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Day 7 - Chester to Slaidburn - 86 miles
Saturday
This must count as the tiredest I've been on this trip so far. I set off at 7.35am and arrived in Slaidburn at 4.35pm. But for the first time I hit a wall and ran out of energy; roughly 20 miles from Slaidburn. Normally this would be so bad, but the last 20 miles of this day are when the hills kick in. Lots of breaks, lots of drinks and lots of nibbles.
Arriving has never been such a relief. Though reading through the notes for tomorrow, it says 75 miles and another tough day. Oh boy.
I haven't talked much about the things I think about when I'm cycling or the sights I see. When Tom and I were planning this trip. Or put another way, on the odd occasion we talked about this mad ride, we thought we'd have at least an hour free every day to see some sights and go and visit a stately home or two. That has now gone right out of the window. With Cornwall being as hard as it was, we did all we could just to get to our destination each day. It hasn't eased up since.
Cycling by myself, as I was today, I went at my usual pace. Nice but actually it's pretty draining. I just want to get there and be able to relax. On a day this hard, maybe I need to slow down a bit. Take more breaks. Not try and beat the whole world to the door. That said, I've been really pleased with how well I've held up so far. No major aches and pains. All the training must have been for something after all!
And I plan to be back in the office on Monday the 13th. I have no doubt I'll wish I could take another week off but I'll have a day off while I make the journey. That'll have to do!
I'm in a pub right now, waiting for dinner to arrive. I can't see myself staying awake much past eight. And I don't think I'll ever appreciate my life in London as much as I will when I return. I have a job I like, a flat I really love and great friends. It's only when you get away from it all that you get a chance to really appreciate all the great things you have in your life.
Ahhhhh food. More tomorrow, from Carlisle, I hope.
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