Nice face, shame about the legs

Idea for Sunday was the same as Saturday, 2x20km laps. I'm fast approaching 3 months to go and I still don't know if I cycle the 90km distance let alone complete it in the middle of a 2km swim and a half marathon. I'm getting a little concerned.

I know the mountain bike is far from ideal but I'm thinking its better to do hard training and it should help me make the transition to racing bike and hopefully the extra distance that bit easier. I left it a bit later today so as to avoid the worst of the cold and to allow me to pick up the papers and croissants. When I left it was about 0 degrees but still nice with only a few snow flakes and importantly not any real wind to talk of.

I lifted my saddle another 3 cm as my legs are still not getting the full extension I think will help me up the hills. I'm only about 2k down the road and my left knee is starting to ache....I keep going but its not going away. At the 5k mark I'm on the steepest hill and my knee is complaining louder than my lungs. Just keep going. Just keep going.

Eventually I'm up and all too soon down the far side then again set to go up the long hill through Ohain. Cars and mini motos passing me and forcing me into the gutter, I'm weaving and wheezing my way up. I eventually get there and onto the flatter sections and the knee is still sore but happily not getting any worse. Its the first time I had real issues on the bike, well apart from the usual respiratory and nether regions collapse .

The next 2km or so are a slight incline but in comparison to the hills its very easy and I'm soon in gear 23 and flying. The km's click off and I'm more than halfway and disaster I get caught at the lights and then at a pedestrian crossing in quick succession...seconds ticking away. Although deep down I'm happy for the 20 or 30 seconds respite.

I'm on the main N5 now and checking the time I see its not too bad with nearly a minute faster than yesterday with about 5km to go. I decide between the knee and the lungs that its only a single circuit today. If I did 2 it would probably kill me and I'm conscious that I could sicken myself with training. So I put the hammer down and go for a better time than yesterday.

On the bike I manage to keep the pressure on myself better than I do when I'm running as my mind definately wanders less. It could be as I don't use music on the bike as its just too dangerous. I find it rare on the bike that I'm not pushing as hard as I can and I'm up and down the gears quite a lot trying to keep my cadence(pedalling RPM) high. It obviously just needs a higher level of concentration than running so I'm less likely to drift.

I'm coming down the last hill and then up the last hill, 50 minutes tick by and I'm gutted as I now know a sub 50 minute time isn't happening today but as I'm only about 1km short I should in the future be able to reel that in with a little more effort and luck on the road..

I finish in 51:56 and am pleased but if I'm being honest I'm still more than a little worried about making the distance. These 20km runs seem long to me. The thought of doing 90km is still totally unimaginable right now. This new bike if it ever comes had better be something else as I'm going to need all the help I can get.

Just for the technophobes out there, the parts of the story highlighted in BLUE have links to the internet related to the story...I mean I know this isn't very entertaining so I do my best to brighten it up for you.

In case the Team Kennedy manager reads this, yes it was me who secretly ate the rest of the Hagen Daas when I came in from my training run. As we say, if you're not fast you're last. ;o)