It is not often that the G-Force and I find ourselves at home together for a weekend. Mostly one of the other of us is off cycling, walking, running, climbing, sea kayaking or a combination of all these activities. Sometimes we go away together to be outdoorsy, but rarely are we at home together for two days.

This weekend was different. The G-Force ended up under the weather and in great need of a pyjama weekend. He started feeling unwell on Friday afternoon and although he tried to join me for my usual Friday evening open-water swim at Loch Ard he had to give up because he felt so weak.

So for the rest of the weekend the G-Force recuperated, rested, slept and did very little indeed. But it also meant he was at home and so was I and we were able to do what we rarely do, which is watch TV! We watched hours of the World Athletics Champs, as well as films and TV series on catch-up telly.

I am still in World Triathlon Champs training mode so I managed to prise myself away from this blissful resting cocoon for a few hours of cycling and running over the weekend. But I did very little more than train, sleep, watch TV, catch up on our chat and eat.

The benefits of rest

Sometimes we forget to rest and when we actually stop we come to a sudden halt. The body needs time to rest and recover, especially if you spend your life being busy and active. By Sunday evening I was feeling more relaxed than I have for months and we all (Little Miss and whippet included) lazed in front of the wood-burning stove to watch Lord of the Rings. We didn’t even make it to the end because we were all too sleepy.

Waking up to a new week felt so much better after a rest and recovery weekend. The G-Force is now fully on the mend and will no doubt be back in climbing and walking mode in the next few days as he counts down for his trip to the Alps.

I have a full-on triathlon training programme ahead of me before I can taper for the World Champs in September.

I do think that our restful weekend has done us both a lot of good – and it really was lovely to spend time at home being slothful together.