Board meeting blues

Very happy to have gotten some training in today - 8k easy evening run - in spite of being Board meeting day. Seriously, would rather have burning matches driven under my toenails than attend those things -BURNING PHaRkING MaTCHES I tell you!!!

W

Beatification of Mrs J

Thanks to Billy for reminding me of another entry for the Mrs J rescue mission list, being the collection of Tubby after Ads' "Biffo with the German microbiologist freakin head case" affair.

Have decided to lobby the world's spiritual leaders to have Mrs J beatified. St Mezza.

Training tues = am easy 60min on ergo, lunchtime 7k ONI the hoof - very very pleased

W

Mrs J's rescue and recovery missions

Bill has requested a count on Mrs J rescue missions. To the best of my recollection they appear as follows, but as Bill has quite rightly pointed out, she will have a far clearer and more extensive record, possibly even including precise dates:

1.       Flat tyre – CO2 sprayed into thin air = 1

2.       Flat tyre – no second spare = 2

3.       Crash roadie – broken shoulder/collar bone = 1

4.       Crash MTB – generally beat up / bike trashed = 1

5.       Flat tyre – too close to home to be bothered changing = at least 3

6.       Front wheel buckled by pot hole = 1

7.       Gra needs rescuing = 1

8.       Mango’s bike needs a lift (Mango has organized alternative travel arrangements for his person)

W

Where's Adam Sandler's Academy Award?

STATUS UPDATE

Back on the HRM.

Sunday’s ride was the first time training with a HRM for a long time. Cycling I just couldn’t get the HR up past around 122 without starting to blow up the legs. I will make improving bike power the top priority leading up to Nepean.

Priorities for Next 10 weeks therefore are:

Bike: Power production. Just need to get some giddy up happening. Will work in a session of 4km intervals to pair with the hill repeats that I started last week.

Run: The long Sunday run. This is the only IM specific thing that I need to start NOW. The long run has always taken a long time to settle into my body, and I can only image that it will be worse this time around being older and off a virtual zero base..

Swim: Twice a week “anything” sessions. This will be enough to get things started and safely through the 1k at Nepean. Just need to hit the water twice a week.

WEEKEND WRAP:

CO2. No pump, only CO2 bombs on my Sunday ride > Second flat > didn’t affix the connector properly > pharque > Bad, bad hissy fit on the side of the road by Tubby. Full range of expletives. Call to Mrs J for rescue. Argh - new pump already acquired.

Cost me lunch at the Leura Garage also (nice recommendation Doyle I might add), which was better than finishing the last 35k of the planned ride in any case – and particularly well received by Mrs J.

Worst still, my “diet” has turned to absolute muck. Partially due to our visit to the Carrington Cellars and Deli in Katoomba (damn fine place to spend some time & coin) and partially due to not packing my breakfast and compensating with a couple of trips to the vending machine and a Chiko Roll for brunch. It’s been many years between Chiko Rolls. Fantastic invention. I still don’t understand why they never get a run on Master Chef. And why hasn’t Adam Sandler ever received a best actor nomination. Go figure.

All in all a 7 out of 10 weekend on the training front.

Ø  Great kick off long run

Ø  Good enough Sunday ride

Ø  Gym this morning

EVENTS COMINGUP IN NEXT 3 MONTHS(ish)

25 Sept – (Entered) Paris – Versailles 16k   (4 weeks)

8 Oct  – Fitzroy Falls 10k   (6 weeks)

16 Oct – Club tri  (7 weeks)

29 Oct – 12 Hour ride (find a partner) (9 weeks)

13 Nov – (Entered) Nepean Tri  (11 weeks)

20 Nov – Club Tri  (12 weeks)

11 Dec – (Entered) Canberra HIM (15 weeks)

Quiet one

Only an easy 45 on the rollers today. Gearing up for a solid weekend.

No major bfd's other than nando's for dinner though I have spied a large family block of crunch in the cupboard. GAWD!!! I love Mrs J

Feeling sexy in red

Changed blog to red. Now know why women lve red dresses. I feel sexy

Methadone addiction becoming a problem.

Squeezed my two sessions in today. 24km on the tt at lunch and 45 min in the gym on the way to silver spur to meet mezzo and rj. seemingly a litte power coming along also, which is a nice surprise.

Very happy about that.

A potential diet problem emerging. I have taken up an evening pie or cake to help break the chocolate addiction. The heroine addiction appears well controlled atm, but I appear to have become addicted to the methodone. Seriously, Sara lee apple pie topped with ice cream and canned cherries before bed may possibly be the perfect night cap.

Happy days
W

One is very disappointed in one’s self

Bad food decisions continuing to reduce in number. Whoo ho!

Tuesday’s chicken and chips lunch probably qualifies as a BFD. And probably the bag of Snickers Pods that I ate on the lounge that night also.

Wednesday, perfect I think. Pretty sure aged rum fruit-cake and ice cream isn’t a bad food choice. If it is, then we need to redefine “bad food choice”. Because good fruit cake and ice cream can nver be a bad decision

At time of writing, stress has defeated me and I hit the vending machine for the first time this week for a Twix. My boss is making me fat.

One is very disappointed in one’s self, but feeling jolly good none-the-less.

Another attempt at twice-a-day training has commenced. Far more tiring that I imagined, and that is with only two very light and easy sessions. Maybe I’m just getting old.

Started last night’s run at 9:00pm. Not a sole around, got all the way down River Rd without seeing a car. Running after dinner is a dud and my stomach certainly didn’t enjoy the experience. I think any late night work needs to be bike or gym rather than swimming or running.

Wednesday:

 > AM 1hour on the bike with Pat = 28km

 > PM 6.3km in 35:56 = 5:42 per km. Ha ha ha. Felt so much more competitive than that stat would suggest.

W

Hard days night

GAWD!!! I hate doing an indoor trainer session that starts at 9:15.

45min on f'king thng include 2xHIIT sets and 2xsingle leg drill sets. Hrm not here yet from Wiggle so no intensity reading yet

45min of stretch and press include plank, glute work, lunge walk, calf raises etc

Brett worked on troublesome left calf - feels pretty good too. Will give it another safety run tomorrow. Pat at 6:00 in the morning for an hour of tempo

22 days to France

W

Timing starts ..... Now

6.5km "safety run" ahead of Brett coming tomorrow. 3 easies in a row, no I'll- effects. Cautiously optimistic.

30 min stretch n press

3 bad food choices today. 1xhalf small apple pie. 2xhefty slices of home made chocolate cake. Lucky there were only 2 pieces left or I'd have made 4 bad choices today.

33 Functional Weekends To Go

23 days until holidays – Giddy up!!!

33 functional training weekends available until IM – Ooohhh that’s scary.

Gee time is smashing me. Can’t believe three weeks have passed since last update.

Status: Things are going forward again, after a left calf strain and a bout of whatever bug that one is that’s going around at the moment. Both now well behind me:

Ø  Diet is coming under control and I was down to 86.3 (down 2kg) for all of the latter half of last week. Very conscious of making the healthiest food decisions I can wherever possible, though nothing particularly drastic at this point.

Ø  Left calf seems to be repairing. 2 x easy 7.5km on the weekend (one to the pool, one on the end of GAz’s run), no ill-effects and Brett coming back on Tuesday night. Will keep him coming round for the two subsequent weeks until we go away

Ø  Cycling miles are modest, but consistent at around 150k pr week for a month now, and will be a good enough base to get me on holidays, where I should get in some good miles.

Ø  Swimming, though only once a week.

Markers for the next

Ø  Start using a HRM. Time to harden up.

Ø  Get at least 2 weekdays to twice-a-day. Base is good enough now I think to have another crack at this.

Ø  Time for a “big weekend” – 20km Saturday bush run > Cobbitty Sunday – Aim for this weekend 27/28

It’s on!

W

Fear and Loathing in Emu Plains

Had to happen. Pharque I knew it would happen. And I still just did it.

A quick check back through the training diary shows no massage for a couple of weeks, no stretching session for a week, no strengthening for a week.  Probably have no right to act surprised when an injury arises then.

Surely any reasoned independent assessment would arrive at the conclusion that I am a peanut. Pharque, #$%^ it! Time for pie.

Some good running over the past 4 weeks. A good run last night 2k w/u, 7ish tempo, 2k w/d > nearing home, no faster than 6:00 min km, the tingle of death. Calf gone. History tells me that it will take a month or so to heal properly.

Time to do a swim centric block of training I guess. And eat more pie.

W

Phase II - LAUNCHED

PHASE 2 - LAUNCHED

The next 15 weeks takes me up to the Nepean Tri. A simple two part goal => Get to the start line + get to the finish line within 2 hours thereafter

Some cool things planned along the way to retain the interest:

6 Aug	West Head Ride
13/14 Aug	Cycling weekend in Canberra
21 Aug	6ft trek
27 Aug	Willy to Billy
4 Sept	Bankstown Half
17,18,19 Sept	Cycle Tour in Annecy – Col de la Colombiere
19 Sept	Mont Ventoux
25 Sept	Paris to Versailles 16k
1 Oct	Lap of the lake at Penrith
8 Oct	Fitzroy Falls XC Marathon/10k

Need to find an additional 3.5 hours a week now. Not sure how that will go.

Training goals – Get run fit, start swimming. Structure for the Plan looks a bit like

WEEKLY FRAMEWORK - 15 WEEKS OF PHASE 2
	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
AM (6:00 - 7:30)	60min ergo or hill repeats	Gym + 7.0 run Easy treadmill	12k "hour run"	Gym + 7.5 run tempo treadmill	60min ergo or TT intervals	17 km Long run up to Springwood Pool
MIDDAY					6k easy path run	Swim (45min) at Springwood
PM	Evening Swim Squad						Long Ride 2:30
Swim km	2.5			-		2.0		4.5	01:30:00
Bike km	30.0	-			30.0		75.0	135.0	04:52:30
Gym		1.0		1.0				2.0	01:00:00
Run km	-	7.0	12.0	7.5	6.0	17.0	-	49.5	04:19:52
	01:55:00	01:06:45	01:03:00	01:09:23	01:36:30	02:09:15	02:42:30	16.0	11:42:22