Sickness and health.

The weather may have been beautiful again today, but it's been a miserable day for my 10 year old lad. The dreaded D and V has laid him low for the last 24 hours. He's feverish as well, and it really makes a parent worry when your children aren't well. He's starting to look a bit better in the last hour, so I think we've turned the corner.
I managed to fit in a 53 mile ride today at an average speed of 17.5 mph. I really enjoyed the ride, with a route which took in a trip up to The Needles Old Battery. This photo looks across the western Solent with the mainland and Hurst Castle in the background. My legs are unquestionably stronger with 8 weeks of work in them, and my mind and body have become accustomed to sessions of exercise which last for more than 3 hours. I am sure I'm on the right track, but I'm starting to become more and more certain that the key to the next couple of months is to train smarter. I spent the entire ride today listening to The JBST podcast, which is made by two triathlon coaches discussing modern training techniques for endurance athletes. It's inspiring stuff, and confirms my suspicions that I must get myself a heart rate monitor , and learn how to use it. Actually, there has been an interesting development in the last couple of days. The power of this blog has enabled me to make contact with a local pro cyclist, and he's kindly offered to help me with expert advice and guidance. There's talk of a session on a static bike, a ramp test and an attempt to measure my power output. It all sounds a bit scary because I'm going to be tested to my limit. Ultimately though, the appliance of modern science based on sound physiological principles appeals to me.
Come on Liverpool. Kuyt was onside.