Shorter, faster, funner
I can't imagine, at any point during the celtman training, spending an entire day messing about in a jumps park. Or, after only 1.5hr, saying 'yeah, great ride, lets go watch the olympics for the rest of the day'.
It's a bit of a breath of fresh air really. Chairlifts and cafe stops welcome!
The Celtman now seems very far away but people are still asking whether I've recovered. I'm not sure of the answer really - I'm more tired than I've been after other races. Neil assures me that it's not that I'm getting old but just that I ran harder and tried harder in the Celtman than I ever have before. I think there might be something in that. I did try hard. I've been trying hard since January and maybe it's more of a mental tiredness. I don't think I'm good with following training plans for too long.
So what have I been up to during my recovery?
Between Air Maiden, Fort William dh trails and the Devil's Staircase /Ciaran path, I've been doing my best to learn to fly. I'm overjoyed at being reunited with my bouncy fun-loving mtb, too long ignored for the long solitary road miles. Sometimes I wear my Celtman tshirt; it makes me feel brave.
A much-needed holiday week in the Dolomites taught me that climbing in italy, where the rock is warm, is very different to climbing in Scotland. Drinking wine with friends and soaking up the sunshine were also highlights. Of course, nothing was going to hold me back when I saw all those beautiful hills. Land of the Giro, it was just crying out for me to hire a road bike and tackle some of those 12%ers.
So I can't lay claiming to any real resting since the Celtman. And this is before I mention the road races and chain gangs. No need for the crazy long rides but I wouldn't mind getting a wee tad faster... I think with all the slow and steady stuff, I'd forgotten how much I really, really like to ride my bike as fast as I can...
I'm unsurprised to find I haven't felt a desire for open water swimming since the thrills of Loch Torridon. I am running, with Neil and with friends, for fun and inspiration.
I've bought two new cookbooks and am cooking a lot of tasty dinners. Because I have this wonderful thing called a little bit of extra time in the day, which means our choice of dinner isn't dictated by 'what's the quickest thing to cook following a training session?' Which is nice, because it means we don't have to have tuna pasta every day.
It's a bit of a breath of fresh air really. Chairlifts and cafe stops welcome!
The Celtman now seems very far away but people are still asking whether I've recovered. I'm not sure of the answer really - I'm more tired than I've been after other races. Neil assures me that it's not that I'm getting old but just that I ran harder and tried harder in the Celtman than I ever have before. I think there might be something in that. I did try hard. I've been trying hard since January and maybe it's more of a mental tiredness. I don't think I'm good with following training plans for too long.
So what have I been up to during my recovery?
Between Air Maiden, Fort William dh trails and the Devil's Staircase /Ciaran path, I've been doing my best to learn to fly. I'm overjoyed at being reunited with my bouncy fun-loving mtb, too long ignored for the long solitary road miles. Sometimes I wear my Celtman tshirt; it makes me feel brave.
A much-needed holiday week in the Dolomites taught me that climbing in italy, where the rock is warm, is very different to climbing in Scotland. Drinking wine with friends and soaking up the sunshine were also highlights. Of course, nothing was going to hold me back when I saw all those beautiful hills. Land of the Giro, it was just crying out for me to hire a road bike and tackle some of those 12%ers.
I'm unsurprised to find I haven't felt a desire for open water swimming since the thrills of Loch Torridon. I am running, with Neil and with friends, for fun and inspiration.
I've bought two new cookbooks and am cooking a lot of tasty dinners. Because I have this wonderful thing called a little bit of extra time in the day, which means our choice of dinner isn't dictated by 'what's the quickest thing to cook following a training session?' Which is nice, because it means we don't have to have tuna pasta every day.
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