After two rest days I was feeling pumped, primed and ready to tackle anything. But of course, it was a bastard. One of the hardest hour's work I've done in ages. Fortunately Foo Fighter's Resolve* came on the mp3 thingy at just the right time and I actually finished quite strongly. This after desperately wanting to cut it short on several occasions.
The thing with treadmills is that it is of course very easy just to hop off the thing when the going gets tough and (in my case) take two or three steps across to the beer fridge and do something sensible. But of course, the very ease with which you can quit is what tends to make me want to keep going - it's just a bit too easy, and it leaves you wondering whether you were really knackered or just tempted by that beer fridge.
Of course it is really a very, very good beer fridge. But beer tastes just that much better when you've worked for it, so there again a good reason to plug away.
And I did.
And I feel fabulous for it, and that beer is going to taste bloody good. At least, once the feeling of nausea passes
So a nervous start to week 3 of training, but we're off. We'll see what the week brings. Pretty safe bet though that there'll be some beer in there somewhere, maybe even some German brews
Prost!
*IMHO one of the all time great songs for endurance athletes.
For the first time in this campaign I approached a training session with something akin to dread. Today was a repeat of yesterday's mega-tough session, and whilst I recovered without problem from yesterday, the thought of doing it all again was mentally disturbing to say the least. And I was somewhat justified, as it turned out. It was a bugger of a session, a real bitch. But I love that point that comes in any tough work out where you know you're going to finish. And I did, and did so feeling pretty strong.
There's something about toughing it out that goes beyond mere endorphins; it's a feeling quite unlike anything else. To be tested and break through is a great thrill and I'll be back for more - don't you worry about that!
Even so, I've reached a troubling part of my training, where the hilly/strength sessions are so hard I;m not sure how to break through to the next level. Maybe I need to replace a hill session with more intervals; or maybe just add another interval session seeing how I'm getting through them all injury-free.
We'll see - still plenty of time yet.
Or is there? I received my race number today; a rather fetching green 1103 and it somewhat rams home the reality of what I'm doing and makes the blank spaces on the calendar look a little closer together and fewer in number than they did before.
Or maybe I just need another beer... another? I haven't had one at all yet today... excuse me I have a beer fridge to attend to.
[SIZE="1"]
P.S. I haven't lost any weight yet, but am definitely losing fat, so I am very happy[/SIZE]
Repeats day today, and I upped the number from 10 to 12. It was a welcome relief from the rather daunting hill sessions of the previous two days. These were still hill-climb intervals, but not nearly as steep as the previous days.
And overall I'm still going strong (touch wood)
Nothing of great import to impart today. Feeling rather tired.... zzzzzz
Today was supposed to be a step-up day, but after availing myself of the best coaching I could find (i.e. a couple of blokes at work) I decided in light of the toughness of the sessions this week to post-pone the step-up for a day or two. So today's 60 minute hill climb was tough again, but I definitely felt stronger overall, so I still rewarded myself with, er, one or two beers this evening
andy Wrote:Well done MLCM. There's only so much I can say in response to treadmill running, so it must be pretty hard to find stuff to write about it.
Yup. Like today's effort for example. Three hours slow and steady on the tready is more of a sentence than a training session, but I did it in style by watching two DVDs - U2's "Go Home" which is their 2001 Slane Castle concert, and Tom Petty's "High Grass Dogs", live from The Fillmore in 1999. Together they run just over the 3 hours, and are both excellent concerts, so I had no trouble getting through what is my longest training effort to date.
So this concludes week #3 of serious training, with this week's distance nudging 50 kilometres and a total of over 2,700 metres of ascent - not a bad effort by my standards, so all is well and on track. I did get a slight niggle from my left knee after today's session, but it literally only lasted 20 seconds, and really that's been the extent of any "injury" from three intense weeks, so I'm pretty happy, nay, very happy. Even so, I will enjoy tomorrow - being Monday, it's rest day
I've still no real idea about a reasonable target time for race day, but I do know this - I'm going to damn well enjoy it, and the time can pretty much just look after itself. If I do enough training, the time should be good enough anyhow, yeah?
But for now, I'm going to have a training beer... I might tell you more about my training diet next time
This is all hugely heartening stuff Old Boy.
You seem to have slain a small enclave of demons with one swipe of your broadsword; a triumph of determination over adversity.
Sadly there appears to be an odd invertion at work, a sort of butterfly-effect deal whereby as you draw power from your daily battles I seem to be losing more than my fair share.
Good for you. That hill's got no chance
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Nothing to be envious about today - my first aborted session of the campaign I was only ten minutes in but clearly things weren't going well - this just wasn't my day. I perservered until the 20 minute mark and then pulled the plug. Not sure what is wrong... perhaps not enough sleep. Maybe too much training. Or...
maybe too much beer?
No, surely not.
In fact, my beer consumption has tapered off somewhat of late, although I have to confess it's not so much to do with discipline and self-control, as being so knackered from training that I fall asleep after one or two :o
And reduced alcohol intake is not the only positive aspect of my diet, although there again, it's more due to circumstance than will power. With spring well and truly sprung now, there is so much yummy fresh stuff in the stores that I'm back in my summer salad mode - I could live on salads quite happily if it was spring/summer all year round, so my nutrients are up and calories are down...
...so anyway, I'm still trying to be that beacon of optimism, despite the awful abortion of a session today. Oh well, I probably needed to schedule a step-back day today anyway
It seems just yesterday I was espousing the glories of spring and contemplating the simple joys of picking blackberries down a rustic country lane whilst skylarks chirped overhead and ... well never mind all that. The realities of global warming and a planet turned sour by the insanity of humankind hit home yesterday and today with two of the hottest Oktober days ever recorded down here, and consequently an early start to the devastating bushfire season.
Yesterday the flames came within 300 metres of my home, and today the other side of the river burned with a fury seldom seen... see the pics for glorious detail...
Needless to say, all thoughts of training were curtailed by the need to keep a constant eye on the fire situation, and (today at least) a flat out day at work broadcasting fire warnings and traffic alerts to a city of workers on tenterhooks trying desperately to return across one narrow bridge to the other side of the river Derwent, to protect (at the behest of the authorities) their homes...
I hate fire. Nasty stuff...
And the one special day? Well that can wait until tomorrow...
The two pics show today's fires as seen from my verandah; one at dusk and one just after nightfall; threatening the suburbs on the other side of the river from me (we had our turn yesterday). Like I said, I hate fire.
Trust this was the 'special day' to which you referred earlier.
SP and I are scheduled to swallow an ocean of Guinness in your honour this evening.
Hic.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Yes indeed, thanks guys, I hope you enjoyed my Guinness
But today was a particularly special birthday for me because I was born on a Friday as well, so I always enjoy those rare years when my birthday falls on a Friday the 13th. And an amazing coincidence happened today - I mentioned to the lady that runs the cafeteria at work that it was my birthday, and not only was it also her birthday, but she too was born on a Friday (but a different year)! Quite amazing...
The downside of an Oct 13 birthday is that it is shared with Margaret Thatcher :mad:
Another slight negative was that my father never called me by my real name (MLC Man), rather he called me "Jonah".
Never the less, I quite like being a Friday the 13th baby. It scares the bejesus out of paraskevidekatriaphobiacs* though
*Those with a morbid fear of Friday the 13th. Believe it or not, they do exist, and their phobia has been medically classified. Losers!
I'm sorry I didn't get to you in time, Sweder. I was stuck at a conference for the last 2 or 3 days, and was unaware of the danger you were in. I can only hope that you survived the SP experience.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
It was as ugly as one could have hoped for. Guinness a-plenty drained in smoke-filled bars followed by homeward-bound kebabs, rounded off with the awakening of a less-than-impressed Mrs S. Pub privileges suspended indefinitely, honey-do list growing by the minute . . . still, there's the blessed relief of the Snake at Mile 13 just a few hours away . . .
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
MLC Man. Your transformational treadmill diaries have inspired me to (almost) sign up for a race of similar uphill proportions. Yours involves 10 metres more climbing than mine but mine's a couple of kms longer (which suggests that the Mt Wellington race is slightly steeper too). Is it all road?
And getting back to basics… I send you more invaluable research for your post-doctoral studies. Bought this nice little presentation pack for a shade under 6 euros. It’s from the Alhambra brewery http://www.cervezasalhambra.com/ in Granada. The beer on the right is called “Mezquita” (mosque) and is up there with big bad Judas. I’m saving this little lot for after the race!
Well done MLC, congrats on your birthday, mine's on a 13th too, but a Wednesday - almost as bad, "Wednesday's child is full of Woe" and all that rubbish. I quite often use the treadmill at lunchtimes if the weather is dire or I have only a fixed time to run, story tapes keep me going or a gossip with a friend on the next tready ;-) Boring, but better than not running at all. Can't run to music on the thing, can never get the pace in time with the beat :-)
Just back from quick trip to St Petersburg, Mr SW celelbrated his birthday out there - guess what, the hotel we stayed at had it's own micro brewery brewing up Pauliner on licence from Germany, the wheat beer was lurverley. No running there though, nightmare crossing the roads and the pollution level v.high. One of the guys we went with did a bit, said it was interesting!!
Struth I got some catching up to do [deep breath] ...
Well firstly I must mention the weather. Just two days after the terrible bushfires that caused us so much trouble, we had an "Indian winter" with a surprise frost that wiped out 50% of the cherry, apricot and apple crops down here in the south. Go figure - is the climate getting really whacky or what?
That, and new IT/switching systems at work (seems I now need 19 - 20 different computers to do my job - see pic below) have been majorly disruptive to my training plan, but being the beacon of optimism that I apparently am, I can categorically say that it has done me the world of good to have some fractally chaotic, asynchronous rest periods incorporated into my schedule.
Anyway...
Sweder/SP - I am deeply impressed at your committment to serious Guinness training, and as a result have upped my own intake of Sweder Brew (or equiv., the original SB having been consumed not some little time back)... you are an inspiration to me all.
And BB - the apparent ease with which you incorporate new and exciting brews into your training, and the way you almost nonchalantly tackle fierce hill climbs seemingly on a whim leaves me dumbstruck (stop that cheering). I will drink a toast or three to you too.
And still it goes - stillwaddler, your travels to distant and exotic lands to find new training beers is worthy of greater recognition than merely here in RC. But in the interim I will toast your successes as well...
...which all rather leaves me a little unsteady on my feet...
Mid Life Crisis Man Wrote:And BB - the apparent ease with which you incorporate new and exciting brews into your training, and the way you almost nonchalantly tackle fierce hill climbs seemingly on a whim leaves me dumbstruck (stop that cheering). I will drink a toast or three to you too.
Errr.. I haven't done it yet. Paid my 15 euro inscription fee on Monday.... and that's 2 and a half presentation packs of the tasty Alhambra stuff. So which looks like the better deal to you then?
Seriously, I find it pretty amazing that these two races within a month of each other and on different sides of the planet have exactly the same climbing distance. Couldn't we start a race twinning committee or something? And maybe on recent form Andy's site should be renamed http://www.runninguphillscommentary.co.uk
Oktoberfest
