Post script...

...to yesterday's exertions.  Today I had planned to do a good long ride - there have been plenty of short sharp rides lately, and no little amount of climbing, but I wanted to remind my body what it's like to ride for 5, 6 hours or more.

No chance.  I am so beaten up after yesterday.  Everything is sore; I genuinely feel like I've been beaten up.  With 1,722 feet of ascent and descent in 7.3 miles, and the underfoot conditions as I described them in yesterday's blog, I guess that's hardly surprising, though not having done any 'proper' running since the marathon probably hasn't helped.  I suppose I could have sat on a bike today if my life had depended on it, but it wouldn't have been much fun.

Instead, I have been preparing my bicycles for both the Pyrenees, and the the London-Paris ride (mustn't forget that's the 'La Manche' element of this blog - what am I going to call it once that's done?), which was the bigger job.  Pedals needed swapping from SPD-SL to straightforward SPDs (apologies non-cyclists), sturdier wheels needed putting on, the rack re-fitting, and the back brake needs sorting out - have had to engage Dave & Dave (Little & Big) at the splendidly-named "Bikes" in Macclesfield to assist with that one. (As an aside, these two guys are so authentically Maxonian that when the Joy Division film "Control" was being shot locally these two were briefly employed to help the actors with the local dialect; they are diamonds of the finest calibre).  I also confirmed that the seat post on the 'best' bike, the BH, comes out too, so that confirms I hope that I'll be able to do the necessary dissembly required to get it in a bike box.

I've managed to do some stretching and some core exercises this afternoon, so the day hasn't been totally wasted from an exercise point of view.  And I did manage a couple of rides round variations of my flattish Cheshire Loop this week, so it's been 7 days of maintenance rather than progress.  Right, am off to plan an interesting 100 miler for next weekend, which is definitely going to be done, rain, hail, shine or indeed fell races.