Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 142/75
Resting Heart Rate: 64
Half-term!
Today, I spent another couple of hours trying to get the back brake working. I changed the inner and outer cables which meant taking off the bar tape and then replacing it. After the cables were moving as smoothly as they ever could, I tried the brake again. No change.
I fiddled about with spanners and allen keys for a bit longer and then finally gave up. I took the bike to Scott's Cycles.
I did a good weights session today while blasting out some heavy metal. It helped me feel less angry about the back brake.
I cooked a protein-rich dinner for the family.
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol
Tuesday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 154/72
Resting Heart Rate: 62
After a brief shopping trip to Solihull, I spent the entire day in my cave playing records and selling stuff on eBay. In the evening, I went along to the dojo (Martha was out with Mouse and friends.) Happily, it was another fighting session! Tuesday night is fight night! I absolutely loved it and can feel my confidence starting to grow. Don't get me wrong, I'm still hopeless: One of the black belts told my group of adult fighters that any of the glassy-eyed parents sitting around the edge of the dojo staring at mobile phones could step up and do what we were doing. Must do better!
We finished with a quick blast of Jion - the first time I've performed it in 2019. I was glad I could still remember it!
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol
Wednesday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 159/75
Resting Heart Rate: 60
I woke up at 2:10am and had terrible trouble getting back to sleep. I gave up at 3:30 and went downstairs. I managed to get a bit of rest on the couch and then the alarm went off at 7:30...
Today, I drove Mouse up to Nottingham University for her open day. After negotiating the M42 and M1 we arrived at about 10:30. We then discovered that the event starts at 1:30pm...
We got back home around 4:30pm. I drove over to Scott Cycles to get my bike back. When I got there, I realised that I hadn't brought any money with me. So I drove back home through rush hour traffic in a rage.
I made dinner and then did a lifting session.
I picked up Lucy and Debbie from the train station at about 11pm. They had just got back from a day out in London. We then stayed up drinking and dancing until 4am!
Weight training, no junkfood, loads of beer
Thursday
Weight: 10st 2lbs
Blood Pressure: 147/74
Resting Heart Rate: 52
I crashed back to consciousness at about 9:30am.
I felt awful. I felt as though the last seven weeks training was all for nothing. I'd thrown all my efforts away in one huge boozy session. I counted up my empty beer cans - there were seven of them. One for each wasted week of training.
I nursed my aching head and curled up on the couch for the morning.
In the afternoon, after my second breakfast, I went down to fetch my bike from Scott's Cycles. I took some money with me this time.
Back at home, I cleaned half of the patio with a pressure washer.
Then I watched some episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist with Martha.
Lucy served up homemade chicken in white sauce which I enjoyed with two small beers.
I was in bed for 10.
no exercise, no junkfood, 2 small cans of beer.
Friday
Weight: 10st 5lbs
Blood Pressure: 138/69
Resting Heart Rate: 59
I woke up feeling much better after a fantastic night's sleep. I had a busy morning involving walking the dogs, going to the post office, cleaning the other half of the patio, taking Martha to the train station and then dropping Mouse off at school for her field trip to Berlin. Phew!
In the evening, I went along to the Friday night Karate session. It was packed! There was barely enough room for Seiza Rei at the start.
Somehow, Sensei Russell and Sensei Christopher found room to run an excellent kumite lesson! The two instructors had to be super-sharp to keep a watchful eye on so many young people training at the same time. We did have a couple of people who were asked to sit out, and one little injury. Other than that, everyone seemed to enjoy their fighting session! I went up against a younger black belt who is a lot faster than me, but Sensei Ronnie asked us to take it easy so we couldn't go full speed at each other. I would have enjoyed testing myself against him to see if I could find an advantage. I for one am enjoying this sudden emphasis on kumite and I'm sure I'm not alone in this!
We did kata at the very end of the session. Sensei Ronnie approached me afterwards to explain that my weight needs to be on my front foot and that I should push through the knee when performing kata. I must remember to work on this.
A superb session which was applauded before we all went home.
At home, I fed my face full of salmon, green beans and pasta before doing the washing up. Lucy and I watched Game of Thrones and had a little drink.
Karate, no junkfood, beers
Saturday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 132/65
Resting Heart Rate: 61
My blood pressure is going in the right direction. I hope it keeps going that way when I'm back at work.
Lucy and I had a fry up before heading of to do a big shop.
It was a lovely sunny day so I enjoyed my walk out with the dogs in the park. Freddie was running in circles of happiness - just celebrating being alive in the sunshine! I got home for a healthy lunch before heading off to dojo.
Today's session was kumite! On a Saturday! There were ten youngsters and me. Sensei Gary found lots for us to do and work on. Even though I was the oldest student by at least 3 decades, I still had a valuable kumite training session and I was breathless and pouring with sweat before it ended!
I need to be a lot fitter for dojo. Unfortunately, the type of endurance fitness I do isn't really needed in a fight! For example, tomorrow I'm going to cycle 50 miles. Today, however, I couldn't shadow box for 1 minute without being a sweaty, gasping mess. I need to introduce some interval training into my programme to get fighting fit. The trouble is, this depressing article states that I can't convert my slow twitch muscles into fast ones, and it gets harder to develop fast twitch muscles as I get older. I need to learn how to win fights in the first few seconds!
Back home, I cleaned, degreased, lubricated and polished the bike; I helped Lucy rearrange the garden now that the patio is clean; I washed my gi and did some ironing.
In the evening, Lucy and I enjoyed her homemade curry and had some chocolatey treats while watching Game of Thrones!
Karate, junkfood, no alcohol.
Sunday
Weight: 10st 6lbs
Blood Pressure: 151/70
Resting Heart Rate: 56
Fast Ant and Deadly Dan made the journey from Alvechurch to ride with Jonnie and me. We set off at 9am and there was fog everywhere! It was thick fog; traffic appeared as shadows ahead of us. We all wish we'd put our lights on. Instead, we had put our faith in the weather report and most of us had dressed for summer (or at least spring!)
Jonnie was the only one who was brave enough to go for actual bare legs, although Dan was in knee warmers. We were heading off on our Coughton route.
I didn't have a good ride for the first 10 miles or so. The steep descents on wet roads in the fog did not suit me at all. Although the other three were descending just fine in the same conditions!
As we rode on, the weather seemed to change: At times we were riding in the full sunshine with blue skies above us. The next thing we knew, as the road dropped down, we were back in the fog with our fingers freezing and the road damp and shiny beneath us.
Today's target was 13.7mph average speed over 48 miles. The poor start meant that we were rolling with an average of 12.9mph. Obviously this was my fault and I needed to do something about it. From Tutnall to almost the end of the Saltway, I gave it my all and tried to get on the front as much as I could. I hit a long string of PRs on Strava as I tried to redeem myself and get the average back on target. By the time my legs started to turn to jelly and Dan took over at the front, the average was back up to 13.9mph.
We were still experiencing the strange, alternating weather conditions between sunshine and fog, heat and cold, but by the time we reached Billesley, it really did feel like summer! I could actually feel the heat of the sun on my back - and it was still February! It was also at this point when my legs finally gave up. I had to roll along and watch the lads move off into the distance. Deadly Dan was kind enough to wait for me at the village shop (he probably had time for a cup of tea while he waited) before we rolled into the cakestop together.
Jane had produced lemon cake and coffee cake. I sampled both with a hot cup of tea. We were all looking rather red-faced and sweaty and we very glad of the hospitality.
We headed back out into the sunshine determined to keep our average above the target. The ride then began to settle into a strange pattern: Dan and Ant would rocket off (well, roll off having a chat) while Jonnie and I strained and heaved our exhausted bodies along after them. Dan and Ant would then stop and wait for us at a junction before shooting off again! Jonnie said the only advantage we had over Dan and Ant was that they didn't know the way back so they had no choice but to wait for us!
I'm happy to report that we all got back to base in one piece and had managed to surpass the required average speed. I finished with an average of 14.2mph but I'm sure the other lads were faster than that.
As always, it was great to ride with some of the AMBS chaps from when I first started riding bikes as an adult. I miss riding with Matt, Dave and Jake and, of course, Lloyd. Then later Gary, Ian and Russ. In fact, I miss riding off road. When I have more money, I'm definitely going to get myself a mountain bike again and convince Dan to join me out over the Lickey Hills (he won't need much convincing.)
 |
| Fast Ant, Uncle Jonnie, Shotokan Cyclist, Deadly Dan |
In the evening - the same old story of pudding and beer!
Cycling: 48 miles at 14.2mph, junkfood, 3 beers.
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