Days 51 - 60

In the beginning... There was an exercycle.....

I think it has finally struck me that this is going to be a long haul.... These 10 sessions have seen some pretty big upheaval going on in my non-cycling life.

You won't know from where you are reading this, but between day 52 and day 53 there was a three week gap while I shifted house. A pretty big task when you realise it was a blending of more than two entire households into one, right on Christmas, having taken no time off from work to do it (so that means evenings and weekends only), whilst cleaning the new place (rental tenants had left quite a mess!),  amongst all the shakes and quakes we've been experiencing in Christchurch.

The Exercycle spent nearly two weeks blocked in in the garage alone, until we could clear enough space to set it up in the lounge of the new place. But OH! was it good to get back!!

I had a day of "saddle soreness" after my first session back. I think it was the cycle expressing its displeasure at being abandoned for so long. I also noticed a drop off in my distance averages, probably due in no small part to having lost a little fitness during the break. Still, I am cranking away, having clocked on a further 249.68 km all while shifting house!

My weight is continuing to track downwards too. I have officially lost 5% of my original body weight, which is a smidgen short of 5 kgs. Although it has been a little up and down (weight wise), week by week, the overall trend is downwards, which is exactly as I want it to be.

My virtual cycle journey continued through Mt Aspiring National Park, over the Main Divide and onto the West Coast of New Zealand. Ahh, the West Coast famous (or should that be infamous) for it's gold, beer, people, rain and sandflies!! Yet another time I am glad I'm not actually doing this in person. I'm the type that the small sandflies would have carried me off into the bush for the bigger ones to eat!

I left Mt Aspiring National Park and continued North through Haast, past the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers, the western side of Mt Cook (our highest peak) and through a wee town called Whataroa. There is certainly some lovely sights to see in an area of the country that has some of the highest rainfall. There is an abundance of something you don't see on the eastern side of the Main Divide, lush natural rain forests.

So, until next time, I'll cycle on....