10 day lejog unsupported. Am I ready?

I wouldn't do too much at all in the week before, all you'll be building is fatigue. There will be enough of that on the ride. Some light spins to keep the legs turning, but other than that it's a bit late. Training gains come during the recovery from exertion.

You might benefit more for making sure you're mentally prepared. That you know what your stops are, making sure you don't go out too hard, thinking about how to look after yourself. Maybe think about a simple stretch routine you can do at the end of each day to keep you ready for the next day. Also, work out how to maximise your recovery time by getting your post ride and morning routines nailed. It all gives you more time to relax and conserve energy. Enjoy it!

Sounds very like the LEJoG I did (ahem) 21 years ago. Unsupported in 10 days with a bit of bashing along main roads to keep the route fairly direct.

It sounds like your prep has been a bit on the light side but if you're determined and sensible I'm sure you'll make it. Just take it steady, assume you'll be spending a lot of hours in the saddle each day and try to relax. Maintaining your energy levels with a non-stop supply of food is crucial. Make sure you eat well as soon as you can each evening after finishing too - your recovery overnight depends on you replacing your energy reserves as soon as possible.

FWIW my number one tip would be to make an early start each day and try to do more than half the distance before lunchtime. If you can do 50-60 miles before a lunch stop it's a huge psychological boost and it will help ensure you're finished for the day before it's too late. Completing the day's ride after about 6pm is really bad news IMO. You need a relaxed evening meal and rest before an early night!

Ruth

I'm part of the LEJoG club too and I'd agree that physically, you are where you are and hitting massive training rides in the last week is likely to do more harm than good. As long as you pace yourself appropriately once you're out there and keep eating, you should be able to cover the distance no problem; and don't worry, Cornwall isn't as hilly as some people make out! Just keep the training light in the last week and try to start off well rested and recovered.

There are still loads of things you can do to help you prepare though and could certainly benefit you more than a few last-minute training rides. If you're not well-organised, the time lost to faffing around can really mount up each day and on a tight-schedule like yours it can become critical; trust me, trying to navigate unfamiliar country roads in the dark is NOT fun.

(1) Navigation - how are you doing this? If you're using a smartphone or old school paper maps, then stopping and getting them out of your pocket at every junction gets really boring, really quickly. If you're relying on electronics, have some kind of paper backup, at the least a list of towns/villages to pass through each day so that you can follow the road signs; stick it in the bottom of your bag for emergencies, weighs nothing.
(2) Resupplying - scope out some shops and pubs along your route for each day for food and drinks, especially for when you're out in the sticks. In England you'll likely be passing them quite regularly, but up in the Highlands they can be few and far between and psychologically it's nice to have them as a target.
(3) Kit - keep it light, anything that you can do without for two weeks ditch it; every 100g counts when you're hauling it 1000 miles. The only exception is clothing, make sure you have enough to keep warm and dry as it WILL be cold and rainy at some point up in Scotland.
(4) Equipment - make sure your bike is serviceable and that you know how to fix things yourself; it should be a very rare occasion that something on your bike is not fixable/bodgeable by the side of the road.

To echo some of the comments above, I'd do some research on the busier roads you'll be riding on and consider rerouting where possible. People get killed doing LEJoG by ending up on unsuitable roads and I had a few close calls myself by not taking it seriously enough.

Having said that, just take it easy and enjoy it; it'll be something that you'll remember for the rest of your life!

No worries!

A Garmin is a great decision, I have the 800 and it'll make your life a hell of a lot easier.

As you say, the A-roads in Scotland are often the only option but usually these aren't too busy (especially in the Highlands) and people generally drive more respectfully in a rural setting. Some of the busier ones in England are much worse and best avoided, although that's not the case for all A-roads obviously; I think the A30 down in Cornwall has a particularly bad reputation, but I can't say for sure as I'm not from down that way. I'd have a Google or have a look at the suspect parts of your route on StreetView and see if it's bad. Dual carriageways are a big no-no, purely because of the speed of passing traffic.

As for food, I would just try to eat a big breakfast, lunch and dinner at the usual times each day and then snack every 30 mins or so in between to keep things ticking over. You don't need to over-think it and start shoveling down energy bars 30 mins after a massive breakfast; just be mindful that if you go 2+ hours without eating whilst consistently burning those calories, then you're going to be digging yourself into a hole. Focus on *what* you're eating as well; a fried breakfast is going to have little in the way of rapidly available energy and will take your stomach a long time to digest, likely resulting in a very sluggish morning; don't let your heart rule your head!

I don't think the physical aspect will be an issue in the way that you think it will be. Sure, you'll be tired at the end of the long days, but as long as you keep eating and keep the pace sensible I think you'll find that 8-10 hours on the bike isn't that much worse than 3-4 in terms of fatigue. You probably won't want to get back on the bike in the mornings after the first few days, but once you've hit those first 5 miles and have the wind (and rain) in your face again, your body will wake up and you'll be motoring again. When you've got a certain distance to do in a day, you'll find a way of getting it done as long as you're fit and healthy. Just try to avoid any niggles turning into major issues that could completely stop you.