Week 14 - Riding as a Team

Monday

Back to work!

I cycled in this morning. I thought it was colder than it actually was, I put on too many layers, and was sweating heavily by the time I cycled the 4.6 miles to college! The cycle home wasn't as bad - I left off my balaclava!

At home, I set about doing some weight training for an hour before having dinner with the family. It was nice to have Tilly with us too.

After the washing up, I sat down to wrap Mouse's birthday presents while watching the final day of the New Zealand/England test. I went to bed at 11pm but found myself dreaming about the cricket! I woke up regularly to check the score until Lucy and I ended up watching it at 3am! It was so disappointing to see England lose by 1 run - it even hurts to write about it now...

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Tuesday

I woke up very, very tired... Lucy convinced me to go to work with her in the car.

We got back home to see Mouse on her birthday. She opened her presents and then went off up town with her friends.

I set about lifting weights for an hour and then stuffed myself with two huge bowls of homemade beef chilli.

Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Wednesday

I woke up with a soreness in my right upper trapezius muscle. This must be because of the amount of weight training I'm doing at the moment, and the fact that I'm trying to increase the weight or volume of lifting each time. After work, I dropped off Lucy and Mouse at the train station and then went home to have some dinner with Martha. I didn't try to do any training - I declared today a rest day.

Later, I drove up to Birmingham City Centre to collect Lucy and Mouse after they had seen a musical. 

Late to bed!

No exercise, no alcohol, no junkfood

Thursday 

I cycled in to work. I had an enjoyable afternoon with the sports group - we did some warm-up exercises, then a self-defence drill followed by some indoor cricket. I didn't push myself hard (I had planned to do some circuit training with them) because of my shoulder strain.

After cycling home, I set off on my weekly 10K run. As usual, it was hard, uncomfortable, boring and seemed to go on forever. In fact, it went on for 64 minutes and 49 seconds.

10K run, no junkfood, no booze

Friday

I cycled in to work and back. As soon as I got home I set about slinging the weights around for an hour. I was relieved to find that the rest day had done me some good and the pain/stiffness in my neck and shoulder didn't stop me from completing the workout.  After that, I wolfed down as much of my dinner (chicken and pasta bake) as I could before driving Debbie and Lucy out to Kings Heath to take part in a pub quiz raising money for Breast Cancer Research. James and a couple of other friends made up our team. It quickly became apparent that Debbie and I were useless. The vast majority of our answers were supplied by Lucy and James. I think I contributed 4 correct answers in the whole evening: Julius Caesar, Othello, Zelda, and 10 Things I Hate About You.

The quiz didn't end until after 11 and I didn't make it into bed until 12:10...

Weight training, no junkfood, no booze.

Saturday

I got up at 7 to eat loads of breakfast and then I met Roger, James and Jonnie for our weekly bicycle ride. We are currently training hard for the Mad March Hare sportive at the end of the month. Today's training target was to ride 50 miles with 2500 feet of climbing and an average speed of 13.8mph. Before we set off, I suggested we try something different: up until this ride, we pretty much rode along however we wanted to. This normally meant that there was a man off the front testing his legs, a couple of chaps having a nice chat, and a bloke suffering at the back, half way up a climb. Today, I suggested that we ride together, at the slowest man's pace, protecting each other  - basically riding as a team.

I'm pleased to report that it was a great success. As in previous years, riding at this point in the training plan is usually done without much chit chat - we are working hard from the start and saving our breath. Working together like this meant that at least there was some banter as we went along. It was a good experience.

As usual, the cake was excellent. The lanes were dry but the wind was cold and against us on the way home. However, working together meant that we were able to get back to base with a 14.0mph average after 50 miles. I personally had more in the legs and I'm sure the lads did too. I rolled back home feeling good about this year's Mad March Hare.

After three fried eggs for lunch (protein!), I took the dogs for a walk. Later, I picked up Lily and we had dinner with the family. We watched A Quiet Place part 2 which is a worthy sequel to the original. The best part was seeing the first day of the alien invasion and how the family survived. For pudding I helped myself to ice cream and some chocolate!

50 miles of cycling, loads of junkfood, no alcohol.

Sunday

It was so strange to have a lie in on a Sunday! I'm ashamed to say that I didn't open my eyes until 9:05. Almost 10 hours of sleep!

Lucy and I went shopping and then I made us bacon and eggs for breakfast when we got back home. After that, I immediately had a second breakfast of muesli! 

After the evening's Karate session, I got back home to crack a few beers (the first of the week) and to watch Liverpool hammer Man U 7-0! Cheers!

Karate, no junkfood, 3 beers

How to Lose a Belly When You're 44 (part 7)

The last two weeks were hectic.
I spent the first week preparing for an Ofsted inspection. This meant staying very late at work every day (I think I did four eleven-hour days on the trot and then 8 hours on the Friday.) Then, at the weekend, Jonnie and I went down to London for a day to ruin our health on a pub crawl with my brother.
The following week was the Ofsted inspection. This also meant working long hours each day. Needless to say, after eleven hours at work, Lucy and I were glad to get home for a glass of wine or two in the evenings.
I haven't been training.
I think I managed one weekend bike ride and about three Karate sessions. I haven't done any running or weight training and my diet has been shocking.
The big news, however, is that Martha and I have been approached by Sensei Gary to take part in the Ruach instructor's course! I have recently been daydreaming about becoming an instructor but thought I'd wait until I reached 2nd Dan before even mentioning it to Sensei! I was very pleased and shocked when he approached me about it.
This, coupled with the fact that there is a grading at the weekend, has inspired me to get back into training in a serious way.
Here we go again...

The start of a journey I've been wanting to take for some time.

Monday
Blood pressure: 138/73
Resting heart rate: 61
Weight: 10st 4lbs
I cycled to work in torrential rain. Happily, the weather was mild so being soaked through didn't mean I got cold. It was an interesting day with lots of managing behaviour to be done as well as contacting parents for meetings.
I cycled home for a lifting session. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't have to use lighter weights for any of the exercises. Perhaps the two week rest did my muscles some good? I completed the lift in almost exactly 60 minutes and then set about making a protein-rich dinner for the family.
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol

Tuesday
I cycled to work and back.
Tonight's dojo session was all about the kumite. We were warmed up with some basics, did some one-step sparring, and then found ourselves in a line-up. It was a good session.
Afterwards, Martha and I had a meeting with Sensei Gary to discuss our involvement with the instructor's program. Martha and I are very excited!
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol.

Wednesday
I cycled in to work. Today, I found myself unable to resist the chocolates and biscuits in the staff room. I cycled home feeling only slightly guilty.
I did a good weights session and didn't drink beer.

Thursday
I cycled in to work, didn't eat the biscuits, cycled home and then did a good weights session.
Didn't drink alcohol.

Friday
I cycled to work and back.
Tonight's dojo session was my last training opportunity before the grading on Sunday. Sensei Russell was absent so Sensei Gary took the session. As part of the instructor's program, Martha was asked to take control of a group of white belts while I taught Tekki Shodan to a purple belt.
I think I would have benefitted from going over the techniques I need for grading, but I was still very happy to get some valuable teaching experience! Martha, as usual, was an excellent, natural teacher.
After the session, Martha and I raced home to pick up Lucy and then the three of us headed off for Jonnie's birthday night out. Six of us enjoyed curry and drinks followed by ice cream at our local Indian restaurant.

Saturday
I went along to observe the young students grade at our Saturday afternoon dojo. I helped a trio of dedicated and enthusiastic white belts practise their kihon, kata and kumite. Then, during the actual grading, I had the great honour of handing out the belts to the successful students. I wish I had worn my karategi instead of my civies!

Sunday
The day of my grading.
I was up at 7 to go cycling with Jonnie. We put together a gentle 35 mile route with the usual cake stop. I treated it as a warm-up and just span the little gears all morning. I didn't want to risk any soreness in the legs and certainly didn't want to end up with that empty, aching feeling you sometimes get after a hard day in the saddle. The wind slowed Jonnie down on the way home so I didn't feel so guilty about making him wait for me ticking along in a tiny gear. We eventually rolled into his drive with a very pedestrian average of 13.4 mph.
4 hours later, I was warming up in the dojo with about 15 other nervous karateka. Sensei Ronnie Christopher gave us an inspirational talk before we started and then, after that, he mentioned to me that he thought I was going for my black belt today! I took that as an encouraging sign!
I started well by joining in with the lower grades which got me nicely warmed up. The ankle was aching but I had some Deep Heat rubbed in and a bit of strapping in place. I was confident that it would hold.
For my grading, I thought the basics went well because I concentrated on staying fast and relaxed. However, my kata was disappointing: I was feeling the pressure and managed to get things wrong at the first kiai point of Kata Jion. I'm not sure if Sensei picked up on it (he probably did!) but he didn't say anything.
The real disappointment came when we did our ju ippon kumite. Firstly, I was partnered with a teenage girl! I immediately had to change my mindset from "I'm not going to lose a single point and I'm going to be faster and stronger than my partner" to "I've got to be mindful of my control and not hurt anyone"! Secondly, what I'd been practising for the last five years has been a big step backwards to avoid the attack followed by a thrust in to counter and close the distance. This afternoon, Sensei Ronnie let me know that this was wrong. He wants me to cut out the thrust when I counter and to stay at a fighting distance. Obviously, the middle of the grading is no time to start to adjust your technique so I was left doing the best I could with this information.
Needless to say, the mistake in Jion and the ju ippon kumite  meant that I barely scraped by with a pass. At least I got my new belt.

From a distinction to a merit, and then just a pass.

The new belt

A bit of relaxation after the pressure...

Monday
My first day on the road to a black belt! I cycled to work and back and then did some weight training. No junkfood, no booze.

Tuesday
I cycled in to work today. One of the ladies I work with brought some sweets in for me so it would be rude to refuse them (I had four.) I cycled home.
Tonight's dojo session was kumite focused. I struggled to keep up with the pace of the line-up and was relieved when it was all over. Must get fitter!
no alcohol.

Wednesday
Cycled to work and back. Did some weight training. No junkfood, no booze.

Thursday
The same as Wednesday!

Friday
I cycled to work. Lucy was in a good mood and brought me a tasty sweet treat to go with my lunch! I cycled home ready for dojo. It was a brilliant session with both Sensei Russell and Sensei Ronnie delivering a useful, non-stop session with something for everyone. The only thing we didn't get to do was fight someone of our own grade. We were asked to partner with a beginner for each fight.
In the evening, lots of fabulous people from work went along to the Christmas staff party. There was free food and beer all night. I got stupidly drunk and then went home and carried on drinking. I think I wandered off to bed at about 4am. Needless to say, the rest of the weekend was a hungover mess. I was still too ill to go cycling on Sunday. What a waste of my two days off...

How to Lose a Belly When You're 41 (part 17)

Monday
Weight: 10st 3lbs
I've dropped a pound since this time last week, but I'm still now only the same weight I was a month ago! Just two more weeks of this and then I'll have to get more serious with the training plan. I can't fit in any more exercise so I'll have to adjust the cake/beer intake!
I cycled in to work, cycled back again, ate loads of vegetables and eggs (Mexican scrambled eggs for dinner!) and then did a heavy weight-lifting session.

Tuesday
Cycled in to work and back.
This evening, Martha and I went to the dojo as usual, only to find that the floor of the sportshall is being resurfaced and was firmly shut to the public! There were lots of confused karateka milling around, including black belts! I drove us back home again and we had a cunning idea - we would go for a run!
Shorts and trainers on, we stepped out into the sunshine for a jog. Martha stayed with me for the first mile and then I carried on to complete a 10K. It was my slowest one yet.
Healthy eating all day, no booze.

Wednesday
I cycled in to work determined to have another healthy day - the Great Birmingham 10K is looming large on the horizon! I cycled home to run tonight's Dungeons and Dragons session with the young people. I ate healthily all day and avoided alcohol. I dropped my players home and flopped down on the couch with a cup of tea at about 10pm. Later, I was playing Batman: Arkham Knight on the PS4 when it suddenly occurred to me - I'd completely forgotten the weight-lifting session I had planned for tonight! Oh well, I gave my thumbs a workout instead.

Thursday
Once again - another day that doesn't have a place on a fitness blog...
Today, as well as being the Queen's birthday, it is also my mother's! After work, two of the girls and I headed over to take Mom out for dinner. We overindulged with ice cream and chocolate and I had a couple of beers. I didn't even have time to do any exercise today!

Friday
Cycled to work and back. I took myself off to the dojo tonight, not really in the mood but still determined to give it a good go. Tonight, the session was held by Sensei Ronnie Christopher (2 x World Silver Medalist, European Champion and 4 x British champion). Sensei Ronnie is a very inspiring person and just his presence is enough to rev the class up - we were all mad for it! The session focused on kicks - particularly the mawashi geri (roundhouse kick) and Jion Kata.
By the time the hour was up, I felt energised, renewed and refocused on my mission to claim a black belt!
Very healthy eating (chicken breasts and fresh vegetables) and no booze.

Saturday
Up early for a banana and a glass of fizzy water. I had decided that I really wasn't happy with Tuesday's very slow 10K effort, so this morning I put my trainers on again and headed out. It was a bright but rather cold morning and my hands started to go numb over the first 2 miles. My left knee was complaining a little too but my main issue was a dull ache in the middle of my back. My hands warmed up and the knee got better but the dull ache was with me the entire run. However, it went away as soon as I finished. What I was most pleased about today was my ability to maintain a faster pace than normal. Every now and then I'd find myself at an easy jogging pace so I'd immediately coax myself back into a run and hold it there. I eventually finished with my fastest time yet: 59 minutes 17 seconds according to my stopwatch.
I'm very happy with that!
I went to see Mom and she had made a fantastic homemade lemon cake. Bang went the healthy eating for the day!
To make matters worse, we visited a traditional old-fashioned sweet shop. Chocolate Brasil nuts anyone? No? Okay, I'll eat them all myself...
At home, I indulged in after dinner trifle while watching a Glenn Campbell concert on TV. However, I did manage to resist the open bottle of red wine in the kitchen!

Sunday
Woke up earlier than I intended to. After porridge, I called for Jonnie and we set off into the lanes on our bicycles. We took our High Cross route which has some lovely downhill sections. Today, I manged to get all the way down these sections without touching the brakes. The dry roads certainly helped. Upon reaching Snitterfield, with our average still above 15 mph, we took the longer route to Wilmcote to visit Jane and Eric. Again, I managed to get down the hills without braking unnecessarily. Jonnie said I must have had my descending legs on, but then quickly changed it to 'descending head.' He's right, of course - descending is all in the mind, not the body, and today I had my head screwed on properly.
The cake stop was a strange one for me - determined to drop some weight I refused Jane's homemade cake (Jonnie didn't!) and asked for a banana. Unfortunately, she didn't have any bananas. So I drank my tea and dreamed of calories...
Back in the lanes, we headed north into a headwind for the next 15 miles. With the wind in our faces, I quickly gave up on the idea of maintaining a 15mph average and settled for anything above 14mph.
Jonnie was starting to suffer and the quote of the day was when he asked me if I'd brought any spare legs he could use!

Jonnie at the top of the Farm, 5 miles from home.

Nearing base, we had to drop down Doctor's Hill and then climb Tom's Hill. Having my descending head on, I managed to get down Doctor's Hill with the minimum of braking and use the momentum to catch Jonnie on the climb. Being able to descend is good!
We finished the 37.9 mile ride with an average of 14.5mph. Respectable, given the windy conditions.
Later, I went to the dojo and took part in a fine lesson with Sensei Ronnie Christopher.
I didn't have any junkfood today, but I did enjoy 2 ales and a glass of red at home.

Isle of Wight - Mountain Biking Holiday

Having never before visited the Isle of Wight, I was unsure of what to expect. I was pleased to discover a beautiful piece of England with stunning countryside complete with quiet country lanes and many miles of signposted bridleways! We stayed at The Orchards holiday park in Newbridge on the west side of the island.

Ride 1 - Newbridge, Newport, East Cowes.

For the first ride, on my second day on the island, I had to put my faith in my Isle of Wight cycling map which Lucy had purchased for me before our holiday. It was marked with bridleways, byways, public roads and cycle paths. Within twenty minutes I was lost! After 5 miles of riding along bridleways and country roads I found myself back at the holiday park! I kept going, and eventually found myself on the correct bridleway - one which took me to the Tennyson Trail.

The wrong bridleway - I got lost for 5 miles!

Terrence Malick

The Tennyson Trail lies just over the horizon.

The Tennyson trail is named after the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson who was a resident of the island. The trail itself is a public byway for approximately 12 miles, from Newport at the centre of the island to Freshwater Bay in the west. After that, it is open to walkers only. The trail formed the backbone of each of my 5 rides, having various bridleways crossing it and allowing me to plan my day's adventure. The trail was not easy, however - it contains challenging climbs whether heading east or west and the chalky rock proves particularly slippery in the wet!

The Tennyson Trail looking back west to Freshwater Bay

On the first ride, I decided to follow the Tennyson Trail all the way to Newport. I was so glad I did! The trail features a lovely, fast (but not steep) descent over open park land, enabling me to get some air when jumping off natural drops and rocks. I had to share the trail with walkers but they always seemed perfectly happy to see me and the trail is so wide on the Downs that I didn't always have to brake! After the two descents on the Downs, the trail turns north-east and cuts through a wood. By now, the steepness of the climb to the trees has put off the walkers and I have the trail to myself.

The Tennyson Trail cutting through the wood.

The great thing about the trail at this point is that the remaining 4 miles are all downhill, the last section of the trail ending in a steep chute through the woods with natural jumps and berms. Real NWAlps stuff! Obviously, there are no photographs of this section - I wasn't stopping!

After the first section of woodland, the Tennyson Trail becomes singletrack. Dry and dusty enough?

One of the things that the Isle of Wight has got right is the signposting. Nearly every junction has a sign letting you know which bridleway or byway you're on and where it's going. Many times, I would have missed a gap in a hedge where it not for these signs.

Where am I going? Oh, okay.

Reluctantly leaving the Tennyson Trail, I found myself in the busy town of Newport. I cut through this as quickly as possible and got myself on the cycle path that runs north to East Cowes at the top of the island. Now, a cycle path in Birmingham and Solihull is normally the footpath with a blue sign of a bike above it, where pedestrians get in the way and tut at you. Or it's a white dotted line drawn on the left side of the road which BMW drivers simply ignore. A cycle path on the Isle of Wight, however, is a wide path devoid of motorised traffic which cuts through some of the most beautiful parts of the island. It was great to see whole families out cycling together.

How a cycle path should be done. Not a German car in sight.

After arriving at the top of the island, I decided to take the coastal route home on the roads. The roads were busy, but nowhere near as congested as the A34 at rush hour - something I ride on 5 times a week! I was quite content to roll along in the sunshine with frequent stops to consult my map. I stopped off to take a look at the sea at Gurnard and to be revved at by an Audi who promptly drove into the opposite kerb in his rush to get past me!

Gurnard

The rest of the ride passed without incident and, despite some self-doubt regarding my decision to bring the mountain bike instead of the road machine, I was very happy with my day. The weather was great and the ride contained no less than three category 4 off-road climbs! Strava data here.


Ride 2 - Newbridge, Newport, Bowcombe Estate

Rain and mist. I looked at the weather forecast for the day and decided against taking the camera with me. Armed with my trusty cycling map and the GPS on my phone, I headed off on the trails looking for a more off-road based adventure than the cycle path and coast road ride of the day before. I couldn't resist riding the Tennyson Trail all the way to Newport and then set about finding a bridleway just after Carisbrooke Castle. I eventually found it and immediately regretted not having the camera! It was a unique experience riding this bridleway - I couldn't see how it was possible to ride a horse up it - it was far too cramped! The trees and bushes either side met overhead so that even I had to duck at times! The bridleway was a climb that just kept on going! For just over a mile, I rode up this chalky path surrounded both sides and above by greenery. I'm not ashamed to admit that at times it felt a little creepy, being totally isolated in a mile-long dark tunnel of vegetation! But I soon emerged into rolling countryside and farmland, and then got utterly lost.
After a climb which defeated me and reduced me to pushing uphill, I was on one of the highest points of the island, surrounded my driving rain, mist and howling winds. My map was wet and torn and the rain on the screen of my phone stopped it responding to my fingers. I simply couldn't find a way past the Bowcombe Estate. According to my map, this area should have been a network of bridleways running through farmland. All I seemed to find were electric fences behind which were game birds being fed in order to be shot at some later date. It was over an hour before I finally gave up and headed for the nearest road. During that time, there was a point where I couldn't figure a way out and ended up off the trails, pushing my bike up a steep hill in the long grass while mist and rain made sure that both me and my map were soaked to the point of uselessness!
I followed the Tennyson Trail back to the west of the island and then got on the road to get back to the caravan. This ride was a hard 30 miles including five category 4 climbs! Strava data here.

Ride 3 - Newbridge, Freshwater Bay, Shalcombe

A beautiful sunny day. I got up on to the Tennyson Trail once again but this time headed west, through the golf course, and down to Freshwater Bay. The golfers didn't seem to mind my being there, but at the same time, they didn't acknowledge my existence either. The run down into the bay was fast and slippery and fun, and I met a local at the bottom who said I must be mad. She couldn't believe it when I explained that I would be riding back up it in a little while! Freshwater Bay itself is a lovely little place:

Timed shot, missed off the top of my head! My trusty, dried-off map in my back pocket.

How much blue is too much?

After spending some time looking at the sea, I found a friendly little cafe and sat down to tea and cake. There were 4 roadies in there and we tried to have a chat but their routes and my routes were alien to each other! So we talked about Geraint Thomas headbutting a telegraph pole instead.

Velocake

Back onto the Tennyson Trail and I found it rather busy. I chatted to walkers including two groups of young people, one from America and one from London. There were a lot of cows on the trail too. 

The white line is part of the Tennyson Trail heading west.

After bombing it down the lovely descent (and getting both wheels off the ground again) I turned left and left again in order to explore a bit of a forest I'd spotted on previous rides. After a long, hot steep climb, I found some nice fast fire road type riding, but couldn't find any single track. I met a guy on an expensive Specialized but he was too cool to say hello back. It was still lovely to be speeding downhill in a forest.

This is nature

On the way back to base, I took to the lanes to have a look at a couple of country pubs we were considering having dinner in. Later that evening, we ended up at the Horse and Groom and it was very nice and very expensive. Strava data here.


Ride 4 - Newbridge, Niton, Newport

I started off on the Tennyson Trail as usual but pretty soon turned off south to follow some bridleways on my map. I found some lovely countryside, but didn't find the route I was looking for and actually ended up riding through someone's farm. Unfortunately, I got more and more off course as the day went on - I guess the map could have been more accurate and would be a lot easier to follow if I'd just stuck to the country lanes. But that's boring on a mountain bike.

I didn't know where I was and this didn't help!

The day got hotter and I eventually had to admit that I couldn't find the route I wanted so had to make it up as I went along. This resulted in a lot of turning around, thorny, stinger-filled diversions and some unwanted A road riding.

Narrower than it looks

Ouch

I ended up chasing these sheep up this narrow chute. They were terrified of me. My wheels ended up covered in very fresh sheep shit.

I can see for miles.

A few seconds after I realised that I was utterly lost!

This is very steep and very rooty and typical of the type of riding I found on ride 4

For at least 2 hours I was completely alone on some technical trails that went up and down very steeply indeed. I don't mind admitting that I walked down two of the sections - they were very steep and obviously I hadn't ridden them before, so I didn't want to take too many chances... If I'd broken my leg, I'd probably still be there now. It was completely deserted!

I was VERY glad to find these signs!

Eventually, I emerged on to the Red Squirrel Trail - the southern section of the cycle path I'd ridden on Ride 1. It felt great to get up to speed on some flat fire roads and whiz past the groups of tourists chatting on their hybrids, The trail was punctuated by 'STOP, LOOK, LISTEN' notices which pointed out interesting things you might encounter along the way (such as dragonflies and types of birds etc). I arrived at Carisbrooke Castle and met the rest of the family. Lucy bought me some flapjack and, during the course of a cup of tea, I tried to express what a beautiful, exhausting, exhilarating, lonely adventure I'd had today. The kids were more interested in the fact that I had sheep shit on my socks.

I got back on the Tennyson Trail to ride west and soon realised how much harder it was going that way! 42 miles with two category 4 climbs. Phew! Strava data here.


Day 5 - Newbridge, The Needles, Yarmouth

Today, I was mostly on the roads. During the climb up on to the Tennyson Trail, I almost turned back - my legs were empty and I struggled to find the motivation. Once on the trail, however, I cruised through the golf course and down to Freshwater Bay and felt much better! From there, I cycled out to have a look at the Needles - a fantastic bit of landscape at the western edge of the island. Unfortunately, I couldn't get near it - someone has built a tacky theme park around it! I quickly turned around and headed off east along the coast road. I made it to Yarmouth Harbour and took some nice shots, and then, after some gift shopping in Yarmouth itself, I headed back to base with shaky legs and an empty belly. Strava data here.

I would recommend the Isle of Wight to a mountain biker as long as they are prepared to do a lot of hard slog and not to expect flowing single track at every turn. It helps if you appreciate nature and beautiful landscapes and are interested in more than just speed and thrills. I rode a total of 147 miles over 5 days and never got bored. 

I'm glad I didn't take the road bike.

Training Targets for 2015

As some may know, I've had some injury problems recently :
A suspected broken finger, a painful right knee and a VERY painful right shoulder.


After today's gentle 32 miles in the muddy lanes.

These injuries eventually stopped me training (except for a few road bike rides) and no weight-training, no Karate, no running and no mountain biking made me rather frustrated. I substituted training with beer and junkfood and set about being a happy slob for the last month. I even ended up getting amazingly drunk one Friday night and making an idiot of myself on social media...(Note to self: I must make sure I don't get left alone in the house on a Friday night ever again.)
I'm now happy to report that, although the finger and knee are still a little sore at times, the shoulder seems to have righted itself!

With this in mind, I did an MOT on myself to assess the damage done:

Start of September:

10st 2 lbs

Blood pressure: 125/76

Resting heart rate: 51

 

Today:

10st 1 lbs 

Blood pressure: 127/75

Resting heart rate: 40 [checked twice on both arms!]

Erm, so what does this mean? That cake and beer and no exercise lower your heart rate? Isn't a low heart rate an indication of fitness? Why have I lost weight? Could I have lost muscle mass through lack of exercise?
Confusing stuff. I suppose that 6 weeks of inactivity isn't long enough to have an adverse effect on the body.

Anyhoo, the serious training starts tomorrow and I've got a simple plan:
Cut out the sugary foods, dramatically cut out alcohol (aiming for 2 or 3 ales per week), and exercise every day. I'll be emphasising the running and cycling and cutting back on the weight-training in an effort to keep the shoulder happy. At least until Christmas.

So what am I training for? I have 5 definite targets with 2 others that I'd like to do:

• The Cannock Chase Winter Classic - a mountain bike race that hasn't got a date yet. This year it was in February but I didn't ride it.

• The Mad March Hare - 65-75 miles of road riding on 1st March. It will be cold and probably wet. With a massive hill somewhere along the route it has been a challenging but enjoyable ride for the last 2 years!

• The Dynamic 100 - I enjoyed riding this road cycling event with mates this summer and raising over £200 for Macmillan. As the name suggests, it's just over 100 miles long!

• Race the Train, Tywyn - My biggest challenge this year will be running 5.5 miles off road in Wales, chasing a steam train!

• 3rd Kyu - A brown belt in karate. I'm sure that Martha will be able to achieve this with me next year.

My 2 other targets are both mountain bike races:

• The Cannock Chase Summer Classic - a great race with a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed it this year even though I was badly (and painfully) hampered by injury.

• Forest of Dean Enduro - I've entered this race twice and enjoyed it both times. Quite possibly my favourite thing to do on two wheels.

If anyone would like to do any of these challenges with me, get in touch! The more the merrier. I'd love to train together with you too.

So that's the plan. I'm aiming to complete at least 5 of these 7 next year, but to do that, the serious work needs to start now. I'm in my forties and living on beer and cake. Things have got to change!