Donuts, Doughnuts, D'oh-nuts, SALAD ugh.

Two weeks, two rides, less than 100 miles. Not the best of showings for someone used to a few hundred miles. The cold, wind and heavy rain has been putting me off. However on my last ride I haven't felt that good since Rochdale's Triathlon.

Weight loss is no easy feat especially when you're already down to 11.3 stone and even though some weeks I have been doing close to 300 miles at a relatively high pace, the amount of crap eaten  has exceeded the calories burned. Without that food I probably wouldn't have been able to do those distances at those speeds. Marks and Spencer came to the rescue as at most big train stations there is one or very close by where I have a break. They have been doing 2 for £3 and 3 for £5 on salads and deli items so I have tried to eat sensibly for a change. After a small bowl of porridge for breakfast I try to have a bowl of one of the salads every 2-3 hours. 3 bean, edameme and soy, sprouted pea are the main ones which are under 200 calories per serving.

Even when I get home I tried to limit my self to a large tub of soup or beans on toast and if I got the 'rumbles' I'd have a slice of roasted seed toast. It has been a nightmare, as most of you who diet or tried to diet are aware. Constantly craving my favourite items DOUGHNUTS and that's all I can think about as well as not being able to ride as my 'commuter/allrounder' Jamis is undergoing a makeover during the poor weather. Its not cheap this healthy eating so I have had to put bike parts on hold for a couple of weeks. I can see why most of the country eats crap, myself included. Prepared healthy meals cost as much as some bike parts :) and to do it cheaply costs way too much time. So basically I have cut out most if not all of the fat, eaten little meat and kept carbs down too. Energy levels have been surprisingly high but I haven't been exercising. Another of my excesses is super strong coffee which I have found really difficult to stop but I have managed it. Results later.

Ride one was on the Sunday after the last post. Actually the footie game the week before crippled  me for 6 days! Never been that bad before. I decided to get out early whilst the sun was shining and follow the route of the Tour of Britain up to the K.O.M at Crown Point which they had ridden the day before in awful conditions.  Five minutes after setting off, those conditions were replicated and I was feeling their pain. Its hard work going nowhere fast and eventually made it to Rochdale swimming baths to see what the numbers turning up to the TRI club sessions were like and for a quick chat. I was back home for 11am after doing 50miles at an average of 18.9mph, 3000ft ascent. I was aiming for my golden 20mph average and going on work rate felt I had done enough but the wind and rain killed me, as usual.

Ride two was the commute to and from work on 'Super Jamis' This was on the Thursday just gone with winds reaching 20mph!!!!! as it had done all week. 20 miles there and 30 miles back averaging 19.9mph. It is the climbs where I felt the most benefit. Start of Victoria Av is a fairly long drag which gets steeper and steeper and there is another hill just before it too and I was a good  mile or 2 mph on my previous best. Climbs in the opposite direction were just as fruitful just incase the wind was heavily assisting me. Flats were very difficult and laborious due to the wind that's why I was no where near my best times for the whole route.

Sunday 19th September ( where did summer go?) Absolutely lashing it down so cycling was a no go. Gym time:(  A quick 10mile tt on the bike yielded my best effort to date. Completed in 20mins 16 seconds, average power about 290 watts. Back to the old me. 25min spin down at 200 watts average. Rowing machine next, 30 mins, 2min 5s/500m average. Not a great time but I gave it my all on the tt. I finished with a 5km run in 25 mins which is slow and it was difficult. 10mins walk down. I then weighed myself and got the shock of my life. 64.7kgs totally dehydrated with empty stomach. I was close to 71kgs a month or so ago. The best thing is I don't feel drained like I did the last time I hit that weight. Another plus due to the lack of caffeine saturated in my system I have been able to sleep within 20mins of going to bed instead of a few hours. Could be coinciding with the change in outdoor temperature though.

So I have managed to lose the weight and increase my power slightly which is the perfect combo for the hill climb season, not that Ill end up doing many.