Category: running

Where’s my head at!

Seems my mind is wandering a bit recently, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to motivate myself to do certain things. Not quite sure why that is, but I can tell you it is annoying the hell out of me.

Prime example, this morning. Lovely morning, great forecast, fantastic weather for an early rise ride… But no! For some reason the brain wasn’t having it, so that idea was quickly written off. Substituting the opportunity of riding out in the glorious weather, in fresh flowing air, with riding on Zwift on your trainer is a weak choice, but it is the one I went with.

I seem to worry about being too far from home, mechanical breakdown, or coming off. Not things which used to cross my mind so much. Maybe it is experience weighing down on me, maybe just my mind finding excuses I will listen to, to stop me over doing it. 130 mile week again this week, almost 4,000 miles for the year, and probably not enough rest. If I am left to my own devices, I will happily over do it. So maybe this is a good thing?

Either way, I know I am missing out. So if it is my mind trying to stop me over doing it, I need to reel it in elsewhere, to allow myself the chance to make the most of the good weather.

I have Ride London 46 in a couple of weeks time, and should complete my annual mileage goal around the same time. Hopefully after that I will get this demon off my back, stop obsessing quite so much, and relax more with the weekday riding, and have a bit more freedom for the weekends. I also need to start making an effort to get to new places to ride.

Whatever the reason, it is pissing me off now. Not to say I am not trying hard enough, or achieving enough. Trainer miles, road miles, commuter miles, they all take energy, commitment and focus, regardless of what your beliefs are about each discipline. They burn calories and take a toll on you physically. That is one of the reasons I cycle, so goal achieved.

For me, there is an element of willy waving involved, a huge chunk of physical health, saves money, and the big one, mental health.

Speaking of which, it is really disappointing that my employer Fedex, does not participate in a cycle to work scheme. Given that it is a logistics company, with green commitments, a large fleet and employee base, and a vested interest in mental health (apparently), yet is caught up in the fine print of the agreements, so won’t get involved.

But back to the mental health bit. For me it has been a god send, however like anything, there IS such a thing as too much of a god thing. For me, goals are a strength, a vice, and a weakness.  Achieving them is like candy for the brain, obsessing over them, and the undying drive to achieve them is bad, VERY bad!

As I stand at the moment, I am on 3,876 for the year, so my immediate mindset is , “I must do 124 miles next week”. Not, it would be nice to, but I MUST!! Achievable? Very much so, not a tough ask at all. Sensible to do yet another 100+ week, maybe less so.
Immediately after that is 4,250, my mileage goal for  this year. 16 days of the year left, 124+250, would be nice to finish my annual goal before the end of the month.
Why you ask, I have no idea, it is all just part of this obsession with mini goals, and setting close to unrealistic targets.
We are on Day 196 of the year, there are 166 days left in the year, but for some reason, my mind, my ego, my destructive obsession almost demands it is done in one tenth of that time. Because it would be “good” to…. Where is the logic in that?

This isn’t the first time I have called myself out on this bullshit, and probably won’t be the last. Issue I have is finding the balance between realistic, and achievable goals, and pushing too hard to somehow please others in my mind. Looking back over the last month, I have done much better with rest days, easier weeks etc, so I need to keep up that trend. While at the same time, getting my head out of my arse, and focusing on the positives, and finding the time to enjoy myself , while at the same time achieving sensible goals.

Add to this all, the running training too, and it is becoming a delicate balance right now.
I have put a stop to my cycling training for the time being, as it was becoming a little too much for my body. My priority right now, when thinking straight is to get up to my 10km run goals, then work from there. Trying not to start setting too many running goals, as it will just start the whole destructive mindset all over again. But I know the 10km non stop runs are within reach now. Add to this, I have been accepted for a half marathon for next year, I know I need to work on extended range for running. Pace is key!

For both running an riding, I have managed to realise now that pace is everything. Not so much speed, speed, speed, but more cadence, HR, and pace relative to those. Push too hard, endurance is gone. It’s not a race, it’s a journey, as they say.

So, long may the journey continue.

Thanks for reading 🙂

So frustrated with weight!

I don’t get it, I am doing everything I have ever done in the past to lose weight, in fact, I might go so far as to say, more! But nothing, I drop a chunk of pounds, then just sit there stuck at a number.

At the moment it is low 240s (lbs). I am cycling 100+ miles a week, running three times a week, eating clean for the most part. Saturated fat intake super low, protein intake good, calorie intake is in deficit to burn almost every day.

The issue is two pronged. Firstly, I don’t like being this over weight, the numbers are too high, weight, waist measurement etc. It doesn’t look good, doesn’t feel good, and I know I can do better.
Secondly there are the physical impacts. Cycling I can do, running I can do, cycling up above average gradients kills be (as I found out yesterday, and stairs leave me a little breathless.

Recovery is great however, moments after the higher impact demand on my body, my HR drops, breathing settles, and I am able to resume normal activities. Ironically recovery used to be a weakness for me, but now its great. Just a shame about the rest.

100 mile ride, not too big a deal, managing to churn the miles out with no ill effect. Throw a few bigger hills in my way and suddenly (more recently) I struggle. Looking back a year or so, I was riding up Spanish hills in stupid heat, and while not perfection, it was more than doable. Now, meh!

So with all that in mind, what the hell is wrong. I don’t want to go off down the “it’s medical” route,I doubt very much it is. So what on earth is stopping the progress. Have I hit the wall, is this just a really slow and frustrating phase, or has my physiology changed, meaning I need a new approach. Time marches on and all that.

One of the difficulties I face is scheduling. I know I make life a bit of a rush at times, and possibly take on more than I can manage. By that I mean my own things, day to day stuff. Trying to fit in riding, running, commuting, working, a home life, seems a bit of a faff at times. Only this week have I managed to catch up with the weeks to match my running training. Running weeks have spread across calendar weeks where I have not managed to keep up.

So here we are on a Sunday, end of Week 3 of run training, now in sync with the calendar. Good miles so far on the bike this week too, with a combination of commuting and riding.

Another of my issues is obsessing about miles. Healthy or unhealthy, probably the latter. Seeing milestones within reach drives me to push harder than I possibly should. With a healthy annual goal of 4,250 miles, achieving it should not be too hard with the daily commute included. However, seeing the first 1,000 coming up , I pushed to get into four figures ASAP. 1,075 and I would be a quarter of the way into my goal etc. With only a few obvious goals it was fine, but now I am digging for statistics of my previous years, and obsessing about surpassing them in style. So much so, that after 146 days of the year, I am just over 100 miles away from reaching 3,000 miles so far! At 2,875 so far, my mind is saying do 25 today, then I only have 100 to do next week to hit 3,000.

At first glance, to some, that is not actually massive mileage, however, its the rest days that are probably my weakness. This is possibly where the whole thing is falling apart for me. Any healthy regime requires rest. But what is rest, and how much total rest vs “taking it easy” do I need? If I ride the easiest route to and from work, with low effort, is that enough to call it resting? Or do I need to take a strict DO NO EXERCISE day weekly, to allow my body to play catch up? It is all so confusing,

The last time I lost weight in bulk, I was not really cycling. If anything I was just starting out with occasional rides, and much more running. 4-5 times a week, improving in fitness all the time. Now, I commute daily, taking the longer way into work, equalling about 100 miles a week of cycling on my single speed.  Then, to get any fun rides in, I ride at the weekends on one of the road bikes, to get some air, light up my heat map, and tick off hills on the 100 Climbs list.
So am I over doing it with the cycling?

In reality I know I could do with more structure, could probably do with a proper nutrition review, wean myself off fizzy drinks, which can get a bit much at times. But with all that in mind, surely I should still be losing weight? Shouldn’t I? I mean, at least a pound or two a week?

That is where it loops back around to medical. While I don’t think it can be anything, I can’t rule it out.

So right now, I am frustrated! I need to get my head around it, before it gets itself around my head.

Stats at the moment are

Day 146
Active days 122 (rest 24)
2,875 miles ridden
Longest ride 102 miles
Longest streak 49 days

Ideally I need to remain commuting, but I guess I could cut the miles down, a bit at least.
3 days of run training a week, C2-10K so 30-45 mins per session.
A bit of training on the bike, probably at home, few hours a week.
And finally, get some floor work, stretching and yoga in, to maintain general well being.

Is that too much?

I know, I will draw up a written plan!
Right, enough thinking aloud, time to get something written up to start making things a little more structured.

Breaking point!

Today, honestly, I really feel I have reached it for me. Surrounded by so much which I am only capable of interpreting negatively. Impossible to see the light for the darkness, and struggling to have one simple thought without making associations which just tear me to pieces.

I have just sat down and stopped for the first time today after getting up at about 6.30. And as my bum hit the seat, I felt the pressure bearing down on me once again. The instant my brain has nothing else to think about, BOOM, everything crashes down.

Unable to stop thinking about recent events, tearing away at the last shreds of strength and self esteem, I have nothing left. I want to fight, I want to stand tall but I can’t, I just can’t. Instead I am left with flight, and running scared, from not only everything and everyone around me, but trying to escape myself too.

I felt similar to this late last week, and went for a head clearing walk. I got about a mile from home and felt my pace increasing. I was physically actually trying to run away. If the dogs were not at home I would more than likely just have gone to the middle of nowhere, found somewhere to stay and hidden. As I walked further I wanted to cry, to let it all go, cleanse myself of all of this, and start over.

As the realisation hit that this was not possible, I became angry, frustrated. Why am I trapped here?

Eventually after talking to a friend I turned and headed for home, and was lucky enough to have his company for the evening, which helped settle things. This time I don’t even want that. All I can think of in my mind is to go out with the bike, exhaust myself, feel some physical discomfort, actually be responsible for something I am feeling, then come home and hide til it is time to sleep, and forget this day, and those in the past and future exist.

I have said before how hopeless I feel at times. This is total and utter. I can’t think of any positives right now.

Oh and just to make things a little bit worse, my daughter turns 21 tomorrow. The last landmark birthday, the last big celebration and stride into full adulthood…. And I missed them ALL !

I’m gone!

Running scared!

Maybe not actually running, but walking as fast as I can, and as far as I can, for as long as I can, each and every day. Covering 12-20 miles a day on foot, and when the weather is right 10-25 miles on the bike, I think it is pretty obvious that in my head I am trying to escape it all, if only for a while. From the moment I wake I am trying to find places to go and reasons to stay active. If all else fails its onto the cross trainer for some stamina training and hill climb. I can change my clothes up to 6-7 times a day, soaked through from walking on my own or with the dogs, riding, or cross training. Some days even all four.

While exercise isn’t inherrently dangerous in itself, the pretty rapid weight loss that is coming with it, partly due to the low food intake, isn’t the healthy part of it. With a calorie burn of 5-6000 calories a day, and ending with a deficit after food of 3-5000 calories, it is no surprise I am losing a bit of weight at the moment. Not that I am complaining, I know I need to anyway, but not entirely convinced this is the way to go.

I have also dropped my caffeine intake right down, to try and aid sleeping and avoid the mild hyper activity I have right now. One 2 litre bottle now lasts 4-5 days. Two weeks ago the intake could have been 2×2 litre bottles a day. Quite the drop, and no headaches, so that’s a bonus. I am drowsy at times, but maybe that is something to do with the activity level. (he said sitting down at the kitchen table yawning while writing this at midday. 10 miles done already this morning.)

The past few days, today especially, I have really struggled with anxiety. While out walking I was taking routes where I would be least likely to encounter anyone I know, cross away from street vendors and sales people, avoid beggers or any environment where I might encounter conversation or any form of contact with people. It’s strange that my escape from letting my mind run wild, and the anxiety that causes takes me onto streets where I encounter another kind of anxiety. However being outside I am able to avoid the triggers easier than being at home.

Another problem is the times of loneliness, where I crave company, to chat, and offload to, are fought off by the feeling of anxiety at the thought of being in close proximity with someone. There are very few people I feel comfortable around right now, so considering being in the company of the wrong sort of energy person freaks me out. I have some great friends, and miss some dearly, but where my head is right now, I just can’t risk being in their company, in fear of messing things up.

I ache from walking and exercising so much, my back is a mess, and would love a physio session or something soon. But the timing is so wrong. So for now, I shall manage the best I can, and forfeit physical comfort for the sake of mental stability, however slight it may be.  The only other option is sleep more, but I don’t want to become a duvet camper. Being out, active, breathing fresh air really feels like the best way.

Thinking while walking has become another thing I am doing now, which is a bummer as I have tried to shut my mind up while walking, the idea is escape. But the thought I can’t get out of my head right now, is the was CBT has been presented to me. My interpretation being that I am in control of my thoughts, and therefore if my thoughts are my problem, and I am in control, it is all my fault. That’s how my brain takes it right now. Being told you simply CAN’T do or think something is not a cure. Breaking the cycle, which I know is what CBT is really about is the key. But how do do you that when there are so many triggers and issues to over come?

This isn’t just about ending a relationship, or having no one to talk to, this is about the bigger picture of how those events have changed my thinking and perception of friendships and relationships. My fear of both now is huge, hence I have become so withdrawn from society as a whole, and even after reactivating my Facebook, have chosen not to engage with anyone. Quite frankly I am fuckin terrified of screwing up any more friendships or losing any more important people from my life. Being hidden away in my little shell, with limited contact with people. Not leaning or depending on any one person too much, so cancellations or let downs don’t result in such huge mood bombs. It’s all the plan, to keep myself safe….. from myself! If that makes any sense.

Retreating, running scared, shutting as much out as possible really feels like the safest option for me right now, and helps me avoid the feeling of self blame, and block this path of self destruction.

An example of how my mind works. While typing this I have received a message on my phone. I haven’t looked at it as already my mind is being negative, and telling me the message is going to be cancelling the only high of the day which has been planned for a while. That would turn into self loathing, and in turn I would start to punish myself again with more physical activity to silence my mind.

Right, I better get on with other things and try and do some shopping, see if I can manage that. Better read the message to eh!

Thanks for reading.