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.