Next catch up and then I'm all up to date.

The last couple of months have mostly been about bike riding for me. I don't run quite so much in the Summer as a medical condition means I don't cope with the heat particularly well. I find the cycling is great cross training and keeps the legs turning over. I'm even managing to stay upright on the bike more this year with not so many stacks.

The two main cycling events I have done since Christmas are the Big Red Ride and the BUPA Challenge Tour which is part of the Tour Down Under. The BUPA Challenge is the community ride associated with The Tour Down Under which takes place annually each year here in Adelaide. There were 4 distances to choose from ; 130 km, 100 km, 80 km and the 30 km. I did the 100 km with Susi no Bum and the Chubby Hubby did the 30 km with our friend Lil.

Waiting to start the BUPA Challenge from left to right; Pete Worley, Me, Susi no Bum and Sue Worley.

We had a perfect day for the ride and the whole event was really well organised. We started cycling at 0700 and had until 1400 to complete it before the professional riders came through as part of the tour.
Susi and I got off to a really fast start and reached the first check point at Williamstown, 25 km in well under our target of one hour. There were a few sizeable hills in this section and as I was having trouble with the gears on my bike I had to push really hard through the legs.
Once I sorted the gears out thanks to Susi we both powered on. There were check points every 20 or so kms. but we only stopped at the one just before we tackled the King of the Mountain. Before we started this climb we loaded up on fruit cake and energy drink.

The King of the Mountain was pure EVIL. It started with a long, slow climb for 5km and then straight up Mengler's Hill. It was absolutely brutal but the atmosphere on the hill was brilliant. People lined both sides of the road cheering you on, the music was blaring and lots of folk in weird costumes provided lots of laughs. I managed to get about 3/4 of the way up cycling and then I ran out of both gears and legs. After a short recovery walk I was able to get back on my bike and cycle up the rest of the hill and through the victory arch at the top. I got such a shock that I made it to the top that I fell off here :) The final 25km was a breeze. All down hill and lots of folk lining the roads, partying and waiting for the main event. They were all very encouraging. The last 5km was hard. I was exhausted, my legs were screaming and I was developing a mega case of Bot Rot. However the sheer joy of passing through a Tour finishing lane and arch was all worth it. Susi and I finished the ride in 4 hours 20 minutes. Lil and The Chubby Hubby also enjoyed their 30 km ride although they did have a few problems with going the wrong way on the route.

Susi no Bum and Me after going through the finishing line. My face says it all.

Four of The Twisted Sisters relaxing after the Tour. L to R; Susi no Bum, Me, Tracy and Jacky.

January 26th is Australia Day here and the South Australian Road Runners always celebrate by running the Marion Coastal Trail. We start at Brighton and run the trail through to Hallet Cove and back. 16 kms in total with 1,796 stairs, it's not for the faint hearted or those with bung knees.

A section of The Marion Coastal Trail. Stair Hell or Stair Nirvana.

 

I ran this trail with Dear Friend Sonya.

 

Sonya and I dressed up for the run in Australia Day T- shirts.

After the run we all had a swim at the beach to cool off. And then we hit the coffee shops in all our wet and sandy finery.

Sonya and I have entered The Tough Mudder event on March 31.We need to do lots of upper body strength work for this event and I have been practicing climbing trees. Well I'm always looking for any excuse to have a bit of a climb. I'll be posting quite a lot more about this event over the next couple of weeks. As part of this training I have also been doing rope work in the gym with Sonya and our trainer Duncan,

The two photos here are taken of The Chubby Hubby, Lil and myself after we had taken part in the 50 km Big Red Ride Bike event. Some of the professional riders from The Tour Down Under joined us on this event which was a huge thrill.
 

Take care,

Thank you for visiting my Blog.

Cheers Karen.