What a shocking test run I had on Friday.
Getting out of London, through Slough I was averaging just 17mph, leaving a lot to be done between Newbury and Bath where the roads are fairly open. There is no getting around the fact that traffic controls make this a very hard challenge.
I was riding into a head 5mph head wind but I decidied to stick to my ideal heart rate and see what speeds I achieved. I could have pushed harder to give myself a better average speed but I couldn't be sure it would be indicative of the whole 9 hours (or slightly less.)
To add to my misery, I left two hours later than planned (unavoidable yet unpredictable) and picked up two punctures. Now I'm no stranger to fixing punctures I wish I was, but in the cold wind, with sleet, in sweaty clothes, I was not enjoying myself.
With the delays I was running late and had to accept a lift at Devizes to ensure I made it to my meeting on time; The supposed real reason for the trip. To really end my day on a high note, like a proper muppet, I turned my computer off without saving the data, so I learnt very little.
From memory, the average was creeping up to 20 mph. Hardly a confidence boost. I'm trying to forget all about it.

The weather on Sunday prevented me from going for a ride outside so I hit the turbo. I nice hard session to get the legs hurting and sweat running. I felt better about everything after a good work out.

I'm going to add morning or lunchtime turbo sessions on weekdays to my training plan to complement my evening rides. Although I'm probably improving, I don't think it is happening fast enough, so more training has to be squeezed in somehow.