Running 24-Dec-2014

Well today I have no idea how long I took so no idea of speed. Forgot phone so no GPS app. All I know is I ran around 5.4 miles.

Running 22-Dec-2014

Well first run in almost 3 weeks due to illness, was never going to be impressive. Last thing I wanted was the app on my phone to decide not to bother responding when I was telling it I had finished. I am not putting in the pace as the time is when I actually stopped and it took around 20 second to take the hint, allowed me into the map, which I didn't want, but not to simply stop the time.
Good to be back to training, a bit of catching up to do but no big deal there.

5.39 miles in 44:43, had to work hard to keep it below 45 minutes.

Training 03-Dec-2014

Not been 100% this week by some way feel like I am just avoiding having a cold. Only done the run on Monday and this on Wednesday, which is annoying but not willing to risk more.
I knew I wasn't going to get in 3 proper sessions so made this a mix, glad I did now. Actual exercises went well I used minimal rest to make it almost circuit, almost.

Squats 3 x 10 x 100kg
Press ups from suspension trainer 3 x 10
Narrow grip chins 3 x 10

Running 01-Dec-2014

Well the third run last week never happened. I decided falling asleep at the roadside was likely a bad idea and struggled to stay awake in general.
Back to it in full this week, changing weight sessions, which is always fun. Running weather almost ideal, slightly more moisture in the air than I like but that's real nit picking and not enough for me to worry about with the overall time and speed. Happy that my overall pace seems to be consistently higher.

5.38 miles in 40:54 average speed 7.9mph

Running 26-Nov-2014

Raining up to an hour or so before I ran today, so there was a lot of moisture in the air making breathing 'interesting.' None the less not too bad, just outside current aim of 41 minutes standard.

5.39 miles in 41:07 average speed 7.9mph

Running 25-Nov-2014

Just above freezing, cool clear, ideal.
Work stuff stopped me running yesterday and having hit myself in the eye with a hammer I get pain in the eye from elevated blood pressure so squats would have been stupid.

Current aim is to keep all runs under 41 minutes so I will get a regular 8mph soon.

5.38 miles in 40:52 average speed 7.9mph

Deadlifts 22-Nov-2014

Today I learned deadlifts and kittens don't mix. Kitten got into the gym, I hurt myself concentrating on not hurting her then getting her out of the gym.
A poor end to an otherwise good week. By the time I got her out head wasn't in it, so continuing could have been dangerous.

Deadlifts with fat gripz 90kg
Overhand 4, over under 3, under over 6

Running 21-Nov-2014

PB and target achieved, well it is when rounding to 1dp as the app on my phone does.
Strictly speaking 8mph would be achieved if the distance was 5.4 miles and time was 41:10 but this close.
The actual speed based on distance and time shown on the app is 7.976935749588138mph and with this being my personal best on this route I will confess I am very happy with it.

5.38 miles in 40:28 average speed 8mph

Bench 20-Nov-2014

I will explain the 2.5 sets first. I got to 5th rep on second hand, mistimed the swing and bashed my forearm with the kettle. That finished that set and has left my arm with a nice little tender red spot today.

Alternate kettlebell snatch, high start
2.5 x 10 a side x 24kg

Suspension trainer push ups
3 x 10 dropped the start point each set, last one wasn't anything to boast about form wise, so that is current limit.

Alternate kettlebell side raises to overhead tricep extensions
3 x 10 a side x 8kg

Squats 18-Nov-2014

The joy of writing up training the day after having done it, I know it was a good session based on how I am aching. Expected this to be hard due to being a day late so after good intervals, I wasn't wrong.
I have been wanting to improve my core strength, which will mean having a bigger core no doubt, just what most people don't want. With the way driving around corners in the car was making me groan internally, I would say it is going well.

High bar squats
3 x 10 x 100kg

Low bar squats
3 x 10 x 110kg

Overhead squats
3 x 10 x 50kg

Intervals 18-Nov-2014

Was really able to give it welly on the sprints today, probably due to not doing squats yesterday, that session will be hard this evening. Got that great feeling of having my lungs ripped open from the inside which accompanies a good interval session.

3.72 miles in 33:21 average speed 6.7mph

Running 17-Nov-2014

Yesterday was quite physical and I was quite worn out so this wasn't going to be epic.
However the app that records my run was initially told to stop at 41:54 and took 18 seconds to take the hint. Can't be bothered to work out what it should have been so recording what the non-responsive app said.
Colour coding on the route shows I was consistently fairly quick throughout, making the recording all the more annoying.

5.38 miles in 42:12 average speed 7.6mph

Deadlifts 14-Nov-2014

I would like to say the increased weight was accompanied by complete sets without breaks. Truth is every set with fat gripz needed re gripping at least twice. My forearms are going to suffer for this.

Deadlifts with fat gripz, overhand, over under, under over, going weakest to strongest helped
3 x 10 x 90kg

Underhand bent over row with fat gripz
3 x 10 x 60kg

Single arm kettlebell upright row
3 x 10 a side x 16kg

Running 14-Nov-2014

Best run in a while. Raining, cool and seemingly ideal for going well.

5.4 miles in 40:50 average speed 7.9mph Really want 8 now.

Running 13-Nov-2014

A good run. Felt tough on the lungs and tiring but ideally at the level I could have just kept going as long as I wanted. Back to high level plodding as I like it again. Obviously want to plod faster but this has me happy for today.

5.39 miles in 41:31 average pace 7.8mph

Bench 12-Nov-2014

Reduced drop alternate kettlebell snatch
3 x 10 a side x 20kg (try 24 next time)

Push ups on suspension trainer
3 x 10 shifted feet back to increase intensity

Alternate kettlebell side raises to overhead tricep extension
3 x 10 a side x 8kg

Intervals 11-Nov-2014

Today marks the anniversary of lots of people stopping killing each other in a way that guaranteed there would be more killing in a few more years.
To commemorate this I killed my legs doing intervals. There was an almost 2 minute pause when I was marking time waiting to be able to continue, this made little difference to the overall stats as it was a recovery slot.

3.54 miles in 32:25 average speed 6.6mph

Squats 10-Nov-2014

More off the same. Increase next time.

High bar squats 3 x 10 x 80kg

Low bar squats 3 x 10 x 90kg

Overhead squats 3 x 10 x 40kg

Running 10-Nov-2014

Back to the right side of 42 minutes. Body is now ready to be pushed harder again on a regular basis and the weather is becoming colder which helps a lot.

5.39 miles in 41:55 average speed 7.7mph

Bench 07-Nov-2014

Due to the anniversary of some group of Catholics trying to blow up a Protestant king centuries ago missed doing this on the 5th.

High start alternate kettlebell snatch
3 x 10 a side x 20kg

Push ups on suspension trainer, extended straps this week to increase intensity
3 x 10

Alternate kettlebell side raises to overhead tricep extensions
3 x 10 a side x 8kg, allowing kettle to drop naturally

Running 07-Nov-2014

Plenty of rain this morning giving high humidity. Still slight improvement on yesterday time wise, very slight.

5.39 miles in 42:31 average pace 7.6mph

Deadlift 06-Nov-2014

When I learned how much easier deadlifts are without fat gripz. Got to last rep of last and overhand set, my weakest grip, after 2 attempts I had to concede defeat and took the gripz off, bar went up so easy leaving me realising how pathetic fatties make me. Still good system for remedial and based on aches this morning great for forearms.

Deadlifts with fat gripz under-over, over-under, overhand
3 x 10 x 80kg

Bent over row underhand with fat gripz
3 x 10 x 50kg

Single arm alternate kettlebell upright row
3 x 10 a side x 16kg

Running 06-Nov-2014

Working on my usual principal of if it's cold run faster was an excellent if unimpressive method of improving on Monday's run despite my legs still aching like heck.

5.39 miles in 42:38 average speed 7.6mph

When Eating Disorders Are The Norm

There are some very definite efforts being made by the minority to help people avoid or recover from various eating disorders. It would be nice to say they are winning the battle but all evidence suggests this has now reached the point where eating disorders have become the norm.

This is the point where I am undoubtedly supposed to come over shocked and say it's a modern phenomenon, but both would be a lie. This has been happening for hundreds, possibly thousands of years in various cultures around the world. Today there is more awareness of this being an issue but if anything it has being embraced and encouraged ever more to combat the awareness and enforce ignorance and reliance on the more costly fake lest people become happy with nature and stop spending on imitation.

Before I start in earnest I will openly admit to having been as much victim to wanting to look perfect as anyone else and spent years training to achieve this. There was a sizeable chunk of this time when the shortcut offered by intramuscular hormone supplements was very tempting and in truth it was more financial than moral constraints that stopped me on a number of occasions. I still like looking fit but now I am more interested in being capable and only out to please my wife in terms of looks. So this is not a dig at people wanting to look a certain way or who are unhappy with their body, it is a dig at the unrealistic images portrayed for us to aspire to.

Eating disorders have been around as long as records have shown. There have been periods when being overweight was a sign of prestige and wealth, the poor could barely afford to eat so it was fashionable to be fat. The pressure on women to be thin was severe enough for them to by tapeworm eggs to help them lose weight. So people thinking this is new seriously underestimate how stupid our history has been.

Most of us know about photoshop adjusted photos, and even video editing becoming more common. But no matter how many things pop up saying enhanced in post production etc. people see an image on screen or billboard and want to be like them, even though we know the person shown isn't like the picture.
This isn't new either. Early photographers were as guilty as any modern photshopper, the tricks were less subtle but equally as effective at making people feel ashamed of how they were. These included clipping triangular or rhomboid sections out of the photos and taping them together to make the waist appear smaller then taking a photo of the amended photo.
Before the age of film this was even worse, how many think they have seen what Queen Elizabeth I of England really looked like? Truth is she rarely sat for any of her portraits, she would choose a gown and demand a picture of her in it, a painter showing her in an unflattering light would regret it. The most accurate picture is supposed to be one painted after her death.
There are various tricks that can be used without even going this far, holding a perfect pose for a photo in a position that makes it look as if you are moving, easy way of making you look more perfect than you are.

This is before we add in the joys of surgery, corsetry etc. to give people an artificially enhanced appearance. If you this is aimed at women alone one of the DJs from an old metal club I frequented never went out in public without his girdle and men are the main growth area in aesthetic make up, clothing and surgery today, being seen as relatively untapped.

I made a bold claim at the start that the evidence is showing that eating disorders are becoming the norm. The obvious question to challenge this is 'What evidence?'

Exhibit 1 has to be clothes sizing. A sure fire sign of the shape of the world at large can be measured on what they are wearing. The best selling shapes of clothing drive the market to release more of this shape in different styles.
So when I see the smaller sizes being designed for people without any form to their legs and arms and larger sizes having the most room in the midsection, I draw conclusions that smaller people are getting smaller by under eating causing their limbs to waste away and the larger people are carrying most weight in the midsection due to overeating and inactivity. Even medium sizes are now allowing more room in the middle and less in the limbs in their cut.
The average shape is more centred around more middle and less peripheral bodyweight, and this goes for active or sports wear too in most cases.

Exhibit 2 is the increasing number of people paying for surgery to remove body fat or insert silicone in various areas of the body, from breasts and butts to under calf muscles. People wanting fat removed are generally eating more than they need regularly, I even remember reading of a court case where a woman had liposuction and was trying to sue because the fat came back, she lost but is an example of why this becomes a form of repeat business. Those wanting implanted body mass substitutes are generally underweight, personal experience has shown me that the majority of women I have seen in real life who have had implants have been built like twigs elsewhere, it's not a good look, think soccer balls strapped to a skeleton and you are getting the idea.

Exhibit 3 is the increasing number of people being admitted to hospitals worldwide for issues relating to eating disorders. This volume is increasing far more than the population so seen as a percentage the trend clearly shows that eating disorders are becoming increasingly common. Consider that most suffering from eating disorders will not end up in hospital for it and you start to see this is becoming the norm.

The good news is there are some people trying to help. Spain now has minimum body fat % on models to counter the insane human clothes hangers shown in magazines and catalogues. There is a lot more awareness and of course songs films etc. about avoiding these issues. There is also some really good news in that if you are genuinely happy about how you are there will be others who see you as attractive purely for this reason.

Now the bad news. There is an increasing trend to adjustment on photos, even on already enhanced figures. So a person who is known to have had surgical enhancements or taken substances to have achieved their physique will still have the photoshop touch applied, giving ever more unrealistic impressions of what physical perfection is. This will not stop, in fact it will get worse, as we become used to seeing adjusted images the adjustments will become more extreme to make that image stand out more.
The why is obvious but unpleasant. There is a lot of money to be made making people feel inadequate and this has always been the case. There is money to be made on diets, pharmaceuticals, make up, support clothing, surgery, anything that will make you look closer to the unattainable image in the magazine. Of course for those who don't have the money, are unwilling to pay it or aren't old enough to be able to buy the medication or surgery there is the alternative of developing an eating disorder.

The latest trend is post anorexic obesity, the most dangerous state of health dietary issues can create. Anorexia is never a good idea, but when done for a short bout as some do there is less long term damage. Of course for those who feel a very low self worth and answer this with anorexic starvation or in rarer cases bulimia for a longer time it becomes less a fad and more a lifestyle. Most of us have seen the extreme pictures or people close to death from anorexia, but in truth this is still the minority, most are less extreme, just constantly keeping themselves at a steadily dropping weight by eating rarely and usually badly. Most anorexics will eat sugary foods when they do eat because their bodies are crying out in starvation mode, they will then starve for as long as they can feeling guilt over the last 'binge' I use this as their term. During this time the body will have catabolised any muscle it can afford to lose, mental capacity will have dropped due to the lack of energy to feed our most hungry organ, the brain, any tissue that can be absorbed will be, this includes many of the vital organs, bone health deteriorates due to malnutrition and this is just the highlights. Safe to say long term under eating comes at a high price.
Fast forward a number of years and many get to a point where they stop being anorexic, though most of the time this isn't from a new sense of self worth but more accepting they will never be what they want and giving up. After so many years in starvation mode the body will store anything it can and cry out for increasing volumes of food, which is why those coming away from anorexia in professional care are monitored carefully for so long after stabilising at a healthy weight. So the body will be consuming far more than it needs and putting as much of it to fat stores as it can. The dangers of long term obesity are well known, putting additional strain on the heart and various other organs, the increased weight puts more pressure on the bones and joints which when not exercised are unable to keep up with the increased demand. Now add this to someone who's body has deteriorated and minimised itself from long term anorexia and you have an even more serious problem. The muscles, bones and connective tissues are unable to maintain mobility with the increased load, metabolism will still be low from years of under eating, so there will be a feeling of lethargy coming from low metabolism and lesser ability to move, often adding to various other factors to worsen already present depression. Vital organs will struggle to adapt to the new demands and some can fail especially if the depression is treated with the most common of over the counter remedies, alcohol.

The truth is there are some happy endings for people suffering eating disorders, but they take a long time coming and the journey is never easy. If you are there now please do seek help and persevere, if you truly want to get out of it, because if you don't I virtually guarantee you will fail. This like anything else linked to depression or low self esteem will take a lot of work and time so you have to want it badly.

If you aren't and are wondering if this makes you a bit weird. Maybe it does, but if so that's a good thing, I say with some authority that most of the greatest people in history are far from ordinary and were likely considered weird in their time.
Truth is there will be immense pressure on you to conform to a form that only exists on a computer and if you manage to resist this I and many others will admire you for it. You don't have to be fitness mad, or look like a magazine image, if you feel self assured enough to be happy in yourself this will give you an edge over others. You will be able to achieve more because you will know you can do it and this it turn will improve your confidence even more, something most people cannot help being drawn to.

Intervals 04-Nov-2014

There is something deeply wrong with feeling as if you have been breathing so hard your ribs have been bruised from the inside and considering this to be a good thing. Of course if I knew what was deeply wrong about it I would have a better grasp of moderation than I ever have, because I don't I feel great.
Sprints were definitely faster than I have been able to manage in a while, a sign I am recovering well. Recovery phases got slower over time while sprints stayed consistent. I need something that can tell me for certain how fast each split is, GPS is far from that accurate though and I am doing this on public roads.

Meaningless stats

3.69 miles in 33:14 average speed 6.7mph

Squats 3-Nov-2014

It's good to have someone pointing out every fault. All but 1 was really minor but I felt the difference.


High bar squats 3 x 10 x 80kg

Low bar squats 3 x 10 x 90kg

Overhead squats 3 x 10 x 40kg

Genre Snobs or Metal Pretenders

As the name of the blog covers and a vast minority of my posts state as well as lifting heavy metal I like listening to it. My upbringing introduced me to the inescapable fact that fans of often ear bleeding metal are in somewhat of a minority in civilised or uncivilised society. So of course there is no way a minority group like this would be stupid enough to try splitting themselves into yet more miniscule minority groups is there? That would be stupid beyond belief so of course it happens.

I watch rather a lot of my music on youtube, because I am old and out of touch so this is a good way to find new music I like, and the volume of pretenders stating the album isn't hardcore, melodic death metal because the lead guitarist is using a silver spoon as a plectrum or similarly pointless comparison is just mind numbing for those of us who have one. There are more genres of metal out there than there were bands performing it in the UK charts for most of the 90s, in fairness the metal scene in the UK was pretty slow in that decade but seriously guys you need to get a grip a bit less often. There is classic metal, soft metal, death metal, metalcore, death core, melodic death, hardcore punk, tutu wearing metal, and so many more it is absurd to think no song could end up in more than one genre let alone a full album.

Being the sort of person who tolerates stupidity so happily I of course support the pretenders at every opportunity by pointing out they need to spend a bit more time enjoying the music or finding stuff they do like rather than trying to be a pseudo aficionado on if the power chords are suitably low and bar is the correct amount of milliseconds each to fit the genre in the title.

There is no specific genre I seem to like universally, I like metal that is heavy in sound, fast, with lyrics that are either ridiculous, callous or thought provoking, and clear enough for me to understand while still having the sound that keeps it aggressive. A lot of my music is from this century, because the foundations laid in the classic metal mean newer bands can take more risks, making the music faster, heavier and more abusive than before without risking having no audience. Without the likes of Alice Cooper, who is still awesome if a bit soft for my tastes (who hasn't got away with more than they should to 'Poison'?), there could have been no Iron Maiden, without them there could be no Sepultura then Heaven Shall Burn etc. Of course such views are always well received by the genre snobs as all could imagine, of course this last is total nonsense, but there are always several liking my comments, ranging from kiddie metalheads to other middle aged men who are supposed to have grown out of this by now.

My tastes are definitely getting heavier, something I am noticing due to the number of times I am blipping through songs in the car that would have been fine years ago because they are too soft or slow. I can imagine me listening to someone singing about the injustice of war and government with white noise in the background in a matter of months, I am sure youtube will have that somewhere, I think it might be under the genre of hardcore metalcore with added tutu or something similar.

Running 03-Nov-2014

After a lazy week off running this should have been dreadful. However a nice cool clear day and minimum speed achieved.
Squats this evening and much as my son is not able to spot me he is absolutely brilliant at pulling me up on even the slightest faulty form, no cheating on his watch. Nice too because all the weights I use, even the still remedial, are heavy for him so he doesn't sympathise based on load, just tells me off if the movement is wrong.

5.38 miles in 42:53 average speed 7.5mph

Training w/c 27-Oct-2014

On holiday last week but did all weights, just no running.
Got a new training buddy, not going to be able to spot me for a number of years yet as he's my son, but he is keen to lift. Currently using a plastic tube for a bar with some 1.25kg discs on it or light kettlebells and 1.36kg hand weights.

Squat session

High bar squats 3 x 10 x 70kg

Low bar squats 3 x 10 x 80kg

Overhead squats 3 x 10 x 40kg


Bench session

alternate snatch with minimal knee bend 3 x 10 a side x 20kg

Suspension trainer push ups 3 x 10

Alternate kettlebell side raises & overhead tricep extension 3 x 10 a side x 8kg (allowing kettle to swing back)


Deadlift session

Deadlift with fat gripz 3 x 10 x 70kg (under-over, over-under, both over)

Underhand grip bent over row with fat gripz 3 x 10 x 50kg

Single arm kettlebell upright row 3 x 10 a side x 16kg

Running 24-Oct-2014

By lunchtime aching abs had become whole core aching all around and deep, upper back and shoulders were chiming in as were my hams.
Air was cool clear with a bit of a breeze so the only thing to do was man up a bit, ignore the aches and get on with it. Not a bad run in the end.

5.38 miles in 41:58 average speed 7.7mph

Deadlift 23-Oct-2014

Looks like a full weeks training on the right days, woohoo!
Really making the sessions core focused to repair my back and because of this my abs are killing me today. Really thought my core was better than this.

Deadlift with fat grips complete stop between reps
3 x 10 x 70kg

Bent over row with fat grips underhand grip
3 x 10 x 40kg increase to 50kg next time

Single arm upright row alternating with kettlebell
3 x 10 a side x 16kg

Running 23-Oct-2014

I made a silly mistake of eating something, admittedly a small thing, around 10 to 15 minutes before my run so started gently. Considering this and the fact the app didn't respond to me telling it to stop for a few seconds this wasn't too bad, however I am still annoyed at my stupidity.

5.4 miles in 43:02 average speed 7.5mph

Bench 22-Oct-2014

Spot the missing exercise, and see if you can guess why. Winner will get a free t-shirt (collection only) with only one previous owner, I've grown out of it.

Kettlebell snatch, limited knee bend to put emphasis on shoulders, arms and core.
1 x 10 x 12kg, 2 x 10 x 16kg, definitely needs to go up to 20kg next time

Push ups on suspension trainer, short lengths making them easier.
3 x 10

Kettlebell side raises to overhead + overhead tricep extensions, alternating sides
4kg held wide, lost count just kept going until I could go any more single set. Try 8kg next time ot get proper sets.

The missing exercise is bench and there is a madness in my method. I am on remedial for may back so need to strengthen my core more than I feel bench press would.

Intervals 21-Oct-2014

Well with the tail end of hurricane Gonzalo, not gorgonzola or granola, making running quite interesting today I am pleased with the result. Rain had blown away, wind was trying to do the same to me during some of this lot.
Session was hard work which is always good. The warm up wasn't easy, persuading my legs to get moving was a definite effort on it's own. The final recovery before sprint made me uncertain I was going to get the final sprint done, which is just what I want to feel.

Stats

3.75 miles in 33:13 average speed 6.8mph

Squats 20-Oct-2014

Not exactly inspirational stuff but was late by the time I got chance to train, beats nothing at all.

High bar squats
3 x 10 x 70kg

Low bar squats
3 x 10 x 70kg

Running 20-Oct-2014

this was a nice run. Drizzly rain first half and humid second but felt really comfortable at the end and pace was acceptable.

5.39 miles in 42:17 average speed 7.6mph

Running 17-Oct-2014

This week hasn't exactly been return to glory. No weight training and missed a run yesterday.
I think this run should have been a lot faster, because it felt like I was working harder than the speed tells me I was. Not happy bunny.

5.38 miles in 42:50 average speed 7.5mph

Intervals 14-Oct-2014

Struggled to keep intensity up on this. Sprints felt quite slow, but I didn't feel like I could go faster. Wasn't recovering particularly well either, ended up with stitch at one point which is unusual for me.

Stats

3.63 miles in 32:21 average speed 6.7mph

Artificial Intelligence vs. Natural Stupidity

No contest natural stupidity wins hands down.
The internet is a great way to see this in action if you are fortunate enough not to witness weapons grade stupidity in your real life. But for those who haven't I would like to declare some things that quite clearly demonstrate that we truly aren't as smart as we think we are and why stupidity is not only going to continue but is actively encouraged.

Recent US history, where stupidity was genuinely at it's most terrifying. When the Bush Cheney election had taken place a colleague of mine from the time found an interesting combination of research that should keep the world awake at night. There was a map of the US with average IQ and who was voted for by state. Ever state with an average IQ below 90, consider this is below 90% of the average intelligence for a person of their age, voted Bush conclusively, those with 90 or above voted Cheney. I will confess I didn't check the validity of the data but considering the American education system is worked out on the basis IQ is fixed for life their data in this area isn't likely to be great anyway.
So this meant the most powerful political leader on the planet had gained power by appealing to the most stupid members of the population. The more intelligent americans had either not bothered to vote or made up such a small percentage their votes weren't enough to stop the dumbest leader the nation had ever known gaining power.
We know that elections are only for the middle management and that as The Who said 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss' but if you are too lazy or ignorant to vote intelligently don't bitch about the leadership you get.

Legal claims against workplaces. There are a lot of these encouraged in the UK and I am not a fan, particularly when they are basically encouraging people not to take responsibility for their own safety. 'I was waking through a kitchen and there was a spill on the floor' an environment where spills can happen to someone who has to choose between leaving a potential fire risk or slip hazard for someone to stupid to bother to watch their footing walking through a commercial kitchen. 'I was out on a job and there was no-one available to foot my ladder.' someone who didn't read the part of the UK 1979 health and safety responsibility certificate that says they must be responsible for ensuring they don't take unnecessary risks and should notify the responsible person if looking like they have too.
The worst part about this is that these morons get pay outs, encouraging the stupidity rather than punishing it.
If you need to be told your coffee may be hot or bag of roasted peanuts may contain peanuts, please remove yourself from the gene pool by ensuring you never breed. I know natural selection is supposed to ensure organism that fit their environments prosper but hopefully in time the world will realise that it is not a good thing to have stupidity fitting into our world so well.

Dedicated follower of fashion. A bit of a lighter example of stupidity. I remember being at school when the fashions of the 70s were laughed at with justified aplomb. The same people who were laughing at the ridiculous platforms and flares were then a few years later wearing the same things, though of course the trousers were named boot cut to ensure people could be laughed at for not even recognising they were wearing flares.
There are some intelligent fashions, off the top of my head I can't think of one, but it is so easy to identify the many blatant errors in judgement. Sports clothing becoming so fashionable that the sizing had to allow for the fact that in reality it would be a 20 stone couch potato wearing the latest shell or track suit. It really doesn't matter how many genuine athletes or sports people wear this stuff well it doesn't stop someone who looks like they have 5 buttocks being a great bulimia aid in nike leggings.
I openly admit to having no dress sense whatsoever and that there is a strong chance that many of the clothes I have worn were likely in fashion once but rarely worn at the same time. So yes I can look ridiculous, but I am not stupid enough to think otherwise.

Driving, riding or walking. If you really need to see stupidity displayed en masse in everyday life you only need to be on the move. There are plenty of cases where I have witnessed people to engrossed in their phones, or food to realise they were walking onto the road with a car, truck or bus coming straight at them. I have heard cyclists and motorcyclists declaring they could tell someone was going to pull out on them and were unable to do anything about it, unless of course they had a voice or horn they could activate to make the unobservant driver aware of their presence. Yes, it would be the driver's fault, that doesn't make it hurt less so take action.
One classic I remember when my main transport was still pedal bike, most of my life in fairness, was someone declaring how much safer they were in a car. This was cleared up a bit when I pointed out he was basing this on crash tests done at a maximum of 40mph when he spent most of his time on motorways doing 80mph. So the crumple zones that would save him at half the speed would just reduce the damage meaning you would be trapped and possibly slowly fatally injured rather than instantly killed, personally I would rather die without suffering too much first. Don't talk safety with people who really can understand physics.
The number of ways in which people are stupid when commuting or travelling is immense. There is a good reason the motor car was hailed as the automated death machine in the early part of the 20th century, and it wasn't due to the limits of the machinery.

My job is in technology so I am very experienced in seeing how if you make something idiot proof they will upgrade the idiot, and of course occasionally being the idiot myself. I haven't gone as far as to wonder where the 'any key' is but I have asked how to create something only to have a really clear 'CREATE' button in a clear colour pointed out on screen.
Working in development means you get used to being given uninformed or flaky specifications, then these becoming less mobile and more motorised. This happens to such an extent that I tend to worry now if there is no scope creep, because the majority of the time stuff goes out according to first spec and no-one asks for changes it is because no-one ended up using it. This in itself is not always as stupid as it may first appear but there are definitely cases that have been beyond the realms of intelligence. one I remember was being asked to produce data for people who had found part time work and put this alongside how many women had been found work, not as a subset just an aside. The worst part to this was that I raised how pointless this would be before being told to just build it, then got asked to justify why I had built it afterward as they realised how irrelevant it was.
Those of us who have had to specialise in our jobs are often put to shame by those with more generic knowledge. So while I am lumped into IT by my job, I am left floundering at basic things like how to use the office printer or look blankly when people start talking about PC specs. The old question of 'How many software engineers does it take to change a light bulb?' definitely has the answer, never happen that's a hardware problem in my world. I know hardware exists and is essential for my work to be able to run, I just don't have a clue about it and don't care to learn about it either, voluntary ignorance that frequently makes me look stupid to others.

There are so many examples of how stupidity is rewarded too. People who have made a fortune selling themselves into some form of celebrity and getting a massive following of wannabes into the bargain. A terrifying example is Katie Price, the person who complains so vehemently about Frankie Boyle insulting her parenting but is willing to disappear into any environment she is told if there is a camera in the area, deserting her children while doing so. I remember wondering what exactly all the fuss was about the first and gladly only time I saw her on a TV show, Top Gear as it happens, such a sour face and the voice and personality certainly seemed to back up the look. I do remember thinking the reason for her multiple divorces was that her exes had figured out they could get a better looking twin pack of silicone at the local DIY store, with a better personality to boot.
I think she would be less scary if there weren't an army of young girls seeing her as the way to be. I know she isn't the worst role model people have chosen to follow, Charlie Bronson is one I have heard a couple of people declaring they wanted to emulate and I think he's worse, but the whole spectrum of embracing the most stupid and pointless in our society is a horrible thought.

I declare that I have survived despite the number of stupid things I have done and I stand by it. I cannot justify this fully, much of what I have done could very easily have killed me and as my son pointed out that would mean he wouldn't exist. What I do that is different to so many is accept responsibility for what I have done and the consequences.
Strangely enough when you are living a life where your life is at risk several times a day, you don't tend to consider later life. Something to do with not expecting to have one. The irony is I considered what I did OK because if anything went really wrong I'd die and that would be the end of it, chance of injury were, in my mind, lower than chance of death. I was wrong of course and the list of injuries I sustained was enough for me to have had 247 scars removed from my body, most successfully and those that failed are no worse than previous. The medical insurance covered this and I thought what the heck. The internal damage was pretty nasty too.
As an aside to this I remember being in hospital for the 2nd batch of scar removal, some crossed over others so it took two separate batches. I came out and was wrapped in bandages over a lot of my body to stop me scratching and opening up the delicate stitching. There was another patient in the hospital who looked at my bandages and evidently wanting horror stories asked what I had done. When I answered scar removal he walked away disappointed. Not bright when you consider I was largely covered with bandaging so if someone wanted horror stories I was the place to be.
Back to the point. Now I live with the results of living like there would be no tomorrow only to find there is. This means waking up in pain every day, a few stretches and movements tends to get rid of most of it, and by continuing to train I keep myself able and mobile so I am less lucky and more the result of switching from not caring to looking after myself.
The point here is this is no-one else's fault, it's mine. There was no-one with a gun to my head, in fact it would have likely have taken that to stop me doing the stupid things I made the core of my life for my younger adult years. Subsequently I accept the responsibility for the price I pay for those choices and live with it. We can all be stupid but we need to accept this as our own choice and not look to blame others.

I don't like the drugs. Musical reference aside I am a bit of a rarity in today's world, a total straight head, all the stranger for my interest in dangerous sports, where there are a lot of recreational substances used, part of not caring about later life I guess. The reason is less moral stance and very much fear based. I tried alcohol and it made me uncontrollably violent so I was scared to try anything else. This certainly wasn't lack of opportunity, in fact in some ways the easy availability made it less appealing, there was no urgency to try it because it would always be there. Most of the people I knew were casual or frequent users of class A narcotics and I got used to being around them and what this involved.
The parts I find stupid are the blame and blindness that goes with a lot of drug or substance users, this includes alcohol and other legal substances.
Blame first. 'It wasn't me, it was the drink.' or other substance. Now if this was put into your body by someone else against your will I agree, if not no dice. If you drink the alcohol or take the drugs, you know the risks and likely the effect it will have on you. If you don't want those effects don't take it. I know that with a pathetic amount of alcohol in my system I become out of control and a danger to anyone nearby, so I don't drink. If I did it wouldn't be the alcohol's fault it would be mine and that would be stupid. Most people have done things they regret under the influence of substances they have gone back to, the smarter of these moderate, others just become a joke.
Blindness, not literal but voluntarily ignoring the inescapable fact that there is always a price to pay, sooner or later. If what you take lifts you up, there will be a come down, and it could be a longer journey down than you were ready for. If you take things that are mood based, hallucinogens etc. then being nervous about taking them will definitely mean you will wish you hadn't, there are made up horror stories of course and most of these are stupidly obvious, but seeing someone on a bad trip is pretty bad, being in one must be infinitely worse. I have helped a number of people make decisions on drugs before, and surprisingly considering I never resort to the 'don't do drugs' mantra many have decided not to for a while because of things I have said.
Asking the dealer for guidance is not a good idea, most of them are long term users and don't remember the first time at all. Look up what things do to you positive and negative, short and long term first. There is no such thing as a totally harmless drug and it's worth finding out the cost and benefits before taking it. If you need to see the truth of this find someone who has frequently smoked cannabis, an often stated harmless narcotic, for a number of years and see how a conversation with them feels.
My adrenaline habit wasn't safer than any other addiction, the death would likely have been more dramatic but that's about it. There is no moral high ground here, I found another way to get high that's all there is to it.

Parenting is an area where I think a lot of stupidity starts. There are a lot of people so convinced that children can't do x, y or z and subsequently they never try to find out if they can. I came into parenting totally blind to what different ages were supposed to be able to do, so I talked to my son as an equal, which has meant a number of conversations where I have said a sentence then spent a few minutes explaining the meaning of half the words in it and had to start again because the thread had been totally lost after the explanation. Yes this does make you feel very stupid, but it also means I haven't limited my son by my ignorance, this is to such an extent now that he is teaching me things I genuinely didn't know based on research he does for fun. By the time he reaches adulthood he's going to be way ahead of me, and that's a good thing.
A lot of the time we were educating our son at home involved lessons where we would have a list of things to cover and keep going up the difficulty until he didn't know any more. Then he started learning. This may seem bizarre considering we were teaching him so should know but he has a lot of interest in science, history, geology and a few other things so assuming he wouldn't have been on youtube or google finding out things just for fun would have meant looking like a total idiot in class, something his new teachers are starting to realise is all too easy if he takes an interest.
Children are as dumb as we make them. I know it's fashionable to be stupid but it really is time the fashion changed.

Running 13-Oct-2014

Due to what was in truth not a major cold but enough combined with immune system being lowered by my epilepsy meds to make training counterproductive, this is my first training in 2 weeks.
I could be sensible and break myself in gently but I am already on remedial so I won't.
Run wasn't too bad, will see if this keeps up over the week.

5.37 miles in 42:23 average speed 7.6mph

Bench 27-Sep-2014

As I was doing this I thought I was just tired after a good week. Turns out I was starting to come down with a cold. Helped on a bit by my immune system getting repressed by my epilepsy meds that will mean a week with virtually no training now.

Bench
2 x 20 + 1 x 17 x 50kg

Standing shoulder press with plates
20, 15, 17 with 10kg a side

Bent over side raises
17, 15, 10 with 5kg a side.

Running 26-Sep-2014

A bit of improvement on a Friday, can't be bad.

5.37 miles in 41:36 average speed 7.8mph

Deadlift 25-Sep-2014

I would love to declare the deadlift sets were without regripping, but that would be nonsense, I have decided to put in the sets with numbers I regripped at for clarity. Fat grips really are great at making you struggle like heck to hold onto a bar. Need to decide now if I want to reduce regrip occurrences and stay on the same weight or go up a weight next week. The plan at the moment is to grip under over first set, over under second and both overhand third, this week I got confused and did under over, under over, then remembered and did over under.

Deadlift with fat gripz
3 x 20 x 60kg (12, 17, complete), (8, 13, 17, complete), (6, 10, 13, 15, 17, complete)

Wide grip chins
8, 6, 5 pleased with that due to width of chins, even though the last set had a dodgy 4th rep

Barbell curls with fat gripz
3 x 10 x 30kg every week I think about putting up the weight or reps on this but by keeping the rest really short I have been too worn out to do either. It's only biceps who cares!

Did Life Begin (Or End) At 40?

Short answer, no! Longer answer below.

Well I'm still alive so it didn't end. I haven't died, though after training I can smell that way on occasion. I haven't grown up either, still managed to hurt myself training and play silly games with my son enjoying them as much as any other child would.

I have been 41 for a short while now and there is something to be said about not having a 0 at the end of my age. I am not getting people asking me how much I was dreading turning 40 or how old I must feel any more, I don't even get people looking at me in astonishment at the fact I will happily admit my age which was in some ways worse. I did have a couple of people saying that it will hit me harder when I reached 50 but I had that when I was 30 about turning 40 so I seriously doubt it.


There are a lot of reasons people feel age to be significant and not all of them are bad.

The passing of time brings us ever closer to the end of our lives, dark and sinister maybe for some but for me this is more about what I leave behind. I want to see my son grown up and happy, if he has children I will likely want to see the same for them too. Death means I don't get to see them again, so I won't be there for them if I am needed. That stings more than it should because in truth I seem to be very good at not dying even when all evidence says I should have many times. I am immortal until proven otherwise.

The young at heart. I never fully understand this term, maybe I have always been too old at heart to get it. To me it is always a pretence. I am physically capable of far more than most half my age, I can act the fool with the best of them, I am not young and have no illusions about this, which makes this even more confusing for me. I see people declaring they are young at heart who seem to be using it to describe the fact they are jovial and happy, as if being older makes you less happy. Others use it as an excuse to be selfish and drink like they could when they were younger. The young at heart seem to feel the passage of time is an insult to their eternal youth.

The waiters, not the people bringing you food and drink, these are the people who were waiting for life to bring them something worth having. These people get to 'milestone' birthdays and look back wondering why they didn't get the breaks. Truth is we all get them, the trick is spotting them and going for it, then of course being willing to pay the price for them. I took the road less travelled because I saw what started off as a small opportunity that became a way of life for a few years and set me into a totally different mind-set. The cost is that while the others who walked the more conventional trail have nicer houses that are mostly paid for I don't and with the property market being as it is I likely never will. I don't like it but that is the cost of me taking the opportunities I did.

There are more of course but I don't intend this to be a novel.


Milestone passed. 40 was a mixed year.

I hurt myself being stupid training as already stated. This means I will not be achieving this years targets, though in all honesty they were a bit ridiculous anyway.
For the first time in many years I decided I wanted to build up a bit and be more aesthetically biased than pure functional as I normally am. My wife has put up with me for 15 years and I felt that it would be nice for her to have me looking more appealing for her. The balding old man look isn't what she went for when we first met and there's not a lot I can do about the disappearing hairline but I can work to ensure that beneath the rapidly greying body hair is a physique she likes.
Fortunately she was pretty happy with me as I was because this is not looking realistic at all. In fairness we all have genetic limits on how much muscle we can build without intra-muscular hormone supplements and I am almost 1.5 times my original body weight even with having to slip into remedial work, which seems to be my limit.
When analysing the math it appears the additional weight I was able to gain was far from the 50/50 muscle/fat split and more like 20/80, so I was gaining weight but not much lean mass. I have dropped some weight again now and most of that has been the excess blubber so I do look prettier, if not bigger.

My son started at a school rather than being home educated, which wasn't an instant thing. We were told in no uncertain terms he wasn't suitable for state education, which in fairness to me means the state aren't providing a suitable education and support. Subsequently we took to educating him at home. When at a group of sessions designed to help parents with children on the Autistic spectrum my wife was directed to a school that specialised in secondary age children on the spectrum. After a great deal of sessions, forms etc. we got a SEN (Special Educational Needs) statement, which said this school would be best for him, we were a respectable second there was no third.
We then spent a great deal of time grilling the school on what they would be able to provide for him, concerned that they would be either a glorified nursery providing virtually no education, or be as bad as the school he had attended. They made all the right noises but we were still concerned.
The good news is the SEN was spot on, he loves it and we are starting to be able to just enjoy being his parents again. Something you don't always realise when home educating in a way that actually includes education is how much it can damage your parental relationship. Our son had started to see us as omnipresent and probably always on his back because the parts he was remembering were the critiques over the fun.

Because of the lack of stigma attached to being 41 it is just a bit of fun. It's going well with my son enjoying school, my training going better than I deserve and life is ticking along happily.
So life didn't begin or end, it just continued. If people are being generous they could declare me middle aged, presuming a lifespan of 82 years or they can be less diplomatic and say I'm just old.

Running 25-Sep-2014

Getting some consistent speed going last few runs, which is good. Obviously would be happier if the consistent pace was 8 or more miles per hour but in fairness I am quite happy with this.

5.36 miles in 41:32 average speed 7.7mph

Intervals 23-Sep-2014

They are getting better again. In fairness training in general is back on the mend at the moment, I am as happy as I could be at this stage of remedial work, which means I appreciate I am doing well but hat having to go relatively easy on the weights.

3.72 miles in 33:19 6.7mph

Squats 22-Sep-2014

Getting used to this high rep stuff now. Still looking forward to doing something heavier though.
Calf raises with high bar just using a short plank of wood loose on the floor is good for the core too. Calves were burning like hell by the end of each set.

High bar squats 3 x 20 x 60kg
Step forward lunges with plates in hand 3 x 20 x 10kg a side
Calf raises with bar 3 x 20 x 60kg

Running 22-Sep-2014

Today had temps a bit higher than ideal but humidity low enough to make it OK. I felt like I really could have kept going indefinitely today, pace was really consistent and felt good.

5.38 miles in 42:03 average speed 7.7mph

Running 19-Sep-2014

Took app a few seconds to register but less annoying than it has been, and not nearly enough to make the speed massively different.
81% humidity and hot with it, joy! Still gave it hell and not a bad run.

5.4 miles in 42:06 average speed 7.7mph

Deadlifts 18-Sep-2014

Seizure at the weekend was bound to impact training so the plan was to skip squats if I needed to and pick up on bench day. I didn't and knew that deadlifts needed to be done on the right day. I may try catching up on bench later in the week or at the weekend.

Deadlift with fat grips 3 x 20 x 50kg Getting better at these, regrips are becoming far less frequent, first were after 15, 14 & 10
Wide grip chins 7, 5, 5 with bodyweight I decided to check the width and found this was 105cm bar, which is 3' 5.5" or close to 2/3 my height. Would explain why they feel like hard work.
barbell curls with fat gripz 3 x 10 x 30kg Keep thinking I will add reps or weight to this but by the time I get to them my pathetic endurance has left the building.

Running 18-Sep-2014

This one felt like it should have been faster. I was definitely struggling with the humid air but felt like I was laying down a good pace throughout. Seems as though I was keeping up a consistent pace but not a great one.

5.37 miles in 42:26 average speed 7.6mph

Intervals 16-Sep-2014

Gave it some serious grief today on the sprints and the overall feel was consistent. Now feel as if my lungs have been forced open beyond sensible level, which is a good sign.

3.63 mile in 33:22 average speed 6.5mph

Running 15-Sep-2014

Humidity at levels where I needed gills rather than lungs, and an admittedly small seizure over the weekend. This wasn't going to be wonderful anyway. Add the fact that it took the app around 14 seconds to register me telling it to stop and I was a touch annoyed.
Time is with the additional seconds, speed is likely accurate, still at minimum so I should be happy. If I was the sort to be happy at the minimum though it would be a waste of time training.

5.39 miles in 42:57 average speed 7.5mph

Running 12-Sep-2014

The joy of doing my training on the right days. A respectable if not exceptional run at the end of the week.

5.38 miles in 41:44 average speed 7.7mph

Deadlift 11-Sep-2014

So far I have felt every session this week. Not bad for remedial rubbish.

Deadlift with fat gripz 3 x 20 x 50kg different grip each set.

Full width chins 3 x 5 that extra width is a killer

Curls with fat grips 3 x 10 x 30kg

Running 11-Sep-2014

Hot humid and back to my lungs being my weakness. Still above minimum and I don't think I could have been much quicker today without going full anaerobic. Would have liked better but I didn't have it in me.

5.37 miles in 42:31 average speed 7.6mph

Bench 10-Sep-2014

I am making this remedial more interesting by making myself work harder in rep ranges I haven't done in years. So it starts off feeling easy and ends up feeling like what ever I am training is on fire for about 5 or more reps.

Bench 3 x 20 x 50kg

Shoulder press with plates 3 x 20 x 10kg a side

45 degree bent over shoulder raises 3 x 20 x 5kg holding so plates are past hands.

Intervals 09-Sep-2014

I so deserved this to be an awful session after a good run yesterday and a reasonable squat workout considering I am still in remedial. It's good to be surprised on occasion. This was hard work but the consistency was good. The recovery sections did get a bit slower over the workout but I was able to keep the sprints lively to the last.

3.67 miles in 33:03 average speed 6.7mph

Squats 08-Sep-2014

Slight change of style on the squats. Calf raises were a killer, the balance of doing this with a bar high on shoulders and a loose plank of wood is proving fun.

High bar squats 6 x 10 x 60kg

Step forward lunges with discs 3 x 20 x 5kg a side

Standing calf raises with bar 3 x 20 x 60kg

Running 08-Sep-2014

I think I could have been slightly faster today but I was very close to the limit, and sufficiently happy with the result.
Hot by my standards, a bit humid but the air felt clear and breathing felt relatively easy.

5.38 miles in 41:37 average speed 7.8mph

Deadlift 06-Sep-2014

In order to ensure I give full time to recovery I am doing deadlift with fat gripz from here. Will help improve my grip and keep weights down until I am safe with more.

Deadlift with gripz 20kg warm up. 3 x 15 x 40kg different grip position each set, for balance
Chins full width of rack 6, 5, 6
Barbel curls with gripz 3 x 10 x 30kg

Running 05-Sep-2014

Not pleased. Legs are aching, it is hot etc. but regardless this pace should not have felt this hard to keep up.

5.36 miles in 43:21 average speed 7.4mph

Bench 03-Sep-2014

Bench 3 x 20 1st set 40kg other 2 45kg
Standing shoulder press with plates 15, 10, 15 with 10kg plates. Not sure what happened on the 2nd set, just wasn't there.
Slight bent over shoulder raises 3 x 15 x 5kg a side

Legs were still killing me this morning so was dreading the run. A flambé truck causing me to arrive at work over an hour late removed that worry and my lunch hour.

Squats 02-Sep-2014

Recording this the following day and it was better than I could have expected at this stage of remedial. I actually ache properly.

High Bar Squats 3 x 20 weights 40kg, 50kg, 60kg first set was low bar but decided to try high for first time in well over a decade.

Step forward lunges 3 x 20 first set bodyweight, 2nd and 3rd with 2.5kg disc in each hand.

Calf raises 1 x 14, 1 x 10 with 60kg That was the end of me for this session.

90% Intervals 02-Sep-2014

Fell foul of the fact my GPS tracker has a phone app on it. Got a call just before the last interval was about to start and had to walk.
The session was hard going and just felt harder the further through I got. Really need to get back into these.
Stats mean even less than normal as the last few minutes will have been walking

3.27 miles in 32:52 average speed 6mph

Running 01-Sep-2014

For reasons I don't fully understand the distance I ran today showed as quite a bit higher than normal, despite me doing the same route as normal. The joy of GPS.
Makes the pace a bit strange too. I thought this would be better but after a week off doing destroy it yourself at home and enjoying time with my family, this is not a bad return.

5.49 miles in 43:03 speed 7.6mph

Running 22-Aug-2014

I hate non-responsive tech. Actually finished this in 42:26, but it didn't accept my sweaty mitt swiping the screen to stop timing. Likely would have made this 7.6mph average instead but I can't be bothered calculating it.

5.38 miles in 42:49 average speed 7.5mph

Bench 22-Aug-2014

Gradual improvement

Bench
3 x 20 x 40kg

Shoulder press with discs
3 x 20 x 5kg a side

Standing overhead kettlebell tricep extensions
3 x 20 x 24kg

Running 21-Aug-2014

Recovered enough that my lungs were back to being my weakness again. 91% humidity certainly didn't help me today, but it was good to be able to run at a progressing pace.

5.38 miles in 41:58 average speed 7.7mph

Intervals 19-Aug-2014

I discovered that there is definitely something worse than being pathetic at intervals normally. It's being pathetic at intervals due to being slightly damaged.
I am recovering enough that I can tire myself with intervals but not enough to give all in the early sprints. This meant I was able to give all when I became slightly tired, then felt ready to drop and was so absent sensation wise that even getting stung by a wasp felt minor. The fact that something that is quite uncomfortable now barely made any impact when it happened means I could have been damaging myself and not known but it also explains why my body was feeling like this was easy but I couldn't go faster. It seems I am not sensitive enough to do remedial at maximum effectiveness because I get psyched and stop feeling some of the discomfort, how stupid is that?

The figures mean virtually nothing as always. The first 5 got progressively harder then the last 5 felt intense with last 2 being lung killers.

3.66 miles in 32:45 average speed 6.7mph

Squats 18-Aug-2014

Moderate endurance work, oo, my favourite! Starting to get a bit fed up with the softly softly approach but there is no doubt I have to do this for a few month at least.

Squats 3 x 15 x 40kg
Step forward lunges 3 x 20 x bodyweight
Calf raises with bar and block (as all have been) 3 x 12 x 40kg

Running 18-Aug-2014

Able to give it some effort without pain or issue today. This should have meant dramatic speed, it actually meant hitting minimum but that is a good start.

5.37 miles in 42:40 average speed 7.5mph

Bench/ Deadlift (sort of) 17-Aug-2014

This was me trying to make up for not doing any running or weights on Thursday evening or Friday at all due to life interfering.

Bench 40kg sets of 20, 15, 10 The 20 may have been a silly idea, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
1 set of 10 kettlebell deadlifts with 24kg
Rack Pulls form just below knees 3 x 10 x 40kg

This was definitely my limit and potentially a bad idea, but if nothing else it sets the bar for me.

Want a week of correct day training this time around. That will set me up properly.

Running 14-Aug-2014

So much better than I deserved or expected. After training yesterday I was not feeling totally sure about going for a run so was considering either running a shorter route or walking at lunch instead.
I decided to go for the run, got to the expected turnaround point and decided to go for full distance.
Nearly gave up when I got just passed the downhill section because it started to get uncomfortable. Finished the run with a bit of effort and feeling a little tender now but not sure tonight's bench session will go ahead as planned.

5.38 miles in 43:25 average speed 7.4mph

Squats 13-Aug-2014 (Remedial)

Still on remedial work, or movement perfecting stuff. So the weights are pathetic but boy the movements are spectacular.

Squats warm up 12 x 20kg, 3 x 10 x 40kg

Step forward lunges 3 x 20 bodyweight

Calf raises with barbell 3 x 10 x 40kg

Heavy Metal and the World Wide Web

Most people who enjoy metal seem to mellow their tastes as they age, preferring music that still has a nice sound but a slightly slower pace to go with the pipe and slippers.
There are exceptions of course and I would have to be one of them. Rather than slowing down and relaxing I seem to need ever heavier sounds and faster pace. Music I would have trained to happily a few decades ago is now too mellow for me to be listening to while working. So the stuff I am sat at my soft air conditioned desk listening too is what most consider ear bleeding noise, while the stuff I am training to takes offensive noise to a whole new level. This might explain the fact I have injured the same place 2 years on the trot, in fact after around 15 years of no injuries I have now injured myself 3 times in under 5. Age brings sense and moderation my foot, I swear I am getting worse.

I think part of this is due to that marvel of modern society and mine of misinformation, the internet or world wide web.
When I was younger such tools were the stuff of science fiction so the music I could get hold of was limited to bands I'd heard about, could go see, or music at clubs. The metal scene in the UK wasn't quite dead but definitely in a coma many expected to be terminal. My travel around Europe meant exposure to some great bands singing in either English, surprisingly common, or languages I didn't understand by the time they were being screamed out at excessively high 3 figure decibels and beats per minute.
Don't get me wrong there is little to beat watching a live pub band from a few feet away, but there is a limit to what is available, and once back in the UK this became far worse.
Now we have YouTube which makes spectacular recommendations like Enya as you are listening to Fear Factory, I really wish I was kidding. Of course some of the suggestions are good but I would say the best thing about this is you can read the comments and find sounds that are similar suggested by people you will never meet. So relatively obscure bands like Strapping Young Lad become part of regular listening and the aural abuse continues.

Best of all we get to listen to these things free before buying their stuff and if they are rubbish simply move on Unless you are a bit dim-witted and post comments about the band members being too happy, gay, only to be abused by people intelligent enough to only listen to stuff they enjoy for any length of time.
So when I see people commenting on older stuff how they were born in the wrong era I tend to point out that they weren't and are likely getting to see more live music by the old bands than those of us old enough to have done so in person got too by a looong way.

I have tried a few online radio stations but some of their music matching is almost as bad as suggestions on YouTube. I guess it's difficult when you have someone who's less bothered by sub-genre and more by pace and sound.

The metal community is quite niche and many in it have picked up on the idea of being seriously pretentious. For them I will never be metal enough, I look very normal in an office, that's apparently as far as the normality goes, only have 1 tattoo and no piercings. I settle instead for actually enjoying a range of heavy sounding fast metal music from various sub-genres and artists.
Versions of heavy vary widely, to me it's a deep sound that your feel as much as hear and grabs your attention with both hands while a vocalist enters your mind with lyrics from the profound to the absurd or obscene. I am not a big fan of the full on deepest growling of some death metal but stuff like Heaven Shall Burn is perfectly good for me and some of the symphonic metal has a mix of operatic quality soprano with incredibly guttural death metal that just works incredibly well, though a lot of this tends to be a bit slower.

So a big thank you for the inventor of the world wide web, some random English guy who got nothing for it because in the UK innovation wasn't being encouraged, and the Americans for making it something for us all to play with.
Likewise thanks to all the people who upload music to YouTube for the world to see and hear and to YouTube for amusing me with some of their truly absurd suggestions and adverts, because of course having just selected some ear bleeding metal I am going to really enjoy sitting through a minute long ad for some production line rap or pop artist who has paid extra for an ad I can't skip after a few seconds.

Intervals 12-Aug-2014

I abstained from training deliberately last night for fear of not being able to do intervals today.
I am glad I did because these were pretty dreadful. To show how meaningless the figures are on this the distance covered and average speed is higher than on some really good ones. This is because my body couldn't cope with the rigours of flat out sprinting so I was able to run faster on the rests because breathing was easier, totally the opposite to what I want from intervals.
I am still glad to have done them but this has demonstrated that recovery is a way off yet.

3.71 miles in 33:01 average speed 6.7mph

Looking Back (Anti-Rosy Tints)

There are good things about getting older of course. One I like is the rapidly reducing number of people attributing the fitness I have worked hard on for decades to my youth. There are also bad things about getting older too, one I hate is the number of people, many younger than me, who look back on 'their day' with rosy tints. The world has never been perfect and it never will, it just changes.

One thing that sparked this is the way people talk about music of set eras as great and modern stuff as meaningless and soulless, or of course my favourite, less moral. There has been pop music for as long as there has been music and I'm sorry but if you don't see an immoral message in 'If you can't be with the one you love, Love the one you're with' there isn't a lot of hope for you.
Every type of music changes over time, there is classic and nu metal, because it's far too cool to be spelt new. Some of the classic stuff is pure musical excrement, and even some of the bands who have produced it have stated so in later years. How many of us haven't looked back at work we used to do with a sense of shame? Some of the new stuff is as bad but some of it is truly awesome and you can clearly hear the inspiration from the older stuff.
The message changes because time changes, strangely there are no songs about the war in Vietnam anymore, because most of the bands weren't even born when it ended, but there are plenty singing about the new corruptions etc.
There are of course classic themes that will always endure, topics that haven't changed much, desire for love, sex, good times and of course some that are simply setting out to be hilarious, with varying levels of success.
It is quite strange to think that this is now a long time ago but there was a period of pop songs in the UK that seemed to be going for having the word sex in the title and as the adage goes they were selling well. Someone who is now likely middle aged too announced to me that you wouldn't have been able to listen to music with such crude lyrics years ago. I introduced her to a few examples of how wrong she was from the metal genre and resisted the temptation to tell her what her gaping mouth should be used for, in fairness not difficult I like people who can count above their IQ.

My grandfather seems to have been responsible for my earliest realisations that the world wasn't perfect in any era, now it looks as though I am set to follow his example.
I remember him upsetting several his age when I was a child. One class example being when someone was getting him to agree that they didn't have trouble with all these illegal drugs when they were younger, she seemed less than pleased to have the fact this was because they were all legal back then pointed out.
I find it interesting to watch people talk about the way things were so much better when they were younger, who so evidently haven't a clue what was happening at that time. Watching people criticise the, in all fairness, ridiculous fashion of displaying the waist band of underwear while having the trousers draping past the feet. However the usual criticism is about the visibility of the underwear. I remember being a child during the punk era when there were a few people wearing see through trousers, one couple in particular would have assisted any struggling bulimic with how low slung their buttocks were, so by comparison G-string and see through trousers from the old days is nowhere near as tame and inoffensive as the flash of waistband from recent times. Fashion is always ridiculous, that's the whole point, if you don't want to look cool copy me, I never have.
Crime and violence. The all time classic, because of course the fact we know the majority of crime is committed by people under 25 is only from this generation, we haven't gained this knowledge by looking back over decades of data. The youth of today are very similar in most ways to the youth of my day, my parents day etc. In fact the truth is that per capita there are less youths being involved in crime than there was in my youth, and it has been attributed in part to one of the very things that has been blamed for violence for years. Video games are the way a lot of people interact now and they have friends who they only know through their games consoles. It is not practical to be indoors playing and outdoors creating trouble so many mis-spent youths are now being mis-spent in front of the TV with a controller in hand.
My grandfather told me about the way the police were encouraged to let things slide a lot just after the war (WW2) because they needed people working not locked up. Then years later when crime was getting to be an issue the government cared about again they had to start arresting people. Lo and behold the post war crime figures are really low and a bit later skyrocket, the world didn't change just priorities. He even admitted himself that he was fortunate to have noticed others getting locked up for being in fights before him to give him time to start using restraint, otherwise he would have been one of them.

There are many parts of this which confuse me. One is the increased use of 'never did me any harm' or 'character building'. Even bullying has been put down as character building, and yes it built characteristics into me, but fortunately I have worked those out since so the harm has been undone. The question I tend to ask when I hear the 'did me no harm' argument is 'Did it do you any good?' Most either look dumbfounded or snap to answer yes before they have had chance to engage their brains. Many things that have built my character have definitely caused me harm and there are a good number I wish hadn't happened. Some were my choice and show that sometimes getting what you want is not a great idea. Truth is we have things happen to us and will have to deal with them after, wishing they never happened doesn't undo the harm, it isn't that easy, especially if you don't accept there may have been harm.
One of the more fundamental is how rapidly people forget how much they hated people talking to them as second rate citizens because they were the youth of the day. I see people now seeing a group of teens messing around in a group, laughing and being loud and assuming they are automatically trouble as per tabloid media. Truth is some are, but the largest majority aren't. They are often hanging around in groups because of the fear we are drip fed telling them they need to for safety, so they are as scared of elders as elders are of them. They get loud because that's what happens when large groups get together. Unfortunately some of these groups get so fed up of being treated like thugs they start acting like them, making it a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Voluntary amnesia goes further still of course and the respect people hated being demanded instead of earned by their elders is now something they don't understand why they aren't just getting.

There are a few things I have seen become abolished or introduced that people criticise now as if they were the key to ultimate peace, harmony and perfection.
Corporal punishment. Because of course who wouldn't be brought into line by a swift whack with a piece of bamboo? Well me for one. I was one of many unpopular kids at school who realised there was a bit of temporary celebrity to be gained from taking a whack without reacting too much, so we would do just enough to get the beating we could stand without too much hardship for playground bragging rights. By the time I was attending school I was at one of the last remaining to have this so it was only part of my education until I was 9 years of age, when we moved to a new area and therefore a new school. The secondary school I was near when I was a lot younger stopped using it after some pressure but the people who had received the beatings before this would boast about the way they had damaged the teacher issuing this's car etc. for revenge. This was while they weren't big enough to hit back against full grown adults, a few who found they suddenly were found themselves excluded from school when they struck back against what was in fairness a legalised armed assailant. Fair to say corporal punishment is a great way of building hatred, animosity or getting noticed by your peers, not even remotely a useful form of punishment to instil discipline.
Lack of technology. I grew up before mobile phones were common, in fact it was quite something to have a home phone and for reasons I never got, most people kept them in the hallway. So people get all nostalgic talking of days when we didn't feel the need for children to have mobile phones in case we need to get hold of them or vice versa. Of course this is them forgetting the sheer panic if the child was late because they had missed the bus and had no way to contact them. My mother used to issue me with 2 10p coins and strict instructions to call her if I was going to be late. Of course sometimes I was nowhere near a payphone and this wasn't practical, on those occasions she would have worried. Technology has it's faults when used badly, spam mail etc. but I am glad my son has a mobile phone and knows how to quickly call us if he needs to. We had a call from him on one occasion because he was in a game of hide and seek we didn't know about in a large outdoor park and we had no idea where he was. Having heard us shouting for him he called us to say he was OK just hiding. This may seem daft but it worked, we were all happy because he was fine and able to continue playing.

I often wonder if there isn't more than a little bit of jealousy behind the rosy tints. Wonder how the world looks through the green mist of envy and rosy tinted glasses. I know my son gets life better than I did, I have worked hard to ensure this is the case and intend it to remain so. He still has to work for things but he was born to my wife and I at a time when we were as ready as we could be and truly wanted him, which makes a massive difference. As with all children he would like things we can't or won't give him, but unlike many he is not being fed nonsense about how our day was so much better, we show him the good and bad so he knows it wasn't better or worse just different.

Running 11-Aug-2014

Tired and it's windy. There is a certain joy to running during times of severe weather warnings, looking at your time at the end isn't one of them.

Intervals tomorrow, that will be an unmitigated disaster no mistake.

5.37 miles in 43:27 average speed 7.4mph

Emotional Preparation (Parenting)

Those who know me well understand I am very hard on parents in general, and as one that includes myself.
I have my list of things I feel all parents should have before they consider having a child and I will support people who are unsure about having a child waiting every time. When it comes to having children if in real doubt, don't.

My opinions here have been strengthened by the fact my son is Asperger's and I have had to work hard to prepare him to deal with emotions he simply doesn't naturally understand but in fairness I have held these beliefs for a long time.

I tend not to go in for sob stories and the below is not a cry for sympathy, it is the life I had and the lessons I learned from it.

My gran was my gran and of course wonderful, to me at least. My mother had a different view of here and some of the things she said I felt were too horrendous to be true until in her later years the barrier between my gran's brain and her mouth started to collapse and I realised where a lot of my mothers issues came from.
Bringing someone up to believe they would only become worthwhile once married and their sole purpose in life was to be a wife and mother and dreams otherwise were worthless is unforgivable and I have heard the 'times were different' argument too many times to accept it. Point out the obstacles and things that would need to be overcome of course and help your child overcome them, don't simply state they will be a failure before they even get a chance.
My grandfather was brought up to be tough, not violent just untouchable and was taught as many are that emotions are for the weak. Ironically it is the genuinely strongest who are most connected to their emotions. This along with an abusive relationship with my gran where as my uncle declared after her death he hit her several times but never struck the first blow, meant he was a classically cold and by appearance heartless man. He had one relationship after divorcing my gran which lasted far longer, to the day he died he was too scared to tell her he loved her, asking my mother to do it for him. I admire him for many things but if this fact doesn't prove that truly tough guys are those who don't need to hide their emotions nothing is.
My father's parents died before I got time to know them enough to even remember them. I do know however that had his mother lived he would have a shape remarkably similar to her boot in his buttocks for the way he was with me when I was younger. His aim was to be husband, father and bread winner with wife at home bringing up his children. My mother was desperate for a way out of home so they were married and I became living proof condoms don't always work some months later. After some persuasion my mother abandoned the idea of an abortion which as a future parent of an unwanted child who felt she wasn't ready for such a responsibility. I know she was young and scared to lose the only person she had in her life who was offering her a life she preferred to being at home, but by this time she had done 2 things I don't agree in, married without really knowing the other person assuming that would be for life, and had a child she knew she didn't want.
They divorced a few years later when the love they declared was shown to be an illusion. In fairness when you haven't been shown a lot of this in your youth it's hard to know if you have it when older, I don't know what love my father was shown but my mother was shown practically none, so while I think she made stupid decisions, I understand why and this is part of why I am harsh on parents.
My father went on to find another wife who was content to play housewife and mother for him and the plan was for him to get custody of me too. At this time the courts were heavily in favour of mothers, likely still are, so when my mother fought for custody she got it. I have discussed this with her, pointing out I wasn't wanted, she declares that by then she felt too much love for me to simply let me go, I will take her at her word on this, but like many who hadn't been brought up to understand emotion she never expressed this to me in any way a child could understand.
With the new family and bad blood between him and my mum most of my memories of my father are of broken promises to come and see me. While I understand he had his other family, this is still not acceptable, if you aren't going to be there don't say otherwise. It hurt me less when he said nothing than when he told me he would and didn't show up. This got to the point where I remember him telling me he would be there on Friday and I asked which one and walked away unable to face him.
One question a number have asked is how I could possibly know I was due for abortion, after all no parent in their right mind would tell a child something like this. As with many who have lives they can't handle my mother hid away in various bottles of alcohol, this lasted my entire childhood in fact it was only in my twenties when I realised I'd had to give her present real thought instead of simply buying a bottle for her that I reflected on how long this had been the norm. She was sober in the day time in order to be able to drive and work but every evening was time for a bottle or more. When I was a lot younger there was very little money in the household so this was generally a solitary of small group affair. When she married my stepfather and he funded her starting a business there was enough money to have frequent celebrations at our home. As the nights wore on the alcohol would mean things she wouldn't ordinarily say became normal. On one of these evenings she declared before a group of people we knew that I was only born because my father wouldn't let her have an abortion. In a very un-Hollywood manner I didn't cry or leave the room I simply smiled and shrugged it off, by that time I wasn't hiding feelings anymore, I had genuinely stopped feeling anything at all, a sign of just how weak I had become out of necessity.

So I am the result of parents who showed me no love or emotional support because as far as I can tell they had none from theirs. After doing what most who are born after abortion is decided against do by attempting suicide a few times and failing so mentally painfully the final time when I realised that no matter how much you want to die your body will over-rule you and make you able to do things you wouldn't believe possible to achieve this, I felt I was the most worthless loser on the planet, doomed to always be.
Forward over a decade and after a lot of work which involved hurting a lot of people who didn't deserve it, I finally figured out how to start allowing emotion back into my life and that being hurt is worth it for the times of feeling good.
Forward even further and I found out I was going to be a dad and was determined above all else that the chain of not showing love or preparing for emotions was going to stop here. My wife's story is infinitely worse than mine so she was totally behind me in ensuring our son understood how precious he is to us, and would understand that anything is possible if you are willing to make the sacrifices. He doesn't like all of this of course, because no child likes being told, yes you can do this but in order to do so you have to sacrifice playtime to prepare for it, and there are times when he is angry with me and genuinely hates me at that time so doesn't want to be reminded that I do love him, but I do it anyway.
Preparing him for an emotional life is becoming harder as he gets older and the situations he encounters become more socially complex. So we work harder on it and when he lashes out emotionally because it was too much we often take the battering, that's just part of the job. Refusing to do this would mean him growing up the same sort of mess as his previous 3 or likely more generations and I will not accept this without at least trying to prevent it.

A parents job is to prepare the child(ren) for a life where we are no longer there, because in most cases that will happen at some point. I see far too many who seem to feel their children should suffer anything they have because that's how they did it. My son knows he is better than I was in every possible way and this gives him pride and confidence because he sees what I have been able to achieve despite my failings so knows he will be able to do far more, if he chooses to. He also knows that he will have our support regardless so is able to make choices based on what he truly wants to make a priority in his life, and understanding what gives his life meaning and how he feels is a valuable part of this.
This is not the softly approach of making out the world will be handed to him on a plate just a way of saying things may be hard work for a long time, but we will be right there with him. This goes for everything including relationships with others.

Running 08-Aug-2014

83% humidity! What the heck is that about?
Gradual improvement took a bit of a back step when I was out running and needed an aqualung.

5.38 miles in 43:32 average speed 7.4mph

Running 07-Aug-2014

The pace is slowly coming back. I am back in the realms of minimum acceptable speed again, just.
Absolutely no pain whatsoever today. The slower pace is due to being out of practice, it being hot as hades outside and me being pathetic. I can fix the first and last of these and will seek to do so in the coming months.

5.39 miles in 43:16 average pace 7.5mph

Running 05-Aug-2014

Today there was some mild discomfort at the start, some physical fatigue from getting back to training again, heat and in fairness not the worst humidity. There is no way I could have safely done intervals and not set myself back but the standard plod is starting to feel like the only reason it's slow is because I am out of practice and it's hot. Of course I have been wrong before and the years of ignoring damage may mean I am doing so without realising.

6 whole seconds faster than yesterday.

5.38 miles in 43:30 average speed 7.4mph

Squats 05-Aug-2014 (Remedial)

As is often the case in early remedial this was a session of pathetically low intensity and experimentation.

The weight when used was huge at a full 20kg bar with no additional plates.

I have decided to think of this less as remedial and more as perfecting form while I have to use negligible weights. It doesn't stop it being remedial to cover for my stupidity but it feels better this way.

Squats, full parallel, aiming for perfect form. 3 x 10 x 20kg. I was getting most of these to be perfect once warmed into movement and realising that my back and hips were going to let me do them.

Step forward lunges. 3 x 10 bodyweight only. Torso remained totally upright, finished with knees and hips at right angles, knees just touching or above the matting.

Overhead squats 1 x 3 x 20kg. This was a step too far, but I didn't harm myself and know this needs to be switched out for something else for now. The sensation here said stop before you mess yourself up so I did.

Running 04-Aug-2014

I have had plenty of better runs but for a week into recovery training I am very pleased with this.
Barely any discomfort, only on downhill sections and at the very start, no proper pain at all, stretches had some discomfort in a few positions but virtually full range of movement is back. Once again I have been stupid and my body has forgiven me for it far better than I deserve.

Even the pace wasn't too bad, especially considering it was the full distance again. Need to decide if to attempt intervals tomorrow or just go plodding again, expect it will be another plod, don't think sprints would be a good plan.

5.39 mile in 43:36 average speed 7.4mph

Running 01-Aug-2014

Mixed day really. I decided to try shortening the time it took to warm through discomfort and succeeded. The obvious trade off being the discomfort was more severe during the very start, think I'll go back to doing it properly.
This quicker start saw an average pace of 7.8mph on my app for a very short while. It rapidly dropped to 7.4 once I moved to the pace I can do safely at the moment. With me deciding to do the full distance today the final downhill stint, which is the main one at just over a hundred metres and not very steep, hurt and I finished off the run more slowly than I intended but pleased to have done it.
I could try blaming the humidity which was horrible, but this one was as fast as I could have gone in the most ideal weather.

5.38 miles in 44:07 average speed 7.3mph

Running 31-Aug-2014

Now this run started a lot more as I expected the last one to go. After a few hundred metres I was really struggling to keep going and in quite a bit of pain rather than the discomfort of last time. I was convinced this would warm away and fortunately I was largely right, it stopped being painful and just changed to a background sensation and source of fatigue and tiredness.
Distance is apparently more this time but in truth it was the same route. The pain meant a slower start but this time somehow the downhill had no noticeable effect on my run, I think 4 seconds difference is not bad considering. Want to try a full distance tomorrow, will see how I go. Stretches hurt far less this time so I should be less stiff due to having actually stretched the muscles more effectively.

Not wearing nay supports at all now so my back is supporting me sat up all day at work and driving in and back. this will undoubtedly be the source of the pain I got from this but sometimes you have to reach a bit.


3.53 mile in 28:42 average speed 7.4mph

Running 29-Jul-2014

Well a few weeks after a deadlift session without adequate warm up meaning it consisted of 2 sumo deadlifts with 130kg, a pause to chalk up then a catastrophic and painful failure I am back to running.
I took this one carefully as I have only hurt myself twice deadlifting, once last year and once a few weeks ago, both impacted the same spot so I have created a weakness that will take time and effort to strengthen safely.

This was nowhere near as bad as I expected. There was a vision in my mind of getting few hundred metres into the run and having to limp back, or being stupidly arrogant getting halfway and taking ages to get back to work. Neither happened. There was some discomfort and numb pain sensation that was serving as a good warning not to be too stupid. I got to the last point where there is a shortcut back to my office, turned around and ran back. The worst part was a small downhill section as expected due to the additional impact, but I slowed the pace down and even this didn't give proper pain, just warnings.
All in all this was far less traumatic than I deserve for training without proper preparation, something I am certainly old enough to know better than to do. There will be a distinct lack of heavy weight training in the upcoming year, which will take a serious amount of discipline on my part but this isn't quick fix fairy tale land, I want to be training for life so a year off my preferred training isn't much of a cost for such stupidity.

Anyway the run. Weather was hot and I looked as if I'd had a shower by the time I got back. In fairness having the heat may be a good thing while recovering, I am slower in the heat and this will stop me being too stupid for a month or so.

3.52 miles in 28:38 average speed 7.4mph

Running 11-Jul-2014

The actual time I was running is 41:52, but it took 16 seconds for the darned phone to realise I was telling it to stop recording my run. I think the average speed still comes out the same to 1dp. Logging what the app says anyway.
Hot, fairly humid and legs were still dead so very happy to get under 42 minutes in fairness.

5.38 miles in 42:08 speed 7.7mph

Bench 10-Jul-2014

Bench press + kettlebell cleans alternate
3 x 6 + 6 x 70kg + 24kg alternates in this group of sessions are 6 a side 75kg bench next time.

Leant forward shoulder raises + overhead tricep extensions on cable holding rope
3 x 6 + 6 x 10kg plates (outer handles) + 20kg

Running 10-Jul-2014

Quite pleased with this, not quick but legs were feeling effects of the squat session and I still kept above minimum. Even the humidity didn't stop me doing this.

5.38 miles in 42:26 speed 7.6mph

Squats 09-Jul-2014

Well this session got cut short. Had someone drive into me on the way home and my wife wanted to check I was OK, by the time this conversation was over I had lost my momentum and stopped.

Jump Squats & Squats
3 x 6 + 6 x 120kg

In fairness that was hard work so will accept it, sure beats a missed session.

Intervals 08-Jul-2014

Well last weeks bench turned into reorganising the entire house, including carrying the gym upstairs and various other things that likely shouldn't be moved around alone. I was totally shattered yesterday after spending approximately 18 hours doing that over the weekend.

Todays intervals were interesting. Really consistently able to give it beans for the first 8, 9th was painfully hard, 10th was less painful but I felt like the capillaries in my nose were about to explode.

Got back and realised my cool down had over run by a few seconds, at that pace this was probably millimetres.

3.63 miles in 33:41 average speed 6.5mph

Running 04-Jul-2014

Really not good in the heat. Worked hard and time was rubbish, not happy.

5.37 miles in 43:10 speed 7.5mph

Deadlift 03-Jul-2014

Sumo deadlifts + wide low row on cable with fat gripz
3 x 6 + 6 x 110kg 1st set 120kg 2nd & 3rd + 70kg this felt so hard after deads

High pulls from just below knees + alternate arm kettlebell curls
3 x 6 + 6 x 50kg 1st set 55kg 2nd & 3rd + 16kg

Logging this the day after. Aches are starting nicely so this was pitched just right. Happy to have been able to come back at this as if not stopped.

Running 03-Jul-2014

Humidity sucks. Not training properly because of stupidity damaging finger and seizure sucks even more.
Wanted this to be a lot better, but it is what it is.

5.38 mile in 42:31 speed 7.6mph

Running 01-Jul-2014

Well I wasn't able to do 2 of my weight training sessions last week because of having damaged my finger. For some reason I was suffering under the delusion that a digit that hurt when using a computer keyboard would withstand bench press and deadlift session, right up until I tried them.
Add a short but unpleasant seizure on Sunday morning meaning running yesterday would have been beyond stupidity, and my last week has been dandy.
Today should have been intervals. With how my head felt the last mile I am glad I opted for the softer straight forward run. A mixture of belligerence and stupidity, in ratios I'd rather not consider, kept me from slowing to a walk and shortcutting the last mile and I was convinced my time would be totally dreadful. In fairness with heat and humidity that I hate but am getting used to and everything else I was pleasantly surprised to manage minimum speed.

Squats are planned for this evening, if my head stops buzzing and feeling fuzzy. See how I go.

5.38 mile in 42:58 speed 7.5mph