Rest weekend...

What's that? It's been a while, but it was much needed, and this weekend I did very little other than tidy my room, read through some boring but necessary flat documents and SLEEP IN!! It was so nice to just 'chill out' a little, and do a bit of thinking.

On Friday night I had to use my 1st aid skills to help the duty manager at CTC as this guy had an epileptic fit during the RPM (spin) class...it was quite scary but all worked out well - first time I've seen someone have a proper fit.

On court every morning this week at 7am - 3 individuals and 2 basket drill sessions, I think it must be good training for the long races...the morning bike ride is a good wake-up call as well :)

See more pics!

Wan Dae #3

Drumlanrig Castle - event centre for the 3rd and final race of the 2006 Wan Dae Adventure Racing Series....

Bob, Ed & I raced together (Pete still struggling with a calf injury), having changed our team name from Total Strangers to Stranger Still :) It was a good day, but team #13 proved to be slightly unlucky for us as we struggled to find various checkpoints, particularly on the biking section. An orienteering section on foot to start, then off on the bikes to get as many checkpoints as we could in any order, with some other events along the way - kayaking was pretty cruisy, then we had a very 'refreshing' swim across the river in the Castle grounds, a steep uphill slog to a summit, and some really nice forest tracks on the bike (pity they didn't lead to anywhere we thought they would but still...!)

I was at a Performance Club Challenge event in Prestwick on Friday (with the Craiglockhart team), so I stayed with Bob in Glasgow on Fri & Sat, then headed back to the tournament on Sunday. It was a really well-run event - five teams each had 2 boys & 2 girls in four different age groups, U/9, U/11, U/13 & U/18 - lots of tennis and a fun social event for all the kids to catch up at as well.

Finished my team captain/taxi driver duties and came back to the flat to clean all my smelly, dirty racing gear - ready for another one next weekend!

See more pics!

Scary but true...

For the first time in several years I'm somewhat committing to being in one place for a little while. With much appreciated help from my parents, and the joyful anticipation of many long, hard working days ahead, I'm about to buy a flat in Edinburgh. I'm very excited, and slightly apprehensive, as this may in fact signal I'm staying here for, I don't know, maybe a couple of years? - a long time considering my nomadic lifestyle over the last eight years.

I put in an offer on Wednesday which got accepted, so I'm on the search for fun-loving, outdoorsy flatmate(s) who appreciate the fact that furniture can consist of bikes, running trainers, climbing harnesses, tennis rackets and other outdoor gear. Any takers?!

See more pics!

Wan Dae #2

The second adventure race of the 'Wan Dae' Series - at Loch Carron Valley near Falkirk. Was supposed to be Bob, Pete, Ed & I racing but Pete & Ed both had injuries - they'd rather recover for the next one (in 2 weeks!) so it ended up being just Bob & I. A fun day with lots of biking, running, a bit of kayaking, a couple of puzzles and a short swim section. The weather wasn't too great this time either - rain & mist replaced the strong winds we had in the Pentlands.

We did pretty well, coming 4th overall in the 8-hr "Cask Strength" category (as opposed to the 5-hr "Simply Blended"!), although we had a pretty disastrous route choice at one point. After slipping and sliding our way down a hill covered in tree stumps and giant clufts of vegetation, we ended up stumbling our way through a new plantation of pine trees, getting totally scratched up, slipping on felled trees and getting stuck in bogs. Hmmm....even if it looks further maybe we should stick to the track next time :)

On the way home I made two stops, for food and petrol, then when I got home and looked in the mirror I realised I must have amused the folk who served me. Looked like I'd been dragged through a hedge, then attacked by a giant mascara stick :)

This link plays an overview of the RAT RACE from a few weeks ago!

See more pics!