I like to challenge myself and on occasions this means pushing myself physically. As a weekend cyclist, I had only previously done a round trip of 25 miles, which tired me out to an extent it took me one and a half days to recover from the tiredness.

However, keen to push the boundary and test my endurance I wanted to go further. The canals provide a relatively safe environment or at least are car free and thus I decided out of the blue I would try for 30 miles down the Grand Union Canal since I was familiar with parts of it already.

It was feasible I thought despite being 5 miles over what I had only achieved once. What shape I would be in at the other end was another matter, still no reason not to attempt it.

The canals are not like roads mileage is difficult to work out since they rarely have signs or other means of navigation but using google I came across the map on the Grand Union Canal Race website. A bit of juggling and estimating my destination was Warwick / Leamington Spa although I could not be sure I would hit the 30 mile mark, I might be under I might be over.

Since I was attempting to break a personal record, I decided to raise some money for charity in the process.

Two weeks before the cycle trip I had a week off from work and completed 10 mile sprints to build muscle although I only completed one with a backpack on as a gauge of the weight I would be carrying.

Would the preparation be enough, could the old bones hack it and did I have enough endurance to be standing at the end of it.

There was only one way to find out.

Quick Jump
5.63 miles - Weight
6.89 miles - Nemesis
12.49 miles - Blind
15 miles - Half
16.46 miles - Threes Company
19.97 miles - Sun Block
20.56 miles - Worm
23.77 miles - Pain
25.04 miles - Into The Dark
26.46 miles - 21 Locks
29.97 miles - Final Destination (ish)