A new beginning...

Its now 2008. A few races are in the diaries. Jacs is doing the three peaks challenge in 24 (...or was it 48) hours. We have both decided that a "dirty weekend" sounds like too much fun to miss - it is a 2 day race in the borders. And then somehow I managed to get myself entered into the Edinburgh rat race with two "uber fit" girlies. So it is going to be a good season. Over the past 2 weeks I have truely learnt what the phrase "breathing out your arse" really means.

So today we were going to do a cycle from Falkirk to the Ochils, run up Ben Cleuch and cycle back again...... or perhaps we were going to do a wee Mountain bike ride at Carron Valley and a picnic. Yes that sounded a little more like it. And then - well this morning - the EASTERLY wind! Blimey. Freezing. Picnic. Not a chance. Roaring Log Fire and Hot chocolate weather more like. Well it is the end of Jacs second year of uni so perhaps a wee walk and wine might be more fitting. We could at least talk tactics if nothing else!

So had a lovely day - a spot of window shopping in preparation for Anna's pending "arrival" (...not long now...). Then lunch in our fav cafe, on our fav sofa. OOoooo - now this isnt related to adventure racing - but this is a warning to all you people who ever eat in cafes where there might be children - this was a truely shocking experience today. Young child with parents picks up salt cellar. Large tongue all over the top of salt cellar. Mother picks salt cellar off the child - and PUTS IT DOWN ONTO ANOTHER TABLE!! No word to the waitresses. Gave it a few minutes, watched and waited. Nothing. Eventually I could bear it no longer and had to take the salt cellar to the staff for their attention. So - you know what they say about peanuts at a bar - well salt cellars could be just as bad....

Anyway after a shiraz each - to warm ourselves against the easterly wind - we took a stroll - 5 miles, maybe 6 - perhaps even 7 if you count the distance from the car to the start of the walk. Well lots of chat and planning and thinking. Race tactics (secret ones) etc.

By the time we got back to South Q we were pretty done in - time for a tea in the tea shop and a sneaky piece of tablet that Jacs best friend Susan had given us in celebration of Rob's 40th. Tablet with a sugar paper photo of Rob on top. Fab. V tasty. But the sneaky eating was rumbled, when the paper photo came off the top and stuck and half melted onto my face. Must have looked v strange - and they must have sussed it wasnt the tea causing my multicoloured moustach!

And so the end of our first true day of training for 2008. And what a day!