Weight: 10st 8lbs
I was up early for a healthy breakfast.
I set up a weight lifting session in the morning. I got through it at a good pace and then cycled into work feeling ready for action. At college, I made sure I ate loads of protein: chicken and peanuts.
Towards the end of the working day I started to feel a bit ropey. I don't know why. I felt a bit light-headed and restless. I cycled home carefully and decided to have a couple of glasses of red wine with dinner to help switch off from the day. After dinner, I had a 440ml can of cider which the kids had left in the fridge. I sipped that while watching the highlights of the Vuelta.
By the time I went to bed I was feeling like crap.
I had a dream-filled, restless night.
Weight training, no junkfood, 2 glasses of wine, 1 can of cider.
Tuesday
Weight: 10st 7lbs
Of course, what I should have done last night was have a Lemsip instead of booze. I woke up with a runny nose and a sore throat. So I had a Lemsip with my breakfast.
By the time I'd cycled to work I was a new man. I ate tuna and wholewheat pasta for lunch and chomped on nuts throughout the day. I drank water.
After I cycled home, Martha and I went off to the dojo. Sensei Russell was in charge again but this time he was instructing the brown belt students. We had a great session! Sensei Russell had us alternating between kata and kumite without any time to rest in between. I performed 7 different kata and must have sparred with at least 5 different opponents. Unfortunately, there were only two other adults training tonight, so I had to have some fights with youngsters.
By the end of the session, the sweat was running down my face. Once again, I've been made very aware of my lack of fitness...
Back home, Lucy had prepared a huge homemade beef chilli with loads of vegetables and brown rice. Perfect.
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol
Wednesday
Weight: 10st 6lbs
I cycled in to work, I ate healthy stuff.
After enrolment duties were completed, Michael and I went along to the college gym to take part in one of Mr Roger's interval training sessions.
It felt like the hardest one we've ever done!
After 5 minutes of cardio to warm up, we were subjected to deadlifts, bent over rows, sprinting on the spot, burpees, mountain climbers, alternate dumbbell presses and other such tortuous exercises for almost an hour. Michael and I pushed each other hard. I know I never would have worked this hard on my own! Within five minutes of the session starting I was seriously doubting my ability to complete it, I was so tired! Towards the end, I must have had an endorphin rush or something: I was pumped up, full of energy and laser-focused on my goal of achieving a black belt this year.
We made sure to stretch properly before leaving the gym. A great first workout!
I cycled home.
Tonight, I read the chapter on nutrition in Joe Friel's book The Cyclist's Training Bible. I discovered that I'm not eating anywhere near enough protein to allow my body to work at it's maximum potential. I then did some calculations and discovered that I need to be consuming something like two chicken breasts, three eggs and a tin of tuna every day! That's going to take some dedication.
Circuit training, no alcohol, no junkfood.
Thursday
Weight: 10st 6lbs
I cycled in to work, ate healthy stuff, and cycled back home.
I reluctantly headed off for my weekly 10K run having set myself a target of 64 minutes. After much effort and talking to myself I managed to complete the route in 63 minutes and 34 seconds. Close! Next week, I'm aiming for 63m and 40s.
10K run, no junkfood, no alcohol
Friday
Weight: 10st 7lbs
I cycled in to work, ate loads of healthy stuff such as tuna and peanuts, and then cycled home.
Tonight's dojo session was top class. We spent a good deal of the first part of the lesson doing a proper stretch. I prefer to stretch on Saturdays because I don't wear a groin guard for that lesson. However, I managed to do a half decent stretch tonight even though I was hampered by my protective equipment.
The rest of the lesson was team kata practice. I was working with 1st kyu Sean and black belt Jason. We tried hard to stay synchronised in Kanku Dai but we couldn't manage it. It was good to go through the kata several times and to ask Sensei about some of the detail.
After the lesson, I had a chat with Sensei Jason and discovered that he used to train with Sensei Paul Hexley - my first instructor from nearly 20 years ago!
I went home to relax and to treat myself to two bottles of real ale!
Karate, no junkfood, 2 ales
Saturday
Weight: 10st 8lbs
I got up early and ended up having two breakfasts! I had muesli with natural yogurt followed by bacon, eggs and tomatoes.
I had a banana before this afternoon's Karate session. Martha and I were in a for a bit of a shock this afternoon: We presented our modules to Sensei in the hope that he would be able to sign off some of the elements in it. He thoroughly tested us on our basics including a kicking sequence. I tried to move as fast as I could with the correct form while staying relaxed. We had some extremely useful feedback from Sensei but he couldn't sign our modules. We're not ready. He told us that we'd be able to tell when we were ready for black belt.
It was a struggle to stay positive on the way home. Martha took it particularly hard. Maybe the 1st of December is too soon to grade?
At home, I distracted myself with the cricket and Lucy made a wonderful homemade chicken curry which cheered me up. Poor Martha had to go to work!
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol.
Sunday
Weight: 10st 7lbs
Up early to go cycling with Jonnie and James.
We set off on the Stratford route heading south to the River Avon. It was a bright and sunny morning but quite chilly. I was glad of my base layer and James was wearing a jacket. There was hardly any wind, and what there was of it was blowing behind us. This meant that we made excellent progress down Binton, through Luddington and along the Ridgeway to the cakestop. Strava has us at a 15.7mph average! The bike computer, however, was more conservative at 15.4mph, Either way, it was still the fastest we had ever completed that first half of the route.
After refreshing ourselves with tea and cake and watching the first few overs of the day's play at Old Trafford, we pedalled east down Featherbed Lane towards Snitterfield. We maintained a good pace out of Snitterfield and made our way to the Widowmaker - a 1:6 climb in Langley. James and I unintentionally pulled away from Jonnie on the hill but there was no need to wait for him: On the next descent, made up of narrow bends and blind corners, Jonnie came whipping past, steering with one hand while making a flippant comment about being lucky in the turns!
The ride along the A4189 out of Claverdon was a stressful affair with fat middle-aged men in expensive cars getting quite irate about us using their road. They gave us a few hand gestures and I made sure I gave them some back. None of them were brave enough to get out of their big cars and face me man to man however.
We stopped briefly at the Fleur de Lys to deal with a mechanical issue on James' bike (well done, Jonnie) and then set off for Packwood House. It was when leaving Packwood that I realised that the average was still 15.0mph! I let the lads know the situation and we all went full effort to get back with the average intact. At times, I yelled out with pain because my legs were so full of lactic acid!
I'm pleased to report that we made it back with an average speed of 15.0mph over 50 miles. At home, I recovered properly with a tin of tuna (protein) and some malt loaf (carbs.)
In the evening, we had lovely guests for dinner and we watched the last of the day's play in the cricket.
I did enjoy a few ales and a glass of wine but managed to resist the pudding!
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| Dinner, ale, wine, good people! |
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