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@Lucybee
48/18 - 33 secs :) ----> explanation for this smiley in the write up below
https://www.strava.com/activities/3495035739
So some may be aware but I've been struggling with a pursuiters cough for about 10 weeks and after monitoring for a while I have deduced it's chronic inflammation i.e. asthma. Never had it before, sucks really. Pollen doesn't help.
So I changed what I ate, started breathing different, acupressure/massage and didn't do any real efforts for a week.
We finally felt ready at around 6pm today and decided to head out, I was apprehensive to say the least. My asthma hadn't flared up for 3 days and I thought this could be a good chance to test it (sub 1 min effort). The pollen and general bugs and fluff in the air on the way there was intense to say the least plus Josh told me he had hip pain when we went out for eggs earlier, it was a 2km round trip!! I was gutted.
So we get to the climb, I switched my wheel round from 48/16 to 18 and got ready to go. Trying to zone everything out and just hear myself say 'just breath, relax and just breathe'.
I took a breath through my nose for the nitric oxide production and tried to be as mindful as possible as I inflated myself (still can't breath deeply but practise...).
I took a small run up and turned right onto the climb.
It felt surprisingly easy compared to last time (48/16 who knows probs like 2 minutes! but also can't check because Strava...), I told myself not to blow up and to pace it so I kept a steady rhythm all the way up to the top breathing as I went on my new sram red cranks! As I got to the top of the first part of the climb I could feel myself getting slower so I engaged my hamstrings for an extra pull (been strenghening those this week, a bit boring tbh..) and hauled my ass to the middle bit (not sure which side of the road I was on) then I thought to myself 'this is it, the hard steep last bit, it'll hurt' but it didn't because it's not for very long and I was very reserved in how I handled it conscious not to get that cough again.
Anyway, I then descended to Josh and I told him all about it and that I felt ok and strong enough to give it another go in a bit.
Fast forward to my second go - basically I wasn't afraid anymore, I knew how much my asthma was hurting, I knew what was to come so I planned well and am super happy (hence the smiley) at my QOM (because it means my approach to my asthma is working for now, plus all the ragu/burgers/generally good nutritious food vibes and boring strength training is working) but mostly that the cough didn't and hasn't still so far come back.
Pretty chuffed to be in the top 10 mens times too ngl.
Not the biggest gear, 48x16 on 650c wheels (which I think helps with all the turning) so 70GI but man am I excited for next week's hill.
If you haven't done it yet and are on the fence, all I have are 2 words for you CONSERVATION AREA - there are some really cool trees, roads and houses around which we then went on to explore after.
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