Had enough

Well it is almost a year since my last blog entry and it's certainly been a year full of new starts. But the truth is I am feeling fat and un-healthy and need to get this body back in to shape. So I have decided to dust off this blog and get myself fit again and back in to shape.

Life is rushing past and I need to do something about it or I will just be a slob with a 38inch waist. So the first part is to get some goals and get entered in to some races and start make the right choices about my foods again. To be really honest this has been my biggest downfall. For too long now I have been on a sea food diet more of a see-food diet. I need to get discipline and stop eating rubbish and get my internals sorted so they can fuel my externals. I mean you don't put diesel in Formula 1 car but I've been putting in crude in my body and still think I can just go out there and run a sub 40 10k - ain't going to happen.

So be prepared to get bored and read all about my loosing weight and getting fit again.

This time lets really get fit!

So much has happened in the last 3 years. Namely the arrival of the Josie the beautiful little daughter I have who is now 3!!!

Fitness wise - not a lot really in the last 3 years which is why I have decided I need to get my act together again and get going. Just started the INSANITY DVD set. Not brave enough to post the photo's of the before but might be brave enough if I get to the end of the 63 days.

The Stats I had to take at the start were:
weight: 12st 6.8lbs
chest: 42"
left bicep: 13"
right bicep: 13"
waist: 35.5"
hips: 37.5"
left thigh: 21"
right thigh: 21.5"
resting HR: 75

Only one conclusion = fatty!!!

So lets see how this week goes.

2012 Brief Review

At the start of 2012 I was really excited as the Olympics were coming to London. But I was extremely frustrated as I still had a big full leg brace on as a result of dislocating my right knee cap at work.  However, after encouraging Mark and Roy, two blokes from work, to take part in the 2012 challenge there was a light at the end of the tunnel and this caused me to do some training and get my arse in to gear.

This blog update was meant to be short, so for once I will keep it that way. The Olympics came and it was special. Then they went. Then the para-lympics came and this too was special then they also went. I suddenly realised that I had a marathon coming up and started training hard. Too hard. Being the wrong side of 40 meant when injury struck, hip flexor, I  couldn't recover quickly enough and the marathon was out of the window.

Since then I grew a tash for Movember as support for my mate Chris. He came to stay for a week in December and got me back running again. These last few weeks I have had some lovely runs and found my mojo again and the joy of getting muddy, very muddy and wet and yet having a great time running on the trails and roads near home.

So next year is looming very quickly and I have a few goals in mind but not too sure just yet. But I will keep you all informed of what they are when I finalised them.

Garmin Review of Last Year - (all activities)

Total number of activities - 124

Total distance traveled - 808.19 miles

Total time spent training - 83.59.40 (hrs.min.sec)

Elevation Gained - 7870 m

Average Speed - 9.6 mph

Average Pedal Cadence - 82 rpm

Total Calories burned - 71,702

The Truth Is ..........

This was a little mantra that I started when I went out for run today and it is all about accepting some truths and then getting down to hard work to do something about it.

The truth is I went for a run today and I was in pain.
The truth is I used to run with fluidity and style.
The truth is I now run in pain and no grace.
The truth is I'm unfit.
The truth is I'm overweight.
The truth is my thighs rub when I run.
The truth is my upper body wobbles on impact of each stride.
The truth is my lungs were burning and gasping for air.
The truth is today I ran 3.96 miles and felt worse than finishing my Ironmans.
The truth is I wanted to walk.
The truth is I didn't walk and am so pleased with myself for not doing that.
The truth is I have a marathon in 12 weeks.
The truth is I haven't done enough training but I'm stupid enough to still do it.
The truth is I love biscuits, cakes, chocolate and crisps.
The truth is my trousers and shorts are tight.
The truth is I refuse to go up a waist size.
The truth is I prefer to be in pain for a few weeks and loose the weight.
The truth is I'm 42 now and not as fit as when I was 22.
The truth is with hard work I can be fitter / slimmer than I was at 22.
The truth is I will complete the marathon.
The truth is it is going to be painful and hard to get fit again.
The truth is in a sadistic way I am looking forward to my fitness 'journey' I'm about to embark on.
The truth is I am never going to let myself 'go' again.
The truth is I'm saying goodbye to unfit, un-energetic me.
The truth is after only one run I feel my mojo coming back.
The truth is that I will loose my mojo, enthusiasm again.
The truth is I will get it back again.
The truth is I've typed it and published it so now I need to act on it.

That's it. That's the truth.

Wow - now that takes determination.

I've tried many times to upload this video of Tim Don from YouTube to the blog but it just doesn't seem to want to load. So sorry if you want to see it use the link below. It is a 7 minute film about training with Tim Don for 48 hours. He is a fantastic athlete considering he has been up in 'the sharp end' of triathlon for numerous years and after watching this you certainly see why and what dedication he has.

CLICK HERE

It's been a while

Well hello again. I know it's been ages - too long. I can not believe that my last post was seven months ago.

A brief history as to what has been going on in that time, training wise = nothing. Told you it was brief!

But in all honesty I've had many good intentions. I entered my favourite Olympic distance triathlon, Windsor, and have subsequently dropped out and moved my entry money to the Ball Buster. I dropped out because the days were ticking by and it got passed the point of time before the race and getting fit enough for my goal time. Before long time had run out and I wouldn't get fit enough to finish the swim let alone anything else.

There are no excuses for letting my fitness slip so much apart from I discovered I can eat a lot of crap. By putting rubbish in my body meant I felt rubbish and tired etc and it snowballed to the point of being my heaviest since 1993. But back then, I did have an excuse, my left leg was in full length plaster cast for 9 weeks after dislocating my knee.

Looking forward to the future and I am already feeling more positive and have been looking at rejoining a triathlon club. I'm seriously tempted by 'Born2Tri' as they seem so organised. The closest club is Blackwater Tri Club but their website hasn't been updated for ages. I am sure they have fantastic athletes who will inspire me but I like looking online to see what everyone is up to etc.

In order to loose weight I have gone for shock tactics and measured my waist, weigh myself daily and, never tried this before, write down everything that I eat in the day and their calorific content. I am also going to start my 21 day challenge again. This is where I must swim, run or bike for 21 days consecutively. The distance is not an issue it's the physical fact that I get out there and do it - no excuses.

So I hope you are all ready and be prepared to get really bored by my entries on twitter and blog about how the challenge is going and how, hopefully, the weight drops off; as after all I 'mustgetfitter'.