How to Lose a Belly When You're 42 (part 16)

If you give me 19 days off work, 19 days filled with parties and days out, I'm going to enjoy them! This Christmas, I hardly gave the idea of 'training' a second thought as I applied myself to beer, mince pies, chocolates and biscuits like a starving man at a banquet.

I went to visit the good people at Walsall Road allotments. They have taken over Mom and Dad's plot and have already done a great deal of work on it. They intend to keep it going in 2017 too. What wonderful friends they are.

Some of the Gentlemen at Walsall Road Allotments

I did manage to fit in at least four bicycle rides: one with a couple of mountain bike buddies, two with Jonnie and the last one with the Arden Cycling Club.

The mountain bike ride was the traditional Christmas Eve one with Deadly Dan and Craig over the Lickey Hills and Waseley Hills. It's a great feeling to be able to ride, chat and take in the views without having to be aware of traffic. Rolling along the canal immediately brought back memories of many happy hours spent with the AMBS when I first got interested in cycling as a hobby.

Craig and my belly in the Lickey Hills

Back on the road bike, Jonnie and I cycled down to Wilmcote in freezing, foggy conditions. It was a beautiful but eerie experience out in the deserted country lanes. We saw only one other cyclist in the 30 miles we travelled. The countryside was frosted white and the fog covered everything in the fields making me feel like we were cycling through a dream.

A beautiful, unreal day.

Father Christmas was very kind to me again and I received lots of fantastic gifts. One of my favourite presents was a Star Trek Voyager box set. However, this hardly inspires me to get off the couch and get moving in the new year!

Quite a few hours on the couch here...

In 2017, I'll be back on my old training plan.
I'm training for three events this year: the Mad March Hare sportive, the Tommy Godwin Challenge (100k), and the Birmingham 10k which I'm determined to complete in under an hour.
I'm currently a rounded 10st 11lbs. I will be 10st 0lbs or less when I get on my bike for the Mad March Hare on March 5th.