Recovery week

Well Sally the Massage Lady seemed to help (although that may just have been the passage of time), but by Thursday the worst of the DOMS seemed to have gone from my legs.  Just a couple of very gentle 4 milers this week, but then on Friday the weather was still cracking, it was a bank holiday and we were child free for the weekend, so out came my bicycle.

Just a steady one on Friday, with lots of low gear spinning - Halton Heights, Langbar, Ilkley and home for a 22 miler with no great effort involved.  I've decided cycling is to be the key to my sub-3 marathon as it seems to be the way I get weight off the best, so I shall be trying to get at the very least 200 miles a month for the rest of the summer, along with keeping the running ticking over.

A weekend of beery fun at Tim and Helen's wedding then a call from The Herb last night - did I fancy a bike ride today?  Yep - the weather is supposed to break some time this week, so I decided to make the most of it.

The Herb was ill (isn't he always?) so he had his excuses in nice and early, but for once I think he might not be bluffing, as he was very slow up most of the hills today.

Herb just getting to the top of Langbar

Halton Heights, then Langbar, then Askwith Moor Rd made for a lumpy first half, then we turned left instead of our normal right and headed down to Blubberhouses.  I've had my eye on a little road that is parallel to the A59 at Kex Gill, so at Blubbs we went straight across and headed up towards West End.  We weren't sure exactly where the viscious little climb is, but sod's law says it was before we turned off - but as is often the case the memory was worse than the reality and we were both up it without too much eyeball bleeding.

The Menwith Hill golf balls from Askwith Moor

The unknown bit of road proved to be lovely, and a short section of tarmac bridleway saw us at the very top of the A59's descent into Wharfedale.  I was hoping for a really fast descent, but in the end I don't think we touched much over 40mph, but atb least it was around 3 1/2 miles without turning a pedal.

A quick cup of tea at Bolton Abbey and home for a very pleasant 34 miler.