Here Comes the Sun!

Little Darling, it's been a mild, damp, overcast winter...

Yes folks, had George Harrison lived in Ireland in 2012 (and I have to say at this point that the great man had more than a wee dollop of Irish blood running through his veins), then for sure the verses of his classic song would have been spoilt by less dramatic adjectives than 'long, cold, lonely...'.  The chorus, however, would have led to the same conclusion, for here, my friends, comes the sun!  It is scorchingly hot in Ireland these days (some areas claiming up to 26 degree heat yesterday).  So we're getting out there cutting lawns, licking ice lollies, clipping hedges, and getting bogger tans*.  

Some of us are running.

Personally I can't run in the heat.  So my choices are:  get up very early in the morning (not happening these days), or else wait for the evening sun (same sun but without the attitude problem).  Let's face it, I'm a pale skinned, freckly faced, redheaded (slightly red, greying a bit) Irish man - I wasn't made for mediterannean heat, but I'll take a week of it if it's going.  

I haven't posted here as often as I would have wished lately - these past few weeks have been hectic with other things:  a family wedding in Louth and the sudden death of another friend (this is the third occasion this year - truly an annus horribilis).  Her passing took a lot out of us all, she was a very special, beautiful person.  It is time now to honour her memory and that of the others who have passed on by enjoying life in the way that she did.

I went for a 25k cycle with Mark on Monday - absolute heaven.  We circled Ros a Mhíl, looping back in to Carraroe.  This was my first real cycle of the year and I enjoyed it immensly.  This August I'll do my Conamara - Louth cycle again, and believe it or not I'll be joined by at least 20 others this year!

On Tuesday I went out after work to run four miles on the prom.  I hadn't run for nearly two weeks (longest gap for quite a long time) and if truth be known I was feeling the after effects of funeral and wedding drinkage (no such word but there should be), so I found this run tough.  All the same it was enjoyable - it's hard to beat the prom for an atmosperhic run.  

Yesterday, I resorted to interval training on the treadmill!  A sin, I know, in this fine weather, but I've been choc a bloc with house preparation (our students are coming in a week) so I felt it was the easiest thing to do (while trying to man the cooking station!).  A decent long run this weekend could complete an ideal week!

*Bogger Tan:  a tan, unique to the Irish male, which consists arms being burnt up to the point where a short sleve shirt would have been!  Particularly synonymous with the man who cuts turf(peat) on the bog!