Be Excellent To Each Other

It ha seen suggested I get out on one of the bikes. There's a place 40 mins away where one can ride around a lake in the big hills so might do that. There's walks and a cafe too.

Tbh, I'm pretty miserable about it all, as there were some great interval sessions coming up (words I thought I would never say).

You can ride your bike around the Wirral Circular Trail. It's a closed loop of about 35 miles and it runs past your house.

https://www.komoot.com/smarttour/1343022

I'd be the same. You'll be back, though.

And it's a badge of honour, in a way - how many people take up running without getting shin splints?

Nor me

I'm a stradivarius

Right. So it turns out it's two - you and me

When I used to try and be the last off the train, but the first into the office complex (when I worked in an industrial estate in Marlow) I would often give myself shin splints.


Nonsense about walking fast below


Not had them for a while, but I think that's because I don't walk anywhere near that fast any more.

I had them back when I started running, heel lifts in my trainers sorted them out for me

I used to be the first to the top of the long escalators in Liverpool Central station, but not in an obvious "I'm trying to run to work sort of way".

In conclusion: commuting does weird things to your brain.

It sounds more like a case of your weird brain doing things to your commute.

Oh I had a train nemesis. He got on the stop before me. Took me a six months but I moved that bastard from his preferred seat to one three carriages down. By row.

No real reason for it. Never said a word to him, just didn't like his face

Just had my annual medical.. I love being a man of a certain age

My triglycderides are high. I might need more medication.

Other than that, a tad overweight, but other than that I am great health.

I've had a personal trainer for 2 years, give or take a fucking pandemic, and for most of that time my weight has been constant.

That's actually a good thing because I've got stronger so there's replacement of fat by muscle but still frustrating. Over the last couple of months though I've lost a couple of kilos!

I'm also still getting stronger! My trainer keeps varying the targeted areas and introduces new things but I'm leg pressing more than double my bodyweight (247kg of machine and plate! Not my bodyweight), doing 45+ push-ups in a session (compared to not being able to do one), deadlifting 60kg...

None of these numbers are big but I keep getting better and the ancillary benefits like my feet not fucking up anywhere near as much is brilliant.

For a long time i didn't see any mental benefit, not even any endorphins, but now I'm at a point where my work will let me in the office during "essential only" times so I can train at lunch twice a week because I live a 15 mile/30 minute drive away from both the office and the gym. One of the good things about my employer.

Strava sent me a summary of my year in sport (not sure walking on your own is a sport, but hey ho)


Not too bad, I made my first target of 1000km, but I have slacked towards the end of the year. I hope to do better next year, and hopefully I won't have as many injuries.

I will do mine next week. Still a few days left of the year.

Might get a few more km in before new year but happy with this year's progress. Managed to stay pretty much injury free and got a bit faster.

Your top sport appears to be measuring your heart rate

No it's the new fitness craze of zig zagging.

Superb work, all.

2022: aim to run sub 100 minute half. Have two bites at it planned so far, one in Cardiff and one in Nottingham. Covid might have other ideas as currently I can't really do stairs and Cardiff is 12 weeks away.

My aim of trying to go on a walk every day might have failed on the first day of the second week of the year.
I woke up in the middle of the night with a throbbing toe. It's the thing where all the symptoms scream "gout" but when the doctors look for uric acid or anything else that might explain what it is, then they find nothing.

I had to do a bit of shopping earlier, and the 15 minutes of walking to the shops and back to the car has wiped me out. It's not just the pain in the foot, it's the effort used to compensate with the other foot and just the tiredness of not sleeping because you were in pain for half the night.

Also, this weekend was supposed to be a bit of a tidy up in the house, removing the last remnants of Christmas, clearing the main bedroom as we're having the floor done on Tuesday. All of it is a lot of work, that I could do without whilst I am in this pain.

Gah! That sounds horrendous.

Yeah, I've had it about a dozen times over the past 8 years or so.
Had all sorts of tests, including them sticking a needle as thick as a bit into my knee to try and collect some synovial? Fluid to analyse (to no avail).

I've taken about as many painkillers as it's permissible to take without a prescription, which is starting to take effect, however, it usually makes me feel quite nauseous, so hopefully I won't need to take them for long

Sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better soon

Hope you feel better soon.

In an hilarious diary mismanagement step, turns out I'm in for the Cardiff half marathon at the end of March. 8 weeks away.

I am unsure if I will make the start line, but will try.

Dig out the robot suit and claim its for charity as you collapse over the line on the 4th hour

8 weeks is lots of time

I have never felt so unfit... I have a half ironman in May, and i don't think I will be ready in time.

Hang on, I'll scroll back a bit, some bloke was suggesting 8 weeks is a lot of time quite recently...

For running yes I have to get my swim and bike too...

Went on a 16k walk, decided to go for a swim at the half way mark



Bloody Hell it was cold! I did not last very long at all (it was starting to rain, and I was worried my stuff would get wet AND IT WAS BLOODY COLD!)

Do you set your camera up to record your swim? "In case I don't make it back, here's what I was busy doing."

Yeah, left it filming from the bank. No signal there though, so would have had to wait for someone to come past, and given I didn't see anyone for two hours, that could have been some time...

I feel freezing just looking at the picture!

Just gone out and run around a patch of grass three times as someone had taken the "local legend" thing from me.

Legs felt better than Sunday, but got a stitch a couple of times. Lungs seemed ok, but they will come back soon.

Earned this. Max limit 250. I don’t think I will be living 248 more years.

Which activities count?

One minute intervals. bloody hell that was tough today.

Great effort...

Seven and eight were hard...

Yes, intervals are bad.. I do like them though

My cultural life became so much better when I started pre-ordering my drinks.

I've looked at the data, and I think I've spotted the problem. You were running fast.

I did 3200 metres in the pool last night. We really need an olympic pool nearby...

Cor, that's some going. Well done!