So I 'achieved' the expected result - a fat belly and little energy. I did manage to go for a highly enjoyable Christmas Eve ride with Fast Ant followed by a equally splendid outing with Jonnie and Roger a week later.
But now, it's time to get serious. I have two very clear goals in 2019: to prepare for both the Mad March Hare and the Tommy Godwin Challenge (they are only a month apart this year) and to achieve my dan grade (black belt) in Shotokan Karate.
My training plan is based around healthy eating, cutting down on booze and trying to exercise every day. Of course, I will allow myself some slack each week so I can relax and socialise, but I know I won't achieve my goals with the lack of willpower I displayed last year.
Onward and upward...
Monday 31st December 2018
Lucy put me to work as soon as I'd had my breakfast. We set about wrenching up the decking at the back of the garden. This involved 90 minutes of sawing, lifting and heaving with a crowbar! Needless to say, by the end of it I was sweating heavily and very aware of my lack of fitness.
I measured my stats when I finally had a sit down in the man cave:
Weight: 10st 6lbs
Blood Pressure: 146/79
Resting Heart Rate: 73
After this, I went off and did 16 miles on the bike at a 14.1mph pace.
Later in the evening, Lucy and I went to visit the next door neighbours to celebrate the New Year. Obviously, this involved unhealthy foods and beer!
Cycling, junkfood, 5 beers
Tuesday 1st January 2019
Happy New Year!
I woke up without a hangover which was rather nice.
I didn't find time to do my stats this morning.
However, I did find a video from Strava which showed my training activities for 2018:
Obviously, the 81 days of activity mentioned in the video only refers to cycling and running. I don't use Strava to record my weight lifting or Karate sessions. I've been active for more than just 81 days of the year!
Jonnie, Sally, Lucy and I took the dogs for a walk over the Clent Hills. Then we went back to their place and only iron willpower helped me to politely refuse the offer of a beer! I pretended to enjoy tea instead.
Back home, I did 50 minutes of sawing up bits of decking until my arms were aching. After a healthy lunch of tuna (protein!) I did a weights session. I didn't do any leg exercises. It's leg day on Thursday. But I did do barbell curls, overhead presses, shrugs, side raises, front raises and isolation curls. Along with 300 body weight exercises! Phew. I was glad to get my breath back and do some stretching afterwards.
I spent the rest of the evening not eating junkfood, not drinking alcohol and trying not to feel smug.
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol
Wednesday
Weight: 10st 7lbs
Blood Pressure:147/75
Resting Heart Rate: 63
I'm the heaviest I've been since September.
I spent another hour in the garden with Lucy and Jane. I tore up the last of the decking (yay sledgehammers!) and then set about sawing it up.
After this, I jumped on the bike and did 20 miles at a 14.1 pace. I came back red -faced and happy.
For the rest of the day I got on with some eBay stuff, did some marking and made a healthy dinner for the family.
Cycling, no junkfood, no alcohol
Thursday
Weight: 10st 6lbs
Blood Pressure: 142/75
Resting Heart Rate: 46 in bed, 61 after breakfast.
Today, I measured my heart rate as soon as I'd woken up, as opposed to after breakfast. It made a big difference! After marking some work, I walked the dogs. It was so cold that my hands went numb. And I was wearing gloves!
After another healthy lunch (tuna again!) I did some housework and then set about lifting weights. I was feeling strong so I went for it hard. I was even seeing stars when I put down the bar after some deadlifts! I did a bit of stretching after the hour of lifting.
I had a healthy dinner and drank lots of tea and water. I took Tilly to a pub quiz in Shirley and then collected her 2 hours later. So I had no choice but to stay sober tonight.
I went to bed to read Jaws and then, predictably, dream that I was being hunted by a shark.
Weight lifting, no junkfood, no alcohol.
Friday
Weight: 10st 5lbs
Blood Pressure: 142/81
Resting Heart Rate: 68
I forgot to measure my resting heart rate when I woke up. I'd slept for over 8 hours which is a long time for me.
There's still no Karate training this week so I did another weight lifting session today. I felt very strong doing deadlifts this morning. After an hour of lifting, and then a bit of stretching, I had tuna, wholewheat pasta and green beans for lunch while watching a documentary about Ronnie Coleman.
Then I went for a walk with the dogs. It was very cold!
I spent the afternoon doing little jobs like ironing, marking and parcelling up stuff for eBay. Lucy went out for dinner and the girls went to the cinema.
I had plaice, wholewheat pasta and green beans for dinner and then treated myself to some beer while playing video games!
Weight lifting, no junkfood, 3 ales.
Saturday
Weight: 10st 5lbs
Blood Pressure: 135/72
Resting Heart Rate: 46 in bed, 60 after breakfast
So, I let myself have a bit of cheat day today. I enjoyed a few leftover Christmas chocolates and some mince pies after shopping with Lucy.
This afternoon, I went on my first run since I twisted my ankle back in the second week of October.
The left ankle did hurt, and it made me limp. This also caused a pain in my left knee and, for some reason, my lower back on my right side.. After 1.6 miles I'd had enough. But I'm pleased I'd managed to make it that far. Obviously, next week I'll be looking to improve on this distance!
Lucy made a fantastic curry in the evening. Jane and Eric came to join us and we had cheesecake for pudding!
I did, however, manage to avoid alcohol and got to bed early.
Running: 17 minutes, 5 seconds, junkfood, no alcohol.
Sunday
Weight: 10st 8lbs
Blood Pressure: 148/75
Resting Heart Rate: 54
I forgot to measure my heart rate when I woke up.
By 9am I was round at Jonnie's house with Roger and the three of us set off into the lanes for the first ride of our Mad March Hare training. We were tackling the 35 miles of our High Cross route with a relaxed target of 13.0mph average speed. We found ourselves going well and kept the average above 14mph as we headed into Snitterfield.
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| The plan: it's all organised. |
The lanes were incredibly busy with cyclists and runners. I would say the only other time I'd seen the lanes this busy was in 2012 when everyone was feeling the Wiggo effect. There were clubs tearing through the lanes in peletons and as well as red-faced blokes on steel mountain bikes. There were also lots of middle-aged ladies in running tights jogging along too! It was fairly obvious to tell the regular exercisers from the New Year Resolutioners!
There was excellent cake to be had at the cake stop before heading out for the remaining 15 miles up hill. The weather was beautiful, the lanes were dry and the sky was blue!
Unfortunately, Jonnie has recently become a lager lout and had spent last night drinking his fill of 'wife-beater' at a friend's house. He wasn't his usual sprightly self on the return leg of our trip. However, we still got home well within our target with a final average speed of 13.7mph.
Well done chaps!
This afternoon, I was treated to a bowl of last night's curry before being put to work building a massive IKEA wardrobe. This monstrosity took OVER THREE HOURS TO BUILD and fix to the wall! By the time it was done it was 7 o'clock and definitely time for a beer!
Cycling: 35 miles @ 13.7mph, junkfood, 3 beers
So, the first week of training is complete. I did indulge in beer and also some sugary treats. However, most of the time I stuck to a healthy diet and I did manage to exercise every single day. We're back at work tomorrow - lets hope I can stick to my training plan!
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