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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

How to Lose a Belly When You're 41 (part 22)

This has been my second week of not training.

Monday
Even though I got up on Monday with the best of intentions, it was obvious that my shoulder/neck was no better. No training.

Tuesday 
At Karate, I jarred my neck doing the easiest kata I know before the lesson had even started (during the 6th move of Hein Shodan when you quickly turn the head before the 90 degree turn into gedan barai.) With a throbbing pain in my neck I continued the lesson but I couldn't put any power into any techniques. During each drinks break, Martha tried to convince me to sit out but I was determined to continue. I was very glad that we didn't do any sparring tonight.

Wednesday
Cycled to work and back.
No training, some beer.

Thursday
Cycled to work and back.
No training, some beer and junkfood.

Friday
Cycled to work, to the pub and then carefully back home on the cycle path.
This was the last day at work before we broke up for half term.
Some staff went to the Pumphouse in Shirley where I found a very reasonably priced pint of Purity Gold (cheaper than I'd seen it in a bottle in one off licence I know!)  I accidentally drank four of these and then went home to party with the family. I sampled another couple of ales while manning the barbeque and chiminea. My mate Nigel came along to the barbeque for a brief while and sampled my cooking. He was planning on going cycling in the morning and invited me along with him.
I found myself dancing around the garden as the sun went down! (Hic!)

Saturday
The hangover woke me up at 5am. It was then that I realised that a life of no training is no good for me! I took some aspirin and drank a pint of water. After not managing to fall asleep again, I crawled out of bed at 7 with my head banging. Somehow, I kept my breakfast down and then got into my Lycra.
I met Nigel at The Fieldhouse. Nigel is a fairly new cyclist - having started to ride out in the lanes with his friends about 18 months ago. I've invited him to ride with me countless times but he has been put off by my Strava data (although why this should be, I have no idea!) I'm just glad he finally decided to have me along. 
He is powerfully built and owns a top of the range carbon Specialized Roubaix with disc brakes: my dream bike! We set off east and it wasn't long before we were in familiar lanes. Also, it wasn't long before I realised that, in my current condition, I was no match for Nigel on the flat or downhill. He shot into the descents and I had no hope of staying with him. He modestly explained that it must be our weight difference. However, I wasn't convinced - something else was going on.
A little later, while riding along on an unfamiliar lane, and one I shall be incorporating into my own routes, it was obvious that Nigel had fantastic downhill skills. I kept an eye on him as he descended in front of me and saw how he shifted his weight on the bike and leaned into corners. I asked him about it again and he explained that he had spent a decade as a motorcyclist! It had certainly given him some impressive abilities as a bike handler.




I was relieved when the route started to head upwards. I was able to sit and spin my way up the hills next to Nigel and enjoy the rest of the day. He was manfully determined to ride up everything in the big ring which looked like a lot of hard work. We had a chat about it but I don't think I convinced him to try the smaller gears.
At twenty miles, we stopped off at the Dynamic Rides cafe. I could only face a cup of weak tea while Nigel was a true cyclist and went for coffee and flapjack.
In the last five miles, feeling a bit more like my old self, I got on the front and kept the pace high. Happily, Nigel had no trouble staying with me and even got some gold cups on Strava for his efforts. 
A good ride with a good bloke: 25.1 miles at 15.3 mph. 
Strava here.
My shoulder and neck were still aching but the knee held. I'm glad I'm making progress.
Saturday afternoon was more partying at another barbeque for a 70th birthday bash.
I ended up a little worse for wear again!

Sunday
In the morning, I didn't have the energy to do much apart from tidy the man cave and watch the Giro d'Italia. The family went over to enjoy Nigel's open garden which raised nearly £300 for charity. Nice work, fella! And good beer and hotdogs too! My third barbeque in a row!


Apart from a good bike ride it was another wasted week. I've put 2 pounds back on since I haven't been able to train. Obviously, if I'm not exercising, I need to cut down on the beer and cake. Unfortunately, I seem to be doing the opposite...

Sunday, May 22, 2016

How to Lose a Belly When You're 41 (Part 21)

Something I didn't mention from last week's post: I rode the whole of the Pedal of Honour with a pain in my left foot. Every turn of the pedal was accompanied by an ache that ran from my shin to the end of my toes. When I got off the bike, the foot was fine. 
In the morning, I had a pain in my left shoulder that lasted the entire week. 
When I bent down, I had a sharp stabbing pain in my right knee.

With all this in mind , I decided to listen to my body and take a rest - the first week off training this year.

So, this week, I didn't lift any weights, didn't do a run and didn't attend circuit training. I did, however, attend dojo twice and do a Sunday morning ride with Jonnie.

When I called for Jonnie on Sunday morning, he was rather the worse for wear. He had been partying until 1:30am that morning. His eyes reminded me of two watery pink bowls on a white tablecloth. Heroically, he set off into the lanes...

At the top of The Farm.
We set a pace of 14.7mph over 15 miles. After a cup of tea at our favourite stop (thanks, Jane!) we set off uphill for the remaining 15 miles. Incredibly, Jonnie found his legs and increased our pace to 15mph for the 31.9 mile ride!
Even more incredibly, he set a new PB for Tom's Hill - a climb he must have ridden at least 30 times before!

This week has been a relaxing 7 days of good food, bad food and lashings of beer. I know I must have put weight on but I think, ironically, my body will have benefited from the rest.
I'm looking forward to getting back into training again tomorrow!


Sunday, May 15, 2016

How to Lose a Belly When You're 41 (part 20) - The Pedal of Honour!

Monday
10st 3lbs
Unbelievably, I put on another pound last week. Lucy good-naturedly tried to convince me that it was a pound of muscle.
It doesn't feel like muscle.
I'll stick to this 'new' plan of reduced alcohol/junkfood for the next five weeks and see how things balance out. If I'm still not making progress, I'll reduce it further.

Today, I cycled to work and back. I'd spent the entire day at work with a slight hangover from yesterday and my legs felt lifeless. When I got home I simply couldn't face my 10K run.
I made the family and myself a fairly healthy meal of Mexican scrambled eggs (with peppers, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes) with my homemade paprika potato wedges. After that, I played records in the man cave and drank 3 ales...

Tuesday
The torrential rain made me drive to work today. I've ridden to work in the rain many times before, I just didn't fancy it today.
After work, Martha and I went to dojo. There was some fairly intense fighting training tonight. I only got to fight once and I lost. Went home feeling like crap.
No junkfood, no alcohol.

Wednesday
I'm doing an organised bike ride on Saturday so I won't be able to do my Saturday morning 10K. Tonight was the only chance I had of doing it this week (after my failure on Monday) so I skipped circuit training and did a run instead. I'd been at work for 10 hours and hadn't had time for lunch: my 10K was therefore a little slow at 61 minutes and 19 seconds.
No junkfood, no alcohol.

Thursday 
The usual whirlwind Thursday - work work work, home for Dungeons and Dragons, drop children home, start lifting at 10pm!
It was a good heavy lift including deadlifts and military presses.
No junkfood, no alcohol.

Friday
After work, I went along for a good Karate kata session and then straight home for homemade beef chilli with cous cous and salad. Bed before midnight, ready for the Pedal of Honour in the morning!
No junkfood, no booze.

Saturday - The Pedal of Honour 2016
I've never ridden the Pedal of Honour before. Jonnie has completed it twice. The ride is organised by Jonnie's mate Dave Salisbury and his good friend Lewis. Dave owns a couple of pubs in the Chilterns. The idea is to ride from one of his pubs to the other via a picturesque 52 mile route raising loads of money for charity on the way!
I was up at 5:30am for tea and toast and then Jonnie called for me at 7. We spent 90 minutes driving on the motorway and A roads and then suddenly we were at the Alford Arms in Frithsden.
"It's not a race!" This message has been drilled in to us via the emails, printed instructions and even at the rider briefing at the start. We were encouraged to take it easy and ride together. The objective was to have fun and raise some money for a good cause - the local hospices.
Decked out in our brand new Pedal of Honour jerseys, Dave, Jonnie and I set off with 60 other riders at 10am. We had been given a free breakfast of bacon sandwiches and coffee (I just had coffee) and the sun was shining. It would have been perfect if not for a goose-pimple inducing cold wind.


Dave, me, Jonnie at the start in our new fantastic and entirely inappropriate black jerseys. 

Firstly, I must say something about the state of the roads. Jonnie had warned me last Sunday that the roads on the PoH were rather more 'worn' than those in the lanes by where we live.The roads on the PoH were shocking! Huge potholes, cracks the size of shallow ditches, and gravel were everywhere on almost every lane! My shitty descending was made even shittier by the obstacles in the road (actually, the road itself became the obstacle!) There were many times I'd wished I'd brought my mountain bike instead. Maybe this was how those NWAlps chaps felt on their recent Black Country ride?
The first part of the ride was a climb so long and gradual that I hardly noticed. Jonnie and Dave were chatting away so I took the opportunity to move up the line and bit and stretch the legs. I found myself at the top of the Chilterns looking down over some beautiful countryside. And then suddenly, steeply, we were descending!
It wasn't long before Jonnie was back on my wheel shouting at me, "Anthony, you're not even pedalling, you fucker!" as he sped past. Then down, down, down for the next 15 miles or so until we reached our first stop - the Russel Arms pub. We were treated to a feast of bananas, energy drinks, water, chocolate flapjacks and beer! All for free!


Outside the Russel Arms pub.

Cheers, Jonnie!
After refreshing ourselves (I enjoyed a flapjack and a pint and a half of ale,) we leapt back onto the bikes for our next challenge - Whiteleaf Hill.
Happily, I'd brought my climbing legs with me (or was it the ale that powered me upwards?) Yes, I was quickly into my tiniest gear because the gradient had to be respected, but when I thought the climb had levelled out for a while, I eventually realised that it was over! Phew, nowhere near as bad as I expected!
And then the descent...
If I could design a descent, it could be no better than the 4 miles after Whiteleaf Hill. The gradient was just right to build up a head of speed and then hold it there around 25mph, no braking necessary. The bends in the road were smooth and the countryside gorgeous. The climb and that descent were probably the most enjoyable 5 miles of road riding I've ever done!
The next stop was the Old Queens Head. Not only were we provided with bananas, water and beer, there was also sausage and chips laid on. The sausages and chips would be too greasy for me to ride on but I helped myself to another couple of pints and a banana!


Free beer and cycling! What could go wrong?

So, with a nicely fuzzy head, we headed out for the last 14 miles. Jonnie stated that he was going to have to concentrate a lot more now that he was fuelled with ale. Very sensible, I thought.


Uncle Jonnie - beer-fuelled cycling machine.
I decided it was time to stretch the legs again. I moved up the line and latched onto the back wheel of the guy up front whose name I later found out was John. We broke away and got up to 19mph. I got on the front for a while while we tackled some terrible road surfaces. John got on the front again as the road kicked up but I couldn't stay with him. I wished him luck and then parked up in some trees at the top of a climb, waiting to take some photos of Dave and Jonnie. It turned out that they had stopped to help someone with a puncture!

Dave: Who the hell is that bald guy behind the tree?
Down another tricky descent with a hairpin bend and then we were in the final stages of the ride. We came to a hill and I had a little run at it. When I got to the top, I spotted the course photographer who told me that this was the finish! I turned and went back down the hill so I could ride in with Jonnie and Dave. It should make for a great photo but it hasn't appeared on the website yet. At Dave's pub, the Royal Oak, we were treated to a barrel of the local ale and a fantastic barbecue! If only all rides were created like this. 

The barbecue

The beer - a pint or two by the local brewers Rebellion: I wasn't impressed, but it was free so I wasn't complaining!

After everyone had arrived safely, Lewis stood up to make some announcements and give awards such as 'tightest jersey' and 'best bike'. Needless to say, the revelling went on until midnight and involved two other pubs, a 110mph drive and the Eurovision song contest. What a day!
51.89 miles at 14.0mph

Sunday
I woke up in a spare room at Dave's house. I had tea and toast and watched the Giro until the lads woke up. Jonnie drove us home for midday. Lucy welcomed me home with a wonderful homemade cake (bang went any healthy eating plans for the day!) and then I got ready for dojo.
My legs and shoulders were aching so badly that my techniques all suffered. Sensei did his best to get me back up to speed but body wasn't at its best! 
Home for more lovely grub and pudding but no alcohol.



Friday, May 6, 2016

How to Lose a Belly When You're 41 (part 19)

Monday
10st 2lbs
Seriously!? I put 3 pounds of flab back on last week?
That does it, as from right now I'm adjusting my training program. I can't possibly fit any more exercise in to the week so I'm going to have to reduce the beer and cake intake.
I always hoped that exercise would allow me to eat more of what I wanted. I guess it doesn't work that way...

So, after a nice trip up town with the family (which included Lucy and me enjoying a beer in The Victoria while the kids were busy doing something else) I went home to do some weight lifting.
It was the heaviest lift I've managed to do this year and I put the emphasis on legs (squats and deadlifts).
I ate healthily all day.

Tuesday
I didn't managed to ride the bike to work today - I had a load of folders to take in with me so I had to use the car. However, I still attended dojo, ate healthily and avoided alcohol.

Wednesday

Cycled to work. After lessons, I took part in Mr Roger's circuit training. I was, as usual, training alongside a remarkable lady named Denise who's training journey has seen her lose 21 lbs so far this year! She has had to get rid of her old clothes because they don't fit her anymore. I did my best to keep up with her...
I cycled slowly home.
No junkfood, no alcohol.

Thursday
Cycled to work and back,
At home, after I had dropped all the Dungeons and Dragons players home, I did a good lifting session. Unfortunately, during the barbell shrugs, I twinged my back picking up the weights. I managed to complete the session with a lifting belt on as tight as it would go.
No junkfood, no alcohol.

Friday
I had to drive again today - working at two different campuses. I had a problem with my back during this mornings lessons - sudden recurring stabbing pains in my lower back. I took it very easy and by lunch time they had gone. I must double-check my form when it comes to weight training!
This evening, I attended the leaving event of a good friend of mine. This resulted in the the drinking of three ales! I did, however, manage to eat healthily for the day.
No exercise at all...

Saturday
I got up for a first breakfast of an orange and half a glass of water. For my morning 10K, I stepped out into a gloriously sunny, still day. It was quickly apparent that I didn't need my two technical layers and I was soon overheating. It didn't help that I'd gone off to fast and ended up spending the rest of the run trying to recover. I ended up with a time of one hour and 21 seconds.
I did a 3 mile walk in Sutton Park with the dogs, ate healthily (salmon and veggies) and didn't drink alcohol.

Sunday
Today was the first and only training ride for the Pedal of Honour which Jonnie and I are riding next week.
We set off at 8am - the air was only a little chilly but the sun was already high and bright. I wore one layer with arm warmers. It felt good to be in my fingerless gloves for the first time this year! In good spirits, we chatted our way along the country lanes towards Ulenhall. At this point, the arm warmers were peeled down and Jonnie's jacket came off. Proper summer cycling now!


Jonnie going well in the sunshine.

Determined to keep the average above 14mph, I did my best to throw myself after Jonnie on the descents and he got stuck in to the climbs. Descending through Binton, I did my best to stay with Jonnie. I didn't brake and I pedalled hard when the speed dropped. However, he continued to pull away and he had to wait for me when we reached the busy B439. Through Luddington and then to Wilmcote, we kept the pace high but manageable. The sun was very hot by this point and we had been battling into a slight headwind. We were very glad to reach our cake stop to refuel on tea and still-warm homemade lemon cake!


Cake! Still warm!

Back in the saddle and the climbing began. I was pleased to find that I had my climbing legs with me today and I was able to set some decent times on the uphill segments on Strava. We cruised through Snitterfield and eventually came to Langley and Preston Green for two of our 'favourite' climbs - The Widowmaker and the Two Towers. We managed to keep going hard and hold the average above 14mph.

Upon reaching the Punch Bowl pub we accidentally parked up the bikes and enjoyed a pint in the beer garden. Now this was real Pedal of Honour training!


Dedicated training

The remaining 5 miles went by in a pleasant blur of chats and laughs (and a bit of road rage from myself!)
Ride: 52 miles at 14.4mph.

Later on, after walking the dogs in the blazing sunshine, I found myself too tired for karate. The idea of being able to do any successful kicks was laughable - my legs felt like lead. So instead, I enjoyed an evening of ales, red wine and pudding!
Cheers!








Monday, May 2, 2016

How to Lose a Belly When You're 41 (part 18)

Getting ready for the Great Birmingham 10K - Sid is caffeine fuelled!


Monday
9st 13lbs
Heart Rate: 47 bpm
This is the first time I've weighed less than 10 stones since September 2014. So, maybe my current training plan is worth sticking to?
Today, I woke up with a bit of a headache. I guess I should have drunk water not beer after all that exercise yesterday. I cycled to work and back and then, really hungry, decided to do a weights session before dinner. But it was too much. Hungry, maybe dehydrated, and still a bit tired from yesterday's efforts, I failed on the 5th exercise - 5x5 barbell bicep curls at 38k. When I got to the 4th set I simply couldn't curl the bar upwards. I knew it was all over so I put the weights down and went to enjoy a huge dinner of Lucy's homemade chicken and vegetable curry with rice. Nom!
No alcohol, no junkfood.

Tuesday
Cycled to work and back.
A tremendous kata and fighting lesson at karate tonight. The brown and black belts were lined up against each other in an 'any attack, any defense' situation. It was fast and furious and highly effective! Very enjoyable.
No alcohol, no junkfood.

Wednesday
Cycled to work. After lessons, I joined in with Mr Roger's circuit training session. This evening, we were doing another fitness test, so we could compare the results to those from last month. I was pleased to find that, of the 8 different tests he put us through, I had improved in 6 of them!


This month's results. Pesky power jumps...

After this, we did a workout with medicine balls and I led the group through the warm-down. I cycled home for an exciting night of healthy eating and no alcohol.

Thursday
Cycled in to work and back.
Home for a not very healthy dinner (gammon and eggs with chips!) and Dungeons and Dragons with my young people. After I had dropped them all home it was 10pm. I picked up the weights to do exactly the same workout that I had failed to complete on Tuesday. Happily, I got through it, along with 100 press ups, 100 tricep dips and 100 leg raises. I finished it in just under an hour and then sat on the couch with a midnight feast of muesli!


The workout it took me two attempts to do (measurements are in kilograms)

Friday
I couldn't ride the bike today - I had to transport armfuls of folders between campuses. Back at home, we went around to our next door neighbours' house for a dinner party. It was a very civilized affair with me drinking 3 ales, not eating any pudding and falling into bed before midnight!

Saturday
Weight: 10st 0lbs
I ventured out into the lanes on my bike for a slow and steady 16 miles at 13.9mph. At one point I was overtaken by 3 blokes, none of whom said 'good morning' as we approached Lowsonford. I stayed with them on the descent and then closed the gap on the climb. These chaps were continually shouting at each other. I heard the following:
stick to the plan!
you should be on front!
5th gear, bitch!
Right! Right! Right!
etc.
It was all very embarrassing. I just had to stay on their back wheel on climbs simply because I couldn't get past. Oh well, so long as they're happy!
Unfortunately, about 3 miles from home, I felt a large twinge, sort of like an electric shock in my left knee. I immediately snapped down into the little ring and cruised home. 
I spent the rest of the day with my knee strapped up and praying that it was alright for the 10K in the morning.
My brother and Mom came to pick me up for lunch in the Roebuck in Alcester. It was a very pleasant meal with the highlight being Timothy Taylor Landlord on tap! I had ice cream too. tut tut

Sunday
The Great Birmingham 10K! At the start line, the main problem was the cold. Wearing only shorts and two technical tops, I was shivering and I think Sid was cold too but he's too hard to mention it. I got up close to the exhaust of a bus and tried to stay warm that way!




At the start


Before the start

After some awful 80s music, we set off at a steady pace down through Digbeth and on to the Pershore Road. Sid was taking it really easy to stay with me, even running backwards to encourage me at points. Just before we got to the Pershore Road, we passed a pub with a DJ and sound system outside. There was some dance music playing and I saw a woman dressed like a lady of the night who may or may not have been a 'dancer'. The person with the microphone (a regular, the DJ, the landlord?) was shouting encouragement to the runners. An example of this is when he shouted: 'Go on, you fat fucker.' Nice.


Halfway, coming up to the hills

There was a great atmosphere on the Pershore Road with local communities coming out to play music, bang drums and sing. All very much appreciated. Our fan club (Lucy and the girls) were making a hell of a racket as the runners went past! When we got to Edgbaston Cricket Club, Sid had to go for a wee (even though he had 2 before we started!) so he told me to keep going while he ducked into the gents. I took the advantage of wide roads to make up a few places. Sid had to run like the Deuce to catch up - he's mega fit!
The second time we passed our fan club, we decided to drop and give them 5 press ups before carrying on - just to show off!
Then came the hills. There were two reasonably steep hills in quick succession - and hills were not something I had trained for...
I found it really hard and my pace dropped off. Sid stayed with me and gave me a swig of his water. At this point, he began saying things like 'the time doesn't matter, it's good to just complete the run,' but I wasn't having any of it. I was determined to get round in under an hour. I told him this and he told me to stay on his heels as he picked up the pace. And off we went...
I pushed myself really hard to stay with him and I'm pleased to report that we finished with a time of: 58 minutes and 54 seconds which is my best for the distance. Interestingly, both my brother's Runkeeper and my Strava measured the Birmingham 10K as 10.46 Kilometres... My Strava even estimated my actual 10K time to be 55m 59s.


Just finished!

After the run, we met up with the family and went for donuts. At home, Lucy made a lovely chicken curry and then we had trifle! 


It's all over, phew!

So this week has been a success: my personal best time for 10K along with getting my weight under 10 stone. Perhaps I will stick to my current training plan after all.