This week was an unplanned experiment to see how I can cope with about 60% of my normal sleep. Official results are still pending but I can say for sure, it wasn’t pretty!

I started the week with about 5 hours sleep, getting up at 4:30am on Monday morning to leave the boys to Belfast airport to get a 7am flight to Manchester and meet up with Catriona and the others. The original plan was that all of them would go together on the Sunday but the scheduling of the first (and unfortunately, disappointing) Championship game on Sunday afternoon required a change of plans for the two boys.

I had scheduled myself to work in and around Belfast that day but the early flight meant I still had two hours to fill before I would be welcome in any shop. I managed to fill part of the time with a giant sausage and bacon bap that almost made up for the early start.

I got through the day surprisingly well but it was a very long drive home from Belfast that afternoon that required more than one short power nap to avoid the noddies! No surprise, I was in bed early that night.

Tuesday evening I somehow managed to get out for the Club Spin. The longer spin was also the fastest group and way out of my league so I was happy to go with the shorter 40km group. Still a good bit of climbing involved.

Catriona and the boys were due back that night. When their flight was delayed by 30-40min I offered to go collect them from Lifford, saving my sister in law at least half an hour on the journey home. I figured I wouldn’t sleep until they got home anyway.

Getting to bed at 1am my brain went into overdrive and it was about 3am by the time I was asleep and back up again at 7am. Unfortunately, my scheduling wasn’t as good this time and Wednesday was my long day of the month with visits in Ardee, Drogheda and Dundalk!

By the time Thursday rolled around I was mostly recovered but was wary of the Club spin. The radar was showing thunderstorms and I just didn’t fancy it. Turned out the five guys that did go out got caught in a huge thunder plump and were absolutely drenched. No actual thunder but they said the rain was at dangerous levels for cycling.

Saturday morning there were no bikes as we instead had our Club day out with a hike to Slieve League, dinner in the Rusty Mackerel and drinking and dancing for the evening in Donegal Town. 14 of us made the walk and 5 more joined us for dinner or dancing later in the day. A great day and night with perfect weather for the walk. It was another late one though, not getting home until 2am.

There wasn’t much of a lie in on Sunday morning as Catriona was up and away about 7am to join a group of friends from her gym for a morning hike. I stayed in bed until about 9am but I didn’t really sleep after she left. Sunday became a very lazy day, trying to recharge severely depleted batteries. It was mostly spent reading and watching TV as well as Star Wars: Rogue One having just finished S2 of Andor. A 1.5hr late afternoon snooze almost derailed my sleep last night but I went to bed happy to have booked Monday off on Annual Leave. Every now and again I manage to get it bang on!