Week 9 - Cake Legs

Monday

I was determined to ride in to work today. The days are now getting a little longer; it was nice to pedal to work as the sun was coming up.

Back at home, I did a good weights session and then set about making dinner. I also enjoyed three beers!

We watched the increasingly impressive Last of Us on TV.

Weight training, no junkfood, 3 beers

Tuesday

I cycled in to work again. My hands were very, very cold and I had to sit on them to get the feeling back once I arrived at college. 

Tonight, I got home before 5pm and set about lifting weights for an hour. Then I dropped Martha off at her college, back home for dinner (plaice and chips) and then back to Solihull College to pick her up. I put my feet up at 9.

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Wednesday

I cycled in to work with freezing cold hands. I cycled home feeling a little warmer and then got on with my weight lifting session. I increased the weight of my squats tonight. I'm now only 4kg away from my PB.

I refuelled with my Mexican scrambled eggs and homemade wedges. My legs were aching when I walked up the stairs to bed!

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Thursday

I cycled in to work and back. Then I spent 40 minutes stomping around the house trying to find all my running kit! When I eventually found everything (most of it was strewn about my man cave) I set off in my new trainers with Yes, Tool and Haken playing through my earphones. 

I hate running, and today it was no different. I was glad of the new comfortable shoes, however. The Adidas are lighter and more comfortable than the Asics, but for some reason I was 2 minutes slower than last week! I eventually got home after 66 minutes and 3 seconds. 

After a pint of water and a shower, I enjoyed a few beers with my dinner.

10K run, no junkfood, 3 beers

Friday

I cycled in to work, watched England vs South Africa on my Smartboard in my classroom, and then cycled home. 

Tonight's Karate session was at Tudor Grange as usual, but we had moved into the main hall so that we had a lot more room. Unfortunately, the group in the other half of the hall were doing circuit training and had their motivational music playing at ear-splitting volume! It was hard to make myself heard during the warm up. 

Sensei Ronnie was in charge of tonight's session. We did a fast-paced mix of kata, kata bunkai, kicking practise, and kihon combinations. My partner was a young university student with a 2nd dan black belt. He certainly pushed me as far as speed and agility were concerned!

Back at home, a few more beers with my dinner!

Karate, no junkfood, beers

Saturday

Up early for muesli and coffee. Lucy and I went shopping. After getting some brake pads for the bicycle from Halfords, we had a walk around the huge B&M shop in Shirley. After that excitement we went along to Mountain Warehouse so I could get some new walking shoes and socks. I tried on several pairs of boots but couldn't get comfortable, so ended up with walking shoes instead.

After bacon and eggs, I headed off to the dojo at the Village Hotel. Sensei Gary was in charge and we did some kihon drills followed by kata. After the lesson, Sensei Jason, Sensei Gary and I had a meeting downstairs.

Back at home, I put the brake blocks on the road bicycle.

When it's too cold to fettle outside...

I did a load of ironing and then Lucy and I headed round to visit neighbours Luke and Kirsty. Luke fed us his homemade curry, we poured a few beers, and then ended up playing Fallout 4 for a while!

Karate, no junkfood, 4 beers.

Sunday

Up at 7 to go cycling! The four of us met up at Jonnie's place and then headed off into the lanes. It was cold, but far, far warmer than last Sunday! Our training target today was 36 miles at 13.3mph. I was off to a bit of an uncertain start - I had woken up with a sore throat and was also feeling a bit chesty. I didn't say anything to the lads, but just before we got to Ireland's lane I was even considering calling the broom wagon. Anyway, I'm glad I didn't because I eventually soldiered up and got into the rhythm of things. By the time we were pedalling up Saddlebow lane I was back to my usual self.

The ride was a pleasant one at a reasonable pace. James and I took turns on the front, with Roger occasionally blasting off into a one man break away before parking up to wait for us. We got to the cakestop with a decent average speed. 

We indulged in cake, tea and coffee and were even joined by Mouse and Tilly who were visiting their grandparents.

On the way back, James complained of "cake legs" and was having difficulty getting back up to speed. He explained that it was hard for him and Jonnie to immediately get back on the pace after a sit down and a rest. We adjusted the speed accordingly and helped each other get back to Cheswick Green. Roger won the sprint by a large margin after another of his impressive solo breakaways.

After lunch, I took Mouse, Tilly and Lily out for cake and ice cream in Solihull. It was a nice couple of hours with lots of sugar and mystery blue food!

Mouse and the blue food!

At home, I did some more ironing and then put stuff up for sale on eBay.

I managed to eat my dinner without drinking any beer, but I did enjoy some Toblerone chocolate!

36 miles of cycling, junkfood, no alcohol

Week 8 - New shoes!

Monday

Cold and frosty everywhere. I drove in to work with Lucy. When we eventually got back home, I had a motivational crisis. I made dinner for the family, drank some beer and did no exercise.

A very poor start to the week.

No exercise, no junkfood, 3 beers

Tuesday

I got up determined to do better. I drove in to work again, however. 

Back at home, I took Martha to her dog grooming course. Unfortunately, I didn't quite have enough time to fit in dinner and a weight training session before I went to pick her up again.

No exercise, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Wednesday

Another day in the car. It was actually snowing today, and bitterly cold. By the end of the day, I had an ache between the shoulder blades. Another motivational crisis at home meant another few beers instead of exercise...

No exercise, no junkfood, 4 beers.

Thursday

Weight: 10st 2lbs

In the car again, a thin covering of snow/frost on the ground. I was determined to do better today so was looking forward to doing a bit of training with the sports group in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, as I was getting changed, I discovered I had neglected to bring my trainers with me to college. I ended up being a cricket umpire for an hour.

Happily, when I got home, I set about doing an hour of weight training and even managed to get close to my personal record for the deadlift. I got on the scales after a shower and was pleased to find that I hadn't gained any weight over the last three lazy days.

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Friday

Lots to do at work. Paperwork and planning for the most part. Teaching lessons is the easy bit.

After work, Martha cried off Karate but I went along and was glad to see Sensei Gary after his trip to Japan. Tonight, the class was very busy! My task was to instruct two beginners. It was hard to make myself heard over the other students and there wasn't much floor space. Later, I was put in charge of a small group of green and yellow belts to do some self defence drills.

We are moving into a bigger hall next week, I'm looking forward to it!

Back at home, I had three bowls of Lucy's lovely pasta while we watched Happy Valley. Off to bed early to read a few chapters (Terry Pratchett - Wyrd Sisters).

Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol

Saturday

This morning, Lucy and I went shopping. I needed some new trainers for my weekly 10K run. We had a good look around on both floors of the Sports Direct shop in Shirley. In the end I had to decide between  Adidas Run Falcon 3.0 and Asics Gel-Kayano 28. The Adidas were very light, very comfortable but seemed a little flimsy. The Asics were very well put together but were a little heavier and considerably more expensive.

In the end, I couldn't decide. So I bought both.

A little later, even though it was still below freezing and there was still plenty of frost about, I went for my weekly 10K. At first, the Asics trainers were super comfortable and put a spring in my step. However, by the time I had covered 4 miles my toes were going numb. After 6 miles my toes were burning and I was struggling to keep going. I managed to get back in 64 minutes. I guess I just need to wear these trainers in a little. But my feet are a stupid shape anyway.

I watched some cricket, drank milk and ate tuna straight from the can. A shower. Then Jane and Eric came for dinner. I scoffed loads of turkey and ham pie, didn't drink beer and didn't eat any pudding.

10K run, no junkfood, no alcohol

Sunday

I got up at 7am to take Martha in to work. The roads were thick with frost. The car even had frost on the inside of the windscreen! My phone said it was -3 degrees. Proper cold.

By the time I got home, James and Jonnie had very sensibly decided not to ride. Rog was still up for it, however! He got to my place just before 10am, the frost still thick and white across the roads. We set off carefully!

Needless to say, covered in the white frost with the sun low in the sky, the countryside was beautiful. The world looked like a Christmas card.

It was pretty easy riding for the first few miles although I was reluctant to come off the brakes when descending Tom Hill. Frost isn't really a problem. The dangerous parts were when we suddenly came across sheets of ice stretching across the lane. This was nearly always near a farm or agricultural building. The water had streamed out into the lanes and then frozen solid. We took things very carefully. As always, Roger was much more confident than I. At one point, he even overtook me on a descent riding one-handed while I was clinging onto my brake levers for all I was worth!

Speaking of hands - my fingers almost instantly went numb as soon as we started. By the second mile I had lost feeling in my right hand and most of my left. I had to look to see if I was positioned on the brake levers because I couldn't feel anything. As hard as it might be to believe, my hands didn't thaw out until mile 19 - and when my fingers did start to thaw, the pain was quite something!

After the Billesley Wall, Roger shot off the front and vanished over the hills and far away. I didn't see him again until the cakestop. He said he thought I was on his wheel, but I don't believe a word of it! 😁

After some lovely cake, we set off again. This time, although bloody cold, it was a little warmer and my fingers didn't suffer. We applied a bit of effort and got the average up above 13mph. Roger seemed really strong today, stronger than he has been for a while, and it was difficult for me to make myself useful! I did get on the front a few times but I don't think I needed to!

We got back to my place after 36 miles with an average speed of 13.2mph.

With no time to spare (or eat, or shower) I found myself going for a two hour walk with Lucy and the dogs over Earlswood lakes. It was very beautiful to see the sun low in the sky over the frozen water. 

Back at home, I made dinner, did some ironing and then settled down to watch the always fascinating Happy Valley before bed.

Cycling: 36 miles, junkfood, no alcohol

Week 7 - "A duty to be fit."

 Monday

I went to work and worked.

When I got home, I did a good weights session focused on legs. Then I made dinner for the family and drank lots of tea.

In bed, my lower back was aching. It wasn't a sharp pain, but a constant dull ache. I simply couldn't get comfortable in any position - I even tried curling up into a ball!

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Tuesday

I woke up tired and with a stiff back. Thankfully, the ache gradually went away during the course of the working day. In the evening, I took Martha to her new dog grooming course - unfortunately, this meant I couldn't attend the dojo. I did some more weightlifting instead - this time I swapped out the deadlifts and squats for two other exercises. I didn't want to risk injuring my back. I scoffed some dinner, picked Martha up from college, and then scoffed some more!

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Wednesday

I cycled in to work and back and then set about lifting some weights. I got on with squats and deadlifts with no adverse effects on my lower back. I made a chicken and mushroom stir fry for the family and then went to bed to read about Ant Middleton climbing Everest.

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Thursday

I taught PE in the afternoon. We did a good warm up and then some pad work - jabs, crosses, hooks and then reverse kicks. After that, we played half an hour of cricket. I still can't believe I get paid for it!

Back at home, I got ready for tonight's 10K. I put my earphones in, started my motivational music (New Order, Van Morrison, Metallica...) and set off into the dark. Unfortunately, after less than half a mile, my right calf muscle seized up. It didn't cramp, it just tightened up to the point where it felt like I was limping along on a concrete leg. I didn't see the point of limping along for 6 miles so I turned around, limped home, and set about another weight lifting session. That's four hours of weight training so far this week!
I then played some fantastic music and drank three real ales. Cheers!

In the absence of any fitness related photos, here's one of my Thursday night beers.

Weight training, no junkfood, 3 beers

Friday

After a morning of teaching followed by two meetings in the afternoon, I was ready for a good Karate session. After dropping Lucy and Dodgy Debbie at the station, I got to the dojo early and spent ten minutes knocking a heavy bag around, which made my hands go purple...
Double world champion 6th Dan Sensei Ronnie was in charge this evening. The focus for this hour and half session was "getting back into it." This meant going through the first 6 kata, some very basic kihon and then very light sparring. A very enjoyable and useful 90 minutes. He also gave some inspiring words to black belts (to me, I was the only black belt there!) explaining how we have a "duty" to maintain our fitness. Motivated by this, I got home and did a mini workout of curls, press ups and military presses while my dinner was cooking! Lucy and Dodgy got in just before midnight, so that was when I scurried off to bed!

Karate, mini workout, no junkfood, no alcohol

Saturday

Up at 7 to eat muesli and drink coffee. Later, I put on my running shoes and headed out for another attempt at this week's 10K. Happily, my right leg behaved itself today and I was able to go along at a steady pace. I had Opeth, Genesis, Tool and Mastodon in my earphones to keep me moving. I got home in 65 minutes and 8 seconds: slow by anyone's standards, but still 4 minutes faster than last week's effort.

By this time, Lucy was out and Dodgy was up. I cooked a second breakfast of bacon, eggs and tomatoes for myself and Dodgy before driving to Acocks Green to pick up Lily for our afternoon out.

Lily, Martha, Mouse and I took the dogs for a walk in Hay Woods. It was extremely wet and muddy and I was very glad of my waterproof socks! Poor Mouse got it wrong every now and then and ended up with wet feet! We were making very slow progress and I was relieved that we made it back to the car before it got dark.

Back at home, we opened our lovely Christmas presents from Lily before the girls played video games and I watched some cricket. Lucy made a huge pot of bolognese and we all sat at the table together and chatted. Soon after this, I took Lily back home.

In the evening, Lucy and I watched Happy Valley and I drank three small beers (less than 2 pints.) Then off to bed to finish reading The Fear Bubble by Ant Middleton. 

What a fantastic Saturday!

10K run, no junkfood, 3 small beers

Sunday

Today's training ride was a 36 mile route through Norton Lindsey and Snitterfield, stopping off for homemade cake at Wilmcote as usual. I met up with Jonnie, James and Roger at 9 and we set off into the cold, wet lanes. We were lucky with the weather - the worst of the rain was only a bit of drizzle now and then. However, the lanes were very wet, with standing water everywhere, and a couple of big puddles meaning we had to unclip to keep the feet dry as we rolled through.

This was Jonnie's first ride of the year after missing the first two training rides due to him taking time away in warmer climes to restore his energies. He'll be the first to admit that he isn't firing on all cylinders yet - his legs were stiff after time away from the bike. 

Roger surprised me to today. In the last half mile I broke away from the front, got the bike up to 23mph and headed for the finish, quite convinced I was alone. Suddenly, Roger was hot on my wheel! I managed to get away from him on the final climb but this is not something I'm particularly proud of - I'm 22 years younger than Roger!

Back at base, Jonnie and I decided to refresh ourselves with a few beers... Unfortunately, my "duty to be fit" was forgotten, washed away by several glasses of IPA!

Lucy had made a fantastic chicken dinner. We settled down to watch another episode of the excellent BBC drama Happy Valley. I stayed up late to watch Elvis on Tour from1972. 

36 miles of cycling, junkfood, beer

Week 6

The last 4 weeks haven't been the kind of weeks one would write about in a fitness/training blog. In those 4 weeks I attended 3 Karate lessons, went on 2 bicycle rides and got through 8 weight lifting sessions. However, I must have eaten my weight in chocolate and consumed gallons of stout and IPA! Now it's time to regain my focus and get back to a healthier lifestyle. The first thing I need to do is lose some Christmas flab...

Monday

A bank holiday, and the last day before we return to work. I crawled out of bed late and then spent a lot of the morning getting lessons ready for Wednesday. I also put some more comics up for sale on eBay. In the afternoon, I slung some weights around: I'm finding it a challenge to complete barbell shrugs at the moment because I don't seem to have the necessary strength in my left hand (I broke the middle finger in February last year.) Anyway, I completed the hour.

I weighed myself this afternoon: I'm 6 pounds overweight. Not too bad. I reckon I can shift that in two weeks.

The biggest challenge of the day was eating Lucy's fabulous homemade chicken curry without a nice glass of beer to go with it! I had several cups of tea instead.

We went to bed early, about two hours earlier than we have been doing recently, but couldn't sleep. So we sat up reading. I finished William Gibson's Blue Ant trilogy - recommended, but you will spend a lot of time googling all the various pop culture references, especially fashion designers and artists.

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Tuesday

*Deep sigh* Back to work. Today was a training day. It wasn't too bad - we got to see lots of our work colleagues, many of whom we regard as friends.

In the evening, Martha and I went along to our first Karate lesson of the year. It turned out to be a black belt instructor training session with Sensei Ronnie Christopher in charge! As first dan black belts, Martha and I were the lowest grades in the training. Sensei put us to the test with high level kata and bunkai. At one point, Sensei Ronnie kicked me in the groin during a demonstration. He then asked if I was wearing a box - which I obviously wasn't! This caused much amusement among the higher grades! I was just relieved that I managed to stay on my feet...

Home for a huge serving of homemade shepherd's pie and lots of water.

I'm now only 3 pounds overweight.

Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol

Wednesday

Back in the classroom! It felt great to be teaching again, but with so many staff off sick the pressure was on the rest of us to accommodate the students without a teacher. My classroom was full to bursting!

Back at home, I made dinner for the girls and then hurled some weights around in my man cave. 

I drank a lot of tea.

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Thursday

I cycled in to work on the mountain bike. I had an 11mph wind behind me so it was easy. In the afternoon, I did some boxing drills with the sports lads and did a bit of bodyweight exercise as part of the warm up. I cycled home against the wind which was rather more challenging!

I strapped on my old running shoes - trainers so old they literally have holes in, and the soles are so thin they are without any grip left. I put four layers on, plus a thin scarf and gloves because it was cold and raining. Then I set out for a 10 kilometre run.

I'd gone less than a mile before I realised my mistake: I was far far far too hot! Four layers was too much, even in the rain. I actually considering stripping off and just leaving a couple of layers in a hedge! However, I struggled on, sweating in the rain for the remaining 5+ miles. It was more of a mental test than a physical one. I desperately wanted to stop, and I did think about it a couple of times, but I soon solved that by promising myself a beer if I ran the whole 10K. I ran past other joggers who were wearing shorts and vests - they must have thought I was quite mad, all wrapped up and huffing along with my bright red face...

Eventually, pouring with sweat and aching all over, I made it home in an abysmal time of 69 minutes and 18 seconds. This may be my slowest ever 10K - it is 11 minutes slower than my best!

The rest of the night involved a much needed shower, some lovely beer, and a fantastic dinner.

Slow 10 kilometre run, 3 beers, no junkfood

Friday

I enjoyed my morning at college - a good ICT lesson with some fantastic students. The afternoon was taken up by a very long, very frustrating meeting. I was glad to get out of there!

I went along to the dojo tonight. Sensei Jason was in charge for the hour and a half because Sensei Gary is away training in Japan! We were put through a good mix of kata, basics and some self defense to finish. I got to work with a brand new student who said she would come along to my Sunday lesson (Sensei has asked me to teach the Sunday class while he is away.) 

At home, Lucy had made a very tasty beef chilli con carne. I had three bowlfuls! It's all natural ingredients so I'm sure it's good for me, just not so good for my efforts to lose weight!

Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol

Saturday

Some DIY to start the day - I got under our freestanding bath to reattach a waste pipe. After that lovely experience, I made a curry for tonight, scoffed some lunch, and then went off to teach a Karate session (Sensei Gary is away in Japan.) I was in charge of 14 enthusiastic students, all eager to train hard. We even managed to have a few laughs too! The highlight was the heavy bag work at the end.

In the evening, I decided I deserved a few evening beers with my homemade curry.

Karate (teaching), no junkfood, 3 beers

Sunday

I was up at 7 and out at 9. I rode out into the lanes with my mates James and Roger for our second training ride of the year. In March, we will be riding the Mad March Hare: a very hilly, usually cold, sometimes wet 60 mile sportive which we use to motivate ourselves through the winter. I have ridden it every year for the last 11 or 12 years. (I had to abandon once but that was because my brother's bike stopped working after the first few miles.)

Today's ride took us up High Cross and then through Snitterfield. It was a very familiar route and we chatted along at a relaxed pace. We were into a headwind but it didn't seem to cause us any concern. The legs felt fine and we arrived at Wilmcote after 20 enjoyable miles.

Jane served some fantastic coffee cake and hot drinks. 

Cycling has many health benefits. Cake doesn't.

If anything, the last 15 miles home were even more enjoyable. We had an 11mph wind behind us and it still wasn't raining. We got back to my place in good spirits after 34 miles at a comfortable pace of 13.5mph.

Sally came to visit in the afternoon. It was nice to put my feet up and drink a coffee after my exertions on the bicycle.

After a shower, I went off to the dojo. Sensei Gary had asked me to cover this lesson while he was in Japan. I was relieved to find Sensei Kai already getting warmed up. He kindly agreed to teach the brown and black belts while I took charge of everyone else. 

It proved to be a very busy session. It was challenging for me because I had to keep the purple belts working hard while I spent some time with three brand new students who hadn't attended the dojo before. We ended with some pad work and I think everyone went home happy. Phew.

Needless to say, Lucy had made a splendid Sunday dinner for the family. Jake and Tilly came along with some beers for me. It would be rude not to sample a few...

34 miles of cycling, junkfood, 3 beers, a glass of red wine