Slowly slowly...

I've done a whole 3 training sessions this week; a cadence bike session, a short tempo run and a longer, harder turbo session (plus a 3 hour running technique workshop, but there wasn't a lot of running in total in that, lots of theory and drills but not a lot of actual running).  This is part of getting myself slowly back to fixed body and gently ramping up the intensity again.  The endurance hasn't really dropped off, but it's the strength, particularly on the bike, that I can't rush at the moment.

There's 2 weeks to Spring Camp and that's going to be quite tough this time; remembering back to last year there's a lot of cycling and there are Hills.  It's going to have to be gentler than last time, though I'm  quite looking forward to the discipline of swimming every morning before breakfast before heading out for a ride.  And now I understand more about fuelling for heavy exercise every day on a LCHF diet so the last few days should be a bit more productive than last year.

After today's 90 minute sit-down on the turbo, I'm feeling like it's not a total loss for this year and maybe I might actually be in with a chance of being in a good place come 70.3 Mallorca as a kick-off race and then UK 70.3 won't be the horrific, miserable mess it was last year.  Hoorah for endorphins!

Slightly frustrating, but...

If there was a good time to be injured, it's actually now.  With the massive work milestone/deadline this coming weekend, not being able to run or gym or cycle is actually a good thing.  I get the frustration of being injured and unable to exercise all over and done with at a time when, although a healthy break away from work to do something physically hard would be a healthy thing for mind and body, it's just something that has to be dropped and I'd be frustrated by that too.  Two birds with one stone.

Sadly, it has also meant that I've posted back my timing chip for the rescheduled Grim this Saturday.

In  other news, I have a new trainer.  First session scheduled for 23rd and I'm so excited about it.  I can't wait to get stuck in to a new routine and not have to get stressy about constant rescheduling at the last second due to being far too busy at work.

Success!

I gymmed!  And only had to drop the squat and swing with dumbbell from the routine as that requires too much grip from the thumbs and could have resulted in either a dumbbell flying across the gym or the tip of my thumb opening up. Neither of which was an attractive prospect.

And this is what I did:-

• Squats with 70kg (counter-weighted Olympic bar with 2x 20kg, 2x 5kg and 2x 2.5kg on it) - 3x10
• Core pendulum swings (lying on the floor, legs up, swing legs/rotate hips) - 3x10 each side SUPERSET A
• Lunge with single arm swing opposite arm to knee (same side arm and leg working) 8kg dumbbell - 3x10 each side SUPERSET A
• Clean and press 35kg barbell - 1x3 then fail
• Clean and press 32.5kg (Olympic bar with 2x 5kg and 2x 1.25kg on it) - 2x10
• Reverse lunge with row (cable machine) 15kg - 3x10 SUPERSET B
• Side plank with row (8kg) hold plank throughout each set - 3x2x10 SUPERSET B
• Leg raise with press - 20kg ViPR - 3x15

*pleased*

*whinge*

Why can't blogs do notifications to commenters? (partly rhetorical question as I can see how complex it would be to make it work without annoying people)

I've started to follow a few more blogs and I do post the odd comment from time to time (not really one for posting comments for the sake of it).   The thing is, I like to see what people say in response to, or to follow up on my comments.  This means I have to rememebr which blogs I commented on, which posts on those blogs and check each one for any updates.  And I really suck at remembering.  WLR forums have the exact same problem (and that's a forum so it really should do that kind of notification, dammit!).

So, if you post something in response to a comment I've made somewhere, don't be offended if I don't follow up.  It's not personal, I probably haven't even seen your response either 'cause I suck!  (OK, so some web journal providers give the journaller the option for notifications like that, but not all and the method is clunky too)

Also... (mm, whinge-tastic today!) My quads, palms and ankles huuuuuurt.  *pathetic*  We put in a reasonable time for the journey Northwards (3 hours 30 for 74km partly urban, partly undulating countryside [600m of climb in total]  and unsurprisingly a bit longer on the way back - 3 hours 50 for the reverse route).  I clocked up 7,200kcals for last week's exercise total and went over 650km so far on my new bike.  This week is taper week.  Today is a rest day.  I need it!

Hm. OK.

So I was going to be doing a final distance swim today, 3200m, then tapering off the rest of the week before the 5000m next Sunday.  Except, although my nose is far less productive today, the cold has headed down onto my chest and breathing is exactly as difficult as when my nose was completely stuffed and runny.  So I'm tired, breathless, fuzzy in the head and weak.  Oh, and despite stuffing my face for the last 3 days, my weight hasn't changed at all.

4 weeks now with pretty much no weight training (I've done two light sessions on two weekends), 3 weeks with pretty much no cardio exercise (one 1600m swim since I've been back from skiing), and I'm pretty sure that despite being slap-bang in the middle of my target weight range, I've gained fat and lost muscle.  I can't use my body-fat measurement machine because it works on electrical impedance and is keenly affected by hydration levels which are utterly out of whack with having a cold, so I can't really assess the situation in a quantitative way and it's all just subjective in how I feel.  And having a cold makes me feel squishy anyway, so it'll all just so hard to tell.  I am pretty sure there is some muscle loss, however.  It is disappointing, having spent 10 months working on improving my muscles, strength and fitness, to have quite a bit of that work set back.  I know it's not through lack of determination or enthusiasm on my part, I can't beat myself up about it because there's pretty much nothing I can do about it until I'm over both my injury and my cold.  Nevertheless, it is still disappointing.

As for the Swimathon next Sunday; I'll definitely finish the 5km, there's no doubt there at all.  It's just that I don't think I'll put in a representative time which is quite disappointing.  I wanted to do the 5km in 01:40 (or less), but I think that without a swim on Friday last week and no distance swim today, probably no sprint swim tomorrow... well, there's really not going to be much benefit to be had from the normal swim on Wednesday and the gentle swim on Friday at all.  Given that, I reckon I could put in a time anywhere between 01:50 and 02:00.  Again; disappointing.

And then there's the 2nd Thames Turbo Triathlon in 3 weeks time.  I've not run in months, cycled in very much longer and 3 weeks really isn't very long to get on with training never mind the fact it's actually going to be 2 weeks because I'm going to be still coldy for some of next week and tapering (hah, tapering down from no exercise; funny) for the rest of it for the Swimathon.  Again, I'm sure I'll finish the triathlon, but the time will be abysmal.  I suppose at least it means I'll be very likely to improve for the 3rd one.

Off to the doc

That 800g was all gone this morning and I'm off to the doctor in a few minutes to get my coccyx looked at and see about some further pain management while it gets on with healing.

's not fair

I was 250kcals under maintenance overall last week, but I'm a kg heavier. I know I said I wasn't going to beat myself up about it, but this plain isn't fair! Where did an extra 7,000kcals to create a kg of weight -come- from if I was 250kcals -under-?

So, if it's not real weight gain, what is it? Water retention? Unlikely, given the amount of water I've been drinking in the last 24 hours. Transit? Mmm, possibly. Actual fat? Very unlikely in that time period plus there weren't enough kcals to make that much fat without me sleeping through the whole weekend and not moving at all. It's gotta come from somewhere though! Meh. Anyway.

Leg rehabilitation is underway; after a week of using lifts rather than stairs, not walking/running up escalators, no gym, no running, no cycling, no swimming and some deep-tissue massage. I made sure to do a gentle warm up on the rower, taking it gently for the first 500m then a bit harder for the last 500m and then going gently for 5 minutes on the cross-trainer to see how it felt before going quite a bit harder for 12.5 minutes, gently again for 2.5 minutes then 2 minutes cool down and some actual stretching for once. It feels OK; a bit "scratchy' on the inside as if the middle was having rough wool rubbed on it, but no pain at all and no straining feeling. So, I think I'll try some gentle resistance training on it tomorrow, with lighter weights than usual and a slow build up rather than straight into working weight.

Brekkie was my usual greek yogurt creation, with a scoop of whey, fruit compote and some flaked almonds:-


I had a banana before today's little trial gym trip and a protein shake afterwards to fuel up those poor neglected muscles.

Lunch is getting a bit standard, spinach, capers, a few walnuts, tomato (usually sweet peppers) and chicken. Tomorrow it'll be eggs instead :o)


I had a pear and some carrots and houmous to keep me going through the afternoon without killing people or chewing my own arm off. I do so -love- houmous and I even actually seem to like raw carrots now. Me! Raw carrots!

There were a few veggies to use up after Burns Night dinner last night, so I boiled 'em up and mashed 'em to go with some beef chilli:-


And I just -had- to try some of the Stilton which was part of our Christmas hamper at the weekend, and how better to serve it than on top of some toasted, fruity, home-made malt loaf with a big mug of tea:-


Exercise - 1km warm up on the rower; 3 sets of - plank (60s), pulsed side planks (10) and press-ups (5); followed by 22 minutes on the cross-trainer.

Calories (kcal) [kcals to maintain weight (inc. exercise)	1828 2131
Protein (g)	152.8 (34%)
Carbohydrate (g)	191.0 (39.9%)
Fat (g)	51.1 (25.6%)
Fruit & Veg	14.6