Now that is more like it

Monday : 3 miles and 1500ft behind house
Tuesday : 4 miles somewhere off the A34
Wednesday : now't. In London
Thursday : 45 mins on indoor cycle while watching Shameless
Friday : 7 miles and 2500ft
Saturday : 500ft on hill behind house and 19 minutes flat out on road bike
Sunday : 22miles, 12000ft 4 reps of Cader Idris in 9 hours.

so a total of 34 miles and 16,500ft which is far more like it.

Sunday was a great day, each time round Cader Idris was different in terms of weather, light and the view. 1st reps was in the mist and too 70 minutes, 2nd was 75 minutes, 3rd and 4th I just did, but a little under 9 hours with 20 minutes eating back at the car, no stops at all on the way round bar the odd minute or two of chat.

I felt better after the 4th rep than I did after the 3rd. At the top on the 4th rep my legs felt they had more climb left in them, though it would hurt to drag it out. I was descending well even at the end. In some ways Cader is a harder route than the 1st 2 legs of the BGR and in some ways easier, so 4 reps on just a climb basis would be like getting to Steel fell. I did not drink enough on the 1st 2 reps which probably explained why rep 3 was hard (Nuun to the rescue). It is curious in March to be running with your shirt off.

The important thing for me is that I felt better at the end of 4 reps yesterday than when I did 3 reps in July/August time last year. So I think I am probably fitter than I was in September last year which is important. So now its down to getting a couple more long days out, training to raise my VO2max just a little, getting the planning and my head in absolutely the right place.

Plan for this week is to do no climb, just do miles (I am duty manager for the week so can't disappear into the hills where the is no cell phone reception) and then a week on monday have a solid day out in the Lakes.