Well I thought I’d get up early and get out for a run. This was harder than the average run as I identified a previous run I had completed before with my sister in law husband, Bryn Williams. The run was to accomplish the climb up foel famau, Ruthin, Clwyd. The run is to get to the top via Offa’s Dyke path on a final steep walk to the summit. At the summit you are met by a strange structure at the top of the hill; this is the Jubilee Tower. It was built in the 1800′s to commemorate the jubilee of George III. The tower was originally much taller than the remains, but a storm in 1862 reduced the impressive monument to the ‘stump’ that’s all that’s left now. On reaching the summit the reward is (if the weather allows) the fantastic vista that’s all around. There’s a display at the top of the tower indicating landmarks that can be seen and their distance. On a good day you can see that of one of the tallest mountains in Wales, Cadair Idris; forty miles away! Liverpool and the Dee Estuary can be seen easily as well as the startlingly white church at Bodelwyddan. It’s an amazing feeling to think I was 1818ft up; higher than anywhere else in the region, really on top of the world!

A bit foggy at the summit of Foel Famau, Clwyd

It’s a beautifull scenic run but today was a bit foggy and to be honest I couldn’t see a thing on the run. I managed to beat my previous to the top even though the route was partly covered by snow. It was a 1,800 ft climb and was very challenging. I wasn’t so quick on the way down and was about 40 secs slower than my previous best. My time was 1hr 21min 47 secs for a 9.85 mile run.

Well I had to visit the Parents in law this year. So as the snow had cleared I took advantage of the good conditions to go for a cycle. I mapped the route on Map My Ride.I didn’t check the gradients at the time of mapping which was a mistake as the route was hilly. At one point I was caught out by the 20% gradiant of a road. I took it easy on decents as I didn’t want to end up in hospital.

As I climbed towards Llyn Brenig I was suprised by the frozen lake. It was a beautifull sight and I even stopped to take a picture although I only had my Blackberry and have emailed a copy of the file that really doesn’t do the view justice.

Llyn Brennig, N.Wales

The route was a slightly tougher than expected and had many climbs so at least I got some early year climbing practive. I’ve uploaded the data from my Garmin Edge 705  and it can be viewed here.

What else do you do when it’s snowing ? Well I wasn’t going to go out on the bike so I decided to explore the countryside in the snow. This was a very enjoyable run and although tough at point the views where amazing across hertfordshire.

Off Road Run around Great Ashby

I’d forgotten how beautifull snow was after a week of commuting to London and starting to hate the thought of how would the travel be today. I even found some paths that I didn’t even know existed !! So now I’ve got a new 10 mile training route.

For the summer we decided to go to pembrokshire for a holiday. We stay at my mothers family farm in St Davids. It provided a perfect camp for pembrokshire triathlon. I managed a few session and got use to the sea with the girls. Below is a picture of me and Beca.

I particularly enjoyed the training as I spent hours in the Abereiddi Blue Lagoon. This spectacular coastal feature, popular with coasteerers and divers, is actually a flooded former slate quarry working with a tidal channel to sea. I managed to use it for some swimming practice and can confirm even in the summer that it’s cold. One of my favorite areas in Pembrokshire is Porthgain (meaning fair or beautiful port). We enjoyed several meals in the sloop inn and always enjoy a warm welcome (mae’r bwyd yn rhagorol).