I’ve been a fan of Black Stone Cherry’s stuff for a while now, and snapped up two pairs of tickets for their gig in Glasgow on the day of release a few months back. Last night myself, Fliss, and our friends Campbell and Claire made a night of it and enjoyed one of the best gigs I’ve seen at the O2.
I’ve been feeling pretty energized this past week with the days being lighter longer. I can’t stand the winter – there isn’t a day of dark and wet weather that goes by without me yearning for the return of summer. It’s so close now that I can’t wait at all and I’ve been out making the most of the unseasonably warm(er) and dry(er) weather.
Last weekend I went for a two hour cycle and it was dry the whole time. Today I went for a bike ride with Jason and although we did have some very light rain while we were out, for the most part it was dry and unusually warm. Later in the afternoon it was even dry and warm enough to get out with Elisha and play on our skateboards.
These are run of the mill activities, but the fact that it’s the better weather that makes them possible just fills me with the motivation get out there and enjoy them while I can.
Over the years the weather in this country has ruined my best laid plans for enjoying outdoor activities more times than I care to remember, but each year I have renewed hope of a memorable, long, dry summer. Maybe 2012 will be the best one ever?
From last year’s experience, I know I can cycle a hundred miles. I might not have been as fast as I’d like, but I was able to put myself through it and my recovery time was pretty good. This year as part of my challenges I signed up for a few tougher cycling events in addition to Pedal for Scotland in September, just to raise the bar a little and keep me motivated to train harder through the year.
However, I’m not a huge fan of the long endurance rides. I don’t think spending six or seven hours in the saddle is as much fun as a manageable two or three hour ride that leaves plenty of time in the day for other things. My first ride of this year is a 45 miler in May that I’m quite looking forward to. Training for a 45 mile ride with some tough climbs is doable when you have a busy family life, while training for 100 mile rides isn’t quite as practical.
To that end I decided to limit number of cycling events I signed up for so I don’t end up in a constant onslaught of training for and participating in events. This left the door open up for some other fitness challenge, though, and when my old college mate Eoan suggested doing the Tough Mudder, I had to have a serious think about it.