This has been a busy week, and one which if I’m honest, from
a training point of view, I wasn’t massively looking forward to. It had a lot
of potential for my training to be disrupted, and also for picking up injuries,
strains and illness bugs. I have just moved house, and it takes time and effort
to pack, unpack, carry luggage and shift bikes around, and so on. Carrying
luggage, whether due to moving house or travelling, is not a beneficial thing
to do as it is all too easy to strain or pull a muscle or two. I was
particularly worried given that my back has been so sore.
Furthermore, I have spent the week at supplier meetings in Norway with work, again with the potential for training disruption. As always though, work is the priority and I'm grateful to have a job and the opportunity to go overseas, to learn and develop. I have come through the week unscathed and I am pleased with what I have managed to achieve.
My checklist for Norway read something like this: laptop, memory stick, documentation, notebooks, work clothes, casual clothes, training clothes, training shoes, glutamine, protein bars, an endless supply of vitamin and dietary supplement pills, and an endless supply of bananas, oranges and apples. This was all in an effort to continue with as “normal” a diet and as “regular” a training routine as possible, and to keep the immune system in top order: 5 flights in 5 days, with lots of meetings in between, can take its toll. Anyway, I was disciplined enough to follow as regular a routine as possible and managed to get some reasonable training done. From a work point of view, we made some progress as well, although next week in the office will be a busy week following up on everything.
Norway from the air
Furthermore, I have spent the week at supplier meetings in Norway with work, again with the potential for training disruption. As always though, work is the priority and I'm grateful to have a job and the opportunity to go overseas, to learn and develop. I have come through the week unscathed and I am pleased with what I have managed to achieve.
My checklist for Norway read something like this: laptop, memory stick, documentation, notebooks, work clothes, casual clothes, training clothes, training shoes, glutamine, protein bars, an endless supply of vitamin and dietary supplement pills, and an endless supply of bananas, oranges and apples. This was all in an effort to continue with as “normal” a diet and as “regular” a training routine as possible, and to keep the immune system in top order: 5 flights in 5 days, with lots of meetings in between, can take its toll. Anyway, I was disciplined enough to follow as regular a routine as possible and managed to get some reasonable training done. From a work point of view, we made some progress as well, although next week in the office will be a busy week following up on everything.
We initially spent two days in Bergen, and we were fortunate
enough to have clear skies, although temperatures were close to zero. Bergen was
a great place, very scenic with its coastal location and surrounded by
mountains. I spent one evening running around Bergen, and another evening in
the stuffy, stale hotel gym. The following images show the views from the
office, and how to commute…
Then it was two days in Kristiansand, which although further
south, had a different climate entirely – the same zero-degree temperatures,
but with a lot of snow. Despite all the snow, all the flights and traffic were
unaffected, and I couldn’t help but think what similar snowfall would do to
London… total shutdown…
In Kristiansand I didn’t want to (literally and metaphorically) run the risk of running and slipping in the snow, so I
stuck to the hotel gym in Kristiansand. Again, it was stuffy and stale, but
better than nothing. The images below show the view from the offices in
Kristiansand, and one of the taxi rides. The yellow building is part of the
office crèche/kindergarten. It seems the Norwegians have struck a work-life
balance with a big emphasis on the “life” part, and to boot, Norway seems to be a really nice country. It was an
expensive place though!
I arrived back into Heathrow on Friday afternoon, and went through
the usual 2-hours-to-trek-across-London routine, back to my new house. I dumped
my luggage and went straight to my new local pool and had a great swim. The
water temperature was perfect (not so cold that it was horrible to get into,
but not so warm that it became uncomfortable after a few hundred metres). The
pool was very quiet, which was also a bonus, and it’s really conveniently
located too.On Saturday, I set up my new “pain cave” in my room, and
instead of a mind-numbing 2 hours in a freezing cold garage with very little
mental stimulation, I spent 2 hours battering away on the bike in a comfortable
temperature, while watching the Ireland v England rugby match. What a
difference. Those rugby boys take some big hits – I don’t think I would last 5
minutes on a rugby pitch – one tackle and I am sure I would literally break
into pieces.
So far, the running around my new locality has been quite inspiring. There are quite a few parks and rivers nearby to run around and along, and as the lighter nights come in and the ground dries out, the running will hopefully be good. I really enjoy getting out and about in a new place, getting a bit lost, and getting to know an area. So for today’s run, I only planned to do 40 minutes but ended up doing 65, partly because I was enjoying it and partly because I was a bit lost. Importantly, it seems I will be able to do most of my running off-road, on riverside trails and on grassy parkland, which will minimise the toll it takes on my legs. Further positivity came in the form of seeing daffodils and tulips sprouting, hopefully an indicator that warmer temperatures are on the way and that with luck we will get away without the harsh winter we had last year.
I no longer have much pain around the arch of my left foot, and my back seems to have cleared up too, thanks to no longer sleeping in an awful bed and thanks to using a handy microwavable heat pack on my back. Because of this, my running miles have increased significantly this week, and I have been pleased that training-wise, the week has gone so well.
Training this week:
Monday 17th Feb: 65 minute run
Tuesday 18th Feb: 40 minute exercise bike, 20 minute hard run
Wed 19th Feb: Rest
Thurs 20th Feb: 1 hour exercise bike, 30 minute hard run
Friday 21st Feb: Swim 4km (250m normal, 500m paddles, x 5)
Saturday 22nd Feb: 2 hour turbo (progressively more resistance every 15 minutes), 40 minute run
Sunday 23rd Feb: Swim 3.3km (sets of 250m drills), 65 minute run
Totals: Swim 7.3km, Bike 75 miles, Run 32 miles.
However, I am feeling fatigued now as it has been a busy week and a tough week, both mentally and physically. The previous week was also tough as I was up late most nights helping out my brother with his dissertation. So, this weekend, on Friday and Saturday nights I slept for 12 hours on both nights, and I will be going to bed early tonight. Tomorrow I will be tackling the new commute at a horrible hour, and having a much-needed rest day.
So far, the running around my new locality has been quite inspiring. There are quite a few parks and rivers nearby to run around and along, and as the lighter nights come in and the ground dries out, the running will hopefully be good. I really enjoy getting out and about in a new place, getting a bit lost, and getting to know an area. So for today’s run, I only planned to do 40 minutes but ended up doing 65, partly because I was enjoying it and partly because I was a bit lost. Importantly, it seems I will be able to do most of my running off-road, on riverside trails and on grassy parkland, which will minimise the toll it takes on my legs. Further positivity came in the form of seeing daffodils and tulips sprouting, hopefully an indicator that warmer temperatures are on the way and that with luck we will get away without the harsh winter we had last year.
I no longer have much pain around the arch of my left foot, and my back seems to have cleared up too, thanks to no longer sleeping in an awful bed and thanks to using a handy microwavable heat pack on my back. Because of this, my running miles have increased significantly this week, and I have been pleased that training-wise, the week has gone so well.
Training this week:
Monday 17th Feb: 65 minute run
Tuesday 18th Feb: 40 minute exercise bike, 20 minute hard run
Wed 19th Feb: Rest
Thurs 20th Feb: 1 hour exercise bike, 30 minute hard run
Friday 21st Feb: Swim 4km (250m normal, 500m paddles, x 5)
Saturday 22nd Feb: 2 hour turbo (progressively more resistance every 15 minutes), 40 minute run
Sunday 23rd Feb: Swim 3.3km (sets of 250m drills), 65 minute run
Totals: Swim 7.3km, Bike 75 miles, Run 32 miles.
However, I am feeling fatigued now as it has been a busy week and a tough week, both mentally and physically. The previous week was also tough as I was up late most nights helping out my brother with his dissertation. So, this weekend, on Friday and Saturday nights I slept for 12 hours on both nights, and I will be going to bed early tonight. Tomorrow I will be tackling the new commute at a horrible hour, and having a much-needed rest day.
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