A busy week!

Despite the weather forecast being dire for this week I think we have escaped quite lightly!

Yesterday started off wet and miserable but by the afternoon the sun decided to show it's face and we managed to conquer another Wainwright. We did a lovely, scenic and relatively easy walk up Silver Howe. A walk I would definitely recommend if you have an afternoon to fill!

This morning started off wet again so I decided to go to the local swimming pool and get some lengths in! I was really surprised how quiet it was considering it was a wet morning in the school holidays! I did 1700 metres in 39 minutes and really enjoyed it!

Luckily by the afternoon the rain had stopped as I had a lake swimming date with a friend! When I got to the lake I was feeling slightly apprehensive as my swim on Sunday hadn't gone well!

The lake still looked choppier than I would have liked but I did a lot of positive self-talk whilst getting changed into my wet suit which appeared to do the trick! 

I got in and didn't have that awful panicky feeling I got on Sunday!  
In fact I felt quite comfortable as I set off to do the route we had agreed on!

Although it was choppy I really enjoyed the swim and didn't let the waves slapping me in the face put me off!

Once I got home I decided to do a short run to warm up after the lake!

I didn't have high hopes of having a fast run as I was feeling tired but instead about stressing about pace I just set off to enjoy the act of running!

I was amazed when I got home that I had run 3.6 miles at an average 8.22 minute mile pace! 

This is a good pace for me!

Feeling very positive at the moment about how my training is going!

Bring it on!

A very windy ride and an epic fall!

This morning I went for a bike ride with my cycling buddy "Wils".

I was slightly nervous after looking at the weather forecast as we seemed to be on the cusp of "not too bad conditions" and "horrendous" but I wasn't not going to go!

We had a route in mind but we had to do some quick alterations when we came across a couple of "Road Closed" signs due to bridges damaged during the December floods!  

It was like going on a magical mystery tour as neither of us were familiar with the roads we were on! It added a new dimension to the ride and being with someone else I wasn't as concerned about getting lost! I had someone to get "unlost" with!

I have just begun to get a little more confident with both my gears and my SPD-SL's then today disaster struck!

After riding for about 10 miles, I was going up a hill, made a mess of a gear change and couldn't keep the bike going up the hill.  In my panic I couldn't get my foot out my cleats either and before I knew it I was in a ditch with the bike on top of me.

Wils came to check I was OK before laughing at my antics saying he wished he had a video recording me!

My left side was covered in mud and initially despite saying I was OK my left knee and elbow were sore!

After this my confidence totally went and I started stressing about unclipping again!

However, very soon I had other things to worry about -  a horrific head wind that materialised from nowhere and was freezing cold!

I wasn't enjoying battling with my bike whilst trying to keep a straight line, and the memory of my recent fall was still very much in the forefront of my mind! I didn't want to do a double whammy!

To make matters worse at around 25 miles Wils got a puncture and  standing around in the freezing cold wind wasn't very enjoyable! I'm pleased it was his bike and not mine or I might have cried!

By now I just wanted the ride to be over!

Thankfully the rain held off until we were just coming into Kendal after cycling 41.5 miles! Wind and rain would have been horrendous!

You can see our route here! We managed an average speed of 13.5 MPH which I am really pleased with considering the headwind we had to battle with!

Despite the closed roads, the fall, the puncture and the horrendous winds it was a nice route!  One to do again in better conditions!

I am now waiting for the bruises to appear on my left arm and leg!

Happy Easter Sunday!

This morning I went for a swim in Windermere with my swimming friend David.

I had decided that whatever the weather we were going as I had to get used to all conditions just in case it was terrible on race day!

However, this morning I really wasn't feeling it!

It was cold, windy, rainy and choppy and I stood on the edge of the jetty watching the waves rolling across the lake wondering what on earth I was doing!

When I first got in I got the "OMG THAT IS COLD" sensation and I never managed to get over it!

The waves kept slapping me in the face and despite getting an impromptu break to have a look at a beautiful rainbow that had appeared across the lake I really felt crap.

I ended up going back to shore and only managed 0.19 mile which I was really disappointed with!

I really need to man up!

Especially since my first Triathlon of the season is in just 3 weeks time!

I did my first "brick session" yesterday in realisation of this fact and today I decided I best look seriously at setting some goals to achieve on the day!

I have decided on 3 goals.  

A. The slowest time I would be happy with.
B. A realistic time I think I can achieve.
C. A "Dreams are made of this, Too good to be true" time.


400 Metre Swim: 
A. 8:52      B. 8:40  C. 8:30
Transition 1:  
A. 2:01      B. 1:30   C. 1:30
18K Cycle: 
A. 47:30     B.  46:00  C. 44:50
Transition 2: 
A. 3.10        B.  1:20    C. 1:10
5K run: 
A.27:10        B. 26:30   C. 26:00

TOTAL FINISH TIME:
A. 1:28:03  
B. 1:24:00
C. 1:22:00

Now I need to get on with it and train!

Bricking it!

Yesterday was a rest day as far as my training plan was concerned but I don't think my legs feel like they got much of a rest!

We went for a lovely 7 mile walk and conquered 2 Wainwrights - Stony Cove Pike and Hartsop Dodd! We decided to do these fells in the hope that we would avoid all the "Good Friday Tourists" that were swarming into the lakes for the only dry day over the Easter Weekend (according to the weather forecast!).

Anyhow, we picked well and didn't see anyone else whilst we were out!  Although it was dry it was exceptionally cold and very windy!

Then later on we went out to The Brewery in Kendal for a Blast from the past - Big Country were playing so after walking hills all day I danced the night away!

Consequently this morning my legs didn't feel the benefit of the "rest day"!

However, I had planned to do my first "Brick Session" of the season and nothing was going stop me - not even the wind!

I set off with a 13 mile bike route in mind but due to being battered around by the wind I decided to cut this short in order to live another day!  There were times when I really struggled to keep my bike on course!

In the end I did 8.91 miles at an average pace of 13.6 MPH, however pace was the last thing on my mind, just surviving was the primary goal!

Once home I put my bike in the garage, changed into my running trainers, stripped a couple of layers off, gulped a few mouthfuls of water and 1 minute 45 seconds later I was on my way running!

It's the first time I have worn my Tri Suit since last year and initially it felt like I was running in a nappy!

My legs felt heavy ... like bricks (Is that where they get the name from?) and I felt like I was really plodding and didn't seem to be making much headway in the wind.

However, I pushed on and didn't worry about the pace!  I just wanted to complete my first brick session!

I was shattered when I got home after running 3.85 miles at an average 8.37 minute mile pace! Much faster than I had expected! 

I am very pleased with that for my first brick of the year especially with tired legs and a hangover!

Schools out for Easter!

It was the last day of term today and despite getting drenched this morning walking the whole school down to church for an Easter Service I have had a good day!

As soon as we finished school I went for a run! There was no time to mess as my daughter was coming home for Easter and needed picking up!

It was still raining but judging by the Easter forecast I will just need to get on with it whatever the weather throws at me! Just 3 weeks until my first tri of the season!

I set off determined to do around 6 miles!  My legs were initially feeling heavy but I wasn't going to listen to them!  As I ran (in the rain!) I started to feel better and my legs loosened up a little.

At around the 3 mile mark just when I was going up a hill I became aware of another runner in close proximity to me and I was determined he/she wasn't going to overtake me so I pushed harder!

About 5 minutes after reaching the top of the hill and just as I was recovering my breath this other runner pulled up alongside me.  I thought he was going to zoom on by but he started talking saying "Thanks for pulling me up that hill!  I was determined you weren't going to get away from me!". 

I didn't admit to trying to get away from him!

However, he then ran with me until we got back into town and that made me maintain my pace!  If I had been left to my own devices I definitely would have slowed!

I did a total of 7 miles at an average 8.45 minute mile pace!

What has amazed me is when I look at Strava "Fly By's"  he had been following me right from the start but I never noticed - thankfully or I might have blown up completely!

Its good to have someone to push you on!

Physio followed by Swim!

This evening I went for a "maintanance" Physio session just to make sure my old body stays in peak condition whilst I ramp up the miles on the approach to the season!

I am glad I did as my Quadriceps were extremely tight and needed quite a bit of work on them to loosen them - a recipe for another injury if I am not careful!

After 45 minutes of pain I was done and feeling like I had run a marathon!

However, my physio said it was OK for me to still go swimming, so off I trot home for something light to eat before going to the Tri Club Swimming Session.

My legs really weren't in "kicking mood" and I was pleased that a few of the drills involved using a pool buoy which gave them a break!

However, after the drills came a speed session which didn't really happen for me but I pushed as hard as I could!

Altogether I swam 2200 metres (1.37 miles) so feeling quite good now, although legs are feeling exceptionally tired and heavy!

Hopefully they will be recovered by the morning and ready for a long run tomorrow evening!

A little Choppy!

Tonight I went for a swim in Lake Windermere!  I was looking forward to it as the lake temperature had gone up considerably compared with last week so I was expecting a pleasant swim.

When I met my swimming pal David, he had brought along another friend with him so I was feeling slightly stressed about the added pressure of swimming with someone else who was fast!  

Although David is much faster than me he humours me and swims at my speed.  Tonight, I was worrying about being left on my own so I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I first got in the lake.

"I can't do this" thoughts kept popping up in my head as I made my way to the first buoy but I tried to push them aside and concentrated on counting my strokes instead!

The lake was choppier than I would have liked and I am not convinced the water temperature reported was correct as I felt it was much colder than last week. Maybe this was because the air temperature was cooler and the wind was stronger!

OR maybe I had just got myself in a negative frame of mind.

Anyhow, despite "the little devil in my head's" best efforts I didn't give up and although I didn't enjoy the swim as much as I have done lately I still managed not too badly and swam 0.31 miles - which is quite far enough in current temperatures!

Once home, I quickly got changed into my running gear and went for a run to warm my body up!

I didn't feel like I was running very well and felt stiff and tired after my swim but I was delighted to see I had actually run 3.6 miles at an average 8.34 minute mile pace.

Not such a bad evening after all!

I have now been swimming in Open Water for 46 weeks!

Not long before I can claim full bragging rights of being an "all year round Open Water Swimmer!"

Club Run!

Surprisingly I am not aching after yesterdays adventures, I am just extremely tired as I didn't sleep very well last night! Thankfully I only have 3 more days to survive and then it's the Easter Holidays and I get 2 weeks worth of lie-ins!

Tonight was my "Women on the Run" Running club run, so despite being exhausted I didn't have the option of a rest day although it was another nice night which made it easier!

Hopefully tonight's run will be the last "dark" run for several months as the clocks change at the weekend! 

We will then start to benefit from the lighter nights which means a whole new array of routes for me to take the ladies on!

Back to tonight!

All was going well with 16 ladies turning up and we were having a pleasant run.  Then disaster struck, one of my ladies tripped and fell and made a right mess of her knee and was unable to continue.

However, camaraderie kicked in with one member staying with the injured one and 2 others "sprinting" off to get the car and first aid kit whilst the rest of the group continued on the run.

We got back to the car park just as the injured lady and first aid party returned.

Despite this little hiccup it was a nice run at a faster than normal pace for the group! We covered 4.3 miles at an average 10.23 minute mile pace!

First Day of Spring ...

and a nice ride in the sun!

This morning I went out for another bike ride with my Cycling Buddy Wils.

We met in Kendal at 10.30am and I wasn't very impressed with the route he had in mind - straight up a hill!

I knew from this point  the sort of ride I had let myself in for but the sun was shining and life was good!

I was determined to not be a wuss and tried to keep up despite the hills putting a spanner in the works!

I was glad I had opted for less layers than last week as I was still hot!

After 20 miles we arrived in Orton and stopped at a cafe for a much deserved Cappuccino and cake!

It was at this point I was introduced to a little Gizmo by my friend -  a cleat cover!  I never knew they existed but Wils gifted me a pair so I am very happy!

No more tottering around trying not to slip!

After sitting in the sunshine chatting whilst enjoying coffee and cake it was very difficult to get back on my bike, especially since I had the challenge of Shap Fell to face!

I have been up and over Shap in the car many times but have never braved it on my bike - until today!

The ride up until this point had already been hilly and challenging so my legs were already feeling heavy and shaky!

I slowly but steadily made my way up and was amazed when I found myself at the top without dying or getting off and pushing! 

Once I was at the top it was all downhill home - Thankfully!  

I managed to get up to 33.8 MPH on the way down which is supersonic speed for me, the cautious one!

Altogether I did 40.1 very enjoyable miles! You can view my route here!

A Double Run!

Yesterday was my rest day which I was really ready for! 

In order to relax and rest fully I went out to a Pizza Party at a friends house and drank a little too much wine!

THEN, I was up early this morning for Fell Foot Parkrun!  

Thankfully I was running with my "Women On The Run" running Club so pace wasn't an issue! I always stay with the slowest runner in our group to give encouragement and support.

Fell Foot park run has been operating an "alternative" route since the terrible floods in December. 

However, today, 14 weeks later the run was back on the original route for the first time!  I was really pleased about this as the alternative route had a killer hill in it that had to be scaled 5 times! I'm not sure I could have coped with that this morning!

The Ladies all did a fantastic job and I really enjoyed the run!  A nice crisp run along the lake - whats not to love!

Once I got home I decided I needed to do a run "for me", so whilst I still had my running gear on I decided to go for a short blast to wake up my legs! Thankfully, my hangover was subsiding!

Kendal triathlon is only 4 weeks away so I decided it would be a good idea to do a recce of the run route!

I really enjoyed this run and really surprised myself by doing the 5K run in 26 minutes at an average 8.13 minute mile pace!  I even did the 3rd mile in 7 minutes 38 seconds which is amazingly fast for me!

Maybe I am finally getting my fitness back!

Another "epic" bike ride to endure tomorrow!

Running Night!

Tonight I went to the Tri Club Running Training Session which consisted of a warm-up, 20 minutes of drills followed by a 4 mile steady run!

I was pleased when he said we were doing a steady run as I think I my legs are still recovering from my cycle on Sunday!

Despite not doing the sprint intervals we have done in previous weeks I found tonight's session hard! 

I have no idea why as we only did 4 miles at an average 9.03 minute mile pace!

Thankfully tomorrow is my rest day, then Parkrun on Saturday!

Nervous Breakdown awaits!

The plan I had for this evening was to get home from work promptly, take the dog for a short walk and then to go out on my bike for short spin, after which I was going have a light dinner before going to Tri Club Swimming at 8pm.

However, all the best laid plans and all that!

I haven't been in a particularly good mood today and some people have been intent on pushing my buttons!


To make matters worse I was late leaving work and was feeling highly agitated and stressed but I was still telling myself that I was going out on my bike!

I got in the car and set off home ...  but ... with other car drivers (who sit at junctions waiting for a written invitation to pull out), the bloody roadworks and the idiots who operate the traffic lights finished me off completely!

By the time I got home I was fuming and not in a good place.

So the dog got his short walk, and then I sat with a coffee and chocolate feeling sorry for myself!

Sitting alone in a quiet room helped (or the coffee and chocolate did!) and I slowly started to feel myself relax.  I gave myself a stern talking to about allowing work to get in the way of "me time" and felt guilty for not doing my time on the bike!

However, I pulled myself together enough to go swimming and I am so glad I did!

I came out feeling a whole lot better despite an hour of torture in the form of drills and speed sets!

Altogether I swam 2275 metres!

Feeling Tired ... but good!

It has been a lovely clear sunny spring like day today and I was

looking forward to a nice swim in the lake.


The water temperature was slightly higher than it was last week but the air temperature today was much higher!

I met my friend, got kitted out in my wet suit, socks, gloves, 2 hats and goggles whilst he waited for me in just his trunks! (he is a total lunatic!).

Once in I just focused on the route we had agreed to swim and just emptied my mind and swam! Thankfully it was a fairly calm lake! So I could totally zone out and I really enjoyed it!  We only swam 500 metres but it felt good.

I can't wait for the weather to get warmer so we can do some longer lake swims!

Once I got home I got changed into my running kit and did a short "warm-up" run!

When I first set off I was still very cold from my swim and I felt really tired and lethargic.  I thought to myself  "If I still feel like this in a little while I will take a short cut home".  However, I soon got over the heavy feeling and started to enjoy it!

I ran 3.6 miles at an average 8.48 minute mile pace and I certainly wasn't cold when I got home!

Once home I had the lovely task of washing my wet suit and all the other kit and caboodle that goes with the territory!

It really would be easier to brave it without a wet suit!

One day ...

The perfect evening for a run!

By some mere miracle my legs had forgiven me when I stumbled out of bed this morning and were ready for some more punishment!

Tonight I had 16 ladies in my WOTR running group who all had a fantastic run!  The weather was perfect and we even got to set off in the light!

We ran 4.72 miles and they all seem to be getting more determined!

I am feeling very proud of them all!

Feeling Goosed!

Today I met someone from the "Cycling Buddy" group and went for a very nice cycle!

It was perfect weather for a ride out in the country and the sun even shone down on us at times!

The only problem was ... my legs!

They weren't very happy with me and screamed at me every time we went up a hill but I was determined not to slow the poor bloke down any more than absolutely necessary and gave it my all!

Thankfully I am beginning to get much more confident with my SPD-SL's and have stopped thinking "What happens if I need to stop!".  I now know I CAN get out of them fairly successfully! I am still not completely competent at gear changes especially getting it right going up hill but it is coming along nicely!

Today, I cycled 30.82 miles at an average 14 MPH with 1627 feet of elevation! 

It is slightly embarrassing that I struggled so much near the end as the person I cycled with had already cycled 25 miles before we met and had another 25 miles to go afterwards!

However in my defence, looking back at my Strava Stats, no wonder I am tired - the last time I went for a half decent ride on my bike was on the 24th July 2015 which was 24 miles! In hindsight perhaps doing a 10 mile ride on Friday, followed by a 20 mile ride on Saturday wasn't the best preparation for a long ride today!

Altogether I have cycled 63 miles in 3 days!

Things can only get better and with Windermere Tri only 16 weeks away they need to - fairly rapidly!

On wards and upwards!

After a Sunday Roast and several glasses of wine I now have a warm glow coursing through my body and feel ever so slightly delirious! 

A Bad Start!

Today I went out with a friend for a short cycle ride.

However, before I met Sharon I needed to go to the local bike shop to get my gears "tweaked".

I set off with plenty of time to spare and just as I pulled up in front of the shop I noticed I had a flat tyre!

I went in explaining what I needed doing (well in pigeon English) and then fluttered my eye lashes saying I also had a puncture.  He changed my inner tube (and found a nasty piece of glass in my tyre!) as well as fixing my gears so it was a good result and I even made it back in time to meet Sharon!

We went on a enjoyable steady paced 20 mile cycle and it was nice to get the opportunity to "play" with my gears and to experiment without the pressure of having to go fast!

Dare I say that it is beginning to sink in and I now realise why I should change gears at certain times!

On another positive note the unclicking of my cleats seems to be becoming much more familiar and I am not stressing nearly as much!

A Gear Training Session!

Tonight I met the friend who stood me up last week for a Gear Training session!

Initially he talked me through the technicalities of the gears but I think when he saw the glazed look on my face he decided to give up and suggest we just go for a ride to see what we could do!

Whilst riding he was giving me instructions such as "Move front gear shifter up/down a gear!" and I would respond "Left or right side, big or little lever?".  

He soon got the hang of my dire gear knowledge and started saying "Right side little, left side little, right side little, right side big!".  

We had a laugh at this new style of training but it seemed to work for me and I understood a little more about when I should be changing and why!

We only did 9.1 miles but I really enjoyed it and believe it or not I now feel a little more knowledgeable about gears than I did!

However, my friend informed me my gears weren't set up quite "right" and suggested I went into a local bike shop to get them "tweaked". 

I am going to pop in in the morning to see what they can do before I go for a ride with a friend!

Tri Club Training!

Last night I went to the Tri Club swimming training session.

I wasn't feeling up for it but was determined not to wuss out!

Once I got there and got going I felt OK despite it being a very challenging session.

I swam 2400 metres made up of drills, speed sets and endurance!

I am sure it must have a positive effect on my swimming! It must be worth the pain in the long run!

Tonight being a glutton for punishment I went to the Tri Club running session!

Yet again it was another challenging session made up of drills and speed sets!  Funnily enough despite it being exceptionally hard going I really enjoyed it.

We ran a total of 5 miles on top of all the drills!


I will be a Triathlete - just need to get out on my bike sometime very soon!

A Swim/Run Brick of sorts!

Tonight I did a swim/run brick of sorts - with a long transition between the two!

When we first arrived at the lake I was feeling slightly nervous as it looked fairly choppy and I hate swimming in choppy waters!

However, I wasn't going to be put off and got ready into my wetsuit without giving the task ahead too much thought!

Once in the lake I started to count my strokes to try and calm myself down and to take my mind off the chop! 

It got to the point where I was fed up of getting a mouth full of water whenever I breathed to the left that I tried just breathing to the right side!  It felt really strange but it saved me from getting waves in my face! Perhaps this is something I need to concentrate on in case I get choppy waters in one of my events!

Strangely enough once I got swimming and had worked out to breath just to one side I really enjoyed the swim!

Once I got home I quickly washed my wet suit etc and then got changed into my running kit for a quick run! 

Despite feeling cold and tired after the swim I really enjoyed the run and managed 3.61 miles at an average 8.53 minute mile pace!

Feeling good!

Just the one tonight!

This evening my "beginners" group merged with the "intermediates" and in the words of the Spice Girls 2 become 1!

I had a lot of nervous ladies who felt they weren't good enough to join the main group but I reassured them that no one would be left behind as our policy is we always loop back to make sure the group stays together!

I really enjoyed the run this evening.  It was a perfect night for running and everyone managed well!

The faster ladies all looped back with me to join the slower ones so everyone got a run in that was appropriate to their level!

I did a total of 4.83 miles and felt like I got a good run as we "sprinted" back to the group (several times) so I got some interval training in too!

I am looking forward to my ladies going from strength to strength!

It is fantastic to see such rapid progression in total non-runners!

4 Wainwrights!

Today was another cold but nice sunny day so we decided to go out walking!

We had a fantastic walk with the most amazing views although the walking was hard going at times due to the depth of the snow on the tops!

However, we really enjoyed it! 

We walked 6.7 miles and conquered 4 Wainwrights - Steel Fell, Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag.  We have now done 54 Wainwrights, only 160 left to do!

Beginners Graduation!

This morning my "Women On The Run"  beginners running group "Graduated" at Fell Foot Parkrun, running a Parkrun for the first time and what a fantastic job they did.  I couldn't be more proud!

I left my home town of Kendal at 8.10am for the 17 mile journey to Fell Foot!  I picked up 3 of my members on the way arriving at around 8.40am,  in plenty of time for the 9am start!

We all met in the car park and there was a lot of nervous (and cold) ladies!

However, Once we got going we weren't cold for long! I said I would stay with whoever was the slowest, as I didn't want anyone running on their own!

I really enjoyed the run, especially as I got some sneaky sprint intervals in!  I sprinted off ahead to get "in situ" to take photo's before joining the back runner again! It worked perfectly for us all!

It was a cold but sunny morning, and the Fell Foot Parkrun is still operating on the "alternative" route after the December floods flooded the original route!  

Unfortunately for my ladies this involves a hill, that needs to be conquered 5 times!  Funnily enough I didn't enlighten them to this before we went!  I didn't want to be on my own!

However, they were rewarded adequately after the run!  

I presented them with a medal, a goody bag (containing alcohol) and CAKE!  

What more does a lady need?!

After the Parkrun I went home for a shower and some lunch before going for a 3 mile walk with the dog!

Once I got home I still had itchy feet so decided I needed to go for a run, for me, at my own pace!  Recently I seem to either be going too slow for my natural pace or too fast for my natural pace so consequently I really enjoyed just running, on my own, without worrying about leaving anyone behind or being left behind!

I ran 3.6 miles at an average 8.42 minute mile pace and did I mention I really really enjoyed it?!

Stood up!

This morning when I drew back the curtains I was welcomed with a carpet of snow!  Luckily as the day went on the snow melted and by this evening it had totally disappeared!

Tonight I was supposed to be going out on a bike ride but I was stood up by a friend! Although I am sure he will beg to differ! I was wanting to get some tips about what gears to use!

I rushed home from work, quickly got changed into my cycling gear before pedalling frantically to the local leisure centre for 4.15pm to meet my friend.

4.15pm came and went and so did 4.20pm.  I text to see what was happening and got no reply so at 4.30pm after texting again I gave up!  I could have soldiered on and gone for a ride on my own but the wind and dark clouds put me off so I went home instead!

I managed the grand distance of 1.71 miles but on a positive note I got a little more cleat practice in!

Eventually I got a text back from my friend at 5.30pm saying he was there waiting for me at 4.15pm but hadn't seen me!

Very strange and I am still clueless regarding gears!

Tomorrow morning its an early get-up for the Fell Foot Parkrun where my beginners running club will be running their first 5K non-stop run!

Fingers crossed the weather is OK for them!

A brick session of sorts!

Today I had a busy day at work dressed up as a Pirate wearing Superman underpants!  

Don't worry, this isn't a strange fetish of mine, today is World book day and we all had to dress up as a book character so I picked the book "Pirates Love Underpants". 

The excitement of 30 four year olds dressing up for school is a little too much for me, but I survived the day!

This evening I went for a swim in Lake Windermere at 5pm whilst it was still light.

It had been a cold day and I felt slightly chilly even before I got into the water but I am not stopping now!

Despite being cold I really enjoyed the swim and it was a nice calm evening!  

Once I got home I had time to quickly wash my wetsuit before getting changed into my running gear and hotfooting it to the Tri Club Running Session.

We started off with a warm-up before doing 15 minutes of drills followed by a speed interval session.

I really struggled with the intervals but I think this is because I have got into the habit of plodding!  I really need to push myself more!

Altogether we ran 4.67 miles and I was shattered by the end!