Prague

A few weeks ago my wife and I were wondering where to go for a city break for a few days. There were many places suggested but nothing decided on. Then one night out of complete boredom, I watched the film xXx with Vin Diesel. It was filmed mostly in Prague and had some serious architecture and scenery. So, that’s were I talked my wife in to going. We flew out on Sunday evening and arrived just in time to have a drink in the bar, collect some leaflets and then get some sleep. My intention was to get up early and have a run around the city. I regularly do this when staying somewhere for the first time. This way I get to know where the buses, trams and trains stop, where the shops are and I get to see some sights too.

I was out of bed and on the streets for around 06:30 and headed for the city. I thought that if I keep the river near by I wouldn’t get lost. That would probably have been a good idea if I kept to it. But I wondered off into the city and shopping areas and when I decided I should head back I had found myself lost. Just like a bloke though, I would not ask for directions. I kept running hoping to find the river. When I eventually did find it I was none the wiser. I still didn’t know where my hotel was. At mile 14.5 I flagged down a taxi and got a lift back much to my wife’s amusement. I quickly got showered and we went for breakfast then we hit the streets for an eight mile walk around shops and restaurants. The streets are mostly cobbled and uneven and proved to be quite hard to run on. My right heel and ankle were giving me some grief all day. I did have a plan to do a short run in the park the next day but I decided to rest my foot, from running anyway.

Over the week we visited Prague Castle and the Zoo. We took the tram and then a coach to a beautiful town, Karlovy Vary, a spa town around 35 miles from the German border. I did manage to get another run in though. I ran through he park opposite the hotel. This was softer on the feet in parts even though the same cobbles were used to pave some of the paths through the park. Still it was a very nice run with great views of the city from up high on the hill. Here’s the route I took from the hotel to the palace and castle http://www.endomondo.com/workouts?w=m1n-PSpxKuw

Now back in the UK I ran a ten miler along the canal to avoid hard surfaces then ran a 5.5 miler today. I can still feel a little pain in my heel and the ache in my ankle seems to have subsided. Will keep an eye on the both of them.

Good news on the Ten In Ten challenge. I managed to shift 9lbs. Not the ten in ten weeks but I’m OK with that. Even though the challenge is over I’m still concentrating on losing more weight. If I can do the same again over the next ten weeks that will be eighteen less pounds I’ll have to carry on my 50 mile birthday run.

Vyrnwy to Bala

Another great days running in the bag. Stewart, Graham and I drove into Wales Friday morning to the village of Bala on the shore of Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid). We parked in the hotel car park, got a bite to eat in the cafe in the High Street before catching a taxi to Vyrnwy. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. The sun was out the skies were clear and there was a chill in the air. Perfect running conditions. We started the day by running across the dam to the far side of Vyrnwy reservoir. It was quite a contrast to our last visit in November when the water was overflowing the dam giving us the spectacle of a huge white waterfall with the river below flooding the fields.

Once we had run the length of the lake the road soon started to climb. We ran through the valley between Foel y Geifr and Pen y Boncyn Trefeilw. When I say ran, it was a steep climb in parts which meant frequent walk breaks. Once we broke the back of the climb it was a nice long downhill trot with magnificent views down the length of the valley. The downhill run was a little hard on the calves and the occasional photo stop was welcomed. We followed the river Hirnant to Rhos-y-gwaliau where we left it and made our way to the shores of Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid) then into the village of Bala.

We clocked up around 15.25 miles by the time we got to the hotel and after a freshen up and a cup of tea in the lounge we hit the high street for a few beers and something to eat. Next morning we were up early for breakfast. I had to get back for a late shift so couldn’t hang around. The village meanwhile was filling up with off roaders on some sort of rally and cars with 2,3 & 4 canoes strapped to their roofs.

I must admit that when I got home I did have a little power-nap before getting ready for work. I was on call too so it could have been a long night. Luckily they left me alone and I got a good nights sleep after work.