The End of 2010

Christmas has been and gone and I have become rather slack..... ummm no swimming since the end of November and no cycling for much longer than that. In my defence (!) I have been distracted by Christmas and all things family-related..cooking, sorting, toy removal, present buying and wrapping.. bla bla bla...... And it has been blummin' cold out there, just the weather for sitting in from of the TV/laptop and eat mince pies in front of the fire.....

But as January approaches, I am starting to get back into the frame of mind required to cycle, swim, get fit, lose fat, get strong.

My husband has bought me the best Christmas present (and it was a complete surprise), a road bike! I have been after one for a while but had written it off as I have a decent mountain bike and frankly, they are expensive. So I am over the moon. Here it is:
It is a Specialized Dolce Sport 2010 in extra small. I took it out for a test-ride today; felt very odd - I have never ridden a road bike before! There is no suspension, so I quickly learnt to avoid pot holes. The handle bars feel very strange, even though I had extenders on my MTB. The gears are changed by a small tab next to the brakes... and to change back the other way, it is the gear lever itself which is used. Oh and I could *really* feel that I haven't cycled for a while. My legs felt heavy and I felt heavy.. I guess there's only one way to remedy that!

But all in all, I am pleased with it and have a renewed enthusiasm for getting out there on two wheels. I have found an Evan's Ride-It event which takes place in April, near Leeds and I think I will enter this to give me a goal throughout the Spring. 30 miles, on-road.

My eldest daughter also received a new bike for Christmas, an Islabike, which is a company who specialise and enthuse over decent bikes for children, designed with them in mind, to allow them to take biking seriously. This is the bike we chose for her. Looks and feels very grown up!

As for swimming, it is likely to be another week before I get back to the pool, but I will update as soon as I get there.

I also intend to concentrate on my diet in January. I am going to challenge myself with something different each month, to keep me interested. Focus being on healthy eating, avoiding processed foods and changing the wobbly bits to muscle to make me ride faster! I haven't yet decided what to do in January, but I may well simply calorie count to kick start the New Year. Later in the year I plan to have months without wheat, without dairy, without alcohol/caffeine .. but not all at once. Theory being.... by changing the focus regularly, it won't get boring and I can hopefully stay focused.