Friday Rest Day (...and the ex boss' 60th Birthday Party)

Friday was my rest day.

I wasnt going to be able to train today as it was my ex boss' 60th birthday party-come-30th anniversary of her working at QML (Queen Mary London).

Since the office restructure when I moved to Whitechapel from Mile End, I rarely spend time on the Mile End campus nowadays, so it was nice to go back and catch up with some old faces but the major topic of conversation with most people talking to me was along the lines of...

"OMG you've lost so much weight?..."

"John, have you been ill?..."

"Are you still riding your bike?"...

"Are you still dating the entire membership of Match.com?..."

... I'd like to say that although I'm proud of what I've achieved, I'm modest about it but I try to make as little of possible of it.  I wont go up to someone and say "have a guess what I've been up to?"  If someone asks me about it then fine, otherwise its off topic.

However, I do get serious f*cked off when people sneer at my self-imposed booze ban, telling me that I'm "boring" and "oh FFS John, have a drink.  You can have one, surely?"  Well no I cant.  If I say I'm packing the booze up for nearly 4 months then I'm packing the booze up for 4 months.  Having one smashes all that in the face.  28-29 days away from the Marathon, not had a beer since 21st December, why the hell would I want to chuck all that away now?  It'll just make the beer at the end of the Marathon taste even nicer.

Anyhow, had a reasonably good time catching up with some very nice people, albeit that I was the only sober person in the bar by 9pm and I left with my mate Reuben at about 9:20pm in the end.  Got home about 10:40pm turned on the TV expecting to watch Graham Norton only to realise the series had ended and I watched the fill in film, The Proposal, starring the god damn attractive Sandra Bullock.  Another film for the film list.  A very cheesy rom-com but it was easy viewing for a Friday night.

Off to bed as Saturday was going to be a long day...

Wednesday Training (Chest/Abs)

Wednesday was a designated rest day as I attended Izzy's parents evening at school, which meant no Wednesday night Plums run.

I'm glad to say we received a glowing report for Izzy (as seems to be usual) and we (her Mum and I) are very pleased.

Anyhow, dropped the car back to my parents and picked up these which had just arrived, having only been ordered less than 24 hours previous:

Yet another pair of Brooks Glycerin 11s.  For a heavily discounted £78.  An absolute bargain given the RRP is usually £120 in places like Sweat Shop.

Jumped on the 96 bus towards Welling and decided to get off and pop into the club-house to say hello to everyone.  Had a long chat with Gary about cars (am considering buying one shortly!) then headed back home.

10pm and straight into my usual chest/abs circuit.

• 10 x 20 SB ball sit ups + 20 SB sit twists.
• 10 x 10 chest press with 9kg dumbbells + 10 chest fly.
• 30 sec on/off/on/off/on see-saw shredder with 9kg dumbbells.

Shower.  Bed.  Sleep. 

Monday Training (Chest & Abs)

Izzy was with me on Monday as her school had a staff development day.  So training was limited to my regular home chest/abs routine.

• 10 x 20 SB ball sit ups + 20 SB sit twists.
• 10 x 10 chest press with 9kg dumbbells + 10 chest fly.
• 30 sec on/off/on/off/on see-saw shredder with 9kg dumbbells.

Tuesday Rest Day

A rare day of doing absolutely nothing, training-wise.

Just around 45 mins of walking time in total for the day, including to and from the station, detour to the parents for dinner on the way home and then a walk up to the clock tower to catch a bus back home after the Man City v Barcelona game.

Plums run on Wednesday night.

Gym or chest/abs workout on Thursday before Izzy's arrival for half-term.

Saturday Rest Day (Chest/Abs)

Just the now regular chest/as routine today...

• 10 x 20 SB ball sit ups + 20 SB sit twists.
• 10 x 10 chest press with 9kg dumbbells + 10 chest fly.

As is currently stands, tomorrow's Dartford 10 is still on, although the race has now been reduced to just less than 9 miles because part of the course is flooded as the River Darenth has broken its banks so we'll have to see what the morning brings...

Friday Rest Day (Chest/Abs)

Izzy is here tonight, so its rest night apart from the now regular chest/abs routine...

• 10 x 20 SB ball sit ups + 20 SB sit twists.
• 10 x 10 chest press with 9kg dumbbells + 10 chest fly.

Legs are beginning to feel much more alive again, so am now looking forward to Sunday's Dartford 10 with some positivity.

One thing is noticable though.  More than ever.  My abs.  They actually exist.  Just got out the shower tonight and I've been admiring myself in the mirror for about 15 mins.  This is unusual behaviour for me.

Thursday Rest Night (Chest/Abs but mainly sitting on my backside!)

1st rest day of 3 consecutive rest days in an attempt to revive the legs ahead of the Dartford 10.  My usual plan of action now is to just run through my home chest/abs routine on my rest days, just so as to keep everything ticking over...

• 10 x 20 SB ball sit ups + 20 SB sit twists.
• 10 x 10 chest press with 9kg dumbbells plus 10 chest fly.

After a lovely soak in the bath, it was a case of plonking myself on the sofa to watch CBB and The Undateables.

I'm not normally a watcher of CBB but have found this series really addictive after accidentally watching the second episode a week or so back whenever it all started.

Conclusions:

• Lee is a mug for playing Casey.
• Casey is bloody gorgeous but comes across as desperate.
• Jim Davidson is brilliant, as is Lionel Blair.
• Linda Nolan is a bully and comes across as such a "victim".
• Louise is the most annoying housemate in the history of CBB.

The Undateables was quality this week.  John, the lad with aspergers, that so could be me with his track record of saying the wrong thing to the ladies lol.

Tuesday Rest Night (Chest/Abs but mainly housework!)

Rest Day.  Well earned too.  The legs felt a little sore after the back-to-back 10k's on Sunday and Monday so Tuesday was a chance to recover before the club run on Wednesday night.

My decorator had finished the majority of the decorating in the hall, stairs and landing so I spent the majority of Tuesday night hoovering up all the dust and generally tidying up in advance, knowing Izzy is staying over this weekend.

Once I'd done my housework, I done the usual home chest/abs routine...

• 10 x 20 SB ball sit ups + 20 SB sit twists.
• 10 x 10 chest press with 9kg dumbbells plus 10 chest fly.

Anyway, I did say the decorating was finished.  Like it??? :)

 

A well earned rest day

After Wednesday's epic double training session, it was quite an easy decision to make Thursday a well earned rest day.

The plan was to head home from work, do a bit of house work, have some dinner then quickly head up to my parents to pick up a parcel that had turned up during the week.

It didnt quite turn out like that...

Reuben, my best mate at work, suggested a quick pint after work with Elke "The Boobs" Groom.  4 pints of Kronenbourg later, I find myself coming off the train at Welling heading straight for KFC for a 3 piece chicken classic then as soon as I demolished that, I jumped the 96 bus up to Bexleyheath to see the old dears.  Thankfully was stone cold sober by the time I got there.  Am not sure they would appreciate me turning up on the doorstep with a massive fit of the giggles like we had in the pub.

The usual conversation in the pub.  Work is sh*t...Reuben's wish to spend his first Christmas with his son Ben alone with his wife, rather than the evil M-I-L from hell being invited down from "up t'north"...JB is still single?  why? too picky? does he have a complex on how he/they look?...etc etc etc.  The group of 3 expanded to 6 not long after 5.30pm as Caz, Phil and Richard all popped in to Sam's too.  

It was a good catch up with my buddies Reubs and The Boobs.  The Boobs is off on holiday now for the next week and a bit so the office with be a lot quieter without her being around.  Monday may be an interesting time in the office as one of Elke's minions has been off on long term sick leave for the last 7-8 months and apparently she may be coming back next week.  Awkward.

Back in the Gym Friday evening.  Chandra is due to revise the programme again so I look forward to what he's got in store for me next up.

Saturday Rest Day...at last...

After 6 consecutive days of training, my legs were telling me it was time for at least one day of rest.  Friday's 7 miler around Victoria Park in Hackney wasnt my finest energy-laden effort and my energy levels had been sinking all week, so it was time to let the hair down for 24hrs at least.

Friday evening was fun.  Chandra and Yatin met me in Whitechapel and we had three pints in the Griff Inn, the Barts & The London Student Union bar (full of medical students far too young for any of us) and we were joined by my work colleagues Reuben and Elke before we headed off for a mini Uni-reunion at Liverpool Street with our old Uni body Pete Kostic.

Me, Pete, Chandra and Yatin...

My brother Steve came to meet us too, we had a couple of pints then headed our own separate ways pretty early on.  Chandra was working the early shift on Saturday, Yatin was meeting wifey VP in the West End with the rest of his family, so Steve and I decided to head back to Welling to grab a curry.

Bengal Spice.  Not the greatest Indian Restaurant in the world but they do an ok curry.  Poppadoms, a mixed starter and followed up with Garlic Chilli Chicken and Mushroom Rice.  Not molten hot but hot enough for me.  Probably Jalfrezi-ish strength.

Went back to mine, fell asleep and that was that.

Saturday was fairly busy.  Steve and I headed to my parents on the bus to pick up the car.  I had to go to B&Q to pick up some new light switches to replace the naff looking two in my living room but the main task of the day was to get the new light fitting up in place.  When I say it was new, I actually purchased it over 3 years ago but I'd never got a round to getting it sorted but today was the day.

Back home via B&Q, we had the old light down in a jiffy but got a massive fit of the giggles whilst up the step ladders trying to fix the other light fitting up.  You know the type, you're struggling to keep the giggles under control, they get far too giggly to control, you begin shaking...when 3ft up a step ladder, this is quite dangerous!!!

Eventually got the light up and it looks pretty good.  Shame about the rose in the middle of the ceiling but it can damn well stay there as I'm not paying out for a newly plastered ceiling.

New light fitting up...thanks for the help bruv!

Changing the light switch over was as easy as pie but then we learnt a very valuable lesson.  Did you know that light switches came in different sizes?

Doh!  Hmm, MK switches are a standard 86mm, unlike the 93mm dimmer I took off the wall...

No, me neither.  I just thought they were all a standard size.  How wrong I was.  Problem solved by purchasing some protective plates which fit under the switch to stop marks on wallpaper and paint.  Will post some pics up later once they turn up and I get them fitted.

Back home at the old dears for lunch.  Stayed to watch the Rugby.  Cracking game England v New Zealand.  The Kiwi's haka winds me up more than it should.  Well done the England fans for signing over the top of it to drown it out.  The All Blacks were far too strong for England though on the pitch.  The result was a shame but England can take lots of positives from that performance.

I ended up staying a little longer to eat Chinese takeaway with the folks...then X Factor...and eventually ended up going home about 11pm.  It was a nice day with them.

I was supposed to be going out on a date on Saturday evening but I decided against it in the end.  I knew she was right for me.  Why drag on the inevitable?  Absolutely pointless.

Anyway, got home and decided to sit and watch this epic film:

Prisoners.  What a superb film.  Best I've watched in some years.

  

Keller Dover (amazing performance by Hugh Jackman) is facing every parent's worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter Anna and her young friend Joy are missing, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki arrests its driver, Alex Jones, but a lack of evidence forces his release. As the police pursue multiple leads and pressure mounts, the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?

Off to bed just before 2am.  Well worth the late night though.

Ke

The legs are dead...

As I type at 1pm on Tuesday, my legs feel like lead.

Tomorrow night is the Plumstead Runners 10k handicap race (yes, I can hear you lot sniggering that I'm definitely handicapped) so tonight will be a rest night for the legs.

If I'm honest, I dont think I can ever remember my legs feeling as heavy as this.  What with the cross country on Sunday, the brick session last night, its little wonder really, is it?

Tuesday Rest Day (and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa)

I decided that Tuesday would be a rest day. The knee didnt feel quite right and I wanted to get in the Gym on Wednesday evening and run Thursday morning so made sense to rest.

I made the most of my rest night and went to see the new Alan Partridge film "Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa" at the cinema. Without a shadow of a doubt, it is by far the funniest film I have seen in years. I could literally watch that again and again.

Seriously, if anyone doesnt get Partridge then they need shooting quite frankly. AP at his very very best. Brilliant.

Monday rest day...

Monday was rest day for me as I'm planning another Gym session for Tuesday and Thursday, which fits around the Plumstead Runners night on Wednesday.  Talk about organised.

However, when I say rest night, I got to 8pm and I was bored as hell, so I thought it wouldnt be a bad idea just to do a light weights session with the Swiss Ball.  10 sets of my usual 12 sits ups, 8 chest press, 8 chest fly then 12 sits twists with 2 x 9kg dumbbells.

10 sets in 40 minutes built up a sweat in my sauna of a living room.

I am conscious that in this muscle building stage I'm in, I need sufficient rest between weight sessions now to allow the muscles to rebuild otherwise I will be risking weaknesses and injuries.

Rest day...knee update...and congratulations Mushy & VP

The knee feels sore today. Nowhere near as bad as it has been but sore nonetheless.

I was originally planning a 50 mile tempo ride with RW today but sensibly made the decision last night to give it a wide berth as I didnt want to further damage the knee, especially ahead of tonight (will come on to that shortly).  So its a rest day today.

Lastly, I'd like to wish one of my good mates Yatin (aka Mushy) all the best on his big day today as he finally gets wed to VP.  Such a perfect couple - without doubt the Posh & Becks of Docklands.  I will be headng to London shortly to join the celebrations :)