Some facts and figures…
Posted by admin
Here’s the facts….
Today I went on a bike ride. Ben (Chisel trainer) and Brendon and Jack (of Perth to Paradise fame) joined me for the ride.
Initially Ben and I were going to set off at 3pm but when we heard that Brendon and Jack were keen for a ride we delayed the starter’s gun and departed closer to 4pm. Half way through the ride Brendon and Jack announced that they were turning around to head home….something about another media interview or sponsor’s function that they had to attend.
Ben and I pushed on….
We got right out the back of the Currumbin Valley, turned around and headed for home. About 20 minutes from home the storm clouds rolled in. About 19 minutes from home the sky opened up and for the next 18 minutes Ben and I cursed the so called ‘riding partners’ who were by now probably tucked up indoors after a nice warm shower.
An hour earlier we would have been dry….
Here’s the figures….
The training program I am following had an easy 30 minute ride scheduled for today. I have ridden out the Currumbin Valley many times and even though it’s longer than what the program recommends, I find it to be an easy ride and it was good to have some company along the way.
Total Distance: 31.5 km
Avg Speed: 25.8 km/hr
Max Speed: 47.4 km
Time on Bike: 1hr 13 minutes
Merryn….help me please!!!!
Posted by admin
This morning’s run was my first real hit out after the Half Marathon last Sunday - and I have got to say….I have definitely felt better.
On Wednesday I went for a light 30min jog with a client and felt a little stiff, but nothing too serious. A couple of days of stretching, some pool work and an evening in my Body Science compression shorts…thought it would have been enough.
But this morning jack frost joined us on the run and this was evident with small numbers in the group - only Mel, Jasmine and myself. About an hour of consistent easy paced work in 5 degree weather, followed by a nice long stretch and the best warm coffee on the coast from the girls at The Deck Cafe, Currumbin.
Now only a couple of hours later and I have just got off the phone to Merryn, my massage therapist (seriously the most knowledgable and professional therapist around) to book in for a session tomorrow morning because I can feel my self getting tighter by the minute. Got to fix this quick or else I will be worse off then I was immediately after I had finished the half marathon.
Might have something to do with my technique….I wonder if new born giraffes have this same problem during winter?
Just planting the seed…
Posted by admin
Today I did my swim session with Ben, who is our Chisel Fitness CHEK trainer.
Ben completed the Gold Coast Half Marathon on the weekend and has also completed the world famous London Marathon.
A couple of days ago I mentioned that Ben should join me on the Journey to Ironman…just planting the seed early.
Today’s swim session was a good opportunity for us to punch out a few laps and hopefully it gave Ben the opportunity to think “this bloke is no good in the pool….if he can do it, I can do it!” More than likely though, the thing running through Ben’s mind was “I wonder if I can get to the TAB and put some money on Chris not finishing this thing”.
Either way it was good to train with someone and have a bit of a chat along the way (not under water….we had the odd stop or 10 at the end of the pool). About 1km which isn’t huge but I am starting to get a little more used to turning the shoulders over slowly and making more effective use of the pull under water.
Next on the ‘To do’ list is lift my arse up and start to kick.
I’ll keep you informed on the recruitment drive for PortIM 09.
Not enough long runs…
Posted by admin
Yesterday I competed in the Gold Coast Half Marathon.
I had a number of clients who completed runs for the first time and it was such a big buzz to see them enjoy themselves after all the hard work they had put in. Great work team!!!
I myself had a good run and enjoyed the day. The weather was perfect for running and I felt strong for most of the way.
My time of 1.40 was a personal best for me by 6 minutes but I feel with better preparation I could have come home quicker.
It was the first time I had really gone out to ‘attack’ a big run and for the most part I felt awesome.
The first 16km felt great, none of the usual niggling pain that I have been having lately - specifically calf problems and a bursa in the back of my right knee that decides to play up every now and then. I think my new shoes (Mizuno Nirvana) really helped with this.
After 16km I started to feel it and put it down to not enough distance runs in the lead up. My legs just felt like they turned to concrete and whilst I still felt strong, I could tell I had slowed down and my pace had dropped back to almost 5min km’s.
All in all it was a great day and I am still buzzing. It was a great training run for my big goal and I got a massive boost from feeling so comfortable for most of the run. I can’t wait for the legs to loosen up again so I can go back out there and continue with the training.
Here’s a photo after the race with some Chisel Fitness clients
“I thought you would be a lot worse!”
Posted by admin
Encouraging words aren’t they?
Today I had some friends, Amanda and Jamie have a look at my swimming stroke and as the title says, they were pleasantly surprised.
Apparently I am not going that bad at all. I need to focus on lengthening my stroke and getting more out of my pull under the water. Amanda saw that I was coming across my body a little so I should try to straighten that up a bit and also relax my hips and get more of a kick going on.
Now I know how my clients feel when I take them through an exercise and tell them to concentrate on two or three things at once. Between thinking about breathing, kicking, lengthening my stroke and pulling more under the water, I think I am going to have a headache by the end of my next session.