Our Diary
Please feel free to read our diary, following us through the pains & gains of the training & trip for lejog 07 fundraiser.
Kelly's Final Entry
16 August 2007
Well, it's been a week now. All the girls seem to have recovered from their various injuries and settled back into normal life, with proper food, beds and clothes. Not to mention being back at work.
For me, I've been bitten by the cycling bug. Three days after getting back I was out cycling again, having cleaned my bike and getting it serviced, new chain and gears required. I'm now cycling to work and home again (35 miles). Everyone's telling me I'm mad, but I'm keeping my new slim figure. I'm lost one and half stone during training and dropped nearly two dress sizes. Girls, a recommend way to get fit, healthy and loose weight.
On a more personnel and serious level. I would like to thank the hard work and energy that each of the girls put into the event, including Debs, who unfortunately didn't partake in the ride but continue to help.
When I first had the dream of raising money for the charities, who had helped me, I had no concept of the organisation and training that was needed. Without the girls I wouldn't have seen my dream realised. Each trained hard, working on their fitness levels. Sometimes wanting to quit when a days cycling didn't go to plan. But we all got there in the end.
BEX, DONNA, JANEY, RAGIN and DEBS, I love you guys and feel blessed to have you as friends. Thank you for supporting me over the past two years with both my illness and the cycle ride.
I'd also like to thank all the companies and individuals that sponsored the team. Without out your support the event wouldn't have gone ahead. And to all the people that sponsored us and made donations towards the charities, these help greatly towards each charities good work.
Bex
11 August 2007
Phhewwww, I haven't stopped since getting home on Thursday evening - 6 loads of washing later, & still some....!
I still can't quite believe that it is all over........what am I going to talk about for the next 6 months?! I have managed to get talked into doing a 10k charity run around Blenheim park in September, & will have to bury my head in my PADI manual for my diving course in October, but not cycling day in day out will seem strange!
One thing I won't miss will be trying to put up the tent again, in torrential rain & wind -there was I in August wearing full waterproofs, wellies & a ski hat....& still cold!
.South Breazle Holidays, Okehampton, Devon
.The Trotting Mare (fab food), Knolton, Wrexham
.Blair Castle caravan park, Scotland
Thank you also to all of my friends & family, who were rooting for us the whole time, sending texts & calls of encouragement during the 12 days. My best friend from school, Steph, who along with her Mum & son, travelled down to Lands End & waved us off in the pouring rain, gathering crowds of strangers to join in with the 'hip-hip, hoorays'!
Back to normaility now -am off to strim the fields & clean my bike!
TTFN!
Team
08 August 2007
WE ARE HERE - totally exhausted - having been cold and wet 24/4 but got here before time. Would you believe we had to find 20p for a Pee and £15 to have a photo with the famous sign - how mean can the Scottish be?
All looking forward to scrummy food - not pasta - not porridge - not bananas - actually a McDonalds sounds good. Off to Fort William for B & B - yes a bed and a bath before heading home on the 9th.
Now folks all we need is the lolly - you promised us lots - we are coming to get it!
Our Diary
04 August 2007
End of day 5 (Wednesday) After leaving Newent in Gloucester we arrived at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, having cycled through several flood hit parts. Fewer hills! Much more sunshine!
Day 6 Thursday from Ellesmere to Preston, a good run in the saddle -11 hours!
Day 7 Preston to Carlisle Hills - Rain - Mist. Unable to see the beauty of the lake district, but kept going and made good progress covering 92 miles in 8 hours. All getting faster! Met others coming in the oposite direction for the first time and spurred them on. Saddle sores have settled - but we have yet to tackle Scotland!
Team
01 August 2007
Well it's 07:00 on day 5, & after a bacon buttie, we will be heading off in the van down to Glos. Yesterday we cycled from Taunton to Swindon, in order to avoid the flooded areas around Gloucester (which was our original stop), & we will drive back to the point we were supposed to leave from.
Although we all got to sleep in a bed at Ronnie's house (hoorah!), we all look absolutely shattered still!
Day one was quite surreal, & we didn't really take in Lands End at all - it was just a blur! It had taken 8 hours to get there, & then pretty much straight off on a 'gentle' 35 miler to get us to St Agnes. It poured with rain the whole way, & we were so delighted to be met with a homemade coffeee cake & real fire when we got to our destination! we stayed with Dave & Lyndsey Bunt in Camborne (ex work colleague of Becky's), & their hospitality was very much appreciated.
Day 2 was very sunny, & VERY hilly!. In fact, Cornwall is one huge ever climbing hill to get out of there!
We stayed at a lovely campsite called South Breazle, in Okehampton. Our hosts Louise & Steve were absolutely brilliant, & cooked us a BBQ, with fresh organic farm produce. The facilities were out of this world, & it's a real must when staying in Devon guys!
Day 3 was all about MORE hills! Devon is really beautiful, & although the hills were tough work, the scenery made up for it
On day 4 we were able to pick up speed, & thought that it was going to a 'hill free' day! WRONG! We hadn't allowed for the Mendips/Cheddar.....hillsthat went on & on & on & on! It was another lovely day tho, so not all bad!
All in all, we are on track at this stage, & only minor gliches such as punctures & saddle sores have temporarily wiped the smiles from our faces!
Hopefully we'll get to log on in a few days..........in the meantime, we'll keep on peddlin'!
Team
27 July 2007
Well we can hardly believe that the time has come, & by this time tomorrow we will have finished our first day.
The weather has thrown things somewhat, & a few routes have had to be changed at short notice, but all in all hopefully we are on track.
The minibus, kindly donated by TARGET Vehicl Rental, is packed to bursting, & where everyone will sit is a mystery - I think Bex will be on her bike, attached to a tow-rope!
Hopefully we will find a pooter along the way somewhere, & keep you all amused!
TTFN
Bex
25 July 2007
A HUGE thanks to Brian at HEWDEN Hire, Long Hanborough, for listening to my witterings & working out that I needed cables for hook-up points at the campsites!
Bex
18 July 2007
I must start by saying a HUGE thank you to:
Ja, from BEELINE cycles, who gave up several hours on Monday to provide the girlies with a 'mechanics' evening. I was a plank, & will be relying on Janey......alot, if anything goes wrong on my bike!
I think Ja knew it wasn't going to be easy to explain anything to me, considering that when I took the bike in on the previous Monday to be serviced, he pointed out that I had been riding on 2 flat tyres! (thought it felt a bit sluggish!)
To Mike & Matt at HALFORDS in Didcot - on Saturday I stomped into there with bike in boot of car, having managed to let all the air out of my tyres whilst trying to pump more in! They were not fazed with the female Incredible Hulk standing before them, throwing a whobbler, & calmly replaced the inner tube & got me back on the road!
Donna saw a side of me that she wished she hadn't, & has a fortnight of tantrums & hissyfits to look forward to!
Matt, my newly aquired cycling buddy, who was quite literally 'set up' by my Dad to keep me company! Being a chatterbox, I found it tough going out for hours at a time in silence, & Matt has saved me my sanity.....but I dare say has lost his!
I am quite nervous now, with only 10 days to go, but really excited at the same time. I'm pretty much packed already, & only have one thing left to get.........a tow rope!
Jane
15 July 2007
Late start today, not out til 11! Rode with Donna, and we went out over the ridgeway to get a bit of hill training in before we go! Donna and I have decided we're taking a tow rope to hook on to anyone who passes... tractors, pedestrians.... And we've also decided Bex is as fit as a fiddle! Donna and I are going to be the two back runners!
Jane yet again!
13 July 2007
What a day to go riding! Still did though! This week has passed as all the others.. mainly eating porridge, up at 7, then riding. Haven't tried setting any speed cameras off this week. Shockingly, haven't got that wet either!
Bex
09 July 2007
Janey & I did a 22 mile charity cycle yesterday, around some beautiful Oxfordshire villages, on a lovely sunny day for a change! Janey & I nattered non stop, & not even 2 hoofing great hills could put a dampner on it!
The weather has been shocking up until now, so I have to admit to doing lots of swimming & tele watching whilst on the excercise bike.....fair weather wimp that I am!
Bike is going in for a service today, & i'm going in for some much needed physio!
Jane again!
08 July 2007
Had a really good day today - not an early start... makes a change!
Off into Oxford for a charity bike ride with Bex. Really good ride, and I saw parts of Oxfordshire I didn't know existed. I had to get off and walk up one of the hills, gutted, but thats a first. Bex steamed up it, not sure where all that energy comes from! We must have had a good time though, because we're planning next year's trip!!!
Jane
07 July 2007
What a lovely day, so out I go, just a little jolly today. Can't help but think I've bitten off more than i can chew!! ...Although once I'm out I'm fine... It's just the getting up that's hard!
Still eting, sleeping and breathing bikes... I wonder how I'll feel when we get back... or even if I bring my bike back!
Janey
07 July 2007
Porridge is rubbish - I can't bare to look at it anymore, let alone eat it!
Normal route this morning, ready for a ride in South Marsdon tomorrow. Going to try one of the energy gel bars we bought last week at the bike sale in Kidlington - what a place....a hall full of things to rummage around in, with a distinct aroma of rubber!
Last week I was getting up & riding out at 6ish & avoiding the wind & the rain...most of the time!
Kelly
03 July 2007
I have neglected to update the diary in a while so thought I would this week.
Over the past two weeks I have suffered a bit of a set back with this bad cold thats going about. It ended on my chest making it breath. Cycling became quite difficult so I took a weeks break.
I was back in the saddle for the 50 miler Bex mentions and It felt quite good. Having had the break my legs were fresh and ready to go. After about 40 miles I was flagging though. Fatal mistake in not having something to eat after 4 hours in the saddle. Made a big note to myself to carry some sort of snack if I'm going out for rides like that again.
Back cycling to work again and it seems easy still. Trying to get the 16 and half miles done in under an hour. If I do then I'll have no excuse to stop cycling, even after LeJog's finished. Does that sound mad??
Team
01 July 2007
Dear All.... following discussions over recent weeks, the dynamics of the 'LeJog' team has now changed and Debbie will no longer be taking part in the cycle event. To preserve the privacy of all involved, the matter will not be discussed on the website.
Debbie would like to thank all her sponsors, supporters, family and friends, for their encouragement over the past few months. She would also like to take the opportunity to mention to all sponsors that they can withdraw promises and pledges made to her personally. If you would still like to support the 'LeJog' cause, then please make contact via the email lejog07fundraiser@hotmail.com.
On behalf of the team and most importantly the charties, we would like to give a huge thanks to Debbie for her efforts towards the event.
Bex
26 June 2007
Well they say that we learn by our mistakes, & i'm certainly no exception to the rule!
We met up on Sunday, & battled through the wind & rain to do a 50 miler. I was feeling really quite pleased with myself, as i took on the hills between Blewbury & Streatley. However, by the time I reached Didcot I hit that wall again, & every bit of me started to ache, & I got slower & slower.
My efforts seemed to be in vain, & I was really disappointed.
I was beating myself up at work yesterday, & talking shop with Steve who I work with, & whom has been a mad keen cyclist for 20+ years. I described that moment when the 'Duracell' batteries had been replaced with 'own brand'! He asked if I had eaten anything during the ride, to which I replied '2 Lucozade tablets'! That'll be it then, we deduced, although the love handles are still pretty prevelant, my body had run out of fuel!
So, i've just been down to Beeline & driven Jason potty with my silly Q's - & come away with all sorts of pouches of funny looking stuff to take the next time i'm out & about...brickwall syndrome sorted...hopefully!
Bex
17 June 2007
Well I think a case of sleep deprivation, & impending fear, has slowed everyone down, & the diary entries have been somewhat slack of late!
I do wish someone would move this blimmin' brick wall that I keep hitting, & let me get back to enjoying the open countryside again!
Janey must be made of very stern stuff, or completely mad, to keep going out every day, on her lonesome most of the time - I get so BORED without having someone to natter to!
Mind you, Eastleach hill soon shut me up the other day, when I met up with Kel. I have a real mental block on the hills (better miss out Cornwall then!), & concentrate really hard. I blow like i'm in the throws of labour, & can be heard several miles away!
Being a virgin to camping, I thought I had better give it a go prior to our 2 weeks away, & so had a weekend away with some guys from work a couple of weeks ago. On night one I didn't take too well to sleeping on 3 inches of air, & being able to hear the ants scratching around! I'm told that my 3 hours or so of sleep was considerably more that the guys I shared with, who were kept awake by me neighing like a horse, & snoring very loudly! By night two I was absolutely hanging, & could have slept standing up!
Before I sign off, & get back to work (oops!), I would just like to say a huge Thank You to all of you who continue to back us - if it wasn't for you supporting our cause, I certainly wouldn't be able to carry on!
Janey
17 June 2007
All is well, I made it! Woke up really hungry, yet again - eating like a demented cement mixer!
Well 70 miles next week, with Donna being my next victim - better start limbering up now! The young'un bailed out at 40 last week, so I had to do the last 20 on my own - going up Molsford Hill at 53 miles, is not funny......well only to someone watching!
Janey
16 June 2007
Here goes.....managed to hall myself out of bed on Thursday & Friday.....late, but done all the same! Now just off with one of Stu's 23 yr old mates for 60 miles...this could be my last entry!
Janey
13 June 2007
No ill effects from the weekend thankfully - just plodding along with the normal weekly route. I have to say come Wednesday, I start getting up later, & find it harder to push on!
Janey
11 June 2007
Right, where did I get to?!
Well the weeks have been rolling by, with my whole life revolving around my bike...or so it seems! Had a good couple of weeks, with my breathing & redness back to normal, after my 2 week sunshine hols!
did 50 miles with Donna at the weekend, & although we didn't get burnt this week, it was the wind that seemed to be against us all the way this time!
Bex
19 May 2007
Well it's been a while since i've had the time to sit down & make a diary entry, without wanting to nod off half way thru'!
It's been all go, go, go - not so much with the training, but more with the fundraising/publicity side of things.
Yesterday we met with The Rt Honourable David Cameron M.P. I thought Mr C would be the ideal 'celebrity' to support our cause, because of his personal involvement with the Helen & Douglas House Hospice, & his personal knowledge of the effects of epilepsy.
Little did I know that in the flesh, he would be as handsome & charasmatic as he is........Donna & I were totally smitten by the end of the photo shoot!
An article should feature in the local rags soon, so keep your eyes peeled!
Donna
08 May 2007
I need to start my diary entry by saying a huge thank you to the directors of the company that I work for-Oliver James Estate Agents who have very very kindly donated a 4 figure sum of money to our venture of which will make a big difference to the charities we are raising the money for.
I need to be honest and say that my training last week wasn't as much as I wanted it to be but once again my boss-Oliver has brought a bike for our office so that I can cycle to viewings etc, all was going well until I had a small accident last week but I wasn't on the bike, I was locking it up and managed to fall over backwards-I think I've mentioned before that I'm very accident prone.
Anyway I'll let you know how the training goes this week. Many thanks for taking the time to read this far.