Tag: running

I am actually quite excited

Firstly, I have not forgotten nor have I lost interest in making content again. In truth I am as excited about that as I am my training and my commitment to future training.

I just don’t have the technical expertise to do it so am trying to acquire that. As I said previously I want to learn how to edit video this year and am working on that…I essentially want to do it with what I have…that being my iMac, my Samsung S24 Ultra mobile, my Insta360 and if I can find it…my GoPro. Basically I have all the hardware I really ‘need’ I just need to learn how to use it…and I am working on that.

I haven’t formally coached anyone for a decade or more (how time flies) and yet I don’t think a day goes by that someone doesn’t talk to me about training and or ask me questions and or look for my opinion on training. If anything I enjoy those discussions more now that I don’t have to rely on it for my livelihood. As always, I have a lot to say and feel perfectly fine about saying it because my body of work while coaching and the practices and principles I put into work still stand up today and if anything looking back at it…it is still miles ahead of most of the garbage you see today…results speak for themselves and my results were not just seen in high performing individuals but across the board. So yes, I can’t wait to start making content so I can talk about how amazing I think I am.

Secondly, my training is going very well and my progression I think will be interesting to others. I want to discuss and analyse it as I essentially took a 10 year break from training and then have started training again like a professional athlete in a old, beaten up and out of shape body…still haven’t missed a day of training since November 24th (not that I think rest days are bad…it is just a mental thing for me…an expression of my commitment to myself and my disciple). During that time…my peak power has gone from 800W to 1300W and my FTP has gone from 199W to 270W. I have hung on to my lean muscle mass and have decreased my weight by 10kgs and my bodyfat by 6%. I have a short term plan in place and a long term plan and am executing both as per my grand plan and am very happy with that. So I want to talk about that as well because I think people will find it interesting and I think it will prompt a lot of questions.

Thirdly, I have decided I am going to start gravel racing. I am doing this from a standing start as well and I think people might find this interesting as well. I don’t have a clue what I am doing and I don’t even have a bike. I am going to find some races and I am going to enter them and start the timer that way…so I have to prepare physically, mentally, technically and logistically and I want to talk about that as well because I think that will be interesting.

Anyway, this is just an update to let anyone (the four of you) that reads it that I am more invested in this than I have been for a long long while so if you have any opinions, thoughts, ideas or questions I am all ears. I am prioritising getting something up on my YouTube page if only so people can laugh and shit on it to inspire me to improve it.

I’ll call this the middle

So, where do I start…I will start now and do a bit of going forward and a bit of going back.

At the moment I am on leave. I’ve been on leave from the 1st of December and will be on leave up and until the 25th of December when I return to work on Christmas Day.

So for now…I am a full time athlete. I am Zwift’ing everyday. I am closer to the finish than I am to the start of the Zwift ‘Build Me Up’ program which runs 12 weeks in duration (I am doing it in around 8 weeks) and I am enjoying the hell out it. I am lucky to have a Wattbike Atom X that has seen little to no use this decade. So I am definitely putting it to use. I started with a session just getting it ‘set up’ as best I could and then did an FTP test (199W) and then started the program. Since starting I have done 968.5km, over 1 day, 18hrs and 19 mins climbing 8187m in the process having completed 33 of the 49 sessions in the program…there are 12 proper sessions to do…then a recovery session, a short primer session, a short technique session and then the FTP test again. We’ll get to see how much progress I have made them. I am going to plan it all and squeeze everything in with the objective of doing my FTP test on Christmas Eve before I head back to work on Christmas Day.

I am also integrating into my training schedule some easy calisthenics work…some push ups, KB rows, KB presses along with some bodyweight leg work and some core trunk work.

I have not really put any special thought into my diet or nutrition BUT I am drinking less and eating less garbage…the drinking and garbage eating tend to go hand in hand for me so no surprise there. My Aria Fitbit scales have me down just over 10kgs since I realised I was an absolute mess in June some time and started this ‘process’ that has seen me end up here. My Fitbit scales are also telling me that I have lost more than 1okgs of fat as my lean muscle mass is also up a bit…so I am happy with that. My blood pressure is down (it was high’ish) and back within the normal range. I have an appointment to see my GP next Monday and it will be time to get a full blood panel done as well so we’ll see where I am at with regards my blood markers and my health as well.

The plan now is to get this training program completed and then review based on my results and set a new goal…and that goal is going to involve racing regularly and I am going to plan a racing schedule around my days off. Also, when back at work from leave I am going to get back into my weights on rostered days along with some easy Zone 2/Recovery rides (30mins) and then Zwift’ing on non rostered days…training rides and racing…which in all likelihood could end up just being racing as I know that whatever category or race type I am in…I am going to get smashed and I am ok with that.

I will report back at the end of this training block with all my results.