[Sun 20 Apr 08] I went for a cracking three-hour ride in Marple with a nice bunch of people. Lots of punishing uphills and skittery, slidey downhills that got the adrenaline pumping.

I was one of the youngest people there and, although I consider myself fairly fit, I can see that I still have a way to go!

25 miles covered.

TRAINING UPDATE

Fitting in some quality training around my work is proving to be a bigger challenge than I anticipated. Virgin Active on Deansgate is rammed of an evening meaning that I spend more time hanging around than lifting weights.

This morning, I tried it a little differently – I got up at 0615 and cycled to the gym, trained hard on the weights for 45 mins, and then jumped straight back onto the bike and cycled a further seven miles to work. If this early morning routine doesn’t work, I’ll have to think of something different.

Currently, my training aims are to put on some muscle mass and to improve my cardio.

Cancer doesn’t have favourites. You can look after yourself, keep fit, eat right and yet still get struck down in your prime by this most indiscriminate of diseases. We are starting to know a lot about it, and our knowledge gets better with every passing day and with every research pound that is donated.

But what about those who are living with cancer NOW? Promises of future breakthroughs and preventative medicine are all fine and dandy but how can we make life more tolerable for those struggling to live a normal day under its dark shadow?

We all know someone, be that friends or family, who are affected by the disease. And we can all do something about it. I’m not suggesting that you sit in the saddle for ten blistering days, but a small donation would certainly help!

My aim is to make £3200, but I hope to raise much more than this over the next twelve months. I’ve never done anything like this before so setting such a high fundraising target is more than a little daunting. I feel I’ll need every day available if I’m going to reach it, and all of your help and support – whether that’s in the form of sponsorship or just encouragement.