So on Monday I did my first ever Cycle event/sportive and 73 miles trip around Kent and down to Rye and back up to the little village of Marden all in aid of Kent/Sussex/Surrey Air Ambulance. I would meet up with some friends from my running club (we do tri's as well)
Not having use of the car I didn't think it would be so bad cycling to the event only 6miles away and it was downhill and then flat. Having arrived in time and registered and met up with the group it was a fair few of us on the ride that was our first cycling event and the furthest we have travelled on a bike. We planned to take it easy.
We all lined up at the start and started as one big group of Harriers and we stayed together, then after 3 miles, the first hill appeared Hunton hill, its bit of a killer its just over 1.5 miles but its steep. This is where the faster riders left the slower riders behind, I was in the middle but after much huffing and puffing and dragged myself up the hill. Then to a bit of flat and on to my regular cycling routers (we actually went back close to my house) I caught up with one of my colleagues Anthony who I would cycle the rest of the route with. As we passed such villages as Boughton Monchelsa, Kingswood and Lenham we would finally hit Charing to turn south towards Rye.
It was at this point we caught up with a group of riders who we didn't know but had a friend of mine who i had run a few races with before, we talked and said she would ride with us as well. And so we dropped the group of riders she was with and sped towards the cake stop, we were a bit worried that we would burn ourselves out as we were doing the kind of speeds I do when I go out and do a quick 20km ride.
As we worked our way south via Pluckley (said to have a few ghosts), Biddenden and other picturesque villages, this little island looks stunning when the sun is out! On our way down there were no big hills so going at a good speed overtaking the odd pocket of cyclist's. The 3 of us were getting very hungry/angry as we thought the food stop was at 40 miles!
It was just before the food stop that we saw a poor guy off his bike with a group of fellow riders around him, he didn't look good. But there was nothing more we could do apart from getting in the way (at the finish i heard he had gone to hospital but was ok).
Then it was cake heaven, ok maybe not choccywoccydoodah but it was good wholesome homemade cakes with victoria sponges, flapjacks and chocolate. It was great I held off from eating it all (remembers beachy head marathon and eating lots of mars bars). So after filling up our bottles having a quick coffee, we set off again after 15 or so minutes. We all agreed that maybe the pace we had been going at wasn't the best idea and we should slow down a bit.
Of course, once we got back into we still doing the same pace! but the legs where starting to feel tired and even the small hills were becoming a real effort. Ivonne would power up the hills, Anthony would do ok and I would get up the hill a bit slower, but luckily I was a bit of a demon on the downhills so it all worked out rather well! So as we travelled back north to home on the more direct route we passed the Chapel Down vineyard (it was very tempting) and passed Gouldhurst I knew we were nearly home. It was the final small climbs but were in fact slopes that hurt the most. My legs and my bum all hurt but we pressed on best we could as we tried to chase down getting in under 5hrs.
As we pulled over the finish we had just about did it 4hrs 57 minutes what a struggle. Our faster club mates were waiting for us on the grass and cheered us all we went and go more cake and drink. Then waited for club mates to finish as well.
Things I learnt :
73 miles + 6 : Is a bloody long way
Padded shorts are a must
drink drink and drink so more
it was very social
I should have done more actual cycle training
I just about managed to beat this years Brighton Marathon time of 4hrs 58minutes (cycling is easier)
I could do London Ride 100
I want to do more!
*sorry it wasnt anything to do with running and i was only going to write a couple of lines!
although it did take time to get too 
A great day for a run 
Long run HM training run number 18
Running for Sausages!
My longest run to date - 11 miles (18km) (half marathon training. 
My longest run (and walk) so far (by 5 miles )😊
