For my birthday next month, I'm having a new bicycle - it's something I've been thinking about for a while. So much so that when I first mentioned it to Sarah, she decided to have one for her birthday as well. In fact she's been making me jealous, taking off on rides down the towpath.
I was out yesterday afternoon (a separate blog post is being written to explain) so I didn't get to watch the Canadian Grand Prix. I therefore started to watch the BBC's coverage on the iPlayer whilst riding the exercise bike.
My intention was to do around half an hour and figured that I'd check where I was after about 20 laps. Often when I try and do something else whilst riding the exercise bike (ie playing SongPop), I don't ride as fast. I tend to think I'm doing well if I manage to cover 10 miles in less than half an hour, so I'm quite pleased with my workout this evening. I wonder whether I can keep that up when I jump on my new bike!
Exercise Bike - 10 miles in 29m 48
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 10.33 miles
Time - 1h 29m 19
Swimming:
Distance - 2.79 miles
Time - 1h 39m 13
Cycling:
Distance - 43.04 miles
Time - 2h 08m 24
Walking:
Distance - 5.06 miles
Time - 1h 23m 34
Cross Trainer:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Time - 14m 557
Rowing Machine:
Distance - 1.24 miles
Time - 09m 07
Total Distance - 64.32 miles
Total Time - 7h 04m 35
Monday, 10 June 2013
Sunday, 9 June 2013
Not feeling the love - #Juneathon Day 9
Whenever we have a visitor, the house needs to be tidied as there's always a bit of it that's a mess (that perhaps should read there's only a little bit that's tidy, but I digress).
During the tidying process yesterday, I located and put my swimming gear in a safe place, knowing I'd be needing it today. Unfortunately, by the time I went to bed, I had no idea where I'd put then! At least I have another pair of trunks available!
I struggled to get out of bed this morning... then I struggled to head out to the swimming pool. This in itself isn't unusual, however even after a couple of lengths, I wasn't feeling the love for my swim this morning. I clocked up 2k in a touch under 45 minutes, which I can't really complain at given the level of effort I was putting in, however I really need to get a decent night's sleep!
Swim - 1.24 miles in 44m 49
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 10.33 miles
Time - 1h 29m 19
Swimming:
Distance - 2.79 miles
Time - 1h 39m 13
Cycling:
Distance - 33.04 miles
Time - 1h 37m 36
Walking:
Distance - 5.06 miles
Time - 1h 23m 34
Cross Trainer:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Time - 14m 557
Rowing Machine:
Distance - 1.24 miles
Time - 09m 07
Total Distance - 54.32 miles
Total Time - 6h 34m 47
I struggled to get out of bed this morning... then I struggled to head out to the swimming pool. This in itself isn't unusual, however even after a couple of lengths, I wasn't feeling the love for my swim this morning. I clocked up 2k in a touch under 45 minutes, which I can't really complain at given the level of effort I was putting in, however I really need to get a decent night's sleep!
Swim - 1.24 miles in 44m 49
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 10.33 miles
Time - 1h 29m 19
Swimming:
Distance - 2.79 miles
Time - 1h 39m 13
Cycling:
Distance - 33.04 miles
Time - 1h 37m 36
Walking:
Distance - 5.06 miles
Time - 1h 23m 34
Cross Trainer:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Time - 14m 557
Rowing Machine:
Distance - 1.24 miles
Time - 09m 07
Total Distance - 54.32 miles
Total Time - 6h 34m 47
Saturday, 8 June 2013
Can anyone tie a shoelace? #Juneathon Day 8
Park Run again this morning and it was a beautiful day in Walsall Arboretum. I crossed the line and the volunteer scanning bar codes asked "Did you enjoy that?" The only reply I could give was "Not really, but at least I finished".
Having used some of the Couch to 5k podcast and 5k+ extension packs, the voice-over tells you that sometimes you will run well and sometimes you won't. I could think up some reasons why I didn't do so well - some might be right, but really, they'd only be excuses so I'm just going to put this morning down to one of those days I just didn't run well. Next week it's going to be different - although if someone can tweet me (@plockplock) before 8.45am to remind me to make sure my shoelaces are done up properly so I don't have to stop at the first corner and re-tie them, that would be appreciated.
Even though I was slower than in previous weeks, my finishing position was actually higher. Somehow, I also managed not to be lapped. Having said that the Aldridge 10k is taking place tomorrow, so some of the runners may be keeping their powder dry for that. Good luck to anyone taking part in that.
Park Run #15: 3.11 miles (5km) in 26m 28 (63rd finisher)
Walk - 1.5 miles in 26m 47
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 10.33 miles
Time - 1h 29m 19
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 miles
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 33.04 miles
Time - 1h 37m 36
Walking:
Distance - 5.06 miles
Time - 1h 23m 34
Cross Trainer:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Time - 14m 557
Rowing Machine:
Distance - 1.24 miles
Time - 09m 07
Total Distance - 53.08 miles
Total Time - 5h 49m 57
Having used some of the Couch to 5k podcast and 5k+ extension packs, the voice-over tells you that sometimes you will run well and sometimes you won't. I could think up some reasons why I didn't do so well - some might be right, but really, they'd only be excuses so I'm just going to put this morning down to one of those days I just didn't run well. Next week it's going to be different - although if someone can tweet me (@plockplock) before 8.45am to remind me to make sure my shoelaces are done up properly so I don't have to stop at the first corner and re-tie them, that would be appreciated.
Even though I was slower than in previous weeks, my finishing position was actually higher. Somehow, I also managed not to be lapped. Having said that the Aldridge 10k is taking place tomorrow, so some of the runners may be keeping their powder dry for that. Good luck to anyone taking part in that.
Park Run #15: 3.11 miles (5km) in 26m 28 (63rd finisher)
Walk - 1.5 miles in 26m 47
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 10.33 miles
Time - 1h 29m 19
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 miles
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 33.04 miles
Time - 1h 37m 36
Walking:
Distance - 5.06 miles
Time - 1h 23m 34
Cross Trainer:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Time - 14m 557
Rowing Machine:
Distance - 1.24 miles
Time - 09m 07
Total Distance - 53.08 miles
Total Time - 5h 49m 57
Friday, 7 June 2013
tired.com #juneathon day 7
Friday is my long day at work (8 hours instead of 5). Sometimes I walk/get the train. Not today - I didn't get out of bed in time, so I drove in instead.
I prefer to have a light exercise day on a Friday, just because I've weighed in the night before and I've plenty of time to undo any damage before next Thursday. Usually, this just involves me going for a walk around the Birmingham canal network in my lunch hour. Not today, Sarah decided she was going to cycle the 7.5 miles into the city to meet me for lunch and then go home. This was very enjoyable, but after a long day in the office, the last thing I really wanted to do was any exercise.
Still, I bit the bullet and went on the exercise bike...
Exercise bike: 10.00 miles in 29m 43
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 7.22 miles
Time - 1h 02m52
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 miles
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 33.04 miles
Time - 1h 37m 36
Walking:
Distance - 3.56 miles
Time - 56m 47
Cross Trainer:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Time - 14m 557
Rowing Machine:
Distance - 1.24 miles
Time - 09m 07
Total Distance - 48.47 miles
Total Time - 4h 56m 43
I prefer to have a light exercise day on a Friday, just because I've weighed in the night before and I've plenty of time to undo any damage before next Thursday. Usually, this just involves me going for a walk around the Birmingham canal network in my lunch hour. Not today, Sarah decided she was going to cycle the 7.5 miles into the city to meet me for lunch and then go home. This was very enjoyable, but after a long day in the office, the last thing I really wanted to do was any exercise.
Still, I bit the bullet and went on the exercise bike...
Exercise bike: 10.00 miles in 29m 43
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 7.22 miles
Time - 1h 02m52
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 miles
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 33.04 miles
Time - 1h 37m 36
Walking:
Distance - 3.56 miles
Time - 56m 47
Cross Trainer:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Time - 14m 557
Rowing Machine:
Distance - 1.24 miles
Time - 09m 07
Total Distance - 48.47 miles
Total Time - 4h 56m 43
Thursday, 6 June 2013
A little bit of everything - #Juneathon day 6
Today was a lovely day, but having done a towpath run yesterday, I wasn't keen to just do a combination of running and walking again today. However, as we were finally having some sunny weather, I didn't want to spend all my time exercising indoors.
I therefore came up with a plan of getting Sarah to drop me at the gym and then making my own way home. Usually when I'm in the gym, I do five minutes warm up on the treadmill and see what I feel like from there, but knowing I was going to end up walking/running home, I started on the cross-trainer instead. What confuses me there is that I did 3km in just under 15 minutes. Projecting that forward, I would have completed 5km in just under 25 minutes - why can't I do that on a treadmill or what I'm at Park Run?
Having completed my time on the cross trainer, I knocked 4 seconds off my PB doing 2k on the rowing machine. For a bit of a break, I thought I'd try a little time on the leg extension and pull down weight machines. Not a serious go, but enough to remind my body where muscles are supposed to be.
After a short burst on the exercise bike, I headed home. Although I knew where I was heading to a point, I wasn't exactly sure where the trail to the towpath was or what it was like, so I walked from the gym to the towpath - just as well as there were some quite interesting obstacles that would have made life interesting to run down (low branches, mud patches and nettles - sometimes all three at the same time).
When I'd cleared this bit, I ran back towards home. I haven't run down that part of the towpath for a while and it surprised me how quickly I covered the distance. All too soon I was back at the main road, with a short walk to get home. Quite a pleasant afternoon's exercise.
Thursday is my weigh in day - doing so straight after finishing my workout probably wasn't the best idea, but even a 1/4lb loss is still a loss.
Cross Trainer 1.86 miles in 14m 57
Rowing Machine 1.24 miles in 09m 07
Weights - a bit
Exercise bike: 4.04 miles in 12m 02
Running: 1 mile in 08m 34.
Walking: 1.46 miles in 23m 53.
Weight loss: 0.25lb
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 7.22 miles
Time - 1h 02m52
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 miles
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 23.04 miles
Time - 1h 08m53
Walking:
Distance - 3.56 miles
Time - 56m 47
Cross Trainer:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Time - 14m 557
Rowing Machine:
Distance - 1.24 miles
Time - 09m 07
Total Distance - 38.47 miles
Total Time - 4h 27m 00
I therefore came up with a plan of getting Sarah to drop me at the gym and then making my own way home. Usually when I'm in the gym, I do five minutes warm up on the treadmill and see what I feel like from there, but knowing I was going to end up walking/running home, I started on the cross-trainer instead. What confuses me there is that I did 3km in just under 15 minutes. Projecting that forward, I would have completed 5km in just under 25 minutes - why can't I do that on a treadmill or what I'm at Park Run?
Having completed my time on the cross trainer, I knocked 4 seconds off my PB doing 2k on the rowing machine. For a bit of a break, I thought I'd try a little time on the leg extension and pull down weight machines. Not a serious go, but enough to remind my body where muscles are supposed to be.
After a short burst on the exercise bike, I headed home. Although I knew where I was heading to a point, I wasn't exactly sure where the trail to the towpath was or what it was like, so I walked from the gym to the towpath - just as well as there were some quite interesting obstacles that would have made life interesting to run down (low branches, mud patches and nettles - sometimes all three at the same time).
When I'd cleared this bit, I ran back towards home. I haven't run down that part of the towpath for a while and it surprised me how quickly I covered the distance. All too soon I was back at the main road, with a short walk to get home. Quite a pleasant afternoon's exercise.
Thursday is my weigh in day - doing so straight after finishing my workout probably wasn't the best idea, but even a 1/4lb loss is still a loss.
Cross Trainer 1.86 miles in 14m 57
Rowing Machine 1.24 miles in 09m 07
Weights - a bit
Exercise bike: 4.04 miles in 12m 02
Running: 1 mile in 08m 34.
Walking: 1.46 miles in 23m 53.
Weight loss: 0.25lb
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 7.22 miles
Time - 1h 02m52
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 miles
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 23.04 miles
Time - 1h 08m53
Walking:
Distance - 3.56 miles
Time - 56m 47
Cross Trainer:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Time - 14m 557
Rowing Machine:
Distance - 1.24 miles
Time - 09m 07
Total Distance - 38.47 miles
Total Time - 4h 27m 00
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Towpath Trip - #Juneathon Day 5
The last two days, the weather has been glorious and with Sarah being away, there was no opportunity for me to do any exercise outside the house. So obviously now she's back, the sun has spent all day behind a cloud. Although I've felt like I'd been hit by a brick all day and all I wanted to do was go back to bed, I wanted to get out into the fresh air.
When I left the house, I hadn't really got a route in mind - just that I'd head up onto the canal towpath and see how I got on doing a 5k run. I warmed up for 1 mile and then set off, switching from the Birmingham Mainline to the Old Mainline and my pace seemed OK, however as I was about to rejoin the Mainline, I realised two things - 1, I was about to have a shoe-mergency and 2, I needed the loo! I slowed to a walk to find a convenient place to remedy the situation before picking up the pace again afterwards.
I use runkeeper to record my details, which at the end of the exercise said I'd done the 5k in 28m 09. (I deliberately kept the walk/run parts separate). Funnily enough, I'm not too disappointed with this, even though on the face of it, it was over two minutes slower than my PB. I have, however, learned to take the GPS trace from my phone/runkeeper with a pinch of salt. The organisers of Park Run Walsall have told me that the course is measured to be 5k (3.11 miles), however runkeeper hadn't got close to reaching that figure and even though I've done 14 Park Runs, I don't think it's recorded the same distance twice! (Even if the Park Run course wasn't exactly 5k - it's certainly not 0.3 miles out)! Gives me hope that I can be faster on Saturday!
Running exercise total: 3.11 miles (5km) in 28m 09.
Walking exercise total: 2.1 miles in 32m 54
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 6.22 miles
Time - 54m 18
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 miles
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 19 miles
Time - 56m 01
Walking:
Distance - 2.1 miles
Time - 32m 54
Total Distance - 28.87 miles
Total Time - 3h 17m 38
When I left the house, I hadn't really got a route in mind - just that I'd head up onto the canal towpath and see how I got on doing a 5k run. I warmed up for 1 mile and then set off, switching from the Birmingham Mainline to the Old Mainline and my pace seemed OK, however as I was about to rejoin the Mainline, I realised two things - 1, I was about to have a shoe-mergency and 2, I needed the loo! I slowed to a walk to find a convenient place to remedy the situation before picking up the pace again afterwards.
I use runkeeper to record my details, which at the end of the exercise said I'd done the 5k in 28m 09. (I deliberately kept the walk/run parts separate). Funnily enough, I'm not too disappointed with this, even though on the face of it, it was over two minutes slower than my PB. I have, however, learned to take the GPS trace from my phone/runkeeper with a pinch of salt. The organisers of Park Run Walsall have told me that the course is measured to be 5k (3.11 miles), however runkeeper hadn't got close to reaching that figure and even though I've done 14 Park Runs, I don't think it's recorded the same distance twice! (Even if the Park Run course wasn't exactly 5k - it's certainly not 0.3 miles out)! Gives me hope that I can be faster on Saturday!
Running exercise total: 3.11 miles (5km) in 28m 09.
Walking exercise total: 2.1 miles in 32m 54
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 6.22 miles
Time - 54m 18
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 miles
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 19 miles
Time - 56m 01
Walking:
Distance - 2.1 miles
Time - 32m 54
Total Distance - 28.87 miles
Total Time - 3h 17m 38
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Déja vu - #Juneathon Day 4
Same as yesteday for the same reason, just a shorter distance in a slower average pace. Partially because the kids were later going to bed, partially as I felt I should have a lighter exercise day today as I put lots of effort in yesterday... and I was playing SongPop at the same time.
Tired now - must be time for hot chocolate and bed!
Exercise total: 8 miles in 25m 22.
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 3.11 mile
Time - 26m 09
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 mile
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 19 miles
Time - 56m01
Total Distance - 23.66 miles
Total Time - 2h 16m 34
Tired now - must be time for hot chocolate and bed!
Exercise total: 8 miles in 25m 22.
Juneathon totals:
Running:
Distance - 3.11 mile
Time - 26m 09
Swimming:
Distance - 1.55 mile
Time - 54 m 24
Cycling:
Distance - 19 miles
Time - 56m01
Total Distance - 23.66 miles
Total Time - 2h 16m 34
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