Be Excellent To Each Other

I've cycled to work 3 days in a row! It's so much easier when the weather isn't horrible. Going to try for 4 days next week. it's 14k each way, so a decent trek.

I think, for the first time this year, I am ahead of my lowest target distance for the year:



Which is nice considering the nonsense I've had to deal with this year.

Excellent work Malc!

Shrewsbury 10K done and dusted. No word on official time yet but Strava reckons it was 1:03:35, which I’m very pleased with considering my 10K best is 1:02:34 and that was around a pretty flat course — something that you can’t say about Shrewsbury’s!

Nice one, well done!

That's more than decent going!

Fucked up my right leg in the process though, finding it very difficult to walk now. That's gonna make the half-marathon in under 4 weeks time interesting...

Well done mate..

First half marathon done! No official time yet, but my watch says 2:35:20.

Slower than I’d have liked, I was hoping to come in under 2:15 or failing that under 2:30, but my leg injury at the start of July stopped my training for 3 weeks and then I came down with a horrid cough that did a number on my respiratory system, so I’ll take it!

Great time for a first half marathon and especially considering the circumstances - well done!!

Well done Gaz!

I've been super busy at work with a project these last few weeks so my gym attendance has been bullshit but I've had to do so many steps at work that it's at least stopped me adding too much weight.

WFH had really reduced the amount of steps I was doing and I figured doing 3x spin classes a week and 2x sessions of weights made that okay but I think I really need to walk more.

Yesterday, those that follow me on Strava might already know this, I played tennis with my 2 eldest sons.

I was a little worried about my knee (which has been playing up recently) and my ankle on my left leg, but despite that I had a really good time, winning 5 games and only losing 2 (not bad against 2 people in their mid 20s - if you add up their ages it's the same as mine!) Any way, my knee and ankle were fine during the game, but I did feel my right thigh muscle starting to get tight during the games, which was annoying, however the worse thing is that last night my right groin became incredibly painful, and this become even worse today.

I felt a twinge, the last time I went to go on a long walk (over a week ago) but had hoped that the rest in-between would have been enough, but apparently not.

It feels like a very rubbish Tales of the Unexpected episode, yes I was still able to beat my sons at Tennis, but at what cost...

One of Kovs silly challenges. I did London to Brighton bike ride yesterday. That was a tad lumpy.

Oh, nice one! Well done!

I did that as a commute once.

Bloody stupid idea, only possible/pleasant at the height of summer. Hit potholes and got two punctures on the way home so phoned for a lift.

Well done! I assume the worst part is the ride back to your car...

I bet. It was horrid with closed roads.

Nice work, guys!

Jem and I did the Severn Bridges 10K the Sunday before last. Why I decided to do a 10K run on my birthday, I'll never know. Doubly so when the rain was absolutely biblical!

Finally got some good photos of me running though, although I guess it depends on your definition of "good"...

About halfway...



And just before the finish line...

Well, I entered a race to run up a mountain.

Mount Ventoux. Which tops out about 1,900 meters.

In Provence. In July.. it'll be warm, or wet, warm. Or windy. Or all of the above.

Also, I love at sea level, so hahahhaha the effect of altitude....

I'm sure it'll be fine.

AirBnB already booked, transport being sorted at the weekend.

21k at an average of 7%>

Had an a health review today. The doc spotted a blip on an ECG, so I have to sit on my ass and do nothign till the cardiologist rings be to confirm all is ok...


yay ...

Do as you're told, young man!

Yup, not panicing yet..

Did they say what the blip might be?

No she did not know, but it is private so it should be quickly. It is just the not knowing bit.

You've posted your secret Santa gift, though, right?

Yes

Good news everyone. Heart is ok got the all clear.

That’s brilliant news, Kov. I’m glad you got the news quickly X

Yes. Don’t feel stressed now

Yeah, don’t stress. That’s no good for your heart.

Keep well, Kov!

I've managed to start jogging again, I'm just starting week 4 of the c25k. So far so good, just a bit of a tight tendon on the right.

Well done.. the c25k is really good, it is how i started

From km 5 to 7 almost killed me, just relentlessly up hill

The view from the top was worth it though.

I also had an amazing view of Venus (which I could not get a picture of) and the other visible planets.

So great that I can (just about) make it up there after work before it's dark again

Nice! I was going to join in with an elevation profile of my less-impressive parkrun from yesterday, which had a climb for the first 1.4km. It was quite something! But another forumite has done a run four times longer with three times the elevation. So well done both of you, and that looks fantastic, Malc.

I've just checked yours, and you climb almost 200m In just over 1km, that's steeper than anything I did (150m in 2k) and you did it slightly faster than me too...

That's odd, because it does look like that - but the total elevation gain Strava gives for the whole thing is 112m, and I thought it just added everything up. We did some hills, anyway! I was just as impressed that my watch beeped to say I'd done my 10 storeys for the day just before I even got to the start line - it's a bit of a climb from the village car park.

Gym at lunch time… been faaaaaaar too long.

I’m typing this here now so I’m shamed to go.

Shite, got parcels being delivered and picked up today. So if not lunch then this evening!

It's okay, you'll get a decent workout carrying all the new synthesisers into the house.

Parcels still not been picked up and Mrs Z offered to take me for a drink after she’s back from the hair dressers.

Jesus must think I’m just right, or maybe just slightly underweight.

Terrible couple of weeks in the gym, failing at weights I've done before - but fixed this week!

337kg leg press, 95kg trap squat and 90kg deadlift, all PB by weight and/or reps.

More to do!

Aw, I can't attach the deadlift video a friend took, no error it just doesn't happen.

jesus christ

I went to the gym

I’m not as good as I used to be on the things…

It's my spirit animal.

If you ever need something pushed 2 feet up a 45 degree slope, I'm your man.

This made me chuckle more than it probably should have.

Possibly because of all the times I sat in the gym thinking "why the hell am I doing this exercise, when am I ever going to need to exert this much strength at this bloody angle?"

I have a race on Sunday and can't wait to cross the line in 4,500th place.

1:48 I reckon for the half.

Good luck. I think I'm done with longer runs like that. I can manage the distance okay but whenever I do I seem to pay for it with some leg pain or other that it brings back.

Thank you. 15 weeks at 10-25 UK time I should be saying "I'm done with this and retiring" atop a mountain in France opening a beer and crawling on to a bus.