Written 14th February 2010
What an usual week; It was an 'Easy Week' of exercise; I prepared for and participated in an important work-related phone interview for a potential large contract that will be life-altering if I get it; and we had a wonderfully relaxing surfing weekend away. Certainly a different week from normal.
Anyway, it all combined to give me plenty of time to reflect on the journey so far. And I can tell you - It's been a rollercoaster ride.
With no training to eat up the daily hours, I started the week by driving to the Mt Coot-tha Lookout overlooking Brisbane to suss out the upcoming Mt Coot-tha Bike Ride, an 80km bike ride around-the-city including a 2.3km 9% timed climb up to the Lookout and down again. It's a steep climb and it was quite depressing to realise how far my fitness still has to go. I saw lots of riders struggling on the way up (but getting there!) and a few coming down looking very much like 'real' bike riders. I doubt I could do it and that shocked me- I felt shattered to realise how far I have to go before I am at a starting point of endurance riding and other such events. All sorts of people ride and run this hill and I am a long way behind them; and that's after three months of consistent training. Bugger!
On the good side, our weekend surfing showed me how much fitter I have become. And when I weighed myself, I had lost more weight. All good.
Also on the positive side my motivation is high and I am committed to my goals. I have stuck to my new eating plan, I have trained consistently and I have worked hard ; All things to celebrate. I have to remember the small steps forward that I take and celebrate the small wins. I also have to realise my age, and my former life stlye are issues that will take time to overcome.
So, a roller coaster ride of emotions. On reflection, it's a straight forward case of being a long way from 'fit and strong' but closer than I was a month ago. So I need to maintain a positive attitude. As the Buddha says, a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.
This week its back to training so more 'small steps' each day/ session. I must stay positive, and believe all these small steps will eventually add up to a strong starting point for becoming an endurance athlete. I just need to be patient. And consistent.
Overall, when you add it all up, it's all good.
More later, journey on.....
James
Word Count - 395
13 March 2010
11 March 2010
A Weekend Away during Easy Week
Written 13th February 2010
My wife Shirl and I are in Caloundra, staying at a flat overlooking the surf beach, and we are having a ball. It’s been a great day.
We got up earlyish- about 6.00 – and took a long walk along the coast as the sun came up along Kings Beach. Took some photos, had a chat and a nice time. Afterwards had a body surf (sore arms after yesterday’s surf) then enjoyed a coffee at Happy Valley that seemed to me at the time to be the best coffee I’d ever tasted. We watched the surf, the boats and the early morning crowd while lazing over our brilliant coffees. OK, so perhaps I was just in a ridiculously good mood but who cares. It was a good coffee and a spectacular start to the day.
The day didn’t stop there....Back to the flat for a quick shower then down to the Kings Beach for an awesome breakfast of corn fritters, green tomatoes and creme freche. Yum. Brilliant. RAving about how good it is... Obviously still in a great mood but it does raise the question- Why is a damn good breakfast so rare??
Another long surf after brekkie, including catching some surprisingly good waves (for someone who hasn’t surfed for over a decade!) and showing off to Shirl who spent most of the time sitting on the beach, doing her 'beach babe' thing. It was good to realise how much fitter I am now. I still need more strength in my arms and my overall aerobic fitness needs more work but there’s no doubt I am fitter than before.
Another great meal for lunch, this time in the town square helped the day just get better – Fresh made tuna burger with fresh salad and a ice-cold Berry Smoothie, some easy company an a relaxed read of the local paper was great preperation for a lazy snooze back at the flat.
In the afternoon I went for a long easy walk along the riverfront and enjoyed the laid back coastal ambience and the spectacular views of the river and the mountains (it really is a gorgeous place) while cruising to some Marley regaggae on the i-pod. Everything was just great. I occasionally thought happily of my last few weeks of training and what I had achieved. The whole walk was relaxing and frankly, invigorating. Certainly a nice change from the usual long Saturday bike ride.
Sunset drinks on the balcony overlooking the surf, a walk along the beachfront and a chinese meal of Schezuan Prawns, Scallops, Pork Ribs and Duck for Chinese New Year 2010. I even broke the drought and had a few beers and a couple of glasses of wine. The company was great- our friends talked about their trip through China in the early ‘90s and made us laugh.
It was a wonderful night to finish off a great day of relaxing during my Easy Week. Best of all I lived the ‘Easy Week’ dream and this made me feel good about myself and my achievements to date– some good food but not too much, a lot of enjoyable and not taxing cross-training, a heap of relaxation and a bit of celebration. It seemed like just rewards for the hard work of recent weeks.
I reckon I should do more of this! Can’t wait for tomorrow.
More later, journey on
James
Word Count - 517
Learning to enjoy the Easy Week of training
Written 8th February 2010
After weeks of hard training, it’s a time to rest my body AND my mind. It’s time for A Week Off.
The base training phase is a time to push myself, a time to find new limits. This means it’s necessary to have a week off occasionally to rest and refresh. These so-called ‘Easy Weeks’ are also a good time to reflect on what I am trying to achieve and how I am going.
From what I’ve read, ‘Easy Weeks’ are important. As pro-triathlete John Hirsch says about training plans on his blog “We are a pool of gasoline and with a spark of motivation we can burn ourselves up pretty fast. I keep telling people to relax, be patient and let it come. Our fitness is thin this early on, and we often can’t do what we wish we could do…just yet.’ So we must let our body catch up every now and then. We need the body to relax, to rest, to rebuild and to refresh. A good week off training is critical to this process.
There are a few things to keep in mind during Easy Week. Firstly, any exercise
should be for fun only. No timed runs or rides, no demanding workouts, no scheduled commitments. The only exercise is relaxed cross-training, just for fun.
Secondly, with little exercise each day, the total food intake must be controlled- or even reduced- to ensure body weights doesn’t blow out. This is not the time for lots of food and drink. Some, yes – just not too much.
Despite this, it’s also important to find ways to ‘celebrate’ throughout the week. The best way to do this is to reflect and enjoy what has been achieved over the last few weeks, to reflect and enjoy the journey so far, and to just enjoy not having to exercise for a week. It’s time for fun, for rest, for doing different stuff from the normal regime. Yep, it’s party time.
More later. Journey on...
James
Word Count - 347
After weeks of hard training, it’s a time to rest my body AND my mind. It’s time for A Week Off.
The base training phase is a time to push myself, a time to find new limits. This means it’s necessary to have a week off occasionally to rest and refresh. These so-called ‘Easy Weeks’ are also a good time to reflect on what I am trying to achieve and how I am going.
From what I’ve read, ‘Easy Weeks’ are important. As pro-triathlete John Hirsch says about training plans on his blog “We are a pool of gasoline and with a spark of motivation we can burn ourselves up pretty fast. I keep telling people to relax, be patient and let it come. Our fitness is thin this early on, and we often can’t do what we wish we could do…just yet.’ So we must let our body catch up every now and then. We need the body to relax, to rest, to rebuild and to refresh. A good week off training is critical to this process.
There are a few things to keep in mind during Easy Week. Firstly, any exercise
should be for fun only. No timed runs or rides, no demanding workouts, no scheduled commitments. The only exercise is relaxed cross-training, just for fun.
Secondly, with little exercise each day, the total food intake must be controlled- or even reduced- to ensure body weights doesn’t blow out. This is not the time for lots of food and drink. Some, yes – just not too much.
Despite this, it’s also important to find ways to ‘celebrate’ throughout the week. The best way to do this is to reflect and enjoy what has been achieved over the last few weeks, to reflect and enjoy the journey so far, and to just enjoy not having to exercise for a week. It’s time for fun, for rest, for doing different stuff from the normal regime. Yep, it’s party time.
More later. Journey on...
James
Word Count - 347
Training for the 1/2 Marathon in July
Written 7th February 2010
A key goal this year is to complete a half marathon. The cut off time for the 21kms is 3 hours. This is good news because I’ve walked this distance many times in around 3 hours so I am sure I can complete the challenge by fast-walking. But that’s not good enough- I have to train myself to run it.
I’ll have to do it in an organised way, and to build up slow and steady yet deliberately. My plan will have me peaking at just the right time for the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July. Like I did with the bike, I will have to run and walk lots of miles and be looking for constant improvement- consistent, constant improvement, patience but always pushing forward.
I have to be careful of my damaged knee so I think the gym is the best place to start. Hard fast bike riding will also help my breathing and my endurance. And the cross- trainer will take my legs and my lungs to new levels. I also need to add progressively longer road runs to my schedule.
This is not all. My other goals for this year include the 220km bike ride ‘Around in the Bay in a Day’ and a short triathlon in the Spring or Summer. So I need to do run training while still maintaining/ improving my bike fitness and also working on strengthening my core. Talk about the time management issues of distance athletes!
According to Triathlon and Cycling magazines and books, the fitness required for these goals is varied. Triathletes need aerobic endurance, explosive power (to respond to the needs of steep hills, normal demands of racing, big finishes etc) and core body strength. Also needed, especially for the long endurance events, is good body balance and coordination. And it’s important to think about the areas of the body that are most prone to injury during endurance training and events. These areas need to be strengthened not only to improve performance but also to minimise the risk of injury. This includes the core body, the back and the key muscles involved in running, swimming and cycling.
So I have to balance a whole range of training requirements – weights, fast bike, long bike, interval and fartlek runs, long hikes, Step Machine, Rest and Recovery and Diet. Quite a challenge.
Here’s my initial plan for managing all these requirements. As much as possible, I will train twice a day, with a day off on Fridays. I will also continue to work on losing the extra kilos I am carrying by aiming for a daily maximum of 8,500kilojules intake against two hours of hard exercise.
Mon – Fast Bike/ BRICK in morning then Weights in afternoon
Tues – Interval Run on treadmill in morning then Hills or cross trainer in afternoon
Wed – Long Bike then Weights in afternoon
Thurs – Interval Run and cross trainer in afternoon
Fri – Rest Day
Sat- Long Hike
Sun - Long Bike (or race where possible), Weights in afternoon
What a good plan.
More later, journey on...
James
Word Count - 500
A key goal this year is to complete a half marathon. The cut off time for the 21kms is 3 hours. This is good news because I’ve walked this distance many times in around 3 hours so I am sure I can complete the challenge by fast-walking. But that’s not good enough- I have to train myself to run it.
I’ll have to do it in an organised way, and to build up slow and steady yet deliberately. My plan will have me peaking at just the right time for the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July. Like I did with the bike, I will have to run and walk lots of miles and be looking for constant improvement- consistent, constant improvement, patience but always pushing forward.
I have to be careful of my damaged knee so I think the gym is the best place to start. Hard fast bike riding will also help my breathing and my endurance. And the cross- trainer will take my legs and my lungs to new levels. I also need to add progressively longer road runs to my schedule.
This is not all. My other goals for this year include the 220km bike ride ‘Around in the Bay in a Day’ and a short triathlon in the Spring or Summer. So I need to do run training while still maintaining/ improving my bike fitness and also working on strengthening my core. Talk about the time management issues of distance athletes!
According to Triathlon and Cycling magazines and books, the fitness required for these goals is varied. Triathletes need aerobic endurance, explosive power (to respond to the needs of steep hills, normal demands of racing, big finishes etc) and core body strength. Also needed, especially for the long endurance events, is good body balance and coordination. And it’s important to think about the areas of the body that are most prone to injury during endurance training and events. These areas need to be strengthened not only to improve performance but also to minimise the risk of injury. This includes the core body, the back and the key muscles involved in running, swimming and cycling.
So I have to balance a whole range of training requirements – weights, fast bike, long bike, interval and fartlek runs, long hikes, Step Machine, Rest and Recovery and Diet. Quite a challenge.
Here’s my initial plan for managing all these requirements. As much as possible, I will train twice a day, with a day off on Fridays. I will also continue to work on losing the extra kilos I am carrying by aiming for a daily maximum of 8,500kilojules intake against two hours of hard exercise.
Mon – Fast Bike/ BRICK in morning then Weights in afternoon
Tues – Interval Run on treadmill in morning then Hills or cross trainer in afternoon
Wed – Long Bike then Weights in afternoon
Thurs – Interval Run and cross trainer in afternoon
Fri – Rest Day
Sat- Long Hike
Sun - Long Bike (or race where possible), Weights in afternoon
What a good plan.
More later, journey on...
James
Word Count - 500
04 March 2010
Managing food and exercise at work
Written 2nd February 2010
Damn, a tougher day today after such a good start yesterday.
I now realise I must plan my food intake for the whole day, otherwise I end up eating crap. I work as a Corporate Trainer so there's lots of food provided on each work day; food like scones, jam and cream, fresh-made biscuits,sausage rolls etc etc. All the stuff my sweet tooth LOVES to eat.
I need to plan every food break, especially morning tea which is when I got the most hungry, and therefore tempted. I think the best thing to do is to take nuts and seeds to work, or maybe peanut butter sandwiches. Basically good stuff that's easy to eat and is as appealling as the yummy stuff at work.
I didn't do the hills this morning (as planned)because I was tired after yesterday's first day back. I was worried about falling asleep at work. It seems it will take some time to work out how to balance work, exercise and diet.
A tough day but lots of learning.
More later, journey on....
James
Word Count - 181
Damn, a tougher day today after such a good start yesterday.
I now realise I must plan my food intake for the whole day, otherwise I end up eating crap. I work as a Corporate Trainer so there's lots of food provided on each work day; food like scones, jam and cream, fresh-made biscuits,sausage rolls etc etc. All the stuff my sweet tooth LOVES to eat.
I need to plan every food break, especially morning tea which is when I got the most hungry, and therefore tempted. I think the best thing to do is to take nuts and seeds to work, or maybe peanut butter sandwiches. Basically good stuff that's easy to eat and is as appealling as the yummy stuff at work.
I didn't do the hills this morning (as planned)because I was tired after yesterday's first day back. I was worried about falling asleep at work. It seems it will take some time to work out how to balance work, exercise and diet.
A tough day but lots of learning.
More later, journey on....
James
Word Count - 181
Mixing work and exercise
Written 1st February 2010
I'm very pleased with myself today. On my first day back at work I still managed to exercise twice- once before, then another great session after work.
I also resisted the standard 'corporate training' food and had a good day of calorie intake. It will be interestiing to see how the motivation holds up as the year progresses but it sure is a good start!
I also weighed myself today. More good news - now down to 92.6kgs (from 108). Still >7kgs to go but its going well. Plenty for me to be happy about.
More later, journey on...
James
Word Count - 95
I'm very pleased with myself today. On my first day back at work I still managed to exercise twice- once before, then another great session after work.
I also resisted the standard 'corporate training' food and had a good day of calorie intake. It will be interestiing to see how the motivation holds up as the year progresses but it sure is a good start!
I also weighed myself today. More good news - now down to 92.6kgs (from 108). Still >7kgs to go but its going well. Plenty for me to be happy about.
More later, journey on...
James
Word Count - 95
The Trouble with Rest Days...
Written 31st January 2010
Lots of things on my mind today. Total rest days are like that- too much time on your hands. Its a forced rest. I’m off to work tomorrow after a few months off. For the last few months I’ve been focused on improving my fitness but now I have to turn my mind and energies to my ‘other’ passion. I’ve decided to rest all day today to ensure I am ready to earn a quid tomorrow.
So work is on my mind. I have to admit it’s a little hard to start thinking about anything other than exercise, diet, recovery, my goals etc. but alas, it has to happen. After all, it’s important to keep a good balance in life.
Actually I think this is a key aspect of being an endurance athlete. I need to keep a laser-like focus on my endurance goals while also keeping a good balance between work and exercise. Now that it’s time to go back to work it will be interesting to see how successful I am at balancing the different expectations. I’m sure this is a key part of the overall jigsaw of the life of an endurance athlete; not just the time management, tiredness and motivation aspects but also the ability to truly balance two competing goals. I will look forward to learning how this will work in my life. In Buddhist terms, I will need to be ‘mind-ful’ of my thoughts and actions to ensure I achieve a true balance. Should be fun!
Also on my mind is food. Daily Calorie Intake to be exact. When I don’t have scheduled exercise time in my day I tend to fill in the hours by eating more. But this is not good. On ‘normal’ days I have to be vigilant and focused on total calories consumed, and I need to be even more careful on days when I’m not burning them off. All this extra time makes it hard - especially when I go to the movies and get tempted by lots of yummies. (Thankfully I resisted!)
I saw the film ‘Invictus’ today and two great quotes struck me –
- I am master of my own destiny and
- I am master of my own soul.
Apparently it’s what Nelson Mandela kept in his mind when he was incarcerated for all those years. These thoughts have big implications for distance athletes, and therefore for me. These simple statements bring lots of thoughts, for example it says to me ‘if it is to be, it’s up to me’. It also says ... It’s all in my mind, it’s an attitude thing, no-one else can or will determine my fate, what I can conceive I can achieve etc etc. I know, I know there’s a heap of clichés here but I’m sure they will ‘all ring true’ when ‘the going gets tough’ Oops, can’t help myself, ‘I’m on a roll’. Enough, stop it. :-)
My thoughts also turned to my performance in my training lately. I’m still in a base training phase yet I can feel what’s happening. It’s obvious from my previous athletic attempts (or whatever they should be more accurately titled) and from my current performances that I will never be a world beater, even in my age group. But I need to ignore this and stay clear in my own mind of what I am doing – and it’s not to be a world beater.
This journey is a very personal journey, a voyage to experience life to the full, to find a better world through endurance, and to find the real me by pushing myself beyond my limits. It’s not about beating records, or beating anyone else. It’s about finding myself.
It’s easy to get side-tracked – and even de-motivated- when I compare my current performances with the racing times and achievements I read in magazines. I need to see those times as benchmarks only, and to focus on what’s important. That is, my physical, mental and spiritual strength, and the development of personal skills in each discipline.
So, far too much on my mind today. Good thoughts, yes- but I think I prefer the training days.
More later, journey on
James
Word Count - 697
Lots of things on my mind today. Total rest days are like that- too much time on your hands. Its a forced rest. I’m off to work tomorrow after a few months off. For the last few months I’ve been focused on improving my fitness but now I have to turn my mind and energies to my ‘other’ passion. I’ve decided to rest all day today to ensure I am ready to earn a quid tomorrow.
So work is on my mind. I have to admit it’s a little hard to start thinking about anything other than exercise, diet, recovery, my goals etc. but alas, it has to happen. After all, it’s important to keep a good balance in life.
Actually I think this is a key aspect of being an endurance athlete. I need to keep a laser-like focus on my endurance goals while also keeping a good balance between work and exercise. Now that it’s time to go back to work it will be interesting to see how successful I am at balancing the different expectations. I’m sure this is a key part of the overall jigsaw of the life of an endurance athlete; not just the time management, tiredness and motivation aspects but also the ability to truly balance two competing goals. I will look forward to learning how this will work in my life. In Buddhist terms, I will need to be ‘mind-ful’ of my thoughts and actions to ensure I achieve a true balance. Should be fun!
Also on my mind is food. Daily Calorie Intake to be exact. When I don’t have scheduled exercise time in my day I tend to fill in the hours by eating more. But this is not good. On ‘normal’ days I have to be vigilant and focused on total calories consumed, and I need to be even more careful on days when I’m not burning them off. All this extra time makes it hard - especially when I go to the movies and get tempted by lots of yummies. (Thankfully I resisted!)
I saw the film ‘Invictus’ today and two great quotes struck me –
- I am master of my own destiny and
- I am master of my own soul.
Apparently it’s what Nelson Mandela kept in his mind when he was incarcerated for all those years. These thoughts have big implications for distance athletes, and therefore for me. These simple statements bring lots of thoughts, for example it says to me ‘if it is to be, it’s up to me’. It also says ... It’s all in my mind, it’s an attitude thing, no-one else can or will determine my fate, what I can conceive I can achieve etc etc. I know, I know there’s a heap of clichés here but I’m sure they will ‘all ring true’ when ‘the going gets tough’ Oops, can’t help myself, ‘I’m on a roll’. Enough, stop it. :-)
My thoughts also turned to my performance in my training lately. I’m still in a base training phase yet I can feel what’s happening. It’s obvious from my previous athletic attempts (or whatever they should be more accurately titled) and from my current performances that I will never be a world beater, even in my age group. But I need to ignore this and stay clear in my own mind of what I am doing – and it’s not to be a world beater.
This journey is a very personal journey, a voyage to experience life to the full, to find a better world through endurance, and to find the real me by pushing myself beyond my limits. It’s not about beating records, or beating anyone else. It’s about finding myself.
It’s easy to get side-tracked – and even de-motivated- when I compare my current performances with the racing times and achievements I read in magazines. I need to see those times as benchmarks only, and to focus on what’s important. That is, my physical, mental and spiritual strength, and the development of personal skills in each discipline.
So, far too much on my mind today. Good thoughts, yes- but I think I prefer the training days.
More later, journey on
James
Word Count - 697
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