Quiet couple of weeks

22^nd November 2016

Since the Drogo 10 a couple of weeks ago the changing deteriorating weather, dark evenings and working 4 days last week have meant a great reduction in my outdoor activities, so much so that yesterday I went to my first spin session since April. Yesterday I should have been teaching youngster’s cycle safety, however the left over heavy rain from Storm Angus meant we had to cancel it. It was very hard!!! I noticed my HRM consistently high, and it seemed a long session.

So in the last couple of weeks I have only managed to get out with the Wobblies once, a very nice morning ride over the Blackdown Hills to the garden centre at Wellington for coffee and cake!! The changing colours as autumn lingers on were stunning, but falling leaves making the roads slippery in places, the highlight of the morning was the climb back up to the ridge 15%-18% for most of the two mile climb!

Running has been sparse only managing to get out twice for a 5 mile and 2 mile run, the second time I got a soaking! On a dark wet evening run!

Last week I spent 4 days at a local village school for two courses of Bikeability, Course one went well, even though the children were quite noisy, behaviour was however good and they all achieved their level 2, weather was quite mild, and dry, I was also able to cycle from home each day, all my materials etc in panniers. The second course, however, was much different, day one was cold and windy with the threat of rain, this didn’t materialise until I was cycling home at the end of the day, I got very wet as I didn’t put my over trousers on. Day 2 was a different story! The threat of heavy rain from the start. We started the day with Q&A about road signs etc. as it was pouring down at 9:00am, after half an hour we decided the rain had eased off, and prepared to go out, we got down into the village before it came on to snow!!! Which the children loved, but! It didn’t last and turned to very heavy rain causing the children to get very cold, most with inadequate gloves complaining of cold hands, we returned to school for a warm up and a break. After break we had to use the video showing the children the various actions required to carry out right turns in and out of major and minor roads. As we did this the sunshine came out, the children had dried out enough for them to be enthusiastic about going out again, which we did, although there was a brisk cold wind. We managed to give the children sufficient practice on each of the turns for each of them to achieve the required standard for their level 2, so a good end to the day, I even managed to ride home in the dry, although with the evenings drawing in I did need my lights as it was very dusky.

Last weekend saw us with the grandchildren for the day, and went along to the Gloucester lantern parade, a precursor to the turning on of the Christmas lights in the city, the lanterns were wonderful, as school children paraded their paper lanterns, most having an arctic theme of whales, igloos, seabirds etc. well worth a look and a lovely day out with the grand daughter and her twin brothers.

I am not sure how much running and cycling I will manage over the next couple of weeks, as I have several Bikeabilty courses, and my next event is the Grizzly in March, I was thinking of the 10mile Bicton Blister on Woodbury Common this coming weekend, but my lack of training I think means I will give it a miss.