Saturday night is alright for drinking. At least this one was because I'd had a night out arranged for ages and was intending to put aside my monastry lifestyle for a few hours and get mullered. YOLO and all that.
Of course a man of my years oughtn't be exerting himself when affected by the demon drink and so my long run was pulled forward to Saturday morning instead of Sunday. And a jolly good idea it was too because the conditions were just beautiful! Broken sunshine, cool refreshing breeze, a lovely route planned along the waterside in Hull; ducks lined up nicely for a thoroughly pleasant time! Not literally you understand. I've not seen many ducks in the Humber to be fair although there may be some somewhere. I digress.
Another experiment I'm trying is to base all my running (and cycling) on time instead of distance. I'm told it's all the rage in iron distance triathlon circles. So rather than set out for an eleven mile run, I set out for a two hour run and just let the distance take care of itself. Combined with my new found HR obsession it meant I really had no idea of the pace I'd run nor the distance. As it happened I maintained an average of just over 11 mins per mile at an average HR of 122. Given that I stopped for the loo a few times (child's bladder) and to take photos a few times my actual running speed was probably a fraction under 11. This is still way slower than I'm comfortable with but I need to stick with it to get the benefits I guess.
Apart from some blisters that my striking (lime green) new Nevica trail shoes have given me, I finished feeling incredibly fresh. I really think that with a bit of food I could have continued for at least another hour at that pace but there's no point in rushing things. I'm sure the training will get more challenging as I start to focus in on some intermediate goals and push things a little harder.
Next stop, swimming on Monday. Oh, I took Friday and Sunday as rest day's - tired legs; hangover; etc.
Peace, out.
TODAY
Run Distance: 11.11 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 0 miles
Hiking: 0 miles
Workout time: 2:04 hrs
Press-ups:0
Core workouts:0
Stretching workouts: 0
TOTAL
Run Distance: 28.36 miles
Swimming: 5850 m
Cycling: 75.8 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 17:07 hrs
Press-ups:206
Core workouts: 2
Stretching workouts: 6
Pity My Feet is a training and fitness blog that chronicles the misadventures of an aging demotivated wanna-be athlete with a penchant for making bad exercise related life choices. Currently in training for Iron Man Wales 2014. Don't ask why.
Monday 30 September 2013
Thursday 26 September 2013
26th September 2013 - 16 miles on the bike
Back on the bike today after a few days off it since the Palace to Palace ride at the weekend. I'd been tinkering with the gears (thank you You Tube for showing me how they work) and I got the benefit tonight; they were whirring and clicking up a storm and weren't making any of the crunching angry noises they had done in the past. I was even able to use my small front cog for the first time in ages. Oh boy, the hills are a LOT easier if you can get into that lower set of gears!
It was a fun ride, out to St Martins, then down the main road to Gobowen and back to Ellesmere by some back lanes marked out with ROUTE 21 signs. I've no idea what this signifies but the first sign had Ellesmere written on it and indeed, that's where I ended up. Lesson for the day. Trust the road signs. Except this one... BBC News.
As for my own performance, I paced myself by HR and did much better this time, averaging 13.5 mph at an ave HR of 121. Although my legs are a bit tired, my HR recovered within minutes of finishing the ride and by around 5 minutes after getting home I was moving around as if the ride had never happened. Very gratifying!
TODAY
Run Distance: 0 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 16.44 miles
Hiking: 0 miles
Workout time: 1:10 hrs
Press-ups:0
Core workouts:0
Stretching workouts: 1
TOTAL
Run Distance: 17.25 miles
Swimming: 5850 m
Cycling: 75.8 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 15:03 hrs
Press-ups:206
Core workouts: 2
Stretching workouts: 6
It was a fun ride, out to St Martins, then down the main road to Gobowen and back to Ellesmere by some back lanes marked out with ROUTE 21 signs. I've no idea what this signifies but the first sign had Ellesmere written on it and indeed, that's where I ended up. Lesson for the day. Trust the road signs. Except this one... BBC News.
As for my own performance, I paced myself by HR and did much better this time, averaging 13.5 mph at an ave HR of 121. Although my legs are a bit tired, my HR recovered within minutes of finishing the ride and by around 5 minutes after getting home I was moving around as if the ride had never happened. Very gratifying!
TODAY
Run Distance: 0 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 16.44 miles
Hiking: 0 miles
Workout time: 1:10 hrs
Press-ups:0
Core workouts:0
Stretching workouts: 1
TOTAL
Run Distance: 17.25 miles
Swimming: 5850 m
Cycling: 75.8 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 15:03 hrs
Press-ups:206
Core workouts: 2
Stretching workouts: 6
25th September 2013 - Swimming
Swimming day today. Grace and I hit the pool in Oswestry and despite feeling tired almost immediately (the first ten lengths were a struggle!) I managed to eek out the required 80 lengths.
I'm getting used to this breathing both sides malarky and I started experimenting with the 'thumb to thigh' drill that I'll be introducing next. The purpose of this drill is to train me to take a full stroke each time and not to withdraw my arm too early from the water. My first impressions were that I need more strength in my arms in order to get the full 'kick' from the stroke but I know that will come.
I got some cramp in my calves after about 65 lengths but I stretched it out and kept going for the full 80. After I finished I chilled out in the kids pool (which is considerably warmer!) and did my daily stretching.
All told a good, solid, day's Iron Man training.
Peace, out.
TODAY
Run Distance: 0 miles
Swimming: 2000 m
Cycling: 0 miles
Hiking: 0 miles
Workout time: 1:30 hrs
Press-ups:0
Core workouts:0
Stretching workouts: 1
TOTAL
Run Distance: 17.25 miles
Swimming: 5850 m
Cycling: 59:36 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 13:53 hrs
Press-ups:206
Core workouts: 2
Stretching workouts: 5
I'm getting used to this breathing both sides malarky and I started experimenting with the 'thumb to thigh' drill that I'll be introducing next. The purpose of this drill is to train me to take a full stroke each time and not to withdraw my arm too early from the water. My first impressions were that I need more strength in my arms in order to get the full 'kick' from the stroke but I know that will come.
I got some cramp in my calves after about 65 lengths but I stretched it out and kept going for the full 80. After I finished I chilled out in the kids pool (which is considerably warmer!) and did my daily stretching.
All told a good, solid, day's Iron Man training.
Peace, out.
TODAY
Run Distance: 0 miles
Swimming: 2000 m
Cycling: 0 miles
Hiking: 0 miles
Workout time: 1:30 hrs
Press-ups:0
Core workouts:0
Stretching workouts: 1
TOTAL
Run Distance: 17.25 miles
Swimming: 5850 m
Cycling: 59:36 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 13:53 hrs
Press-ups:206
Core workouts: 2
Stretching workouts: 5
Tuesday 24 September 2013
24th September 2013 - Palace to palace and all that
A busy few days here and just a quick recap for the purposes of posterity.
Firstly, I took a scheduled rest day on Friday after a solid week of training. I wanted to give myself time to recover before the challenge of the Palace to Palace 45 mile cycle event on Sunday. The rest day did me good. So much so in fact that I decided to take another rest day on Saturday. Thus it was that I lined up on the Mall early on Sunday morning and cycled towards Buckingham Palace with two full days of rest in my legs. And boy was it worth it.
I absolutely LOVED the ride. I wore my heart rate monitor but paid it no attention for the whole way around. The early miles were interrupted often by traffic lights and junctions but we were soon into Richmond Park and able to get into some serious rhythm. I'd never been to Richmond Park before but I liked it a lot. I cycled past a stag! No, really, like a genuine boy deer with antlers an everything. It was AWESOME! :)
Coming out of Richmond Park there were more areas of traffic but generally the gaps between stops were longer and longer the further the race went on. At one point an automated traffic sign showed my speed as 19 mph. Very satisfying!
At roughly 30 miles in the course turned hilly and it certainly did become a test. Mostly though I aced it. I averaged 161 bpm on the HR monitor so not really a sustainable rate but for sheer fun it was the business. I was passed by only a few riders and, pleasingly, the ones that did pass me looked very smooth and strong and were on pretty nice bikes. My bargain bucket bicycle did a pretty darned good job! I finished the event in 2:55 hrs thus beating by 5 minutes my goal time of 3 hours.
I cramped up pretty bad at the end and Emma had to help me stand up at one point! I will definitely do this event again though - it was tremendous fun and I've been well and truly bitten by the cycling bug!
There's no rest for the wicked and on Monday I dragged my tired and sore legs off to the swimming pool. I took plenty of breaks and swam quite slowly but I made it up to 80 lengths eventually. The alternate side breathing drills went well and by the end it was becoming second nature. Hopefully I will soon be able to work on the next drill in my plan - thumb to thigh.
And thus to tonight. Just over six miles, keeping my HR below 126. It was the usual slow shuffle and amazingly when I checked the Endomondo records I made it back home in almost exactly the same time as I had done last week over the same distance. To be precise I was 2 seconds faster than I had been last Thursday! Interestingly though I did improve my average HR over the same distance and time. It was 121 bpm tonight against 123 last week.
And that's me caught up on the blog front. Oh, I did some press-ups (100 to be precise - get in!) and some stretching too.
Till tomorrow. Peace, out.
TODAY
Run Distance: 6.22 miles
Swimming: 2000 m
Cycling: 45 miles
Hiking: 0 miles
Workout time: 6 hrs
Press-ups:100
Core workouts:0
Stretching workouts: 3
TOTAL
Run Distance: 17.25 miles
Swimming: 3850 m
Cycling: 59:36 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 12:23 hrs
Press-ups:206
Core workouts: 2
Stretching workouts: 4
Firstly, I took a scheduled rest day on Friday after a solid week of training. I wanted to give myself time to recover before the challenge of the Palace to Palace 45 mile cycle event on Sunday. The rest day did me good. So much so in fact that I decided to take another rest day on Saturday. Thus it was that I lined up on the Mall early on Sunday morning and cycled towards Buckingham Palace with two full days of rest in my legs. And boy was it worth it.
I absolutely LOVED the ride. I wore my heart rate monitor but paid it no attention for the whole way around. The early miles were interrupted often by traffic lights and junctions but we were soon into Richmond Park and able to get into some serious rhythm. I'd never been to Richmond Park before but I liked it a lot. I cycled past a stag! No, really, like a genuine boy deer with antlers an everything. It was AWESOME! :)
Coming out of Richmond Park there were more areas of traffic but generally the gaps between stops were longer and longer the further the race went on. At one point an automated traffic sign showed my speed as 19 mph. Very satisfying!
At roughly 30 miles in the course turned hilly and it certainly did become a test. Mostly though I aced it. I averaged 161 bpm on the HR monitor so not really a sustainable rate but for sheer fun it was the business. I was passed by only a few riders and, pleasingly, the ones that did pass me looked very smooth and strong and were on pretty nice bikes. My bargain bucket bicycle did a pretty darned good job! I finished the event in 2:55 hrs thus beating by 5 minutes my goal time of 3 hours.
I cramped up pretty bad at the end and Emma had to help me stand up at one point! I will definitely do this event again though - it was tremendous fun and I've been well and truly bitten by the cycling bug!
There's no rest for the wicked and on Monday I dragged my tired and sore legs off to the swimming pool. I took plenty of breaks and swam quite slowly but I made it up to 80 lengths eventually. The alternate side breathing drills went well and by the end it was becoming second nature. Hopefully I will soon be able to work on the next drill in my plan - thumb to thigh.
And thus to tonight. Just over six miles, keeping my HR below 126. It was the usual slow shuffle and amazingly when I checked the Endomondo records I made it back home in almost exactly the same time as I had done last week over the same distance. To be precise I was 2 seconds faster than I had been last Thursday! Interestingly though I did improve my average HR over the same distance and time. It was 121 bpm tonight against 123 last week.
And that's me caught up on the blog front. Oh, I did some press-ups (100 to be precise - get in!) and some stretching too.
Till tomorrow. Peace, out.
TODAY
Run Distance: 6.22 miles
Swimming: 2000 m
Cycling: 45 miles
Hiking: 0 miles
Workout time: 6 hrs
Press-ups:100
Core workouts:0
Stretching workouts: 3
TOTAL
Run Distance: 17.25 miles
Swimming: 3850 m
Cycling: 59:36 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 12:23 hrs
Press-ups:206
Core workouts: 2
Stretching workouts: 4
Thursday 19 September 2013
Thursday 19th September 2013 - Your inflexible friend
I started today with some press-ups. I've got a half-hearted ambition of completing the hundred push ups challenge. I took the test the other day and did 26 press-ups straight up. This let me skip straight to week 3 of the challenge and I followed the plan of doing reps of 14, 18, 14, 14, and finally 20 to finish. It sounds good to say I did 80 press ups today. The reality was pretty unimpressive as I heaved and sweated barely lifting my nose off the carpet by the end. Still, who cares about reality as long I can create an illusion of fitness!
I followed up the press-up-fest with some plank work to try to build up my core. I think they are called planks but I have a nagging voice in my head that says they are called 'bridge' exercises. Anyway, I digress. Basically the problem I have is that my middle needs a lot of attention (ooh err) and every time I do these core strength exercises I shake and vibrate like a ringing phone. Despite all that I actually enjoy them. They really hit your stomach muscles and the side-plank one makes me think that one day I might lose that roll of fat and finally start to look a bit more like the guys on the front of Men's Health magazine.
Running wise I did a little over an hour of down in HR zone two (sub 126 bpm for me). It's still devilishly tricky to stay below that rate and my movement feels cumbersome and far too slow. However I'm determined to persevere with it. I made some improvement over Monday's run and averaged 11:30 minute miles.
I finished the night with some stretches. I used this routine (below) and learned in the process that I am about as flexible as a block of granite. Years of running and cycling without stretching have taken their toll and now I have a horrible flex-deficit. I'm bendily challenged. I'll never be as flexible as the woman in this video but it would be nice to touch my toes again one day!
That's it for tonight. Peace, out
JUST THE FACTS:
TODAY
Run Distance: 6.22 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 0 miles
Hiking: 0 miles
Workout time: 1:30 hrs
Press-ups:80
Core workouts:1
Stretching workouts: 1
TOTAL
Run Distance: 11.03 miles
Swimming: 1850 m
Cycling: 14:36 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 6:23 hrs
Press-ups:106
Core workouts: 2
Stretching workouts: 1
Wednesday 18 September 2013
Wednesday 18th September 2013 - A little light hike bike
Today was a bike day. It was also a 'get the car serviced day' so an excuse for a little walk from the garage to the office. A little walk was all it appeared to be when I looked at the google maps app on my phone. Sadly I was undone by an inability to appreciate scale and my little walk turned into a 3 mile speed hike that deposited me late and sweaty into a meeting at 9:10 when I should have been coolly sipping black decaff at my desk by 8:40. On the bright side my car got serviced so that's a positive.
I reversed the process to go and collect the car after work and so I'm claiming it as six miles on the training diary.
The real activity of the day took place after work with an hour on the bike. I have the same heart rate zone 2 goal as with my running so I set out to stay below 126 bpm. At first this proved harder than I expected and I was ticking along at around 140 for the first ten minutes or so.
The situation wasn't helped by a near miss with a big scary lorry at a roundabout near my home. As I approached the point where the road narrowed for the roundabout the lorry tried to overtake me. There was clearly no chance of him getting past before the junction and it was a little hairy to think that if he took it too wide I'd be heading for his back wheels. Eeek! I shouted up at the driver and gave a robust and frank appraisal of his abilities at the wheel. Miraculously I heard a shouted "sorry" from the cab and he slowed down again and went behind me to the junction. I was so stunned that I stopped the bike and waved him past feeling an instant remorse for my harsh words. I have a mental picture of a nervous and insecure driver desperate to do the right thing but lacking the skills to pull it off. I'm a bad person.
Eventually my heart rate settled and I averaged 122 bpm across the ride as a whole. It seemed to me that the terrain dictated my heart rate for the most part and although my average is nice and close to where I wanted it to be I spent a lot of time way over and a lot of time way under. As my training progresses I'd like to be able to control this much better.
The route I chose took me through Overton and St Martins and I rode through dusk and into the dark. I tried out my new lights and they kick bum!!! I was like something from Close Encounters of the Third Kind as I lit up the night!
That's it for today - time to join the IOS7 bandwagon and update the iphone!
Peace, out.
JUST THE FACTS:
TODAY
Run Distance: 0 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 14:36 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 2:53 hrs
Press-ups: 0
Core workouts: 0
TOTAL
Run Distance: 4.81 miles
Swimming: 1850 m
Cycling: 14:36 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 4:53 hrs
Press-ups: 26
Core workouts: 1
I reversed the process to go and collect the car after work and so I'm claiming it as six miles on the training diary.
The real activity of the day took place after work with an hour on the bike. I have the same heart rate zone 2 goal as with my running so I set out to stay below 126 bpm. At first this proved harder than I expected and I was ticking along at around 140 for the first ten minutes or so.
The situation wasn't helped by a near miss with a big scary lorry at a roundabout near my home. As I approached the point where the road narrowed for the roundabout the lorry tried to overtake me. There was clearly no chance of him getting past before the junction and it was a little hairy to think that if he took it too wide I'd be heading for his back wheels. Eeek! I shouted up at the driver and gave a robust and frank appraisal of his abilities at the wheel. Miraculously I heard a shouted "sorry" from the cab and he slowed down again and went behind me to the junction. I was so stunned that I stopped the bike and waved him past feeling an instant remorse for my harsh words. I have a mental picture of a nervous and insecure driver desperate to do the right thing but lacking the skills to pull it off. I'm a bad person.
Eventually my heart rate settled and I averaged 122 bpm across the ride as a whole. It seemed to me that the terrain dictated my heart rate for the most part and although my average is nice and close to where I wanted it to be I spent a lot of time way over and a lot of time way under. As my training progresses I'd like to be able to control this much better.
The route I chose took me through Overton and St Martins and I rode through dusk and into the dark. I tried out my new lights and they kick bum!!! I was like something from Close Encounters of the Third Kind as I lit up the night!
That's it for today - time to join the IOS7 bandwagon and update the iphone!
Peace, out.
JUST THE FACTS:
TODAY
Run Distance: 0 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 14:36 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 2:53 hrs
Press-ups: 0
Core workouts: 0
TOTAL
Run Distance: 4.81 miles
Swimming: 1850 m
Cycling: 14:36 miles
Hiking: 6 miles
Workout time: 4:53 hrs
Press-ups: 26
Core workouts: 1
Tuesday 17 September 2013
Tuesday 17th September 2013 - Shivery when wet
By far the weakest link in my very weak triathlon chain is the swimming leg. It consists of a 2.4 mile open water swim. That's 3,860 metres; or just over 154 lengths of a standard sized pool. Of course pool swimming is a lot easier because there are no waves and you get to push off the side with your feet at least 153 times more often over that distance than you do in an open water swim.
I have no idea how to translate the effort in a pool to the equivalent effort at sea but that won't stop me from guessing. I reckon the equivalent time and effort would be to do around 200 lengths of the pool. It's a completely uneducated guess but I've never let ignorance hold me back in the past and I'm not going to start now!
So today's workout was pool based. I went to the new(ish) leisure centre in Oswestry. After breaking the layer of ice that sits atop the water I climbed in and got going. Actually the water isn't all that cold. It's a good temperature for exercising in. There's no way I'd want to sit still in it for too long though!
I have two immediate goals with my swimming. The first is to create a habit of going to the pool at least three times a week. Even if I'm only there an hour each time and even if I don't make great progress in those hours I need swimming to be as much as part of my life as running is. At least for the next year.
My second immediate goal is to improve my technique. I can say without any false modesty that I am a horrible swimmer. I swim in exactly the way a fish doesn't. I've watched a few swimming videos on you tube and got some immediate pointers. The first is that when doing the front crawl you are supposed to breath bilaterally. That means breathing on both sides. I've spent my whole entire life breathing only when my right arm is out of the water (excluding time spent in the bath, shower, or jacuzzi when I allow myself to breath with a wet right arm). Apparently this one sided breathing can cause a whole host of issues with swim form.
So now, at the age of 43, it's time for this old dog to learn some new tricks! I alternated my breathing from left to right and took a breath every three strokes. At first it seemed horrible and un-natural and I felt as though I would swallow water (or sink without trace) each time I tried to get my head and my left arm out of the water at the same time. I also had to count constantly to three as it never felt like a natural thing to lift my head to the left and I never felt 'ready' to breath on that side. I did 74 lengths in total and by the end of it breathing on my left side felt exactly as awkward and wrong as it did on length one. Oh well, practice makes perfect and I'll focus solely on getting this right over the next few sessions until it feels natural.
Peace, out.
JUST THE FACTS:
TODAY
Run Distance: 0 miles
Swimming: 1850 m
Cycling: 0 miles
Workout time: 1:00 hrs
Press-ups: 0
Core workouts: 0
TOTAL
Run Distance: 4.81 miles
Swimming: 1850 m
Cycling: 0 miles
Workout time: 2:00 hrs
Press-ups: 26
Core workouts: 1
I have no idea how to translate the effort in a pool to the equivalent effort at sea but that won't stop me from guessing. I reckon the equivalent time and effort would be to do around 200 lengths of the pool. It's a completely uneducated guess but I've never let ignorance hold me back in the past and I'm not going to start now!
So today's workout was pool based. I went to the new(ish) leisure centre in Oswestry. After breaking the layer of ice that sits atop the water I climbed in and got going. Actually the water isn't all that cold. It's a good temperature for exercising in. There's no way I'd want to sit still in it for too long though!
I have two immediate goals with my swimming. The first is to create a habit of going to the pool at least three times a week. Even if I'm only there an hour each time and even if I don't make great progress in those hours I need swimming to be as much as part of my life as running is. At least for the next year.
My second immediate goal is to improve my technique. I can say without any false modesty that I am a horrible swimmer. I swim in exactly the way a fish doesn't. I've watched a few swimming videos on you tube and got some immediate pointers. The first is that when doing the front crawl you are supposed to breath bilaterally. That means breathing on both sides. I've spent my whole entire life breathing only when my right arm is out of the water (excluding time spent in the bath, shower, or jacuzzi when I allow myself to breath with a wet right arm). Apparently this one sided breathing can cause a whole host of issues with swim form.
So now, at the age of 43, it's time for this old dog to learn some new tricks! I alternated my breathing from left to right and took a breath every three strokes. At first it seemed horrible and un-natural and I felt as though I would swallow water (or sink without trace) each time I tried to get my head and my left arm out of the water at the same time. I also had to count constantly to three as it never felt like a natural thing to lift my head to the left and I never felt 'ready' to breath on that side. I did 74 lengths in total and by the end of it breathing on my left side felt exactly as awkward and wrong as it did on length one. Oh well, practice makes perfect and I'll focus solely on getting this right over the next few sessions until it feels natural.
Peace, out.
JUST THE FACTS:
TODAY
Run Distance: 0 miles
Swimming: 1850 m
Cycling: 0 miles
Workout time: 1:00 hrs
Press-ups: 0
Core workouts: 0
TOTAL
Run Distance: 4.81 miles
Swimming: 1850 m
Cycling: 0 miles
Workout time: 2:00 hrs
Press-ups: 26
Core workouts: 1
Monday 16th September 2013 - A new challenge
Well, 17 months after I finished my Marathon des Sables training (and indeed, finished the Marathon des Sables) my self-imposed exile from running challenges is over. Last night I signed up for the 2014 Iron Man Wales triathlon. It takes place on September 14th 2014. I have exactly one year to prepare.
Before I describe training day one, a quick catch up of activities since my last blog. I completed the MdS. I can't do justice to the event in a simple post like this other than to say that the Marathon des Sables is exactly as bad and tough and wonderful and beautiful and brutal as everyone else says it is. One day I will write down my memories of it before they fade from my view but not just yet.
In the intervening time I have run a little and cycled a little but haven't raced at all. I ran a marathon distance in January to maintain my habit of running one at least once in every calendar year. It was just a casual Sunday 'long' run that got out of hand and ended up with me shuffling through an exhausting early evening circuit of Ellesmere until Endomondo told me I had reached the magic 26.2 and could rest my weary limbs. I hadn't trained for it and I paid the appropriate fine in pain and fatigue for days and days afterwards.
I have also realised that I suffer from a dietary weakness that manifests itself as an intolerance to gluten - or more likely, wheat. I haven't quite nailed it down yet but I know that pasta, bread, biscuits, cakes and the like all trigger awful headaches and irresistible sleepiness. I abandoned gluten in the middle of last year and haven't looked back. As of now, September 2013, I am experimenting with vegetarianism, verging on veganism and I am also mostly alcohol free. Since 1st June I have only drunk alcohol on two occasions and to be perfectly honest I haven't missed it a bit.
I've also broken two bones in my right hand in two separate incidents. One alcohol fuelled and full of shame and fury and the other done during a gloriously playful afternoon by the river with Emma and our combined family of four wonderful kids. I'd cheerfully break another bone to have more days like that one. We had a great time.
So on to now. I'd been thinking for a while of taking on another challenge and that curious 'niggle' built into an itch, then an obsession and finally culminated last night in my making the commitment to Iron Man. I am VERY excited!
I'll write more about my training plan over the coming weeks but one thing I am experimenting with is Heart Rate zone training for the first time. I intend to train for a while in HR zone 2 which, for me, means a maximum HR of 126 beats per minute. If you've never tried HR training, and sticking to something as modest as zone 2, you should give it a go. It's a lot harder than it looks! For me to stick to that low a heart rate I had to slow to a pitiful 12:28 mins per mile. It's really frustrating to be out on a lovely sunny autumnal day, feeling fantastic and fast, only to force yourself to plod along at a pace barely faster than the dog walkers who proliferate on days like these. I went through a constant cycle of over-exuberance with an inevitable increase in heart rate, followed by a few paces of walking to bring it down and then back to a slow shuffle that morphed into a good stride and a high heart rate and so on and so on! I'm certain I'll get the hang of it though!
I also did a few press-ups (a test for the great 'hundred pushups' site) and some core stability exercises. Planks to be precise.
So I've logged my first miles of this training. There's a long way to go and I hope I can show the discipline and determination I need. Right now I feel confident but I'm old and wise enough to know that I have a lot of cold, dark, wet, and uncomfortable nights and early mornings ahead of me. A lot of pain and self doubt. A lot of blisters, aches, and pains. I can't wait!
JUST THE FACTS:
TODAY
Run Distance: 4.81 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 0 milesWorkout time: 1:00:00
Press-ups: 26
Core workouts: 1
TOTAL
Run Distance: 4.81 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 0 milesWorkout time: 1:00:00
Press-ups: 26
Core workouts: 1
Before I describe training day one, a quick catch up of activities since my last blog. I completed the MdS. I can't do justice to the event in a simple post like this other than to say that the Marathon des Sables is exactly as bad and tough and wonderful and beautiful and brutal as everyone else says it is. One day I will write down my memories of it before they fade from my view but not just yet.
In the intervening time I have run a little and cycled a little but haven't raced at all. I ran a marathon distance in January to maintain my habit of running one at least once in every calendar year. It was just a casual Sunday 'long' run that got out of hand and ended up with me shuffling through an exhausting early evening circuit of Ellesmere until Endomondo told me I had reached the magic 26.2 and could rest my weary limbs. I hadn't trained for it and I paid the appropriate fine in pain and fatigue for days and days afterwards.
I have also realised that I suffer from a dietary weakness that manifests itself as an intolerance to gluten - or more likely, wheat. I haven't quite nailed it down yet but I know that pasta, bread, biscuits, cakes and the like all trigger awful headaches and irresistible sleepiness. I abandoned gluten in the middle of last year and haven't looked back. As of now, September 2013, I am experimenting with vegetarianism, verging on veganism and I am also mostly alcohol free. Since 1st June I have only drunk alcohol on two occasions and to be perfectly honest I haven't missed it a bit.
I've also broken two bones in my right hand in two separate incidents. One alcohol fuelled and full of shame and fury and the other done during a gloriously playful afternoon by the river with Emma and our combined family of four wonderful kids. I'd cheerfully break another bone to have more days like that one. We had a great time.
So on to now. I'd been thinking for a while of taking on another challenge and that curious 'niggle' built into an itch, then an obsession and finally culminated last night in my making the commitment to Iron Man. I am VERY excited!
I'll write more about my training plan over the coming weeks but one thing I am experimenting with is Heart Rate zone training for the first time. I intend to train for a while in HR zone 2 which, for me, means a maximum HR of 126 beats per minute. If you've never tried HR training, and sticking to something as modest as zone 2, you should give it a go. It's a lot harder than it looks! For me to stick to that low a heart rate I had to slow to a pitiful 12:28 mins per mile. It's really frustrating to be out on a lovely sunny autumnal day, feeling fantastic and fast, only to force yourself to plod along at a pace barely faster than the dog walkers who proliferate on days like these. I went through a constant cycle of over-exuberance with an inevitable increase in heart rate, followed by a few paces of walking to bring it down and then back to a slow shuffle that morphed into a good stride and a high heart rate and so on and so on! I'm certain I'll get the hang of it though!
I also did a few press-ups (a test for the great 'hundred pushups' site) and some core stability exercises. Planks to be precise.
So I've logged my first miles of this training. There's a long way to go and I hope I can show the discipline and determination I need. Right now I feel confident but I'm old and wise enough to know that I have a lot of cold, dark, wet, and uncomfortable nights and early mornings ahead of me. A lot of pain and self doubt. A lot of blisters, aches, and pains. I can't wait!
JUST THE FACTS:
TODAY
Run Distance: 4.81 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 0 milesWorkout time: 1:00:00
Press-ups: 26
Core workouts: 1
TOTAL
Run Distance: 4.81 miles
Swimming: 0 m
Cycling: 0 milesWorkout time: 1:00:00
Press-ups: 26
Core workouts: 1
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