Roasting

I decided at the end of today that early swimming isn't for me anymore. Being up and about at 5:15am to get some fuel in before a hard session is inhumane. It took extreme discipline to get up and I certainly wasn't awake properly after breakfast. The rain was battering off the ground too, so the bus was the only option....Rosemary tried to enter into a debate about riding but quickly realised I wasn't willing to discuss. She rode though.

I can't even remember the bus journey but I was soon sitting on the pool deck and it was only 6:22am. Scott, the coach, suggested I warm-up whilst he headed to get the basket of swim 'toys'. I was still sat on the pool deck when he came back. I was in an almost transcendental state, preparing my mind for something that my body was about to object doing.

After a 6 x 50m efforts, we went into a HOIYC 300m blast. The aim is simply to stick onto the feet in front as the pace got progressively harder. At 150m, the chap in front decided to stop to let me pass. Shite.....a 15m gap and the girl ahead was wearing a wetsuit! For those not in the know, swimming on the feet or slightly to the side of another swimmer is worth 5-10 sec per 100m because of improved hydrodynamics in the draft. I had no benefit but still managed to close the gap a little.

I swam the session as quick as I have in recent times but was shot afterwards. Still, I managed to run to the cafe for breakfast with Rosemary and then the 5km or so home afterwards. No time for rest as I had a meeting at Blip Central at 10:30am. That went well and it was great to engage with Graham the co-founder of our beloved Blipfoto. Talk is easy but making stuff happen will be a much bigger challenge, albeit a very exciting one. I left with butterflies, thinking "how do I do this?".

Then I walked up to Real Foods to do a shopping for lots of veggie delights.....oh and a giant pain au raisen aka snail! That was washed down by an espresso and a flat white at Artisan, where I also got the next few weeks supply of beans. Back at Rosemary's I fell asleep for 90 mins, got packed and then went for a quick bike ride. Time was tight as I had emails to do and then get up to Waverley for the 18:12 to Manchester.

I left with plenty of time, loaded down by a big rucksack and got as far as Ferry. Road before I realised 'camera'. It was still on the sofa and I wasn't leaving that. A quick turnaround left me 19 mins to get to the train. Fine in normal cycling kit but fully laden with a bag full of shopping, running kit, cycling kit, a laptop and other sundries was a challenge. The climb up Broughton Street left me soaked in sweat but there was no time to catch breath.

I slumped in my train seat at exactly 18:11, sweat dripping in my eyes and my t-shirt was saturated. Beep beep beep beep went the doors and we were off. The weekend's Blips were written and then I read a bit of my Scott Jurek running book. I longed for a 100 mile mountain run just to relax......Another fun filled day in my life!