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