I've been into cycling on and off for several years but never really stuck at it. After putting on a bit too much weight, suffering from borderline high blood pressure and a general gasping for breath after walking up steep hills, this year I decided to try again.
I currently own a hardtail mountain bike (which I ride with slicks) and a Reebok stationary bike. Four months later I'm still going with the cycling and after 80 hours on the bike I've lost a chunk of weight (still plenty left to lose though!), my blood pressure is back to normal and my resting heart rate is as low as 44 bpm. I'm pretty sure this is the fittest I've ever been.
Why have I succeeded where I previously failed?
Goals.
Previously I just wanted to get fit and healthy, but that's too vague and hard to measure. This time I set myself motivational goals and the one which has proved the most motivational is the desire to complete a 100 mile bike ride, more specifically I'm looking at the Action 100 charity ride from Bristol to London next August and that means I need to improve. Improve lots. It's 117 miles from start to finish and I've given myself plenty of time to train... 16 months.
Four months down and while I've seen a big improvement it's slow progress and the event is still a year away. It's a big step up too from where I am, so that got me thinking about motivating myself with smaller steps along the way to keep me focused. That's when I thought of the idea of running my own charity event with a few friends to raise money for a cause that is personal to me and can really make a difference... Cycle for Uganda was born!
I've also just recently made another big step forward in my pursuit of my first century ride. I've ordered a new road bike!
