That's it then, summer holiday over with for another year. Its been a strange one too.
Between the summer of 2003 and last summer I can recall going to Crete three times, Corfu, Kefalonia, Kos, SW France twice, Paris three times, Rome, Barcelona, Prague, Budapest, Scotland twice. That's not bad in a little over six years but it all stopped after last summer, since when we've had two weekends away camping in Swaledale and 5 nights the week before last camping in Scotland.
Last week I was off work too but instead of heading to North Wales as we'd planned we stayed at home and went for trips out. During the week we went to Magna in Sheffield, the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield, to the National Rail Museum in York and then yesterday to the Castle Museum also in York. On top of that we twice went to the buffet at Agraah in Shipley, had a Chinese takeaway, ate in two of the museums and had sweets, chocolates, biscuits, peanuts, dips, cakes, crisps most evenings as part of 'treat week'. Oh, and we twice had ice creams too!
All in all it was pretty good, and the kids also went to the Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds and to see Toy Story 3 at the cinema. OK, we didn't get sunshine or to see another culture or sample another country's foods but it was OK.
What's all this got to do with running and fitness?
Not a lot, and that's the point of blogging it. With other temptations, a groin injury for me and a bad back for Sue there was limited running, only the short walk in Scotland and only two trips to the gym in the fortnight despite all the free time. There was also the 'traditional' feeling sorry for myself and (failing to) find comfort in eating crap.
A little over two weeks ago I was very much 'in the zone', feeling good about myself and weighing in at 11st 11lbs. Eighteen days later and I weigh 12st 8.2lb. Yes, you've read that right, that's a gain of 11.2lbs. Now, I know a good chunk of that will be water retention and 'food in transit' but even so there's some considerable weight gain that I can feel as well as see in numbers on the scales.
So, later today I'll reassess my objectives and plans in light of this but before that I'll put this latest setback into context...
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Monday, 9 August 2010
Monday, 2 August 2010
More camp than Kenneth Williams
That was my last week in Dumfries & Galloway, staying on the shores of Loch Ken.
It's funny how holidays are never quite what you'd envisaged they'd be. In this case I'd had a ragged notion that the holiday would include hiring a mountain bike for half a day, 3/4 runs, some swimming in the loch, lots of hill walking and several trips out ion the loch in a canoe or kayak. I'd also kidded myself that it would be a few days of healthy eating punctuated with the odd treat for all my physical exploits.
In the event I ran once (the race), did one 4 mile walk up/down a hill in the Galloway forest and had 40 minutes each in a kayak, canoe and rowing boat. I also managed about 20 seconds swimming in the loch. Ah well.
Food wise was even worse. Probably Monday and Tuesday weren't too bad - if you exclude the post race chips and bag of jelly babies that is - but after that it wasn't good. There were few obvious candidates for eating out on an evening and limited to a single gas burner we fell back on fish & chip shops for 3 nights, a disposable barbecue for one and a pile of cheese sandwiches for the other. During the day there was the novelty of frying eggs and bacon at six am, the lure of the on site sweetie shop and three trips to tea shops for scones and or cake. Oh, and a trip to an ice cream parlour.
It was still a decent break though.
It's funny how holidays are never quite what you'd envisaged they'd be. In this case I'd had a ragged notion that the holiday would include hiring a mountain bike for half a day, 3/4 runs, some swimming in the loch, lots of hill walking and several trips out ion the loch in a canoe or kayak. I'd also kidded myself that it would be a few days of healthy eating punctuated with the odd treat for all my physical exploits.
In the event I ran once (the race), did one 4 mile walk up/down a hill in the Galloway forest and had 40 minutes each in a kayak, canoe and rowing boat. I also managed about 20 seconds swimming in the loch. Ah well.
Food wise was even worse. Probably Monday and Tuesday weren't too bad - if you exclude the post race chips and bag of jelly babies that is - but after that it wasn't good. There were few obvious candidates for eating out on an evening and limited to a single gas burner we fell back on fish & chip shops for 3 nights, a disposable barbecue for one and a pile of cheese sandwiches for the other. During the day there was the novelty of frying eggs and bacon at six am, the lure of the on site sweetie shop and three trips to tea shops for scones and or cake. Oh, and a trip to an ice cream parlour.
It was still a decent break though.
Castle Douglas 5 Mile Road Race
This race provided one of the sternest tests yet in my running career.
Not the actual running of the race – that was pretty straightforward – but actually finding out when and where this Brigadoon of races would take place tested my endurance far more than the average weekend long run.
We’d decided to go camping for a few days in Dumfries & Galloway and while trawling the net for likely things to see and do I saw a fleeting reference to a ‘fun run’ as part of Castle Douglas’s Civic Week. I assumed that meant a one mile jog round a park but a bit more Googling found a second oblique reference that suggested it might actually be a 5 mile road race but there was no mention of time or location. Obvious solution: look on runners World’s events listing. Nothing there. OK, try John Schofield’s site: nothing there either. A bit more Googling and I had a date and a time: well, two times actually. It was almost definitely on the 27th and would start at 6.30pm and/or 7pm and would probably start somewhere in or near ‘Lochside Park’. I tried an appeal for information on Runners World’s forums – all that got was a virtual tumbleweed.
It was mentioned as a club championship event on the Dumfries RC website though so I felt sure it must exist and decided to just check with the local Tourist Information when we arrived in the area. They were pretty good and confirmed the location and that the start time was 7pm (the race at 6.30pm was to be a ‘bogie race’ and that’s not what you might think), but also advised calling in at a tea room down the road where the event Chairman would have all the details. When I got there only the Chairman’s wife was in residence and she couldn’t confirm what day or time the run was taking place let alone whether there were entries on the day and recommended I “...just turn up about seven - I’m sure that’ll be fine”.
After considering her advice I got there just after six and was the 5th person to register (so I got an ‘elite’ number), and headed back to the car to kill time until just before seven – the now confirmed start time. The fee was £4 so there’d be no souvenir t-shit/mug/towel but that wouldn’t have been in keeping for such a hidden event!
By the time I got to the start area a few minutes before seven there was quite a throng of runners chatting or warming up as they preferred. Around half were from Dumfries RC, with the remainder from Dumfries Harriers, Annan & District AC, Galloway Harriers, various other Scottish clubs and a fairly small smattering of unattached runners. And me. In the event the lady in the tea room was right – by 7.10 they’d just about finished registering runners and we got underway about 5 minutes later.
The course was a good one – almost all on road aside from the last section back into the park and gently undulating all the way round in a large almost un-marshalled loop, relying on 4 arrow signs to guide any runners as to which turns to take.
My race was pretty good too. Having spent much of the winter away from the sport nursing a groin injury I’m still feeling my way back and the two races I’ve ran (the club 5k handicap and Washburn relay) were both ones where I ran without a plan, set off too quickly and tired in the closing stages so they didn’t really tell me anything about where I was but did give me a few things to learn (see July's last post). So, this time I knew what mile splits I wanted and did my best to stick to them.
I'd set a target for myself of 7m 20s per mile. That was 1s faster than Washburn but for an event that was a mile longer. It would equate to a 10k of 45m 31s - faster than my PB from last year but not quite down at the sort of time I think I'm capable of this year, so, a decent benchmark of progress.
I set of quickly again, aided by a slight downhill, but this time I noticed it and slowed myself up so that mile one was completed in 7:16. By this stage the field had thinned out a bit and a lady runner seemed to be using me to pace her. Letting gravity do it's thing on a short downhill managed to shake her off and took me past 3 others in mile two which stayed pretty even at 7:18.
Mile three continued to undulate but had a little more up than down. During that mile I was passed by one guy early on but passed him again at the end of a long drag and he faded away. Time for mile three was 7m 30s - not sure if that was just the hills or a lack of concentration - I suspect it was maybe the former as by the end of it I had 4 runners in sight ahead of me whenever there was a long straight stretch, which mile three had a lot of.
I could see throughout the penultimate mile that I seemed to be very slowly gaining on the gang of four. They were quite spread out - a stick like veteran from Annan AC, a twenty something lad from Dumfries Harriers who looked like a thin Kurt Cobain, a guy in a yellow vest and a lady from Dumfries Running Club furthest ahead. Maybe mile four was a little flatter but they seemed to spread more by the end of it with me only a few metres behind the vet, who in turn was only a few metres behind the Harrier, then a fair gap to the chap in yellow and probably the same distance as ever between me and the Dumfries lass. I felt less fatigued strangely, as if I was only just truly finding my rhythm, and ran 7m 12s for mile four.
In the early stages of the last mile it was interesting to watch what was happening ahead of me. The vet drew level with the Harrier but didn't pass him and half a minute later the Harrier had pulled away again. I assumed that meant the vet had gambled on an increased effort he couldn't sustain and had shot his bolt, and took the opportunistic approach of passing him there and then.
I'd read, and subsequently practised, that when you pass someone you should sustain the increased speed for a little longer to put distance between you and mentally break them from any notion of going with you. In doing that I found I wasn't far behind the Harrier so decided to be opportunistic again and pass him in the same move. The increased pace felt sustainable so, knowing I was probably approaching the last half mile I carried on at that pace to the finish - running my quickest mile split by some way at 6:44. That felt good.
What didn’t feel so good was the pain for 48hrs afterwards as I was feeling my groin throughout that time (well someone’s got to and I was the only volunteer...) but hopefully I can get that under control again. It’s certainly not as bad as it was last autumn so fingers crossed.
Overall time was 35:29 and an average of 7m 12s (the course measured slightly short). I was 30s behind the Dumfries lass, only 6 behind yellow vest, 12 ahead of the vet, 18 ahead of Kurt Cobain (who the vet evidently passed again), over a minute ahead of the chap who'd passed me and then been passed back and about a minute and a half ahead of the woman who was using me to pace with in the first mile or two. 34th overall out of 108, which considering it was a very clubby event, was good, and the time is the best relative time I've run to date and equates to 44:45 as a 10k time.
So, what have I learned this time?
1) Pacing did make a positive difference - as expected.
2) Patience is indeed a virtue - stick to the pace and you'll get your rewards but...
3) ...continue to 'read' other runners - are they breathing hard, slowing, looking ragged - if so take advantage and pass them, don't slow with them.
4) I seemed to get stronger (relatively and in terms of pace) later in the race, implying I need to do a bit of warming up (which I've neglected thus far this year) and so hit my straps earlier.
5) There's more in the tank, especially with a few pounds more lost, so dropping the target to 7m 10s at Birchwood could be on the cards, particularly as its flatter.
Mind you, all of that is dependent on the ol' groin. More on that later...
Not the actual running of the race – that was pretty straightforward – but actually finding out when and where this Brigadoon of races would take place tested my endurance far more than the average weekend long run.
We’d decided to go camping for a few days in Dumfries & Galloway and while trawling the net for likely things to see and do I saw a fleeting reference to a ‘fun run’ as part of Castle Douglas’s Civic Week. I assumed that meant a one mile jog round a park but a bit more Googling found a second oblique reference that suggested it might actually be a 5 mile road race but there was no mention of time or location. Obvious solution: look on runners World’s events listing. Nothing there. OK, try John Schofield’s site: nothing there either. A bit more Googling and I had a date and a time: well, two times actually. It was almost definitely on the 27th and would start at 6.30pm and/or 7pm and would probably start somewhere in or near ‘Lochside Park’. I tried an appeal for information on Runners World’s forums – all that got was a virtual tumbleweed.
It was mentioned as a club championship event on the Dumfries RC website though so I felt sure it must exist and decided to just check with the local Tourist Information when we arrived in the area. They were pretty good and confirmed the location and that the start time was 7pm (the race at 6.30pm was to be a ‘bogie race’ and that’s not what you might think), but also advised calling in at a tea room down the road where the event Chairman would have all the details. When I got there only the Chairman’s wife was in residence and she couldn’t confirm what day or time the run was taking place let alone whether there were entries on the day and recommended I “...just turn up about seven - I’m sure that’ll be fine”.
After considering her advice I got there just after six and was the 5th person to register (so I got an ‘elite’ number), and headed back to the car to kill time until just before seven – the now confirmed start time. The fee was £4 so there’d be no souvenir t-shit/mug/towel but that wouldn’t have been in keeping for such a hidden event!
By the time I got to the start area a few minutes before seven there was quite a throng of runners chatting or warming up as they preferred. Around half were from Dumfries RC, with the remainder from Dumfries Harriers, Annan & District AC, Galloway Harriers, various other Scottish clubs and a fairly small smattering of unattached runners. And me. In the event the lady in the tea room was right – by 7.10 they’d just about finished registering runners and we got underway about 5 minutes later.
The course was a good one – almost all on road aside from the last section back into the park and gently undulating all the way round in a large almost un-marshalled loop, relying on 4 arrow signs to guide any runners as to which turns to take.
My race was pretty good too. Having spent much of the winter away from the sport nursing a groin injury I’m still feeling my way back and the two races I’ve ran (the club 5k handicap and Washburn relay) were both ones where I ran without a plan, set off too quickly and tired in the closing stages so they didn’t really tell me anything about where I was but did give me a few things to learn (see July's last post). So, this time I knew what mile splits I wanted and did my best to stick to them.
I'd set a target for myself of 7m 20s per mile. That was 1s faster than Washburn but for an event that was a mile longer. It would equate to a 10k of 45m 31s - faster than my PB from last year but not quite down at the sort of time I think I'm capable of this year, so, a decent benchmark of progress.
I set of quickly again, aided by a slight downhill, but this time I noticed it and slowed myself up so that mile one was completed in 7:16. By this stage the field had thinned out a bit and a lady runner seemed to be using me to pace her. Letting gravity do it's thing on a short downhill managed to shake her off and took me past 3 others in mile two which stayed pretty even at 7:18.
Mile three continued to undulate but had a little more up than down. During that mile I was passed by one guy early on but passed him again at the end of a long drag and he faded away. Time for mile three was 7m 30s - not sure if that was just the hills or a lack of concentration - I suspect it was maybe the former as by the end of it I had 4 runners in sight ahead of me whenever there was a long straight stretch, which mile three had a lot of.
I could see throughout the penultimate mile that I seemed to be very slowly gaining on the gang of four. They were quite spread out - a stick like veteran from Annan AC, a twenty something lad from Dumfries Harriers who looked like a thin Kurt Cobain, a guy in a yellow vest and a lady from Dumfries Running Club furthest ahead. Maybe mile four was a little flatter but they seemed to spread more by the end of it with me only a few metres behind the vet, who in turn was only a few metres behind the Harrier, then a fair gap to the chap in yellow and probably the same distance as ever between me and the Dumfries lass. I felt less fatigued strangely, as if I was only just truly finding my rhythm, and ran 7m 12s for mile four.
In the early stages of the last mile it was interesting to watch what was happening ahead of me. The vet drew level with the Harrier but didn't pass him and half a minute later the Harrier had pulled away again. I assumed that meant the vet had gambled on an increased effort he couldn't sustain and had shot his bolt, and took the opportunistic approach of passing him there and then.
I'd read, and subsequently practised, that when you pass someone you should sustain the increased speed for a little longer to put distance between you and mentally break them from any notion of going with you. In doing that I found I wasn't far behind the Harrier so decided to be opportunistic again and pass him in the same move. The increased pace felt sustainable so, knowing I was probably approaching the last half mile I carried on at that pace to the finish - running my quickest mile split by some way at 6:44. That felt good.
What didn’t feel so good was the pain for 48hrs afterwards as I was feeling my groin throughout that time (well someone’s got to and I was the only volunteer...) but hopefully I can get that under control again. It’s certainly not as bad as it was last autumn so fingers crossed.
Overall time was 35:29 and an average of 7m 12s (the course measured slightly short). I was 30s behind the Dumfries lass, only 6 behind yellow vest, 12 ahead of the vet, 18 ahead of Kurt Cobain (who the vet evidently passed again), over a minute ahead of the chap who'd passed me and then been passed back and about a minute and a half ahead of the woman who was using me to pace with in the first mile or two. 34th overall out of 108, which considering it was a very clubby event, was good, and the time is the best relative time I've run to date and equates to 44:45 as a 10k time.
So, what have I learned this time?
1) Pacing did make a positive difference - as expected.
2) Patience is indeed a virtue - stick to the pace and you'll get your rewards but...
3) ...continue to 'read' other runners - are they breathing hard, slowing, looking ragged - if so take advantage and pass them, don't slow with them.
4) I seemed to get stronger (relatively and in terms of pace) later in the race, implying I need to do a bit of warming up (which I've neglected thus far this year) and so hit my straps earlier.
5) There's more in the tank, especially with a few pounds more lost, so dropping the target to 7m 10s at Birchwood could be on the cards, particularly as its flatter.
Mind you, all of that is dependent on the ol' groin. More on that later...
Monday, 28 June 2010
Fitness focus
As last week was mainly about weight loss this week mainly isn't!
Though on that subject it went pretty well. I don't know the final scores, as I've spent the last 2 days in Swaledale eating whatever I wanted, but the rest of the week went well and back on focus today. May update later in the week on this.
Now, to the running & fitness:
Monday
Almost a rest day after yesterday's long run. Just did 3.75 miles very, very slowly with Bethan. She definitely struggles in the heat and running after school.
Tuesday
Club run in the evening. Did a hilly 7.5 miles with the intermediate group. Relatively hard work because of hills, less stops than I've got used to with the steady group and above all the heat. Good though.
Wednesday
Went to the gym in the evening to pick up my weights programme. All pretty straightforward and I enjoyed it. Did 4/5 sets of 10 for each exercise so should be able to increase the weight.
Thursday
A long day. Was away by 5.30am to drive to Hampshire and back. Then in the evening did an enjoyable hill training session at Boddington. No DOMS from weights.
Friday
Surprised myself by being up before six in order to get to the gym to do a weights session. Upped all the weights from Wednesday and managed fine. Greatest limiter is the amount of weight I can lift over my head to rest on shoulders for squats. Got back and had a trip to Warwick and back before packing the car and heading to Swaledale camping.
Saturday
Up by six to do a sluggish run to Hurst and back. 6 miles precisely. I think I need a good 45 minutes before my body is loose enough to run properly! Followed that with a 3hr round trip back home to pick up the sleeping matt I'd forgotten! In the afternoon we went for a walk from Reeth along the river beyond Grinton then back beyond Reeth to loop back via the suspension bridge. Pub in the evening for Gammon & chips and apple & blackberry crumble for pudding!
Sunday
Up before six am to go for another early run. Planned a route based on yesterday's walk in part but had to make a couple of detours where the footpath was helpfully blocked by cut down trees and where an absence of signs (or map on my part) made it tricky. Went from Grinton along the river beyond Reeth to the next road bridge then looped back along the road through Reeth. Came in at a slow 6.11 miles. Did a pleasant but hot walk in Arkengarthdale in the afternoon before a visit to an ice cream parlour!
So, some long days but decent output. Had the slightest hint of groin trouble so need to re-start the core work; though I suspect it could be as much a product of sitting driving for many hours a day as any running or weights.
Though on that subject it went pretty well. I don't know the final scores, as I've spent the last 2 days in Swaledale eating whatever I wanted, but the rest of the week went well and back on focus today. May update later in the week on this.
Now, to the running & fitness:
Monday
Almost a rest day after yesterday's long run. Just did 3.75 miles very, very slowly with Bethan. She definitely struggles in the heat and running after school.
Tuesday
Club run in the evening. Did a hilly 7.5 miles with the intermediate group. Relatively hard work because of hills, less stops than I've got used to with the steady group and above all the heat. Good though.
Wednesday
Went to the gym in the evening to pick up my weights programme. All pretty straightforward and I enjoyed it. Did 4/5 sets of 10 for each exercise so should be able to increase the weight.
Thursday
A long day. Was away by 5.30am to drive to Hampshire and back. Then in the evening did an enjoyable hill training session at Boddington. No DOMS from weights.
Friday
Surprised myself by being up before six in order to get to the gym to do a weights session. Upped all the weights from Wednesday and managed fine. Greatest limiter is the amount of weight I can lift over my head to rest on shoulders for squats. Got back and had a trip to Warwick and back before packing the car and heading to Swaledale camping.
Saturday
Up by six to do a sluggish run to Hurst and back. 6 miles precisely. I think I need a good 45 minutes before my body is loose enough to run properly! Followed that with a 3hr round trip back home to pick up the sleeping matt I'd forgotten! In the afternoon we went for a walk from Reeth along the river beyond Grinton then back beyond Reeth to loop back via the suspension bridge. Pub in the evening for Gammon & chips and apple & blackberry crumble for pudding!
Sunday
Up before six am to go for another early run. Planned a route based on yesterday's walk in part but had to make a couple of detours where the footpath was helpfully blocked by cut down trees and where an absence of signs (or map on my part) made it tricky. Went from Grinton along the river beyond Reeth to the next road bridge then looped back along the road through Reeth. Came in at a slow 6.11 miles. Did a pleasant but hot walk in Arkengarthdale in the afternoon before a visit to an ice cream parlour!
So, some long days but decent output. Had the slightest hint of groin trouble so need to re-start the core work; though I suspect it could be as much a product of sitting driving for many hours a day as any running or weights.
Sunday, 11 April 2010
I shouldn't be here you know...
...I should be about 14.5 miles through the Paris marathon. Ah well.
Instead I'm still in bed in Leeds but on the plus side not only am I having a very rare lie in, I've just had 10 days off work.
Having the time off has thrown everything out of routine, which in many ways is a good thing as I feel quite refreshed, but it has had some negative effects which I'll blog separately, as this is really just an account of the time off, recorded for posterity as it were.
We've got quite a lot done. A real contrast to the week off I had in late October where we didn't go anywhere or do anything and I didn't feel remotely 'recharged'.
The weather has generally been kind, especially the last couple of days so here are our 'adventures':
Good Friday
Forecast was for rain (that didn't materialise much) so after a quick trip to the gym we headed over to Hull to http://www.thedeep.co.uk/ which wasn't quite as grand as I'd expected and was absolutely heaving. An interesting, if pricey, diversion nevertheless.
Easter Saturday
Sue and the kids had booked to see an all male version of Swan Lake in the afternoon (I'd declined the offer), so in the morning I went for a relatively brisk feeling run along the canal followed by an early afternoon trip to the gym. In the early evening we met up at the Aagrah in Shipley for an excellent meal then went home to watch the first episode of the 'new era' of Doctor Who.
Easter Sunday
I think the weather in Leeds was good all day but we headed for Kettlewell in upper Wharfedale where it was a more mixed 'sunshine 'n' showers'. We did a nicely varied walk from Kettlewell over the hill into Littondale and then a looping route back over the top to Kettlewell. The kids loved the tricky bits where we needed to climb up or down sections of cliff, but there were also riverside sections, good views, open moorland and woodland. First thing I'd done a 10k row at the gym.
Easter Monday
Another trip to the gym and then off to http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/ to get a new softshell jacket for me and some more camping stuff (a bag for Charlotte, some chairs, couple of pillows etc).
Tuesday
Went to the gym in the morning and then off for a run with Abbey Runners in the evening. A decent 6.7 miles where I was able to push the pace a bit in the latter miles. Enjoyed it.
Earlier in the day Beth went for her first unaccompanied trip into Leeds with a friend, going in on the train and not charging her mobile, but luckilly still being met by her mother for a lift home!
Wednesday
Gym again first thing then we headed off late morning to take the tent to my parents house as our garden whilst being pretty big (long especially) doesn't have a single area of grass quite big enough. It was the first experience of camping for any of us so setting up in a garden also made for a nice easy introduction. Tent was excellent - really bright and spacious and not that difficult to put up - but my word was it cold that night even after a curry at a Nepalese restaurant.
Thursday
After waking at 5am I went for a 4.5 mile run and then we headed over to Sue's parents as her dad had been taken into hospital. After visiting him and spending some time with her mother we went back to pack up the tent and head home.
Friday
We were slow in getting going (the early start the day before was catching us up) but we headed into Wensleydale and did a walk from Middleham in the afternoon. It wasn't a long one and didn't have any significant uphills but everyone enjoyed it. Beth seems to particularly like anything where threes a challenge (in this case some stepping stones across the river Cover and a section where we needed to carefully pick our way along a ledge between hawthorn hedging and a muddy seasonal beck.
For 4pm we headed to http://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/ as a surprise for the kids. We'd been meaning to go for a year or more. It was really interesting and they loved climbing round the steps and tunnels and being squirted (and sometimes soaked) by the booby trapped 'exhibits'. Money very well spent.
Then as a second surprise treat we stopped off at http://www.foxandhounds-starbotton.com/ for a pub tea. Surf 'n' turf for me, cannelloni for Beth, gammon for Sue and chicken nuggets for Charlotte. Really good.
Saturday
Back to Wensleydale to do a 7 mile walk from West Witton along the Ure then back along the higher slopes. Really warm and sunny and a really pleasant walk: found some fossils along the river bank, Redmire force, Knights Templar chapel, feeding our apples to some friendly horses, and a final detour through a little campsite past a lovely waterfall and down into the village again.
After yesterday's trip to the pub (something we have rarely if ever done since I gave up drinking in 2008) we decided to do it again. This time we went to http://www.whitelioncray.com/. Excellent again, probably better. Steak casserole for me, lamb shank for Sue, chili for Beth and chicken gujons for Charlotte. Followed by enormous puddings for all of us (yes even clean eating me - more on that later).
We left just after 8pm and whilst its only 45 minutes or so home from there I really struggled to stay awake while driving home!
As for today, when I eventually get up I'll probably go to the gym...
Instead I'm still in bed in Leeds but on the plus side not only am I having a very rare lie in, I've just had 10 days off work.
Having the time off has thrown everything out of routine, which in many ways is a good thing as I feel quite refreshed, but it has had some negative effects which I'll blog separately, as this is really just an account of the time off, recorded for posterity as it were.
We've got quite a lot done. A real contrast to the week off I had in late October where we didn't go anywhere or do anything and I didn't feel remotely 'recharged'.
The weather has generally been kind, especially the last couple of days so here are our 'adventures':
Good Friday
Forecast was for rain (that didn't materialise much) so after a quick trip to the gym we headed over to Hull to http://www.thedeep.co.uk/ which wasn't quite as grand as I'd expected and was absolutely heaving. An interesting, if pricey, diversion nevertheless.
Easter Saturday
Sue and the kids had booked to see an all male version of Swan Lake in the afternoon (I'd declined the offer), so in the morning I went for a relatively brisk feeling run along the canal followed by an early afternoon trip to the gym. In the early evening we met up at the Aagrah in Shipley for an excellent meal then went home to watch the first episode of the 'new era' of Doctor Who.
Easter Sunday
I think the weather in Leeds was good all day but we headed for Kettlewell in upper Wharfedale where it was a more mixed 'sunshine 'n' showers'. We did a nicely varied walk from Kettlewell over the hill into Littondale and then a looping route back over the top to Kettlewell. The kids loved the tricky bits where we needed to climb up or down sections of cliff, but there were also riverside sections, good views, open moorland and woodland. First thing I'd done a 10k row at the gym.
Easter Monday
Another trip to the gym and then off to http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/ to get a new softshell jacket for me and some more camping stuff (a bag for Charlotte, some chairs, couple of pillows etc).
Tuesday
Went to the gym in the morning and then off for a run with Abbey Runners in the evening. A decent 6.7 miles where I was able to push the pace a bit in the latter miles. Enjoyed it.
Earlier in the day Beth went for her first unaccompanied trip into Leeds with a friend, going in on the train and not charging her mobile, but luckilly still being met by her mother for a lift home!
Wednesday
Gym again first thing then we headed off late morning to take the tent to my parents house as our garden whilst being pretty big (long especially) doesn't have a single area of grass quite big enough. It was the first experience of camping for any of us so setting up in a garden also made for a nice easy introduction. Tent was excellent - really bright and spacious and not that difficult to put up - but my word was it cold that night even after a curry at a Nepalese restaurant.
Thursday
After waking at 5am I went for a 4.5 mile run and then we headed over to Sue's parents as her dad had been taken into hospital. After visiting him and spending some time with her mother we went back to pack up the tent and head home.
Friday
We were slow in getting going (the early start the day before was catching us up) but we headed into Wensleydale and did a walk from Middleham in the afternoon. It wasn't a long one and didn't have any significant uphills but everyone enjoyed it. Beth seems to particularly like anything where threes a challenge (in this case some stepping stones across the river Cover and a section where we needed to carefully pick our way along a ledge between hawthorn hedging and a muddy seasonal beck.
For 4pm we headed to http://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/ as a surprise for the kids. We'd been meaning to go for a year or more. It was really interesting and they loved climbing round the steps and tunnels and being squirted (and sometimes soaked) by the booby trapped 'exhibits'. Money very well spent.
Then as a second surprise treat we stopped off at http://www.foxandhounds-starbotton.com/ for a pub tea. Surf 'n' turf for me, cannelloni for Beth, gammon for Sue and chicken nuggets for Charlotte. Really good.
Saturday
Back to Wensleydale to do a 7 mile walk from West Witton along the Ure then back along the higher slopes. Really warm and sunny and a really pleasant walk: found some fossils along the river bank, Redmire force, Knights Templar chapel, feeding our apples to some friendly horses, and a final detour through a little campsite past a lovely waterfall and down into the village again.
After yesterday's trip to the pub (something we have rarely if ever done since I gave up drinking in 2008) we decided to do it again. This time we went to http://www.whitelioncray.com/. Excellent again, probably better. Steak casserole for me, lamb shank for Sue, chili for Beth and chicken gujons for Charlotte. Followed by enormous puddings for all of us (yes even clean eating me - more on that later).
We left just after 8pm and whilst its only 45 minutes or so home from there I really struggled to stay awake while driving home!
As for today, when I eventually get up I'll probably go to the gym...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)