phew!

I just did the school run.

Two children. One bike. And me.

Oh and two water bottles, one lunchbox (complete with lunch), one book bag, three spare sets of clothes, two pairs of plimsoll's, one elephant bag, one set of keys, one purse, one chequebook, one glasses case. All of which adds up to one very full and heavy rucksack - but Jack didn't complain so I think he could breathe despite being squashed up against it!

I recon I have about 5 stone of weight extra on there with all that. That makes things a little tricky.

The first challenge is getting everything into the rucksack. That accomplished I have to get the kids all kitted up, plus I 'dress' Jacks bike seat in a high vis bright yellow and orange vest with reflectors. I'm not taking any chances that the traffic won't see us! We all have bright helmets and the boys wear reflective straps on each arm.

Then it's onto the bike. Getting Jack on is fine. Strapping his feet in is a little fiddly but that done, I lift Sam on and do his straps. Then I look at this bike, designed to carry ONE person, with two people all ready on, and this itsy-bitsy space in between them and feel about the size of an elephant. The Rucksack suddenly feels even larger than it did before.

Now in order to get on a bike most people swing their leg over the back wheel. No can do. Jack is in the way. The next option - and the one I have been used to - is to take your leg over the crossbar. No can do - Sam is in the way. So I have no choice but to life my leg OVER the saddle, which is at hip height - and the gap is sufficiently small that I have to point my toes while doing this. Simultaneously I have to hold the bike complete with small excitable children steady and maintain my own balance which is somewhat thrown by the rucksack. No mean feat!

Finally I am on the bike, and tentatively I start to peddle. I immediately lost my balance as I cannot go fast enough! So I stop, switch to much lower gear and try again. We do a loop round the block first before tackling the slightly busier road to school, and I feel confident that this can be achieved!

By the time I have got to the roundabout I am exhausted. By the time I get to school - which is less than half a mile away from home - I am absolutely shattered! I get off the bike and park next to Lynn - who also takes her two children on her bike every day in exactly the same way. I watch slightly amazed as she springs gaily off the seat (she is wearing a skirt - how does she do that?) and looks fresh as a daisy. I then heave my leg back over the saddle and after about three very ungainly attampts manage to put two feet back on the floor. Then Lynn reminds me she has a powered bike! Ha ha! My challenge is therefore to get fit enough to over-take her!

Anyway my legs shake & wobble on the way down to the classroom, so unaccustomed are they to this type of exercise! I rather nervously re-mount to cycle the remaining trip to preschool, but Jack and I make it there in one piece in perfect time. Now according to the elevation on the 'mapmyrun' page (see link below) I have climbed a total of 153 feet (its a slow steady drag uphill all the way) on the way....so you can imagine coming home - downhill all the way and without the children! Bliss!

Am hoping it will be a little easier by November with some decent training. I think when I get on the nice bikes they will provide us with in Cuba, and without the children, I am in danger of becoming air-borne!

This link shows my route.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/frome/1201074888 the 'P' is Sam's school and the red flag Jacks pre-school.