Sunday, January 31, 2016

More Treadmill Intervals

Constant speed with varied elevation this time. It was a bit of an experiment, using the program function. It worked out as six one and a half minute reps with the same length recovery. I'm going to tweak it next time so the warm up and cool down are outside of the program. Then I can run two sets of four reps at 4, 6, 8 and 10% elevation. Over time I can extend the rep time and creep the elevations up.

A bike session and core brought down the curtain on week six. Hopefully I will be able to follow the 'slightly ambitious' schedule in week seven...

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Zero Leg Power

It was the 2k row and bike today. The only problem - I say the only problem, in life there is never just one problem. The only problem relating to today's session was that I had bugger all leg power. My legs felt okay. Not tight but just lacked any power once I was under way. I really didn't want to stray back over 7:50 for the 2000m but I wasn't sure where the strength was going to come from to prevent it.

As I went through the first 1000m the panel was predicting 7:54... I was not happy with that but still couldn't summon any more. As I hit 1250m I just went for it. I wasn't sure I could sustain the pace I needed - but I went for it anyway. I was absolutely dying in the last 200m but at that point it turns into a 1 minute interval. It was worth it for 7:47.7, keeping things the right side of 7:50. I finished with an hour on the bike.

If I manage another 40 days of this my thoughts will need to starting turning towards selection of the comeback race....

Friday, January 29, 2016

Back On It For Day 40

I think I made the right call yesterday. I felt much more ready for today's interval session. Building on from my first session, I set the elevation to 1% and added an extra rep. Seven 2 minute reps paced at 4:15, 4:00, 3:45, 3:45, 3:45, 4:00, 4:00 min/km. I did consider running the middle one at 3:38 but I'm glad I didn't because the fifth was tough enough as it was. The beauty of the treadmill is that there is nowhere to hide and despite my form getting ragged in the last thirty seconds of that rep, I made it. By the end session my calf muscles where tight once again.

I finished today's training with ninety minutes on the bike - although I forgot to start the bloomin' watch again, only spotting it wasn't ticking up after thirty minutes had already passed. Oh, and mustn't forget the ab-crunches, pull-ups and push-ups. I'm now up to 4x30 crunches, 12 or 13 pull-ups and 2x20 push-ups.

I really need to dig out my old books now though, in order to work out the appropriate pace for different length/type sessions. Random isn't going to cut it. It's time to send in the science - as opposed to the clowns....

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Change Of Plan...

Feeling tired and little dehydrated. I realised I didn't drink enough today. The course was interesting but I'm glad I don't have to travel to Reading any more. With that in mind, what's left of the day, is going to be rest. I'll get me a good nights sleep tonight and I'll be fresh for a quality session tomorrow. It's all about training effectively and efficiently. Training tired is not a sensible option.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Longish Day At Work But Still I Continue...

Day 38 and still there are no thoughts of letting things slide. Tonight it was the row interval session. Ten reps at 1:52 followed by 40 minutes on the bike. I must quickly add that I forgot to start the watch so missed the first ten minutes. No lie.

Tomorrow is going to be another long day to Reading and back and I want to be rested for tomorrow's training. By Friday I will have been at it - ooh er matron - for forty days and forty nights.....

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

First Of The Interval Treadmill Sessions...

It was far from spectacular but I need to start small and build up slowly. As it was my calf muscles were beginning to tighten by the end. I ran 6 reps of 2 minutes with a 1 minute recovery. The first two at 4:15min/km pace, the next two at 3:45 pace and back to 4:15 for the final two. From a tiny monkey nut doth a mighty peanut plant grow...

I finished with 45 minutes on the bike and some ab-crunches. The next two days are going to be a bit of struggle as I'm commuting to reading and back on a course which is going to mean 4-5hrs travel a day depending on the traffic - but at least I'll clock up the time for a flexi-day.

Day 37 and the warm up is over. The hard work starts from here...

Monday, January 25, 2016

I Did Today What I Have Never Done Before....

So I didn't pull a rest day after all. In fact, I achieved a first. Never in the field of my training has this lazy git ever completed a run before going to work! I got up at 6am and hit the treadmill for 5k before heading to work - after a quick shower I hasten to add.

Despite the shoulders still aching I couldn't put off the start of phase two. So the day began with the aforementioned run and then a decent 7:46.2 2000m row, 45 minutes on the bike and core work when I got home. Day 36 complete.


Sunday, January 24, 2016

When I Started The Comeback...

I didn't think it was going to be my neck and shoulders holding me back - I guess that's what comes with age. It has been nigh on ten years since I had some good fitness and was reasonable at running. Trying to get back there inside six months is probably way beyond optimistic. Despite the advance of old father time, I refuse to be interdicted from the goal.

That said, I need to face the fact I may need to take a few days off. I have gone at it these past thirty five days. Hopefully a few days off will see me good and I'll be back with a vengeance. Now I'm rekindling the desire again, missing a few days is going to make me feel guilty but sometimes I guess you need to take a couple of steps back in order to march four or five forward...

I just put in an easy bike session and no core. My shoulders are still aching but I think less so than yesterday. Going to take it day by day.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Might Need A Bit Of A Tweak...

So I've been working on the training schedule. Based on my initial draft I could conceivably expire if I try it for more than a couple of weeks. Needs a little work...

Anyway, I took another tentative few steps - or should that be treads - on the treadmill followed by a bike session and core. It was meant to be a 2k row as well but the shoulders are still aching.

So as day 34 draws to an end I'm still feeling motivated and driven - well I did drive to the recycle centre to get rid of all the polystyrene and cardboard packaging. Going to start on some easy intervals on the treadmill from next week and build from there.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Operation Treadmill...

...Very similar to operation Treadstone but without the superhuman assassins... Okay, it's nothing like that.

As you might have guessed, the treadmill has finally arrived - but not without a slight hiccup. The delivery lorry was too big for the lane - doh. The driver phoned to say he couldn't get up the lane and joked about whether I had a spare van knocking around. Luckily for me I did as we'd have been scuppered without it as the treadmill is bastard heavy. So heavy I've strained my back slightly putting it all together and heaving it around.

Anyway, I couldn't wait to have a go and plodded to a very slow 4.5km while trying to calibrate my garmin footpod so I can capture the training more accurately. After that I finished with a short bike session but no ab-crunches as it put too much strain on my aching back.

Tomorrow I'm going to put together a more structured training plan...


Thursday, January 21, 2016

Month Two, Day 32...

And I have trained on all but three of those days - and, I add very quickly, they were planned rest days rather than "I can't be arsed days". I've trained the last 16 days straight and not feeling as fatigued now I've balanced out the routine a little. It is almost time to man up and venture outside into the big bad world.... but not today. Bike interval session and core tonight.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

It's A Ten...

Ten intervals on the rower - and I died in the last thirty seconds of the tenth interval. I managed the nine on 1:51 - I'll claim 1:51 rather than 1:51/52 as I managed most of them on 1:51 pace... Bloody hard graft but also a bloody good feeling to complete them.

I didn't think I'd feel like this when I struggled to complete five intervals just 18 days ago. To be honest, after dozens of false dawns during the last five or six years, I didn't really have much belief in myself to get this far. While we're talking of good feelings, it's been an energising time as a few weeks turns into a month. I finished with forty five on the bike.

There's no stopping me now as I head into month two of the comeback...

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Coming Along Nicely...

Work on my six pack is well under way but I can see the fat is going to take a while to shift. I'm not sure my love-handles have shrunk much in this, the first month of the comeback but I'm confident the spare tyre has sprung a slow leak - and I'll not be looking to patch it!

The body stats are certainly starting to show improvement. Inaccurate as they may be they are, at least, trending in the right direction. I still have many months of hard work ahead but by god, by the summer I will be ready to return to the fell of conflict, fighting fit and ready for the battle - did you see what I did there, eh? Be afraid. You have been warned....

PS, Oops, I forgot to mention it was bike and core session tonight - wouldn't want you to think I slacked on day 30!

Monday, January 18, 2016

Destroyed It...

Where a few short weeks ago I would have let a frustrating day at work and nightmare drive home quell my desire to train. Tonight I turned that frustration, ju-jitsu style, into a force for good, to destroy my 2000m row time. Okay, destroy is a strong word I hear you say, but knocking 4.4s off my previous best* is, at the very least, a sound thrashing.

I got home from work, having taken almost an extra half hour to get through Gloucester, and headed straight into the gym and onto the rower. I went at it from the start, pulling the first 500m in 1:55. From there I held the pace around the 1:56/57 mark. With 750m to go I was struggling but I could see the time ticking down and just kept on going. Pulling the last 500m in 1:54s for 7:43.1. Felt damn good.

Finished with the ubiquitous bike and some ab-crunches. On the treadmill front I'm hoping to get the nod it will arrive in the next couple of days, RRRrrrrh, bring it on....

* I should say, when I refer to PB, I am referring to age related personal best, since my actual mark was set back before I became a veteran... I am now within 18 seconds of that mark and closing in...

Sunday, January 17, 2016

The Beginnings Of Bike Intervals...

Could really feel it working my quads. Slightly mucked up the session though as I was intending a twenty minute steady warm up before 3 sets of 5min hard plus 5min harder with a ten minute warm down to finish - I should add that there is absolutely no science to anything I do. Silly me got carried away reading the news so it ended up being only 2 sets instead of 3. Definitely going to get back into doing bike intervals. Back in the day the hour interval session really paid dividends on the mountains. Abs and core to finish.

It has been a good start to the year as week four of the comeback draws to a close. Bring on week five...

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Nine Of The Best...

One minute row intervals. I was struggling to get recovered before the start of the next rep come the last few but importantly I didn't slow. I was on 1:51/52 pace throughout so I feel I'm getting the effort level sport on. Any quicker in the first couple and I would've definitely cracked. Next time ten?....

I started today's session with thirty minutes on the bike as warm up and forty five to finish followed by some ab-crunches. Alternating days for the row and push-up/pull-ups seems to be working. I'm not getting so many aches and strains while still feeling I'm making improvement and not slacking. One more day and I'll have been on the comeback trail for four weeks. That will be - in fact, already is - the longest sustained period of regular day in day out training I've completed for somewhere in the region of six years!!! The only thing missing is a few ooh matrons and some sssh, stop its...

Friday, January 15, 2016

It's The Other Day...

So no row tonight. Just the bike and core. Digressing slightly, watched Trust Me I'm A Doctor the other day. Artificial sweeteners turn out to be a bit unhealthy for you - no s#!t Sherlock!! Like nasty chemical additives were ever going to be good for you... Apparently it messes up the balance of good bacteria in your intestine.

Anyway, back on topic. I put in a steady 90 minutes on the bike before 116 ab-crunches and some pull me push you's - as no one calls them - to finish. Still feeling good about this being the comeback. The habit is really becoming established.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

PB Thursday

It was the 2k row tonight and I went about it with a steady start. The plan was to take it out with a PB in mind without over cooking it. As I went through 1000m I decided to commit and was rewarded with a time of 07:45.5. An entire second inside my previous mark - not half a second, not point eight of a second, no, it was an entire second quicker - get in! The law of diminishing returns is really kicking in... I finished with the bike but gave the core workout a miss to allow for some recovery.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Weight Off My Shoulders...

I've decided to trim back the rower to every other day. My shoulders and lower neck have been aching for a couple of weeks. I don't think three or four days on the rower in, well, a row, was allowing proper recovery. So I've eased back to every other day and things are almost back to normal - not that anyone has ever accused me of being normal...

I'm not shirking though. I'm still keen. So far I've had no thought's of skipping a session on the grounds of not being arsed. I've managed eight straight days on the bike - including tonight. It's lower intensity and I feel able to keep to the regime. Once I get the treadmill I'm going to start planning things a bit more scientifically. Okay, to be fair, there won't be much science involved in the process but I'm going to try and structure things a little more...

Finished off with some ab-crunches. 112 to be precise, spread across four reps, 10 pull-ups and 26 push-ups. I used to push 50 as a single rep. Being able to do that feels a long way off but I'll get there...

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Eight Reps Rowed

And a go on the bike to finish on day 23. I went at it more steadily tonight. I was in danger of getting carried away with it during my first few interval sessions, risking burnout. I focused - and hopefully maintained good form and just about finished the eighth as solidly as the first without much spare. The pace was 1:51/52. It gives me a good solid reference to gradually build on from without risking burnout. My heart rate hit 170 so it really wasn't too shabby a workout.

On other matters, the treadmill isn't going to arrive until next week now which is a little disappointing. If it is delayed any further I shall have no choice but to cancel and go elsewhere. Wasn't exactly the four to five day delivery advertised. At this rate fourteen to fifteen might be optimistic.


Monday, January 11, 2016

The Ebb Of Monday

Have to admit to feeling a little jaded on this, the start of week four. Not that I wasn't straight into the gym after I got home because I was. No, I just felt a little low on energy so I decided on 75 minutes steady on the bike and the core work out by way of an easy session. Perhaps I need to take better stock of the fuel levels... 

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Not A Bad Session

Did the bike row bike today and then some core to finish. Was a pretty good 2k row, 7:51.0 in between the 30 minutes and an hour on the bike. Certainly got the heart rate pumping. I'm definitely starting to feel fitter. My fat levels are starting to reduce and I think my resting heart rate is starting to edge downwards although it's a bit early to really see the underlying trends from such a small sample size. Anyway, I feel better so that's what counts.

Hopefully the treadmill should be arriving this week so with my improving fitness, all being well, I will  be taking my first tentative steps on the long road back.

Day twenty one complete.

Saturday, January 09, 2016

Couldn't Do It...

No, I couldn't do a full rest day. I'll call it a recovery day instead. An hour on the bike and some ab crunches. Back on it full tilt tomorrow...

Friday, January 08, 2016

Struggled To Maintain It...

A tough one tonight. It's the first full week at work for a while, add that to day nineteen and you have the recipe for fatigue. It was not a great interval on the rower - but I showed some grit. After yesterday's PB I decided on seven reps. After not managing to keep inside 1:50s for the first couple I was struggling to believe I could manage even six as doubt set in. Where would the improvement come if I wimp out at the first sign of troubled water? So I dug in and completed the full seven. Averaged 1:52/500s not great but the heart rate was bang on up so had to count for something. Finished with the bike and abs et al. Rang up a century of ab crunches tonight.

Thursday, January 07, 2016

The Eighteenth Day

And another PB on the row, 07:48.5. Feels nice to break 07:50. Was bloody hard effort for a measly 3.5seconds! Guess that's how it is at the sharp end of training - it's been so long I kind of forgot what hard work is. The initial quick gains are gone so from here in I need to consider every single second a solid improvement. Finished with the bike and abs. No rest for the wicked, more up tomorrow...

Wednesday, January 06, 2016

Back On It Tonight...

And the rest did me good. I went at it on the rower. Seven 1 minute reps off a 1 minute recovery and I managed to keep the pace on the rep inside 1:50/500m pace. That is faster and one more rep than the last interval session. I was only intending six reps but into the final cool down, after the sixth, I thought sod it, I've one more in me tonight. I put that down to the rest day. It felt good to hit out seven consistent sub 1:50s reps. I finished off with an hour on the bike and, of course, the core work. Day seventeen complete...

Tuesday, January 05, 2016

Full Rest

I battled the demons on the drive home - and I had a lot of time to battle them.... Shall I, shan't I was the question. By the outskirts of Bristol I was all for doing an hour on the bike and the core. By Dursley I was back to a full rest day. By Gloucester I was up to just the core. As I left Gloucester I was back to the bike but then a few more miles on, as I started to yawn, I decided that the full rest should sensibly be the order of the day. I feel a bit guilty which is kind of good because I haven't felt like this for a long time. A good night's sleep should help the muscles repair and then tomorrow it will be full steam ahead. The treadmill should be here back end of next week and then the work will really begin....

PS, I'm still itching to get in the gym tonight but I'm going to be sensible - and that's not easy for me.

Monday, January 04, 2016

Day Fifteen...

And the thirteenth training session is complete. Yet again, no hesitation. I got home. I headed into the gym.

It was back to a straight 2k row and I hit 07:52 again. Felt a bit laboured. Maybe due a rest day tomorrow. Four days on, one day off seems fair... Another hour on the bike to finish and then the now ubiquitous core session. I might still do the core work tomorrow, maybe add a few bicep curls to the mix - living it on the edge....

Sunday, January 03, 2016

So I've Done It....

I've order a treadmill. After copious amounts of research - I hope it'll have been worth it - I finally decided to take the plunge. It's not a full on commercial unit but it's a significant jump above the low end stuff. It got good reviews from runners - hope I've not fallen for some of those dodgy fake review sites... With a top speed of 22kph and a 4.0hp motor it should see me okay for any speed interval I'll ever be capable of nowadays. That equates to a 65s for 400m - I should say at this point, I have run a 59s 400m but that was a single, one off lap to see what I could do - and not to mention over ten years ago. So a speed of 65s per 400m should be fine for reps for me these days ;-)

Anyway, more of the same today. Added an extra rep to the row intervals, six by 1 minute. Back to a straight forward 2k row tomorrow. I obviously followed that with the bike, abs etc.. I'm really beginning to feel the habit forming. There's no hint of 'oh well, I suppose I must...' - at least not yet anyway. No, at the moment it's more, 'is it time to hit the gym yet?'....

Saturday, January 02, 2016

Rowing Intervals...

Are pretty bloody tough! To be fair I started with a fairly short session to gauge what I was getting myself into. A short warm up and then five reps of 1 minute all out and 1 minute recovery and finished with a cool down. I'm going to increase the reps next time. Moved onto the bike after with abs, pull-ups and push-ups to finish. Everything continues to ache...

Friday, January 01, 2016

Still At It...

Although everything is starting to feel fatigued. The honeymoon is most definitely over. From here it's going to take a lot hard work and commitment.

Despite having a rest day yesterday I began the session feeling tired. I split it bike row bike again. The first bike wasn't too bad but I wasn't long into the row before I was struggling. I pulled hard in the last 500m to the point of feeling a bit faint but also just edging inside eight to finish 7:59.4. Definitely getting tougher. The final bike was a grind but a worthwhile grind as I focus on the goal. Finished with the core workout of course and that was me finished.