Testing, Testing!

So here I am trying to figure out how to use the iPad Mini to post an entry. So far so good, but it has taken me a while to locate the blog and then to get things sorted out. Now beginning to get the hang of it and I'll see if I can figure out how to attach a photo from our weekend wanderings...after I've figured out how to e-transfer photos from my camera to the iPad...nice, but a bit of a production! However, I will get better with practice.

We had a pretty good training weekend. Annemarie has her spiffy new knee brace which will hopefully do its job. While Annemarie continues to work on bringing her conditioning back up to a good level (she is coming along nicely) I'm at the stage where I can try out a few things to see how I do, and that's just what I did this past weekend. In the afternoon I walked 20kms carrying a full pack (pace 6kms/hr - each kilometer is posted on the lake route). The next morning I was up too early and walked a hilly 9km route before breakfast, after which Annemarie and I headed off for a 24km hike with full packs and the new knee brace. We enjoyed a route which we hope was fairly representative of Spain complete with a steep hill climb (where Annemarie originally hurt her knee - no issue this time) a long trial walk and lunch along the way. After 53kms within 24 hours I was certainly tired, but no pain and just one tiny blister (using my substitute boots). Good to find out now as we will have a number of days that are over 30kms...and I needed to understand my response when already tired. Still some work to do with hydration, but I'm getting much better about this.

Less than three weeks of training (and sorting out electronics) to go. Annemarie is away on business for much of the last week, but we will have pretty much slowed things down by then anyway to allow our bodies some good rest before we depart. Time to complete some domestic things, clean up the garden and just chill out. I also have to break in a new left boot...don't ask.

Now I need to sort out how to load photos onto the iPad then into the blog...if you see photos then you'll know I had success!