My Top 10

After much deliberation I have finally managed to narrow my lengthy list of potential tracks down to the 12 that I need to completes HI’s challenge.

My all time fave was the easiest one to commit to paper, without a shadow of doubt it would have to be the best 3 minutes of pure Ray Davies brilliance “You really got me” by The Kinks. The amazing sounds of the guitars were created when Ray took to slicing the cones of his amp to produce the distorted noise.

My “sound tracks”, in no particular order are: -

1. Rebel Rebel - David Bowie

2. Blue Monday - New Order

3. Private Life - Grace Jones

4. Judith - A Perfect Circle

5. Owner of a lonely heart - Yes

6. New Year’s Day - U2

7. Being Boiled - Human League (original line up)

8. Ziggy Stardust - Bauhaus

9. Pretty vacant - Sex Pistols

10. Tainted Love - Soft Cell

The red faced, you can’t really like that do you, my God you even know all the words is Dance Hall Days by Wang Chung, which is just slightly better, by a miniscule whisker, than quoting a song by Phil Collins.

My training and diet had been going really well until I had to travel over the last week. Tonight was the first time I had eaten at home for 8 days. Which brings me to MY question for the night - why is it when you order fish when eating out they “insist” on serving it with hot chips!!! What’s wrong with these people, there is nothing wrong with steamed vegetables, but can you get anyone to cook them, not on your life.

I did manage to squeeze in a couple of runs but nothing spectacular. Never mind I did run tonight, and I will be dragging my lard arse out of bed early in the morning to ride for the first time in 10 days.

50% is a fail in my book

After telling the world that I was going to run an ride today in last nights post, I have to put my hands up and say I failed to execute the plan.

Everything started off well enough, up at 4.15 out of the door before 4.30 and off into the dark chilly morning for a 40K ride. By the time I had covered the first 20K my feet and hands were so cold I thought that they were about to drop off. I can’t ever remember my toes being as cold in my life. If I had been close to home I would have pulled the pin and called it a day. 

As I was probably as far away from home as I could have been, I had no alternative but to keep going. Each turn of the pedal was really painful, so you can only imagine the relief I felt when I had the wind at my back and my toes had some shelter.

I had set out to cover 40K but as I neared home and saw I had covered 37K I thought enough was enough and I could not be arsed to tool around to make up the extra distance.

Work was as full on as usual, and I had little energy for swimming by the time got home, so I settled for baking a fresh snapper and steaming some  veggies for dinner - very yummy. My diet has been pretty good over the last week, and I have managed to record a loss on the scales, which makes me very happy and even  more determined to get below that magic 76kgs mark. 

Before dawn breaks ….

… due to being awake around 4.20 this morning, I managed to squeeze out 11k, be back home and showered before dawn had even began to break today.

Fark it was cold at that time of the morning, as well as being very black without any moonlight. The wind was also blowing a bit. For no known reason when getting my running gear on I threw on a lop sleeved top over my singlet, not something I normally do, but was I glad that I did. The weather is so unpredictable here at the  moment. Yesterday it was really warm during the day but it must have dropped off significantly during the night.

Legs felt great following yesterdays ride, and to my delight my chest didn’t flare up with the wind or cold - the two things that start it off quicker than anything.

The beach was as dead as, there was only one other brave soul out running - he was certainly braver than me as he was running bare footed in the sand - his toes must have been like blocks of ice, cause my fingers were that cold they were tingling with pain.

Plans for tomorrow - another 40K ride before work and a swim some time in the evening.

My wish list …….

Having made the decision that I want to have a real crack at the triathlon business, I have been really motivated over the last couple of weeks - lots of running and riding, including a 62K ride this morning.

My sinusitis has finally settled, after some pretty heavy duty antibiotics, steroids and some wicked nasal spray - for the first time in a very long time (at least 2 years) I can actually smell again.

No I don’t smell you fools, but I can tell what things smell like again. Spent yesterday wandering around the green grocers picking up herbs, fruit and veggies sniffing at them as if I was one of those sniffer dogs they use at the airport to catch drug traffickers. The pleasure I got from being able to smell fresh mint was immense.

Now my head doesn’t feel as if it is going to explode, my nose isn’t over sensitive and my chest is now clear it is time to make a return to the pool. I know I have to work hard on my swimming, so there is no room for excuses any more.

Just to make sure I keep on the straight and narrow I have secured the assistance of a full time pro triathlete, not so much as a coach, but rather a mentor and guide. As he will be in Europe for the next 6 months, there will be many sms’s, emails and phone calls over the coming months to ensure I keep on track.

We have set some realistic goals for the next 2 years, which I believe are very achievable providing I can fit in work around the training. There are going to be some very tough sessions along the way, but I am really looking forward to ticking the boxes as we meet each goal along the way.

To make the journey to the end of my plan all that more enjoyable I have been looking at buying a new bike. OK so I haven’t had the one I am riding for very long, but it had been 28 years since I had ridden a bike, so the decision not to spend a huge amount of money was a wise one.

But that was then and this is now - I am hooked well and truly, and as there is going to be a lot of time spent riding over the next 2 years I have decided to treat myself and buy one of these

Hopefully I will have it in my hot little hands in the next few weeks.

Still burning ……

… the legs are on fire again today. Another early morning ride and an evening run today. The legs felt pretty good when I feel out of bed this morning. I set of for a “recovery” ride on a pre-determined route through the city. I had forgotten to take into account the fact the “small” incline from Rushcutters Bay to the top of Kings Cross takes a slightly different route than the one I take in the car, and without 3.5 litres of Mercedes Benz engine at my disposal I was going to have to work bloody hard to get to the top in one piece.

It was some relief I managed to roll over the top of the hill and spent the free ride down William Street catching my breath, before I set about riding through the streets of the city. I find it fascinating watching the city come at life at 5AM, or in one case ending the day in the custody of Mr Plod for throwing a few punches at the gay couple walking down Oxford Street - what an idiot.

After a pretty full on day at the office I had an enjoyable jaunt around our Waterfront and Golf course loop with HI. The weather has taken a dramatic turn towards winter, as I needed a long sleeve top on as well as my singlet. By the time we got home I was wishing I had put my gloves on as my hands were like two blocks of ice.

AJH - as much as I would love to do “Round the Bay in a Day” this year I do not think my work schedule will play ball, however I am still keen to have this on my to do list for 2009. 

All fired up

My mojo has returned with huge bang. Since last Monday I have managed 4 rides (114 k’s) 3 runs (17 k’s) and a 600 metre swim.

Out of all the sessions the swim gave me the greatest cause for concern - not so much the actual swimming as I have managed to maintain my “technique” but my heart rate was through the roof from the first few strokes until the end. Oddly enough my breathing wasn’t out of control but man was my heart pounding at the end of each lap. My HR could have been elevated from the Ventolin I inhaled before diving in to the water, but it did seem excessively high even with the use of the inhaler.

My legs feel a bit trashed tonight after a 30 odd k ride this morning and a gentle run this evening. To be honest I think they are still suffering from the huge workout I gave them on Thursday when I took the day off from work and had a very enjoyable jaunt around the Royal National Park.

The scenery is certainly spectacular but man those hills are a killer, especially the one from Audley back up to the freeway. I did notice that the hills closer to home didn’t seem that bad today, either the pain of Thursday is stuck firmly in my head, or my legs and general bike fitness are on the improve.

The plan for the coming week is to spend more time riding each morning and running at night. I am keen to shed some unwanted kilos by the middle of May for the SMH half and fitting in a ride each day should have a dual benefit of increasing cardio fitness without over stressing the joints as well as burning some extra calories.

I must try and find a spare moment to fit in another swim to see what happens with the heart rate. 

My final observation for the day - riding has to the best best excuse for eating snakes at 6:30 in a morning.

Let me out!!!!!

Finally a moment to lift my head and jot down a few words.

Work has been so busy it would be nigh on impossible to beging to describe whats been happening over the last few weeks. Thankfully I can see some light at the end of the tunnel and it is begining to shine brighter each day. There are still a few issues to resolve but on the whole the restructure is nearly complete. I knew things weren’t good before I took over running the show, but I have been a bit shocked at some of the little “secrets” that have come out of the wood work over the past few months.

At least sales are now moving forward, expenditure is under control and we have a happier workforce that have embraced my dream for the organization. All in all I am very pleased with what has been achieved since October, all I need now is to find some time for HI (who has been so supportive) and squeeze in some much needed training as the waistline seems to be expanding a little AGAIN !!!

Talking of training, I have managed to keep up some exercise - a few bike rides and a couple of runs but nothing you would call “training” really. We did manage a swim last week, the first few laps left me gasping until I settled into a reasonable stroke, but there is a long way to go to even get back to where I was around the end of last year.

The plan for this week is to hit the pool later tonight, run in the morning, ride Wednesday morning, run Thursday morning, swim Friday (I have given myself the day off) and then fit in a long run and ride over the weekend - fingers crossed my next post isn’t abiut the plans that were!

Getting longer (not in the tooth either you cheeky lot)

Waking up yesterday proved to be a difficult task. The run Sunday afternoon had taken its toll, and when HI rolled over and curled up to me I knew that the task of getting up would be beyond me. So I gave in without a fight and enjoyed an extra hours sleep.

After a painless day at the office I collected HI, raced home as quick as the Sydney traffic would let us, got changed and made for the pool.

With my new sexy nose clip in place, I found that I was able to control my breathing much better, to the point where I could really start to concentrate on my technique. After a few laps, I made a conscious decision to swim one lap breast stroke as a recovery, and then swim the next freestyle, making sure that I kicked well and pulled properly through my arm turn. Each freestyle lap became a little easier than the last. I am not sure if it was down to the fact that I wasn’t gasping at the end of each lap, or that my technique had finally clicked into place. All in all we managed to swim 1300 metres.

Got out of the pool one very happy chappy. I think I will us this alternate stroke routine again for this week, so that I can really concentrate on getting my technique in place. I will then start to reduce the number of breast stroke laps as I become stronger and more confident is swimming the whole session freestyle. I was stoked with the nose clip experiment, as I had no burning sensation in my nose, and my breathing was really good. I also noticed that my heart rate stayed a little lower than normal, even during the hard freestyle laps.

I had set my alarm for 5AM this morning, and was totally confused when HI phone started chirping and my was still saying 4.40 - the cheeky fecker had set hers to ring early so she could have a few minutes of cuddles before we got up - we were still out of the house at some stupid time. Both of the cats were still sound asleep and there was no noise from the local bird brigade. We started out by running our usual route around the golf course, before taking a detour down some of the back streets to Bondi. By the time we made it back home we had cover over 7K - the longest run we have had pre work for a very long time. The pace wasn’t all that quick, but the increase in the distance certainly made up for the pace. The plan is to build up our weekday runs to around 10K, and have along run somewhere between 15 - 20K on the weekend.

An early morning bike ride and an evening swim are on the agenda for tomorrow. This triathlon training business is bloody hard work!!! Not that I mind all of the effort, I feel so much better for getting back into some regular training, and to top it all off I have lost 3.8 kgs since the start of the year. I am not sure I will hit the first mini goal I set myself and get to 85 kgs before the end of the month, but I will give it a good shake. The next goal will be to get under 80 kgs. I don’t think I have been there for the last 25 years so it will be uncharted waters for this little black duck.

One busy boy today.

Fell out of bed after HI alarm had gone off a couple of times. Wasn’t totally convinced that I would have any company for a while, so I made my way to the lounge and turned the football on. I had just settled down when HI stumbled in lay down on the couch and looked as if she was about to drift back to the land of nod.

After 5 minutes of bloody crap football I was somewhat relieved to see that HI had sprung into life and was up and about mumbling about heading out for a longer ride and that we would run later in the day.  I duly got dressed in my cycling gear, rather than the tri gear I brought yesterday. It wasn’t long before we were out of the house and makes our way into Double Bay.

All in all we covered 22.84K. the speed wasn’t overly impressive, but there are a couple of hills in the loop we did today, which always lower the average. I can definitely feel a difference in the strength in my legs. I used the small wheel all day, with just a couple of gear changes for the steeper parts of the hills.  My cadence was a little higher than normal, and I tried to free wheel as little as possible.

After showering we made our way to the shops, thankfully being there before most of them opened meant that Coles and the fruit shop were quiet and we were in and out without any hassles. I remembered to head over to the Speedo store where I found one of those funky nose clips. I am keen to see how much of a difference it makes. The chlorine induced burning sensation in my nose is not the most pleasant , so hopefully this will fix it and I can swim without induced asthma symptoms.

Once home, I threw some lunch together before tackling the pile of shirts and stuff that needed ironing. I managed to work up a right old sweat. I was then on a roll and drove the vacuum cleaner around and generally cleaned up until it was time to head out for our later afternoon run.

Our run took us to Centennial Park, however HI was really struggling with the humidity so we had a make a few detours to the route, as well as chucking in a couple of walk breaks. I can’t complain to much, this was the furthest she had run for a VERY long time and was battling away as best she could.

Now sat on the couch after eating a fresh cherry tomato and mushroom sauce with some fettuccine, watching the final part of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Shopping for a new suit

Despite getting back home from Perth at 11.30 last night - I really don’t enjoy that late afternoon flight back - I managed to haul my fat arse out of bed around 7.30 this morning. after pottering around for a while, we made our way into the city. We took advantage of the car park at the swimming pool, and wandered to the shops, as we wanted to go and buy some tri gear.

As our training is progressing we want to add some run/swim and ride/run brick sessions, and after last weeks adventure to RLP proved changing into running clothes when wet is not the easiest task, and it seemed much simpler to have some tri knicks and top that I can swim, ride and run in.

HI had decided that 2XU was the brand she wanted, so off to the 3Sports store we went.The shortish walk from the pool took us around the rear of the QVB, where we somewhat surprised to see a white 4 wheel drive “parked” in one of the shop windows. The blue and white police tape around an expensive gem store gave a big hint that it was not due to some bad piece of driving and that we had just missed a ram raid. More details can be found here.

Our shopping trip saw us become the proud parents of a 2XUtri two piece set each, HI then managed to add a pair of 2XU running tights, a pair of cycling gloves and a pair of sunnies with interchangeable lenses, as her running sunnies are to dark for wearing when we set of at 4.45 in a morning. I might be brave enough to take some photos tomorrow, just to give you lot something to giggle at.

Our swim session was very enjoyable. I was a bit sceptical that the pool would be busy today, especially as it was wet and miserable, however the main pool was fairly quiet and we were able to churn up and down without any real hassles. Another k in the swim bank. I found my heart rate was a bit erratic at times, and had to sneak in a couple of laps of breast stroke to settle it down again. I have been meaning to buy one of those nose clip devices, as I am sure that the chlorine affects my breathing by setting off my sinuses , as I have noticed a real strong burning sensation in my nose.

As I had banked two long runs the last couple of days and HI ran last night we made a sensible decision to rest for the rest of the day, so we can make of the most from out ride/run brick session in the morning. It is still pissing down at the moment, so a quick assessment of the weather will be made when we get up, as HI is a bit wary of riding the bike in the rain, so we might have to roll out plan B and go for a longer run.