Sunday rides a day early

I did not feel like it this morning. Oh no but I knew that I had to. Two days had wasted away with nothing more than a run on the treadmill at the podiatrist, a woefull step class and a 4km ride to the doctors for my... y'know, nasty 4-yearly test. Healthy but not an athletic lifestyle.

The new feet arrived on Thursday. The results of the running test showed a transfer of my weight into the centre of my foot (not perfect but much better than the extreme outsides from before) and straight transition off my toes into the next footfall. The dodgy deceleration at the end of each step is gone ergo, I should go faster.

I thanked my podiatrist a lot, agreed to let him use my feet in his biomechanics lecture to Sheffield's running community the next day and ran off through Attercliffe in tiny running shorts in order to get over to Aughton for my step class. I proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes trying to persuade my feet not to cramp in the car. I'd been driving or in meetings all day and eaten nothing but crisps and chocolate. At least at the gym I got some fruit juice.

The step class, though basic, slow, a little tedious and patronising was what I made of it - a good work out. I suggest I will have to join Ponds Forge to experience anything as intellectually challenging as the Peterborough class. My god I am a step snob...and Peterborough is my benchmark. Friday I had the afternoon off to meet a man about a dog. More of this another time.

I rushed back in and out on the bike for a quick blast so this morning my legs were well and truly suffering from the day after the day after syndrome.

I quite fancied a run to try out my new feet but today is to be the nicer day of two and I'm only allowed to start running a short distance in the new feet... Unlike Stuart who ran 22 miles in his then complained of blisters.

Reluctantly I set out on my bike with TSK knowing two things: that I'd feel better for it and that I'd be rubbish company.

I didn't realise just how tired I was. My poor step class was obviously some kind of benefit. My calves were about as effective as boobs attached to the back of my legs. Great hunks of flesh slapping around behind me. TSK speculated it's the time of year. Bless his optimism. I feel like I'm rubbish at everything just now although the occasional climb felt better than last time we did it. I was rubbish company, though the good news is that I was comfortable on the bike. I just wasn't enjoying any of our stops. We couldn't find anywhere open that we actually wanted to sit for food / coffee. We bought cakes from a shop then sat to eat them in the closed down café of a caravan park. It was a while before we reached the main Sherwood Pines centre and indoor coffee abounded by mountainbikers and families.

After the brief interlude I set off, head down again, just happy to be churning out the miles to get home. I'm sure TSK would have wanted to do more but he escorted me... And my now aching hip home.

Thankfully I was also right about feeling better and hopefully, in between the rainshowers I'll make it out in my new feet tomorrow.