After a month of not being to get to the hills for one reason or another (torrential rain, conferences, injuries, ill-health, other commitments – to name but some of the reasons), Grace & I finally ignored the depression of another wet Saturday in the west of Scotland, and got back into training. We spent Saturday afternoon on the Campsie Fells. Grace being Grace, we couldn’t possibly go up the gentle slope rising from Crow Road carpark – no we went up the front of the Camspies – approached from the Lennoxtown Road. At times it felt we should really be using ropes!
Being on The Campsies on a ‘driech’ day gave Grace the opportunity to teach me some navigational skills – as we trudged our way through bogs and slime. Reaching the intended fence on virtually a straight line, using clumps of grass to guide, gives a great sense of achievement.
The two dogs, as ever, did at least 4 times the work that we did – and both thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon.
Psychologically it was good to get back unto the hills, even just to give us the boost that we needed, after a month of really restricted training.
We decided to move the challenge back one week, having lost that month, and Grace being committed to SU camp at the beginning of July. That decision was also a relief, as I for one was certainly beginning to feel the pressure of not being able to train during May – now I’m really looking forward to it again, knowing that yesterday put us back on target.