Ireland day 1211. Tuesday 21 January 2025- Jog On

Today’s summary	A day mostly spent in and around in Malahide. Went on a 10k jog round the Demesne in the morning and early afternoon, while Val went on a longer walk. Had cake for lunch then did some shopping. Had more curry leftover from yesterday for dinner than Spanish in the evening.
Today’s weather	Dry and overcast in the morning but some sun in the afternoon. Hardly any wind. Appx 7c

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of my route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where I ran) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Longer Demesne jog

Commentary

The trouble with trying to get fitter is that it takes up a lot of time. So today both Val and I spent a large chunk of the day plodding round the Demesne, working our way through workouts that will variously improve stamina, accelerate weight loss or generally just improve our health. Supposedly.

Val was first out of the blocks, heading off on her long walk while I was still finishing off my tea. Eventually I dragged myself into action and managed a 10k jog around the Demesne at a reasonable pace of 7m35s/km. I say “reasonable” slightly through gritted teeth because as recently as 2020 I could manage a half marathon in 1h52m, a pace of 5m20s/km – though that was before I had my second hip replacement.

When I got back, Val was still out – she went further than I did, at 15km – so I had time to have a shower and make coffee before she returned. After our exertions, neither of us had masses of energy to start preparing an elaborate lunch. So instead we “treated” ourselves to Christmas cake and crisps for lunch. Unhealthy I know but what the heck. It felt like we had earned it today.

The afternoon was spent on recovery and a little shopping then, eventually, some left-over lentil curry and rice for dinner. Next, it was time for my Spanish classes down at Portmarnock then finally, once I was back, an episode of “Mad Men” before finally collapsing into bed. My word, this is hard work!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


All routes start here! At the bottom of the driveway to the Castle	On the way to the shops, looking across the Dublin Road to the Georgian(?) terrace opposite the station entrance.

St Sylvester’s Church – everywhere looking so much more vivid once the sun came out



Curious condensation pattern on my hat. A combination of cold humid air and hot sweaty head, I think!