Weight: 10st 1lbs
Blood Pressure: 147/73
Resting Heart Rate: 43 bpm
Bank Holiday!
I did a spot of weight lifting and then pottered about the house for the rest of the day. I did some housework and put stuff on eBay.
In the evening, I had some cava with Lucy and then a couple of beers.
Chill...
Weight training, no junkfood, alcohol
Tuesday
Weight: 10st 0lbs
Blood Pressure: 154/68
Resting Heart Rate: 53 bpm
What a fantastic day!
It started off a little ropey with a bit of a hangover after a disturbed night's sleep. Then, I was dismayed to have a rather high blood pressure reading this morning. However, things got a lot better as soon as Lucy, Mouse and I left the house. It was a beautifully bright sunny morning.
At work, the day went by in a flash with lots of laughs meeting the new students who will be joining us in September. I even found time to take my Specialized in to Scott's Cycles to have Pete give it the once over before the big day (Velo 100 on Sunday.)
Tonight's Karate session saw Sensei Mark take us through Kanku Dai step by step. Exactly what we needed! I now feel that I know the kata so Sensei invited me at the front to guide the rest of the class through it. However, I did make a couple of mistakes including getting stuck towards the end. I wouldn't have messed up like this on my own but with the eyes of all the senior grades on me the pressure was a bit much!
Then, a special treat: Sensei Mark performed the kata for us in its entirety. I don't recall ever seeing an instructor perform a kata at Ruach. I remember when I first started Karate, Sensei Paul Hexley used to always perform a kata for us before he taught it. It was a good way to see what the kata was meant to look like.
Later on, after a wonderful homemade dinner and cheering Liverpool to victory against Barcelona, I went into the quiet of my man cave to measure my blood pressure again. This time it was a rather good result:121/73. It seems obvious that my blood pressure is dependent on the time of day. Is this a sign of a problem or just normal?
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol.
Wednesday
Weight: 10st 0lbs
Blood Pressure: 138/72
Resting Heart Rate: 57 bpm
I drove over to our Handsworth campus. I soon found out that I wasn't needed so I went back to Hall Green to get loads of paperwork done while listening to heavy metal in my classroom.
In the evening, I did some more weight training (still very light because of my injured shoulder) before cooking stir fry for the family.
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol.
Thursday
Weight: 10st 1lb
Blood Pressure: 147/73
Resting Heart Rate: 56 bpm
After a good day at work, I staggered around on my 10K route in just over 67 minutes. I enjoyed a wonderful homemade dinner of chicken and potatoes and drank a couple of ales in the man cave.
Running, no junkfood, alcohol
Friday
Blood Pressure: 147/73
Resting Heart Rate: 56 bpm
After a good day at work, I staggered around on my 10K route in just over 67 minutes. I enjoyed a wonderful homemade dinner of chicken and potatoes and drank a couple of ales in the man cave.
Running, no junkfood, alcohol
Friday
Weight: 10st 1lb
Blood Pressure: 144/75
Resting Heart Rate: 51 bpm
I got up early and had bacon and eggs just because I fancied it. Work was good: a chilled out atmosphere with lots of colleagues sponsoring me for the 100 mile Velo ride on Sunday.
I picked the bike up from Scott's Cycles. Pete had changed the bearings in the rear hub and swapped out the worn cassette body for a new one. It sounded so much better!
After work, I went along to the dojo session run by Sensei Ronnie Christopher.
It was another fantastic kata session where we went through the Heian katas before getting to grips with Kanku Dai! Towards the end of the session, Sensei asked people to volunteer to perform kata individually in front of the class. I stepped up to do Heian Yondan. Unfortunately, adrenaline got the better of me and I did a bit of a scruffy rushed version!
I went up again to do Tekki Shodan. This time I felt it was stronger and less rushed.
Finally, when Sensei asked who felt they could do Kanku Dai, I was the only one who put his hand up! I was asked to lead the class through the kata. It felt weird having black belts following me. I did get stuck just once and Sensei gave me a verbal instruction to get me going again. I was reasonably happy with my performance but I know I could spend a lifetime improving this one kata!
At the end, a couple of the chaps expressed surprise that I was "still a brown belt", but it's Sensei's opinion that counts. Sensei Ronnie is still concerned about my balance of weight and 'bouncing' when I move. I still have a long way to go to get ready for my grading in December.
I went home feeling good and enjoyed an enormous but healthy homemade dinner. I then sat in the man cave and ate a whole chocolate Easter egg while typing these very words!
Karate, junkfood, no alcohol
Saturday
I set my alarm for an early get up - I was trying to get used to an early start in preparation for Sunday. I struggled out of bed at 5:20am. I felt awful. It was as if I was halfway between stressed and exhausted. By 7:45am I was parking up in Birmingham City Centre ready to pick up my numbers for the Birmingham Velo. It was fantastically organised! I was given my numbers and a goodie bag in less than a minute and then sent on my way.
On the way back to the car I encountered a bloke smoking a fag in a wheelchair. He had one and a half legs. He asked me to push him up a hill, which I gladly did. Then he explained that it was his birthday and he needed £6 to have a shower. When I truthfully told him that I didn't have any change with me, he lost interest in our friendship. Oh well, pushing that smelly chap up a hill was good exercise.
I parked up in Solihull (so much nicer than Brum) and got some bananas and Lucozade for the big ride. Then I posted some stuff at the Post Office. When I got home, It was only just 10am!
Lucy and Dodgy Debbie went off the Malvern Spring Festival and I walked the dogs, cleaned the floors and did some ironing.
This afternoon's Karate session was run by Sensei Tony. He did a good job of keeping the young people focused and training hard. He had time to give me some feedback too. I need to work on bringing my hips round when performing mawashi geri.
At home, I made myself a very healthy dinner of wholewheat pasta with green beans, tomatoes and tuna. I was in bed at about 9:30 but didn't actually manage to sleep until almost midnight.
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol
Sunday
A cyclist died on the Velo today.
He was a chap in his 50s and he died out in the countryside when he crashed on one of the twisting downhill sections. I didn't see him crash but I saw the ambulance at the scene and the marshals telling us to slow down. At the time, I didn't see why we needed to slow down. Surely we could just continue past the ambulance on the other side of the road? I couldn't know that we were riding past a dying man.
I hope he loved cycling and that he had a good life with people who loved him. I hope he was enjoying himself in the sunshine today, hurling himself up and down hills on his bike with his friends.
I woke up with a start when my hateful alarm sounded at 4:20am. It was a titanic struggle to force myself downstairs and start eating. I didn't want breakfast, I wanted sleep. After double-checking everything, I threw it all in the car and headed off to our Digbeth campus where the SCCB Team were meeting before joining the ride directly outside. After faffing with photographs, 5 or 6 of us (including Steve Staunton of Aston Villa fame!) made our way to our starting pen. I got a bit of a shock when I turned round to see Chris Boardman lined up behind me! He was kind enough to talk to me and shake my hand but I didn't want to press him for a selfie!
It was a chilly start and I was glad I was wearing a total of 4 layers plus arm and leg warmers. However, I was also wearing shades because it was a beautifully bright and sunny day.
My riding partner for the day was Denise, a work colleague and lovely friend.
Denise is a new rider. She is a proven marathon runner who has now also turned her attention to cycling. She rides in trainers on flat pedals (not even toe clips) and, at the start of the day, wasn't sure how to use the gears on her bike! Her longest ride previously had been 30 miles...
When we set off at 7am, Denise and I were dismayed to find that the rest of the team simply dashed off without us! Undaunted, we kept up a steady pace although the sheer volume of riders was making it difficult to progress.
At first, Densie was uncomfortable without me on the front. She felt nervous if she couldn't see me. Of course, with literally thousands of riders out on the road, it was a little tricky to stay together, especially in the first ten miles when riders were very closely packed all over the road. As the day went on, Denise found more confidence and I was able to ride off the front or sometimes behind her and she was okay.
We set off a little too fast for my liking. We were swept along with some of the fast riders and found ourselves pressing hard to maintain a 19mph pace. We wouldn't last 100 miles at that speed! (Although plenty of riders do.)
We didn't stop at the first feed station because it looked terribly crowded. We stopped shortly afterwards to eat bananas and I took a few shots of passing riders.
Eventually, Denise and I started to get into a rhythm. As her confidence grew she was able to hold my wheel steadily while I negotiated a route through super-slow riders and pot holes. When we got to Arley, it was approaching 9am. People were waking up and we started to see more and more spectators (although, to be fair, there had been isolated groups of supporters all along the route from 7am this morning.) They put on a good show, with outdoor barbecues, kids in onesies cheering us on, and one young man belting out 'Bicycle Race' by Queen on his electric guitar on his front drive!
As we got through Arley, I stopped for a wee and Denise told me that she hadn't had a drink yet because she can't ride one-handed! I hadn't realised!
The rest of the ride continued at a much steadier pace than when we had set off at 19mph. Our average settled down at 14.4mph for much of the ride. Denise's confidence grew to the point where she told me she was beginning to enjoy herself.
At our first water station, after 40 miles, I stripped off two of my four layers, my hat, arm warmers and scarf, and took down my leg warmers. I felt a little chilly at first, but not for long!
It was a glorious day and I ended up getting sunburn on my nose, ears, neck, head and legs.
The ride through Coventry was a bit rubbish because riding on cobbles is just not fun (but it is fun to watch) and it's a really ugly city. The people were great though, and a lot of them turned up to cheer us on.
We stopped at the main feed station in Packwood. It was incredibly busy! The bike racks were full so I found a field gate to lean our bikes against. The food choice was rather crap: crisps, tiny energy bars and chocolate. At least they had bananas but I was only allowed to take one. The queue for water and energy drinks was ridiculous so I decided to refill later.
I managed to call Lucy who told me that the rider tracking website wasn't working so none of our friends knew where we were! I gave her an estimated time to look out for us.
Sure enough, 10 miles later, I spotted Lucy standing on a traffic island cheering every one on as they rode through Shirley!
Denise and I stopped for a chat and to dump our unwanted clothing and water bottles. Thanks, babe!
Soon after riding through Shirley, we headed out towards the Maypole. It was here that we encountered several of our friends in quick succession! Rachel, Michael and Ava were cheering everybody on as they approached the next water station. Rachel had made a superb banner to spur me on!
At the water station, we discovered that our mate Julie was volunteering and was handing out the snacks and pouring the water. After a chin-wag with Julie, we set off again and found Leanne at the side of the road!
Next, we found things got lumpy on the Velo. The organisers had given us plenty of warning in the literature and on signs at the side of the road. The last 20 miles of the Velo involved a lot of climbing. For some reason, my legs felt good, probably better than they had at the start of the day. I'd been careful to make the time to eat and drink (Denise couldn't believe how much I was telling her to eat!) so I still felt strong. The climbing was a joy. I'm sure I could have gone twice as fast over the last 20 miles. However, I took it easy and stayed with Denise who, for an inexperienced rider, was doing an amazing job of climbing. I forgot myself at times and went into a little climbing trance: I found myself cruising past riders, just spinning my legs in a comfortable gear. But I always made sure to wait for Denise and then we'd speed down the hill together (we got a top speed of 34.5mph today!)
Of course, the fast men had already finished their 100 miles and were probably into their third pint of ale after their pizza. Denise and I were now riding with the determined charity riders and the people who fancied having a go at a big ride. We even saw some of the people who wear backpacks and/or ride mountain bikes on sportives. We also spotted a few baggy shorts and cotton t-shirts...
At the 100 mile mark, we were greeted by Colin and Suriya, just a few hundred yards from the finishing line.
Denise and I then headed over the line and went to collect our well-deserved medals!
Blood Pressure: 144/75
Resting Heart Rate: 51 bpm
I got up early and had bacon and eggs just because I fancied it. Work was good: a chilled out atmosphere with lots of colleagues sponsoring me for the 100 mile Velo ride on Sunday.
I picked the bike up from Scott's Cycles. Pete had changed the bearings in the rear hub and swapped out the worn cassette body for a new one. It sounded so much better!
 |
| The bike is ready. Am I ready? |
After work, I went along to the dojo session run by Sensei Ronnie Christopher.
It was another fantastic kata session where we went through the Heian katas before getting to grips with Kanku Dai! Towards the end of the session, Sensei asked people to volunteer to perform kata individually in front of the class. I stepped up to do Heian Yondan. Unfortunately, adrenaline got the better of me and I did a bit of a scruffy rushed version!
I went up again to do Tekki Shodan. This time I felt it was stronger and less rushed.
Finally, when Sensei asked who felt they could do Kanku Dai, I was the only one who put his hand up! I was asked to lead the class through the kata. It felt weird having black belts following me. I did get stuck just once and Sensei gave me a verbal instruction to get me going again. I was reasonably happy with my performance but I know I could spend a lifetime improving this one kata!
At the end, a couple of the chaps expressed surprise that I was "still a brown belt", but it's Sensei's opinion that counts. Sensei Ronnie is still concerned about my balance of weight and 'bouncing' when I move. I still have a long way to go to get ready for my grading in December.
I went home feeling good and enjoyed an enormous but healthy homemade dinner. I then sat in the man cave and ate a whole chocolate Easter egg while typing these very words!
Karate, junkfood, no alcohol
Saturday
I set my alarm for an early get up - I was trying to get used to an early start in preparation for Sunday. I struggled out of bed at 5:20am. I felt awful. It was as if I was halfway between stressed and exhausted. By 7:45am I was parking up in Birmingham City Centre ready to pick up my numbers for the Birmingham Velo. It was fantastically organised! I was given my numbers and a goodie bag in less than a minute and then sent on my way.
On the way back to the car I encountered a bloke smoking a fag in a wheelchair. He had one and a half legs. He asked me to push him up a hill, which I gladly did. Then he explained that it was his birthday and he needed £6 to have a shower. When I truthfully told him that I didn't have any change with me, he lost interest in our friendship. Oh well, pushing that smelly chap up a hill was good exercise.
I parked up in Solihull (so much nicer than Brum) and got some bananas and Lucozade for the big ride. Then I posted some stuff at the Post Office. When I got home, It was only just 10am!
Lucy and Dodgy Debbie went off the Malvern Spring Festival and I walked the dogs, cleaned the floors and did some ironing.
This afternoon's Karate session was run by Sensei Tony. He did a good job of keeping the young people focused and training hard. He had time to give me some feedback too. I need to work on bringing my hips round when performing mawashi geri.
At home, I made myself a very healthy dinner of wholewheat pasta with green beans, tomatoes and tuna. I was in bed at about 9:30 but didn't actually manage to sleep until almost midnight.
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol
Sunday
A cyclist died on the Velo today.
He was a chap in his 50s and he died out in the countryside when he crashed on one of the twisting downhill sections. I didn't see him crash but I saw the ambulance at the scene and the marshals telling us to slow down. At the time, I didn't see why we needed to slow down. Surely we could just continue past the ambulance on the other side of the road? I couldn't know that we were riding past a dying man.
I hope he loved cycling and that he had a good life with people who loved him. I hope he was enjoying himself in the sunshine today, hurling himself up and down hills on his bike with his friends.
I woke up with a start when my hateful alarm sounded at 4:20am. It was a titanic struggle to force myself downstairs and start eating. I didn't want breakfast, I wanted sleep. After double-checking everything, I threw it all in the car and headed off to our Digbeth campus where the SCCB Team were meeting before joining the ride directly outside. After faffing with photographs, 5 or 6 of us (including Steve Staunton of Aston Villa fame!) made our way to our starting pen. I got a bit of a shock when I turned round to see Chris Boardman lined up behind me! He was kind enough to talk to me and shake my hand but I didn't want to press him for a selfie!
It was a chilly start and I was glad I was wearing a total of 4 layers plus arm and leg warmers. However, I was also wearing shades because it was a beautifully bright and sunny day.
My riding partner for the day was Denise, a work colleague and lovely friend.
Denise is a new rider. She is a proven marathon runner who has now also turned her attention to cycling. She rides in trainers on flat pedals (not even toe clips) and, at the start of the day, wasn't sure how to use the gears on her bike! Her longest ride previously had been 30 miles...
When we set off at 7am, Denise and I were dismayed to find that the rest of the team simply dashed off without us! Undaunted, we kept up a steady pace although the sheer volume of riders was making it difficult to progress.
 |
| At the start in Birmingham City Centre: Denise just behind me following my wheel. |
At first, Densie was uncomfortable without me on the front. She felt nervous if she couldn't see me. Of course, with literally thousands of riders out on the road, it was a little tricky to stay together, especially in the first ten miles when riders were very closely packed all over the road. As the day went on, Denise found more confidence and I was able to ride off the front or sometimes behind her and she was okay.
We set off a little too fast for my liking. We were swept along with some of the fast riders and found ourselves pressing hard to maintain a 19mph pace. We wouldn't last 100 miles at that speed! (Although plenty of riders do.)
We didn't stop at the first feed station because it looked terribly crowded. We stopped shortly afterwards to eat bananas and I took a few shots of passing riders.
 |
| Blue skies and dry roads. |
Eventually, Denise and I started to get into a rhythm. As her confidence grew she was able to hold my wheel steadily while I negotiated a route through super-slow riders and pot holes. When we got to Arley, it was approaching 9am. People were waking up and we started to see more and more spectators (although, to be fair, there had been isolated groups of supporters all along the route from 7am this morning.) They put on a good show, with outdoor barbecues, kids in onesies cheering us on, and one young man belting out 'Bicycle Race' by Queen on his electric guitar on his front drive!
As we got through Arley, I stopped for a wee and Denise told me that she hadn't had a drink yet because she can't ride one-handed! I hadn't realised!
The rest of the ride continued at a much steadier pace than when we had set off at 19mph. Our average settled down at 14.4mph for much of the ride. Denise's confidence grew to the point where she told me she was beginning to enjoy herself.
At our first water station, after 40 miles, I stripped off two of my four layers, my hat, arm warmers and scarf, and took down my leg warmers. I felt a little chilly at first, but not for long!
It was a glorious day and I ended up getting sunburn on my nose, ears, neck, head and legs.
The ride through Coventry was a bit rubbish because riding on cobbles is just not fun (but it is fun to watch) and it's a really ugly city. The people were great though, and a lot of them turned up to cheer us on.
 |
| Coventry. With my leg warmers around my ankles. |
I managed to call Lucy who told me that the rider tracking website wasn't working so none of our friends knew where we were! I gave her an estimated time to look out for us.
Sure enough, 10 miles later, I spotted Lucy standing on a traffic island cheering every one on as they rode through Shirley!
Denise and I stopped for a chat and to dump our unwanted clothing and water bottles. Thanks, babe!
 |
| 75 miles in - photo by Lucy. |
 |
| I was using the force! |
 |
| Leanne and her fantastic crew were out to cheer everybody on! |
Of course, the fast men had already finished their 100 miles and were probably into their third pint of ale after their pizza. Denise and I were now riding with the determined charity riders and the people who fancied having a go at a big ride. We even saw some of the people who wear backpacks and/or ride mountain bikes on sportives. We also spotted a few baggy shorts and cotton t-shirts...
At the 100 mile mark, we were greeted by Colin and Suriya, just a few hundred yards from the finishing line.
 |
| Even more lovely friends out to see us. |
A word about Denise: Even though she is an experienced marathon runner and therefore obviously fit, I expected her to struggle. I expected her to be slow, I expected her to complain and I even thought there may be tears. In the back of my mind, I considered the possibility that she may have to pull out of the event. Riding for 100 miles puts a big strain on the body, especially if you aren't properly prepared. Denise had only ever ridden 30 miles before today!
Consider this: she never complained, even though she couldn't ride one-handed and therefore couldn't drink on the move. She managed to maintain an average speed of 13.9mph even though she was riding flat pedals. She crossed the finishing line with a smile and told me that she'd enjoyed herself. What an amazing person.
After a sit down and a chat with Colin and Suriya, I headed off home to be congratulated by Mouse, Hydro and the Rangers before tucking into homemade lasagne and a couple of real ales!
100 miles of cycling, junkfood, alcohol
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