I hate you so much right now...

...running that is.  Not that I've done that much of it recently.  None during the week, just a trainer session on the bike and some core work, then 13.2 kms of very hilly stuff yesterday, which took 1 hr 15 mins.  It was a nice enough run, through a combination of Teggs Nose country park and Macclesfield Forest, ascending gradually into cloud at the top of the Forest, then descending through it again into countryside as I picked up the Gritstone Trail on the way back.

However, two problems emerged: a very stiff and painful right knee, which started to bother me last Sunday, and a real lack of energy.  Neither particularly helpful a week before your first marathon.  I have no idea what's causing the former, though it seems worst when running uphill.  I can't think of any remedy other than rest and painkillers on the day, so that was the last run before next Saturday.  As for the latter, I can only assume that Maggies and the near-marathon length run I did last Sunday have left their mark.  Fortunately, rest is probably the best cure for that too, so pre-race prep this week is looking like more core work and a good diet, and not much else.

And that is why I'm not enjoying this running lark right now.  Whilst the actual feeling of running can't be beaten in many ways in terms of the adrenaline rush (as it's not accompanied by a strong sense of your own mortality, which can take the edge off rapid mountain descents on the bike), having to constantly manage yourself to avoid injury and exhaustion is a bit of a bore. To be fair, that really only comes in to play over longer runs, which I'd categorise as 10 miles plus.  So, whilst it's dangerous to draw conclusions before a big event, at this stage I think a) I'm going to do the marathon, and b) carry on running (for duathlons, enjoyment and winter training), c) I can't see me getting into distance running as a regular thing.  I'm looking forward to getting back to bike training, where worries about injury and exhaustion just seen so much smaller.  Different challenges replace them of course - running is very time-efficient from a training gains standpoint compared to cycling for example.  But there is, I think, a reason why so many old geezers stay on their bikes compared to the number that you see pavement-pounding.

Two more things this week.  First, speaking to t'eldest this week, she didn't realise that "La Manche" element of the title of this blog related to a planned London to Paris bike ride this September.  Well, it does.  There's 4 of us doing it, raising money for various charidees, and there's a separate blog started for the 4 of us to contribute to.  I'll provide a link and more detail in future blogs, but even though that'll be the one remaining blog event after next weekend, this one will remain the main one, as I'll have lots of other things to report: riding in Brittany to watch the Tour de France, a long weekend of non-stop climbing in the Pyrenees with Mendip Rouleur later in August, and probably other things along the way.

Talking of Mendip Rouleur, I was at his house when last year's Eurovision Song Contest was on, taking part in the Tour of Wessex.  He's doing that event again this year, I'm not.  But this part of the blog is about Eurovision, not sportive-riding.  We had a Eurovision party last night, me, the missus, t'youngest and 5 friends.  Complete with union flag-adorned cup cakes (Liv), copious amounts of chilli, 1970s flared jeans (me), and officially-sanctioned scoring sheets (BBC) it was a darned good laugh.  Aside from the nakedly political but ultimately futile political voting, and assessing outfits and dance moves as instructed by said scoring sheets, the best entertainment was to be had with the Moldovan entry.  I'm sure you'll recall the men in pointy hats if you had the good fortune to witness them yourself, but if not, imagine an amalgam of men in those very large pointy hats singing/rapping a soundalike Beastie Boys song, accompanied by a performing fairy on a unicycle and a head banging brass section, and you'll be maybe 50% of the way to capturing the true genius of their performance.  Wonderful.  I urge you to discover that wonder through the medium of YouTube.