Sore, sore, sore

I DID IT!  I finally got back on the exercise train....whew, that was hard.  So, I got peer pressured into going out for soccer practice last Wednesday.  Thank goodness it was on astroturf, because I do not have cleats (excuse me, boots) yet.  The field is over 2 miles away.....so, I jogged/walked there to make it on time.  We are the Dick Vet Vixens, which are made up of all vet students from all years.  The experience levels range from never having played to those that have played in high school.  There were 4 other Americans at practice and about 4 or 5 UKers.  After warming up and doing some drills, it was time to scrimmage!  Some girls left early, so we were left with 4 vs 5.  I was on the 4 person team and 3 pretty good Americans were on the other.  They all have good skills.  I must say I am ecstatic with my performance.  It all seemed to come back and for a moment I felt like Pele!  I was able to trap the ball, dribble and even juke out some defenders to score some goals! I actually had some explosiveness in my step.  I think this ole lady even impressed some of the young'uns.  They asked after practice how long I'd been playing. I figured it was longer than some of them have been alive...YIKES. So, all in all, a fabulous decision.  The walk home was brutal and by the time I got back to my flat, my one foot felt like it was going to simply fall off. 

The next morning, my left heel hurt so bad I could barely walk, but after getting the moving parts lubricated a bit, it was ok.  There was practice again that evening, but I did not go.  For one, I was out at the farm all afternoon and had to run home to let the bugaboos out, but also my foot was still pretty sore, as were my legs now.  On Thursdays we practice in the Meadows which is SO convenient for me and on grass.  I still need to get cleats though.

And yesterday, I took this out:

It was my first time on the mountain bike since last May basically.  I went out with the EUCC  - Edinburgh University Cycling Club.  The men and women break up and go their separate ways.  There were 4 of us.  There is some pretty good mountain biking around here, but you have to get there first.  If you don't drive to the site, you bike.  It's about a 10-12 mile ride (depending on where you enter the Pentland Park), which I didn't know.  It took forever......and ever....  We did not ride very fast and stopped a bit, so it was fairly brutal.  When we got there, we only rode on basically flat trails and maybe 6 miles and then went home.  It was a 28 mile trek.  I was a bit disappointed in that I'm used to riding a lot harder and better trails.  I'm told there are many very good options at the Pentlands, so I'll have to give it some time.  It was so good to get some exercise on such a beautiful day and the scenery was breathtaking - fields of cows, horses, sheep, rivers, etc....  I should have brought my camera, but wasn't sure that was a good idea given I had not been on a bike in a while and uncertain as to what to expect as far as difficulty on the trails.  I will take it next time.  We got so muddy, we had to spray our bikes off at a gas station.  I got home, took a shower and laid down with the pooches for a bit. Then, I got up and ate everything in sight..nom nom nom.

Today it's overcast and drizzling a little.  It's a perfect day to stay in and revise my notes and read, which is what I'm going to do right now!

OH, and a friend convinced me to sign up for this:  http://www.mhsurvival.co.uk/page34.asp.  It's the Men's Health Survival of the Fittest 10K.  I am NOT a runner, but it has all kinds of obstacles on the course and is done right downtown. It looks like an absolute blast. I think we start at the castle esplanade!  It's a few short weeks away...Oct 17th....and I can't wait!

Ok, off to study and I will be back to post the cow naming contest results later today, so stay tuned!

Over-N-Out