On Saturday it was peeing with rain. Peter was resting up with the 7 hills race ahead of him on Sunday. We didn't enter the Hoy Half Marathon this year - we were going to and then I was so injured back in March there seemed no point. So that would have been on Sunday. Peter had entered the 7 Hills instead. I thought about it - thought it would probably be a waste of money and then remembered it didn't cost very much so went back to enter but by then had missed the boat. It was probably just as well. I went out and ran 10 miles in the rain on Saturday and had no real problems from my legs - there's no more stopping and stretching any more and downhill is no longer problematic. It was the furthest I'd run in a while and I was surprisingly tired afterwards. I had a nice snooze with a book on my face in the afternoon.
Sunday, Peter was up for the race. I wanted to go a cycle and had planned a new route round East Lothian but there was a west wind blowing and I didn't want to cycle too far east only to turn around and have the 2nd half all into a head-wind. Cycling west isn't so inspiring. I guess it gets more and more built up the further inland you get. One of these days I'll follow the "cycle route 76" around the Forth right round to Alloa and back but I didn't want a cycle of that magnitude and if the route from Blackness back to South Queensferry is anything to go by I'd say I'd need to do it on my mountain bike, which is harder work.
So anyway, I headed out to South Queensferry up the cycle path for shelter from the west wind - went out the road way and came back through the Roseberry estate.
I was a bit grumpy. I don't know why. The people in South Queensferry were wandering around in the road in a daze...in fact everyone was wandering around in a daze and getting in my way. I chastised them with my bike bell which sounds like an old fashioned telephone. Ha, ha, take that! "Brrring, Brrring!!!" I think maybe I was grumpy because I wanted to be doing the 7 hills race. It plays to my strengths.
Peter had a good race and came back pretty chipper (and smelling of drink!!!). He'd come in well under the 2 hours which had pleased him.
Yesterday I was meeting a friend at lunch time so I went for a quick burl (running) round Arthur's Seat again and again had no problem on the hills.Today I didn't have work because I'd booked the day off way back in the year when I still thought we'd be going to Hoy. I have to book time off a long, long way ahead - it's to do with waiting lists. I was just as glad not to be working anyway. Once again I wanted to go out a cycle and once again the west wind was blowing. Then I remembered a plan to cycle up to Flotterstone, go to the cafe there then cycle the path through the hills and pop out the other side at Balerno. So that's what I did.
The stretch on the A702 out of town to the Flotterstone road end is fairly terrifying. It's a shame there's no real alternative. Happily nobody killed me so I got to have an excellent Americano and a scone the size of a gorilla's fist at the Pentland Hill's cafe. The owner and his girlfriend were friendly and cheery as ever. They were playing 80s rock anthems which were terrible but also catchy so I rawked out of there and up the road.
Damn it's been a while since I've been in the Pentlands. It was ever so nice. The air was really lovely and fresh. I didn't even mind the wind in my face because it had been filtered through lovely green mosses and heather. I must go back soon on my legs.
Anyway, it was all good. I need to win the lottery. I've wanted the Howe forever and it's up for sale. I could just dot about doing wee runs and cycles and eating scones forever. But I need some finance. If I won the lottery and could buy the Howe and didn't have to work I would be kind to people in some way. I definitely would.
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