Return to the New Forest

I didn't write an update last week as there didn't seem too much to talk about.
Myself and Amanda did a 60 mile run based on the Southern Sportive route that I did a few weeks before, but since she had not done any of that route before, it was all new to her.
She meet up with Duncton Hill and did well - the only bad spot was that she had three!! punctures on the route.

This week though Amanda was tied up taking her recently formed ladies only cycling club, out on their maiden trip from Lepe on Saturday.
I fancied a long run but did not want to go too far from home, so I set out into the New Forest, to complete one of the training rides that I used for the London to Paris.
The added miles from home to the start of the ride at Half Moon Common would take the ride to over 85miles, although most of the ride would be flat.

The one real exception to that is Blissford Hill which although very short, has a really steep section (the sign says 25%, but my Garmin Edge 705 indicated a max of 21% - either way it is steep enough to create a grunt or six).
Fortunately enough, I missed most of the rain, and again, really struggled in the second third of the ride, only to get better towards the end -  a nutritional rethink is on the cards.
Still, on the positive side, I did the whole ride without a stop (other than for nature) and did all the eating and even put on my rain jacket while on the move - a useful skill I could do with working on with the Lake District in mind.
Got back in time to listen to the football on the radio as well.

The Sunday weather forecast was not good - nice start but but by Midday, rain would be in control. Neither myself or Amanda wanted to get wet so we set off early and were ready at the Marchwood Enclosure by 8.30am for a (hopefully) brisk 30 miles. A few technical faults later, we were done and home just in time for the heavens to open - almost exactly on 12pm.
Although the ride was not hard, by the time I had washed the bikes down and sat down, my legs were toast - completely wrecked....
and so the Sunday ended with me watching the football and eating vitually everything that we had left in the house.
Amanda got up early to give me a lift to work on Monday - seriously in debtted to her for that!