Ring of fire....

Another continental day in Fife. Summer has arrived and lasted a day longer than normal!

Yesterday, I decided to get up early and work up until lunch time. No meetings, telephone conferences, deadlines nothing nada. Freedom. It's one of the joys of self employment which can be bizarrely spoiled by the guilt that you feel when you're not working.

Anyway, with my dues paid to my business I set off to Edinburgh to meet a friend. The bike ride to Edinburgh was pretty mundane albeit really pleasant. I did the 30km to my friends house in just over an hour into a brisk easterly. The weather lifted the mood and the ride passed quickly.

I do the occasional triathlon. Swimming is my nemesis - I loathe it. Yesterday we were going open water swimming at the pond in Mussleburgh. The pond is place of much mystery. The main reason for the mystery is that you can see about 1 inch in front of you in the murky depths. Depths might be an exaggeration - the pond is about 1.2m deep all the way across. We arrived and I strained into my wetsuit. They are dreadful things. When I bought it a few years back the shop made me try on several that were too small before sending for the large size that I eventually bought. I'm sure it's either boredom or pure evil that drives the shop assistants behaviour as you are forced back into the shop wearing a wetsuit 2 sizes too small looking like a bloated dolphin with the movement of spotty dog (if you can remember who he was!).

The pond was warm, not always a good sign, and I followed my friend in to start the 200m to the other side. Open water swimming is entirely different to swimming in a pool. The pool has ropes at the side and tiles along the bottom to follow. With open water swimming you pick a point in the distance and check your course every 6 or so strokes. I'm hopeless in the pool and significantly worse in open water. I managed all of 800m, measured in a straight line, before jumping out to bask on the grass. The traffic in Edinburgh was a nightmare and I was glad to get back on the bike to cycle home.

My friend joined me for the section up to the bridge. She's off to do Ironman Switzerland in a couple of weeks and I'm sure will do an excellent time. The wind pushed me home and I enjoyed pushing a big cog with the support of the wind. The only slight problem I had was something was rubbing in my shorts. Not sure why because I worn them loads but yesterday I was grateful to come out of the saddle as much as possible.

So as Johnny Cash sung memorably:

I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher

And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire

Need I say more.......