I cycled to work and back.
I did a mini-MOT on myself when I got home:
Weight: 10st 7lbs
Blood Pressure: 122/73
Heart Rate: 57
This means I've lost another pound in weight; 5 pounds lost so far this year!
I picked up the weights tonight for an hour's lifting session before dinner.
Tuesday
Cycled into work and back.
Martha and I went along to the dojo for our Karate lesson. Sensei Gary worked the brown and black belts really hard in some kumite (fighting) techniques with lots of one-step sparring. We all had to be very aware and on form tonight! Great session. All the brown belts I spoke to wished we did more of this stuff.
Wednesday
Cycled to work and back.
No circuit training tonight (there was a major meeting going on at work) so I did some lifting at home. I'm increasing the amount of weight I'm lifting to the point where I have to really have to work hard to keep my form. Feels good!
Thursday
Rest day! I decided that this old body needed a rest. I've done some form of exercise for at least an hour every day since 4th January. Today (28th January) I felt a bit weak and lacking in energy. So I had a rest. I still rode the bike to work and back but it's a total of 9 flat miles so it doesn't really count!
No exercise today.
I continued to eat healthily and didn't drink any beer.
Friday
Couldn't cycle to work today because I had to work at a different campus in the afternoon which meant carrying folders with me. So I had to use a car and queue up on the A45 with the rest of the cagers!
Tonight's martial arts lesson was taken by Sensei Mark. As usual, the emphasis was on spirit, effort and traditional karate values. No talking, no fidgeting, no long water breaks, and definitely no taking it easy! I was inspired to keep practising my kicks in the kitchen when I got home! A great session.
Saturday
I went for a run in the dark. It was bitterly cold and for the first 2 miles I really struggled to keep going. My fingers were numb and my whole body was cold. I was wearing two layers: a thermal base layer and a technical t-shirt, but this didn't seem to be enough. Gradually, however, I stopped focusing on how cold I felt and let my mind drift. Eventually, I found myself eating up the distance and I didn't feel cold anymore. By the time I got home, 54 minutes later, I felt warm and strong and could easily have continued! Maybe this jogging lark isn't too bad after all!
Who am I kidding? It still sucks compared to cycling...
I continued to eat healthily even though the evil Lucy tried to tempt me with Chinese takeaway!
Sunday
A cold and wet morning, with a steady drizzle and standing water all over the roads. A perfect morning for snuggling up under the duvet for a while.
So instead, being a cyclist, I leapt out of bed and onto the bike and rode up to Jonnie's place. We headed off to Wilmcote, chatting and taking it easy but still being mindful of our average speed. The standing water presented no problem to Jonnie and he still hurled himself downhill like a lunatic (today reaching speeds of 34mph!). The fastest I dared to go today was 26mph, and then I was quickly back on the brakes!
After refueling with banana bread (today is a cheat day!) we climbed back home for a respectable 31.3 miles at 13.7mph.
After cleaning the bike and consuming a traditional cyclists tea break (with homemade Eccles cake! - thanks Mom!) I did some ironing, had a shower and then Martha and I went off to our Karate session. The emphasis for the black and brown belts was very much on fighting this afternoon. We did lots of one-step sparring and then the lesson culminated in a match. Martha fought very well and was unlucky to lose against a girl who was a higher grade but whose kicks were inferior to hers. I was fortunate enough to win my scrap against a fellow brown belt.
At home, reveling in my cheat day, I enjoyed some Toblerone and a couple of ales!
Cheers!
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