28th and 29th June

We cycled just 20km from St-Jean-de-Luz and got as far as Bayonne before stopping. It was a dreary day, threatening rain on and off. We seem to have lost a bit of motivation and direction since leaving Spain. We are heading to Bordeaux to visit Bryan, but are having trouble deciding which route to take. We decided a couple of days rest in a hotel might help. Well, we have cycled well over 2000 kms so far – a rest is due (well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!)

Anyway, Mike bought me a personal motivator for my birthday (a little early as I left my other one in San Sebastian).

It’s a sports watch which measures my heart rate. When I am struggling up a steep hill, about to complain and get off and walk – I will check my motivator and realise I am only doing 115 BPM (beats per minute).

From experience at the gym, my personal trainer would push my heart rate to 180 BPM, so I know I can push myself considerably harder and this seems to give me more motivation, and surprisingly more energy. It didn’t work on those bloody mountains in Spain though (possibly because I lost my other motivator in San Sebastian).