Project Good For age – Week 6 of 30
Goal : Automatic Entry Into the London Marathon
How? : Run a 3:15 Mara @ Manchester Mara in April (Current PB 4:45)
First Step : Run a 45 Minute 10k @ Windmill 10k race in November (10k time at start of project 57:58) www.strava.com/activities/1188827899
This Weeks ’10k’ Time : 45:57 (Whoop!!) www.strava.com/activities/1251642399/overview
Here is what happened in week 6
Behaviour
Managed to avoid the potential banana skin of my dads memorial football match turning into a piss up on Thursday – got in me car and drove straight there and back like a good little boy.
This was due to a mix of having to be back early for my little girl and my brother not going – every time we get together it turns into a ‘mad one’ – he blames me and I blame him but we are both as bad as eachother so the fact that he didn’t attend made it much easier to stay on the ‘straight and narrow’ so to speak.
I cant stress enough the difference avoiding alcohol / ‘mad ones’ makes to my training – some people can go out and just have ‘a couple’ – I aint one of them. Others can go out and have it large yet still get up for a run at 6am and PB it – I definitely aint one of them!!
For me, alcohol changes everything, literally everything and i’m like a completely different person without it – case in point my training session on Friday was one of my best sessions yet – can you imagine me saying that if I would have had a skinfull Thursday?? – I don’t think so.
But the ‘tests’ just keep on coming.
Later today I am off to not one but 2 parties….
Having the strength to behave like Mr sensible when deep down inside you are really ‘one of the lads’ is one of the toughest challenges of this process but being able to resist the devil as he keeps rattling the cage is one of the major keys to my success, there is no doubt about that.
Diet
I am now getting very annoyed with myself about diet – see below.
Weight
On my scales I weighed 13 stone 12 and on the Bodytrax ones it was 13/9 with 22.8% bodyfat versus a start point of 14 stone and 25%
Whilst my body is looking half decent (I caught a glimpse at the gym this week – not bad rookie) There is tons of room for improvement and dropping at lease a stone is a no brainer in the quest for speed.
I am sick of having the following conversation with myself week after week:
“I want to lose a stone to make my running easier”
“You keep saying that”
“No I am serious, I really want to lose weight”
“Ok, monitor the calories like a hawk, I have told you this over and over for the last 6 weeks”
“Yes, I know from past experience that definitely works”
“You keep saying that en all”
Gets on scales at end of week….
“I didn’t lose any weight”
“Did you monitor the calories?”
“No”
“Are you mentally retarded?”
Training
I am doing something in training that I don’t really hear talked about / written about very often, training in a certain way like, and its going really well.
I do question it though, as you will see below.
I would point out that I am not so much out of breath nor does my body ‘hurt’ – its more that I get so hot I am literally soaking wet through after my sessions – soaking wet.
One thing is for certain – I am working harder than ever!
Super Sunday ‘Benchmark’ 10k : 45:57 www.strava.com/activities/1251642399/overview
As above, I am training in a certain way during the week and it’s going really well.
But when I get out onto my benchmark ’10k route’ I question the hell out of my training.
Trying to hit 4:40 kilometres I find very difficult on the ‘actual course’ of a Sunday yet a piece of piss in training during the week.
Why is this?
From a ‘how do I feel during my Sunday run’ perspective the training isn’t working – It was tough going – really tough.
They say a picture paint a thousand words – look at the pic to the left.
Before my run I am full of beans, itching to get out there, even laughing and joking for the camera like.
After the run I am absolutely goosed.
But from a ‘result’ perspective is the training working?
It appears to be.
Look at this. www.strava.com/activities/1251642399/overview
I did something I never thought possible.
This week I hit 45 minutes for my ’10k’ benchmark route – a route that for well over a year was always taking me an hour.
Keep the faith Rookie.
Next update 5/11/17 – 2 weeks till race day!
By the way, I have written a book, it’s all about how I went from zero fitness to completing an Ironman triathlon, it’s only just come out but it has got some fantastic reviews already!- you can check them out here: (also available on Amazon in the US but please read the UK reviews first!)
To your amazing journey!
