Cycling Update - Getting Back on Track

I am cycling from London to Paris in September to raise money for Sands - the baby loss charity. I am writing occasional updates on my progress on LinkedIn in the hope that it helps with both motivation and fundraising. YOU can help with both of those things by supporting me via my JustGiving page.

I'm Behind Schedule

A few weeks back, my annual Covid week came and went quite underwhelmingly, but it was followed by an infection that hit me like a right hook from a Fury and it took a while to recover. However, recover I did. I went from being unable to climb the stairs at home to taking 10,000 steps in a day and, eventually, to my first bike ride in what felt like an eternity (actually almost 6 months).

Inspiration - Back to Building Habits

I must credit Pete Wilkinson with helping me along the way. I was introduced to Pete a few weeks ago by Laura Gordon at my Vistage UK group. He mentioned he was “a bit intense,” then proved it by giving me a return-to-fitness training plan and an extract from his long history of Iron Mans (Iron Men?) and other extreme competitions within the first five minutes of our acquaintance. In the time it took to finish a Kit Kat, he taught me the basics of nutrition for training and gave me several links to some amazing content for indoor cycling on YouTube.

Pete introduced us to his “Power Habits,” which really resonated. I’m already a big fan of James Clear and habit stacking, and Pete harnesses the core of Atomic Habits and some of Cal Newport’s teachings on Focus from Deep Work to define just 4 habits that bring us mere mortals closer to his dizzying success. I’m giving it a go, and by taking his deliberate and focused approach I’ve got out of my rut and am slowly getting back on track. Pete’s advice to link habits to your vision, objectives, and goals got me on 3 training rides last week and will do so again this week.

The Power of Language - Turning the Ship Around

Work-wise, some time ago I realized that there’s an opportunity for me to polish my language a little, so I re-read L. David Marquet ’s excellent “Turn the Ship Around” and “Leadership is Language”. Whilst these books continue to help me immeasurably in my professional endeavours, I also credit them with shifting my mindset towards this challenge for the better. Specifically, the concept of “Intent-Based Leadership” from his first book was a revelation to me when collaborating with colleagues and customers alike, but applying it to myself has transformed how I am approaching my upcoming challenge.

What I’d been telling myself was a predicament (protracted illness, injury, adverse weather, no time, etc.) is actually a massive privilege – rather than having to train, I get to train and work towards something amazing. I’m not supposed to be cycling from London to Paris – I am cycling from London to Paris. This alone has really helped with the ongoing motivation to get back on the bike and look after myself better. I pride myself on my background as a linguist, and I believe quite firmly that it always pays to be precise with language, even with how you look at things for yourself. It’s an incredibly powerful tool.

Back on Track

Me riding for Sands again in September is a privilege and the pressure to deliver is a privilege. I’ve had some setbacks, but in the scheme of things, I’m regaining my health and fitness, and there’s more right with my situation than there is wrong.

You can sponsor me here and follow my training & progress on Strava here. All donations will go towards helping Sands on their mission to save babies’ lives and support bereaved families.