Still running

Lazy way of posting August photos - watch it on HD

So a few weeks on and we're still running. I signed up for Jedburgh Half and the Edinburgh Marathon next year. Now Peter has us signed up for the Borders XC Winter series. Fingers crossed we can keep on keeping on!

Because of Jedburgh half I've got myself to run the half marathon distance a few times. First time I ran it all on road with Peter, up the cycle path and down to Cramond and back home. It was not too bad until about 8 miles after which it became increasingly a case of just digging in and keeping going., but we made it.

The next time I did a solo one from South Queensferry to Home. We had a guy in digging out the rot from under where our shower was and it seemed a good idea to absent myself for a good few hours. The wind was behind me and the sun shone and it was mostly a pleasant experience. I ran in to clubmate Karen Munro whose son had just done an overnight across-the-country ultra so we had a chat about that. He had made the route himself using Google, choosing mostly A roads, and Karen told me about how scary it was (she went along to support) hoping he wouldn't get run over in the middle of the night. However, he made it, and all was well.

The last few miles along from Granton to home were grim, but not as sore as the previous one.

Since then Peter and I have twice run down the coast from Longniddry to North Berwick. The first time we went through the dunes and the long grasses so that was much slower. Yesterday we started out on the same run, but as we ran into some early butterflies, we took a route via various Buddleia bushes in the hopes of seeing some more. The morning sunlight faded however and there were no more butterflies to be seen.

It meant we were on better paths, so it took us less time. Round about 8 miles or so  my left hip started to give me some gyp and so I had to shut up and concentrate on what I was doing and not just chat with PB. I'm not out of the woods but also not in the woods. I finished the run without anything getting any worse and today I seem okay. I think my left side is just weaker than my right side. Everything up to 6 miles is now easy-peasy.

We've been doing some interval training too. It's great to be training together again, and Peter's sciatica has receded as we've been doing more. So far it has been intervals on the grassy hill under the crags. (I think Peter calls this Salisbury Hill). I should probably think about trying to do some speed training for half marathons although Jedburgh is in 4 weeks so it's nearly time for the taper.

Here's a spooky little story from today.

Today is my dad's birthday, or would have been except he died in 2000. The man was nuts about (and made) small sailing craft and I grew up, never paying much attention to boats, but immersed in a world where boat words were so common you would hardly know you knew them.

Today, because I was a bit stiff and sore, I went for a swim and then to the gym. One of my gym things is going on the assisted pull-up machine. 

The assisted pull-up machine faces a large tv screen and it's the only place in the gym where I would see the screen. While I was watching, as I was heaving myself up, I saw what my brain told me was a Drascombe Lugger, - some kind of yawl that dad had a thing about. Not only that but it was in a very familiar looking bit of water. Could it be? I thought I saw the house which was the last house we stayed in in Orkney - in Stromness - and then the boat sailed out and I could see Graemsay and the Hills of Hoy behind. Yep, it was definitely Stromness harbour.

The scene changed and I finished on the machine and I thought I'd have a look and see what the program had been when I got home.

So I found it. It was this https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001s2w7/scotlands-sacred-islands-with-ben-fogle-series-2-episode-3  at about 7m11s in.

What are the odds?

Runs with butterflies, swims with leeches.

It gets harder to think of titles. I can't use Gullaneagain again. 

Anyway on Saturday it was actually warm. We were so used to it being chilly that it was very hard to leave jumpers behind. However, they were not needed. It was actually warm.

Peter was in that frame of mind where he had decided he wanted butterflies and nothing else would do. This makes me cross. I know what he's going to do - hold reality up to his idea about how it should be and find it wanting. "You must love disappointment." I told him, hoping that he might let it go. But no.

We ran round the usual 6 mile circuit. I'm still injured but this just means making a few stops. I think I'm getting better. All the trouble has settled in one place which seems like a good thing. It's all at the side of my left knee. I'm pretty sure now it's an IT band thing.

There was the odd butterfly. Not many. Someone complained.

We happened upon a tiny newt which made up for it a bit. It was not keen on us, and it was very small, so we left it alone quite soon.

Then we both went in the sea. I just had a quick swim around while Peter went further. He has had quite a lot of qualms about his new wetsuit from Alpkit; it's super-easy to tear - but after this swim he was happier. It was good for swimming and kept him warm.

I'm trying to make up for the sudden drop in my running mileage by doing more cycling, so I wanted to come up with a cycling plan for Sunday. Peter had been mentioning Pressmennan Lake as a possible outdoor swim venue so I had a look on the map and it looked like it would be about 30 miles to get there. My shorty wetsuit is very small and light compared to a full-length one so it seemed doable to pack it, cycle there, have a swim and cycle home.

We had a stop at The Waterside in Haddington which has tables outside and was very busy. It was fairly pricey and aimed at people who want a big heavy lunch and lots to drink. We had soup and five slices of bread to share, which seemed a bit stingy. Our butter melted in the sun. We were sheltered from the wind there and realised just how hot it was. 

And then on to the lake. 

It seemed surprisingly busy at the side of the lake - although maybe we shouldn't have been surprised. It was a hot bank holiday Sunday. A lot of people came along with their dogs. We had to be quick in order not to show anyone the places where the sun don't shine.

A few people asked us what we were looking for, which struck me as odd until I realised they thought since we were wearing wetsuits we must be divers. I'm still finding this odd actually. And a bit suspicious.

The water was cold at first but became quite bearable after a few swims out from shore and then back. Unfortunately, on one of my returns to shore I discovered a leech attached to my right hand. This freaked the living bejesus out of me and it was hard to settle into swimming after that. I kept becoming convinced that I had attracted more passengers and that I'd come out of the water hanging with them. There weren't any more though. I think I was just unlucky.

I swam more than I did the day before, anyway, and Peter had a good swim again.

I had been looking forwards to the homeward journey as we'd started out cycling into a head-wind, - but when we got down to the coast it became clear that the wind had come around, so we cycled the last 20 or so miles with the now low sun in our eyes and the wind blowing in our faces. My Garmin beeped 60 miles just as we turned the corner into our street.