weeks pregnant – what with Olivia (5) and Harris (2) she needs me around. We had 2 amazing weeks holiday in July, during which time I rode all of 74km (all be them 74 fun km on my new mountain bike).

Including offroad km's to date, cumulative distance (2932.7 + (278.8 offroad)) = 3211.5km.

This year has turned out not been a good one to set ambitious goals of any sort (my Professional goals are faring no better). I will plod along with what I’m doing and try to get as many km’s under me as possible; instead of resenting the first love of my life, simply by setting myself an arbitrary, unrealistic goal, I need to start enjoying it again - who knows, maybe things will pick up and Meatloaf will be silenced....

The Best kind of Therapy

If there's such a thing as a drug for the numbness of bereavement I've experienced since the 4th June, I think I got a fare dose of it this weekend. I rode across Scotland with some 'old' friends. Leaving Arbroath at stupid-o'clock on Saturday morning, we rode (and ate) steadily, arriving in Oban (143miles and 14hrs up the rode) at 7pm. The weather, like the company could not have been better. Laughter filled the air late into the night and the following afternoon as Peem's Moira drove us home. I felt thoroughly revived and look forward to further such rides this summer - if only we could bottle that drug.

Difficult Times...

Dad passed away peacefully at home on the 4th June, after being discharged from Ward 32 Ninewells Hospital (who pulled out all the stops to acheive it) on the 3rd as wished by himself and the Family. He was comfortable overnight and discovered on Friday morning in exactly the same position he fell asleep in. We gain enormous strength during these difficult times from our amazing memories of Dad, from one another and the support offered by many great friends.

Kev Simpson Book of Excuses...

I think I'll need to borrow your book soon Kev! I should have ridden 2,000km by now (ODO reading 1764.4km or 1791.2km overall and therefore 208km to complete before the start of month-3, i.e. Tuesday...). What after 10-under and the kids preferring not to sleep recently, I've struggled to get out of bed in the mornings, commuting mainly one-way each day. Considering holiday season is approaching fast, some big rides are needed soon! I'm pretty excited about my new mountain bike which should be built up in the next week or two; that should put some spunk back in the old legs.

End of Week 7

[(7x250)* - 1568.8**] - (8x9x1.609***)] + 89**** = 154.4km*****

* Scheduled distance

** Current ODO reading

*** How far I managed to drag my sorry ass round the 10-under course last weekend

**** Difference between ODO reading and distance already cycled at beginning of this challenge (- subsequent offroad rides not measured)

***** How far behind 'schedule' I am now. I am in effect on 1595.65km to date. I say 'schedule' since I inadvertently but rather luckily included a safety factor of 1.083 into the schedule by basing my monthly mileage (1,000km) on 4x7day weeks, instead of calendar months. Being an Engineer however, I'd be much happier with a safety factor in the region of, say 5...I think I'd need to give up work and get a devorse Lawyer. Ten under was excellent, 15 brave guys (some of them absolute beginners) from the office took part as part of various sized teams. The course was wet and rather technical with lots of rooty off-camber wooded sections; not the easiest for novices - well done to all!

Schedule Slip-sliding..

Ended this week on 1,297km, inc Monday's MTB ride (ODO reading 1270km), which considering I should be on 1,386km by now is not a brilliant start to month 2. Bearing in mind I've got a wall to knock down on Saturday, Harris' Birthday bash on Sunday and am in the Netherlands Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday next week, I'm really going to struggle to get anywhere near 1,000k's this month. Next weekend is 10-Under the Ben - a 10hr Enduro event near Fort Bill; 10hrs offroad requires a big effort, I'll be tired the following week, but may only clock up 100k's or so in the process - this month's going to be a struggle.

Olivia rode further than me on Tuesday - having fun above at Cambus O'may.

Slow start to month 2

After a successful 1st month, I've had a rather relaxed start to my second. It's going to be catch up again for the rest of the month. I didn't ride at all Friday & Saturday - did some offroad (27km - see profile above) with Steven today and am commited to another Family day tomorrow. I'm determined to complete this challenge, but equally determined that it's not going to govern my life. I think the key will be in using my time more efficiently, by commuting more; i.e. riding to and from Aberdeen more regularly. In theory, if I did it 5 days a week, I'd cover 285km, exceeding my schedule - crawling onto my bike at 0615 in the morning however is not as easy as it used to be...

Getting Offroad today was great fun for several reasons, firstly sharing a ride and chatting with a good ol' friend is always fun, secondly I was muddying his bike (which means I didn't have to wash it...) and thirdly it happened to be a very nice Cove Stiffee (thank you very much Clubby). Getting muddy is also such a refreshing contrast to commuting over the same routes day-in-day-out. Looking forward to more of the same when I finally get my new bike built up.