training.....

Hey all,

SO yesterday was TIRING! As you may know recent events have left me with little time to run or cycle as much as I would like. SO when I get the chance to do so, I do tend to seize it with both hands and run with it(no pun intended).

Last night afforded me just such an opportunity, so 6pm saw me donning my running gear, and by 6.10 I was hauling my bike out the shed. Oh yes. I was going for the double!

Now I haven't cycled to the rugby club (where Frome running club meet) for some time, and hadn't done really any exercise for a couple of weeks, so decided to allow a good stretch of time to get there, plus some recovery time before the start of running club. I am NOT a triathlete and did not want to be cycling up at break neck speed and then throwing the thing to one side as I immediately set of on a four mile run! So with my running hat strapped onto Jack seat, and my bike helmet on my head (I nearly got very confused about this need for two pieces of headgear!) I set off. It's a pleasant ride, as you can start out along the river, but once you have done the first 3/4 mile the remainder 1 1/4 miles is all uphill. That kind of slow dragging killer up hill. (Give me short and sharp anytime!) SO it was fine, I arrived at the rugby club, locked up the thing, swapped hats, and looked at my watch. 6.15pm. SERIOUSLY? Yep. 6.15pm. And then I also remembered that my watch runs about 7 minutes fast. (and the little twiddly knob has fallen off so it is STUCK like that!)

Running club congregate at 6.45pm, ready to run at 7! I was SOOOO early! I reached for my water bottle as had worked up something of a thirst. Bum. Bother bother bother. No water! What an idiot! A hot day, early July, here was I trying to squeeze in more exercise in one session than I have done in the last three weeks, and I forgot water! Plonker. I am not thinking very straight this week! (I have also put the milk away in the cupboard, and taken a wrong turn in Bath leading to a city detour, and left the handbrake off when parking. sigh.) Oh, well, no great shakes, I'm at the rugby club, which (of course) has a bar upstairs, with a very friendly barman who would undoubtedly give me a drink of water before I start running. But no. Doors locked. I am too early even for the hard core rugby club attending beer swilling crowd of Frome! So I sit and I pace and I walk and I do some stretches (to try and stretch my just - exhausted cycling muscles) and some skipping and silly stepping things (to try and warm up my soon to be exhausted running muscles!) (These exercises really work but you do look like an idiot doing some of them......)

Finally the other runners drifted up. Some ran, some drove. No one else cycled. Hmmm. Was this a sign that it was a down right silly thing to do? Now the first week of every month is the time trial. Having achieved a personal best that I KNOW I now couldn't match i steered very clear of this, and opted instead to go out with the slow and steady group. (It does what it says on the tin!) The SAS go at about 10/11 mins a mile (walking pace I was told last night by a casual observer! hmph!) and they were doing four miles. Oh my I struggled. BUT I did it and am very proud of myself for managing it! And actually the others definitely set off far faster than 11mm and so I recon I did the first two miles at nearer 9.5. I am immensely grateful to Mark,without whose encouragement I would not have got round!

Then back to the club, LOTS more stretching or I feared I would not be able to walk this morning, then a long cold glass of iced water, while sitting on the rugby club balcony enjoying the view of the rugby play.. ahem. Did I say that? I meant to say stunning Mendip scenery. Of course.

Finally a quick, downhill whizz home on the bike (more hat exchanging before and aft) and then home to a well deserved rest!

Here is is, in 2D. Please use your imagination well to see the HUGE hills...