Mad March Hare 2019: How to Lose a Belly When You're 44 (part 20)

Monday
Weight: 10st 3lbs
Blood Pressure: 150/68
Resting Heart Rate: 55
I woke up feeling decidedly down. I lacked energy and just felt a bit sad.
I cycled in to work and got through some uninspiring lessons. My students and support staff were awesome and put up with my crappy mood.
On the cycle home, I decided a rest day was in order. So, instead of doing any exercise, I slumped on the couch and drank 4 beers.
No exercise, no junkfood, alcohol

Tuesday
Weight: 10st 1lb
Blood Pressure: 147/72
Resting Heart Rate: 57
Some good news! My barrage of emails and threats of visits from social services paid off! The student who was removed from college by her parents (see last week's blog post) has now come back. Phew! The news instantly put me in a better mood.
I cycled home to get ready for Karate.
I spent most of tonight's session working with the young ADHD learner. He's coming on in leaps and bounds. I was able to enjoy the last 10 minutes up at the deep end and got to practise some fighting techniques with two higher grade adults (and Martha!)
Home for a healthy dinner.
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol

Wednesday
Weight: 10st 2lbs
Blood Pressure: 137/70
Resting Heart Rate: 51
I cycled in to work. It was a long day - I was at college for eleven hours. By the time I'd cycled home and had some lovely homemade dinner, I was too tired to even think about picking up the weights.
No exercise, no junkfood, no alcohol

Thursday
Weight: 10st 1lb
Blood Pressure: 135/69
Resting Heart Rate: 51
I cycled in to work. I got through some difficult lessons and then cycled home.
Tonight's run was very slow. However, I managed to run without stopping or walking for just over an hour. I can work on distance in the coming months.
After a glass of milk and a shower, I thought I deserved a beer. So I had three!
Run: 60m 18s, no junkfood, 3 beers

Friday
Weight: 10st 1lb
Blood Pressure: 142/67
Resting Heart Rate: 55
I cycled in to work and back.
Tonight's Karate session was run by Sensei Ronnie Christopher. He focused entirely on kumite techniques. The dojo was so busy that there simply wasn't room for any freestyle so we did one-step stuff with a partner. Sensei didn't seem very impressed with us! He gave us a talking to and explained that there was no point in teaching anything else until we show the right attitude.
At the end, we were asked to demonstrate the technique individually. When Sensei scrutinised my ashai barai to front leg mawashi geri he said, "That's okay, we can move on from that."
I went home feeling very relieved!
I ate two huge bowlfuls of stir fried chicken and brown rice while watching Jon Snow get killed in Game of Thrones. "For the Watch!"
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol

Saturday
Weight: 10st 0lbs
Blood Pressure: 132/79
Resting Heart Rate: 44
Up at 6:30am.
I had some good results in my daily health MOT: I'm the lightest I've been this year - just in time for the big ride tomorrow.
I drove round to Dynamic Rides to register Jonnie and myself for the Mad March Hare and to collect our race numbers. After this, Lucy and I went to do the big shop at Morrison's and then Tesco. Later, I had to remove a dead pigeon from the kitchen (it had flown in through the front door and smashed itself against the window) before helping neighbour Dave drop two fence panels in place in his back garden. Then, I was back round to cut the edge off Lucy's potting table so it would fit in her potting shed. Next, I was up a tree with my reciprocating saw cutting off branches and getting sawdust in my eyes and down the inside of my shirt. I tried to scoff some lunch but, before I could finish eating, I was whisked off to B&Q to get some silicone sealant. Back at home, I was in the girl's bathroom resealing the shower.
In the man cave, I set about repairing some inner tubes just in case we need them tomorrow. Mouse was so impressed with my skill with patches and rubber solution that she told her mother about it. "I should think so," her mother replied, "he's been doing it all day."
I did some weight lifting before a healthy dinner and then watched the highlights of Milan San Remo.
Next, I did the ironing and then it was a case of waiting for Martha to finish work. Unfortunately, Martha didn't finish work until 11:45pm. Montydog and I went to meet her so she didn't have to walk the streets alone.
I finally got to bed at just past midnight.
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Sunday
Weight: 10st 1lb
Blood Pressure: 143/72
Resting Heart Rate: 50
I struggled out of bed in the dark at 5:20am. Will five hours of sleep be enough to get me through the ride? After a big breakfast of four crumpets with peanut butter, a flapjack and a banana, I called for Jonnie and we loaded his bike into the back of the Multipla.
The weather was glorious! Blue skies and sunshine with just a light wind. When we arrived at the HQ and found Roger, we also found a long queue of riders! We thought we'd set off early (at 8am) but it seems that most people had the same idea!

At the back of the queue at 8:00am

The queue ahead of us...

The Mad Hare guys had provided jelly babies, bananas and banter to keep the spirits high while we waited in the queue. When we eventually got underway it was after 8:30. 
The route started on some uninspiring urban roads but that couldn't be helped. As soon as we got into the countryside it all made sense! We were met with beautiful views and quieter lanes. We were also met by our mate Russ who is a local lad. He was out taking photos of the ride. When I spotted him at the top of a hill, he jumped on his bike and rode with us for a while.
Unfortunately, Jonnie suffered a puncture while braking downhill. While Jonnie was struggling with his back tyre, a local lady cyclist appeared and offered to take a photo of us. She was a very nice lady, and a little bit of a loony. Then another loony cyclist appeared, a man this time, and he told us about a crash that had happened a little farther up the road. He wasn't part of the Mad March Hare, he just seemed to be patrolling the route for some reason!
When Jonnie got a new tube in his tyre, it punctured immediately! A second tube seemed okay so we set off again.

The nice lady took a photo of us: me, Russ at the back, Jonnie and Roger.

We'd done less than a mile when Jonnie suffered another puncture! We thoroughly checked the rim on his back wheel and the tyre but couldn't find anything other than a bit of a sharp edge on the welding of the wheel. Jonnie put a new tube in and this one held for the reminder of the route. He tried not to use his back brake too much because both punctures had happened under braking.
As the route went on, the scenery became even more beautiful. The wind had picked up a little bit, but by now we had turned eastward so it became a very handy tail wind! A lot of the route was on tiny country lanes, the kind with grass growing up the middle - definitely my kind of route. The big talking point, besides the location and the weather, was the amount of climbing we were doing! This was the kind of ride where, if you weren't descending, you were climbing. And there were a lot of steep climbs! As you may know, I don't mind climbing but I'm hopeless at descending. I was grateful for the dry roads but I was still struggling to descend quickly on unfamiliar, very steep lanes that curved and uncoiled behind tall hedges. A lot of the ride went like this: Jonnie and Roger would streak off downhill, I'd manage to catch them up on the next climb, we'd have a bit of a chat, and then we were descending again! In total, we covered over 5200ft of climbing.
The feed station was a small, mostly outdoor affair that seemed to work perfectly. We were some of the last riders to arrive and there was still plenty of grub: flapjacks, shortbread and bananas along with energy powders and water. There was a mechanic onsite and there were some portaloos at the back. Once we'd refuelled, we set off towards Stourport on Severn.
The ride through Stourport was a traffic-heavy, sketchy affair. I was separated from the other two at a traffic island and had to work my little legs hard to catch up again. After we had cleared Stourport, we came to my favourite part of the route: we were having to work steadily upwards to the Lickey Hills. There was only one crazy descent at 15% which I was rather terrible at, but with that out of the way, I got back to the serious business of climbing from the front with Jonnie and Roger doing some great work on my wheel.

Roger climbing

Jonnie climbing

The Lickey Hills section turned out to be a long but steady gradient which we eventually conquered before streaking back down to HQ for a well-earned bacon sandwich (Roger) and a pint (me and Jonnie!) Jonnie and I are not fans of the Wainwright Golden Beer so we took a chance on the March Hare Amber ale. It was rather drinkable and when the bar announced that all beers were now half price, it was rather hard to resist another (but we managed to.)
I loved the old route of the Mad March Hare, but it had become a little stale. I'd ridden it for the last 6 years (maybe 7) and thoroughly enjoyed the change of scenery this year. It was also a brilliant idea to move the event closer to April to take advantage of the better weather. The March Hare is the perfect target and keeps us training throughout the winter months. We'll be ready to sign up to next year's event as soon as the entry is open.

Surprisingly good ale!

Jonnie and I went back to my house where Lucy had prepared a huge dinner of Shepherd's pie, rice pudding and sticky toffee pudding (all homemade, of course!) We had a few more beers and a glass of wine each while watching the cricket on TV.
What a fantastic day!

Waiting for dinner.

Cycling: 67 miles, junkfood, alcohol

How to Lose a Belly When You're 44 (part 19)

Monday
Weight: 10st 3lbs
Blood Pressure: 140/66
Resting Heart Rate: 54
I cycled in to work and back.
Tonight, I lifted weights for an hour before making huge plates of scrambled eggs and homemade potato wedges for Lucy and myself.
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Tuesday
Weight: 10st 2lbs
Blood Pressure: 142/69
Resting Heart Rate: 54
I drove in to work today because I thought I had a meeting after college and I wanted to rush home for Karate. It turns out that I didn't have a meeting after all - it's next week (I think I need a PA to keep track of all this stuff for me.)
Tonight's Karate session was great - we started off with lots of black belt kihon including the kicks we need to know for our grading. The second half of the lesson saw Martha and me teaching Tekki Shodan to a purple belt. All valuable experience!
We went home and I scoffed salmon with veggies and rice. Training food!

Training fuel!

Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Wednesday
Weight: 10st 3lbs
Blood Pressure: 142/73
Resting Heart Rate: 52
I cycled in to work.
After lessons, I joined Mr Roger and three other members of staff for some circuit training. Mr Roger had devised 10 body-weight exercises (such as squats, press ups, leg raises etc) and asked us to do 10 reps of each. We had to do a circuit of all 10 exercises, 10 times! We only had an hour in which to complete the 1000 reps. I'm pleased to report that, despite being a sweaty, exhausted gasping mess, I managed to be the first to finish in a time of 54 minutes. I did some stretching and then cycled home to make a healthy dinner for the family.
Circuit training, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Thursday
Weight: 10st 3lbs
Blood Pressure: 151/68
Resting Heart Rate: 58
I cycled to work and back.
I went for a run tonight. I ran for 55 minutes without stopping or walking. I was rather slow and only covered just over 5 miles.
Running, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Friday
Weight: 10st 3lbs
Blood Pressure: 147/70
Resting Heart Rate:54
I cycled in to work.
Some bad news at work - one of my students has had to leave college because her strict parents have found out that she has been exchanging text messages with a boy from another class. The parents have pulled her out of college under the pretence that she will now go and work for her uncle. She's only 17 and she loved her freedom at college. She has a wicked sense of humour, gets on well with everyone and was going to pass her English, maths and ICT qualifications. But she has to leave college because of some ridiculous culture thing where she can't have contact with the opposite sex.  Stupid parents. The poor kid will probably be married off to some guy she's never met by the end of the year. (This, of course, is all my own opinion and not that of the college.)
I was feeling genuinely emotional throughout the whole morning. I tried to do a cheerful, fun lesson but I don't think I was very successful.
In the afternoon, I had to give a presentation to other members of staff. I was way out of my comfort zone, found myself ahead of my PowerPoint presentation, and made a bit of a mess of things. Forget it. I cycled home.
In the dojo tonight, I was ready for some action. Instead, it was a useful but very stop-start technical lesson. I struggled to get my left leg into the correct position because of my bad ankle which I'd injured in October last year (yes, it's STILL swollen.) Sensei Ronnie picked up on it and came to see me about it after the lesson. He advised me to get some trainers to wear. The he called all the brown and black belts round and asked them to start wearing trainers too.
This worries me. I don't think I can do Karate in trainers. I've been involved in martial arts for the last 19 years and I've never worn trainers. I think it would affect my Karate too much to start now, especially when I was thinking of going for my black belt this year. Plus, wearing trainers with a gi looks crap...
So, I went home still in a foul mood. I drank four beers and temporarily felt a little better.
Karate, no junkfood, 4 beers

Saturday
Weight: 10st 2lbs
Blood Pressure: 140/64
Resting Heart Rate: 57
Lucy and I took Mouse out to Warwick University for her interview. I had a bit of a headache and was feeling a little sluggish after last night's beers.
Back at home, I had a huge healthy lunch and then set about lifting up some weights.
Lucy and I watched Game of Thrones after pasta for dinner.
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Sunday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 147/66
Resting Heart Rate: 52
It was a very windy day, but mostly dry and sunny.
Jonnie, Roger and I set off into the lanes determined to cycle over 50 miles despite the strong headwind coming at us from the start. We were riding our Coughton route today and that meant a block headwind for the first 12 miles! When we finally turned south-east, our average was a pathetic 12.2mph. By the time we got to Wilmcote it was up to 13.3mph. The strong wind behind us had allowed Jonnie and me to get some gold Strava cups as we rocketed along the Salt Way. 

Before cake...

After refuelling with tea and cake, and watching a brief hailstorm pass through Wilmcote, we got back on the bikes and headed home on our High Cross route. We made sure that we rode together all the way home, no solo efforts off the front and no dropping off the back. We rode to the slowest man at all times and eventually got back to base after 54 miles at 13.0mph. 
After tea and Strava, I headed back to rinse off the bike and to do my share of the housework.
In the evening, I decided to have a few beers with my dinner.
Cycling, 1 slice of cake, 3 beers.

How to Lose a Belly When You're 44 (part 18)

Monday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 135/68
Resting Heart Rate: 59
I cycled in to work. Yesterday's 50 miles lay heavy in my legs and I crawled along the A34 at a snail's pace! The cycle home wasn't much better.
When I got back, I picked up the weights and did an hour session (avoiding squats and deadlifts to give the legs a rest.) I always make a slight improvement in each session and tonight I increased the number of reps for barbell curls.
Then I made a huge chicken, tomato and mushroom curry.
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Tuesday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 152/73
Resting Heart Rate: 52
I was disappointed and confused to see that my blood pressure has rocketed up again. I'm actually considering the possibility that it may be my old blood pressure monitor that's at fault. There doesn't seem to be any reason for a sudden increase after a day of healthy eating and no alcohol with about 2 hours of exercise.
I cycled in to work early. I cycled home into the wind which made my legs ache.
Tonight's Karate session saw me train with the young ADHD student for the entire hour. I didn't mind at all. We did our warm-up together along with our basics, some one-step sparring and then kata.
Tonight he was Buzz Lightyear and I was Iron Man. Whatever works...
After the session, Sensei Russell kindly invited me to put my gloves on for some sparring. He is a formidable fighter and put me under pressure while encouraging me to attack. I felt I did okay at first (he was obviously taking it easy on me) but my lack of fitness quickly became a big problem. I was gasping and feeling weak and if it had been a real fight I would have been in serious trouble. I have to put my faith in Mr Roger's interval training on Wednesday nights!
Back home for a healthy dinner and to watch One Punch Man with Mouse!
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Wednesday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 147/72
Resting Heart Rate: 58
I cycled in to work.
After lessons, I attended Mr Roger's interval training session. Tonight, we did circuit training. There were four of us training and we did a circuit of nine different exercises all designed to work our core muscles. We used dumbells, Swiss balls, resistance bands, mats and an abdominal wheel/roller. We blasted through this circuit spending 30 seconds on each one with about 10 seconds in between for the change-over. After the circuit of nine was completed we had one minute of rest before doing it again. And again. And again. And again! We did five circuits of the nine exercises in under an hour.
When I got changed and climbed onto the bike, I quickly became aware of how much the training had taken out of me. I could barely pedal! I switched the mountain bike down onto the middle ring - something I never remember doing before on the flat commute. I wobbled home at about 9mph in the rain.
I made a Chinese chicken stir fry for Lucy and myself and didn't drink any of the lovely ales lined up in the kitchen.
Circuit training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Thursday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 155/69
Resting Heart Rate: 55
The blood pressure is bad again. I don't know why.
I cycled in to work and back. My legs were aching so I stayed in the middle ring.
Tonight, I had to go for a run. I really didn't feel like it but once I got going I was okay! It was raining slightly so I got a bit damp. It wasn't too cold, however, so I started to warm up fairly quickly. I was very slow, and only managed to cover 4.6 miles in the 50 minutes of running.
Home for loads of homemade grub - chicken and spuds with salad and couscous.
Run, no junkfood, no alcohol

Friday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 153/68
Resting Heart Rate: 55
I cycled to work and back. I felt a lot more sprightly than I have done recently!
Tonight's Karate session was awesome. We concentrated on kihon for almost the entire lesson (with heian shodan added at the end.) Sensei Gary took charge of the brown belts and instructed us to consider this a mock grading. I gave it my best, all the time trying to get the correct balance of technique, speed, power and spirit. Sensei Ronnie watched from the side, still in his work clothes. He gave invaluable advice during the hour, often calling us over to explain what he wanted to see. He would single out some of the brown belts, myself included, to help them to put their techniques right. It was an excellent, intensive session from the two senior instructors at the club - with everything geared towards getting us our black belts! Tonight showed me how far I still have to go, but now I also know a little bit more about what I have to do to put things right!
As an added bonus, they worked us hard tonight so I managed to work up a bit of a sweat. Fitness training!
I went home to scoff loads of homemade beef chilli and homemade sweet potato wedges.
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol

Saturday
Weight: 10st 3lbs
Blood Pressure: 140/70
Resting Heart Rate: 55
I bounced out of bed at 7 ready for some cycling. I called for Jonnie at 9 and we set off into the wind.
It was a beautiful day. We had blue skies and warm sunshine for most of the ride, with just a quick rain shower in the first few miles. The big problem was the big crosswind! It was an 18mph wind coming from the west: an almost totally useless crosswind when we were heading south. All it did was occasionally try to blow us into a hedge! A small peleton of average riders came alongside us for a little while. I got behind their lead man when he leapt off the front going through Billesley. I set a Strava PR in the process!
The crosswind became a headwind as we approached the Blue Boar. Jonnie and I had our heads down and were having to work hard just to keep our speed above 10mph! When we reached the pub, Jonnie removed his jacket because he'd got so hot with the effort. We cruised down the Binton bends and then, turning left into Luddington, the wind was behind us and pushed us along effortlessly. Unfortunately, that didn't last long and before we knew it, we were struggling through the wind along The Ridgeway. This is when I began to struggle...
I was fighting the bike in the wind, I was hungry, my legs felt empty, and I couldn't stay on Jonnie's wheel. We still hadn't reached the halfway point. This was bad. When we turned into the headwind along the Aston Cantlow Road, I was down to 6mph! It was ridiculous! I felt as though I was trying to ride up some monster hill in the Cotswolds instead of the slight incline up to the cakestop.
I ate homemade cake, drank hot tea and then scoffed a banana. I looked out of the window and watched the trees bowing their heads in the wind. I really didn't fancy going back out there, which is unlike me.
When we first set off again, the riding was easy! The wind was behind us, pushing us along Featherbed Lane with the legs spinning easily. We made our way up to Snitterfield with no problem. However, at this point we had to turn north and the crosswind started bashing us. As the ride went on, my energy was used up and I suffered like a dog. Jonnie stayed ahead for most of the route back, giving me a target to aim at. However, in the last few miles I was talking to myself and feeling sick - I was right on the edge of an almighty bonk!
Happily, we made it back although we missed our training target by a huge margin! We were meant to cover the 50 miles at 13.9mph, we actually managed it at 13.1mph. I know that Jonnie could have gone considerably faster but he spent the last 20 miles waiting for me!

49.96 miles. You'd think Strava might've rounded that up for me...

I went home to consider what went wrong.
Trouble is, I can't figure out why I struggled so badly today. I woke up sober, I had a good breakfast (crumpets, peanut butter, tea, banana) and I haven't eaten any junkfood all week. Last week, when I had a brilliant ride over 50 miles, I'd been drinking beer the night before and didn't go to sleep until 1am!
You never know how the legs are going to be until you get on the bike.
For the rest of the day, I was put to work in the garden and then went shopping. I got some new brake pads and a product called MO94 which looks like Muc-Off's version of GT85.
I ate healthily for the rest of the day (homemade chicken and spinach curry) and was in bed by midnight.
Cycling (50 miles), one slice of cake, no alcohol.

Sunday
Weight: 10st 2lbs
Blood Pressure: 140/76
Resting Heart Rate: 45
I woke up very hungry and had two breakfasts! I had scrambled egg and tomatoes on toast followed by cereal.
I walked the dogs in the park. Again, it was a lovely sunny day but very, very windy!
This afternoon's Karate session was very good, and very useful. Sensei Ronnie took charge and drilled us in kihon. We then got to run through Kanku Dai twice which is a kata I'm looking forward to performing with confidence once I get better at it.
Later, in the advanced class, we got to run through ju ippon. Unfortunately I was at the wrong end of the hall and ended up partnered with a very big and enthusiastic chap who just couldn't get the hang of anything, not even his attacks! He was very apologetic. I really could have done with going up against someone who would put me under pressure.
The highlight of the lesson, for me, was hearing Sensei Ronnie talk about the old days. He mentioned Master Enoeda and discussed his thoughts on Kanku Dai. He also gave a very important talk about respect in the dojo and how people need to "respect the grade." He then told a couple of stories from his fighting days which I won't repeat here but caused a good deal of amusement!
Home to eat homemade chicken casserole, refuse pudding, and then drink tea instead of beer.
2 hours of Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol.

I've been a good boy this week. The only naughty thing I had was the slice of cake on the bike ride. I managed to exercise every day and didn't drink any alcohol. 
Let's hope next week's cycle ride is back on target.

How to Lose a Belly When You're 44 (part 17)

Monday
Weight: 10st 6lbs
Blood Pressure: 144/73
Resting Heart Rate: 53
Back to work!
I used the car today because I had to travel to the Digbeth campus when I finished teaching and then get home to make dinner.
The meeting at Digbeth was about the SCCB Cycling Team of which I am a member. We are riding the 100 mile Birmingham Velo to raise money for Cure Leukaemia. It was more of a briefing than a meeting, with our principal, Mike Hopkins, giving us advice about what to eat, what to wear and how to train. He recognises that a 100 mile ride is quite a challenge for most riders, myself included. However, Mike rode over one hundred miles this weekend just for kicks! 

In the front row: Shotokan Cyclist, my friend Denise, Mike.

After the meeting, and after having my photograph taken with some of the other riders, I managed to resist all the lovely free food on offer and then headed home to cook.
After my dinner had gone down, I did the washing up and then set about doing a good weights session, including squats to try to develop my scrawny legs.
Mouse had been away to Berlin on a school trip. I had to wait up to collect her from school at 1am. We were both very tired when we got back home!
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Tuesday
Weight: 10st 5lbs
Blood Pressure: 143/75
Resting Heart Rate: 55
Up after just 5 hours sleep.
I cycled in to work, yawned at my students, and then cycled home.
Martha and I went along to the Tuesday night Karate session. I couldn't believe it - another kumite session! Sensei Russell took charge and his enthusiasm and dedication to fighting really shone through and inspired us. As usual, I struggled to put theory into practice and lost a lot of fights. I also managed to win some - usually with a front foot mawashi geri and nearly always from a counter strike. I need to learn how to put that kick into a string of techniques in order to gain more victories. At the end of the session, Sensei Russell was kind enough to give me some one-to-one advice about keeping my momentum forward and not fighting off the back foot. He recognised that I was used to taking hits "from people like Jody" but now it was time to start dealing out some techniques too! I know that these recent kumite sessions would benefit a lot from having Sensei Jody there to inspire and instruct.
At the very end of the lesson, Sensei Russell had to remind some of the impatient youngsters that the root of Karate is respect.
Martha was keen to let me know about all the knocks she'd taken during the sparring (punch to the nose, kick to the sternum etc.) I made sure that I didn't show much of a reaction and explained that we just accept it as a useful part of training. Hopefully, she'll soon adopt that attitude too.
It was a fantastic session. All of the adults I sparred with tonight agreed that it was a very useful and enjoyable hour.
At home, I ate masses (three helpings) of healthy homemade dinner!
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol

Wednesday
Weight: 10st 5lbs
Blood Pressure: 142/69
Resting Heart Rate: 51
I cycled in to work on the heavy Halfords bicycle-shaped object.
After lessons, I went along to do some HIIT with a group of staff in the college gym.
Mr Roger, ex-military qualified gym instructor, led the session. We did something called tabata training. We did 5 different exercise: squats, press ups, wood chops with a medicine ball, medicine ball toe touches, and bent over rows. I used a 9kg medicine ball and 10kg dumbells. We did eight sets of each exercise! Each set lasted for 25 seconds and we got 5 seconds break in between each set! We were allowed one minute rest after 8 sets before switching to the next exercise! The whole thing was over before 5pm. Shaking, I clambered on board my bike and tried to ride home. At one point I almost considered calling Lucy to come to pick me up. I think I rode home at about 9mph...
I was very glad to get my shaky body home. I made a chicken and mushroom stir fry. Unfortunately, I didn't make quite enough so, after feeding the family, I only had a little bit left over for myself. I went to bed hungry, which is okay because I'm fat.
HIIT tabata training, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Thursday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 143/68
Resting Heart Rate: 56
I cycled in to work with sore legs.
I cycled home feeling a bit more lively, but not much.
Tonight was Mouse's birthday celebration with the family. We went out for dinner. I had the chicken curry with plain rice (no poppadums or bread and no pudding.) In a huge effort of will, I refused the lovely beers on offer and only had tap water. Back at home, I didn't have any cake. The good thing is, we had such a nice time that I didn't really miss beer and sweet things. When I was tempted, I just thought about how good it's going to feel when I get my black belt.
Back at home, things finally quietened down at about 9:40. Unfortunately, I just couldn't face the thought of setting up my man cave for a weights session that wouldn't end much before 11pm.
No exercise, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Friday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 141/63
Resting Heart Rate: 56
I cycled in to work and back.
I went along to the dojo to find that it was a kata session led by Sensei Ronnie! He started off by running me and my fellow brown belts through Jion. I think we went through it about 3 times. He told me that my kata was looking 'okay' which is high praise indeed! That's one step up from 'not too bad'!
Unfortunately, things got worse from that point on. Sensei Ronnie explained to us once again how we will have to perform a heian kata as part of out black belt grading. I've never worried about this as I feel I know my heian kata inside out. I practise each of them at least once per week. Tonight we were asked to launch into Heian Godan. I messed up on the very first technique (performing zenkutsu dachi instead of kokutsu dachi.) I was rather embarrassed but also determined to finish the rest of the kata strongly despite having Sensei Ronnie tell me that I'd failed already.
I was determined not to mess up again!
This time, Sensei had us run through Heian Nidan, one of my favourites. I messed up again! Now I'd failed my mock black-belt exam twice in one night!
The obvious reason for my failures is the pressure I was under. I know both of the above kata very well and the only reason I would mess them up is because a very senior karateka, a man to be respected and whose approval is to be sought, was scrutinising me. I have a few months to learn how to perform under that kind of pressure.
Later, little Mouse invited the family out for cocktails and beer as part of her ongoing 18th birthday celebrations.
Karate, no junkfood, 3 beers

Saturday
Weight: 10st 3lbs
Blood Pressure: 130/64
Resting Heart Rate: 50
I woke up early and, after breakfast, found myself rather pleased with my blood pressure results. Although higher than the NHS recommendations, it was still a good measurement for me - certainly the best result I've had so far in 2019. I spent the morning marking exam papers, putting things on eBay, and doing housework.
In the afternoon, Martha and I went a long to the dojo. We got there nice and early and I took the opportunity to refresh my memory of the heian kata. Then I ran through Tekki Shodan and Basai Dai just for good measure.
By 3 o'clock, Sensei hadn't arrived which is unlike him. I called him up and found that he was stuck in traffic. He very kindly agreed to let me take the warm-up. However, I was mindful that there was a higher grade than me present this afternoon: Martha! I asked Martha if she wanted to take the warm-up instead of me. Without another word, she strode into the middle of the dojo and yelled "EVERYONE LINE UP!" at ear-splitting volume. She was feeling rather confident!
She took us through a perfectly acceptable warm-up with a good mix of dynamic and static stretches. She kept everyone's attention, and, when she felt that two of the students weren't taking things seriously, she threatened to split them up! The only thing she needs to work on is her volume control: Even though the students were attentive and quiet she was still shouting instructions loud enough to make the dojo mirrors tremble!
Martha's willingness to take control of the class is evidence of the excellent nurturing atmosphere created within the Ruach dojo. Martha has sometimes had issues with her confidence, especially when dealing with people. This afternoon proved how far she has developed. This is thanks to her own efforts, to Karate, and to the encouragement from the instructors at Ruach.
Sensei Gary took over and ran us through a very enjoyable session which introduced the lower grades to the idea of freestyle kumite.
In the evening, we had Mouse's big 18th birthday party at out house. The place was heaving with people with ages ranging from 14 to 81. Jonnie and I were mindful that we had a serious training ride to complete in the morning so we took it easy on the alcohol. I was in bed by midnight while the party raged around me (teenagers being sick, middle-aged women twerking, and lots of glasses being broken.)
Karate, junkfood, 3 beers

Sunday
Weight: 10st 4lbs
Blood Pressure: 151/72
Resting heart rate: 47 in bed, 53 after breakfast
I woke up feeling okay considering I'd been trying to sleep in a party!
I was so disappointed to see that my blood pressure had rocketed back up. I still don't know what causes it to leap up again.
Anyway, I headed off on the bike with Jonnie and Roger determined to complete 50 miles with an average speed of 13.8mph. 
It was wet.
It rained right from the start and there seemed to be a persistent drizzle in the air at all times. Of course, this meant that the lanes were slick and there were plenty of puddles. My feet were quickly soaked and painfully cold. The rest of me was just rather damp. The lads put up with my dreadful descending and I tried to do as many turns on the front as I could to make up for it. I was a lot happier when we had made our way down the Widowmaker (a steep hill in Langley) and the road started to level out a bit. 
Jonnie punctured heading up the Wolverton Road towards Norton Lindsey. We did try to help him change his inner tube but we spent most of our time watching him struggle with plastic tyre levers in the rain.
We headed into Snitterfield and then blasted across the A3400 toards Wilmcote. However, as part of today's ride, we didn't call in for cake yet: we had a 10 mile loop to do! We made our way down to Luddington and then up through Binton to the Blue Boar. At this point, we had a 12mph wind behind us and this helped me to get a PR through Binton. We zipped up to Billesley and conquered The Wall before coming to rest at the cake stop after 36 miles in the rain. 
I changed my socks and we all ate cake and drank tea.
Back out in the rain, I felt like a new man. I paid close attention to my bike computer, and was determined to make sure we hit the training target of 13.8mph. I rode on the front for most of the 15 miles back to base, Jonnie took over for the Danzey Green climb while I encouraged Roger.
We got back to Jonnie's within the target.
You never know how the legs are going to be until you get on the bike.
Last week, the lads were having to wait for me as I chugged along, gasping, spent, done. Today, I felt as though I could do another 50 miles. The pedals were turning on their own, the miles going by easily, like a journey in a dream. It was Roger and Jonnie who had to work and suffer. How easily the roles can be reversed. Next week it might be me at the back wishing it was all over...
After tea with Jonnie and his family, I set off home to wash the bike, eat junkfood and drink beers!

Cycling, junkfood, alcohol