20th May swimming session…

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*I only wrote this because @Smoker2Ironman told me to! Check him out… He’s running his first Ironman too! Blog

So today I thought I’d power thru and put in around 1.5km of swimming.. Just short of half of what is expected on the day (about 98 lengths of my 20m pool!).

Now my pool isn’t the best… Its a local pool at the gym in Leeds (left unnamed). But it has two lanes, one fast, one slow and a massive one for those people that don’t understand the concept of swimming in a straight line….

So turned up, changed, went to the pool… Christ. It’s full..

I jumped in, and tried swimming… In a world of common sense you would expect people would swimming in a sort of circular-one way fashion, thus not getting in way of on coming traffic.. No.

Not here. People were all over the place! So no chance of getting a solid length in without stopping…

I moved to the lanes, theres one guy in the slow lane, and two slow people on the fast lane…

I started trying to swim… But I couldn’t even get a single length in! They kept stopping after every length… (!)

Now a lot of this may come off a elitist.. I accept that people want a nice gentle swim… But where does that leave competition? The 6am club??

At least follow what the sign says and get out of the fast lane!!

So I got out in a huff and asked when the quiet periods are (bear in mind in stood in a work shirt and trousers…)

“The quiet hours are after 9..”

“What when we’re at work?”

The sarcasm  didn’t register!

So all in all a very poor swimming session and a even worse Question Time…

Oh well, I do have PT in the morning.. 5am start…. :’(

Leeds Half Marathon

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So it’s just occurred to me – as I was to let loose and rant about today’s swim session – that j didn’t blog about the Leeds Half!

Talk about a long day! I’d planned to do 30mi on the bike before hand, followed by the 13.1mi run after, perfect training!

So its Sunday 13th May, 4:30am. Breakfast time. That’s how the day started. I think I was out of the house for maybe 5-5:30am, and I put in a great 30mi! The roads were empty, I was high on adrenaline and glucose (60g/700ml).

Around maybe 8:30, I got to work, to find some else was running it (bedsides those I knew).

“You cycled in? You’re a bit ambitious aren’t you?” – if only she knew… I just played it off..

After a lot of cooling down, saying hello to everyone I knew – and watching those we knew to into the ‘Elite area’ (They did it in a very respectable 1:23 & 1:25!), We queued up…

By 9:34 we’d finally started, I felt so great I shot off and left everyone (I didn’t know they were always right behind me!).

Around two miles in.. People were walking… What the (!)!! Come on…. Seriously? I’m not being elitist… But surly they at least trained? Rather worrying…

Tony caught up with me around the 7mi mark and shot off. That’s when I got stitch trying to chase him down…

My 1:40-45 time was out the window! I lost a good ten minutes struggling to move.. Thankfully the crowd were great and just shouted encouragement as they read the name from my race number!

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Towards the end everyone was clearly struggling… I chatted with a few people and shouted some encouragement to the walkers…

“Come on mate.. Only 1mi… Don’t let it win!”

It’s the final few meters…. Everyone is struggling but out of the nothing we have left.. Everyone shouts at each other to sprint.. And we did!

The crowds and spectators were amazing!

1hr 51min – a new PB!

Stop worrying about BMI – start focusing on figure and goals

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BMI is everywhere! Go to any website about losing weight, and you’ll no doubt find a BMI calculator. Stop it.

All of the following has no actual foundations in fact (well some of it does, but I’ll say when..) – and it’s also more of a rant!

At the end of my gym session I got all my measurements taken (Body Fat %, BMI etc..), and it got me thinking.. people need to stop stressing over BMI..

The BMI (Body Mass Index) simply takes into account height and weight, there is no special calculations to body fat, or accounting for any muscle present in the body. so basically – in my opinion – it’s a flawed measurement for today’s society. Yes, it can give some guidance for people that do a lot of exercise… but for anyone who goes to the gym, or is active, I don’t think it has much grounding! As muscle is much more denser and weights more than fat, you will quite easily find for instance, weight lifters, with a rather large BMI reading, and thus marking them as over-weight, or even obese, but in reality, they’re pretty healthy!

Take me for instance, I do a lot of running, cycling (and also swimming), yet my BMI is still 25.5 – which puts me in the overweight area… how many overweight people do you know that can cycle 100mi routes, and run half marathons in “not bad” times… well according to this, perhaps a few! Now I’m not exactly saying I’m the picture of perfect health, as I have a bit of work to do, but I’m certainly not overweight!

So if BMI is so rubbish (no actual grounding here…) what should we do?

  • Set yourself some goals!Focus on actual health, perhaps try focusing on Body Fat % – something that can perhaps be more accurately measured… This number, you can monitor a bit more precisely, it’s not going to change into some random number the more you work out, it’s going to go down (or up if you just binge).
  • Focus on your figureGet off the scales. “I’m not losing weight“. If you’re hitting the gym, you might find that you’re not losing as much weight as you’d expect (bear in mind, everyone metabolises at different rates anyway!), but if you’re gain muscle and burning fat (no, fat does not get converted to muscle) , then you might not actually lose weight, you might still break even. But look at things lone term, look at the change in your figure.
  • Leave Weight-Watchers/Slimming WorldTake the points system and how it’s probably tailored to you…  It’s not, it’s tailored to suit everyone, and with such a random system of points meaning you can have deserts for breakfast because they’re low in points? (Or something along those lines).If you want something that’s tailored to you, go see a nutritionist, not a corporate company who business model essentially works on you losing the weight, getting fat again, and thinking “Oh it worked last time, I’ll go back”.  It could work for some people, but from what I hear, most people lose it and put it back on.. get something long term… get an education in healthy eating not just what score you get. Also what makes the person actually running the meeting actually qualified in such a subject? (I know, pot, kettle….)

    After a bit of reading on the Points System, fruit and veg are valued at no points, which makes them essentially unlimited. Another common misconception! Yes, fruit and veg are sooo good for you, in comparison to a lot of ready-meals, but everything should be enjoyed in moderation. Fruit/Veg is high in sugars (Frucose sugar – a simple carbohydate), now don’t all stop eating fruit and veg because it has carbs in, that would just as dumb as eating too much! All I’m saying is, it doesn’t make sense to be marked as 0, it still contains calories, and it still contains carbs, which could eventually be converted into fats (or be burnt rather quickly and give highs and low).

    I could go on about them all day – try Livestrong for it - http://www.livestrong.com/article/337442-the-dangers-of-weight-watchers/

    (If you still want to go Weight-Watchers/Slimming World – feel free!)

    But yes I do see the merit of peer-weight loss

     

  • Go to the gymThis one is, probably one of the easier ones – and you don’t even need to go the gym, just find something to get your heart/lungs/body working… find something you like. The more you use these muscles, the stronger they will become. By being active, you will then be burning the fats in your body, which is just good all over!!

So that’s it, rant over.

To summarise, BMI is bull, all the corporate slimming groups are just as stupid, turn the TV off, go outside.

For the record my readings are:

  • BMI: 25.5 – Overweight – BS
  • Body Fat: 20.7%
  • Height: 189cm
  • Weight: 91kg/14.1 stone/203lbs

 

(On a random note – check out some aussie Hip-hop - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIbSzxPf2F0&list=PL977BC194CF327118 - Illy – It Can Wait, ft Owl Eyes)

I’m 1 of the 51..

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So after a quick look at Facebook (other social media networks are available), I discovered this gem..

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51 people that have entered the Outlaw Triathlon, have never done a triathlon before.. Ever. No short ones to warm up… Nothing.

Some of us are seasoned swimmers, or like myself cyclists, but it’s clear we all like a challenge!

It’s times like this where the comradary really shows it’s self in such sports… (But I’ll save that for another post…).

Some also on Twitter offering encouragement, some I’ve not yet met (that’s you @NicolaClaireFox, @Neily_wilko and not forgetting @Smoker2Ironman – but I know him!)

Until then, just look at the excellent sportsmanship going on pre-race

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The last lab day..

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(I’ve written this 3 times now.. Thanks WP for android!)

So Wednesday was the last day in the lab.. And regardless or what I said before…

It was placebo day.

During the run I’m asked a serious or questions at regular intervals:

Perceived exhertion 1-20 (I think)

Need to: pass out, urinate, belch etc..

How I feel +5 (good) – -5(bad)

The previous week I was on it… Yeh I feel a +5 for feeling ace!!

So the trial as it goes breaks down into 8 segments over the 2 hours,each around 15 minutes each. These are then broken into further segments of 8 minutes each (making 16 segments overall).

A segment is roughly 8 minutes running, then I stop, take a 250ml solution – which I presumed this time to be just water), pop a VO2 measurement mask on and run a further 8 minutes. After that, mask off, Blood sample, rinse and repeat.

Then after that its a 5km time trial at my own pace (perceived 70% of VO2max), which at altitude is roughly 9km/hr, oh and wearing the mask for the entire thing.

Then this week rolls up… A normal start… First hour in, and I had to pee, I was also asked to measure it in a jug (more on it that soon!).. Then before I know it..2 hours are up..(another pee).

So straight to the time trial… I started running it.. Mask on… And it perhaps took minutes to realise I wasn’t right..

Classic sign of poor nutrition.. I had nothing in me.

1km in and starting at the wall, 2km in.. Then I got the nod for 2.5.. During the trial I’d never been giving the .5km nod… They clearly knew I was feeling rubbish…

By kilometer 3 I was feeling rough as… And very much contemplating walking… As it happens that from behind the think glass that separated me from them… They thought I was about to!

Kilometer 4 arrived.. The mask I was wearing was not only being held up by my face.. But also my ropes and elastic bands on the ceiling to take the weight.. By km 4…they were also holding my head up… They soon snapped and I was free to put my head down and die a little more inside….

Jamie, the assistant in the chamber ended up helping to hold the tubes coming out of the mask to take the weight. Followed by a

“Run properly and the weight will be fine” from Nicola, the PhD student.. Thing is, I couldn’t lift my head….

.5 to go.

Out of what I can only presume was adrenaline… I managed to crank the speed and smash the last 500m…

Its over… My head went down… My arm out for more blood samples, and I probably swore a bit too..

I’m sure there was more to this.. But straight onto why I got my pee measured!

Nicola wanted to cover hydration/dehydration on her thesis, to which everything will all now become clear…

I was weighed pre and post exercise, and actually lost virtually a kilo during exercise – which we’ll just call 1L of fluid.

So my wee measurements were 110ml after an hour and then a 290ml 1 hour later.

During the two hours of running I’d consumed 2.4L of fluid, subtracting the 400ml lost to urine, that brings us to 2L

So had I only lost this 2L of fluid, my weight shouldn’t have moved, but as I lost that extra kilo, it turns out that I actually lost 3L of fluids through sweating, which happens to be around 1% (ish)… The expected amount.

But this amount or fluid lost clearly highlights the importance of keeping hydrated during exercise. I personally have been stupid enough to not go out with either; enough water or enough ‘fuel’.

I can tell you its a horrible feeling, and your brain will do everything to stay Alive and stop you exercising…. Hallucinations, mental and physical barriers to name a few!

So lessons learnt, drink more, fuel properly… Even though I was in a controlled environment, the effects that has in the the real world are very much the same!

Don’t be that guy.

(I think that was all of it!)

Another 300 [rep] workout smashed….

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Today was all about walls… massive bloody (Feel to insert stronger words!)(!) walls! And smashing through them like a behemoth of a bulldozer!

Starting on the mat, and starting with 30′s.. then 20′s then 15′s then finally 10 (that’s all reps!)

So 30 Burpees, 30 Shoulder Press (with 7kg dumb bells), 30 squats with a 10kg dumb bell and 30 press ups.. no rest, then it’s straight into rise and repeat but with 20 reps, and so on…

 

So as I say, it’s all about walls, and you’ll hit tonnes of these on such a workout, it’s an insanely strenuous cardio workout, and the not being able to rest and to keep going makes it even harder! Forget everyone else that’s in the gym (besides it’s empty anyway), scream and shout and get done what has to be done… 19 minutes later.. it’s over..

So now I’ve rested, shaken it off, it’s time for the fastest 1mi run I can do… more walls…

“Stick the treadmill on as hard as you can sustain… when you can’t hack anymore…, smash the emergency stop button, jump off.. and your rest period is 10 burpees, and 10 jumping lunges…”

Great.

I think got to about 0.23km before I had to stop.. I couldn’t say if I could have gone further.. who knew… I was knackered… of I popped, straight into my “rest”..

So more shouting [at me], more screaming [from me].. and another rest period… People are looking around wondering what is wrong with this guy… it’s down to the last 700meters..

“Just get to 400 to go, and you can stop and have your ‘rest’”

F-That… we’re going to the end..

*Cue loads of jokes about home runs, 4th base etc….*

It’s over.

The emergency stop button is no doubt broken, and I nearly fell off the treadmill in such a fashion it should have been on You’ve Been Framed!

Now, as like yesterday, everything hurts, and everything will no doubt hurt again tomorow, and the day after too.. which is fine, as I’m back on it Sunday (Day after tomorrow), so I might as well get used to it!