So, on to the training… After the punishing 312 success Ben had a recovery week – rest with some light stretches and swimming. I asked Ben to list how his body felt during and after the race before devising the next piece of action in the gym. His back is in agony and lower body weak, hardly surprising after the punishment. It's been a tough week mentally for Ben too, an emotional rollercoaster, the highs of such success followed by the reality of normal life. Taking everything in consideration, plus to keep Ben fresh and motivated, I devised a new 'home' gym plan along with the 300km (20% goal marker) bike time.
Ben was in Decathlon to pick his balls up - no he didn't leave them there after the race last week – I’m talking Swiss and medicine. I had mailed Ben the training plan just 10 minutes before! Seriously, his car must be as fast as a batbike! He phoned, he was confused and in an agitated state. I pictured him stood there, a massive light ball under one arm, a small heavy one under the other trying not to tip over due to the unbalanced weight, his phone wedged between his ear. “How’s this going to make me cycle better?" I think he was worried I was going to send him over the road to buy bits from the hardware superstore to make a "chopper bike". I'm sure he was looking at those balls as wheels for some kind of makeshift bike. I put his mind at ease "We're doing some work on your core, back and lower body - just read the bloody plan first".
That's the trouble with Ben, he wants to do everything now! It's actually a good quality – enthusiasm, energy and mental strength will take you a long way. If you were in Decathlon that day you would have seen just a whirl of smoke as Ben rushed round the store like the Tasmanian devil.Ben has had a tough training week, struggling with the new plan and I really need to get back and train him, that's tough for him but I know he is putting himself through the paces. Lady luck is not on his side, his brakes seized earlier in the week, he called from a stationary bike in the gym, that shows a lot of strength to find a solution, continue, not be beaten and he's so self motivated. In fact he's so driven I can't wait to get back to Mallorca to put some kind of lead on him, if you can ever get a lead on the Tasmanian devil that keeps going at 100 miles an hour!
And I do worry! I was with Claire in Birmingham last Monday and we called Ben. He had only gone and done a 50km ride Sunday night – said he felt guilty as he hadn't done much; we went mad as hatters (one step down from the devil, that’s age for you!). Hadn't done much?!, that's the trouble when you have achieved so much in such a short time, you don't realise just how far you have come…
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