I haven’t blogged for a while now, which shows just how out
of routine I am. In the training season, I follow a tight and uncompromising
routine. There’s no other way to do it if I am to fit in the training I need to
do. So Sunday nights were usually the blogging slots, when I’d do a bit of
typing. Now I’m not training with any structure, so I’m just blogging when I
get the chance. I’ve also been on a couple of trips recently. The trips take a
while to prepare for: packing training gear for 3 different sports, as well as
clothes, food and work, all takes time. It also takes time to get cleared up
after the trips, with washing, cleaning, tidying and things to do.
A couple of weeks ago I was on yet another work trip to
Italy. We flew over Geneva and Mont Blanc at sunset. I’ve spent a bit of time
at Mont Blanc and Chamonix in the valley below, and also in Geneva. It’s a
great part of the world, and I could pick out everything – Geneva airport, the
Jet d’Eau (the massive water jet fountain) on the pier jutting out into Lake
Geneva (or Lac Leman as the locals would prefer), Chamonix town, the glaciers, the
Aiguille du Midi with the cable cars running up the mountain, the dome-shaped
summit of Mont Blanc. The plane dropped down into Turin with a dramatic sunset backdrop
over the Alps. Awesome stuff.
By the time we got to the hotel, it was late, cold and dark.
Food? Restaurant? Pub? Bed? Nope, it was on with the runners, and out the door
into the crisp, cold and still evening. I had a great 6 miles, and then a bit
of food. And then bed. Priorities…!
I also recently took a long weekend back at home in Northern
Ireland. I’ve got lots of holidays still to use up before 2015 starts – I had
been saving my days off, thinking that there might be a two or three week trip
to Hawaii for an Ironman in October… That plan fell through and is currently on
hold for another year…
I flew home on a Thursday night, had a bit of a sleep-in on
Friday, and then got out on the bike. I had a cross-country race the next day,
so the bike ride was just an easy spin. But it was great. It’s nice sometimes
just to get out and ride for the enjoyment, rather than battering out an
interval or threshold session.
I went up the hill behind Portrush, and because it was such
a clear day with blue sky, the views were great. To the west, Donegal and the
Inishowen peninsula. Turning to the left, looking south along the Bann valley,
Slemish mountain was visible off in the distance, where St Patrick once herded
sheep. Further to the east, the Antrim plateau, the wind farm and Knocklayde
mountain, overlooking Ballycastle. Behind that, the Kintyre peninsula in
Scotland, with Northern Ireland’s Rathlin island in front of the rolling Kintyre
hills. Then out to sea, the Scottish islands of Jura and Islay. One of the Paps
of Jura, maybe 60 or 70 miles in the distance, was peeping up behind Islay.
Then, looking north, nothing but the open sea, today looking blue and flat. Next
stop, north pole. Starting to look westwards, the small Skerry islands, jutting
out from the Portrush headland, with the dunes and the golf course behind. On
turning full circle, the Inishowen peninsula again.
Cycling? Beautiful sport? Absolutely. I’ve seen these views
a million times, I’ll never tire of them. The north coast, Knocklayde, Islay,
Jura, Rathlin, the Skerries, Inishowen. One thing I’d really love to do is
visit Islay and Jura to spend some time hiking and cycling, and looking back
the other way towards Ireland. One day…
I carried on, just cruising on the bike, taking in
Bushmills, Portballintrae, Dunluce Castle, Portrush and back to Portstewart. It
was maybe only a 30 mile ride, but I really enjoyed it. I didn’t push at all. I
was trying to save my legs for the upcoming race the next day.
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