I made it through the first day of the training course and scored a reasonable 70% for the pre-test so the review of the material I did after the gym was worth it… Also just so happened to be sitting two seats down from a helpful and friendly colleague who lives only 3 miles away and had some great advice about where to go running… “you can’t miss it… just go down the drive from the big house, through the main gate into the lane and you will see the ‘Chess Valley Walk’ sign, go left along the river and you wlil enjoy a jog with no traffic”Sounds fantastic! Obviously I’d already done a session in the gym on Tuesday morning so guilt fee went to a barbeque (indoor… no barbeque in sight… ) laid on by the hotel for the team…

One wine, two wines, three wines floor! (just about!) Met some lovely folks from Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, Northern Ireland England and Scotland and its rude not to participate in a wee vino to get to know everyone better right?!

I think I managed 2 litres of water through the night to ensure that I was in top form for the next days education sessions and obviously to keep me hydrated for tomorrows training session…

Wednesday education went well so I rushed off to get ready for my jog… lycra – Check! music – Check! iPhone Strava app and heart rate monitor – Check!

Bounded out of the hotel and headed through the gate as per instructions into the English Country Lane and my first challenge negotiating 3 cars and a 4×4! Completely missed the turning as a result but quickly came across a wee green sign pointing me up between two houses, through a gate and into a small field back towards the hotel! YIKES whats that? Two Afghan Hounds running at me like a couple of Pantene Shampoo models but barking their heads off!

Negotiated the gate at the other end of the field without being mauled to death thankfully and was back on the road 20 yards from where I started hahaha! So decided to abandon the river jog and headed off through the country lanes and past “old macdonald nursery”… Within a couple more hundred yards and many more crazy country car drivers I found another little green sign pointing off the road and into fields and before i knew it I was striding through a corn field at a jaunty angle thanking the lord its not harvest time and there are no combine harvesters!

Completely randomly a figure appeared jogging towards me and it turned out to be a French dude from my course but no time for anything other than a smile and a wave as I jogged on into a small wood and clambered over a wooden stile and onwards into yet another vast corn field… thinking to myself build it and they will come… I wonder if thats the case with this blog lol!

Anyway I was well out of breath and a bit blue in the face with exhaustion so welcomed a pause for some photos before checking the Strava app… GORDON BENNETT! I thought last nights 206 beats a minute was a bit much but this time my heart was waaaay up at 211… I think this could be a record or a heart attack in the making… decided to take it easy and have a rest for a bit before heading back cautiously so as not to kill myself!

Sped up past a hot cyclist before clocking in at 40 minutes… can I really do a marathon? is there any hope for this 110 mile cycle? is 80 miles of Great Glen Way pushing it a bit far? I’ll keep you posted!