Lazy Weekend

Unusually good weather for July over the weekend, yet I didn't really make much of use of it. Friday morning was beautiful in the outdoor pool at GESAC, but I elected to sleep in on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Elaine headed off for a heated stone massage and pedicure on Saturday - a special treat I had organised for her birthday. My knee was still not feeling great, so instead of joining my usual ride with the Cycling Obsession group, I planted myself in front of the TV and caught up with the happenings of the Tour de France. Unfortunately the British Sky team had proved completely dominant and made it a pretty boring race, but Cavendish's win in the last flat stage before the Time Trial was very dramatic.

Late Saturday morning I did manage to venture out and complete an easy 10km run (with heart alert on). During the run there was no actual knee pain, but there was an awareness towards the end of the run. It is sort of a funny feeling. Not bad enough to say 'discomfort', but I definitely notice a difference from normal. Maybe it was something as subtle as areas of knee being a different temperature. I iced the knee straight after the run and used the foam roller later in the day - my quads on both legs are very tight.

Sunday was another beautiful day and I planned to go for a nice easy morning ride - 2 to 3 hours at a constant aerobic level. Once again I ended up in front of the TV. Not only did I have another stage of the Tour de France to watch, I had also recorded the qualifying session of the Formula One. Towards the end of a very lazy day I headed out for a slow 4.2km run just after 4pm. When I got back I jumped on the Windtrainer. I setup the laptop next to me outside in the courtyard so that I could listen to the Podcast from First Off The Bike while I rode. Initially I was tossing up between a 1 or 2 hour ride, but I ended up quitting after only 35 minutes. I didn't even make it till the end of the podcast which was 40 minutes. I really dislike Windtrainer sessions, which is another reason why I should have done the ride on the road in the morning.

After having sleep ins on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, I wasted all the benefits of that extra rest by staying up late Sunday night to watch the Formula One race in Germany and then a bit of the Tour de France. At least the Tour is over now, so I can resume normal sleeping patterns. Unfortunately the Olympics are just around the corner.