Soaked to my skin

The rain on the ride to work was biblical and quickly soaked me to my skin
I'm still aching from the weekend and my knees hurt what a mess I'm in
I have decided that for the sake of my health I should purchase new waterproofs
And as soon as payday comes early next week think that's just what I'll do

In the meantime losing the feeling in my hands means I need to go visit a friend
To recover my winter thermal gloves and make cycling comfortable again
My cycling clothes take all day to dry hung on heaters around the office
I get the impression that my colleagues at work are starting to think I've lost it

I pop out to top up on protein before the half price January sale is over
I've enough now to last me to March or April to help my daily recovery
At least the ride home is relatively dry and the rain is only misting
Come on come on I urge my legs but I think my body's not listening

I stop for a coffee around half way home and call the man with the gloves
It's agreed I'll head to his for tea and a chat, it's good little chance to catch up
So its ditch the bike change from bike kit to run and jog on round to his house
A cuppa, a chinwag, a wander home and now its time again for lights out

Bed waits for no man

Last night I worked straight through on the ghost shift till past dawn
Serving people drinks and running around right up to this morning
I shifted and carried, lugged and slogged all after yesterdays ride
When this morning arrived I was so exhausted I felt like I had died

Like a walking zombie I set off home in the early morning light
And just like that Sunday day for me quickly became Saturday night
In bed by nine am and I was out like a light asleep until six pm
Get up, showered and changed, off out to lunch with my fellow men

So my run today was a slow slow jog as I headed down to the pub
To find some good company and enjoy some well earned grub
Then a bimble on home only half logged before endomondo got bored
But not to worry I can't wait for my bed again as I get back to my door

Well and truly done

Having breakfast before bed is never a good sign
That maybe later that day you can expect to feel fine
Last night was pretty messy and today I felt very rough
I decided what the hell might as well take it by the scruff

Of the neck and shake it all about, straight to the gym
A two hour blast should work out the nasty toxin's
I manage forty kilometers on the cycle in one hour twenty
And work my whole upper body until I'm physically empty

Then I head out for a jog and it's much harder than I thought
I think before the London triathlon I need to practice this more
After just one and a half K I decide to abandon the run
My sore legs need soaking and I'm well and truly done

Two weeks in - A little tired

This evening I'm a little tired and I'll admit that my legs are slightly worn out
But the effect of yesterdays stats is that I still want to jump and shout
So today I have clocked up another twenty K five on feet and fifteen on wheels
Tomorrow I have set a little challenge, after tonight's party we'll see how I feel

My aspirations are to try and ride a final distance of eighty kilometers
I less than five hours dependent on when I wake up and my hangover
So I'm off out to enjoy myself, it's been a long two weeks training
looking on the bright side at least tomorrow in the gym it wont be raining

Two hundred and thirty six kilometers under the belt

I started today with a nice five K run I felt really good and had some fun
Now I feel Janathon's really started but my year has just begun
I'm quite pleased with myself with two sub five minute kilometer splits
And from the general improvement I'd say I'm nearly fixed

So it was off to work again pedalling hard on the old cycle
With a productive day in the office my day made me smile
It's a fifteen kilometer round trip then back out on the track
For a two kilometer warm down run to add to my stack

The counting gizmos say I've used sixty five thousand calories
And I've lost one point five kilograms since I started this madness
I sit and update endomondo with all the workouts I've done
Pool, gym, excersise cycle and all my treadmill runs

The stats to date are something for me to shout about
Thirty three kilometers walking, one point five swimming
One hundred and thirty four cycling and sixty seven running
That's two hundred and thirty six kilometers under the belt

Come on cold, lets see what you got

Today I was up and mobile after three days of feeling like dirt
I decided to hang this cold out to dry with a challenge of the excessive sort
With the hikes in public transport prices I've decided to use my legs
To take me to all my usual places and save the pennies instead

I figure the cold virus will quit or ruin me so I better just get on with it
Onto the cycle to Holloway and work, it's a tidy eight kilometers
Later whislt two thirds of the way home I receive a text thats ominous
"These keys on the desk with blue fob, are they the ones for your house"

About turn and back then about turn again and the eight K ride home
Stretches itself to nearly twenty k and I still haven't been for my run
With a quick change of kit and a new destination I pootle back to the ditch
To see some friends for a chat and coffee, thats when my phone starts to glitch

The four and a half K I ran to get there becomes three on the way back home
And endomondo keeps switching itself off and the music just won't play at all
A well deserved hot bath, and to off bed to compose my blog with some tea in a pot
Pleased with my thirty seven kilometers today, come on cold, lets see what you got

Almost human

After sleeping for fifty hours in the last three days
I'm finally starting to feel like I'm no longer in haze
I've been eating like a horse which is usually a good sign
That sometime very shortly I should be just fine

As late evening comes I get ready for my run
Stretches then plenty of layers, to keep me nice and warm
Out onto the track with half an hour 'till nine
I manage five kilometers but I've got more left inside

Round the corner to the gym and onto the treadmill
I clock up another two point five kilometers and still
There's time for a quick circuit around the weights
And a swift jog home, I don't arrive too late

A lovely hot soak in the bath for an hour with a book
Then I set my alarm for the morning and my return to work
Whilst the sleep has done me good I dislike being out for days
Now I feel almost human I can return to my usual ways

Twenty four hours in bed

After a whole day in bed, dosed up on magic tablets
I'm feeling much better, but still not fabulous
I debate whether to run tonight, it's probably with a try
See if I can burn this cold out, make the virus die

I think that it's because I'm feeling so very restless
That I decide to give it a shot, get up and get dressed
Outside its windy and cold and as miserable as sin
But the weather kind of suits the mood that I'm in

My legs are pretty heavy and my head still feels stuffy
At least it's not leaving me huffing and puffing
To loosen up the pistons I jog into the night
I have no intention of running far so the end is in sight

I plod on for three kilometers slow and steady
But before I know it I'm definately ready
To head back and hide from this cold in the head
Hopefully it won't be another twenty four hours in bed

Not so fun day

On Sunday morning the weather's nice and bright, but a cold has crept up on me over night
With extra layers on I head for the canal, I use a different route to stop my run feeling banal
After five munites my legs feel like lead, and I swear that there's only sand in my head
I head back to home and lemsip and sudafed, grab a quick shower then back to bed

I forget to blog and drift off to sleep, I'm out for there's count no counting sheep
In the evening I wake up and go stuff my face, then straight back to bed, what a disgrace
I guess thats me out of the runnings for Janathon, but for fitness sake I think I'll carry on
On a beautiful day, it's a shame to waste Sunday, but stuffed with cold It wasn't a fun day

Twenty five percent finished

After yesterday's tri I decided to rest, a quick five K run and some upper body for the best Headed down to the track at around mid-day, where plenty of runners had come out to play
Doing hurdles, high knees, sprinting and lunges, looking on I thought: Wish I was younger!
I settled into my run avoiding their training, pleased with the world, today it's not raining

They go past like the clappers I feel pretty rough, one hundred m on they're all out of puff
I decided it's a fair swap for not being young, I get to be constant and last twice as long
As I get home and I get to the stairs, my neighbour and friend are piano moving as a pair
Hang on a minute lads I'll give you a hand, and I think to myself thank God it's not a grand

We push and we pull and lift and fiddle, and fifteen minutes later the piano's in his livingroom
Right, done, I decide to head to the gym, for that upper body workout, to keep me trim
Once I am there I can't resist the bike, I do a power ten kilometers, now thats what I like
Then round the weights circuit for half an hour, pop back to mine for a hot bath and shower

I eat and lie down just whilst my food settles, and drift off to nod, it couldn't be better
An hour and a half power nap and now I'm awake, tidy room, wash pots, dress for the day
I'm late and tonight there are parties to go to, I change my glad rags and head to the tube
At least eight days in I'm still very in it, not too far to go now, twenty five percent finished

Checking the stats

A fine day for a triathlon I thought as I woke, a quick sprint at the gym to see how it goes
A small bowl of porridge and then let it settle, time to go test myself find out my mettle
If I ride, run then swim, I can use the same clothes, so I pack my sports kit and hit the road
Some stretches for warmup then set-up the bike, I'm straight into ryhthm quick as you like

Forty minutes flies by pedalling like hell, I feel pretty good but soaked to the bone as well
I've used half my water and one pack of gel, I'm pleased at the efficiency but boy do I smell
Next up it's "transition" as I pop to my locker, I grab knee supports so I don't come a cropper
Onto the treadmill, man these things are boring, if I didn't have music I think I'd be snoring

I fiddle with the cruise controls for the first half of the run, more gradient, speed and fun
Until, Damn! look what I've done, feeling pretty "darwinian" as my knees start to feel it
The best bet's cool it down to a nice simple jog, finish the discipline, on with the slog
Thirty five minutes thirty for my running five K, I've done much better, just not today

Off the treadmill and on to the pool, I've forgotten my goggles and feel like a fool
Rather than bail out and not do the swim I use sidestrokes and breaststroke once I get in
Seventeen minutes later I'm out of the pool, one hr thirty four sixteen all in, thats pretty cool
Home for a feast with a pat on the back, pleased with myself after checking the stats

Rain and Promises

I popped into the kitchen thinking about eating, looked out of the window to see rain sheeting
Damn rain falling in buckets and I've promised myself I'll ride today to all of my meetings
It's not that little rain, like yesterday's drizzle it's sloshing and soaking with big heavy drops
Its constant, heavy, cold, relentless and uninviting, it seems endless, never wanting to stop

So I procrastinate with style, by washing the pots, and making my bed, the list never stops
I put on a wash of clothes and shower then shave and begin to dread my promise a lot
That's it I have things to do, best get on the bike, but first some prep to make it alright
I'm sure I have sallopettes hidden in the wardrobe, and small sealable bags that are airtight

My precious stuff protected, wallet, watch, mobile phone, I'm nearly ready to abandon home
Slip on thermals and warm extra layers, my clear cycle glasses the really dull dayer's
Then it's off like an idiot, into the rain, it freezes my fingers, numbs my nose and my brain
There's nothing like a puncture to let you down, seven K from a repair kit you left at home

I still rode fifteen K which will do me fine, can't wait to get warm and dry back at mine
The rain stops as I get home it's always the way, my mind has defrosted and pops up to say
"Quick running kit on, as the rain has now gone, a very good reason to get this run done"
Five K on the track then back for a bath, its days like today, guess you just have to laugh

A day to feel good

I felt great this morning and have all day, I think the endorphins are kicking in
I put in a swift little trio of training, that would be my run, ride and swim
The run came first it was quick little burst another four K on the track
Then a quick cycle for fifteen minutes, nailed seven point five K at that

Next was my swim in a busy pool and despite getting stuck in a queue
A respectable fourteen minutes thirty, for seven fifty meters will do
My knees felt great and my muscles weren't tired, the protein is hard at work
Repairing the damage that each session does leaving me feeling quite alert

I think tomorrow I'll run and swim and rely on the journeys around town
For all my cycling requirements, I don't want my mileage to drop down
I'm out of electrolytes so I best pick some up, as dehydration really sucks
They make it much easier when I train, today's water intake has been twenty cups

With gizmo's and gadgets and trackers galore even I'm amazed at my calorie score
In four days the readings tell me I've used twenty thousand calories or more
All in all its been a good start to this competition I'm running in, Janathon
Its a pretty good thing because to stay in the game I need to keep running on and on

The fastest man alive

Today for a very short while I was the fastest man alive
I ran one hundred meters in three seconds, why would my gps lie?
I also ran through buildings and leapt many times over the canal
Went back and forth like a mad thing, like a dog chasing his tail

Thankfully nike plus was being sensible and recorded my time on pat
Although I did lose fifteen meters for every four hundred meters of track
A recalibration is due I beleive, I think my running gait must be changing
Developing better stride technique as the strength in my knees is improving

It was my favourite weather for running today, mizerable, cloudy and drizzly
It's the perfect combination I find, to allow me to balance my body heat
I can't run too slow as I start to get too cold so a steady pace is a must
There are less people out so I settle in rhythm, and the drizzle keeps down the dust

I decided that I would just run today and have a rest from my other disciplines
There's still twenty seven days left and plenty of time to make sure I fit them in
I think that today whilst it was nice to pretend I was the fastest man alive
The lesson I've learned is that heavy cloud cover might just make my gps lie

A long way to go

So today started early with a ride to blackheath
To see a staff member and pick up lost keys
With a jog through the foot tunnel, could this count as my run?
I'm not sure, so when I get home I pop out for one

Two kilometers at Mile End Stadium on the track that will do
Endomondo says it was one point nine and nike plus does too
With some better lap times I head on for a swim
Two fifty meters in five minutes what a rush I'm in

I have a meeting, shopping, visits and places to be
What's more I've promised two people I'll be there for tea
At my brother's house the foods good and the company too
I only remember about this blog as I head back to the tube

About face and on the phone, "I have a request,
I need your pc for five minutes" he says "I'll do my best"
Blog done I must run to catch the last tube home
Up early again tomorrow, there's a long way to go

Two days in

Last night was a tame one so today I'll begin

My regular training that's run, ride and swim

This January I've decided not to drink any beer

My own personal target's are the things that I fear

I pop on my kit, then some light stretches

And pick up my backpack for the things I'm fetching

Five kilometers to Hackney in pretty good time

I grab some protein and head back to mine

I drop off my cargo and head to the gym

Forty minutes on the cycle to work me back in

Next thirty minutes weight circuit, nothing to hard

Then twenty minutes stepper and back to my yard

I forget that on Sunday it's early close at the gym

So I didn't have time to squeeze in a swim

Today's training was fun and I felt great as well

Nothing like yesterday when I was clunky as hell

New Years Day, Janathon 2011

I head out on New Years Day onto dark streets wet with rain

This first run is necessary to stay in the game, come hell or high water, wind, snow or pain

I've just worked thirty hours and the truth is I'm beat

My limbs ache and I'm exhausted to the soles of my feet

I try to relax and get into the groove, but my focus is missing I'm not in the mood

My tracker works great on my shiny new phone as I listen to old songs and run on alone

The shower is calling, so are my friends, tonight's my New Years Eve who knows where it ends

And again tomorrow the fact will remain that I'll probably feel like this all over again