Monday, May 06, 2013

First amazing day of 2013

Finally I have managed to achieve an ironman training programme weekend swim - bike day.  Ponds Forge was open on Sunday morning and, knowing I have Monday to do the run, I committed to making Saturday a rest day.

Sunday morning swimming was fantabulous.  50m pool, lane to myself, Swimathon going on in the next lanes so an atmosphere to die for. 3km flew by.  I felt like I took it easy but actually shaved 3 minutes off my last 3km swim time.

Went home and picked up Mr Rodgers to head out on the bikes in shorts and short sleeve jerseys.  Finally!

We went to Spoilt for Choice for lunch then up Ringinglow and down Froggatt for desert.

A few hours of pottering around Alport, Youlegreave and the edges of Moneyash then headed over to Matlock Bath for coffee and cake.  It was heaving with bikers and families eating chips and icecream so we headed on to Matlock itself and resorted to Costa Coffee take away in the park, sitting among the flower beds.

I've done most things on bikes now - mountain biking, cyclo-cross, road racing, time trials.  I've even had a go at bike polo - briefly - but never until today have I herded sheep.  Sheep stuck on the outside of the Chatsworth estate fence, distressed lambs on the other side, I herded the sheep to the cattle grid (thanks to the patient vehicles waiting) then watched in wonderment as they carefully picked their way across the cattle grid and back to safety.  So much for animal control but then it is a "cattle" grid.  We overtook A LOT of traffic through Baslow.  Never have I less wanted to be in a car as we, and a father and son cycled group freely on the right hand side of the road, only occasionally pulling over for the motorists who got fed up and turned around to take a different route.

On the descent to Sheffield I learned something new about my bottle mount behind my saddle - and that's not to bunny hop the bike whilst doing 38 miles an hour and carrying a litre of water in the back.  Thankfully the drivers seemed impervious to my thrashing water bottle and, after I figured out what I'd lost, I was able to rescue it from the drain on the other side of the road.

We got home with 67 miles on the clock and 1400m climbing.

After my 15 minute brick run which left me feeling like I'd "just got going", it took me about 15 seconds to feel like I was, "just about done".

Only one thing left to do and that's look forwards to running 13 miles tomorrow.

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