So, a few weeks ago, I set out some rough guidelines for a
training plan, something like 1 x weights or yoga per week, 1 x speed work, 1 x
long steady and two other floating sessions (not literally), and by and large
I’ve stuck to it. The major change I’ve
made is to include a cut back week every fourth week, shortening the weekend
long session back to an hour or so.
There’ve been a few weeks where I’ve struggled to hit the
targets just with sheer pressure of work – working till midnight and then
waking at 5:30 does not make for a quality training regime. I’ve also been
trying to get a bit more time in on the bike where I can, which has been quite
difficult with being away a lot over the past few weeks, and won’t be letting
up before Christmas, in fact there’s more work than I can shake a stick at, at
the moment.
That said though, I’ve always done the yoga and the speed
work, and I think the speed work is paying dividends. With a target for the new year’s eve 10k of
42mins, I was quite surprised on a tempo training run of 2k-6k at target race
pace – 2k, to break my current PB, coming in at [INSERT TIME HERE]. The 6x 800s are going well as well, with the
last time I din them, coming in on the last one at 3:53 pace for the 800, with
a target of 4:00-4:10 – I always try and do 5 at target pace and then the last
one as fast as I can; so far so good.
The long steady stuff is going well as well, with the last
Sunday club ride coming in at around 85km, with good control throughout and
only one minor mishap when I sprinted ahead to test and lost contact with the
pack until the café stop.
The old adage of not having enough time to post is probably
going to get even worse from now on.
I’ve been enrolled on a new one-year training pan at work, for those
with the potential to eventually go on an make partner level in the
business. When you look at it, we are
trying to double the size of the business in 5 years, with our current model of
so-many staff per partner, and a limit to what any single individual can do in
terms of work, that implies plenty of new partners needed and plenty of
opportunities. The only drawback is a three-day introductory training session
and at least 2-3 days per month of additional effort for the next year. That
might not sound like much, but when I’m lucky to have a week per month at home
at the moment, I can foresee a bloody busy period ahead. Still, if it helps get me where I want to be,
it’s all part of the circus balancing act isn’t it?
One thing I have found though, doing this training is that
although I knew morning speed sessions are essentially evil, they are truly
sent from Satan when combined with a windy, rainy Oxford morning following a
night out with a load of colleagues from all over Europe and Africa, but that’s
no more than we deserve for that kind of behaviour, and if we can complete the
session, then it’s even more useful.
So amongst all of this, how has the diabetes management been
going? To be honest I really can’t complain too much at all. I’ve had far more good days than bad overall,
but I have had a few erratic readings and days starting to creep in. The one thing that continues to help me
maintain a degree of predictability and consistent sensitivity to both carbs
and isulin is exercise. I’ve had very few
exercise related issues, and really seem to have generally got the hang of that
bit. Where, I’m still struggling though
is with a few key foods that I just can’t seem to either assess the carb
content of, or assess the effect of those on me. Number one is boiled white rice, number two
is white bread. They just seem to shoot
my blood sugar way up with no predictability and the last three high readings
I’ve had have all been due to those two foods.
By contrast, the last few lows I’ve had have all been down to low GI
foods like porridge oats or sour dough rye bread, which take a while to digest
and spike the blood sugar.
One thing I’ve been genuinely surprised at amongst colleagues
and clients is the general lack of squeamishness of my testing and injecting,
with most people having very little knowledge of the condition, but interested
to learn.
That’s enough of that, now down to the real business, the
year’s races. This year I’m going for
quality over quantity, with a purpose.
Next year I’ll be 40, so it seems a good opportunity to do something
useful and raise a bit of money for a couple of charities; JDRF (Juvenile
Diabetes Research Fund – type 1 diabetes research) and Highfields Special
School fund for a new minibus. I’ve got
a few key races in mind, all of which I could PB at, so the plan is to open a couple
of just giving pages, raise a shedload of money and contribute myself to the
tune of £100 per PB.
The races are
1) 31/12/13 – New Year’s Eve 10k – last year, 108th
overall, 21st MV35 - Entry in2) Sunday 1st June - The Yomp Mountain Challenge – a 23 mile Fell race – last year I did this in 4 hr 25 three days before my diabetes diagnosis. Run from my parents’ town and hopefully my cousin will come and join me again. Last year’s position, 35th, 32nd male. - Entry in
3) 1st August – 40 mile Ultra at Grimsthorpe – 40 at 40, third time lucky I hope
4) September – Road half Marathon, another local one and flat. Should be good for a fast time.
5) New Year’s Eve 10k – back to the speedwork again, may be stretching it to get another PB here
With them nicely spread out like that, it should give me
enough room to tailor the interim training for each, and hopefully get a good
cycling TT season in amongst that.
Watch this space – the page will be announced in all good
time.
Watch this space as well, for another shoe review – my new
Inov-8 FLite 195s
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