I managed to cycle to work and back today - I borrowed the car from Lucy in the afternoon to make the journey to the other campus.
I'd read that weight training can help with high cholesterol so I took to the bar with much gusto. I lifted heavier than I have since my injury in March. Afterwards, I was aching quite badly and it was an effort to hobble around the kitchen to make dinner!
Tonight, Lucy and Sally attended a Couch to 5K training session in a local park. Lucy returned looking very healthy and pleased with herself. I really hope she sticks to it because the sense of achievement when you get when you reach your fitness goals is hard to beat!
No junkfood, no alcohol
Tuesday
Cycled to work and back. Martha and I attended dojo and were put through our paces by Sensei Julian Cunningham. It was an intensive basics training session with Sensei taking the time to correct those whose technique needed to be adjusted. Drinks breaks were reduced to 10 seconds and then you were expected to be back on the line and ready to go again. Just like the old days! Unfortunately, the pace was too high for Martha and she sat out for the last 10 minutes. She is aware that she has been entered for a competition next month and I'm sure she'll work hard to get ready for that.
In the evening, I sipped two beers in front of the TV with the family.
No junkfood.
Wednesday
10st 5lbs
Resting Heart Rate: 43
Cycled to work and back. Tonight was the last ever D&D session with my players. Three of them start university very soon so won't be able to attend our weekly sessions. I ended the campaign with a climatic confrontation with a dracolich (Night Dragon) followed by a look into each character's future and how they eventually met their end! It was all a bit emotional so the players recovered with homemade chocolate mousse which I managed to resist! The game and celebrations ran over a little and by the time I got home from dropping them all off it was after 10pm. I couldn't find the energy to do my planned weight lifting session.
I drank a cup of tea, played some Minecraft, went to bed at 11 and slept like a baby.
(Lucy went for a run tonight - I really hope she enjoys getting into exercise!)
No junkfood, no alcohol, no exercise.
Thursday
Cycled in to work. In the afternoon, I took the sports group on our planned 2 mile run. One of the lads, whippet thin and full of energy, set a good time of under 18 minutes. Another fella, a former weight lifter who is now, by his own admission, rather overweight, struggled round in 31 minutes. I ran with him and was there when he was retching in a bush with the effort! The other lads made a very disappointing show and spent most of their time waking and talking. I have a lot of work to do with them!
I cycled home, got changed, and set off on my proper run. Unfortunately, I had left my phone at work and so couldn't Strava my 10K tonight. I used my stopwatch and finished in 62 minutes and 52 seconds. I felt strong for the first 4 and half miles and then it was just pain to the end.
At home, I discovered that Lucy had been booze shopping! I sipped a glass of cava after my run and then had 2 ales with dinner.
No junkfood.
Friday
Cycled to work and back. After work, I had an ECG at the local surgery - just to keep an eye on me after I reported some strange sensations in the chest recently. They're just being overly cautious.
In the evening, Martha and I attended the advanced karate class. Sensei Ronnie was away running a grading session at Stratford but I was glad to see Sensei Mark had taken his place. Sensei Mark once said that he 'hates teaching' and would rather train. I don't believe a word of it - tonight, he once again proved himself to be a highly motivated and passionate instructor who always expects the best from his students. Great session.
Home for homecooked dinner and a cup of tea before bed.
No junkfood, no alcohol.
Saturday
Up early for a healthy breakfast. Jane the cakemaker arrived shortly afterwards and then Lucy and the dogs piled into the car with us and we set off for Sutton Park. We were joining Jonnie and Sally and their family to take part in the 2017 Birmingham Memory Walk raising money for the Alzheimer's Society. Please take a look at our Justgiving page.
We arranged to meet at 9:30 and Lucy, Jane and I were concerned that we were 10 minutes late because of traffic. We got to the start point where we were subjected to sugar-sweet pop hits and an overly-enthusiastic MC. And then it started to rain! We waited until we were soaked through before deciding to buy some plastic ponchos (blue bin liners!) All they did was seal the moisture in!
Unfortunately, we had to wait for some family members who turned up two and half hours late. We had missed the official mass start by an hour and by now I was shivering and miserable and my feet were just blocks of ice. At least it had stopped raining.
Eventually, we set off and were surprised to find that we were still surrounded by crowds of people as we strolled through Sutton Park. The mass start must have been a real crush! I hadn't realised how crowded it would be - I had brought the dogs with me and Freddie was having a tough time of it on the lead. I had hoped that he'd have a bit more space to run around in.
Anyway, the 5K walk was very pleasant and the weather was gradually becoming warmer. It was a strange sensation: the top half of me was beginning to sweat whereas my feet were still completely numb with cold wrapped in soaking wet socks.
By the time the walk was over, everyone was in fine spirits and the medals finally put a smile on my face.
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| The Cakemaker and me with our medals |
We got in the car and queued up to get out of the park.
Later on, I did a weight lifting session before dinner and then headed out with Jane and Lucy to the Fieldhouse. We experienced the majesty that was DJ Penny on the decks, spinning our favourite tunes from the 70s and 80s. Her assistant, DJ Nigel, spent the hour cutting shapes on the dancefloor!
No junkfood, three ales.
Sunday
Unfortunately, a family member was taken ill and went to hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning. This meant that I had to miss out on this morning's cycle. Nigel and Jonnie did 24 hilly miles without me.
I managed to cram in yet another weight lifting session in the evening when we got back from the hospital. I allowed myself three beers and some trifle after dinner.
Another acceptable week of training with the weight heading in the right direction.
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