10K a Day: Hitting the buffers
OK, I guess I should ‘fess up. My stated aim of riding at least 10K every day of December has been derailled.
I’m not happy about it, and I hope to resume shortly, but at this point in the month I’m off the bike.
Allow me to make my excuses. First and foremost has been a nasty head cold. Nothing particularly bad, but something viral that won’t seem to clear off like I’d want it to. For my last four rides I was riding with it and had focussed on road rides of relatively short duration down to compensate. I think Friday was 12 miles and Saturday was 7, or something like that.
It’s a shame because up to late last week I felt I was riding reasonably well, and didn’t feel too bad while on the bike, but if truth be known I’ve had a sense of this illness with me all month.
The second issue was something a bit silly. Somehow, on pulling away on my Trek singlespeed at the start of Saturday’s ride I managed to strain my hip – a lesson for anyone who doesn’t warm up properly. I felt a bit pf either muscle or joint pain as I stood up to get the bike going (it was a bit on the chilly side) but didn’t think too much of it; during the ride it felt fine and I managed to grind up The Mount in Leatherhead without too many worries.
The next day I felt pretty hobbled though. I’ve had a touch of the Douglas Bader about me for a few days and can’t honestly tell if I’ve damaged a muscle or somehow done something to my hip. I’m sure I could ride, and it seems to be freeing up, but it was the final nail in my 10K a Day coffin to be honest.
So I’m down but not out. I console myself that I’ve only had four days off, and that thus far my road and off-road mileage is sitting at 209 miles for the month. I’ll be returning to the bike from Thursday but with greatly scaled back ambitions for the short term.
Despite all that, I would still recommend anyone who’s interested to attempt some kind of regular riding over the holidays. 10K is just six miles which can be thrashed or ambled as the mood takes you (and generally the miles creep above that – I was averaging about 24K a Day before my ‘pause’). You find that 40-50 minutes on the bike, even on the road, is a pretty good stress reliever at the darkest time of the year; it’s a great way of connecting with the environment, however inclement it can be.
Let’s just hope by the end of the month I have a better story to tell!
About the author
Matt is one of the founding Molefathers of the Muddymoles, and is the designer and main administrator of the website.
Having ridden a 2007 Orange Five for many years then a 2016 YT Industries Jeffsy 29er, he now rocks a Bird Aether 9 and a Pace RC-627.
An early On-One Inbred still lurks in the back of the stable as a reminder of how things have moved on. You can even find him on road bikes - currently a 2019 Cannondale Topstone 105 SE, a much-used 2011 Specialized Secteur and very niche belt drive Trek District 1.
If you've ever wondered how we got into mountain biking and how the MuddyMoles started, well wonder no more.
There are 8 comments on ‘10K a Day: Hitting the buffers’
We love to get comments from our readers - if you've spent a few moments to comment, thank-you.
If you haven't had a chance yet, jump to our comments form if you have something to say.
Leave a comment…
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Andrew AKAK says:
That’s a shame Matt. I’m also on a sicknote, constant rain this week, its a pretty dark end to the year.
Add a new comment, or
Posted on December 18, 2013 at 12:15 pm
J-R says:
Bad luck Matt, although with the weather over the last few days you probably would have had a pretty miserable time out there.
Add a new comment, or
Posted on December 18, 2013 at 12:38 pm
stevend says:
Unlucky Matt, my cold is only just clearing and only two rides per week has been a struggle and as already stated conditions at the moment are very poor, especially off-road. I would be happy doing 200+ miles in the whole of December so what you have already achieved is a really good effort.
Add a new comment, or
Posted on December 18, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Karl says:
“A touch of the Douglas Bader” Well I sympathise with you there!
Never mind, chin up old chap, all will be good for the New Year.
I came across the vid last night of poor Martyn Ashton… The horror of it made me feel quite giddy..
🙁
Add a new comment, or
Posted on December 18, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Dandy says:
Just make sure you’re properly recovered before resuming. I struggled through a cold at the end of November, continued riding, and now I’m still not right. Dark days indeed, but the good news is that it will only get lighter after Saturday 😉
Add a new comment, or
Posted on December 18, 2013 at 6:10 pm
Matt says:
Thanks guys, it’s just frustrating not to be riding but as Karl points out, my difficulties are very minor. D’Andy, you’re spot on about not pushing it, there’s nothing to gain from doing that.
I can’t believe how many others are also under the weather, don’t forget Dave and his septic lung too!
[Terminator style]Ve vill be baaack![/Terminator style]
Add a new comment, or
Posted on December 19, 2013 at 1:15 pm
Muddy John says:
Hasta la vista.
Add a new comment, or
Posted on December 19, 2013 at 4:29 pm
Related: Welcome to Rovember | Mutterings | Muddymoles: Mountain biking (MTB) in the Surrey Hills and Mole Valley