Tentative non-start

Yesterday I went for a ride that I'm refusing to call the first training run because that would mean that I've officially started and I don't want to do that this side of Christmas. There's too much distraction and temptation in the way during December so January's the month it'll all kick off. I'll stop drinking for at least that month and really concentrate on building up some miles in my legs.

It's just as well I've not started properly yet because yesterday was hard work. I went 34 miles at an average of 17mph, which is about where I'd want to be at the moment I suppose, but it really felt tough. The weather didn't help - I was going into quite brisk winds for some of the time (and being pushed along by them at others of course) and there were a couple of cold, sharp showers. At least half of the family is mildly under the weather at the moment so I'm probably not firing on all cylinders either. And drinking two beers and at least half a bottle of wine the night before wasn't the ideal preparation. But hey, there's got to be a starting point, right? And the lower that is, the easier it is to make dramatic progress.

I was talking to Madge (my wife Rachael...don't ask, long story) yesterday about the fund-raising challenge and I think that, with her help, I'll be okay on that score. It'll be hard work but as long as I can summon the same enthusiasm for that as I'll need for the training challenge - and, crucially, that I start addressing both challenges right at the start of the new year - there's no reason to think I'll fail at either.

Ah the easy confidence of someone who's not yet got stuck into a challenge! I'll re-read this at times next year and wonder at my hopeless naivety, I'm sure. There's no point approaching it any other way though - it would only give me sleepless nights, and I'm having enough of those as it is thanks to a rather abrupt career change I'm halfway through at the moment (another long story - best left for another day I think).

So it begins

Yesterday I was told I've been included in a small group of cyclists to take part in next year's The Race Against Time, a six-day dash from Land's End to John O'Groats.

Covering the 875 miles in less than a week will mean cycling around 150 miles a day at an average speed of around 16mph. This year I did a 100 miler at a shade over that speed so I don't think this is beyond me but getting through it in one piece will require a lot of training and discipline - and probably a fair bit of luck too.

I'm not exactly sure why I'm doing this. It's probably a mid-life crisis of sorts - I'm probably desperate to prove there's at least some life in the old dog yet - but I see no shame in that. If I emerge from this exercise with a successful Lands End to John O'Groats run under my belt (known as LEJOG among the cognoscenti I gather) I will be both deeply chuffed and entirely indifferent to what motivated me to do it in the first place.

The challenge won't be limited to cycling a long way. Each rider is required to raise at least £2,000 for the Bishop Simeon Trust, a charity that helps AIDS victims in South Africa. I know this isn't going to be easy because my sister is currently raising money for a sponsored trek up Mount Kilimanjaro next year (at the same time as this ride, funnily enough) and I've seen at first hand how difficult it is to go beyond the quantities generated by the initial good will of ones friends and family.

This blog will include details of the fun and games I have while training and raising money. It will be filled with thoughts, fears, observations and anything else that comes into my head as I prepare for the big ride. It will also act as a disincentive to quitting - the more of those I have the better I think.

So, this is where it all starts...