Monday 4/1 - Some end of holiday thoughts

Haven't run in about 10 days, and my whole body is acheing - why on Earth, is this?? It's either attributed to the snow shovelling I did in Inverness, or the cycling yesterday. OR, my new theory is that I stretch all my muscles quite a lot in my sleep. Either way, it hurts a fair bit!

Yesterday, Sunday 3/1 I set off on a cycle with my cycling buddy and Derek. We got to the "circle", as we call it, and realised that there was very little chance we would actually be able to cycle along the WHW at all. After some quite dramatic warnings from dog walkers about the dangers of the ice along the way, we decided that sledging was a better alternative. I say "we decided", I was somewhat coersed by the two males in my company.

So we cycled back to Kilmardinny Loch where there were quite a few kids out on sledges. I couldn't BELIEVE the state of the hill there! Through the woods where there is usually a path, was just a sheet of ice - it went the whole way down the hill and actualy ressembled a purpose-built ice slope! The boys went crazy, going right from the top and crashing into the trees at the bottom, but I just sat in a sledge up the top of the hill watching! I did slide down on my bum at one point which was great fun. I also had a right laugh watching a man walking across the slippy slope - he began to slide sideways down the hill and almost dragged the dog with him! He stayed on his feet for a respectable period though before falling squarely on his backside! Oh how I chortled (from my safe spot in the non-icey ground surrounded by trees). I wasn't chortling though when the bike slipped from underneath me on the ice on the way home and I fell off it! I was fine but the pedal hit my calf and I have a bruise there which hurts a little when I walk.

Ok, so onward and upward. I haven't run much at all these past few weeks over Christmas and New Year, which puts my mileage total for the year at about 1035 miles...only about 30 miles more than last year! I did cycle more this year, mind you - doing 2 rather difficult cycles in April and August. I have been thinking about 2010 today. What will my running targets be this year? So far I have I race planned:
Edinburgh Half Marathon on Sun 18th April 2010
Am on the reserve list for:
Devil of the Highlands on Sat 7th August 2010
Might have a charity place for:
Edinburgh Marathon on Sun 23rd May 2010 (waiting to hear back)
and plan to enter:
Baxters Loch Ness Marathon on Sun 3rd October 2010
Great Scottish Run on Sun 5th September 2010

Not sure what my chances of getting onto the runners list for DoH is, but will wait and see. If it comes around to maybe May time and I'm not further up the list I may pull out of it. I would enjoy running an ultra I think, because I think I'd enjoy the training runs a bit more than pounding the pavements for hours at a time. I realise I tend to repeat the same marathons each year, but I do enjoy them. Maybe not so much Edinburgh since it has grown so vastly in size, but Loch Ness. I love that race. If it came to a choice between DoH and Loch Ness, I think I'd chose the latter. I don't know how viable it is to run 42 miles then a half marathon 4 weeks later and a full one 7 weeks later (Viable for me, I mean!).

I am running the Edinburgh Half with my dad too, so will be training with him. Since he had his heart attack he has lost his passion for running, and tends to stick to the same 4 mile route when he goes out. I don't know how he will begin to train, as he had lost his confidence a bit too. I don't know if that's because of the circumstances or not. I guess only time will tell, as he begins his training.

Ok, more on the plans later once I know what marathons I'm going to enter. I will aim to enter everything I want to do by the end of January.