Day 6 - walk/swim/walk
Lovely Lochan na Beinne. Much more peaceful than the better known swimming spots on a holiday weekend
Cake was involved
Water was a balmy 13C
Then headed out for a hilltop bivvy with Piemonster
Day 7 (one week already!!)
Well, obviously had to come back from the bivvy.
We spent most of the night in a cloud.
Fun ride back though, even if it was a wee bit chilly to start with.
Day 7 was walking up and down the DH race track all day spectating.
Day 8 was a strength session in the gym-shed.
Bit worried about Day 9 as i've got to go into the office for a new job and the trains are shut down for track work so I'll have to drive (1h 30?) and won't get much of a day at either end of the commute. Normally i'd be able to get a 30-minute walk in between office and station. So unless it's cool enough to go for a lunch time walk it's looking tricky.
I was planning to go for a run yesterday evening but after visiting my family in Dunstable , which was in large parts underwater and a scary drive home, where we nearly became a stranded in a flood car family... I managed a bodyweight workout
Day 7 nearly didn't happen yesterday, family day out, wife then took over the sitting room so my space was lost, continuous rain outside...
Eventually got half an hour with Kassandra in when MrsMC went to bed.
Suspect it might be the same today. Or open water swimming in the garden.
A very wet dog walk this morning. Our normal 5k route was cut short by the hunt being in the woods, apparently having lost nearly all the hounds 🙂 A lot of very wet waxed jackets and increasingly frustrated huntsmen. Put me in mind of that Alan Partridge meme when he's calling his dog 🙂
Filthy session at FOD yesterday. Only had a couple of hours and there was an MTB festival on so would have been rude not to look around - even though it ate into riding time.
Cleared the last table on the red jump line though. Small victory but a victory none the less.
Today is going to be rough, been hammering it down all day here. Was going to hit the uplift but honestly it was grim yesterday!
As expected, weather today was grim too too. Thirty minutes of riding in a pure downpour. Fireroads only as the only trail I attempted was a river - wasn't even a proper mtb trail! Might not have trained the body, but absolutely increased resiliance a notch.
Saw my first wild boar though, so that improved it a bit.
Karate cancelled so a very low motivation 7km trail "run", more of a shuffle really.
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This first week has been tough on my poor old legs. You wouldn't think it would be so hard since I always go to the gym three times a week and ride on a couple of days unless it's miserable out but OMG not being able to take a day off is achey 🙂 I'm sure it will get easier.....won't it?
"Days off" are for stretching and yoga. These aren't just fillers, they are essential for improved performance.
I was out with the Cairngorm Runners again tonight. 11.5km round Anagach Woodlands at Grantown.
It was starting to get a bit dark by the time we reached the Spey.
And it was headtorch time when we got back to the cars - and cake!!
Short version: Today was some rowing in the gym.
Long boring version: My daughter plays hockey on a Monday at a council sports centre with a pretty lousy gym, but they do have C2 rower. I used to do some team competitions nearly 20 years ago for a "laugh". So I'm treating it as a winter project to see if I can get sub 20mins for a 5km (pb was around 18:50). First attempt about 6 weeks ago was a steady 21:40. After some intervals sessions and a couple of weeks off today was 20:50. It's going to be a long hard road to sub 20.
Managed to delay going to the office so Day 9 was a couple of hours sunrise gravel ride. Cracking morning it was too.
Yesterday the plan was for a nice easy recovery ride but the wind was so strong it made it impossible! Took the dogs for a two hour walk after work and then did some stretching in the evening.
Just back from my morning run, hopefully get out on the bike later.
Day #9 - full dance card at work today so had to fit something in very early, so very early turbo session using TrainerDay. Surprisingly comfortable given it was early doors.
181w for 55 minutes - 30km indicated. Done for today.
At risk of being a stuck record... another day at FOD.
This time I rode to the top and down the blue as my added half hour then a few uplift runs. The last bus also coincided with the run my body told me I should finish on. Beat my PR down sheepskull, cleared some of the tables at the top and hit the GBU drop in for the first time. What a place for progression!
Squeezed in a 35 minute yoga session at lunch. Wasn't much but it really was squeezed in and could very easily have not done it without this challenge. Meant I could have a beer after cubs and prepare for a few day's cycling around the hills of North Norfolk this week/end, starting with a train tmrow after a fully tour-laden commute to the office.
Eugh… day “whatever” and I’m ill!
Was enjoying squeezing in the ride to/from work (24k each way..about 50min) too.
Think i’ll see if i can do yoga or stretching or something, but when EVERYTHING aches, maybe I’ll count walking around the house as exercise today!
DrP
Bit knackered after a work trip away (where I did a few more runs - seem to be trucking along just fine with them which is a surprise, I thought I'd be in agony) so had to really pry myself out of bed today to go ride the mountain bike for 19 miles. I was really glad I did, it was a glorious morning.
Classic Pentland view, that!
10/100 - I rode to work with my bike and panniers loaded for a trip down South. It was indeed a glorious morning, which was a surprise given the forecast was for rain and I expected a repeat of last year's tour where I was soaked and cold just getting to the train station.
Choo choo!
We’re forecast to get 28 mm of rain today! This will be the first day since the beginning of the challenge that I won’t have ridden my bike.
I thought after being lairs up for four month I’d be in worse shape than I am.
turbo, weights and stretching today.
@munrobiker that is a beautiful photo
I'm taking it easy this week in preparation for a longer run at the weekend, so.I was out for a walk with Mrs S after lunch today.
There's been a wee bit of snow on the 'Gorms over the past 48 hours or so.
Still some folk out enjoying themselves on the water too.
