Lives

Claude Burgundy

A busy time in my household with two birthdays in a week. My youngest was 1 and my middle girl was 4 so lots of presents, parties and cake !!!

My training hit a blip last week when i got an ear infection and it was impossible to do anything, just finished my anti b's tomorrow and all should be fine again.

While in with the doctor i got my bloods done as i'm diabetic. Now this is to be done every 3 months and when they were last done my HBA1C ( important for type 2 ) was a little high. For someone who isn't diabetic its noramlly between 21 and 40, for a diabetic they lke it 45 to 51. In Jan mine was 54 which wasn't great but understandable as I hadn't trained.

Fast forward to yesterday when i get a call from my doctor to say my HBA1C was 71:(. That news crushed me if i'm honest.

I've been trying to deal with the passing of my mother, being told i'm bi-polar and now my bloods are gone to $hite as well.

I wasn't myself for the rest of the day really and didn't know what to do. In fact i've sent the last 24 hrs trying to come to terms with it.

Apon reflection its the kick up the @rse i needed. I can't eat what i want, i can't not exercise...........I have to eat in a sensible manner and train.

Even the guy from man vs food has lost 4 stone !!!!!

Anyway i've had my wake up call and i need to get serious about this or well a heart attack or worse is on the way............

I leave it at that for now.

Dilbert75

Easy for me to say but at least you know what you're up against. You can change your food and training to achieve what you want to achieve. It won't be easy but it's in your control. Just be a bit kind to yourself if you don't get there quite as quickly as you'd like.

Claude Burgundy

I sat down last night and did out a plan of events i want to do. I've always found i need a goal to work towards.

One thing i said i wanted to do in 2015 was work on PB's and the events towards the end of the year are events to try and do that. The only thing i'm missing is a late 5k but i'll find one.

June 6th - Monster Tri ( sprint )
July 5th - Monasterevin 5k
July 18th - Lough Derg Tri ( sprint )
Aug 8th - CK Tri ( Olympic )
Aug 29th - Tullamore half marathon ( PB event )
Sept 6th - Lough Key Tri ( Sprint - PB event )
Sept 27th - Naas 10k ( PB event )

As i said yesterday i'm not focusing on weight just doing what needs to be done re my bloods and building towards those events in Aug & Sept.

Claude Burgundy

Yesyerday was a lovely day and i got out of work early, home, changed and out on the bike.

The plan with the bike for the next while is simple, i need to get speed into my sprint distance. I've designed a 25k course with some small climbs and nice open straights.

I didn't really push that hard for the first 15k as i was just finding "my mojo". I haven't been out on the bike much this year and my legs knew it.

Anyway i got a nice feeling going and started to push it. I really pushed it out in the last few km and at the end my legs were fairly much jelly for a min or two.

There was no hope of me being able to run after it and it shows i'm way off where i'd like to be. My average pace was spot on at 27km/hr, i was on my road bike with cheap wheels so it wasn't too bad. I need that to be over 30km/hr and be able to run off the bike as well.

The plan now is to do that route twice a week and try to get some turbos in as well. I'll have time to take out the TT over the bank holiday weekend and do a proper time trial to see where i am on it.

Claude Burgundy

Lunch - swim - 900m

Dilbert75

You're building up a good sequence here. Well done - keep it up!

Claude Burgundy

Swim on Monday.

50m warm up

750m pushed as hard as i could

50m warm down

I forgot to hit my stopwatch so have no idea of time:o

Claude Burgundy

Turbo yesterday with season 1 of Games of Thrones !

5 min warm up

40 min up and down through the gears keeping the cadence as high as i could

5 min warm down.

It was a really good session and i was really able to push harder in the higher gears.

Claude Burgundy

Swim at lunch today.

1100m, just up and down working on my stroke. Its the longest swim i've done in ages and really enjoyed it.

Claude Burgundy

I'm back................more to follow.

Claude Burgundy

Tough summer in work, no staff and very stressful. No training and was close to pulling all my hair out.

I'm finally back in a position to train and focus.

I spent the last while thinking of what to do for 2016 and i've just entered The Outlaw Full distance for next year. The goal is set and i find it easier to work with that goal set.

So a long winter of training ahead. I'm going to focus on basic fitness and weight loss until Christmas and then in Jan start a six month training plan with space at the end for some tapering.

Anyway back in the pool at lunch and did a solid 750m, the plan is to be up to 2000m by December.

I also weigh the same as i did at the end of March so at least i didn't put on any weight over the summer.

Claude Burgundy

Swim at lunch, it was slow. 1k in 28 min. I need to get that time down.

I'll never be crazy fast in the water but i'd like to be able the 3.8k swim sup 90 min ( no point in aiming for something that isn't possible ) so i need to get that steady 1k time below 22 min.

Ok i'm only back in the water but by Christmas i need to be up to 2k and never that time close to 40 min.

That is a mini goal for me as a solid swim in a time i'm happy with will set me up for good day of racing.

Claude Burgundy

Back out running today, first time in roughly four monthly.

Wow it was warm out there, the plan was to just complete 5k and not worry about time.

5k was done, it was warm, my legs are sore..............that sums it up really.

Pace was 6:10 P/KM on a fairly hilly circuit.

It wasn't great but it had to be done.

Really focusing on my diet now along with training and hoping it shows results in my training times and on the scales as well.

Claude Burgundy

Tired after my run yesterday ( ugh only 5k )

I got out and did a slow 1k in the pool, i stopped a few times just to stretch the legs and get some feeling back into them.

Legs were sore this morning and that's to be expected.

I finished the session with some nice time in the sauna:)

Claude Burgundy

Forgot to add that i am going to get some swim coaching and stroke analysis before the year of the year. I'm looking to increase speed and expel less energy in the process.

Dilbert75

Good plan. I need coaching too. In fact at the weekend I was talking to a swim coach who has seen me swim. She declared, in a manner that implied she was being subtle and understated, "you need some work".

Claude Burgundy

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Good plan. I need coaching too. In fact at the weekend I was talking to a swim coach who has seen me swim. She declared, in a manner that implied she was being subtle and understated, "you need some work".

I know my stroke etc are awful and that i'm just getting the job done and no more. Its time to move on from just swimming and to do it properly.

Oryx

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Good plan. I need coaching too. In fact at the weekend I was talking to a swim coach who has seen me swim. She declared, in a manner that implied she was being subtle and understated, "you need some work".

For her, that was subtle.

Dilbert75

Oryx wrote: »

For her, that was subtle.

Haha well it could backfire on her now... If the student hasn't learned the teacher hasn't taught...

Claude Burgundy

Did nothing on Friday, serious DOMS !

Sat morning i got out for 5k, a nice 2.5k up hill and the same back down.

Better pace than during the week 5:47 which is still slow but hey i haven't done anything in four months !

Nothing yesterday as i had family visiting and no point in doing too much too quick.

Back in the pool at lunch for the usual 1k BUT thinking of using my Monday session to build length to the 2k before Christmas. Build 100m a week and get up to a comfortable 2k.

Claude Burgundy

Swim at lunch, i've decided that Monday is going to be my day to do a longer session as i can get out of work 15 odd min earlier.

1500m today, the longest i've done in ages. It was a little ropey in the last few lengths but i left comfortable and i enjoyed it.

Weekly weigh in later, complete honesty here. Last Monday i was 103.8kg.

Dilbert75

Good for you. It's not where you're starting from - it's where you're going to.

Claude Burgundy

Weekly weigh in yesterday and down 1.8kg

As i've said elsewhere, its too early to say if the combination of food and training are right but if i see good results over a prolonged period we'll know !

Claude Burgundy

Tough day yesterday, i got an e mail mid morning to inform me that the timing chip company for our charity events went into liquidation and took an amount of the charities money with them:(

I had to scramble to contact the other lads in Up & Over, contact our charities and try to get a new timing company.

It was a very stressful day BUT i still stayed on my eating plan and managed to do a turbo while sending e mails and answering calls:p

Turbo was nothing special, just turned over the legs at a low gear and got a sweat going. I enjoy the turbo and i expect to be on it a lot over the winter months.

Claude Burgundy

Swim session at lunch. I'm going to be swimming 3 times a week between now and the end of the year and need to have a plan.

So i'm going to

Monday : Long session - use this to build a up stamina, i need to be at a comfortable 2k by the end of the year.

Wen : Time trial - A simple timed 750m, it will help me with building some speed.

Fri : Technique - I'll spend some of it on kicking, some on body position and some on stroke with the pull buoy.


Today was my first timed 750m, 18:36 ok its slow but coming from a standard 25 min its progress. I want to get it sub 16 so a lot of work to do.

joey100

I'm no expert on swimming but just have few questions about your swim plan. When you say long session to work on stamina are you talking about just getting in and swimming as long as you can in the time?

And the timed session for 750m every Wednesday probably isn't the best way to build speed. I'd say you would be better off with 8 X 100m off a time rather than swimming straight 750. All that will happen will be you will tire around 300/400m in and lose the stroke. Better to work on holding the stroke over the 100m with a short break and do a few of them rather than losing form over longer distances and re-enforcing poor technique.

Claude Burgundy

joey100 wrote: »

I'm no expert on swimming but just have few questions about your swim plan. When you say long session to work on stamina are you talking about just getting in and swimming as long as you can in the time?

And the timed session for 750m every Wednesday probably isn't the best way to build speed. I'd say you would be better off with 8 X 100m off a time rather than swimming straight 750. All that will happen will be you will tire around 300/400m in and lose the stroke. Better to work on holding the stroke over the 100m with a short break and do a few of them rather than losing form over longer distances and re-enforcing poor technique.

Thanks for that, sounds a lot better. I think i'll do that on a wen. But once a month do the 750m to see how i'm progressing.

On the Monday session its about building distance, yes. Its until Christmas so i can go into some base training before the 20/24 week plan starts.

joey100

Probably a better idea, testing that much would be tough, especially if you weren't seeing the improvements you wanted week on week.

It would be the same for the Monday session. I know you want to build endurance but swimming as far as you can in a time is not always a great idea. Again when you tire your stroke will suffer and you will start to go back to any bad habits you have. I'd look at maybe doing another bunch fo 100's or 200's, maybe a pyramid so building from 100-200-300-200-100, or how ever you wanted to build it. Aiming for a realistic time per 100 and trying to hold it across the set. So for 100 it shouldn't be too hard, feeling it bit more for 200 and pushing it a bit for 300. Again trying to hold the stroke as best you can. Maybe once every 6 weeks test yourself and get in and swim for the full time and record your distance.

Like I said I'm no expert but I looking at the sessions it looks like you could burn out a bit, better to work on stroke and holding it well than purely distance.

I'm doing Outlaw too, but the half version, I'll let you know what the course is like when it's done! Probably Ferry to Holyhead for me and then drive up to Nottingham. How you planning for it?

Claude Burgundy

joey100 wrote: »

Probably a better idea, testing that much would be tough, especially if you weren't seeing the improvements you wanted week on week.

It would be the same for the Monday session. I know you want to build endurance but swimming as far as you can in a time is not always a great idea. Again when you tire your stroke will suffer and you will start to go back to any bad habits you have. I'd look at maybe doing another bunch fo 100's or 200's, maybe a pyramid so building from 100-200-300-200-100, or how ever you wanted to build it. Aiming for a realistic time per 100 and trying to hold it across the set. So for 100 it shouldn't be too hard, feeling it bit more for 200 and pushing it a bit for 300. Again trying to hold the stroke as best you can. Maybe once every 6 weeks test yourself and get in and swim for the full time and record your distance.

Like I said I'm no expert but I looking at the sessions it looks like you could burn out a bit, better to work on stroke and holding it well than purely distance.

I'm doing Outlaw too, but the half version, I'll let you know what the course is like when it's done! Probably Ferry to Holyhead for me and then drive up to Nottingham. How you planning for it?

Planning the same, the family coming as its my first and tough to get someone to look after 3 kids:D

The race is on a Sunday and getting in early on Sat morning.

On the Monday session, i needed to get to 7.8k for Up & Over and used the above strategy so i'll do that and hope the other sessions and work will help me get fitter and faster. Also seeing a coach for the swim !

Claude Burgundy

Its impossible to find anywhere flat to run when i am in Portlaoise:mad::D

Run at lunch, 6k at 5:47 pace. For some reason i was honestly spent at 2k and the other 4k was a real struggle. Its done and onto the next session.

Yoga starting in work next week so going to start that as another session !