The weekend saw more good training, and now I am down to the final three weeks before the 10K. This next two weeks will be very important as i don't want to rely too much on the final week, I just want to tick over then.
I have been avoiding weighing myself and measuring my body fat for the last few weeks, but for a reason. I am due to get a proper fitness assessment done and thought I could use the more accurate measurements I get then as the benchmark. Once done I will then measure my body fat with my calipers and my weight with my scales and see if they tally up the same. Then its time to burn the fat away!!
After watching UFC129 I think its time I stepped into the octagon. I Love watching the shows with GSP training(did you see him doing gymnastics), he certainly is dedicated, but how boring is his fights? He is so technical its like watching a robot fight, no imagination. He needs to face up to a scrapper next time to see what he is made of!!

Last week I was on holiday with the schools being off, it was great to spend time with Kim and Aisha. The downturn in business over the last couple of years may have hit me in the pocket, but the more family time spent has been a bonus.
Training is still going well, though i need to increase the weight lifting side. The running and swimming are going well, and i am starting to feel the difference. I haven't weighed myself and measured my body fat, as I am due a fitness assessment and was going to use the measurements taken then as the bench mark to work from.
Just over three weeks to go until the 10k race, and I think I am in an OK position just now, but I have to keep the pace up, no missing sessions!!!
Diet wise things are going OK, but I need to find some variety in my food as I am starting to get bored of the same stuff!!

its been a really good week, swimming every day this week, running 4 nights so far. diet has been clean, and iam feeling positive. Next week I am on holiday and really aim to up the stakes, doing as much as i can without injuring myself!! Last night i watched the opening show of the new series of The Ultimate Fighter, good to see an old friend of AMAG's Erik Paulson on the show assisting Brock Lesnar's team. Filled my head with happy memories of Pat!!

Decent day yesterday, went out swimming at lunchtime, done 20 x 25m lengths, then more running at night. Today I also went swimming, another 20 lengths. Tonight i will rest as i have friends round for tea. i have momentum with me, I have to keep this going, but am confident I can. The big thing has been giving myself that carrot on the end of the stick. Why didn't I think of this years ago!!!!!

48 days to go

Last week was my first full week training. So how did it go. Bad start to the week, forgot to take my weight and body fat percentage. But that's OK, not a big deal. So i had 5 running sessions, 1 swimming session and two kettlebell sessions. Conclusion, decent start to the week but I need to up the pace. Swimming on Saturday morning, the first time I have done lengths in years. Funny thing with swimming is, when you start to struggle you take in water and start to splutter!! I was struggling to cope with my breathing, when to breath, when not to, and spluttered a couple of times!! But it was good fun, and surprisingly harder work than I expected. That afternoon I headed to the gym for some running on the treadmill. Really enjoyed it, and tracking my progress was much easier. Tonight I head back for an hour on the treadmill which will be a good benchmark of where I am fitness wise. Diet wise things have been good. Tried to calorie and nutrition count last week, but it is very hard. For example on Wednesday Kim had made mince and tatties. I had a small portion for supper. Because I hadn't cooked it or measured it, I couldn't include it so the whole days counting went to pot!! I have decided to keep the same eating regime going, small meals every two and half hours, clean foods like wholewheat pasta, wholewheat bread, chicken, turkey and vegetables, but forget about counting the nutrition. Will see how that goes. If it doesn't work i will review. This week i will need to increase the amount of running I do. As usual I find it hard to work into my schedule, but I read an article with Georges St-Pierre who said all his training is fight based, he doesn't do any running, skipping etc as he doesn't do that in the octagon so why would he train to do it. His cardio, strength training etc all comes from the MMA training he does. Good theory I thought. So I decided If i ever have to decide between say kettlebells or running for that days exercise, running should always prevail as that is what my focus is on just now!!

Training is going well. Last night I repeated the kettlebell routine I done on Sunday. I also went out for a run late at night. Performance wise this wasn't so good, i was tired from the kettlebells, and I left it too late to go out. While running three things came to mind. I need to shift some weight to make the running easier, I really noticed the extra weight I am carrying. Secondly I need to strengthen my legs, as they felt weak last night. Thirdly I need to improve my lung capacity. Plenty to work on over the next few weeks. I have to admit though, signing up for the 10k run has been the perfect motivational tool, it has taken over all my thoughts lately, everything is being geared towards the run. Mentally I still have a lot to go to be able to do this run, but am working towards it. After my runs I have been drinking protein drinks, but am considering changing that to creatine. But first i need to do more research on this.

Spring has Sprung

Its great that spring is upon us, even though I had to scrape the frost off my windscreen this morning. Training for the 10K is in full swing, and with just less than 8 weeks to go I have a helluva lot of work to do. We have a team for the Baker Hughes and a page for making donations, if anyone is out there in cyberspace and has any spare cash, please donate to a worthy cause. The link is http://www.justgiving.com/teamroadnitrate Yesterday I completed a kettlebell workout that consisted of the following. All were 3 x 12 reps Shoulder Swings Full Body Swings Full Body high Pull Overhead Shoulder Press Leg Squat(only using 1 kettlebell) Uni Bent Over Row Chest Press(only using 1 kettlebell) Ab Crunch Side Bend I also got out on my bike yesterday. It was good being out, shame the rain came on half way out. The lighter nights feels good, and will help me to stay active. I have also written up a spreadsheet to help track my food intake. Tonight, I will be out for a run, tomorrow or Wednesday I will incorporate swimming to my routine. Feeling positive just now, and I need to keep that going!!

Still here

My friend Dave died last month, his body completely taken by cancer, only 41 years old and with a one year old daughter. His death was quite sudden and knocked me for 6. I suppose the one question i kept going back to was, whats the fucking point of life? I mean, there is no rhyme and reason to anything. Pat and Dave have both been taken by cancer related illnesses, and two nicer kinder guys you couldn't meet, so what is the point? What does life mean? I really don't know the answer to that one!! Anyway, truth be told i kind of gave up any focus on anything, couldn't be bothered with anything. But as time went on, i realised how stupid i was being, life did matter, well it does to my daughter, and that means it means something to me. If nothing else on this planet, I should always strive to do the best for her. And that means keeping to my long term plans. but talking and doing are two different things, ask anyone who has battled with their weight. So I needed an extra push, and that came with me signing up for the Baker Hughes 10k run in May. It looks like three of us from work will run, and we will be raising money for Inspire, a charity that supports those with learning difficulties.
I have been doing sporadic exercise, but have now got 9 weeks to get into shape to run 10k, this will be a huge challenge, but one I am up for!!

With my father in laws funeral out of the way I can get down to concentrating on shifting this weight. Last week was poor, only two running sessions, which was way below what I hoped. My stats for this week are below

Age: 39
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 211 lbs
% Body Fat: 28.1%
Lean Body Mass: 151.71lbs
Fat Mass: 59.29lbs

Overall a loss of 3lbs is positive, but i cant get my fat mass to shift away from 28.1%. To be honest with the funeral last week and a night out on Saturday I expected my stats to remain the same, so a shift down is good.
I have been discussing running the Baker Hughes 10k run in May. I have enjoyed the running so far, and will look to sign up next month. A colleague's wife has been diagnosed with Motor Neurones Disease and has only been given two years to live. As a healthy 30 year old it has been very hard to take, so a group of us are going to raise money for a MN charity. That should be good inspiration for us!!

Its been a messy start to the year. Everything was going fine until Christmas eve, then my mum got taken into hospital and things went all to pot. Christmas day was a bit of a shambles, spent driving about and visiting, and that was the routine for the next few days. Then on New Years Eve, Kims dad had a seizure and was taken into hospital. He got moved to Roxburgh house where he lasted until Wednesday 12th January before passing away.
This has meant that my routine has been all over the place, missing work to look after Aisha etc. I have tried my best to keep to a routine but it has been tough.
Anyway, last night i went out for a run, and managed 15 x 1 minute runs followed by 1 minute walks. This was pretty tough as my running had been sporadic and i am full of the cold. But i got it done. I also took my measurements.

Age: 39
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 214 lbs
% Body Fat: 28.1
%Lean Body Mass: 153.87lbs
Fat Mass: 60.13lbs

I'm still not convinced i am reading the calipers correctly as i never see any difference in percentage. But there has only been a small movement over the festive period. I am back on track with the eating plan, and back on track with the fitness routine, so over the next few weeks expect to see some movement. I am looking at splitting my goals into monthly sections. Hopefully this will help me achieve them if i break them up into smaller targets.

Last night I also worked out my BMR(basic metabolic rate) based on my stats which is 2006. I then worked out my TDEE(total daily energy expenditure) which is 3109 calories a day. This means my aim should be around the 2300 calories a day. Split into 6 meals that is 383 calories a meal. I still need to get more technical with my diet, and start writing things down more.