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Easy day yesterday - basically walked to the shops and back instead of driving. A bit less than 30 mins but it still means I have done at least something every day and needed a bit of a rest.
Made up for it today - pushed quite hard on my run and took over 3 minutes off my 5k time to get it back below 30 mins for the first time in ages. My PB is somewhere closer to 25 min so a bit of a way to go until I am back to where I was but still pleased :). Hour on the turbo tomorrow and then I might, weather dependent, actually go for a short road ride Sunday...
I really think it’s made a difference, particularly to my running. It’s like my hips just feel more free to move.
Couldn't agree more, I just need to do it more often!
I'm trying to do a half marathon and at least one 100km ride per month and as usual I've left it to the last minute! Half marathon this morning round Arthurs Seat and planning a 100km ride around the city limits of Edinburgh tomorrow!
Yesterday was the toughest run so far. Struggled to get out the door, was about 7pm in the end, struggled round a small local road loop, and managed 5.5k slowly and it went over the half hour.
Got up this morning thinking get it out the way early and got started. Felt great, could have run forever, rolled in after an easy 13k.
Sometimes it makes no sense at all.
Another mind (and bum) numbing hour on the turbo last night, but that set me up for a fantastic ride in the snow today
We're having a remarkable January.
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10k in sleet this morning.
And then a nap.
Woke up with a hangover so abandoned my riding plans. Got invited sailing so went whale chasing in the Forth after hearing sightings of Humpbacks on the local wildlife Facebook page. 30 mins of yoga tonight.
And that's January done - an hour on the turbo yesterday and a Ring Fit session this morning.
I've actually surprised myself I've stuck at it but really enjoyed it and starting to feel the benefit. Resting heart rate down, heart rate for similar workouts down, power up a little, weight down.
Plenty in my workout diary for next week with my Garmin 'train to ride 100km' program so confident there's at least another week in me but having got this far don't intend to stop now anyway 🙂
30 mins of weights & yoga last night, 4 miles jog this morning.
Loving the pix scotroutes!
Weight still not quite what it was on Xmas Eve but nearly, just have to keep plugging on!
I always feel better for having done even the gentlest, shortest session, even if it's 31 mins of yoga for pensioners!
Loving the pix scotroutes!
Me too!! I decided to take the fatty for a spin out this morning and I think the floatation helped to keep me upright.😀 I’ve been trying to alternate hard and easy days this week but find keeping warm on the easy days a problem. Very wet and muddy on the trails and the roads are just filthy with mud from the fields being washed onto the tarmac but on a positive, it was still light at 5.00 when I was coming back yesterday afternoon! Hope everyone is still on this? Keep on keeping on.
Good but wet and wild run today: yellow-level warnings for wind and they weren't joking, it was one of those days where sometimes you just have to walk to make progress, and forget any idea about pace or whatever 🙂
Still, that's another 24K done, and if you add that to the 20K run yesterday that's a marathon this weekend. A decent end to the month!
Kudos to you all for continuing this. I did the 100 days then the Festive 500. then I knew I should have a rest..
Back at it though, a 1:45 half marathon today and a rest tomorrow.
That's January ticked off, only 2 more months to go!
I'm treating myself to a day off. No particular reason, though I've a wee niggle behind my left knee.
Managed my 100km ride for January round Edinburgh city limits. Still a bit icy through the Pentlands. Nearly came an embarrassing cropper a few times!
Edit - That’s a photo from the week before but it’s my first photo posting success so it’s a win in my book!
Out for a walk with the Missus today. It's still very cold (minus 6C overnight) with the the result being the lochs are well frozen. So, took this opportunity to visit a castle on an island.
Road bike today, in hindsight merrily ignoring the road close sign and going through the flood wasn't the best idea but I'm here typing this now (feet got soaked, it was quite deep...) - wouldn't do it again I think.
No motivation today at all but had a turbo session booked in by Garmin so forced myself to do it. Actually enjoyed it a bit once I got going and feeling much fitter than I was two weeks ago so got to be happy.
Just trying to build the strength and confidence to go out on the road. Been a long long time since I actually went on tarmac.
Half marathon to finish January yesterday on 303km.
Gentle 6k recovery this morning.
10.3km jog (lead legs!) with a buddy. Age! Aaargh.
Another dip in the Feshie this morning. Some ice on the river and a bloody cold breeze.
Quick turbo session today as part of my Garmin plan thingy. Certainly doing the trick in just getting the legs moving again and slowly building up the power. Have a 50k ride planned for the weekend though so will be interesting to see how I cope with that.
Progress definitely being made though. Here is a comparison on two identical workouts (3x 5 min reps in power zone 4 with 1 min zone two rest) and my HR is so much lower today just one week later. Quite pleased with that 🙂
I've lost grip on this challenge during lockdown. Without lunchtimes to go at I haven't the energy or motivation for so many evening workouts. Schools hopefully back in 3 weeks so will tick over until then.
That said, went running on Sunday in the snowy hills, plus yoga, and some physio exercises yesterday and tonight. Can't guarantee 30 mins a day though.
Jimmy, look up Corpse Pose for yoga - great for padding out a session when needed 😉
Two+ hours on the road bike today, heading north which is not AS flooded. At one point a crow was flying at eye level in the same direction as me, other side of the road, so I was up with the birds for that short moment!
Just been out in the sleet / snow which got increasingly thick into the Pentlands to the point we had to turn back... Then realised we'd had a tail wind and the reversed headwind was like mini ice spears to the face all the way back.
Then realised we’d had a tail wind and the reversed headwind was like mini ice spears to the face all the way back.
Ouch!
Went for the we'd night mental well-being ride. Got 300m short of the trig point but it was hike a bike with bike on shoulders in knee deep wet snow. So turned for home 9km in total but full body workout.
This is all very impressive, people out in blizzards and snowdrifts... I can offer a 3 1/2 mile jog in fog this morning, without gloves or hat (THAT mild). Snowdrops are in full bloom and daffs are starting to come out now.
LOL. I had another yoga session last night. I'm definitely getting a bit more flexible so that seems to be working. I also bought a smart turbo yesterday so hope to have that up and running by the weekend for another option.
Steady tempo threshold intervals yesterday but have felt for a few days my FTP was set a little low as I have been finding the last few turbo sessions a bit on the easy side. However wanted to be sensible at first so just used Garmin's estimate to begin with.
Giving Today's Plan a go as I like the way it builds workout plans for you and started off today with an FTP test. Nudged it from 1.32 to 1.65 W/kg which I know is not much but it's progress for sure. Also I suspect I may have had a little in the tank but it's so long since I've done one that I have lost the knack of judging the effort but still, it's a base to build on for sure :).
Most importantly I am still on the wagon and feeling pretty good. Just need to keep the balance between steady sessions and pushing it and hopefully I'll make the 90 days way fitter than I started.
Yeah today's turbo session was tough did not have a good 45mins. Tomorrow will be active recovery ride with a TRX session and some yoga.
A beautiful day here meant that I was determined to get out for an hour after work. Driving home it starts to rain, not heavy so I’m still going. Ten minutes in it starts raining really hard until I ride back into the village about an hour later. Absolutely drenched but strangely buzzing from getting out.
Sandboy that's the stuff that really makes you feel alive!
2 1/2 hours out with a buddy this morning going up and down the local hills, deliberately, to keep us warm!
Still at 100% although have come very close to failing a few times now. Today is one of those days too as I know I have to do a training session on Zwift but it's a low cadence drill session, sub-50 rpm blocks! I tried pedalling that slowly yesterday on my warm-down and it was incredibly hard to generate any power reliably. Will give it a go but I don't see me doing well at it.
Ten minutes in it starts raining really hard until I ride back into the village about an hour later. Absolutely drenched but strangely buzzing from getting out.
Normally that's my mentality at this time of year, out in all weathers and loving the buzz as I hit the shower to warm up afterwards. Not this year though, only been out on the bike in the real world twice this year! Zwift is filling the gaps and I'm actually much fitter for it but it has come at a price of my hardiness in poor weather.
Lunchtime 5k with my lad
New PB for him 25:29
Pretty good for a 10 year old
it was incredibly hard to generate any power reliably.
I had this today and it's not often I find myself wishing for a true smart turbo but today was one of them. Likewise a slight twitch of the pedals and I am over cadence and over power, back off and the power drops too low. I settled for just living with the fact that I span at a higher cadence than strictly prescribed but still much lower than I would normally ride at.
Well I have surpassed my own expectations the last couple of days. Yesterday was 90 mins on the turbo and then a 5.5k run and today I've done a 2hr 20min turbo session which is easily my longest yet.
Sure, the tedium did kick it at times but I am lucky enough to have a TV and Netflix in the garage so that helped a lot. But, I have been given a training plan and that plan calls for some long turbo sessions so I'm just going to stick with it for now and see how much I can improve.
It's a low starting base for sure but at least that means I should see gains quite quickly 🙂
Nearly missed it yesterday, got out at 11.15 for a run.
Walk today - not v exciting but there you go.
Still going.
Thursday was a bike ride. Melt has made some of the snow very soft and hard going. Luckily, I found a quad bike track to follow and that gave me the opportunity to check out a bivvy site for later this month.
The ducks know to hassle you for food. This time they got a nice nut/fruit bar I chewed into small bits for them.
Friday was a walk up the River Dulnain. Pretty tough going in places as the snow is so soft. Bonny though.
Saturday was made up of various small Elite and Zwift sessions, getting my new trainer calibrated and connected and finding out about Zwift.
Like the action shot of all the ducks heading towards you at top speed!
Run today - there's a local virtual race series of which #1 (by end Feb) is a 30 mins time trial. Well I thought I'd give it a go before joining my friend for a jog, but in the way of things my morning commune with nature took too long so it ended up a 20 mins time trial. Which is just as well as I had to sit down on the kerb for a min or two to recover before continuing!
Good news - I actually managed 9:15 m/m pace average - let us put aside the memory of being able to go faster than that for a marathon, a decade ago and 10kg lighter...
The run after that was a scratch over walking pace though!
Had a cycle too as some COVID-suffering friends needed paracetamol so I got to whizz round Poundland and superdrug (in and out as fast as I could, shops seem to be where people are getting it) and drop it off on their doorstep. Nice to feel useful.
Just back from a very windy and cold road ride. In hindsight it would have probably been better to do an hour on the spin bike again but as I did 90 minutes yesterday due to the non stop rain I was determined to have a ride out.
No snow yet but it’s definitely cold enough, now sitting by the fire thawing out my feet!! If we get the snow we’re forecast it will be nice to get out on the fatty tomorrow.
Another 2+ hours on the turbo. By my standards I actually felt strong so something is clicking. Also enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Couldn't feel my toes afterward though it's that cold in the garage. My have to seriously consider overshoes even for turbo sessions!
A week of turbo sessions this week from a Garmin training plan. Only one run so need to up my game a bit on that as I’m trying to do 25k a week.