Being lax

On the write ups, but certainly not on the activity front!

Since last Friday I’ve been for a 45min swim, 1:40 bike, 40min swim, 2hr climb and then a yoga session. Not bad at all. Having said all that I think I could do with being at home to catch up with some chores.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen this weekend as I’m off to the lakes with Don for another training weekend. We’ve set our sights on leg 3 of the Bob Graham round (Dunmail to Wasdale) then overnight camp. Sunday is a bit of a loop (depending on how the legs feel!). Considering the forecast I think the most important thing for the weekend will be suncream!

In other news: had a team building day yesterday.. being a good boy scout my team won! The guys running the day had never seen such a good raft…

Gentle run

After the run with Don at the weekend my left calf has been feeling a bit tight so i rested it till yesterday and did only a gentle run 3.8miles in 30:05. I think a bit of cross training is in order so swimming tonight and then maybe a gym session tomorrow.

 

In other news:

We've had a water leak in the back garden. Which the water board tried to fix on Tuesday and made a RIGHT hash of it. They dug a shoddy hole in the patio, split through a armored electricity cable to the shed and then naffed off leaving the house without electricity. Queue one very stressed and irate Wifey. She eventually managed to get the electricity board out, who nearly didn't fix the cable (as it's not theirs). The water board said they now won't touch it, so it's on us to get a sparky in to join the cables and some plumbers for the leak! Joy

 

Oh and I was driving a new mini* this week, as wifey's was in for a mysterious leak that had supposedly been fixed by replacing the windscreen, but was still apparent. However, clearly not enough for the dealership who couldn't reproduce the leak and so didn't do anything.. Great, will just have to wait and see if it gets worse!

 

*chunky and yet still not spacious!

Plans change

Blimey well what was meant to be a quiet weekend (ish) turned into some late plans being made, all on Friday! Those can be the best sort..

 

Swim still on Friday which was nice, but harder work than i remember! Then some grub and collapse into bed. Sat was a dentist app for me (hmm lovely). Then helping a bit in the garden before i needed to pop out for the evening to Thame, ox. Wifey continued in the garden for a bit then welcomed Jon/BB/Georgie for some tea and a chat. They were down in Ware for a wedding and stopped in for a visit since they were down this way. Wifey really enjoyed the company for the arvo and the catch up.

 

Sunday was more late planning, but an early start to get over to marlow/henley way for a canoe! Mark, who'd lent us his back in apr for our exped fancied a short day out. But that didn't mean it was going to be easy. With the river Thames in good flow heading upstream for the first bit was hard work, but good fun. Then we had a wiggle down a tiny tributary. We got back to the main flow and charged downstream for a bit, before again turning off onto a tributary. This was upstream, but not too bad. Until a low bridge... Unfortunately with the higher than expected river it was a bit of a squeeze through this. On knees and pulling on the underside of the bridge to get through.. Well that was interesting! A quick pint and lunch before the final power upstream, across the flow and into Shiplake lock to get to our exit. Fantastic fun, hard work, and an unexpected surprise. It was a bit strange being 3 in a boat, but it made for a bit of easier work for the upstream sections! 8 miles in about 3hrs

 

Even more so was my Saunders partner Don being in the area guiding a charity walk on the ridgeway. Since he was 30 mins away, popped in for some dinner and a cheeky run! We'd goaded each other into a bit of a quick pace.. Which meant a bit of unexpected walking (uphill) and 37 mins for 6.8k. This is pretty much his 5k pace, just over a longer distance! So can't have been too bad.

 

A curry, few beers and a chat seem to have meant the welsh 3000's that was planned in a fortnight has changed into leg 3+4 of the Bob Graham round so he can get some nav knowledge for a support he doing in a couple of weeks. Plus i might have been arm twisted into the hathersage hilly tri. Hmmm, yikes?

a short week

Gotta love those bank holidays.. It's somehow strange for it already to be Friday, but equally brilliant to be.

 

After the race Monday night I got out climbing on Wednesday while wifey was at the gym. It's the first time for quite a while that i've been, which considering there's an indoor wall on my commute home is a silly situation to be in. It was cracking good fun and i bouldered about trying to build up some finger and skin strength! Before i ripped a flapper i headed on home for some cake ;-).. Not bad prep for font in early June!

 

Thursday was my normal run at work. No company again which should have meant a blistering time. However, i was clearly a bit pooped from the run Monday and climbing the night before so only a managed a 26:13 for 3.4 miles. Felt a bit crampy in my left calf. More's the pity I couldn't make yoga either, so didn't get the stretch out i'd fancied.

 

Tonight will be swimming, so long as we can find wifeys cozzie. Hopefully so, since mine is packed and ready to go. Maybe a tri could be back on the cards?? Think a bit of cycling could be in order... and that could be one more exercise too many!

 

I'll pretend i didn't mention that...

Home at last..

ahhhh a weekend at home and not having to drive anywhere, what bliss.

Dinner out Friday, a nice treat for us both. Saturday was a lie in, followed by some chores in town and a quick blat to the gym for a session for me, and zumba for wifey. Then in the afternoon a cakey bakey which helped during the rest of the weekend ;-). Plus getting the lawn mowed, which filled a large hessian bag with the cuttings!

Sunday was a much needed shopping trip as wifey needed some new work clothes for a new job in a few weeks. Plus having lost tons of weight has now cleared out most of what she had!

Monday was tip run, more house cleaning, garden tidying and catching up with all the things that had been put off for over a month.. But the evening gave a chance to compete in a 5mile road race. Very local to me, only a 10 min walk and one that i've ridden, but not run before. It was a really nice event, ~150 peeps and i placed 68 with a time of 39:13.

I tried to set a steady pace at the beggining.. i missed the first marker, but did 15:30 for mile 2 mostly flat, 24:00 for mile 3 which involved a big hill and started feeling a slight stitch at this point so only 32:10 for mile 4 marker. However, this meant a stonking 7 min for the final mile, which i can believe as i really put on a pace for the downhill. I would have preferred an overall 7:30 pace, but am happy with the 7:50 i ran.

All in all a fantastic weekend and just what the Doc ordered..

Bank holiday at home

Blimey, can't remember when we did that last....

Anyway, i'd not been running for 3 weeks (combination of the canoeing exped and then a stonking cold) but got out yesterday and managed 3.4miles in 25:11 so 5k in 22:57 (only 12s off my PB) chuffed with that..

Since i'm feeling that glow and as it's sooooooo local to me i'm probably going to give this a blast.

http://www.chiltern-harriers.org.uk/pednor5.html

it's road race which is a shame (not being xc), but i know the route and hopefully it'll give a good time around 38min...

Yoga last night which was nicely relaxing and a good stretch too!

Devonshire knows...

As a birthday treat for my wife i'd booked a spa break in a countryside hotel in N.yorks (28/29 apr). It's a bit of a trek away, especially with a nasty M1 on a friday (even with a day off) but we arrived and slowly began a process of trying to get us somewhere resembling normal. Saturday was a very gentle walk up the strid river (near bolton abbey) and mooch to tea rooms in ilkley. There was also a spot of retail therapy, but nothing much as wifey had a massage and facial booked to help. I was at the gym and using the pool during this. It certainly did the trick and following from that was a lovely meal in their restaurant.

 

Sunday was more of the same with a pedicure for her and more gym for me. Then a long trundle home in again lovely weather (erm sorry - rain). I had taken outdoor running stuff, but to be honest it was ming out for most of the weekend, so i just didn't fancy it. However, gym-ing was fab, although i'm feeling a little achy now.

 

It was all vaguely familiar and had a lovely cozy feel to it. Both my parents grew up in Yorkshire and i remember visiting the grandparents several times over my childhood. Especially a week spent with my nan catching the train to Ilkley and bussing up to the cow and calf on t'moor.

 

Reminising over it's back to the real world with a bump.