Finding Shotgun

shotgunmcos

This is a hard log to start as some will know me from another time when I was fit. I guess the wheels started to come off about a year ago. I had a bike accident a broke a few bones but did a 5 day Adventure Race 5 weeks later. It hurt but it was awesome. I needed a few months of straightening out and rebuilding my shoulder though afterwards.

Along came baby Evan and he had a rough start to life. Enough to shove exercise way down the list of priorities. The weight crept up. Not like the few extra off season pounds but proper weight. I'm the heaviest I've been in my life (90kg+) and I have a belly, like a full on over hanging, wobbly belly! Life is busy with a baby, a toddler, studying for an exam and a new job but excuses was never my style. My trusty team mates are on their own adventures. Kate just did Expedition Africa, Sean is out in NY working.

I did a 10k recently which was sponsored by work and it took 49 long minutes. Its all I had. I did get out to Connemara in March for a couple of days of glorious trekking for a Mountain Skills 2 course Caz got me for my birthday. That was fun. I've just not managed to escape for a weekend since. The mountains call me. My gym membership ran out ages ago so I've not seen a pool. I miss swimming but I'll get back to it. Not to train for stuff but just because I like to swim. I dusted the cobwebs off the roadie recently as I have a work cycle thing coming up. 2x40 minute turbo is the sum of my cycling since last July. The work cycle thing is going to feel even worse than the work 10k but its in Cologne and will be a bit of craic.

So why a log now? There is no specific goal (I have nothing entered) but I needed something to get started again. This place has always had something to get you going! I should know, I started it all. There are a couple of things in mind but all are a stretch too far for planning. I just need to get fit to train. Its as simple as that. Anything goes. I'll give it a month. By the end of June I'll either close the log with shame or be in a position to enter something to train for. Suggestions welcome!

pgibbo

Good to see you back Mike. Why not start simple and target a 5k. There's plenty of them about and it would be possible to do a few of them over the summer to gauge progress. Coming from AR that might seem a bit boring or tedious but it might get the fire stoked? Or target one of the hill runs down your way.

The great thing about running is you need damn all kit and can do it from just about anywhere.

P.

carbonceiling

Great to see you re-emerging Mike. I also fell off the wagon over the last 18 months or so after a major injury put me out of action and bashed my confidence a bit.

Would you try Parkrun? Since Christmas, I have found Parkrun Limerick a great way of dipping my toe back in the water, I push the kids around in the double buggy and they have a great time. my times have dropped way down, I am enjoying pushing myself again and it's a very friendly atmosphere.

shotgunmcos

I hear ye guys. Start small and simple. Parkrun is a good suggestion. Caz did one last week and I might go down and push the buggy around next time. Told the Team I'm taking a "gap" year from Adventure Racing, just to allow Life to settle a bit and build back up some fitness.

Kate is mad to go after Expedition Africa though. Sean did float a cool race by me last week for 2018 but I don't think it will run again until 2019. Its Primal Quest, one of old Adventure Races that Pro Teams like Nike, Merrell and Seagate used to battle out for big money and that gets covered on TV. Its in British Columbia this year and there is an Irish Team entered. Noel O'Leary and DAR Dingle.

Back to the simple small stuff. I'm doing Zumba later..!


Edit: Just read that Primal Quest is postponed until 2018 (That's how out of the loop I am). Bit pricey though $10,000 per team!

shotgunmcos

Right I did say anything goes.


Zumba "Zumba is a dance fitness program created by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez during the 1990s"

Work brought in a dude to do a class each week for a while. Some colleagues twisted my arm to sign up and be the only male. I'm one of those that dance like no one is watching types. Its straight from the desk to a large room for an hour of pop beats, an over enthusiastic instructor and trying to follow the moves. Its a bit of fun, an aerobic workout and done before I get home.


Work also have a health program happening and I'm meeting a dietician for a one to one on Friday. I filled out a "typical day" sheet earlier and it was shocking even to me to see it all written down. Mindless eating.

Abhainn

Welcome back Mike.

Small steps, achievable goals, enjoy most though, life too short

griffin100

Great to see you back Mike.

On the food thing I know it's a cliche at this stage but something like My Fitness Pal is a great way of tracking and visually seeing how many calories you're taking in. I've been using it for a year or so and it really does make you consider your food choices. I had to do something after an injury caused me to pile on the kilos and it's helped me loose just over 14kgs. It's also help me keep my weight in check following another injury that's meant I haven't run in 6 months.

BennyMul

Welcome back, albeit since I am also gone is that the correct phrase ???
I truly feel your pain, I am in a similar place over a year since I sat in a saddle (with a new frame sitting at home) and the weight went up and up and now cant see my toes, over the 90kg and hating it.
Have started back plodding (cant call it running) you may have felt the tremors with every footfall. Started using myFitnessPal also and so far after a month nothing dropped but I will keep at it, 
Fancy a spin to BallyHaura some Sunday morning ?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

When you find Shotgun have a look for JB as well
Small steps before giant leaps! Park run with the buggy is a perfect place to start from.

El Director

Hey Mike, welcome back dude. A lot of good advice there. A park run in Feb kicked me off - 27:30 for a 5k but it was better than nothing and at least a start. Since then I've been astonished at how quickly I have progressed in the swim and bike, running getting there too I just need to be more consistent.

I piled on 30kg (74kg to 104kg), couldn't see my toes either. My new TT bike gathered dust, I couldn't even look at it over that period (3 years). Saved and worked hard to afford it, got it together painstakingly over 2 years, bit by bit, got to ride it once and then the heels came off (my training/life not the bike! ;P)


I played a soccer match on Aug 27th 2016 and I was so embarrassed about my state, back home I was always known as a fit lad, I think some were shocked to see me, to see that there was so much of me! That was the final straw. I found MyFitnessPal great too. Paid for one month of it. Counted what I was putting into my body, decided to try to run a daily calorie deficit of 200/300 calories. Counting the calories really opened my eyes. Once I got to my calorie intake for the day I just stopped eating. At first I got to that mark at 3pm and just stopped but I got better and soon it would be 7pm, stop eating and off to bed. The weight just fell off, 20kg in 3 months, people were as surprised as I was asking am I back training but that was the funny thing - I wasn't. I couldn't face running or biking at that weight. Once I was down to 87kg I did start walking. then run/walking. Then some swimming. Then biking. Then the park run in Feb.

When I look back now I am so thankful that I had the courage to start, I can't believe that I was 104kg only 9 months ago. sorry for going on but I just thought that my story might help. You, like me, were always a fit guy with a high motab and if my motab was so easily tapped into, even after 3.5 years of inactivity - I bet yours is too!

One day at a time. Day by day by day. That's what I did and now I have a summer of being fit, healthy and racing to look forward to...and fitting back into my wetsuit...and finally getting my second ride on my TT bike! :cool:

I love motivational videos to do with running/biking/swimming and nature, here are two I have watched to death over the last few months

https://youtu.be/BnkhclKlUag?list=PLDCB60F975A17AE02

https://youtu.be/Mw926AKaVOM?list=PLDCB60F975A17AE02

There were times where I thought El D was gone forever but deep down I always believed, it took time but I got there and cheesy as it sounds - I found myself again. So will you Mike.

Sorry for the ramble :P

carbonceiling

Hey Mike, it seems you have struck a chord with several battered old warhorses like myself.

After a crash off the bike left me with a broken neck and a reconstructed face full of titanium, I thought I could turn it a great comeback story and be back better than ever in just nine short months. That was an un-achievable goal, but it cost me a lot of pain and suffering to realise it, and the failure to achieve it left me just gutted.

It taught me an important lesson though, be determined but also be patient with yourself. I am turning 40 next year and I am finding that I can't just batter myself back into shape like I used to, it just doesn't work like that any more. I still have the same goal, I am just being a bit kinder to myself about the time horizon and a little bit smarter in how I go about it.

El Director

carbonceiling wrote: »

It taught me an important lesson though, be determined but also be patient with yourself...I am just being a bit kinder to myself about the time horizon and a little bit smarter in how I go about it.

+1 to this. Patients is so important. The biggest change in me is my mindset, I have learned to be kinder to myself and less demanding. I'm all about being gentle mentally and physically. I walk a lot now in my long runs, the easy parts of my training are done super easy, if I need a day off or a week I just take it. Like carbonceiling I still have some lofty goals but now I just don't put a deadline on them, I've all my life to achieve them and my main goal is to still be biking, running and swimming when I am in my 60's and 70's

interested

'Finding Shotgun' ?? I found him in a coffee shop at lunch. Simples. :cool:

shotgunmcos

Wow see, step one was the right choice. Come back to Boards and look at all the old virtual and some hairy (interested ha ha, witty as ever, I hardly recognized you as a human! I though aliens had landed at the coffee shop!) peeps that come out


@Carbonceiling - ouch not too unlike my situation but the neck? yikes. I broke the collar bone off at both ends, broke a few ribs behind the shoulder blade and my helmet cracked straight through (and reminded me once again why we wear helmets when the CT scans were clear), however something else reared its head from the crash that I've had to go back again etc...

@El D, JB, Bennymul, Griffin, Abhainn - Hey guys and thanks!

Anyway its crazy to think most of you were around when I first joined boards and we have all or nearly all moved into a different AGs since then! I too turn 40 next year and my muscle memory seems to be stuck in the last AG.

I did 30 minutes turbo this morning south of 200 watts before an up and down the motorway to the big smoke. The garmin told me I needed 12 hours to recover!
Edit: Oh and I downloaded FitnessPal

shotgunmcos

As part of the work cycle thing we have coming up in 4 weeks we have a schedule of fund raising events. Today was a work turbo day. Keeping 8 bikes going all day with changeover every 30 minutes. It was great craic with fancy dress, music and generally a fun Friday. I was sponsored to do 2 slots or an hour. We were slightly behind the target at the start of my wave so I pressed it.

255w for the hour with the last 30 sec max effort was a solid workout. I was both waterboy and mechanic for the rest of the day. Good day exceeding both our distance and fund raising targets.

I squeezed in the 1 to 1 with the dietitian during the day too. In general he said I eat a lot of good food, I've just list my relationship with food. Hence the mindless gluttony. In comparison to others my diet was very good! To kill the sugar snacks he advised physically journaling my food and rating it. The mere act of writing it down would be good as I diary things anyway. I mentioned MyFitness Pal but he said that's just a food log not a diary of why you ate it or what it did for your health. One of my colleagues handed me a chocolate frozen yoghurt afterwards but that is all the ****e I've had so far.

Neady83

Delighted to see you back logging M

I know your trusty team mates are doing their own thing this year but you've some SHART mates that would more than love your company I'm out and about every weekend if you fancy planning something fun and adventurous?

One thing I always admired about your log was your love for your training and the fun things you used to do. Get back out doing those things and the fitness and weight will go in the direction you want

There's this on July 23rd that I'm going to sign up for. A fun day out in Clare without any pressure and there's refreshments in Fr. Teds .... you can't say not to that

Bugsy2000

If the mountains are calling you why don't you give Rogaine another shout. It's as big or small a challenge as you want to make it & the 6 hour event is doable for all levels.

I should have a team heading up for the six hour this year with a mix of average to complete noobs when it comes to compass reading. Should be fun!

shotgunmcos

@Neady I may just be around for that and heading out with you and some of your Western posse would be awesome too
@Bugsy - I'd love to do Rogaine but away with work all that week so not sure how Caz would feel about me taking the next weekend too!

It was after 10:30pm last night by the time I sat on the bike. 60 minutes steady turbo at 207w and 136hr. It felt rougher than those numbers. I probably could have selected a better playlist than "Wedding Dinner" but got it done. Evan has yet another chest problem and is teething. I find myself struggling to not fall asleep at times in work...

shotgunmcos

Zumba 65 mins after work. I was wrecked just going to work this morning. After late night study and turbo Evan decided to keep us awake until 4am. I was hanging. Trying to be good with the diet too so it was tough to ignore the usual chocolate and smell of coffee floating around the office.

The Zumba was grand. I'm the token guy in the class and have a bit of fun with it. Good tempo to it too. Better than nothing...

mloc123

Will follow this with interest MCOS... it sounds like we are both in about the same place at the moment

shotgunmcos

A note on the diet thing.
Losing weight is symptom for a diet watch. I feel people set their goal too narrow and specific and the likelihood of success for something like Luke Skywalker's trench run target is nearly impossible. Often its just not realistic. We chase the weight we were when we felt and looked brilliant, when we were 20! I have real respect for someone ~(that needs to for real health risks) who takes charge of their path and dives in with passion and discipline, realising it will take time. Its not easy. I'm positively alarmed by some of the documentaries I catch myself transfixed by, watching people shell out for a quick fix. Even more worrying its not just far flung TV places but actual real people I know taking this worrying shortcut through life.

The focus has to be lifestyle rather than a just a number.

Having said that, I'm using a number to get be back on track. I weight goal that is not as much about aesthetics but about being able to run up a hill without stopping. I pulled out Matt Fitzgerald's Racing weight as I remembered using his Diet Quality Score before. Its a bit too strict and basic but I also remember the diet profiles of some different athletes as appendices. So I took a few tips from there to vary up the usual usuals for breakfast and lunch. DQS is probably good for a couple of weeks tops just to help shift the habit to a cleaner, more wholesome diet.

Anyway I started the Journal as advised by the dietician and true to a word, writing it down just helps to bring a regular focus and mindfulness to what I'm eating. Last night I had 2 squares of chocolate. I'm not sure I've ever had just 2 squares. I actually put the rest back in the fridge!

The DQS score started last week at -3 and the last couple of days are +10 to +13. I'll weigh in Friday but how does it feel? I haven't changed much. Just 1) bringing more wholegrain rice and protein in general to focus. 2) more variety and 3) better snacks. I average about 450-550 Kcals per meal but I can ratchet up 1,600kcals+ on "snacks" per day alone.

Edit: How it feels. Hard to gauge when sleep deprived from kids but energy is more constant and have felt slightly hungry more often (as apposed eating mechanically, avoiding hunger and feeling bloated). Also more grain and protein is slower to eat which is good for my tableside wolfing manners!

We were pressed for time last night so we threw a Tesco small Spinach & Ricotta Pizza in the oven (after loading on more spinach and cherry tomatoes). We had half each. I asked Caz what she though it was kcal wise? 500kcals she thought. Try 500kcals each! In just that small pizza.

Today there is no sandwich in the lunchbox. Its full of brown rice, tuna, beetroot, seeds, tomatoes, corn and a little lemon and paprika to season.
Accompanying it is a smoothie made of spinach, kiwi, banana, chia seeds, cashew nuts, orange and natural yoghurt topped up with water to make it drinkable.

mossym

glad to see you back.

if you want to forget the pool for a while, i'm starting a regular batch of OW swimming out in Killaloe. couple of times a week, have a couple more that are going to join as well, nothing structured, but the habit of meeting up will hopefully keep all motivated. you're more than welcome to come along.

if you're on, i'll likely go for a swim sunday evening. 30 or 40 minutes easy.let me know

shotgunmcos

mossym wrote: »

glad to see you back.

if you want to forget the pool for a while, i'm starting a regular batch of OW swimming out in Killaloe. couple of times a week, have a couple more that are going to join as well, nothing structured, but the habit of meeting up will hopefully keep all motivated. you're more than welcome to come along.

if you're on, i'll likely go for a swim sunday evening. 30 or 40 minutes easy.let me know

Thanks Mossy, that sounds great. What time are you thinking? Caz may be heading to Bloom this Sunday leaving me with the kids so may not make it. But just in case! I prefer OW swimming to pool anyway and completely forgot about it! I haven't swam in months but 30 mins easy would be awesome. I'll get back to you!

El Director

Fair play to you MCOS with the Zumba. I thought I was the right modern man going to yoga, not even the token man there now! It actually looks fun but it would take me a class or two to loosen up and let myself go!

On the OW lovely offer there from Mossym, hard to beat the feel of open water, I love it. It makes you feel alive and the feeling after when having the hot tea or coffee is just awesome.

shotgunmcos

No OW today unfortunately. Caz gone to Bloom for the day and I have the brats. Managed to get both down for a nap now so I can update.

9km run on Friday after work with a colleague. Lovely figure of 8 run around the town and twice through the park where there was an open food truck festival going on. She had suggested bringing money so we could grab a bite but I'd never have left. About 5:53 pace which is nearly walking pace for some but enough to bring on a sweat on a nice humid evening.

Weekly weigh in at 87.9kg or 193lbs. A drop of 0.6kg or 1.3lbs

Sunday to Saturday
Diet Quality Score/Net Kcals
-3/+115
+3/+904
+10.5/-589
+14/+554
+13/+263
+9/-767
+1/+1,034

Average/Total for the week
+6.7 DQS/+1,514 Kcals

So, while I improved the quality of the diet I still ate too much. I dropped a little weight as a was just busy in general and the overall surplus was 'only' about 200kcals a day. Saturday actually accounted for most of it as I began with a Full Irish Breakfast and ended with a bag of Minstrels at the cinema enjoying the best Aliens film in a while.

The numbers only say one thing. The DQS is mainly positive (but can be better) so I'm getting enough good stuff. I'll only track these metrics until I am consistently measuring where I want to be and then its just maintenance. I'll discard the metrics and trust how I feel once the habits change. Cold turkey doesn't work for me (Dory Dory aka HoochiedoubleD taught me that a few years ago). I have to learn to moderate. Some little changes I made were bringing in better lunches than sandwiches. Lower GI and higher fibre too to stave the 4pm vending machine pull. I also switched out the full fat milk for low fat as I'm drinking gallons. We already use coconut milk in porridge and smoothies but I'll bring almond milk in next. The Dietician sent on a bunch of recipes so I'll start incorporating those gradually. No trying to leap tall buildings...

Happy enough given I used to tend to snack mindlessly while studying

mossym

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Thanks Mossy, that sounds great. What time are you thinking? Caz may be heading to Bloom this Sunday leaving me with the kids so may not make it. But just in case! I prefer OW swimming to pool anyway and completely forgot about it! I haven't swam in months but 30 mins easy would be awesome. I'll get back to you!

Mike
sorry for delay, was in US with work when i sent it (had one day in ireland between lanza and flying to US) and only got back late last night. looks like the swim today won;t happen, forgot it was my mothers birthday so need to cook a big family dinner. but with the bank hol tomorrow i'm only going to postpone 24 hours, so offer is still there for tomorrow if that suits better? morning or evening, either one works

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Just thought I would leave this here as came across it earlier when I was going through photos.

shotgunmcos

Briella Chubby Self-denial wrote: »

Just thought I would leave this here as came across it earlier when I was going through photos.

Thanks! Ah the fun we had. Good times! I look very happy for someone that took a scenic route on the swim. I remember clocking 4.1km and both calves cramping on the sandy ramp after exiting the water. The rest is a blur until you passed me :-)

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Thanks! Ah the fun we had. Good times! I look very happy for someone that took a scenic route on the swim. I remember clocking 4.1km and both calves cramping on the sandy ramp after exiting the water. The rest is a blur until you passed me :-)

Great weekend with Obe One that was no swim detour as it was long that year. Your tumble turn across the finish line was 10/10

shotgunmcos

Just 6.2km running today. Commute run to and from work with backpack
Just 6 days study/testing left and then Exam.

Then I can get on with it. Last weigh in was 86.7kg (Total lost 1.8kg) A combination of better diet quality, less overall Kcals and stressing the weight off!

shotgunmcos

6.5k running today with stuffed backpack to and from work.
Was nearly regretting running in when I saw the black sky looming above after work. The clouds parted for sunny humid windy conditions for the run. The heavens promptly opened as soon as I pressed the ignition. Lucky escape as I had to then pick up the kids.

Really looking forward to focusing on training again but its not the priority for a few days yet.