Train on

Last weekend was a long weekend, courtesy of a monarch on the other side of the planet who turned 85.  It rained all weekend.  I did a swim on Saturday and another one at the Icebergs on Sunday.  And the rain poured down again on Monday.  It was a bit of a bugger.  Enda suggested a ride on Monday which was a public holiday and I was up for it, so off we pedaled towards Watson's Bay with a slight drizzle. That was fine.  The drizzle disappeared by the time we got back to Bondi so we pushed on to Coogee to collect Kev.  Kev joined us and it was off to La Perouse.  Then the rain started to bucket down to the point where wetties would have been more practical than bike wear. It was a bit of a laugh. To keep Kev company we did one lap of the Park in the pouring rain with him.  As far as I know he continued riding but we headed back to Bondi and tucked into a big breakie, all up managing around 50kms in atrocious conditions.  It felt good to get the ride in.

The girls were busy doing their 32km run and managed to complete it in good time. It was their last long run before the Gold Coast Marathon on July 3rd. They found the run tougher than the week before with Gene pushing ahead doing better than Ange; the reverse of the previous week's long run when Ange felt great and pushed Gene. I know they'd disagree,but their training has been impressive. They both know what they're in for with the GC Marathon and whatever their times, they're the picture of discipline and dedication. I'll keep you up with their progress and give a full report following the big event. It's on the weekend after next so they're tapering now.  The calm before the storm.

For me, confined to the bike and the swim, the rest of the week was just as miserable.  I set out every every morning around 5am and got rained on each day. Yesterday not only did I get drenched, but I had a blue with the only other vehicle on the road, the 380 bus to Bondi Junction. It came a touch close to my back wheel so I gave the driver a bit of a serve and a lesson in how to keep his distance. The lesson started with "Excuse me you dopey dickhead. Next time you see a cyclist, especially this one, stay well away or I'll personally board ya little toy bus and drive it into the ocean. . . " I then politely told him to feck off, just for good measure. He was completely unmoved.  I think he was asleep at the wheel, but I felt better.  You could call it a win/win.

Then today arrived.  I jumped up at 4.30am and walked outside to check the weather.  It was a perfect day.  The moon was close to full and not a cloud in sight.  Riding on the dry road felt great. I don't usually pass other cyclists on my early rides and today was no exception.  It's a great time to be out on the bike.  Actually there isn't much traffic of any sort at that time of day (wonder where everyone else is?) I did an hour and a half around the hills at Vaucluse and Watson's Bay then had breakfast with the girls at Andy's cafe up the road before heading into work. It's a great way to start the day.  Tomorrow is Saturday.  The forecast is for a fine, sunny day, with temps reaching 19C so I'll do a ride to Wollongong after lunch (about 100kms with good long hills) and meet Gene there. We'll have dinner with Mum and Cathy then drive back to Bondi.

The training is going to be interrupted for the coming weeks.  Next week I'm away all week working in Brisbane then Cairns.  The following week I'm working in Brisbane and then back there again the week after that and then I'm back in Sydney. Gene and I head off to London and Budapest for two weeks, all of which disrupts the training, but it'll be a real treat having some time away together and we'll get lots of walking in around Europe's s old cities. It's going to be fun watching her rank each city on the quality of the coffee. Once I'm back I'll have to get into the training in a more methodical way, paying attention to my nutrition, hydration and training schedule. Let's see how we go.  That's it for now. Couple of stories coming your way next time. Enjoy your weekend and make sure you get outside, even if its raining.