Despite not having done much training since the last post, though there was that week of burning thighs and knee joints up a mountain. I have been busy with the blog.
It has moved and can now be found at http://www.toughgaffs.com
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Archive for the ‘Tough Guy Training’ Category
I should currently be packing for a trip to the Alps but as I have at least two hours before I need to leave so plenty of time.
Posting has been limited by Sean’s lack of a computer and my lack of exercise on part due to a manky chest infection. However, manky chest infection is clearing just in time for me to go play in the snow for a week. There’s also a pool and gym with the apartment so the plan is to try to get some exercise other than skiing in. Time will tell if the apres-ski is more of a priority.
Shooshing
Apologies that it’s been a bit quiet on the posting front. I’ve been bored to death by my own training programme this week and didn’t wish to inflict the dullness on anyone else, less we scare of the couple of readers that we appear to have. If you do want to know I’ve only biked in and out of work, so about 35 miles. Not huge I know but I was taking it easy ahead of this weekend’s event. I believe Sean and Fi have been doing stuff, but Sean has forgotten how to blog and Fi is currently juggling new job, uni course and training and can be forgiven.
Team Iceds is about to converge for their first event of the year, the Queststar Duo in the New Forest. The forecast is for rain – hurrah! It’s also been raining every day this week, this means the lovely cinder paths will do two things. One throw up pale yellow gunk in an amusing fashion up the back of shorts and shirts. Two, get into the brakes and grind them away to nothing.
I’ll be booking the bike in for a service on Monday then.
As we’re camping, in March, the ability to update will be limited. Highlights of the day will no doubt be tweeted by me, (@kerrymg) if you’re desperate to know how we’re doing, how early the domestic started, how badly lost we get and whose fault it is, or isn’t. Or wait til the next post.. There may even be photos.
Three go mad in Hampshire
Gosh this month is going quickly, and like the blog posting the training has slowed a tad. There is a suggestion that if you ever want something done, give it to a busy person to do. They’re very good at just getting things done. The first few weeks of March certainly this certainly held true for me – work was busy as ever, the Easter term of college was drawing to a close which means assignment deadlines and into this I had to fit training in, which meant early mornings.
Now, college is over for a few weeks and I’ve only trained for two days out of the past five, with today only being a cycle to and from work. Tomorrow I’ve got an early start and quite likely a late finish. There’s also a fair bit of socialising to catch up on, which then impacts on ability to train in the morning.
The good news is that Friday, Saturday and Sunday will definitely be devoted to training. Team Gaffs, or Iceds as Sean seems to prefer, is off to the New Forest to take part in a Questar Race, which mainly involves running and cycling for five hours.
Hopefully this year it will not involve a compass that thinks North is every direction which will then lead to a small domestic about how to map read. I also hope that this year I don’t fall off my bike and that we make it back within the five hour limit.
Roll on the weekend
If you look very closely at this picture, at the bottom of the path is a blur of neon yellow. That is Sean at the bottom of the hill we just ran up and down a dozen times. For those of you that haven’t met Sean in real life, he’s quite a tall person. It has been noted by several people that he’s generally a large sized example of a human, I tell you this to point out just how bloody steep that hill is.Unfortunately the slalom stage is even steeper and further – yay!
So today was a trot of about 1.6 miles down down to the park, then 12 runs up the hill. The first person, in this case Sean, ran up the hill and dropped a dog lead. The second person, yours truly, then ran to the lead and picked it up. Then running either further or dropping it a bit nearer the bottom on the return journey. We mixed it up, some longer runs, some short and faster, for a very relative definition of faster. We then walked the 1.6 miles back and are currently watching the pre-match punditry for Super Saturday.
Later today will come a very important part of the training, an event such as Tough Guy requires an holistic approach. This is why we’re mixing up running, hill work, core improvement and other aerobic exercise. The other element is training for the beers will drink once we complete the course, today will be an intensive session to help prepare for just that.
Edited to add crop of zoomed in image as Sean didn’t believe he was actually in it. The doggie happily running up the hill is Harley.
Hill work
So yesterday was good. It involved planks, crunches, lat raises and pizza and cupcake, and prosecco. Which means today involved a Maccy D’s for breakfast and dirty duck for lunch. It also involved, due to Sean’s lack of forward planning, a train trip to Somerset. Which meant the one thing it didn’t involve was any exercise.
However, having read Sean’s most recent post about his total lack of exercise during his week in Cornwall. I’m feeling quite relaxed, or at least not guilty.
So I’m currently at the Gaffney’ country house in deepest darkest Somerset and the main plan is to watch the rugby tomorrow. The plan before that is to get up, have a light brekkie and then go do hill training. Then have a hobbitish second breakfast and then watch (please dear god) Italy stuff Wales, Scotland stuff Ireland and England stuff France*.
In a world of infinite possibilities, some of these things are bound to happen. I fear the only one that will actually happen is the world of hurt that the hill involves.
The Hangover: Mk II
Well this week didn’t got as planned. The plan being:
- Drive to Cornwall.
- Drop Bags in B&B.
- Pop next door to pub, have a few pints.
- Go power boating for the week.
- Train at the end of each day.
Unfortunately the plan was altered slightly due to the B&B that I stayed in, being the Blue Anchor public house, which also happens to be my most favouritist pub in the world (And I’ve been to most of it just so I could check)
So the amended plan was:
- Drive to Cornwall.
- Drop Bags in B&B.
- Pop next door to pub, have a few pints.
- Go power boating for the week.
- Enter pub immediately upon returning from Falmouth.
- Drink way to much Spingo ( The Blue Anchors legendary Ale)
- Feel really bad all day on the water.
- .Do absolutely no training.
So I have now caught up on as much sleep as I can and I now realise that burning the candle at both ends is strictly for the under 30s (Bastards)
Cornwall
Normally I’d have one of those after St Patrick’s day, a wonderful excuse to drink much Guinness in an attempt to win more Guinness themed tat. It’s also a good time to try and make it on to the Guinness’ marketing list. Now normally this would be something to avoid but Guiness really do send out the coolest stuff. I’ve previously received personalised beermats, an ‘ickle Christmas tree to grow and inflatable beer trays. Tat perhaps, but cool tat.
Anyway, I didn’t go out, I went to class then finished an essay, then got up early this morning and did yet more crunches and arms. I’m going to try and fit a run in tomorrow, which is very much dependent on what Sean is planning, which is difficult to divine when he doesn’t answer text messages.
The Hangover
..and tomorrow is a rest day, hu-f’cking-rah!
I’ll still be up at daft o’clock but for an early meeting with someone other than Davina.
So today was a repeat of yesterday, many crunches and core work, then arms, then a blast into work – a whole 6 seconds fast than yesterday and then less than a blast back. Obviously my decision to take a day off has angered the gods and in particular the gods of traffic lights. I think I hit every single red it was possible to have on my chosen route. Guess it counts as interval work.
Still no word from Sean, or indeed Fi. I cam only assume that they are working their respective socks off and are too busy to update this week.
Second verse, same as the first
Finally it seems to be a bit warmer and lighter, which made it a bit, though not much, easier to get up and do yet more abs and arm work this morning before jumping on the bike and pedalling to work.
The newly pumped up tyres went like a dream, either that or a mere two weeks of exercise has made a hell of a difference. I knocked about six minutes off my previous ride time in to the office and this was despite the top of Holland Park avenue being snarled. Normally this wouldn’t matter too much but the sunshine has brought out all the fair weather bikers who haven’t got the bottle to cycle in-between stationary traffic, nor the wherewithal to get out of the bloody way of those that do. Bike computer reckons I did 5.53 miles in 27 mins and 17 seconds. iMapMyFitness thinks I did less about 5.38 in around 34 minutes. This is not surprising, the bike computer only works when I’ve moving, the iPhone app just keeps going until I hit stop. It also seems to think I took pretty much the most direct route in, regardless of any buildings or railway lines that might have prevented such a feat. The one good thing is that it showed the elevation and I now know for certain that I lovely long steady climb to look forward to on the way home.
I hope the sunny weather is shining on Sean as he messes about on the river and that he doesn’t have to call out the rescue boat as he did when we went for a pootle round Falmouth Harbour many years ago.
Spring hath sprung
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