Post edited 4:38 pm – November 30, 2010 by stevebncanoe

Having got to the point where i can actually start to train (6 months of just getting my weight under control) i have now moved on to completing an outdoor based circuit -aiming for twice a week, and for the first time in years managed a walk/jog combination on the forest tracks near my home.

Also for the first time i set a plan for the week.

I am calling this Week 1 and aiming for :

1 x outdoor circuit with trainer

1 x outdoor circuit solo.

1 x jog/run at easy pace over about 1 hour.

1 x swim (30l x 25m).

1 x long walk with pack.

When i can get a good description of the circuit together (can we post photos ?) i will post this as it should give a much better sense of what i am aiming for.

However–the main point is that i have been looking for a real goal to aim for–i really fancy having a go at the commando challenge if i can get to a decent standard of overall fitness and especially the running without getting injured.

Any thoughts CC team ??.

Sean thanks.

It looks like the road running aspect may be a limiting factor, for now they will be relatively short and easy paced runs mainly on the forest tracks and paths .

I regard the "walking with pack" as a specific exercise form in itself eg that i will think of it as what distance/time with what weight and am very mindful of what is happenning to me when i am "load" carrying.

It almost like what i see in other training journals ie reps and weight and intensity its just that mine is walking as the core exercise but where the workout is specified by its time/distance, weight carried and nature of terrain covered.

At the end of the first week it will be fun tonight to take my diary to work and see which boxes i have managed to tick and where it hasnt worked out–then to plan next weeks work.

Regards

stevebn

Week 2 and would you believe it !!!!.

Looking forward to a good weeks workout and having finished one set of shifts i headed out on wednesday morning to scout out and work on a new area in the woods to set up some more exercise stations.

The area of woodland is an abandonned and overgrown coppice just 10 minutes from home and where i currently run/walk past nearly every day.

On the day , cold clear sunny, i stepped through the broken down slate wall and was just standing surveying a small area , working out where to lace up a dips bar and which small tree to take down when i felt ripping pop in my left calf–funnily i instantly looked around as i felt hat either i had just been sot by an air rifle or stung really badly–except that i was instantly lame on that leg and clearly something had gone wrong.

A couple of hours later and the physio practitioner at the hospital tells me its a gastrocnemius tear with classical presentation–he even brought in a student to demo the diagnosis !! and that i am out of action for the next 6 weeks.

The irony is that i have been really careful and mindfull of the injury i though i would sustain ie lower back and had no concept of the potential for something else to go wrong especially in a prt that is well developed from hundreds of hours of off-trail hiking.

Bummer !!!!

Well it looks like the commando challenge in may is off as i wont be back to running until feb/mar at the earliest so i will probably go for october instead.

The good news is that swimming seems ok and i am close to another personal target which is i mile continous (64 lengths of 25m) s i made 50+ last week (slowly).

I do tart improver lessons in january so for now thats the immediate target.

My weights have arrived as well so i have worked out a "light' weights workout which is based around moving quickly between exercises with between 10 and 20 repetitions to get my heart rate up.

That seems ok as well maybe twice a week at the moment.

I did also have a try at some 'regressed' exercises that otherwise be a problem : so press-ups from knee rather than toes and a half-sitting sit-up + side to side sitting with dumbell.

I also tried short 'planks' of around 10-20 seconds front and side..(almost wrote that i had a short plank which might just be rude in rhyming slang !!!)

happy christmas all…..

Its end of week 6 post injury and i am just starting to make some progress.

For the last 2 weeks and with the ability to get back on the treadmill i have managed :

1. Cardio session (treadmill) aiminf for height gain over 60 minutes at fast walking pace. Achieved 1850 feet .

2. Weights session based on chest,back, shoulders + swim.

3.Cardio session (treadmill) aiming for distance over 60 minutes, limitation being keeping heart rate just below karvonen maximum. Achieved 5.8 miles (4 in 40 minutes)

4. Core stability session + balance session + swim.

5. Long slow distance either 100 lenght swim (2.5km) or 90 minutes treadmill (7 miles).

Next week willl be a slight progression on time on treadmill and introducing some work with a vipr tube for core work and lower body strength.