Foxlake 10K Trail Race

A fabulous cold but sunny morning at Foxlake on the edge of John Muir Country Park. A really nice race with an unsurpassable route along nice trails with great views. A time of 49 mins 30 secs was pretty good given my triathlon training focus.

 

Big Weekend Orienteering

EUOC orienteering weekend with a night event around Pollock Halls on Friday evening, an Urban event on Saturday and a classic event around Holyrood Park on Sunday. I've been avoiding back to back races to  prevent injury for a while but this seemed to much fun to miss. Paced myself on the first two event keeping things at a steady sustainable pace. On Sunday pushed as hard as I could. Seemed to go well although didn't feel well for the next 3 days which I think was unrelated, probably.

 

Oxford via Moffat and Leamington Spa

With the Omicron Virus still spreading life wildfire it seemed like a nice idea to drive Hannah back to Oxford so she could avoid the crowded trains and Colin could make a bit of a holiday of it.

On the way down we stopped for a nice walk around Moffat. Hannah enjoyed the visit to the Moffat Toffee shop and we both enjoyed a walk around Gallow Hill. We even saw some llamas.

We stopped overnight at the Solihull Hockley Heath Premier Inn.

The next day we had a stop off at Leamington Spa for a wander around the town centre and the parks. Quite pleasant. We arrived in Oxford in the afternoon. Pizza dinner at the Open Arms just round the corner from Hannah's flat.

On Wednesday we visited the Ashmolean Museum although around an hour was enough for both of us. We sat and read in a cafe for a while then went to the Jericho pub before enjoying a very nice meal at Brasserie Blanc.

Colin headed off back north on Thursday morning. Had to spot for a work meeting for a couple of hours at Abington before getting home in time for dinner.

 

 

 

Feel The Burns

A really nice event in Selkirk. A hilly 13 mile race that is generally on pretty pleasant trails. A stunning day with clear blue skies and running one doesn't feel the cold. I didn't push for a good time but went at a steady pace and took some photos as I went round. The time wasn't great as expected but a very pleasant journey. It felt like hard work at the end as my run volume has dropped as the cycling has increased. Haggis pie and soup at the rugby club afterwards.

 

Circum Edinburgh Bike Ride

Finally managed a complete circuit of Edinburgh by bike after my last attempt had been foiled by a puncture 3/4 way round. A cold but not unpleasant day. 

Orienteering - Covenanters Wood

A bike ride to Covenanters Wood then a run round the Green course at the ESOC come and try it orienteering event. Always a fairly tricky area and my result seemed pretty poor. Maybe I needed to run through a few rivers.

Trossachs - Braeval Loop

With stunning clear skies, but low temperatures, it was another chance to get out on the MTB. Around 75 mins drive to the Braeval Forestry Commission car park and a nice loop from Lake of Menteith over to Loch Venachar and through Achray forest back to the start. Early parts of the ride were fairly rough terrain and slow before the first main descent and then some nice track along the loch. The return route was blocked by fallen trees and I diverted to the Duke's Pass as I was getting very cold with the slightly extended route. Total ride time around 2hrs 20 minutes.

Glentress MTB

Freezing cold morning so very well wrapped up. Even so it took a while to get warmed up and comfortable with the low temperature.

A first loop from Peebles to Glentress Peel and up to Buzzards Nest then a loop past the upper Green loop which was closed and back down into Peebles for lunch.

A second loop went up via Janet's Brae and then up towards the Shieldgreen Centre and a circuit around Soonhope Burn. Very pleasant once warmed up and in the mood.

New Year Walk with Cherry and Les

An easy stroll from Silverknowes to Cramond.