Today I went out on an easy 2 hour ride, followed by an easy 15 minute run. It was a very cool, yet beautiful, calm afternoon and I was enjoying the opportunity to just turn the legs over and enjoy the scenery.
I wasn't slacking by any stretch of the imagination - I was averaging about 29km/h and keeping a nice steady cadence - but I was aware that the weekend had been quite a big effort (Lake Hayes Tri and a couple of 10km runs) and I needed to give my legs an opportunity to recover. That was until I got back to Portobello on the way back to town.
As I headed past the pub, I spotted a cyclist coming down off the hill from the high road over the Otago Peninsula. I swear she fluttered her eyelashes under her dark glasses and a broad smile spread across her face. As a red-blooded male, I nodded in acknowledgement, smiled back, pumped out the chest and picked up the pace a little as I sped on by.
I thought to myself, 'I bet she is going to try and tack on behind me to get a lift back to town', so I took my drink bottle out of its cage and slowed (just a little) to see if she would catch up. Sure enough within 500 metres or so she was right on my tail.
I picked up the pace to about 37 km/h just to show that I was no slouch. She easily kept pace and a couple of kilometres down the road, blonde pony tail flowing behind her, she went past me as if I was standing still.
GAME ON!
Having initially been attracted to cycling together by the usual "guy-thing" (a young, attractive, athletic blonde - apologies to my female readers, I am not a chauvinist, just too honest for my own good), I was now also in a duel to protect my ego. No way could I just drop off and let her ride off into the distance. I'd started this push and I had to finish it.
For the next ten kilometres into the wind we sped along at 37-41 km/h and, if the pace dropped anywhere near 35km/h, the person at the rear sprinted to the front and lifted the pace again. It was a great effort by both of us, but I knew I was going too hard for the easy session that I was supposed to be having.
Thank goodness she stopped when she did, because I would have had no legs left to do my run if we'd carried on the rest of the 5 kilometres to the end of the Peninsula. She sat up and said "This is me. Thanks, mate." I replied with my own "Thanks, mate" and carried on until I was out of sight around the next corner and then dropped the pace back to 25km/h.
It took me a full 10 minutes to get my run legs when I got off the bike and the whole run was a real struggle, so I knew that I had definitely pushed too hard.
I know... I'm a sad bastard, but every guy I know would have done exactly the same thing. It's just that I am the only one stupid enough to write about it and publish it for the world to read.
I think there is a lesson in this for all of us sad middle-aged men. Never let an attractive woman, half your age, lead you astray!
26 April 2011
15 April 2011
Two steps forward, one step back
Bummer, I have an injury!
It was a big weekend on the bike with three two-hour sessions totalling 175km. It was great, but my lower back and hip were bloody sore once I cooled down after the second ride and I knew somethign was up. I had hurt my hip at school camp, tackling a 9 year old a month earlier (I know, what the hell was I doing tackling a 9 year old?) and managed to do much the same thing last Wednesday at U9s rugby practice (I'm a slow learner).
On Monday, I got out of bed feeling like a dottery 90 year old and took an age to get moving, then getting off the toilet my back went a very painful spasm (as it had every few days for the last month). That wasn't the worst of it though, my shoe laces were the final straw and I could not strighten up again. It was agony and I knew that it wasn't good.
Long story short, I ended up at an osteopath (Abby at BodyWise Osteopathy) who did wonders, but I have struggled with sitting, standing and swimming all week. Strangely running is okay and has even been encouraged by Abby, but I have really had to take it easy in the pool and on the bike and had to flag the bike altogether today as I am extremely sore after Abby worked on me yesterday.
I'm still hoping to be okay for the Lake Hayes Triathlon next Friday, but will not push it and if I am not 100%, I'll give it a miss. It's a bit frustrating as I had felt that I have been really getting back into the groove.
My weight loss is also a bit up and down. I lose anywhere up to 2kgs Monday to Thursday each week and then lose my self control on the weekend and put 800g to 1kg back on by Monday. The upshot is that, as of yesterday, I have lost 5kgs in four and half weeks. That's pretty good really, but if I had been able to maintain the control over the weekend, I could have lost 8-10kgs. I am 101kgs now and hoping for under 100kg for next Friday, which will be the lightest I've been for a race in several months and at this rate I will be 90kg before I know it.
It was a big weekend on the bike with three two-hour sessions totalling 175km. It was great, but my lower back and hip were bloody sore once I cooled down after the second ride and I knew somethign was up. I had hurt my hip at school camp, tackling a 9 year old a month earlier (I know, what the hell was I doing tackling a 9 year old?) and managed to do much the same thing last Wednesday at U9s rugby practice (I'm a slow learner).
On Monday, I got out of bed feeling like a dottery 90 year old and took an age to get moving, then getting off the toilet my back went a very painful spasm (as it had every few days for the last month). That wasn't the worst of it though, my shoe laces were the final straw and I could not strighten up again. It was agony and I knew that it wasn't good.
Long story short, I ended up at an osteopath (Abby at BodyWise Osteopathy) who did wonders, but I have struggled with sitting, standing and swimming all week. Strangely running is okay and has even been encouraged by Abby, but I have really had to take it easy in the pool and on the bike and had to flag the bike altogether today as I am extremely sore after Abby worked on me yesterday.
I'm still hoping to be okay for the Lake Hayes Triathlon next Friday, but will not push it and if I am not 100%, I'll give it a miss. It's a bit frustrating as I had felt that I have been really getting back into the groove.
My weight loss is also a bit up and down. I lose anywhere up to 2kgs Monday to Thursday each week and then lose my self control on the weekend and put 800g to 1kg back on by Monday. The upshot is that, as of yesterday, I have lost 5kgs in four and half weeks. That's pretty good really, but if I had been able to maintain the control over the weekend, I could have lost 8-10kgs. I am 101kgs now and hoping for under 100kg for next Friday, which will be the lightest I've been for a race in several months and at this rate I will be 90kg before I know it.
03 April 2011
Stop looking, I've found them...
You can all stop looking now, I've finally found my training legs (and arms for that matter).
A great week of training this week (first time over 10 hours since race day) and today I finally felt like I was making some headway again. It began with an excellent swim session on Friday when I belted out a set of 13 100s 5-10 seconds faster than I had been managing for the previous 3 weeks and faster than I have ever done.
Yesterday wasn't so flash as my right hip was so sore that I ended up spending the end of the day laying on the sofa, but today I went a little off-piste (away from my training schedule) and did a reasonably long and hard brick session (1:45 bike and 30 minute run).
It felt great just going for it as I felt. I was training with Chris and James and at various points along the way, I decided to put the foot down to try and see how much of a jump I could get on them. I felt extra strong and confident and free. It was awesome.
I'm not planning to be so reckless all the time, but it was good to blow the cobwebs out just this once.
The next race is coming up in under 3 weeks so I'll be keen to see how well I can progress over that time, as even though last weekend went well, I actually didn't feel that it was up to the potential that I have built up through last year's training. Bring on the Lake Hayes Tri on Good Friday!
A great week of training this week (first time over 10 hours since race day) and today I finally felt like I was making some headway again. It began with an excellent swim session on Friday when I belted out a set of 13 100s 5-10 seconds faster than I had been managing for the previous 3 weeks and faster than I have ever done.
Yesterday wasn't so flash as my right hip was so sore that I ended up spending the end of the day laying on the sofa, but today I went a little off-piste (away from my training schedule) and did a reasonably long and hard brick session (1:45 bike and 30 minute run).
It felt great just going for it as I felt. I was training with Chris and James and at various points along the way, I decided to put the foot down to try and see how much of a jump I could get on them. I felt extra strong and confident and free. It was awesome.
I'm not planning to be so reckless all the time, but it was good to blow the cobwebs out just this once.
The next race is coming up in under 3 weeks so I'll be keen to see how well I can progress over that time, as even though last weekend went well, I actually didn't feel that it was up to the potential that I have built up through last year's training. Bring on the Lake Hayes Tri on Good Friday!
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