Being out there....

There are many reasons why I love sport and namely triathlon, one of those reasons was reinforced this week on a two occasions.

On Wednesday I rode with my friends Tom and Ove. We set of at 8am from Tom’s house in Leeds and made our way along the busy Otley Road. It was foggy and cold, and along the Otley Road we were all wondering whether our planned 4 hours was sensible given the weather, road and traffic conditions. As we rode out of Otley onto quieter roads our mood lifted and then as we neared Burnsall it happened. The sun broke through, the fog lifted on Burnsall Village nestled in a beautiful valley in the Dales. The light conditions were incredible, the sun shinning on the hillside creating an amazing glow. In Burnsall (cheers Ove great photo) we stopped, got one of the ‘best flapjacks’ in the world. We then took a little time to enjoy the flapjack, the rest and the beautiful location, made even more special by the weather conditions.

On Sunday I woke, opened the curtains and revealed a fresh covering of snow, time for a run. It was still snowing and settling as I ran out through the village and onto the canal towpath. 8.30am on a Sunday morning pretty much guarantees solitude, 8.30 with falling snow definitely guarantees it. I have recently discovered the joys of running with my Ipod. I had chosen Calvin Harris ‘something for the weekend’for today’s run. The snow was getting heavier, the trees were covered, and latter that day Ellie described them as ‘having their wedding dresses on’ What a fabulous description of the landscape. The Swans had found a small section of the canal that wasn’t frozen, and a giant Hare nearly ran into me before seeing me and swerving into the field. An hour later I returned to my house, my foot prints had snowed over, and I had the endorphin high, enhanced by the amazing fresh conditions.

Being able to cycle or run (or even open water swim, not long now) in the surroundings I can is such a great thing. It is often easy to get immersed in the quest to increase one’s performance, to ride faster, to ride for longer, to do more hours, to race harder, that the surroundings we do this in are often taken for granted.

I have had a great week of training 16 ¾ hrs, nicely balanced between the bike, running, swimming and some strength work. I have done some sessions on my own and some with friends.

It has been an action packed half term. Here’s what I got up to. Mum and Dad’s for the weekend, 3hrs riding Ivinghoe, DVD ‘Taken’, Valentines Day, Movie ‘Avatar’, visit Sarah’s Aunt and Uncle in Wendover, 4hrs riding with Tom, Virgin Run Club with Tom and Helen, 4hrs riding with Tom and Ove, Tropical World, Run, Movie ‘Princess and the Frog’, Nando’s, Xcsape Sledging with Ellie, 25 x 100m swim, Run, DVD ‘Zodiac’, 3hr ride, Park with Evie, DVD 'X Men,' Snowy run, Make Snowmen, drawing, painting, sticking with Ellie and Evie, weights/ core session and sleep……..

See you next week when it will be March, is that the start of Spring???

PS Well done to my Dad who is up and posting.