Week 1

Monday

I cycled in to work on the road bike. The skinny machine doesn't feel as stable on the wet roads as my mountain bike does. I need to get around to fixing the puncture very soon.

At home, I did a light lifting session which I completed in 55 minutes. Then I cooked a protein-rich dinner.

After the washing up, I fixed a puncture on Martha's bike before driving to the toy shop to pick up Mouse from work. Then we enjoyed an hour of video games together!

Weight training, no alcohol, no junkfood.

Tuesday

I drove into work and back today. At home, I made a strong coffee and set about lifting weights for an hour. After dinner, Martha and I played Fallout 4 on the Playstation.

Weight training, no alcohol, no junkfood.

Wednesday

I cycled to work and back. Then I got on with some weight training before making chicken stir fry for the family. After the washing up, I did some ironing and didn't drink beer.

Weight training, no alcohol, no junkfood.

Thursday

I did a warm-up with the sports lads today. Plenty of skipping, push ups, sit ups and squats. Then we played a bit of indoor cricket.

Back at home, I went for my weekly 10K run. It was a very foggy night and rather cold. The light from the lampposts in the fog made everything seem very spooky and slightly unreal. It was a very slow run and I eventually stumbled to a halt after 67 minutes and 36 seconds. I intend to take about 8 minutes off that time over the next 12 months.

Today is 1st December and I received an amazing advent calendar from Jake and the girls. It is a Brewdog calendar featuring a can of beer for each day! It certainly won't help with my training but it is a very thoughtful and welcome gift.

After a shower, I enjoyed three beers with the family while we had chicken dinner around the table. We agreed that it felt like a Sunday!

10K run, no junkfood, 3 beers

Friday

A high-pressure day at work today, but I came through it okay. We had 6 teaching staff absent from work in the department which meant that I ended up teaching two groups split between two classrooms. The students were all brilliant - very understanding and respectful. They produced loads of course work.

In the afternoon, I delivered some training to members of the department. They too were very understanding and respectful! Training my peers is not something I'm comfortable with and I got a bit sweaty, but I got through it okay.

Tonight's Karate session was a strange experience too. The first hour was run by Sensei Gary and the last half an hour was run by me! To make matters even more strange - I had managed to leave my black belt at home and had to wear a blue belt which I had found in the bottom of my kit bag.

I was glad to get home and enjoy a few more beers while watching Strictly Come Dancing with Lucy and the girls.

Karate, no junkfood, 3 beers

Saturday

After making a fry up for the wife and myself, I was put to work in the garden. I cut back a tree which was leaning against the roof, and then set about chopping it up for firewood. By the time I was raking up the leaves, 2 hours had gone by and it was time to scoff some curry left over from last night.

This afternoon's Karate session was a good mix of kihon and kata training with a strong emphasis on discipline and etiquette. 

I noticed that a lot of our students are still training in massive, heavy trainers that I'm sure they wear outside too. It only takes one person to walk in a small piece of glass... I hope the club puts a stop to trainers in the dojo soon.

After Karate, I went along to Halfords to get some all-weather bike lubricant for the road bike.

I then found time to repair the puncture in the front wheel of my mountain bike. It's now ready for the commute next week.

I picked up Mouse from work and then the family had dinner and watched some more Strictly Come Dancing on TV!

Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Sunday

Prepping the road bike for a ride, I noticed that the bearings in the back wheel have begun to grind. 

I joined James and Jonnie in the lanes for our weekly cycle ride. It was very cold and quite damp. I was wearing two pairs of cycling tights, two pairs of gloves and a balaclava. I can only imagine what I looked like!

We did a relatively short ride (35 miles) but we kept a half decent pace. We took it in turns to lead on the front and the chat was the usual high-quality nonsense. I devoured two huge wedges of cake at the halfway point too!

The wheel was clicking and grinding all the way, but it remained stable.

After cycling, I walked the dogs around the park for an hour before driving up to B&Q to get myself a new jigsaw (a power tool, not a puzzle.) Jigsaws are more expensive than I had anticipated.

I put my pricey new saw to work and cut a sheet of Perspex to replace a missing piece of glass in the greenhouse.

In the evening, we all relaxed with a good dinner before Lucy and and I went to watch football with Luke and Kirsty next door. I overdid it a little with the beer...

35 miles of cycling, plenty of junkfood, 5 beers