Well, only 3 weeks to go to the big bike ride. Did 50 miles today with full panniers into a strong headwind.............do hope the weather settles soon. The thought of 21 days of wind and rain is just a bit too much.

You can read all about my trip as it happens on this site.
Justgiving - 4 Compass Points Cycle
Wish me luck!!

Thank You

Well.....still in one piece, more or less. Worryingly I actually sort of enjoyed it for a change.... apart from that atrocious rain at the end.
A great big thank you to everyone for their good wishes and sponsorship......it really is appreciated.


OK...off to train for the big cycle ride now....hope this rain stops before August!!

We did it!

Well its all over and the team have finally achieved what we set out to do. The official results are on the Highland Cross website but suffice to say we are all well chuffed to have conquered the hill at Allt Grannda, braved the yellow brick road, and battled the horrendous biking weather (torrential rain and a head wind as reported by the winning lady on "Radio Scotland" this morning!). I made my target of getting across the finish line before Mum but it was a close call, my lack of cycling expertise was nearly my downfall as she was half an hour faster than me on the bike! Thankfully the running conditions were nearly perfect and I managed a cracking time on the run that I am very proud of and managed to get me far enough ahead that she couldnt catch me :O)
The whole day was an amazing experience from beginning until end. The camaradarie along the route was brilliant with runners and walkers all supporting each other. I started slowly - knowing that it takes me a while to warm up, this left me a little further back than I maybe would have liked for the hill climb and as it was single track there was no option but to walk along with the others walking in front. However in retrospect this was probably a good thing as I kept my energy and was able to speed up over the flatter bits later on and start making my way through the field. It was lovely to see my Dad at the bridge at Athnamulloch where he captured this shot.. and I finally passed Mum about another couple of miles after that. Much to our surprise the weather held nice dry and cloudy for the whole foot section, so it was in a bouyant mood I reached the bike change over. I opted like many others not to put on a waterproof when changing into the bike gear and set off only to discover soaking wet roads and heavy rainfall one mile further down the road. After 6 miles I had determined that the best way to warm up was to finish quicker, after 12 miles I didnt dare stop as my hands had seized up to the extent I couldnt move my fingers to control the brakes or gears and was resorting to using my fists and sucking my fingers to get the feeling back, after that it was just sheer stubborness that got me to the finish line. We were all in the same boat though (no pun intended!) so support as other more experienced bikers passed the slower ones was always forthcoming, and the steadfast support from the frozen folk on the side of the road was much appreciated. Never before has a finish line been such a welcome sight as we crossed over like drowning rats in search of dry land. A truly memorable moment. Well done to everyone who finished, and a huge thanks to the support teams. I cant even describe how honoured I feel to have been a participant of such a wonderful event. So would I do it again - well... never say never!

Easy last few days

Nice easy 14 mile walk with Jan and Poppy yesterday. We'd taken the van across to the West coast for a long weekend so our stroll was hill and track from Reraig on Loch Alsh to Plockton on Loch Carron and return. Pleasant pause for fresh seafood and real ale at lunchtime (will they have that on the Cross?). This Wednesday I'm organising SNH's Bike2Work rides. For me that'll involve about 22 miles across the Aird and back. Buck's fizz & stirrup cups as we meet colleagues en-route. That'll do me for my final week of training. Still nervous about the foot section - but it can't hurt that much can it????

Dont mean to panic anyone in the team but it was 10 days to go today, so that means tomorrow we are down to single figures on the countdown. HELP!
Had a serious panic that Id overdone it over the weekend when I was still hurting even up to last night, but I finally seem to have got the feeling back in my muscles today and managed a gentle jog at lunchtime. Lets hope some careful tapering will leave me strong enough for the big day.
On a cheerful note, theres good news - we've hit a fundraising milestone. Well done team, and a big THANKS to those of you who have sponsored us already.
If you've not got round to it, its not too late. Please click on the 'make a donation' button or get in touch with one of us directly to get your name on the list. Your support is really helping - with last minute nerves.. its good to know there are so many people rooting for us (or is that you just feel sorry for our mental state?!)
Also good to hear Mums foot is on the mend.. I do hope she is being provided with plenty of grapes! I would post some North but suspect they wont travel well :O)

Met this wee fellow recently on Handa....should we make Mr Puffin' our mascot (sorry)
Foot healing slowly, so fingers crossed. Took the dog out for a gentle walk today with no real ill effects......will keep taking the ibuprofen ...and the grapes!!

Isn't it always the way. There I was feeling quite chuffed that I had comfortably done the 18 mile walk and had even gone back with the mountain bike a couple of days later to confirm the distance on the bike computer....Then yesterday the inflamed nerve in my foot kicked off again big time.
Am limping around muttering "Mr Dillon" at the moment.
Theory is that if I totally rest it for the next 2 weeks it should heal in time. At least I wont lose any fitness (such as it was) at this stage, and it does mean that having to keep my weight off it (maybe if I had lost a bit more of that in the first place!!) I can lounge around the house issuing orders for a few days.
Oh well, I have done the Cross once already with a torn achilles so here we go again.
Peel me a grape someone.

Its the final countdown...

Two weeks yesterday. Gulp. Two weeks... yesterday.. that's less than a fortnight now.
I did the last 'long run' on Saturday. I did a circuit round Ladybower and Derwent reservoirs taking in a ridge, 'running' about 17.5miles and then walking the last half mile to the car to cool down. Literally. Boy was it warm! Needless to say it was a very slow time and I just couldnt run up the steep hills - it was like someone had taken away all the oxygen from the air. However my legs may have felt like jelly, and my lungs might have been exploding, but it was great to know its easy runs from now until the big day. Did I mention its less than a fortnight away?! Gulp..
:0O

Who put that there hill there in the lake district... ?!

What a cracking weekend it has been. Some friends of mine are emigrating to Canada so I headed to Glasgow for their leaving party with my very good friend Beth. With the Trossachs on their doorstep I was really looking forward to my weekly long run. Apart from the fact that it was incredibly humid, Saturday was beautifully still and I went exploring Loch Ard forest paths, following a mountain bike trail. Another 16 mile run but this time with much less stopping time as the route was easier to find, and I ended up with a total movement time of 2 hrs 57 of which, Im proud to say, I didnt walk any. After a lovely Saturday evening reminiscing with friends Ive not seen since yesteryear, Beth did me the huge favour of abandoning me in Penrith on the Sunday so that I could do a bike ride to Kendal where she would pick me up. The distance looked perfect and on the road map it looked a little hilly but I was totally unprepared for the mammoth ascent that awaited me. It was what I would describe as 'upwardly flat' on the 10 miles from Penrith to Shap, and from there it seemed like there was a never ending up for about the next 10 miles. In true hidden top style I would round a corner to see the road continue upwards for what seemed to stretch on for miles. I swear that if i hadnt reached the top at the 20 mile mark on the odometer then I would probably have got off and called for back up! However the downhill did arrive and I managed to coast into Kendal practically falling off the bike as I found the car.. I guess Im not a likely candidate for Tour de France then. With moaning murmurs of 'who put that there hill in the lake district?' I was gently chauffured to a lovely Kendal pub where the landlady fed us Sunday dinner and got me back into a state I could drive home. A great weekend, much thanks to Beth for her patience, and to Andrew & Dunja who I will be visiting in Calgary as soon as they have themselves settled into their new home!

Well it wasn't training as we know it, but I can assure you that a week spent sailing and rowing a small boat through the Great Glen on the Sail Caledonia Raid (check out Great Glen Raid ) was seriously hard work. We sailed the lochs and rowed the canal stretches of the Caledonian Canal, from Fort William in the west to Inverness in the east, in rain and hail and, finally, glorious sunshine, just in time to get the tents home dry.
Funny how quickly the brain filters out all the grim bits like the cold, and the wet, and the hail, and the bruises and blisters and you just remember a brilliant week. Suppose thats why I am back doing the Cross.......I keep forgetting the bad bits of that too....no honestly team, its a great day out....believe me!!
Right, back to serious business of walks and the bike for the next three weeks.

Im feeling good today, Ive hit 3 milestones this weekend, but I mustnt get carried away - it wasnt that easy and theres a little way to go! I made a determined effort to have a real rest day this week (as opposed to a rest day that I go dancing or climbing!) and it did me the world of good, the rest of the weeks training was much easier. Then on Saturday I headed out to the peaks to run a version of a route Id found on a mountain biking website; heading from Derbyshire Bridge in the Goyt Valley, up Shining Tor, along the ridge, round the reservoirs and back through Goyt Valley. A fantastic 15.8 miles taking in beautiful scenery, mostly off road on a variety of single and forest tracks. I have to confess to walking a little (probably the .8!) and there was a small amount of stopping and route finding but mostly I was on the move for about 3hrs 20 (according to the gps!). Much better than last weekend! Then yesterday I did 28.5 on the bike in just under 2hrs 30 and finally today I managed an hour run followed by an hour on the bike. Progress is being made... so 4 more miles to make up in the next 4 weeks. How hard can that be?!

Nairnshire Reflections - Ouch!

I completed the Nairnshire Challenge yesterday. I'd got this down as a tough combined training day/fitness benchmark. With a run/walk of 13 miles and a bike ride of 18, its somewhat easier than the Cross but a good test nevertheless.
I took it easy on the run - walking the hills and jogging the rest. Knee pains from 9 miles were a bit worrying and my ability to run at all gradually ebbed away. Still, I made it in about 2 hr 35 min. Slow but fairly happy. I was very glad to get on the bike and I had a much better ride than run - overtaking 20-30 along the 18 miles into Nairn. My ride time was 1:10 giving me a total time of 3:52. My target was 4:00 so I was happy with that.
The additional 7 miles on foot on the Cross are daunting but possible - must pace myself carefully though.
Time to get some sponsorship now. Mick

Training in Tuscany

Well the plan was great - early morning run followed by a tough ride in the hills. Wrap up the day with a swim and poolside yoga.

Unfortunately the excessive pasta, chianti, beer, and ice creams mitigated all that - especially when the runs faded after 2 days. Came back heavier but happier.

A few more days off involved riding out to distilleries and microbreweries - to show my american visitor the real Highlands.

Nairnside Challenge this weekend will test legs and lungs pretty severely. Gulp!

Yup, this is me... on a bike... in a forest! who'd have thought it? ;o)
Its been a weird weeks training, I added interval training into the mix and managed a 45 minute run followed by a bike ride on Friday but it all went horribly wrong on Saturday when I tried to use my time in Wales wisely by running up a hill. The path I was trying to follow dissapeared into Welsh marsh and round craggy outcrops and it was generally tricky walking let alone trying to navigate whilst running. I reached 450m and as I was stood there orientating myself hail started to fall from the sky and with the knowledge that I had another 450m ascent without a clear path I decided that the wisest and safest option would be to descend. I retreated through deep mud and marsh to a flat path I could run along; in the end I barely managed 9 miles in just under 3 hours, but I can assure you I felt every minute! Still any training is good training and I made up for it by going round the Marin trail on the mountain bike on Sunday. Anyone who had seen me on a bike prior to this weekend would appreciate the achievement of getting me there, let alone my getting round it without pushing the bike for more than a few feet on the single track. So it is with a weird twist to my training regime that I have to report that I enjoyed the biking more than the running over the weekend; Im sure it was just a blip!

Oh dear....set off for an 18 mile walk today and had to cut short at 14....feet really sore....a week wandering about in seaboots have done them no good at all. The plus is that I took 20 minutes off my time for the shorter circuit, so maybe thats another excuse for sore feet.

You would think that during week on a sailing cruiser in the Channel I would not get much training in, but I can assure you that in a force 8 gale there was plenty of exercise!!

Off on the Great Glen Raid on Saturday. Only discovered once it was too late to back out that the first leg consists of a 20k rowing race!! Thats got to be valid exercise, right?

Sara Christie
Originally uploaded by colinedwards99.

Well Font was very successful, I have managed to come back with no injuries this year! It is fair to say my ankle was feeling the pounding from all that jumping, but I got in a couple of runs whilst it was raining so I can say that it was a proper training holiday :O)
It looks like both Mum and Mick are off on their jollydays too now, I hope they've remembered their trainers - its only 6 weeks to go today. gulp!
Just got back from a 13.2mile run, did it in 142 minutes which is about 11 minute miles again, so if I can increase that distance to 15 next week then I should be on track... I just need to motivate myself to get back on that bike. Ive not been on it since before Font - but with all this wonderful rain I thought I would try out somewhere new and take it for a long ride tomorrow. Which reminds me I best go and buy a map so I dont get lost in the rain!
Thanks to everyone who has sponsored us so far - the total is rising which is great. If you've not sponsored us yet then dont leave it too late, we need all the motivation we can get :O)

Bonjour! I have woken up in the beatiful city of Paris and am looking forward to a rest day. I have done a mammoth weeks training and my legs are wondering what on earth has hit them! On Monday following the weekends acheivements I did a short run and a short bike ride just to see what it feels like getting on a bike after running, it was a good idea and I think I shall probably try and extend that once a week - though it does feel very weird running home and then leaving on a bike again. Other than that I managed to get out for a reasonable bike ride after work on Wednesday and then did about 11 ish miles yesterday running. I have to say that every bone in my body ached BEFORE i set out yesterday and I think I might need to adjust my bike (sorry, Mums bike!) but the good thing was that I still enjoyed the running despite the aches! It was a cracking morning for a run, a good brisk wind keeping it cool but the sun belting down between the trees. Lots of people out on the canal giving out cheery words of encouragement as I came down the home straight. I wish I could run midweek mornings more often. So now I am in France and I head down to Fontainebleau this morning. Im mostly there to relax and climb but I will fit in a few short runs through the forests too. Happy Bank Holiday. A bien tot.

With views like this and an understanding companion, training isn't all pain.
This was taken 6miles into a 10mile circuit of our local hill....glorious.

Managed a very hilly 20 on the bike yesterday. A nasty shock to the system changing from the easy gears of the winter bike to the big gears on the road bike...still its all miles under the belt...or something.

To be or not to be....

There are many questions I seem to be asking myself lately. Mostly around what on earth I am doing?!! However the particular question that is bothering me this evening is whether I should be proud or panicking after my acheivements this weekend, let me explain...
I have set myself this training plan to try and make sure I get up to the target distances for both bike and running and I am very proud of myself because I am a couple of weeks ahead of myself and mostly feeling good about it. The problem is that though I feel great at the end of a run, and not as bad as I used to at the end of a bike ride - there is still no way I could get on a bike straight after any of the runs Ive done and do an equivalent distance. Sigh. More training I guess.
Anyway trying to be positive about it I ran just over 10 miles yesterday and I dont think I ever trained that distance when I trained for the Great North Run and though I was knackered at the end of it, I did recover reasonably well and was out on the bike doing another 17 miles today. Biking was painful, time faster than last week but legs much much sorer! Oh well at least I know my weak point :O)
All in all a good weeks training and the nice weather is helping keep the motivation up and what's more this time next week Ill be in Font - running through french forests. Tres Bon! Hoorah.

A View From The Breach

Having stepped into the breach here I am. Still think I'm only 29 when the reality is somewhat different. This could be problem on this event.


I'm training hard and appropriately following Norna's briefing about the Cross and its social aspects. I'm delighted to have the chance to take part (apart from the pain and discomfort) as its THE place to be for sporting Highlanders.


Nice to have the chance to help raise dosh for such worhwhile charities too.
Both mine and Jan's families' have been touched by cancer and Jan is a palliative care nurse working at the Highland Hospice as well as helping out at Maggie's.

Cheers, more carbo loading next.

How the mighty are fallen

How the mighty are fallen. There was a time when I would put on my trainers and lope off for 10-12 miles without even thinking, arriving home with a knackered dog.
These days I put on my boots, hirple off for 2-3 miles and the dog arrives home with a knackered Mum!!
Having completed the "Cross" 10 times, usually in a reasonably acceptable time, it seemed like a nice round number to finish on.
Then anno domini came along and for some reason I wanted to prove to myself that I wasnt old...YET.......we had often talked about a family team, so why not. Sadly Martin couldnt make it, but Sara seemed enthusiastic, and old (sorry...I meant former) Pink Panter team mate Paul made up the 3rd member.
Paul managed to wangle out of it by getting a job abroad (a bit drastic) but Mick stepped into the breach....so there you have it...the Pink Panters are back in business.
This year is to be a triple whammy. I have already done the Swimathon, next is the Highland Cross and at the end of the summer I hope to cycle the 4 compass points of the British mainland (Lizard, Lowestoft, Ardnamurchan and Dunnet Head) Growing old disgracefully or what.
Watch this space.

Introducing Saz.. the family part of the team

Saz Tahoe Queen
Originally uploaded by Sazonroad.

Hi. This is me, skiing in Lake Tahoe in March - trying to convince those thighs that 30 miles cycling will be nothing after a week on the slopes. It failed! I seem to have signed myself up to this mad duathlon in a flash of family solidarity without thinking it through properly. In November I got on a hired mountain bike and rode round a Welsh forest - it was probably my 5th time on a bike in a decade. Im terrified of them. On Sunday just past I got on the 'road bike' my mother has lent me for this race and cycled for 17 miles - this is progress right? Hmmmmm... under 9 weeks to go.... what have I done????