Since I've been travelling I've lost the use of the car and also stopped eating crap. As a result of hiking mountains and trails in NZ and now walking everywhere in Oz, I've gone from 17.5 stone to 15.1 stone which whilst isn't exactly svelte, it is the smallest I've been since my teens.
Really loving cycling on my bike atm and looking to get into road cycling and maybe even pop to the velodrome when I get back home. Determined to sort myself out! And it's a good break from the computer
hey hey, been a while.
On 27 to 29th August, my team and I raced in the 500km, 54hr Czech Adventure Race. We didn't cover that full distance - only 2 teams managed to complete the entire course - but had a blast. Lots of disciplines, an epic 55km paddle stage through the night, far more upper body strength required than any race we've done before (bolscross & rock climbing), and very slick organisation - what's not to like? Total entry fee was approx £100 per person, inc basic accommodation and meals before/after.
The paddle was the toughest section, as the water was 20cm below what was officially considered navigable = LOADS of hauling over rocks, over weirs, down chutes. Will remember that for a while, lol. Thank goodness we took some sponge to cushion our butts.
Other disciplines were MTB, trekking, swimming, high ropes, abseiling, scootering, via ferrata and all requiring navigation/orienteering.
We ended up placing 6th out of 11, which was a happy surprise - best of the 'amateur' teams.
Definitely recommend this race. Could even consider doing it again, which is a rarity for me.
Oh yes, total sleep: approx. 1hr, composed of 14 mins (after 28hrs) + 20 mins + 15 mins.
Loads too many pics here: https://goo.gl/photos/wU4YGGVrfT6xssNv5
Last edited by fuddam; 09-09-2015 at 02:37 PM. Reason: link update
One can never stop saying Thank You
Butcher (13-09-2015)
Sounds wicked! Photo link doesn't work.
I think you're definitely on a different level endurance-wise that most of the rest of the planet though!
lol, not really. Seriously. linky updated too
One can never stop saying Thank You
ooh, some nice rocks there. Don't suppose you know the climb grades? Doesn't look like there's anything too taxing on its own, but as part of the bigger challenge I suspect they were pretty daunting!
Grades were 4 to 6+, in whatever system is used in Czech. Agreed not too severe, but after 9hrs of paddling at that point, was a little tiredOriginally Posted by scaryjim
One can never stop saying Thank You
Ooof, doing some quick comparisons the 6+ climbs are at least as hard as anything I've tackled outdoors, and potentially a bit over my indoor technical grade. Impressive to be taking those on after all the other activities....Grades were 4 to 6+, in whatever system is used in Czech. Agreed not too severe, but after 9hrs of paddling at that point, was a little tired
It's been a long time but I'm finally getting back into what I'd call a "proper" routine for me. Over June and July I started weight training again with some mild cardio thrown in, the goal being to lose a bit of weight and get my strength back to where it was at my peak a couple of years back.
I did shorter sessions on the weights, limiting myself to around 40 minutes a session, using a low volume, max weight style of training. I found that my strength improved and reached a similar level to that which I was used to, my shoulder press is actually at a higher level than it ever was but despite the cardio I found the fat loss was slow to non-existant.
I took a couple of weeks off training to review Hevy Festival and go on holiday and have adopted a higher volume routine since I came back and changed my source for cardio. The basis is very much more reps, more pyramid and drop sets and more sets to failure. My max weight sets are still part of the routine but rather than a 5x5 or 5x8 at max weight I'll take on 5 sets to failure at lower weights, adding weight to the bar with every set until I reach my max. Then I'll hit 3 sets to failure at my max and drop set my way back down to the starting weight taking every set to failure again. I extended the sessions to around an hour too and at the moment I feel like it's a much higher intensity workout, it gives me a better pump and combined with some clean eating should lead to some improvements in all the areas I need to change rather than just one.
There are alot of people that would call it over training but having gone through a major transformation once before doing things "the wrong way" in a similar manner I'm coming to the conclusion that it's simply what my body reacts to the best. It's going to be a long haul but I'll check back in in a few weeks and do a progress update
Mon/Wed/Fri
A:
10 x singles bench & squat
5x5 Weighted dips & chins
B:
10 x singles deads & press
5x5 Weighted dips & chins
Just cycle ABABABA
Prefer it much more the old 4x8-10, setting strength goals is fun!
went for my first "run" after having bust a couple of ribs when a cyclist rode into me a few weeks back.
Owch, hit the wall at 2.5k. Can still feel the ribs straining.
More rest, most annoyed.
That sounds EPIC! I've popped that on the list, just need to get some nutters to join me.
I've just recently decided to change my training outlook a little. I've been doing triathlons for a few years, only Olympic distance and finally scooched under 3 hours. I know that if I trained hard enough I could get under 2.5, but don't have the time at the moment. Our child is almost 1 and I just don't get anything like enough time to train and recover like how I want to.
So the new plan is to lay off the high mileage a bit and go bodyweight skill training. I still bike to work and will run a few times a week, but now I'm incorporating yoga and ultimately I want to get a straddle press to handstand down pat.
To that end I have started working on my hand balancing, pushing movements and I'm going to program a new routine soon. I've bought the book 'Overcoming Gravity' to help me out in this goal.
In a few years I will go back to racing but at the moment I just don't feel like I have the time to recover from hard workouts. A shame as I'd just got provisional permission from my wife to train for the Paris Marathon. I may have to defer that dream.
How do all you parents find time for training?
Two days deep into trying "double cardio" on my off days and man... My nervous system is fried. To the point where an hour of arm training and thirty minutes with the heavy bag felt like a break today.
The "wrong way" is working though, or at least it seems to be. My front and rear delts are reappearing, this week I've hit a new max weight on the overhead press and maxed out rep wise today on french curls beyond what I managed last session.
The main problem for me moving forwards is going to be motivation and knowing that my end goal is nigh on physically impossible... Training can be hard enough with a positive mindset, knowing deep down that you can never achieve what you want and doing it anyway, it takes it outta you in a whole other way.
What's your goal Knoxville? I haven't read the whole thread because I am lazy.
You should be able to train for the Paris marathon without taking too much time? Surely only a fast, a couple of tempos and a long run/week max?
I fit my training in commuting, lunch time stuff and WTF o'clock in the morning starts at weekends.
I bike commute and do lunch time runs at the moment. I've given up on my early morning sessions because they are mostly holding the little one. It seems at the moment he is alternating between teething and illness, which saps our energies and motivation.
In truth it's only been ten days to two weeks of bad sleeps and feeling ruined, but it was enough to put me off a big training block. Maybe it's time to suck it up and get back out there.
I know that excuse, that's the one I use for my mate beating me by an hour at Outlaw.
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