Allan's space

  Well, Hogmany is for something after all. Went for a gentle stroll up Stuchd an Lochain, which is near the head of Glen Lyon.

Its only 2.75 miles from car to summit, but is it steep. My forerunner says that the slope was 58 degrees at some points. Hard work. Add to that the rain and mist and you can see why it took us almost 5 hours.

Blessed with the weather clearing a bit on the way down, giving some great pics of Glen Lyon.

Six miles along the coastal path today. Very wet an slippery and fell a number of times, so came inland to finish. Not the fastest times I've run, but a very hilly route.

Felt reasonably good during the run, never really out of breath, although legs heavy, probably due to shifts I've worked.

Well, what can I say. Back is better, Garmin have replaced my Forerunner 305 and the specialist says that the lump is only a cyst, probably caused by a kick during rugby, so, back to training it is.

Six miles yesterday with my mate Andy. Nice easy pace, but took in a 2 mile climb, which was quite hard work. Felt my right calf tightening near the end so just walked in.

Done eight miles on the bike today. Out the coastal path to the new flat, then back the main road. The path was a nightmare as it was so muddy, the tread clogged and there was no grip.

Early bed as going Hillwalking in Glen Lyon tomorrow.

Back problems seem to be clearing up, so I managed a 25 minute jog on Thursday. Not very far and really slow, but no aggravation to the injury.

Managed to go out on the bike this morning. 5 miles on the road and 3 offroad, again with no problems. Its incredible how much my fitness has gone down in the short time I have been unable to train.

On another note, I am having no luck with items I use to train. My Garmin forerunner has packed in. The display has gone, and my MP4 player wont charge. Add that to a computer virus and a digibox that's knackered as well, then problems with training and relaxing. just have to go to work then!

Well, here I am back from my holidays, all refreshed and ready to go, except my back problem has flared up again. Don't know if it is a combination of cramped airplane seats and sandals combined with a different bed and pillows, but it is giving me real problems.

Seems to be a problem with the muscles around the lower back and pelvis area which cause me to take really short strides on my left leg. I'm doing some stretching to try to sort it.

A walk up Beinn a'Ghlo on Sunday seemed to help. We were out for about 8 hours and, once loosened off, I didn't really feel it. Hopefully it will settle and I can get back to real training.

The other thing that could be causing it, and the thing I don 't want to consider, is that it's the seating position in my classic Mini Cooper. They are not the best cars for someone of 6'2". I really hope the pain goes soon, cause I don't want to sell it!

See my pictures for my contrasting week in temperature!