The Blog of Mr Jim

Taking on different challenges

2012-01-15T01:30:00.001Z

Well a couple friends have inspired me via twitter. So I might be taking on a couple of new experiences and stepping out side my comfort zone a little.

@Matt_Sinclair_ has been tweeting about training at the watt bike studio in Lutterworth. While I like the idea of using watt bikes, the public nature of training in an environment like that is scary. Memory's of being the gangly useless one in the school gym, they just keep coming back. But after asking a couple of probing questions both Matt and various others have been assuring me I'd be fine. So I've signed up to the studio, but not yet booked in for a class.

I've also had my interest pricked by the idea of a mountain bike time trial. Leicester Forest CC are promoting one at a dedicated mountain biking facility in the north of Leicestershire. I don't know why this has court my interest but it has. I might try and get out and check these trails out and see what they are like. See how I feel after seeing them.

Lastly for now, and not for this year. Someone (I cant remember who right now) is doing a cost to cost in a day sportive. Now there is no way i could do it this year and I've never been interested in doing a sportive before but this has court my interest and I might just look at this one next year.

Can you get hunger knock in 45 minutes?

2012-01-09T01:08:00.001Z

I did a solid session on the rollers tonight but suffered what I can only call hunger knock. When I got off the bike, I gorged on food, any food. Anything to hand, biscuits, cheese, bread, chic rolls, fun size chocolate bars.

I'd only been on the bike for 45 minuets, and yesterday was a rest day so it's not fatigue. I don't how to explain it . . . .

Very odd , it's not happened before and I hope it doesn't happen again.

This is one of thoughts test blog things

2011-12-30T23:22:00.001Z

From an iPhone app. This might help keep the blogging up!

I'm still not good at this bogging thing

2011-11-11T11:29:00.000Z

Right. starting the 1st Dec I will be trying to blog at least once a fortnight.

so my by current standards I'll be back in a couple of months.

Yet again it's been a while

2011-08-06T00:16:00.001+01:00

Well since my last blog (some 4 months ago) I've been building up the training. Getting thinner but not loossing any weight. I know I'm getting thinner because my clothes are getting looser. But neither of the two scales in the house will show anything below 17stone.

That said I've been doing some races and so far I've not come last in any of them. Which at the moment is the best result I can hope for.

What I need is lots of miles between now and the start if the 2012 season. If I can get then in and am still just happy with not being last . . . there will be some bikes for sale

Training on real roads can be fun . . .

2011-04-11T14:39:00.001+01:00

It may seam like an odd fact but training on the open road is quite fun, in fact
lets get to the point . . . hills make it fun. Believe it or not I'm talking about going
up them not down.

I've spent most of the last 3 years doing the bulk of my training on a turbo trainer. It
allows for training at times that have fitted into life better, but it hasn't half taken the
fun out of riding a bike (I'm sure this comes as a shock to you).

OK so I'm unfit and over weight (17s 4) but as a starter I did the little loop linked to
below. There is one good climb maybe 1 1/2 miles of proper climbing and nearer
2 1/2 miles from bottom to total summit. It's not much but boy has it put the fun
back into cycling.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4412095

Now, when's the next none rainy day that I can get out for an hour or so . . .

Long time no blog

2011-04-06T11:46:00.002+01:00

It was pointed out to me last night that I have been really lax at blogging.

So I though I'd try a little blog out, to start to remedy the situation. I set-up email
blogging to make this all easer but still I've not done it. I think the problem is that
this was originally just going to be about cycling but the with a illness/injury/work
combination I've not been doing much of it, and so not a much to talk about.

So . . here's to new beginning . . . I'll try and blog about more stuff and more oftern.

That said the next blog will be about . . . cycling.

Being ill

2011-01-22T12:59:00.001Z

So, why just as I start training do I yet again get ill?

It's not fair, after the post season lay-off, I got ill. Which took me
out for all of November and December. After only 10 days of getting
back on the bike in Jan, and I'm a right state again.

I love cycling, and want to return to Time Trailing with all my heart.
But this is really testing my love. I can't keep doing this.

At some point I loose weight and get fit, or I may have to sell the
bikes to stop this on going torture.

--
Sent from my mobile device

PS

2011-01-19T14:16:00.002Z

I'm now blogging by email, this should make life a LOT easier, and the posts more often . Look that's two in one day

It's been a while, but I'm back with a new challenge

2011-01-19T14:12:00.003Z

Well, what do I say, it's been a while since I last blogged but I have a plan!

In fact three plans, but first a quick round up since my last blog.

The 1/2 half of last season

July-Sept it went quite well, my 10 time came down to a 25.51. I did some good rides in hard conditions compared to other riders. But the seaso didn't end on the high it should have done. In my last event, my head just fell off, I was a reserve and had resigned myself to not having a ride. Until the night before, I jumpped at the chance, but in the event, I just stuffed it up. over geared and that was that. It should have been a good ride . . . it was all mu fault.

As planned the rest of Sept and first half of October where total rest off the bike. The week I was supposed to get back on the bike . . . work sent me to the Atlanta for the week (and weekend). I always get bad jet lag, as there was only on week of October left . . that was off the bike as well. I managed one week on the bike, got a chest infrection and that wipped November and December off It was bad, if I walked up stairs I have to sit down to get my breath back.

The Plan(s)

The quick and easy ones

Tweet at least once a day
- why? well it helps with discipline practice
blog at least twice a month
- why? as above but I don't have that much to say
THE BIG ONE, to ride national hill climb champs - success will be too a) qualify
and b) finish with 150% of Matt Clinton's finish time (in the last 10 of 150).
- why - I'm crap at climbing so I'm working on a weakness and it is achievable if I
work hard . . . very hard.

So I'm going to use the blog to track my passage to the BIG GAOL for the year.

PS. I put something on twitter . . . and Matt Clinton himself responded . . I have to do it now!

The best laid plans

2010-07-13T14:56:00.003+01:00

Well . . . what do I say.

It was all going so well. Then life got in the way.

I raced on the 5th of June taking my 10 time for this year down to 26.42. I time that while a long way of where I want to be, I was for now happy with. Things felt as if they where starting to go my way.

The following week I felt very rough and run down, so just did a couple if spins on the turbo planning to wind it up again for the next couple of weeks before I went to Glastonbury. Problem is, I then got sent to Germany with work and couldn't ride the next week either. By the time I got back, and turned around I was going to Glastonbury and still hadn't ridden a bike and Glastonbury was a physical trial that deserves blog all of it's own. It was a full 7 days before I even felt like I could ride a bike when I got back. But that made it 6 weeks and no ridding a bike.

So time to get back on, and my legs where a mess. They're really tight, my natural cadence had dropped from 93-96 to 80-83 which is way to low for my knees. I've bee riding for a full week and I'm just about getting my legs to feel right again. I'm supposed to be doing the Leicestershire RC's final open 10 tomorrow. But circumstances dictate that I can't, which I believe to be a blessing on discuses. I really don;t think I could do a ride I would be happy with.

I need to train smart and hope I get a ride in the Sherwood CC open 10 on the A10/14 on the 24th, by then I hope my legs will be back, and I can drop another 26 before a big push to the get a quicker 10 by the end of the year. I've got 2 months after the 24th, so it could happen.

It's been a while . . .

2010-05-21T13:00:00.000+01:00

. . . . but I've been riding.

In fact I'm almost please with the progress. I'm down to 16st 7 which is 104kg, while not as light as I'd like to be . . but it's going in the right direction.

I've even ridden a bike on the road, it was the mountain bike, but with panniers and inverted tread tires (which you can see bellow) . I did the first commute of the year, Leicester to Coventry - a days work - then back to Leicester, a round trip of 50miles. Which was done in a total saddle time of 3h10min, and considering the pannier bags weigh in a 2 1/2 stone (16kg) and the tires are wide n grippy I'm quite pleased with. It was a ride that I have to say I rather enjoyed, even if I had to dig deep on the way home.

The commuter bike, in the kitchen ready for action.

What will be interesting is that my first Time Trial of the year will be next Wednesday. The first Leicestershire Road Club open 10 of the year. It's not got the biggest field, but I suspect they will all be faster than me. I'd really like to get under 28mins, as last year I got a 28:09 in this event (which was in July). Thou I know I wont be any where near as quick as I have been on this course (in the 24mins). I still need to set out a benchmark for my return to racing, and eventually doing so quick rides, something I've not done since 1997.

So one more hard ride, and then a couple of rest days and I'll be on the start line . . . wish me look :-)

Started bad, got better

2010-02-02T15:46:00.000Z

I now weigh 110 Kilos, that's 17 stone 2.

The new diet started working, and the new training regime had a hiccup.

After 3 weeks of proper diet, I'm down 6 pounds . . . 2 pounds a week that's right on target.

After the back clearing up, I got a pig of a cold. Walking up stairs left me wheezing and needing a sit down, but it cleared by the middle of the month, and I got some training for the last two weeks of the month. I actually hit the planned 6 hours in a week in the last week. I'm feeling optimistic I might actually get to do some (slow) racing this year.

The Plan for Feb.

Sun - Min 2 hours Level 2
Mon - Rest
Tues - Min 1 hours Level 2
Weds - Min 1 hours the Pete Reed 12 week progressive intervals session (stating 1st week of Feb)
Thurs - Min 1 hours Level 2
Fri - Rest
Sat - Min 1 hours Level 2

But it's more likely to look like this (same hour 6, just spread out a little),

Sun - Min 1 hours 15min Level 2
Mon - Rest
Tues - Min 1 hours 15min Level 2
Weds - Min 1 hours the Pete Reed 12 week progressive intervals session (stating 1st week of Feb)
Thurs - Min 1 hours 15min Level 2
Fri - Rest
Sat - Min 1 hours 15min Level 2

There is a long way to go, but the first step has been taken. I'm going to try and update on here a little more often than once a month. If nothing it might help with the training motivation

I'm starting again

2010-01-05T10:14:00.004Z

I weigh 112.5 Kilos, thats 17 1/2 stone.

The new diet started yesterday, and the new training regime starts today. Plan to do 6 hours a week in January, most will be turbo work till a) the weather gets better and b) I'm fit enough to go out with some confidence.

The Plan for Jan.

Sun - min 2 hours
Mon - Rest
Tus - min 1 hours
Weds - min 1 hours
Thurs - min 1 hours
Fri - Rest
Sat - min 1 hours

I'll post here how I get on, but the last three months have gone badly, so I'm not sure how things will go from here.

Wish me look.

Two rides in two days (and some push ups) . . .

2009-11-03T14:40:00.001Z

Can you believe it?

That's two rides in two days, just the 30 mins this time but still progress. The session felt much better, legs looser and more enjoyable. That said I got a little carried away, and the heart rate was a little high for my liking. I also had a different setup with the fans, which kept the air moving with out blowing directly at me, which did seam to be a little better for this type of session.

And then . . . I did day one of the hundredpushups.com plan. Considering how easy the first day is it probably shouldn't have hurt. But it did, not where you'd think but it dam well did. Because I've put on so much weight, it was hard work, not on the arms, but on the lower back and stomach!! But the fact my arms could lift the 17st was a good sign.

So at this pint I'm all :-) and looking for work to the next few months on the bike, of which I have two new goals to work towards. a) to be fit enough ride to work again and b) to do my old training route at Christmas when I'm back up at my mum and dads. At the moment I'm planning to do the ride on Christmas Day, but we'll see.

The standings so far:

Days ridden :- 2 out of possible 2,
Miles ridden :- 14.5 out week target of 82,
Miles ridden :- 14.5 out month target of 330,
Time ridden :- 52mins out of week target of 4h 4,
Time ridden :- 52mins out of month target of 15h45m for month.

If September was a waste of time then what was October?

2009-11-02T12:23:00.002Z

Well.

With family and stuff I also didn't touch a bike in October. This is not going well for the great return to racing. Still I've got 5 months until there is any racing, and 7 months till my first target event for the 2010 season.

More importantly by the end of the first day of November I'd actually got in a ride, just 20 mins on the turbo but a ride all the same. It felt good to be on the bike again, but the legs were tight.

Am going to keep it really easy this week, with all sessions at level 1 (max heart of 140 bmp) , and start the hundredpushups.com plan to help with upper body and core strength, which I lacked when racing before. Then for the remaining 3 weeks of the month I'll do a mix of Level 1 and Level 2 (heart of 155 to 165 bmp)

So last night was 20mins level 1 and tonight I hope to be 30mins Level 1.

Oh, and I have a new motivation plan, I'm going to try to do more miles/hours in each month of the year than the average for that month over the last 4 years. So need to do 330 miles in18h45m.

The standing so far:

Days ridden 1 out of possible 1
Miles ridden 5.9 out month target of 330 for month, 82.5 for the week
Time ridden 20mins out of month target of 15h45m for month, 4h41m for the week.

It's a start, just hope it continues.

September was a waste

2009-10-01T13:00:00.000+01:00

Well, September was as crap as the updates to this blog.

Total mileage for September was 97 miles, I should be doing more than that in a week, but it is 97 more than I did in September last year.

but with in-effect 3 weeks of the bike; because of work; there wasn't much I could do about it. I only had one week in which I could train, and I was ill in the week. One proper session in the week, and I had to abort that after 15mins.

As today's the 1st, am going to try 1 60min level 2 session tonight, and see if I can start the week with a 1/2 decent session. I've got 5 days to get the legs working in time to ride to work next Tues (weather permitting).

PS. this blog looks pants, and really need to be sorted out to look prettier, and as such this has been added to my to do list.

you know I might just start to use this

2009-09-02T14:36:00.001+01:00

well, after setting up this blog 4 years ago, and then not using it . . . I'm thinking of using this as a training log . . . we'll see how we go over the next few months or maybe weeks.