Cycled into work, ate healthily, cycled home, jumped on the mountain bike and took Montydog around the park, the children gave me some sweets, did a session on the weights, had a very healthy dinner, drank a small [330ml] beer, in bed before midnight!
Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
1 banana
2 satsumas
several sesame wholegrain rye crispbreads with hummus
2 salmon steaks with cabbage and brown rice
2 sweets and a 2 blocks of Galaxy
Exercise
Press-ups: 82
Tricep-dips: 82
Sit-ups: 82
Dumbbell curls [15kg]: 9/8/8
Barbell squats [33kg]: 8/8/8
Barbell curls [32kg]: 10/10/10
Booze
one bottle of lager [330ml]
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Friday, 16 March 2012
March 15th - Day 75
Cycled in on the Holdsworth after my healthy brekkie.
A nice lady at work had brought in some crispbread for me. I checked them out and they had more carbs than protein, and more protein than fat. So I got stuck in.
At lunch time I went for a quick blast up and down a hill on the Holdsworth. For the first time I switched it off the dinner plate and on to the small ring...it was almost a revelation. The bike became an entirely different beast, no longer did I feel like I was balanced atop a frame that was too big for me. Now I felt I had more control and was more connected to the bike!
On the ride home, I felt that I didn't want to stop when I reached the house - the first time I've had that feeling on this bike. Why riding in the small ring has made such a difference I don't know, but I'm glad it has.
Lucy had prepared a wonderful homemade beef casserole with loads of vegetables. I set myself a personal challenge and ate three platefuls [with a leftover veggie sausage from Martha.]
Not wanting to let all that goodness go to waste [waist!] I increased my weight lifting targets again and got stuck into an hour long session.
I had a moment of weakness at about 10pm and drank a glass of white wine that someone had left in the front room...
Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
1 plum
1 banana
1 satsuma
several sesame wholegrain rye crispbreads with hummus
Lucy's amazing beef casserole with carrots, cabbage, peas, broccoli, sprouts and green beans
a vegetarian sausage
Exercise
Press-ups: 80
Tricep-dips: 80
Sit-ups: 80
Dumbbell curls [15kg]: 8/8/8
Barbell squats [32kg]: 10/10/10
Barbell curls [32kg]: 10/10/9
Overhead presses [32kg]: 10/8/8
Booze
one glass of white wine
A nice lady at work had brought in some crispbread for me. I checked them out and they had more carbs than protein, and more protein than fat. So I got stuck in.
At lunch time I went for a quick blast up and down a hill on the Holdsworth. For the first time I switched it off the dinner plate and on to the small ring...it was almost a revelation. The bike became an entirely different beast, no longer did I feel like I was balanced atop a frame that was too big for me. Now I felt I had more control and was more connected to the bike!
On the ride home, I felt that I didn't want to stop when I reached the house - the first time I've had that feeling on this bike. Why riding in the small ring has made such a difference I don't know, but I'm glad it has.
Lucy had prepared a wonderful homemade beef casserole with loads of vegetables. I set myself a personal challenge and ate three platefuls [with a leftover veggie sausage from Martha.]
Not wanting to let all that goodness go to waste [waist!] I increased my weight lifting targets again and got stuck into an hour long session.
I had a moment of weakness at about 10pm and drank a glass of white wine that someone had left in the front room...
Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
1 plum
1 banana
1 satsuma
several sesame wholegrain rye crispbreads with hummus
Lucy's amazing beef casserole with carrots, cabbage, peas, broccoli, sprouts and green beans
a vegetarian sausage
Exercise
Press-ups: 80
Tricep-dips: 80
Sit-ups: 80
Dumbbell curls [15kg]: 8/8/8
Barbell squats [32kg]: 10/10/10
Barbell curls [32kg]: 10/10/9
Overhead presses [32kg]: 10/8/8
Booze
one glass of white wine
Thursday, 15 March 2012
March 14th - Day 74
Didn't get to cycle this morning - we took the car because I thought I was going to pick up a new road bike after work, but it didn't work out. Details next week...
Healthy eating all day - the highlight being fresh plaice and cabbage tastily prepared by Lucy.
At home, I got stuck into the most intense weights/exercise session so far. Went to bed hungry, aching and feeling quite smug.
Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
1 banana
1 satsuma
tuna, sweetcorn and salad
fresh plaice fried in olive oil with boiled cabbage
1 bowl of natural yoghurt with raisins and cranberries
Exercise
78 press-ups
78 sit-ups
78 tricep-dips
dumbbell curls [14kg]: 10/10/10
barbell squats [32kg]: 10/10/9
barbell curls [32kg]: 10/10/8
overhead presses [32kg]: 9/8/8
Booze
none
Healthy eating all day - the highlight being fresh plaice and cabbage tastily prepared by Lucy.
At home, I got stuck into the most intense weights/exercise session so far. Went to bed hungry, aching and feeling quite smug.
Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
1 banana
1 satsuma
tuna, sweetcorn and salad
fresh plaice fried in olive oil with boiled cabbage
1 bowl of natural yoghurt with raisins and cranberries
Exercise
78 press-ups
78 sit-ups
78 tricep-dips
dumbbell curls [14kg]: 10/10/10
barbell squats [32kg]: 10/10/9
barbell curls [32kg]: 10/10/8
overhead presses [32kg]: 9/8/8
Booze
none
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
March 13th - Day 73
After a healthy brekkie I cycled into work on the Holdsworth. Unfortunately, after doing about 40 miles total on it, it is now beginning to sound a bit like a bag of spanners. I think one of the pedals is shot and something has worked itself loose on the back wheel. Oh well, it is a classic afterall...
Mouse visited me at work and came bearing a gift - a Cadbury Cream Egg. I couldn't say no, it would have been rude...
Cycle home [accompanied by the sound of a bucket of ball-bearings being stirred by a screwdriver] and then off to dojo for the most intense work-out this year. There were only 7 of us tonight, all blokes, and I was the lowest ranked. Very sweaty, very physical, very good session. I have 7 days to decide whether to grade this month or wait until the summer.
Home for Lucy's homemade veggie chilli and lying on the couch!
Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
chicken and mustard on wholemeal bap
1 banana
1 satsuma
handful of peanuts
1 Cadbury Cream Egg!
bowl of homemade veggie chilli with three wholemeal pitta breads
Exercise
cycling: 9.2 miles
90 mins of martial arts
Booze
none
Mouse visited me at work and came bearing a gift - a Cadbury Cream Egg. I couldn't say no, it would have been rude...
Cycle home [accompanied by the sound of a bucket of ball-bearings being stirred by a screwdriver] and then off to dojo for the most intense work-out this year. There were only 7 of us tonight, all blokes, and I was the lowest ranked. Very sweaty, very physical, very good session. I have 7 days to decide whether to grade this month or wait until the summer.
Home for Lucy's homemade veggie chilli and lying on the couch!
Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
chicken and mustard on wholemeal bap
1 banana
1 satsuma
handful of peanuts
1 Cadbury Cream Egg!
bowl of homemade veggie chilli with three wholemeal pitta breads
Exercise
cycling: 9.2 miles
90 mins of martial arts
Booze
none
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
March 12th - Day 72
Well it's been about a week without an update. To be honest, I haven't been doing much besides taking it easy and drinking beer.
I starting to feel a bit better [since having the bike nicked] and I'm certainly ready to start taking the training a lot more seriously. So:
I don't get to ride on Mondays because of school run duties [which I love] so the only things I could do were eat healthily and lift a few weights after dinner.
Food
Homemade muesli with soya milk
1 banana
1 satsuma
1 plum
Chicken and cucumber on wholemeal bap
Teece's stir fry [chicken, onion, mushrooms, green pepper, garlic, olive oil] with wholewheat noodles.
Exercise
Press-ups: 75
Tricep-dips: 75
Dumbbell curls [14kg]: 10/10/9
Barbell squats [32kg]: 10/10/8
Booze
none
I starting to feel a bit better [since having the bike nicked] and I'm certainly ready to start taking the training a lot more seriously. So:
I don't get to ride on Mondays because of school run duties [which I love] so the only things I could do were eat healthily and lift a few weights after dinner.
Food
Homemade muesli with soya milk
1 banana
1 satsuma
1 plum
Chicken and cucumber on wholemeal bap
Teece's stir fry [chicken, onion, mushrooms, green pepper, garlic, olive oil] with wholewheat noodles.
Exercise
Press-ups: 75
Tricep-dips: 75
Dumbbell curls [14kg]: 10/10/9
Barbell squats [32kg]: 10/10/8
Booze
none
Monday, 5 March 2012
5th March - Day 65
Drove to work today.
Ate healthily and had a sneaky beer while I cooked dinner.
A day of rest as far as the training is concerned.
Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
ham and pickle on wholemeal bap
1 banana
2 satsumas
Teece's stir fry [chicken, onion, mushrooms, garlic, bean sprouts, soy sauce, olive oil] with wholewheat noodles.
Exercise
none
Booze
1 bottle of ale
Ate healthily and had a sneaky beer while I cooked dinner.
A day of rest as far as the training is concerned.
Food
homemade muesli with soya milk
ham and pickle on wholemeal bap
1 banana
2 satsumas
Teece's stir fry [chicken, onion, mushrooms, garlic, bean sprouts, soy sauce, olive oil] with wholewheat noodles.
Exercise
none
Booze
1 bottle of ale
March 4th - Day 64 [very late]
At lunch time I got on the canal with the mountain bike and did around 11 miles. It was incredibly wet down there and everything I was wearing got soaked through. So I was very cold, very quickly which is why the ride was so short. Straight home for hot shower.
Off to Jane and Eric's to be fed again and then stayed up late with booze while I felt sad about my bike.
Off to Jane and Eric's to be fed again and then stayed up late with booze while I felt sad about my bike.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
March 3rd - Day 63
Up at 6:30 for porridge and then to meet up with the AMBS [Dan] for a morning ride. We started off in Alvechurch, through the Lickey Hills (which is a huge place when you have to ride all the way through it) and then up into the Waseley Hills. It was a fantastic ride, with hardly any road riding involved at all. We found lots of winding single track, alleyways, bridle paths and even public footpaths[!] to travel along.At the top of the Waseley Hills there was a dense mist obscuring most of the views which reminded us of our experiences climbing The Beast in Wales. Soaked through but very happy, we made our way back whilst making plans to ride this route again and take it even further out to the Clent Hills.
Training wise, the route is fantastic with LOTS of hilly climbing over rough terrain that really tests lungs and legs.
Today's ride was 19 miles which wouldn't be much on a road bike but on an MTB up and down muddy, wet, rooty trials it was quite an effort.
I set Sportstracker to record the ride but it went a bit bonkers again and was connecting up parts of the ride with perfectly straight lines which leads me to suspect that we may have travelled slightly more than 19 miles today...
In the evening we travelled to Jane and Eric's to get spoiled with lots of lovely food and drink...
Food
Rolled oats porridge with raisins and cranberries with soya milk
Half of Dan's energy bar
1 banana
A bowl of homemade muesli with soya milk
A bowl of homemade beef chilli
Slice of homemade chocolate cake
Slice of homemade cheesecake
Homemade apple crumble with ice cream
Exercise
Cycling: 19 miles off road
Booze
3 glasses of cava
Training wise, the route is fantastic with LOTS of hilly climbing over rough terrain that really tests lungs and legs.
Today's ride was 19 miles which wouldn't be much on a road bike but on an MTB up and down muddy, wet, rooty trials it was quite an effort.
I set Sportstracker to record the ride but it went a bit bonkers again and was connecting up parts of the ride with perfectly straight lines which leads me to suspect that we may have travelled slightly more than 19 miles today...
In the evening we travelled to Jane and Eric's to get spoiled with lots of lovely food and drink...
Food
Rolled oats porridge with raisins and cranberries with soya milk
Half of Dan's energy bar
1 banana
A bowl of homemade muesli with soya milk
A bowl of homemade beef chilli
Slice of homemade chocolate cake
Slice of homemade cheesecake
Homemade apple crumble with ice cream
Exercise
Cycling: 19 miles off road
Booze
3 glasses of cava
Friday, 2 March 2012
March 2nd - Day 62
As most of you already know, the Boardman bike was stolen from the drive on Wednesday night.
When I realised it was gone I at first thought it was a joke. It quickly turned to rage, directed as much at myself as to the scum who took it. I had leaned the bike up against the garage door on the drive when I got back home from work instead of taking it in straight away.
I won't be making that mistake again.
I spent Thursday in a kind of zombie-like state. Well, that's what it must have looked like from the outside, anyway. Inside I was a boiling mass of emotions and feelings. Hate and disbelief, sadness, self-pity, rage and then back to hatred again. As the day went on, after stumbling through tense lessons and a silent lunch break, I found that every feeling faded away inside me except for...despair. I have no idea of the amount of times I had retraced my steps of Wednesday night in my mind.
why, WHY, WHY didn't I just take the fucking bike inside when I got home from work!?
And of course, with the bike not being locked, the insurance company don't have to pay out a penny.
But it's not just the loss of the thing itself that hurts, not just the missing bike. It's the knowledge of what will come: the missing Sunday mornings in country lanes, missing the the sun in my eyes as I churn my way uphill, missing the greetings of other cyclists as we whir past each other, almost silently, in the empty lanes around Stratford Upon Avon. I'll miss meeting myself on that saddle when I'm halfway up a monster hill, seeing what I'm made of when legs and lungs are burning, in the middle of some awful calorie-deficient effort. I'll miss the hours spent inside my own mind, detached from the body in its rhythmic turning and pushing and pulling.
I'll miss seeing what sort of a man I can be.
I'll miss my bike, my birthday present from my brother, my way to work, my thing of beauty silently waiting in the cold of the garage, my freedom, my passion.
But, what of the Birmingham to Oxford charity ride?
I made a decision this morning, or maybe last night I think. My wonderful Lucy and the girls looked after me when I shuffled in from posting up reward notices for my missing bike last night. Lucy was determined that I should continue being a road cyclist, the girls in their innocence are convinced that I'll find my bike again. All their positive belief and hugs made me have a sudden attack of hayfever... Then we walked to the Harvester for lots of ice cream and beer, and piggy-backs and belching!
So, when everyone was in bed and it was just me and a beer and crap TV I decided that I will still ride the charity event, for Lucy and the girls as much as for myself. I don't know what I'll ride it on yet, I just know that I'll do it.
As from tomorrow, I'll continue the regular training blogs. All the riding will be on the mountain bike for now, obviously.
Incidently, today I cycled to work and didn't drink any beer. Just saying...
When I realised it was gone I at first thought it was a joke. It quickly turned to rage, directed as much at myself as to the scum who took it. I had leaned the bike up against the garage door on the drive when I got back home from work instead of taking it in straight away.
I won't be making that mistake again.
I spent Thursday in a kind of zombie-like state. Well, that's what it must have looked like from the outside, anyway. Inside I was a boiling mass of emotions and feelings. Hate and disbelief, sadness, self-pity, rage and then back to hatred again. As the day went on, after stumbling through tense lessons and a silent lunch break, I found that every feeling faded away inside me except for...despair. I have no idea of the amount of times I had retraced my steps of Wednesday night in my mind.
why, WHY, WHY didn't I just take the fucking bike inside when I got home from work!?
And of course, with the bike not being locked, the insurance company don't have to pay out a penny.
But it's not just the loss of the thing itself that hurts, not just the missing bike. It's the knowledge of what will come: the missing Sunday mornings in country lanes, missing the the sun in my eyes as I churn my way uphill, missing the greetings of other cyclists as we whir past each other, almost silently, in the empty lanes around Stratford Upon Avon. I'll miss meeting myself on that saddle when I'm halfway up a monster hill, seeing what I'm made of when legs and lungs are burning, in the middle of some awful calorie-deficient effort. I'll miss the hours spent inside my own mind, detached from the body in its rhythmic turning and pushing and pulling.
I'll miss seeing what sort of a man I can be.
I'll miss my bike, my birthday present from my brother, my way to work, my thing of beauty silently waiting in the cold of the garage, my freedom, my passion.
But, what of the Birmingham to Oxford charity ride?
I made a decision this morning, or maybe last night I think. My wonderful Lucy and the girls looked after me when I shuffled in from posting up reward notices for my missing bike last night. Lucy was determined that I should continue being a road cyclist, the girls in their innocence are convinced that I'll find my bike again. All their positive belief and hugs made me have a sudden attack of hayfever... Then we walked to the Harvester for lots of ice cream and beer, and piggy-backs and belching!
So, when everyone was in bed and it was just me and a beer and crap TV I decided that I will still ride the charity event, for Lucy and the girls as much as for myself. I don't know what I'll ride it on yet, I just know that I'll do it.
As from tomorrow, I'll continue the regular training blogs. All the riding will be on the mountain bike for now, obviously.
Incidently, today I cycled to work and didn't drink any beer. Just saying...
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