I slept better last night and woke before 5:30 am as planned.
After changing and making sure I had both money and doggie poo bags, we headed off on a different route, taking a few of the rare, but welcome bush tracks as an alternative to the relentless bitumen road surface and dodging four whhel drives, boats and trailers parked in the already narrow, winding streets. Verges were often non-existant, or littered with lush vegetation or tree roots to make much walking on the nature strip unviable. We enjoyed our walk through the bush, with Molloy exhibiting why four legs are better than 2 for scrambling over rocks.
Picking up a newspaper on the way home, I read this on the deck while having breakfast of FortiJuice, and planned what to do next. The conditions were much more conjucive to exercise today, with scattered high cloud and little wind. I decided to run early to make sure that I got it in, and did an easy hour along Prince Alfred Drive at Pittwater and up the very steep and winding (Speed Limit 25 km/hr - corner advisory 15 km/hr) Grandview Drive. I did stop and walk at one point, but only for a minute or two!
So, a little over an hour, with not much distance, but a good run. I remembered to take my Ventolin first this time and didn't have any difficulty with breathing.
Recovery consisted of reading the now delivered local rag, The Manly Daily on the Deck while playing with Molly. After I washed and brushed my teeth, my earlier enthusiasm for jumping on my bike (and thus getting all hot and sweaty again) waned, and I didn't put on my cycling gear as planned and instead had a 'bit of a lie down', sleeping briefly.
Although a bit guilty, I felt much better when I got up, and after regrouping my thoughts, did get out on the bike for a ride, knowing that all roads led down, and that the climb back up home would inevitably come! I didn't ride far or long ~ as planned ~ and went back to Cafe Ibiza on my way home before attacking the hills.
From my walks I knew that there were some alternative routes - still steep - but less trafficked than the main drag 'Plateau Road' coming up from the roundabout at the end of Bilgola Bends. I did quite a bit of backtracking in attempting to come across the correct roads (not wanting to carry my heavy bike up through the bush steps I had walked down), but I found a reasonable route and was able to stay in the saddle the whole way, even though I did need to utilise my granny gears to do it!
Another hour-long walk with Molly rounded out the day.
I
left the power cord for my laptop at home, and I am lost without it! Bob has posted it up, and hopefully it will arrive today (along with my bike number for the Sydney Spring Cycle on Sunday), but while I have access to a desktop computer and email in the study, all the software (photos of Molly, Flannel Flowers etc will be posted then) I depend upon is not accessible to me. I do have 24 mins of battery power left, however I don't want to use it all up at once!
left the power cord for my laptop at home, and I am lost without it! Bob has posted it up, and hopefully it will arrive today (along with my bike number for the Sydney Spring Cycle on Sunday), but while I have access to a desktop computer and email in the study, all the software (photos of Molly, Flannel Flowers etc will be posted then) I depend upon is not accessible to me. I do have 24 mins of battery power left, however I don't want to use it all up at once!
The blogging will be more frequent and consistant when I am powered up again!
Good to see your having a nice time on the northern beaches.
:) Sounds like you're having fun there.
Looking forward to the GE map of the bike ride!