New Job New Challenges

I'm thoroughly enjoying my new job but as is usually the case when trying to get to grips with something new I'm struggling to find time for training. The main problem is that my accommodation is a 30 minute bus ride from the office and dinner starts at 1830. So by the time I've got back to my room, it's dinner time, and by the time dinner has settled to allow me to train it's gone 2100 and I feel ready for bed. On the positive side I march into the new house on 2 July that is approx 200m from the office, so I will get an hour a day back that should allow me to start training again.

10km Run

Well I completed the Scampton 10km road race today, and I'm fairly chuffed with my time of 47:20. OK, it's not going to set the world alight but bear in mind that I haven't ran more than 5km since 2008, most of my training this year has been in the CrossFit gym, and I'm at least half a stone heavier than I would like to be. So yes, happy with that. I paced the run evenly, with a small increase in speed over the last km; happy that I was able to do that. Quads and buttocks are a little sore now, but it's a start.

Cycling Shoes and Scampton Road Race

Well I found my cycling shoes. Why on earth would I expect to find them in the shoe cupboard? I was asked this week if I would start the Scampton Road Race, but said "Start it? No, I'll enter it". I don't know why but I thought it would be a nice easy 5km event, I really should check these things before agreeing to them. And then the organiser mentioned there was a hill involved; it's Lincolnshire for goodness sake! So I have now committed myself to a 10km event next week, having not run that distance since 2008. Anyone else doing this race? If so, expect to see me crawling round at the end!

Curiouser, and curiouser

I've packed up most of my personal kit from the old house and moved it to my new, temporary home, but somehow I appear to have 'lost' all 3 pairs of cycling shoes. I've obviously put them together in a bag but can I find them? Can I heck! I now have my cycling mojo, a bike, a drawer full of gorgeous Shutt VR cycling kit and NO BLOODY SHOES!

Week 2

Jubilee Weekend. No exercise but lots of eating and drinking - hurrah! I have loaded my Litespeed into the car so I will have a bike with me from now on. The plan is to do a 1.5 mile run + 10 mins of pull-ups, press-ups and squats every morning, and a 30-60 minute ride every night (assuming nice weather, I'm a fair weather cyclist now!) plus a CrossFit WOD. We shall see.

Week 1

Thoroughly enjoyed Week 1 in my new job. I'm going to be busy and will need to learn a bunch of new skills in a very short space of time, but I'm looking forward to that. I managed to get a few CrossFit sessions in although I had to do them on my own. This weekend is Jubilee weekend and I have nothing planned. I will, though, take a bike back with me and plan to get out and ride next week. Nothing definite so we shall see what happens. I managed to squeeze my fitness test in to my busy schedule today. 10.1 on the MSFT (light blue), 47 press ups (light blue, but just one off dark blue!) and 53 sit ups (dark blue). I know I can do more on the MSFT but the dark blue level is 12.1 for me and at the moment I know I cannot do 2 more levels. Yes, I am 48. I need to lose half a stone and get some running miles in my legs. Interestingly, having completed the maximal MSFT test the PTI suggested I take the sub-maximal Rockport Walk test, as this may help identify specific areas to work on. It can't harm me so I may well give this a go.

Goodbye Gosport, Hello Lincoln

So now, the end is near ... My time in Gosport has come to an end and I have said farewell to my colleagues and after a little over 3 years I am packing my bags and tomorrow will head north to Lincoln to start my new job at Scampton on Monday. A few tough decisions to make; which bike should I take? I have chosen the Litespeed because it's my favourite, although I will probably add one per week as I travel back each weekend. Yes, there are currently no houses available so I will be a weekend commuter for a few weeks. Hopefully something will come available in July and we will be in our new house by August. There's no CrossFit gym in Lincoln so I will need to find a new training regime, and I will undoubtedly get out on the bike again, if only for an hour or so each evening.