Beautiful Morning | Heart attack waiting to happen

It was another cracking morning in the North East of Scotland this morning. I marked it with my latest venture out on the bike. It’s the second weekend I’ve been out early, not quite the crack of dawn, but certainly a good start to the day. It’s definitely a routine to get into!

A cracking morning to be out on the bike!

As a result of my recent “Sore Leg” post, I have received some guidance that the reason my legs have been hurting is because the cleats on my shoes were slightly at the wrong angle. Having made some subtle adjustments to my shoes, it felt much more comfortable. Hopefully problem solved… it’s good to share your woes!

This morning’s ride was the longest continuous effort I’ve put in since my Heart Attack. We went at a steady rate and kept going. We covered about 16.5 miles in just over an hour (including spending some time trying to correct a mechanical “knocking” sound that turned out to be the lid of my water bottle rattling against the frame!!). It didn’t feel fast, but it felt quite tough.

The first of many loops around Westhill – slightly more undulating than the Turbo Trainer!

I do have to remind myself that I’m recovering from a Heart Attack, and back this up with frequent checks of the Heart Monitor. I am however also making up for about 20 years of physical neglect, so my of my body is at the limit, not just my heart!

It really is great to be out and about though. It gives me confidence that I’m making good progress. I’m just about to enter my last week of Cardiac Rehabilitation, so it’s a good time to start to (slowly) push the boundaries!

This morning was one of those mornings…

We seem to have had more “summer” since I’ve been off work than we had in the past couple of years. It’s very unusual on the East Coast of Scotland, but there have been several mornings when you wake up and you know it’s good to be a beautiful day. All day. Usually you wouldn’t bet on the weather in 15 minutes time! This morning was one of those mornings.

Despite having had so much rest, my sleep pattern doesn’t seem to have been too disrupted over the past few weeks – good news for next week (returning to work) as waking up shouldn’t be too much of a shock!

Anyway, I was awake before the sun had done much damage. A light fog had been laid down over night, almost as if an alien space craft had cruised through the mountains leaving a vapour trail as it went.