This has to be my last chance to get rid of my flabby body once and for all. 44 should also be the age that I achieve my black belt. If I want to be a black belt then I'd better start behaving like one! It's the beer and cake holding me back so I need to cut back on that stuff while I keep pushing forward with my exercise.
Here we go then, 12 months of consistent, sustained effort and dedication to my training. Goal: 1st dan black belt before I'm 45.
Monday
Blood pressure: 155/76
Resting heart rate: 53
Weight: 10st 6lbs
I cycled in to work on Lucy's heavy, slow mountain bike. It's as though it's made of lumps of scaffolding with iron wheels bolted on to each end. The reason? It's my only option! The Specialized has a puncture which I didn't find the time to repair yesterday, the Carlton is now too dangerous to ride because of the warped back wheel, and Harry has borrowed my mountain bike. Oh well, I'm sure it's a good workout for the legs.
Work was high-stress chaos and I didn't find time to eat anything until almost 5pm! I had no choice but to stay late to try to tame the chaos of my desk and to make sure I was ready for lessons tomorrow.
Then I rode home on Lucy's lumbering tank of a bike.
I cooked a healthy vegetarian meal for the family and was in bed by eleven.
No exercise, no junkfood, no alcohol.
Tuesday
Blood pressure: 133/74
Resting heart rate: 58
Weight: 10st 5lbs
Back on Lucy's heavyweight bike. It was a warm morning and I was far too hot in my thermal base layer and waterproof trousers! I arrived at work a sweaty mess.
Today was even more hectic and stressful than yesterday. It's a good thing I have some fantastic staff working with me.
I lumbered home on the steel pig and then Martha and I dashed off to dojo.
Tonight's session started rather sedately but gathered momentum until eventually I was lucky enough to find myself involved in some sparring with Sensei Lloyd. The first thing I noticed was his speed! It was as though he instinctively knew which technique I would counter with and his block was already there. Then his strength - he doesn't seem to have a soft bit on his body - it's all rock hard muscle! His arm felt like a concrete post when he was swatting my attacks away. Finally, his fitness - as he was relentlessly attacking and backing me up against a wall, I was gasping for breath but he was grinning at me! The whole experience was like trying to spar with a brick wall falling down on top of me. What a fighter! And I know he was taking it easy on me!
I was genuinely winded afterwards and even on the drive on the way home, Martha asked if I was okay. I felt like I'd been in a real scrap, but we'd only been exchanging techniques...
Healthy dinner and a cup of tea, in bed before 10pm.
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol.
Wednesday
Blood pressure: 145/75
Resting heart rate: 56
Weight: 10st 4lbs
I cycled in to work for a highly stressful, demanding day made worse by people's incompetence and lack of planning. After eleven hours of that, I was glad to get out of there.
I got home at 7:30pm to discover that, even though it was my turn to cook, my lovely girlfriend had the dinner ready.
I chilled out on the couch for the rest of the evening. I met Martha from work at 11pm and then crawled into bed ready to do it all again tomorrow.
No exercise, no junkfood, no alcohol.
Thursday
Blood pressure: 147/72
Resting heart rate: 53
Weight: 10st 4lbs
I cycled to work. I sat through an emotional assembly given by the mother of a knife crime victim. Then I separated two students who wanted to fight about knife crime. I cycled home.
My fitness plan is spread between two types of exercise: Cycling and Karate which I love, and weight training and running which I only do to compliment cycling and Karate. Cycling is my hobby, and Karate is my way of life. I only do the other two to train my body.
I hate running. I really, really hate running. However, according to my Strava account, I use up 421 calories per hour on the bike, but I burn 819 during an hour run. Also, running is rather more convenient than cycling. I just put on my shoes and shorts and I'm off. I don't have to snap on layers of Lycra, lubricate my gears or check my tyre pressures.
But I still hate it: it hurts and it's boring. I can't even have music on when I run because those little earphones just fall out of my big ears.
Tonight, I was aware of a pain in my quadriceps after about a mile. Trouble is, the pain got worse and worse and worse until, after 5 miles, I had to slow to a walk. After about 30 seconds of walking, I tried to run again but my legs had stiffened up and I now felt like I was tottering about on two wooden planks. I couldn't run anymore so I called Lucy to tell her I'd be late home. I walked the last mile in some discomfort. I set my slowest time ever for a 10K: 74 minutes, 41 seconds.
At home, frustrated and demotivated, I spread out on the couch, drank 3 beers and watched the whole of The Outlaw Josey Wales.
10K run/walk, no junkfood, 3 beers.
Friday
Blood pressure: 137/67
Resting heart rate: 61
Weight: 10st 3lbs
I cycled in to work and had a nice day with one of my ICT groups. They're a bit quiet but I hope they'll start to get some more confidence before Christmas.
After work, I'd arranged to meet my old cycling buddy and former work colleague Roger. He rode the Mad March Hare with us in 2015. Debbie, Lucy and Craig came with us too. We met in a Wetherspoon pub where I found a delicious Chocolate and Vanilla Stout by Titanic. It was a lovely drink, a nice treat, but not something I could drink regularly - it was like drinking pudding! Anyway, after three of those, and hearing Roger's good news about buying a new bike and wanting to get back on the road again, I was feeling quite giddy. All thoughts of my black belt were cast from my mind and I went home to drink more beer, eat junkfood and stay up late.
My determination and willpower lasted less than 5 days.
I'm pathetic.
No exercise, 5 beers, junkfood.
Saturday
Blood pressure: 152/79
Resting heart rate: 54
Weight: 10st 3lbs
Predictably, I got up feeling terrible after an equally terrible night's sleep.
By the time I got to Karate this afternoon, I was feeling a bit better. It was a technical lesson and I was asked to try to supervise one of our more challenging students: a nice young chap with different needs. I don't think I did I very good job. I was also asked to demonstrate some kicks for the class. I don't think that went very well either, but that's because my legs are still aching and sore from Thursday's failed 10K run. It was a good session which covered kihon, kata and Aladdin.
Back at home, after a bit of housework, Lucy and I had a fantastic homemade dinner followed by a film. Watching the film also involved drinking 3 bottles of ale and munching on chocolate-covered Brazil nuts...
I picked Martha up from work at 11:30pm.
Karate, junkfood, 3 bottles of ale
Sunday
Blood pressure: 132/72
Resting heart rate: 61
Weight: 10st 6lbs
Up at 7:30am. None of my usual cycling buddies were available to ride so I set off into the lanes on a solo ride. It was a beautiful start to the day with lots of hazy sunshine and hardly a puff of wind. However, it was rather cold! I could see my breath when I wheeled the bike out of the garage. I'd estimate it to be about 2 degrees when I pedalled off up the road.
I went along the Coughton route and only took one wrong turn during the whole ride. I got chatting to a couple of cyclists on the way, one of whom used to build frames for Reynolds!
I found it hard going, the legs always seeming to be on the edge of cramping up, but I eventually rolled into Wilmcote after 35 miles. Unfortunately, I'd accidentally left my phone on silent for the morning and this had worried the family. I'd had 11 missed calls from Jane and Lucy, Jane was in tears and Eric had gone out in the car looking for me... Sorry everyone.
After cake, a banana and a cup of tea, and after listening to The Country Music channel with Eric, I was ready for the ride back.
I felt okay, tried to keep the pressure on, and eventually rolled home after 51 miles of cycling in the beautiful sunshine.
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| I tried clicking the Add Friends button. It didn't have the desired effect. |
I had a healthy lunch and did some washing up.
Eric came round to watch Liverpool draw 0-0 with Man City. I drank three beers. Lucy made a wonderful dinner. I ate apple pies.
Bed before 11.
50 miles of cycling, junkfood, 3 beers
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