Well thats the team safely home folks. A glorious day through the hills and a cracking bike ride. If I want to be picky I would have a wee whinge about the headwind on the cycle leg...but to be honest I was just glad to get on the bike.....the walk was really tough this year....much rougher underfoot. (or maybe I just wasnt as fit!!)

With a days rest it all looks much rosier than it did on Saturday evening, thats for sure
Brilliant effort by Sara and Martin...and yes kids, its been a long road but We really are there now!!

Well if I was looking for inspiration then it was there in buckets last night as the British Cycling Elite Circuit Series came to Stone. Still nursing my dodgy knee I joined some friends from the Stafford Climbing club to cheer on some of the best cyclists in Britain in this inaugural event for my local town. These guys are truly phenomonal. The high street is a pedestrianised area with cobble like paving and a steady incline; the weather was not kind with high winds and persistent rain, but despite the conditions and the tight corners on the race these guys put on a great show with the winner taking the lead by nearly a minute as he crossed the line. Having spent the last few months desperately trying to get my average speed on a bike up by a tiny fraction it was a very humbling experience to see these guys fly past. I dont think we will be quite that fast on Saturday!! However the good news is that today we hit our fundraising target - thankyou everyone. I guess all that's left to do is get ourselves to the start line and keep going til the finish, how hard can that be?!

The Final Service.

This weekend sees me in a last minute panic about everything from the state of my worn out bike, to how many pairs of hiking shoes I can try on before finding ones that fit. I've ended up going for a nice pair of lady's shoes in a cute pink color.. how pretty!
The training has been somewhat lonely, as all of my friends have given up the madness of being fit, in favour of sitting in pubs watching football! I have got my own back at them though by forcing, I mean encouraging, them to donate their hardly earned beer tokens to the cause :)
Today saw my last chance at a long ride, as I am on lates next week, so I spent several hours giving my bike a full service yesterday.. I finally have the use of my big chain ring so now I can actually go even faster down hills, and I fixed the brake that wouldn't unbrake, so now I can stop before I hit the trees at the bottom!
A few last minute tweaks during the cycle to and from work, should see it in perfect condition. The weather the last two weekends has been fantastic, which doesn't bode well for mid summer.. forecast is for rain.. so I'll just have to take more waterproofs.

Karma Katastrophe

Disaster, distaster, catastrophe has struck - or at least that's what it feels like - my knee has flared up again badly and Im sure its Karmic retribution. Im hoping that writing my blog will be like cleansing my soul and everything will be ok, so let me explain: my friend Ben is doing the Snowdonia challenge this weekend, it sounds a great event for a great charity and he's been training really hard http://www.justgiving.com/snowdoniacharitychallenge2008. Last week he told me about problems with sore feet and I delivered a long lecture on getting it checked out and getting treatment and not ignoring it.
So this weeks training had been going well, not feeling too stiff after the weekend, a good run on Tuesday, and then Tuesday night my knee just gives way with a horrible owch. So here I am talking myself out of getting physio treatment and convincing myself its just the usual pre-race aches. A true case of do as I say and not as I do... So I hope Ben's feet are feeling better with his race so close and in the meantime I will be applying RICE and doing my strengthening excercises with my fingers crossed.

Well I managed a good 18 mile walk today...but the various joints know all about it now. It was very dry up on the hill so Skipper headed off in search of a drink. The next thing I knew was a very angry duck flying low along the side of a lochan, pursued, rather too closely, by a black wagging tail.....being all that I could see of the our bold lad in the heather. One very happy dog emerged from the undergrowth, while a much flusterd duck returned to her nest.

I shall miss my ever enthusiastic companion on the Cross itself.

Had a fabulous run yesterday - I did the long (17.5 mile) run round Ladybower that I did last year as I knew the route reasonably well and hoped this would prevent too much stopping and walking. Only, I seem to be reasonably fit on flat roads but not running up steep single track - bother I think I'm in the wrong event!! No matter, the weather was perfect for running and the scenery suitably distracting when the legs hurt on the ups. I had the satisfaction of beating a bunch of mountain bikers on the way down; I've always said that it was faster to run down Well, that was the last long run and now its less than two weeks to go before the big event. Gulp! I spent today being industrious round the house, lots of hedge chopping, gardening and painting, not so much training as stretching the muscles. I haven't really been out on the bike much this past week though so I best get out tomorrow if I can.

how fit is fit?

I just had a bizarre conversation with a work colleague: I was complaining that after my 5 mile lunch-time run I really wasnt feeling as fit as I was last year, in fact I ache! and they were trying to convince me that this time last year I was in an equal tiz about not being nearly ready for the event!! Either way I managed just over 16 miles running through the peaks at the weekend in a painful 3 hours something, and did 31 miles on the bike on the Sunday. I would be lying if I said it felt good but its certainly close to where I need to be.... just one more long run to go.

Thanks for the support folks, keep the sponsor money coming in :O)

Just back from another great week with Sail Caledonia and have spent the last 3 days catching up on zzzzzzzz!

Had a lovely sunny 16 mile walk on Tain Hill today. I was a bit creaky but Skipper was in doggy heaven. Certainly not as fit as I was last year, but a bit late to be worrying now. As long as the back holds up I should get there OK.

Beavais, Beau vie, Bovine?

Well Im back from a few days in Fontainebleau and am glad to report Im still in one piece. We had enough sunshine to get some lovely bouldering done and then when it was raining I managed to fit in a decent length run and a bike ride. This year we stayed in a gite which made the whole trip so much more relaxed as we were able to enjoy good food and wine in the evening, and sit and chat without having to find a restaurant or all crowd into a small hotel room. On the last day I found a cow climbing up a crack in a famous boulder, which perturbed me somewhat as I cant help but think they are following me... no really I did... look I'll get the photo from Dave and post it as soon as I can, but it was there! Which reminds me, thanks very much to 'the cow' who sponsored us after the other weeks trauma.
Bovine topics aside Im gutted to report that my mountain bike was stolen on the first day of my hols so I am now filling in paperwork and hoping I can get something back from the insurance. It seems typical that Im finally getting up some confidence on pedal power and someone takes it away! I am particulary thankful that I am doing The Cross on the road bike and was out on that this evening getting in some extra practice. My new clippy shoes are making a huge difference to my average speed on shorter flatter rides so I just need to build up the distance again. 4 weeks to go so every second counts :O)

Great week pottering on the Caley Canal with plenty of gentle strolls along the towpath to keep the legs going.

Finally dusted the cobwebs off the road bike today and put in a breezy 20miles. It took a mile or two for me to get back into the Campags after so many hours on the tourer.Luckily the legs seem to be holding out fine, which is more than I can say for my back at the moment. Had it repositioned by a sadistic therapist yesterday so fingers crossed.
By the way, does cycling home from Rogart with a rucksack full of beer for the BBQ count as resistance training???

Attack o' the killer coos!

Possibly a slightly melodramatic title for a blog but if you'd met these 'coos' when out on a run you'd understand where Im coming from! I was about 7 miles into my run and after being slightly bemused by the 'bridleway' taking me through a field of very large horses I then followed the signs into this field of cows. They were in the middle of the field and looked up when I entered so i decided on caution and slowed to a walk so I could subtly sneak through without disturbing them, but as I reached near the middle of the field they stopped staring at me and started to charge - needless to say I turned heel and tried some sprint training. They succesfully herded me through a pile of mud and manure that went up to my mid calf and I just made it through the gate to turn round and see them milling around next to the hedge here. It didnt take long to decide that even though my planned run was quite lengthy that I could extend it and I took in an extra loop. As I set off running along the road the cows chased me right until I reached the edge of their field mooing noisily... not the sort of adrenaline I expected on my run but certainly an alternative type of training! As a result of all this fun and games I was out on the road for about 3 hours today and clocked up over 14 miles so I think we can say the training is back on track even if Im absolutely knackered!! Tomorrow Im off to try out my new shoes that stick to bike pedals - I just hope its not such an exciting experience as today!

Glorious Weekend

What fantastic weather we have had this weekend. Not the best temperatures for long distance excercise but Im certainly not complaining! It was Beth's housewarming on Saturday evening and the good weather meant a fun BBQ in her rather nice garden. I earned my burgers by managing a 12.5 mile jog in very humid conditions before driving over to Sheffield. Then worked off the yummy prawn kebabs with a cycle from Walkely to Wharncliffe Woods on the Sunday, in blazing sunshine that made every hill feel like a mountain... and I still dont understand how there can possibly have been that much up for so little down! I paid for the distance last night when my left knee decided that it didnt care if the physio thought it was better and I ended up sat with an ice pack whilst eating my dinner. Its a little worrying that the pain is still there after all the strengthening excercises Im doing but, all in all though, things are improving slowly just like the weather. I hope it holds out for a little longer!

Sun at last!!

Had a wee wander up Ben Wyvis yesterday. Not a lot in miles, but a fair bit of "up" to test the aged knees.

Glorious sunshine, but just a bit too much haze for the views we had hoped for.

At the moment I am miles behind my training schedule for last years event......if this lovely weather continues there is still a chance of catching up though.

Everything is late this year.

Its 5th May and in a normal year I would be in Fontainebleau enjoying fine food, and bouldering but this year we are going the last weekend in May instead. That's not the only thing that seems to be running late this year:- there is still skiing at Cairngorm (not alot but some) and the fact there was skiing late into April is bizarre, the trees & flowers are late blossoming, and Dad only heard the first Cuckoo of the year last week.
I guess if everything is late than that would explain why I'm slightly behind on training compared to where I was last year. I've been seeing a physio on a weekly basis due to knee problems but they are getting much better and I am finally starting to see the benefit. Today I managed about 9.5 miles running and am hoping that over the next couple of weeks I can start to catch up with myself. (With under 7 weeks to go I really hope so!)
On the plus side I've just spent a fabulous couple of days in the peak district (my living room was being destroyed and rebuilt by the plasterer so I thought it best to evacuate!). Dave & Becs introduced me to real 'mountain biking' on peak trails from 'White Peak Mountain Biking'. We did a mammoth 20k - the Calver circuit - with some very tricky single track and gravelly ascents on Saturday and an even trickier 12k yesterday-the Ashover single track special . So at least Im getting lots of bike practice in, and practice makes perfect so they say :O)

WIll I survive?

Last year I wanted to take part in this event as a family reunion, but then a work event came along and made it next to impossible to attend.
As punishment I've been roped in to being part of the effort this year, so I hope to prove to my big sis that I can do big mileages!
The last major event like this I did with my family was to cycle from Lands End to John o'Groats via the Three Peaks (see http://www.madrory.com/?page=lejog), which was a fantastic experience that I would definately do again.
I may have other thoughts after this race though, if I survive it!

Surely not again?!

This time last year I had just been handed my mother's road bike and taught to use it without stablilisers for a whole 17 miles, in preparation for my first ever Highland Cross. Not being a keen cyclist I had also expected it to be my last!
.. Who'd have thought it - here I am a year on and I actually own my very own bike... I have even been known to ride it round Cannock Chase with a smile on my face! ... and now I seem to be entered into the Highland Cross again. The worrying thing is that I seem to be handling the idea of the cycling better than the running this year - not a very good sign of my fitness level atall!!
Its all my brothers fault, he's been landing me in these pickles since we were little kids and now not only do I have to do all that training again but I have to make sure Im not too far behind both family members. I do hope he knows what he's let himself in for! :O)

Never again...again.

Over the years I have completed the Highland Cross eleven times, cycled Lands End to John o'Groats via the Three Peaks and Cycled the 4 Compass Points of the British mainland, walked the Great Wall of China and cycled in the Grand Canyon region...and raised nearly £10000 for charity in the process.. You would have thought that by now I would have learned my lesson....but here we go again. Creaking back, sore feet, wonky knee.......why do I do it!! I keep telling folks that they should sit on me when I come up with these daft notions, but no-one seems to take me at my word... Please humour an old lady and sponsor her on what really is her last major challenge........till the next one.