#Turbovember Day 29 & 30

Another commute day yesterday with an easy spin into work and then battering myself on the way home, pushing hard for the whole ride. After a short break I went out for a 40 minute very easy run. No bad reactions and felt quite comfortable.

So today was the last day of #turbovember and I celebrated by having another rest day. I've just totted up the numbers for the last 30 days, I hadn't had time before now nd I am pretty pleased. 34 hours total with only 2 complete rest days. The third week was the most surprising with 14.5 hours training. It's been a good kickstart to my winter training but now it's time to get a bit more balance with some slow, easy running and getting along to a weekly swim session. A good start, but now it's time to keep the momentum going.

#Turbovember Day 27 & 28

Technical issues (a crap laptop) meant no post last night, but yesterday's #turbovember session was one hour's worth of bike commuting and a run. The commute was grim, in particular, forgetting to dry my cycle shorts at work and then having to put on very wet and cold lycra at the end of the day. Bleeeeurrrgh. It was a steady effort there and back and I felt so much better for a two days' rest from cycling. #Turbovember or not, I needed it. The run in the evening was a 35 minute affair; very slow to start and then after 20 minutes 5x1 minute with a 1 minute recovery. The efforts were fast strides rather than full out efforts in order not to stress the feet too much. All good, other than feeling overweight when trying to run fast. I need to do lots of slow easy miles and get it down a bit.

Today was more commuting on the langster and a busy evening has meant that that would have to do, as today has been my birthday.

What I wanted was one of these;

What I got was one of these; 

I did get a fab skull cap thingy to wear under my bike helmet, which with the sudden drop in temperature is very timely and some new lycra. Fab.u.lous.

#Turbovember Day 26

Forgive me, for I have sinned. Ended up not doing a turbo set last night and also have not done one today, although I was back for a swim at the club tonight. Mainly drills but very hard work non-the-less. Overweight and underpowered. Bike commute tomorrow though.

#Turbovember Day 25

I had a lovely run this morning, pootling around the bottom of Boxhill then Simon and I took in the climbs up to the farm at the top of Young Street then through the back of Denbies vineyard before looping around Ryker's cafe for home. We started too fast and I had a bad patch for a couple of miles before settling in for the rest of the run. Aching like a SoB now, but in a good way. I'll put in a gentle 30-40 minute spin this evening, but unfortunately I don't think that I can count it as a brick session with an 8 hour gap between.

#Turbovember Day 24

A day of rest, because I sorely needed it. Instead, I have eaten chocolate cake and drunk champagne. Tomorrow I will repent by going for a long run and a short turbo.

#Turbovember Day 23

Today's session was one hour's worth of bike commuting on the langster. The ride in this morning was hard work; uphill most of the way and on fried legs from the short, sharp session the day before. The weekend's going to be interesting as little wheezy has been sick for the last few hours so it's not looking good.

#Turbovember Day 22

Another late one due to life issues. 35 minutes with 5x3mins, 1 min recovery, which just tips me over the 1000 minutes for #Turbovember.

#Turbovember Day 21

I've managed to tick off one of the 90 minute sessions which gives me a frustrating 990 minutes total #turbovember time so far. Tonight's session included 5x10mins with 5 mins spin recovery. Probably too much easy stuff but I feel that I still need to take it a bit easy at the moment. I'll aim to have a harder and shorter set tomorrow night as time will be tight. Very glad that I am nearing the end of this thing.

#Turbovember Day 20

A long day at work, home at 9.30 and then straight into the turbo dungeon. Even I could see the relative futility of that one. Anyway, 30 minutes done with 2x5min tempo efforts in there. I still have 3 90 sessions and 2 bricks to knock off to officially complete #Turbovember and only 10 days left to do them in. Double turbo days? Now that's something I've never contemplated before. Bed.

#Turbovember Day 19

I felt marginally better today. Less snot; more energy. A good sign. However this evening was a very gentle 30 minute spin which still left me feeling a bit more tired than it really should have done. However I have been basking in the glow of yesterday's 7.5 mile run done without my feet imploding on me. I had kind of forgotten the importance of that quite significant fact.

#Turbovember Day 18

I was feeling very secondhand this morning but I had arranged to meet Simon for a run so I managed to drag myself out of bed to meet him. We decided to head over to Richmond Park and do a slow lap and this was to be my longest run in a long time. It was a gorgeous morning, lots of frost on the ground and only just above freezing. The only damper on it all was my stomach which still wasn't feeling right. The first few miles were ok but as we ran on I began to feel worse and worse. I could feel myself getting hot but it was not a healthy warm glow, instead, it was my cheeks and throat on fire while I shuffled along at a barely respectable pace. The last couple of miles from Richmond back to Kingston were horrible and I couldn't wait to get back to the warmth of the car. I made the decision there and then that that was going to be it for the day. I could have gone into the turbo dungeon for a short session but it would not have achieved anything. So today was the first day in 18 that I have not been on my bike. Tomorrow, service will be resumed. But for now, night nurse and bed.

#Turbovember Day 17

I am really pleased to have got today done. I felt pretty second hand this morning with a very tight stomach; that feeling you get when you've consumed too many gels or carb drink. My diet has been awful for the last week or two, rarely eating a balanced dinner and far too light on fruit and veg. Allied to that there's been a vomiting bug doing the rounds at work so it seemed that it was my turn to suffer this but it never really materialised. By mid-afternoon I thought I might as well hop on the turbo and see if that improved the situation or not. Kill or cure and all that.....

It was a fairly low key session of 45 minutes on the turbo as 10spin/10steady/10spin/10steady/5spin. I then went out for an easy run afterwards. the first time I have run in anger in 2 weeks. Other than my stomach I felt really good. Proof positive, in my mind at least, that there is some transferable fitness from bike to run. I cannot remember my last brick session. Three months ago? Something like that and my feet were behaving themselves. Hopefully tomorrow will be a slightly longer run and short turbo spin. Fingers crossed.

#Turbovember Day 16

So I am trying to turbo/cycle every day this month. What's the worst thing that could happen to inhibit that? Get ill? Well, I've done that and carried on regardless. Break my bike? Nah, I can fix that fairly easily. No, the very worst thing to happen would be my washing machine to break down. Twice. I have been wearing the same pair of cycling shorts for four commute rides and two turbo sessions, including yesterday's sweat fest. I almost had to crack them to get them off this evening. I took it easy on the way into work this morning as promised but I ended up beasting myself a bit hard on the way home. There's a mile long section just before I get to my parents' house and a guy had jumped on my back wheel but I couldn't get him off; my legs were just too fried. Still, he didn't have the speed to go past. Commuter racing; gotta love it.

This evening was an easy 30 minute spin at low intensity. Tomorrow morning will be a brick session and my first run in two weeks. I'm looking forward to it.