On my recent trip to South Africa, I wanted to take advantage of the good weather and be outdoors and active as much as possible. My running and cycling kit were the first things to go in my suitcase, followed by my swimsuit and sunscreen. I knew it was going to be warm and sunny, but I didn’t know the water was going to be so cold. My hotel was a lovely walk along the promenade to the V&A Waterfront and I saw many other outdoor activities going on- paragliding, sea kayaking, scuba diving, speed boats, sail boats and surfing. I also heard there was horseback riding in one of the nearby towns. Although Cape Town wasn’t expensive, doing all these extra curricular activities would had added up so I only chose a few. I need to go back to try the rest!
Cycling Part of the fun of traveling for me is seeing new places by foot or wheels. My husband is more of a cyclist than I am but we were both keen to cycle while in Cape Town. Last year, he hired a bike through iRide South Africa so we did the same for this trip. The service was great as they dropped off and picked up the bikes at the flat where we were staying. You could also hire helmets and shoes which leaves more room for other things. One water bottle per bike was provided and we brought extras. This was important as it was 26 degrees Celsius and more while we were in Cape Town.
We made it.
We are both comfortable cycling in a city (James more so than me because he cycle commutes every day) which was important as Cape Town doesn’t have many bike lanes. It took about 20 minutes to get into the fancier suburbs and passed everyone headed to work. South Africa for the most part has wide shoulders on their roads for passing traffic which many of the cyclists we saw used. We were headed south to Chapman’s Peak, which included an 850 m climb in bright sunshine with HUGE winds. I, of course, was nervous of needing the toilet along the way but made it through without incident. It was great to get back on the bike (it had been since Fitbit Fifty) but I did feel bad for my husband as I am a very slow cyclist. He is fantastic at climbing hills! Slow and steady is how I aim to do it. I get there in the end.
We had plenty of fuel and water with us because it was so hot in Cape Town. I used additional saline drops in my water bottles to ensure I was hydrated, plus nuun and Powerade. I had heat exhaustion once in Texas and it was not fun!
What a view!
When we did make it to the top, the view was amazing. There were other cyclists there too and several cars pulled over. Everyone was taking photos and looking out over the water. We were told that over and down the peak there was a cafe, but I didn’t want to climb up the hill twice. We headed back down the way we came and stopped for a 2nd breakfast near the beach. It was really lovely to be outside, in the sunshine, and see the ocean just across the road. We made it back to the flat without any problems and relaxed the rest of the day. James climbed to the top of Chapman’s Peak again the next day and found a cafe on the other side of the hill. I was due to run 13 miles for my marathon training and did that instead.
Running I found there were plenty of opportunities to run in Cape Town. Although many books and websites said not to go out by yourself in Cape Town, I felt safe running along the Sea Point Promenade, as well as running from my hotel to the promenade. There wasn’t much shade along the path but the ocean breeze helped keep me cool. You will definitely need sunscreen!
Adidas Runners Cape Town
Representing London
With marathon training in full swing, I ran most days but had to run very early in the morning or late in the evening because of the heat. I managed to join Adidas Runners Cape Town for a run along the Promenade and through Greenpoint Park were we crossed paths with Park Run which had a large amount of people taking park (FYI- parkrun starts at 8am in Cape Town!).
The other running I was able to due was a trail run in Stellenbosch. I was lucky enough to take part in a Dirtopia race on Valentine’s Day. A more detailed review will be up soon. It was hard to find a comprehensive race calendar, but I think this was due to it being such a hot time of the year. If you know of one for Cape Town or South Africa, please let me know!
Sea kayaking I went out on two trips with Kaskazi Kayaks in Cape Town. The only other time I have been sea kayaking was a on-off in Seward, Alaska, USA when I lived there for a summer. For those that don’t know, kayaking is a sport where you sit in a small boat close to the surface of the water and use a double-sided paddle to propel yourself. Here are a few things I learned on my trip that you might find useful for your first sea kayaking trip.
All the gear ready for us
Do you need to be fit to sea kayak? Not necessarily, but you do need to be willing to dig in and paddle against the current and waves. We were put into kayaks with others, so you can share the burden a bit. Double kayaks are more stable too. You will wear a life jacket during your trip but you may have to go a ways offshore to go around reefs or rocks under the water. If you are afraid of the water or are not a confident swimmer, this might be unnerving. Speak to your instructor before getting into your kayak to discuss your fears and what the trip will be like. I love being on the water but a few people in my group were either scared to be on the water or didn’t realize how much physical activity was involved.
If you want to see local wildlife, ask the company which time is the best to go out. I was told the early morning trips are when animals local to Cape Town are most active and picked the second trip of the day so I could sleep a bit. We saw a fur seal and some dolphins during my second trip, which was pretty neat!
Everyone is ready to go. Photo by Kaskazi Kayaks
There were a few things I brought with me that were important for this kind of activity- sunscreen (my legs got very burned), bottle of water, sunglasses, hat, swimsuit bottoms (no matter what they say, you will get wet), and shoes for water sports (I wore my Keens sandals). A towel and change of clothes will not go amiss either. Basically, it is sunny in Cape Town and even brighter on the water. You don’t want to waste any days of your holiday with a sunburn, so protect your skin.
Just look at that view. Photo by Kaskazi Kayaks.
I hope to one day return to Cape Town. What would you recommend we put on our activity list for the next time? We managed to squeeze in a short safari and cage diving, which I will post about soon. But I know there is so much more to do and see.
I am so excited to share with you my next big fitness challenge. It started off as a plan to meet for social laps in the park (ending with cake) between a few fitness blogging friends and evolved into an international trip on two wheels. For most of my crazy adventures (World Marathon Majors, cage diving with sharks) I end up participating alone. Sharing this journey with close friends is going to be ace! Plus it corporates several of my favorite things- travel, exercise, exploring new cultures, and eating cake.
Elle, of Keep It SimpElle
Departing on 14 July, 2017, Sophie, Elle, and I will be cycling from London to Paris unsupported. These ladies are also both personal trainers and fitness bloggers with a similar attitude towards health and fitness as me. We all live very busy lives between working and training but super exited for this challenge.
My husband will be joining us as the official #InstagramHusband of the trip. He loves cycling and I am happy to be doing something he enjoys too. His tolerance for running is limited to Parkrun so I know I will never see him train for a marathon with me. We trained for Ride London together in the past but I know I slow him down (and I would slow him down for running too). We have each completed Ride London three times but rode the course at our own pace. Two years ago we rode to Brighton with some other blogging friends and it was a great day out.
In total, our ride to Paris will be 164 miles (265 km) over three days. On Day 1, we ride from the Velodrome to New Haven where we hop the evening ferry to Dieppe. After spending the night in a bike-friendly Dieppe hotel, we spend Day 2 cycling to Beauvais, which will be our longest leg at 65 miles. Day 3 takes us right into Paris, ending under the Eiffel Tower for a ton of celebratory photos. There is a courier service who will transport our bikes back to London while we celebrate in the evening with good wine, yummy cheese, and probably a hot shower. Monday we have the day set aside to do some sightseeing before taking the Eurostar home in the evening.
Sophie, of The Fitology Way
How am I going to prepare? I am continuing with Julia B Fit’s home workout videos twice a week and aim to get out on the bike for a long ride on the weekends with James. Gradually, I will increase the weight of my saddlebags on the weekend training rides. Monday nights, I teach spining and #tracktuesdays with Advent Running will also stay in my diary. This ride will take me right into the start of Chicago Marathon training, which is perfect to avoid oversue injuries but keep my cardio fitness up. Win win!
Me!
I am confident I can make it to Paris based on my experience with the #FitbitFifty. But this trip will require me to make my own way on open roads while carrying everything I need and probably change my own tire. Travelling with friends under an extreme phsyical challenge should be interesting too. Having this date in the diary is a great motivator too. There is even discussion if this trip goes well, we will plan a longer excursion in 2018.
Fingers crossed, I hoping in the next few weeks there will be more opportunities for me to share with you that involve traveling and cycling. Keep checking back for updates.
Have you ever ridden from London to Paris? Leave your tips for us on what to pack in the comments below and watch for #3PTsToParis on social media as we make our final preparations. If you are a brand that would like to support us on this epic adventure, please get in touch.
I am so excited to share with you my next big fitness challenge. It started off as a plan to meet for social laps in the park (ending with cake) between a few fitness blogging friends and evolved into an international trip on two wheels. For most of my crazy adventures (World Marathon Majors, cage diving with sharks) I end up participating alone. Sharing this journey with close friends is going to be ace! Plus it corporates several of my favorite things- travel, exercise, exploring new cultures, and eating cake.
Elle, of Keep It SimpElle
Departing on 14 July, 2017, Sophie, Elle, and I will be cycling from London to Paris unsupported. These ladies are also both personal trainers and fitness bloggers with a similar attitude towards health and fitness as me. We all live very busy lives between working and training but super exited for this challenge.
My husband will be joining us as the official #InstagramHusband of the trip. He loves cycling and I am happy to be doing something he enjoys too. His tolerance for running is limited to Parkrun so I know I will never see him train for a marathon with me. We trained for Ride London together in the past but I know I slow him down (and I would slow him down for running too). We have each completed Ride London three times but rode the course at our own pace. Two years ago we rode to Brighton with some other blogging friends and it was a great day out.
In total, our ride to Paris will be 164 miles (265 km) over three days. On Day 1, we ride from the Velodrome to New Haven where we hop the evening ferry to Dieppe. After spending the night in a bike-friendly Dieppe hotel, we spend Day 2 cycling to Beauvais, which will be our longest leg at 65 miles. Day 3 takes us right into Paris, ending under the Eiffel Tower for a ton of celebratory photos. There is a courier service who will transport our bikes back to London while we celebrate in the evening with good wine, yummy cheese, and probably a hot shower. Monday we have the day set aside to do some sightseeing before taking the Eurostar home in the evening.
Sophie, of The Fitology Way
How am I going to prepare? I am continuing with Julia B Fit’s home workout videos twice a week and aim to get out on the bike for a long ride on the weekends with James. Gradually, I will increase the weight of my saddlebags on the weekend training rides. Monday nights, I teach spining and #tracktuesdays with Advent Running will also stay in my diary. This ride will take me right into the start of Chicago Marathon training, which is perfect to avoid oversue injuries but keep my cardio fitness up. Win win!
Me!
I am confident I can make it to Paris based on my experience with the #FitbitFifty. But this trip will require me to make my own way on open roads while carrying everything I need and probably change my own tire. Travelling with friends under an extreme phsyical challenge should be interesting too. Having this date in the diary is a great motivator too. There is even discussion if this trip goes well, we will plan a longer excursion in 2018.
Fingers crossed, I hoping in the next few weeks there will be more opportunities for me to share with you that involve traveling and cycling. Keep checking back for updates.
Have you ever ridden from London to Paris? Leave your tips for us on what to pack in the comments below and watch for #3PTsToParis on social media as we make our final preparations. If you are a brand that would like to support us on this epic adventure, please get in touch.
just a few days, I will be on a plane to South Africa. This is the first time I will be visiting the region and I am ticking things off my bucket list. During my two week stay, I plan on balancing fitness acitivites with time to relax, as well as sightseeing. I am a firm believer that vacations are a time when you can unplug, find time to do the things you enjoy, and stay comitted to your health goals.
Here is a rough itinerary of what I will be doing while I am enjoying the 26 degrees C and sunshine.
Days 1-3: Visit Stellanbosch for a friend’s wedding. This is the reason I am headed down to that part of the world. Of course, there will be indulgences with eating and drinking, but I will be burning calories on the dance floor too.
Day 4: 10K trail run at Warwick Winery and dinner with a friend from London who lives in Cape Town. I love me some bling and am trying to run in every state and country I visit. This race is a trail run with lots of hills. I will need to pack my trail shoes!
Day 5: Settle into Cape Town and visit the beach.
Day 6: CAGE DIVING! The team at Marine Dynamics have invited me out on their boat to see great white sharks in their natural habitat. I am a super-fish nerd and this has been on my bucket list for many many years. This group come highly recomended and I cannot wait to bring my faux pro action cam in the cage with me.
Day 7: I am debating about paragliding or sea kayaking. What do you recomend? The bride and groom are having a farewell BBQ in the evening too.
Day 8: Park Run in Cape Town and then my husband arrives.
Day 9-10: Hire road bikes and explore the area on 2 wheels. My husband will be designing our routes and I hope I can keep up.
Day 11-12: Penguin colonies and prison visit.
Day 13-14: Safari a few hours from Cape Town. We have two safaris a day (at sunrise and sunset) during our stay. We also get to meet some elephants up close and personal.
Day 15: Relax in Cape town and then head back home.
I am looking for fitness studios in Cape Town to visit or other active excursions. Please leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for me or send me a tweet.
just a few days, I will be on a plane to South Africa. This is the first time I will be visiting the region and I am ticking things off my bucket list. During my two week stay, I plan on balancing fitness acitivites with time to relax, as well as sightseeing. I am a firm believer that vacations are a time when you can unplug, find time to do the things you enjoy, and stay comitted to your health goals.
Here is a rough itinerary of what I will be doing while I am enjoying the 26 degrees C and sunshine.
Days 1-3: Visit Stellanbosch for a friend’s wedding. This is the reason I am headed down to that part of the world. Of course, there will be indulgences with eating and drinking, but I will be burning calories on the dance floor too.
Day 4: 10K trail run at Warwick Winery and dinner with a friend from London who lives in Cape Town. I love me some bling and am trying to run in every state and country I visit. This race is a trail run with lots of hills. I will need to pack my trail shoes!
Day 5: Settle into Cape Town and visit the beach.
Day 6: CAGE DIVING! The team at Marine Dynamics have invited me out on their boat to see great white sharks in their natural habitat. I am a super-fish nerd and this has been on my bucket list for many many years. This group come highly recomended and I cannot wait to bring my faux pro action cam in the cage with me.
Day 7: I am debating about paragliding or sea kayaking. What do you recomend? The bride and groom are having a farewell BBQ in the evening too.
Day 8: Park Run in Cape Town and then my husband arrives.
Day 9-10: Hire road bikes and explore the area on 2 wheels. My husband will be designing our routes and I hope I can keep up.
Day 11-12: Penguin colonies and prison visit.
Day 13-14: Safari a few hours from Cape Town. We have two safaris a day (at sunrise and sunset) during our stay. We also get to meet some elephants up close and personal.
Day 15: Relax in Cape town and then head back home.
I am looking for fitness studios in Cape Town to visit or other active excursions. Please leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for me or send me a tweet.
What a whirlwind this #fitbitfifty journey has been. The Coach magazine article was out a few weeks ago and the next issue of Cyclist will delve deeper into the experience. It was truly an unforgettable experience and I will try do it justice below. Grab a cuppa as it will be a long post.
Ready to go!
I applied for Fitbitfifty in the summer when I saw an advert on Facebook. It seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity and I never thought I would be even considered. I know so many more athletes in London alone who were better qualified than myself. Then I was shortlisted and had a phone interview. Then I was made a reserve in case someone became injured in the six week lead up to the event. Days before the Berlin Marathon, I got a call that one of the athletes was injured and Fitbit requested me to be their replacement.
I was buzzing all weekend in Berlin and petrified too that I would be the weak link on my team. My worries were that I don’t cycle with clips, I was just coming back after a month of marathon training with limited cycling incorporated into it, and I don’t consider myself to be a fast runner. But there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity like this.
After returning home from Germany, I only had a few days to unpack and repack. Participants were given a long list of what to bring with them and I quickly realised I was missing a few key items for cold weather cycling. The good folks at Altura kindly sent me ax express care package that contained my night ride kit (long sleeve jersey, sleeveless baselayer, a waterproof jacket that I slept in). All my running kit fit into my Workplay Bags Goddess II and my cycle kit went into my Adidas bag. My fuel (MyProtein energels,Energy Bits, and various granola bars) went into my ruck sack.
A photo posted by Mollie, the Happiness PT (@ptmollie) on
All athletes, Andy Cook and his team, reps from FitBit and Dennis Publishing met at the hotel Thursday night and shared a meal together. After dinner, the teams decided we would work together for the duration of the challenge, rather than competing against each other. Riding four-up seemed easier than two-up. We matched our pairs into fast, medium, and slow (guess which one I was on?). These groups were perfectly matched, both in terms of ability and personality which made the entire challenge remarkedly calm (no drama, no breakdowns).
Breakfast was served at 4.30am on Friday morning and we headed over to Buckingham Palace by 5.30am. A bunch of people from Dennis Publishing and FitBit met us on the Green Park side for a few photos and for official start. We aimed for 10 min miles but everyone was so excited, it was a bit faster than that. The route was 12 km, winding through London streets to the Olympic Park Velodrome. There, the tour buses awaited our arrival. The group of four gentlemen would start off on their bikes while the rest of us would be transported in the bus to the first transition zone.
All my stuff in my bunk
Life on the bus was cramped. There was lots of kit and tons of food. The loo was smelly and for liquids only. The bunk beds were comfy and dark, but a bit small for the taller guys on the team. We started off being modest when changing kit but by the end, it just didn’t matter anymore. We were tired, sweaty, and short on time when it came to transitions.
The majority of the #fitbitfifty was on the bike and for me, it was hard. I don’t cycle with cleats, instead I used my Salomon trail shoes with toe baskets. However, after this experience, I vow to learn how to use my clip-ins. In the past, I have fallen off one to many times and was worried about doing it again during this challenge, especially while riding in a group. I just fantasized about a giant crash in the middle of nowhere.
My view of Ozzie’s Angels
Even though I found the rides challenging, I am so happy I still have the Forza Stratos RC23 wheels that Merlin Cycles let me review during this year’s Ride London. My cycling is so much more effortless with these wheels even though my bike is entry level. My teammates had super fancy bikes, but my BTwin got me to through it.
During the first ride regment for my team of four (‘Ozzie’s Angels’- Ozzie, Natalie, Elise, and myself), we only tried changing leaders a few times. Elise had never drafted before and Natalie had just learned. Elise also wasn’t that confident riding in traffic, so Ozzie was kind enough to let us ladies draft him the entire segment. On the flats, we were able to stay together at a good pace but hill climbs seperated us out as Elise and I were able to climb but Ozzie and Natalie loved a fast decent.
After we made it to the Scottish border, Ozzie switched with Jer so our trio of ladies came ‘Jer’s Gems’. We kept the same order and strategy, and experienced similar disconnect of pace on the hills. I was loosing my ability to climb by the last 2 cycle segments. Exhaustion was setting in even though I tried to sleep as much as I could on the bus.
My group did a lot of run-bike segments. It was hard, but it was also to match us with short flat cycle segments. I was usually bringing up the rear of our group. I didn’t mind as I have a fair bit of experience cycling on open roads and I can’t hear very well on the bike so there wasn’t any point in me being close to the other riders for a chat.
Meal by FitHQ
Fuelling on this adventure was tough. I knew I needed to eat but my body clock was off from lack of a routine. We had meals from Fit HQ (which I ate most of) and sport drink powder from SIS. There were also crisps, candy bars, ginger biscuits, and full-fat Coke. Every stop we made, we ended up doing a bit more shopping as people experienced different cravings throughout the weekend. I enjoyed chocolate milk after my segments, along with toast, Nutella and bananas. I was never starving and often times forces myself to eat something. It was tough to figure out what to eat and how much that would allow you to fall right asleep and be ready to workout only a few hours later.
Here is a breakdown of each of my segments (hopefully the formatting isn’t too weird). You can also check out my Strava page for the routes we took and other nifty stats. My Fitbit Surge did a great job picking up GPS quickly no matter where we were and gave me the actual and average speeds which was really helpful on the bike segments. I also kept an eye on my heart rate but did the best I could with each effort regardless. It is only when my heart rate gets up to 160+ that I feel like I am going to die.
Discipline Time Day Distance Elasped Time Elevation Average Speed 1. Run 6am Friday 7.4 miles 1:24:41 103 feet 10:21 min/mile 2. Bike 10am Friday 34.5 miles 2:22:14 817 feet 14.9 miles/hour 3. Run 8pm Friday 6.6 miles 1:06:32 42 feet 10:04 min/mile 4. Bike 9:20pm Friday 26 miles 1:43:24 270 feet 15.5 miles/hour 5. Bike 5:15am Saturday 23.9 miles 2:08:08 1623 feet 11.7 miles/hour 6. Run 11am Saturday 5.9 miles 59:35 86 feet 9:57 min/mile 7. Bike 12:30pm Saturday 29.7 miles 2:19:56 1560 feet 13.6 miles/hour 8. Bike 9:50pm Saturday 27.1 miles 2:07:25 809 feet 13.5 miles/hour 9. Run 2:05am Sunday 6.0 miles 1:20:44 0 feet 12:48 min/mile 10. Ride 3:30am Sunday 28.8 miles 2:03:22 37 feet 14.8 miles/hour 11. Ride 9:40am Sunday 31.9 miles 2:27:43 937 feet 14.2 miles/hour 12. Run 4:30pm Sunday 7.3 miles 1:18:27 150 feet 9:46 min/mile
Waiting for the fast boys to join us for the last run.
I really hope that our team of 12 can continue on with other events over the next year. We are a diverse group that demonstrates the average/part-time athlete is not something to mess with. We train hard but play hard too and have kept in touch since the epic weekend (God bless Whatsapp).
If you have any suggestions on events or races we should attend in the UK, please leave a comment below.
Big thanks to Coach Magazine and Fitbit for this unforgettable opportunity. All opinions are honest and my own.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Recent Comments