Mid Week Cycle 29th May

It's raining again!  El decided that she would like some cheese, so being a helpful husband I nipped out to the shops to get her some. It could have taken a couple of minutes but I took the LHT and it turned into an hour and a half of pedaling around avoiding the showers.

It was high tide down at Belhaven with the 'bridge to nowhere' living up to its name. It was also getting very dark as the rain clouds gathered. The little Pentax compact struggles in low light.

The camera also struggled to focus on the bike and it's reflection without including me in the image! This old car showroom is up for rent. I hope someone finds a use for it before it falls into further disrepair.

I turned down through Phantassie farm with its crumbling old steading. These solid old barns and workshops date back to the 18th century. This must be one of the very last steadings in East Lothian that is still used for farming and not converted into housing.

 

Big log!

Everything is really beginning to bloom and the hedgerows are lush green again. In the tight lanes the air was close with the moisture from all the rain and was thick with that heady fragrance of flowers that open after a storm.

These farm tracks were built for horses and carts. I wouldn't want to use anything much narrower than 700x42 tyres on the LHT.  Crunching through the gravel and splashing through the puddles.

The rain was getting heavy again and dripping through the trees. I headed back to Dunbar before I got too wet. I even remembered to stop at the local supermarket and bought some smoked applewood cheese which helped offset the inevitable "Where have you been?" 

14.5 wet miles, 15 degrees and some tasty cheese.

Things that go beep on the bike

Quick post today. I enjoy being outdoors, cycling, sailing, walking or just nosing around. I also like to try to stay active. In the past I used a heart rate monitor to get my jogging up to 10 miles without collapsing in a sweating heap. The was done through LSD, that's Long Slow Distance and nothing to do with Greatful Dead albums. With cycling I am happy to hop on the trucker and head out for up to 25 miles without really thinking about it. After around the 30 mile mark I tend to grow weary, struggle on hills and try hard to eat. Sounds like I need to improve my endurance; LSD time! I have never tried proper training on a bike so today's experiments with a polar F2 heart rate monitor were a bit of a surprise. 

I set a target zone of 65-75% maximum heart rate and then headed out for an hour to get an idea of what level of effort that was when cycling. Jings! I had to go slowly. I went down to Belhaven bay which looked lovely in the late afternoon winter sun. (oh for a fat bike). Once warmed up I pedaled along to East Linton. This is a flat route and I would normally expect to sit around 15mph and feel a bit of lactic acid in my legs at Tynefield and then it ease off as I got to East Linton and turned around to blast the 6 miles back. 

Today I had the heart rate monitor beeping whenever I exceeded or dropped out of the training zone. This meant sitting at a gentle 10mph and sometimes less. It felt wrong but, 'trust your kit'. I'll aim for 1x1 hour and 1x2 hour cycle in this training zone each week. I'll keep a record here of any great improvements over the next 6 weeks. If nothing happens, then I'll have had a good number of relaxing cycles and there will be a heart rate monitor for sale, cheap, little used!

Breakfast Cycling

Saturday dawned bright and with that lovely autumnal chill in the air. Mornings like this are too few to be spent lazing in bed, so I got the kettle going and filled the kitchen with the smell of fresh coffee whilst I mixed up some bread dough.  Forty minutes to wait while the dough proved, so time for a quick pedal in the morning sun. 

The low sun was still casting shadows across the Winterfield down to the empty expanse of Belhaven Bay.

Nearby fields that have been ploughed-over show the rich red-brown of the local soil. In the still morning air I could smell the damp mulch of the earth. I had to stop and rub some between my fingers. Using all my senses and reflecting on how many have passed here before helps me appreciate how fortunate I am.

Down the gravel track through the fields to Hallhill woods. The leaves in the woods are all turning now but the birds are still singing as they grab every morsel of food they can find before the frosts come.

Half an hour in the oven whilst I had a shower. A fine way to start the day.

Mid Week Cycle 27th June

It's been raining off and on all day. I was struggling to get motivated to go out for a cycle so I grabbed the Kona and went for a shorter spin through the mud and around John Muir Country park.

Out past the new bridge and I rewarded myself for going out in the rain. I stopped and managed to get the Kelly Kettle going for a brew. I had brought some wood scraps and newspaper as it would have taken all evening to cut up dry wood.

Unsurprisingly there was no-one else around. I was soaked but relaxed just listening to the birds out in the bay and the rain falling softly.

On the way back this young fellow came over to the fence. I got a quick pic as his mum herded him away.

Around two hours for a wet and muddy 9 miles (and a cuppa). As usual I just enjoyed getting out and clearing my head. My fitness has definitely improved from getting base miles in on the Falcon and playing around in the woods had me thinking of all those miles of empty beach!!! Oh for a fat bike. 

14 degrees, no wind, Scottish rain.

Monday 14th May Evening Sun

Today was one of those Mondays at work, so I grabbed a break in the weather and got out for a ride this evening.

The wading birds were calling out on the estuary and the wind was finally dying down.  Its easy to pass an hour cycling in the setting sun.

Saturday 12 May and the Sun is Shining!

The weather finally brightened up today with blue skies and some much needed sunshine. It was great to get back out on the bike. I didn't go very far, about 9 miles but I really enjoyed it and added in a couple of hills to get a bit of burn in the legs. The strong westerly winds also added to the fun.

 The hedges are blooming and crops are coming on. The above pic was taken just a few hundred metres from the A1. It doesn't take much to get away from traffic and find some peace. Saw flocks of Goldfinches feeding along the verges, only the tick tick of the freehub to disturb them.

Standard pic at the bench at Belhaven. Lots of surfers heading out although it didn't look like many were catching waves. I was happy enough to put my feet up and sit in the sun. No need for the flask today.

A good day to remind myself how lucky I am to have places like this on my doorstep.

12 degrees, W f4 gusting 5 clear, sunny, the Swifts have returned and the white saddle was fine.