How to Lose a Belly When You're 41 (part 7)

Monday
I didn't use the bike for work today.
I did a martial arts based fitness lesson with the sports group, including a bit of circuit training and a decent warm-down at the end.
Back at home, I did my usual Monday night MOT:
Weight - 10st 5lbs
Blood Pressure: 123/74
Heart Rate: 46
I've lost half a stone this year! I'm very pleased with that. Also, the heart rate is the third lowest reading I've ever taken. Maybe this training is working after all!
After dinner I did a hard weight training session of 6 lifts at 5x5 with 300 body weight reps thrown in too!

Tuesday
Back on the bike. I cycled into work and back.
Tonight's karate session was a strange one. It was obviously intended to be a black belt kata refresher but included us brown belts too. Unfortunately, we (the brown belts) only knew one of the three kata, which meant that when we were asked to perform them all the way through, most of the time we were left floundering and quickly gave up. We were looking at each other, shrugging and even laughing. This is not a reflection of how things are normally done at the club, I guess every teacher/instructor has a bad day every now and then. You'll notice that I'm not naming the sensei who took the lesson.
Pancake day! The girls made me a healthy homemade pancake topped with natural yogurt and fruit. Then I had another one!

Wednesday
Cycled in to work.
After lessons, I joined in with Mr Roger's circuit training session. He worked us really hard including loads of exercises with medicine balls and skipping ropes. I took the warm-down at the end, and the whole session lasted 65 minutes in total. I cycled home with aching, wobbly legs.

Thursday
Rest Day!
This morning, the legs were even more wobbly and sore on the cycle ride in to work!
It was a good friend's birthday today and I considered it genuinely rude to refuse some of his homemade birthday cake.
I cycled home to play Dungeons and Dragons with 8 young people - we had a blast!
No exercise today, and some rather unhealthy eating!

Friday
Another Rest Day!?
Couldn't ride in today because I was off to visit mother after work and needed to take my ladders to do a job for her. At Mom's, I managed to eat healthily but couldn't resist a beer! We watched The Martian (highly recommended, clever, feel-good science fiction) and by the time I got home it was after 10pm. I looked at my barbell and simply couldn't be arsed!

Saturday
My target for today was to get back in training mode. So: only healthy food, no booze, and do some exercise!
I went out for a run and managed 56 minutes without stopping/walking. At the end of the run I felt stronger than I usually do. Maybe I'm getting fitter? I had Lucy's homemade chicken and mushroom curry when I got back and consumed no alcohol.

Sunday
This morning was a lot drier and brighter than the weather forecast had predicted. It was even slightly warmer. I called for Jonnie and we set off into the lanes. The wind behind us, we aimed the bikes towards Stratford and set off. Unfortunately, the lanes were rather wet and shiny and I had some of the old trouble going downhill. Jonnie was forced to wait for me twice.
18 miles in, by the time we were south of Binton, our average was a healthy 14.9mph. However, it was at this point where we had to turn into the wind. By the halfway point we were down to 14.7mph. We stopped for lunch at Jane and Eric's place. I watched Jonnie consume freshly made cake while I tried to be healthy with a peanut bar and a banana. 
Then back into the wind and uphill for the remaining 25miles. The wind was strong and our legs weren't. I watched our average dwindle away as we slogged on. 5 miles from home and it was too much. I was hit by the man with the hammer and fell into the grip of the dreaded bonk! Feeling sick, weak, barely able to keep my eyes open, I tried to convince Jonnie to carry on but he wouldn't leave me. He destroyed his own average to stay with me. What a good friend he is.
I eventually struggled home after 49.7 miles with an average speed of 13.2mph.
Later, after soup, toast and beer (Bateman's Dark Lord - recommended!) I had recovered enough for a Valentine's dinner with Lucy.
We visited the Navigation in Lapworth and had a very pleasant meal with a great bottle of Rioja.
I went to bed rather tipsy!