Lunch As Promised...

Well almost as promised. My colleague got called away so it was left to me to carry the torch - and there was not one doubt in my mind that I'd head on out into the wild blue yonder.

I was trying a new route of about 5.5k on account that the old route would probably kill me - I am not ready to take on Dundry just yet. Anyway, it was an okay run. I set off well but faded. Garmin reports I've gained another point VO2max and it is, never the less, another run in the bag.

Fought Myself Tonight...

not to train! It's not a feeling I've had for a very long time. Tonight I've been itching to get on the exercise but I do feel tired and I know I need a rest so I am resisting. It's been difficult though - which I guess is a good thing, to feel like this. By way of recompense I do have a lunch run lined up for tomorrow with a colleague. We've not run a lunch run together for something like five years so it'll be a momentous occasion if - I mean, when - it happens...

Back In The Real World...

I headed over to Brierley to test myself on the 7.6k route I've run before a few times. I was pretty sure I'd cover the ground a little better this time and so I did. My heart rate wasn't knocking quite so hard on Mr Maximum's door and my pace was increased. I'm still nowhere near where I aim to be but this isn't a quick process. There will need to be much blood, sweat and tears along the way - although to be fair I'm not planning for there to be much blood nor, in fact, many tears but there's sure to be copious amounts of sweat. As borne out by another session on the turbo once I got home.

So my run was just shy of four minutes quicker than last time with a pace increase of over twenty seconds per kilometre. I'm pretty pleased with that improvement in just under a month of training. Onto the bike and my average power was down 10 watts on yesterday's session of a similar 30-35 minutes duration and climb. My legs were heavy and it was damn hard work.

The stats are telling me I'm hitting high fatigue so I think I'm going to take a rest day tomorrow. Overall my fitness stats are improving though. My resting hear rate is back under 60bpm having been much higher this last year or two. My blood pressure is sitting pretty at 110/65 and my VO2max is on the up.

I have been hitting it pretty hard these last two weeks so a day off won't undo all the good work but I'm definitely not going to lose the momentum now. Especially when it's becoming so addictive in my virtual world of digital pixels....

Gonna Need A Mop

Put in another good training session today. 5k running and then straight onto the turbo for a 30 minute blast. I am very nearly almost back into the habit - and I'm not talking nuns clothing. Thirteen runs in sixteen days.

I have picked up a slight injury though. I think I have gear shifters elbow from leaning too hard on the handle bars changing up and down the gears.

Training continues tomorrow...

And An Even Better One After Work...

Really enjoyed that session in my virtual bike world. So after getting myself out of bed early for a run before work and a productive days work done I finished the set with a really energising session on the bike. I decided to go for it.

Not a hugely long one, 18.4k, but a good one. I targeted improving my average power and managed to achieve it. About a 20W increase on the last session, 162W. Pleased with that. I even managed to drop Ada and Minnie on the final climb as I put the hammer down - my hammer being one of those fisher-price ones. Ada and Minnie, by the way, were a couple of the 'bot' riders and they'd been passing me, falling back, passing again throughout the ride but I kicked their ass at the finish. Really felt like I was in a race. Good, focused fun and not to mention good training.

A Better One

Well that was a bit improved on yesterday's tired run. A little faster with lower heart rate and it takes my recent activity to twelve runs in fifteen days.

Another Tired One After Work

but at least I'm keeping at it. I think I need to look at fuelling mid-afternoon as I felt energy lacking. After the treadmill I tried the bike but just had to call it a fail. I'll be recharged and back to it tomorrow.

In The End, A Rest Day

So I was intending to put in a bike session but after not really sleeping much last night I'm feeling knackered. I decided that, after nigh on two weeks of good training, in fact, probably the best training I've strung together for a year or two or three, I'm due a rest day and that's just exactly what I did - apart from a day in the office.

Tomorrow I will be back on it and it might be a run or it might be a test of the final virtual cycling app I'm going to try - after having received my invitation to the beta trial. Virtu-Go. I will see how I feel tomorrow.

A Tired One After Work

Didn't want to slow the momentum but I felt a bit weary by the time I got home this evening. Probably hadn't really fuelled enough through the day but I'm determined not to let this slip. So I got straight on the treadmill for a twenty minute run, 4k. My heart rate was up towards max to indicate a bit of fatigue. Ten in twelve. Thinking bike session tomorrow.

Eight By Four

I decided to test out an interval session on Zwift today. Wasn't quite sure how it would work out. I thought it would likely be mind numbingly boring but it was actually pretty good. There aren't a huge number of sessions available but on the plus side it forces you to man up, knuckle down and just do it.

So to the session. I thought the 400m recovery off a 400m rep would be too generous - until I was half way through, that is. By then I was beginning to think it almost wasn't enough. Using Zwift for the reps on the treadmill definitely made the reps much less boring than running against the clock or the digital count like I have been doing. Not having to keep count and just speed things up and down when told made it much easier to focus on the running.

Seeing the virtual me close down towards the rep start/stop markers on the screen really helped keep the focus. Really made it feel much more like the focus you get running on a real track where there's physical point to run to. Before I started I honestly thought I'd falter and cut it short but once I was underway all I could think about was getting to the next marker point...

So that brings my recent training to nine runs in eleven days and I'm not feeling too knackered. My VO2max has even increased another point.

Bit Of A Bulls Up!

So I thought I'd gauge how things are going by re-running the short Flaxley loop I ran about a month ago. A loop just over 5k with a gentle 150m of ascent. To begin with, things were going okay. I was still puffing like a bastard, mind, but pretty sure I was going quicker. As I came to exit the forest, into the field, on the fast downward section I came to a full stop, blocked by a bull, cows and a couple of calves - why do they always decide corralling by the footpath stile is a fun thing to do?

Anyway, I took stock of my options, headed back up, carried on further along the main track and then cut through the undergrowth, over the fence and across the field back to the route. Those shenanigans had, however, totally f*(%ed my test but even with that interruption I was still a tiny bit quicker. I shall try again on another day.

So once I got home, I gave myself no rest and got straight on the turbo for a ride in the virtual forest. A 12k loop out of Parkend, past Cannop, up to Broadwell and Coalway and back round to Parkend - except it wasn't as I was sat on my bike in the gym room. At one point a rider from Norway joined me on route but he caught and overtook like I was going in reverse. Obviously no challenge, he completed the climb section of the route and then vanished back into the ether from whence he came...

I've managed a good couple of weeks of training all told. Eight runs in tens days and two significantly more challenging 'rides' than has been afforded by my old exercise bike. My legs are aching a little and my arse is aching a lot - no smutty comments please. Why do they make saddles so damn uncomfortable?

Virtually Knackered

So after a short tester yesterday I tried a more complete test of my new Kickr 'toy'. I signed up for the Bkool premium trial so I could ride 'a real world route'. I then searched for something in the Brecon Beacons area and found what I thought would be a nice introductory 25k starting just beyond Crickhowell, going through Cwmdu, over the top to Llangorse and finishing in Bwlch. It was rated easy so I thought it would be perfect. I configured a few virtual adversaries to make things more interesting. There are loads of other options like setting real world weather simulation including wind resistance but I left that off for this first attempt and then started

The ride itself felt very realistic in a 'sat on a static bike, in the gym' kind of way. As the route unfolded the resistance of the Kickr responded in kind and I was up and down the gears like violist - I don't even know what that means.

The virtual adversaries added an extra dimension. I started off in last place before hauling myself up to second place before finally being knocked back to third. The virtual riders seemed to adapt to my level and are there to keep you pushing - they certainly pushed me on the final climb. I couldn't hold second but I had a nice lead back to fourth but they were closing in fast. My legs had had it but seeing their 'blip' on the radar narrowing the gap forced me to push through it. There were literally pools of sweat all around me when I finished. I was dripping almost at a constant flow, like someone was pouring water over me - they weren't, I checked! (Definitely going to need to get a mat).

I am an awful long way from fit but I think this kit could really help. At the steepest section the resistance switched to 14% and I was practically stopped. It was so hard work against the resistance of the Kickr that my off the saddle full body weight could hardly move the pedals round. Had I been on a real ride I would have fallen over as I wouldn't have had enough forward momentum - and then I'd have never got restarted.

I think the Bkool software could be pretty addictive. There looks to be plenty of local routes available to ride. My time in the saddle today was and hour and ten but the time just flew by. Didn't feel anything like that long. I've a month to try out all the features before making a decision on signing up but just from the initial foray I think it's likely. Eventually I might even have the fitness to ride in the real world without the risk of falling off! And I'm going to do just that and set myself the target of getting myself fit enough to ride in the real world the routes I'll be riding in the virtual one.

And A Quick Test Of My Real Bike And A Kickr

So after this mornings early run I thought I'd give my new toy a test. And boy what a chasm there is between it and my normal exercise bike. Different universe would be a good way to sum it up. It, as you will have figured from the title, is the Kickr smart trainer and from just a short effort - and by god it was an effort.

I've been pondering a smart trainer for a while after reading about the new breed of simulation software. (It would be more accurate to say I saw it on YouTube which piqued my interest and led to some research). So after finally trying the Zwift software for running last week and liking it, I decided to bite the bullet.

I've so far looked into the simulations Zwift, Bkool and Road Grand Tours. RGT is currently in free beta and is, well, free to use at the moment. It doesn't have a huge number of routes but from my first little foray feels pretty realistic - and suffice to say hard going on the hills. I've obviously yet to try the other two but will definitely be taking the free trials after I've got to grips with the nuances of virtual bike riding...

Another One Before Work

What the heck is going on? I again managed to set the alarm early and follow through - stop it - with the threat. Another 5k on the treadmill. Another one just a little faster than the one before. That's seven runs in eight days - a possible PB but definitely a season's best by a long margin.