The lack of updates has been a direct result of the the lack of content. For the last three weeks I have been hit by the worse flu ever. I just have not been able to shake it. What I have established is the following :

1. Flu shots are a waste of time. This is the first time I had one and this flu has been the longest bout I have ever had.
2. Sleep and rest is the best cure. And this goes for all types of ailments and injuries. I put the inability to not get better on the fact that with 5 hours sleep per night has not given my body time to recover. All the vitamins and drugs are ineffective without sufficient sleep. My work commitments over the last few weeks just meant that sleep and relaxation have been missing  hence my lack of recovery.

This reinforces the mantra that sleep is critical element to every training programme. In peak training schedules, sleep over 8-hours per night is recommended. The benefits of your training efforts are severely impacted with anything less.

So finally on Monday I decided to throw caution to the wind and jump on my bike knowing full well that it would not be a great ride. I stuck to my philosophy of not riding while with flu. Surprisingly I felt strong on my bike and it was not my body that let me down. What did was my traditionally reliable Crank Bros pedals. 30 minutes into my 2-hr ride my pedal gave up. It came apart from the crank and was swiftly met by the wheel of a tandem bus. What irritates me was that this pedal was less than a year old and not what I expected from a part manufacturer like Crank Brother. I doubt there is any hope taking it back to them as receipts are long gone and they were fitted in South Africa. If by anyone from Crank Brothers is reading... Please! I generally love your products. Needless to say a 1,5hr ride with one leg is bloody hard work! (Not to mention gets you lots of odd looks!)

So when I eventually manage to get a replacement pedal it will be back to my base training schedule. I also hope to get into the race circuit in Ontario.