I am writing this as I sit looking back on a week without exercise, whilst also realising it’s yet again been a good couple of weeks since my last post! Man does life pass by quickly this year. Though illness and injury has kept me away from exercising for a full week (meaning I feel rather disgusting at the moment), I reckon two turbo sessions this weekend should have me feeling alert again in no time, but that’s getting ahead of myself…..So let’s begin.

I’m not going to focus on the negatives (a usual favorite past time of mine) or look back (that’s been done here), instead it’s time to go forward in time and though I don’t have a DeLorean with inbuilt Flux capacitor I do  have a bike so that should be enough.

And what of the future then?? Well ladies and gentlemen I am hoping 2016 will be the start of a new path for me, Mrs Rouleur and our little future rainbow jersey. Plans are slowly being considered and plotted but first this Roly must become the ‘Ripped Rouleur’ or at least the much less chubby one (but that doesn’t have a nice ring to it now does it). This year I am determined to lose a minimum 10kgs so that I no longer consider myself entrenched in the ‘fat dad’ camp.

To this end I have already got a few long and tough rides booked in;

• Woking Road Sportive (137km)
• Black series Lampeter Sportive (200km)
• Isle of Wight Randonnee (100km)
• Fire breather Sportive (158km)
• Plus a few long and tough other social rides already deep in to the planning stages.

Carrying on with the theme of challenging events I have a few other grand plans that will hopefully come to fruition too;

• Portsmouth to Farnborough Walk (70km walk)
• Coast to coast cycle following the Way of the Roses route (why this one, simply because it sounds pretty!)
• Trailwalker (100km in 30 hours, walk)
• The 3 peaks challenge

I am confident that I will pull off at least two of these before we all find ourselves standing disappointed in a pub saying goodbye to another year!!

The glaring omission from all of the above for those who know me well is of course RideLondon, three ballot applications and three times ‘the computer says no’ has led me to take a break from it this year in the hope that the organisers can put a few of the little niggles right (not that they will be able to stop the weekend warriors of course). It might sound selfish but after a few years of fundraising I wanted to lose that pressure and just ride to ride this year.

You may remember that last year I threatened to undertake a Triathlon and that threat still stands, I am looking for a sprint distance towards the end of the summer (if you have any suggestions feel free to leave a comment at the end) and will then start planning my Olympic distance for late 2016 early 2017 but my swimming needs to come on massively and if I am honest I am running scared from it at the moment.

Talking of running I have started that back up too and dipped under the 30 minute mark a couple of weeks ago for a 5km (frustratingly my PB in my ‘sexy’ toned days was sub 21 mins!!). I have also been introduced to the amazing ParkRun and am trying to make that as often as possible too, seriously if you want to try running check it out! Though I have picked up an annoying little twinge that has kept me out for two weeks now I am really enjoying getting back in to it (I even managed to combine a run/cycle a few weekends ago!).

What next then, well I will spend today attempting not to fall asleep at my desk after having had a ridiculously little amount of sleep thanks to my sick little future rainbow jersey who has a stinking cold, and will aim to get my surprisingly pert little arse in gear and hit the pavement again tomorrow before the (enforced) brutality and boredom of the turbo.

And what of these mysterious plans that I am working too?? Well that ladies and Gentleman is for another day…………to be continued!