Sunshine and sunburn

After all the recent busy weekends away and time spent apart it was a well needed weekend spent with my wife, but since she’s been hearing of all my exploits and hankering for some of her own we had a blast up to North Wales for a spot of mountains.. Camped at Hafod y Llan at the base of the Watkins path up Snowdon. It can be a bit midgey and some say basic. But it’s got everything you need (apart from drinking water – but we came prepared) plus has fire pits and wood.



yes we are going up that...



Saturday we took full use of the paths proximity and since a) wifey hadn’t done Snowdon for a long time b) found it hard last time, c) had lost weight and d) been running loads we thought it a good choice. Also as it’s not the main path it’s not as busy. She was on fine form and blasted up in near 2:30, we didn’t hang round long on the summit as it was swarming, but pootled off down the Bwlch main path to stop and enjoy the view. Then carried on down towards Yr Aran, before a surprise pass of the MR helicopter had us pausing to see what they were up to. They ended up circling the Watkins valley, but then went to a flare on the summit of Yr Aran –hopefully for training purposes only! We carried on down and were very glad to get back to the campsite and cool down! Unfortunately we’d not taken swim stuff, otherwise would have joined the many others cooling off in the river!



yup that's the watkins path

heli out on training

Sunday was a climb of Cnicht from Croesor. Not one I’ve done before but very appealing mountain and certainly a nice ridge to follow. Plus some options for scrambling if you’re that way interested (wifey isn’t). However, after this from Llyn Yr Adar the path is very faint till you get to Llyn Cwm-y-foel when it’s a bit easier to follow down the side of the valley back to Croesor. We contemplated a tea stop (one next to the car park) but couldn’t justify it, plus needed to be getting on home.



some say it looks like a mini matterhorn



So roughly 14 miles and about 5000ft of ascent over the weekend, not bad at all!

Norfolk weekend

It’s been a long ole while since I’ve been to the flatlands. However, as it was my father-in-laws birthday a quick trip up was planned. A late getaway on Friday to hopefully miss the traffic meant we drove through some very, very heavy downpours, quite biblical. Saturday was a well deserved lie-in and fry up (with lovely fresh eggs) before a trip to castle acre for a tea room scone and trip round the priory ruins. Certainly something different and educational. Back to wash the car and took the old man out for a few pints before collapsing back in bed.

Sunday made a brilliant bananarama milkshake:

10oz milk

1tbsp honey

1tbsp think cream

3oz ice

1 banana

Chuck in blender + mix! Yummmmmy

After this headed out for a 8km run with Wifey. There’s a few options up there, but we’d taken road stuff and it was one she’d done before. It’s not the most interesting (being very, very straight in some places) but was good none the less. I suffered a little with sore and stiff ankles (still from saunders),  but manfully persevered ;-). Then followed a brilliant Sunday roast with Yorkshires before the drive home and a quick lawn mow as it was dry for once and now looks less like a jungle!

I did manage a yoga session Thursday, but it was a sore on the ankles and tree poses were a bit harder than normal! These are beginning to get back on track finally now!

In more random news, we were given 1kg+ of rasberries so had a bit of a jam making session last night.

I’ve been saundered

This is a week later than intended - I was intending to put some photos with it, but just haven't got round, so thought i'd post it up regardless.

Where to begin. Well I suppose the start is always good..

Friday (just finishing the antibiotics for a chest infection) I jumped in my car after work and had the looooong drive to Wasdale head. It really is a long way round from the M6! Amazingly I arrived at 11 and then spent the next 30 mins having a wander round the campsite, pub and toilets to find my mates who had a) already pitched b) I was staying with and c) had gone to sleep…..

Luckily I managed to pick the right tent and found my compatriot Don. Crawling into bed I was soon asleep.

Saturday dawned to blue skies, which considering the forecast was a minor miracle. Dan and Sian were already up and raring to go having an earlier start than us. We chatted for a bit, watched them walk off in the direction of the start and continued to crack on with our preparations as well. After much food intake, packing and some faff we were ready and picked up maps to wander into black sail pass. I was a bit unsure how I’d fare at this point but we were soon through the start and given controls to mark on the map! A bit of cross checking and marking later and we were soon off to the first control. One bagged and it seemed like it was a bigger version of the Peak Mini –MM’s I’d done earlier in the year. However, I soon suffered a dawning realization that I was struggling with lung capacity, energy and a body that didn’t really want to be doing a big day in the mountains.

Thankfully Don was very understanding and since we’d done training together knew it was just a body-say-no weekend rather than anything else. However, we persevered and pushed on. It was quite a busy course and there was lots of passing and re-passing going on. But we made some sensible choices and were going well. Then just approaching one control (Greendale tarn) we were being waved at.. it was Dan and Sian! We had a quick reunion and walked and talked before deciding we needed to push on and so carried on to the next control.  After this it was a LONG slog over rivers, bog, tussocks and hill to get to the next control. Where with a little bit of sensible route choice and some hard work we pushed on to the campsite at Scalderskew woods (farm?). It was a good bit of running at this point and with the added advantage of people to overtake we managed a very respectable 63^rd at the halfway. The evening passed to milk/protein, sleep, food, avoiding a quick shower, beer and chatting before a decent sleep.

Sunday, dawned to light grey skies, and several aches that were quite new! Faff in the morning and queues for the toilets meant than Dan/Sian managed to get away before us. However, as it was only a 25 min window for everyone to start we weren’t far behind (or all the other masses). As per the previous day it was a bit of hard work, coupled with some running, river crossing, bogs and hills to contend with. We made a few interesting route choices and I think one thing to learn is not to bother heading for a bridge or stepping stones, but if there’s a path in the general direction – take it!

However, we plodded on and had a bit of leapfrogging of a few teams. The final descent and climb and descent (round scafell, up to a sheepfold and then back down into wasdale) was hard hard work. We got the final control and headed into the finish. I’d love to say I put on a spurt of speed and sprinted for the finish but I couldn’t even muster a gentle jog. My ankles, legs and body were broken.

Food, faff and a long drive home awaited. It was 11 before I got in and I was sooooo glad I’d booked the Monday off to recover.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/gn69JYJHJJc

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/u6hO0Jp1dU8

Looking back I was very glad to have been in the area only a few weeks before, am even more glad that I put in a sterling effort to train hard beforehand and even more so to have had a brilliant partner in Don. He sorted out some brilliant lightweight kit for all our training weekends, got food when needed and also matched my pace on the event and various STEEP descents on training weekend (normally at the end of a day). I’m pretty sure I’ll do another MM, probably the SLMM again next year!

Plus.. yet again wifey was at home whilst I was away for a weekend, sorting out our home and making use of the mortgage we pay on it! Thanks to her for letting me do this. (I just am not sure she’ll like the idea of another MM.. even if it is next year)

hmm chesty

keeping the mind out of the gutter.. i've had a horrible chest infection for the past week (plus 5 weeks of actual coughing). Finally got to the docs, got x-rayed to check it wasn't TB (yikes) and then given some antibiotics. Was watching tennis and the tour whilst I was off inbetween sleeping lots and generally feeling low. I'm not quite back to 100% but am back at work and just about raring to go.

Which is a good job as i've a saunders event to get to this weekend. Hopefully the (very) few days between can get me further sorted and Don and I can have a cracking event.. plus the weather needs to play ball..

Anyhoo that's all for now. Will update when i'm alive monday.

Braai time!

Yoga on Thursday was great fun, still really enjoying the sessions (when I get there) and find them really useful to stretch out. Friday I left wifey to the her gym session and instead had a beer festival to play at. It was cracking good fun and there might have been a tipple or two had. Plus a good catch up with band peeps as I’ve been somewhat absent of late.

Saturday dawned to a lazy morning, but quickly developed into zumba for wifey and a gym session for me. It was good to work out, but I kept it upper body and minimal cardio for reasons which will become clear. After this was a much needed food shop and lunch before jumping in the car to get up to brum for a Braai, that’s a BBQ to you and me.

It was Jon’s birthday and his regular braai’s are pretty cool! Much beer consumed we collapsed into bed. Unfortunately Jon caught a stomach bug (no really..) and so didn’t get any sleep. Which meant the MTB plans for Sunday went a little awry. However, they were quite happy to have grace stay for lunch and baby cuddles so I was still able to meet up with Barney for a session at cannock. It was cracking good fun and my legs although used to running and not biking held up pretty ok to my need for simplicity – see photo. Yup one gear and for once I, king of punctures, suffered….. drum roll please. NONE! Whoop! Still I better not be too happy I’m guessing I’ll suffer retribution in the near future.

Then on the way back down stopped in for a bit of tea and further cake with Stig & Tara and chilled out on the boat before getting home and washing the bike.



phone camera can't seem to cope with the BLING of shiny clean bike!



This week is a much needed doc’s app, who had better not tell me to MTFU because this has been 4 weeks of coughing now and I’m a bit fed up of it.

Weekend at home

Am still suffering with a stupid cough. I think a docs trip could be needed at this rate!

Last week was v. quiet did a gym trip on Friday which was ok, if short. Swimming Saturday was a stupid idea and didn’t really work at all. Some general house chores and chilling out reading. Considering the past few weeks a well needed rest! Having said that my legs are still aching from Friday, so either it was a harder session that I thought or my recovery is a bit out!

However, a small project started in the workshop, plus a bit of a mountain bike fettle as it could be needed soon.

Even better yoga this week.. it’s been a while!

Fontastic

So for the last week I’ve been in Fontainebleau, bouldering. For those not in the know, think sand, trees, cheese and BOULDERS! Thousands of them..

It was wickedly brilliant fun. I’ve not been climbing much of late, I’ve felt a little ‘lost’ at the wall and had no enthusiasm to go. What’s more no real time TO go. So it was a mixed bag of emotions heading over, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do anything, but I was happy to be meeting up with friends. I’ve also been suffering with a chesty cough thing which still hasn’t yet gone.. but it was France, bread, cheese and wine would fuel me through.

The gite was awesome, I met some new folk, some old, climbed a lot, played some frizbee, did some slack-lining, a couple of small runs and a fair chunk of reading. Highlight for me was probably going back to the elephant area, it’s a lovely area, but can be a bit scarily high (it somehow didn’t feel too bad). That day I pretty much whupped a black route - 6a/v4 into quick submission (only just falling off the top slopers on the first go).

The second was finding a wonderful slab climb, just gorgeous and getting my non-climbing wife up it on the second go.. She likewise almost had it on the first, but got a bit freaked out. She had rattled on during the week doing whites, yellows and even almost nailing a blue! She’s gonna be cranking harder than me at this rate!

In other news:

Wooooooooaaaah less than a month to the saunders! Some long runs must be had!