Back to fitness

Ok, i’ll admit it. I’ve been slacking.

As i’ve mentioned before, usually through the summer, i’ll abandon running for the mountainbike. The last couple of years, i’ve got past the late May bank holiday, traded trainers for pedals and not run with any severity until late August. Well, with no trip to the mountains on the bike, i’ve possibly ridden less this year than any time in the previous 10 or so. Juneathon didn’t help, but was a laugh (with hindsight) and a challenge and next year i’ll do all the days and break 100 miles. Honest.

Following Juneathon I was a skinny whippet, struggling to keep weight on. Now, that’s all changed. I seem less able to do anything without breaking into a horrendous sweat this year than ever, so combined with eating out and drinking more than I have since I was in my early twenties, it’s time to reign myself in and hit the running, cycling and upper body exercise hard before I turn into a bloater. Oh, and if i’m going to do the Ashford 10k in October in less than 45 minutes, i’m going to need to find speed, too. And plenty of it.

So, yesterday the upper body was attacked.

I’ve just got in from 4 miles around the village in just over 32 minutes. I’m getting a haircut tomorrow so heated up too fast, but i’ve never suffered sweat running into my ears before. Is that an age thing? Hope not, I don’t think I fancy handling that in future life. But apart from getting a stone lodged in my shoe forcing a stop for removal and seeing a speedwalker twice (then a third time walking past the house while I was talking to the best girl in the world on the phone just after I got in), it was pretty mundane.

Tomorrow will see weights again, then i’m packing for a trip to Cornwall over the weekend. Where these last three days effort will undoubtedly be undone. But in the most fun way imagineable with  company i’m madly happy to spend time with so it’s all good.

Still, a regime of 4 days exercise with a day off will prevail afterwards, just as I used to, so all will be well.

Other than that, i’m down to 199 cars, July totalled 55.5mm rain (compare 75mm last year so this summer isn’t as bad as it seems…until you see July 2006 had 3mm!) and so far we’ve had 4 wet days this month totalling12mm. There are still 10 sheep in the field and now, it’s time for ironing.