Been back a couple of weeks now, and whilst I've done a bit of running it's all been a bit hit and miss. I can report, however, that I am hideously unfit, and probably very fat indeed (the latter I've been too scared to confirm but I feel lardy in the extreme).
My replacement Garmin 610 had been delivered whilst we were away, so my runs are recorded at Garmin Connect, but they total about 15 miles a week at an embarrassingly slow pace. Whatever - I've probably done slightly more running this August than last, and I managed a 3:11 marathon this spring. Ber.
More worrying is my bike form - I'd kind of kidded myself that because I managed the 130 miles up to Newcastle easily, and I've been getting a 50+ miler in most weekends then I'd be the picture of fitness when the road headed uphill. Well, no...
I did the Ilkley club run up to the Buckden triangle, finishing over Halton Heights, which went ok, but I did find the climb hard after 60 miles or so. Doesn't bode well...
Then last weekend me, Bob and The Herb headed over to the Forest of Bowland for some tourist avoidance. We did a fairly lumpy 65 miles over to Settle, then a windy climb up Cross o' Greet then back over from Keasden. By the end I was feeling thigh burn the likes of which I don't think I've had since last year's EduD - eek.
Still - a nice day out:
Then after another week of failing to cycle to work today was the Evans Skipton Sportive. I'd entered the long 100 mile ride, but thoughts of riding over Buttertubs then back over Oxnop to Askrigg put me off, so Herb and I went for the shorter route, which also allowed me to get home in time to watch Wiggo lose the Jersey in the Vuelta.
A stiff climb up the Raikes and a tortuous route on back roads popped us out on the Rylstone road, then more daft routing dropped us into Airton via the long way round. Into Malham for our major climb up the Cove Road - harder than I remember it, but lots of rest sections and just enough walkers to make us feel good about ourselves.
The road to Arncliffe has a beast of a steep section, but again Herb and I managed to pass a few folk and not get passed ourselves. Job done, we thought, as we were turning for home after the feed stop at Kettlewell.
Virtually everyone else at the stop were doing the honourable thing and doing the 100 miler, but the route had been changed after Fleet Moss so Buttertubs was no longer on the agenda - even so the call of an easy(ish) day proved too strong for me and Herb and we headed back down the valley.
The blast to Burnsall and garden was quickly dispensed, but I found the last section of the climb up from Burnsall hard, and felt it as we climbed back over Barden Moor. At the top there was a "5 miles to go" sign, and it felt odd riding through Embsay and back into Skipton to hand back our dibbers, eat a bowl of pasta and get home for about 12:45, with an average speed of just under 15mph.
Respectable, but more work needed, fatty.
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