Trying to focus on last few weeks of training for Helvellyn..

Sat down yesterday at 5pm, having slept late and drifted through day in a haze, and thought, right, try a fat-loss week, as about to have period anyway, so less training, far enough out from Helvellyn still, and would be really helpful when up those mountains to have lost a few pounds...according to the literature anyway, it makes a big difference, effect of gravity and all that..

Re-reading the info from cycloclub - as I haven't been brave enough to try fat-loss week for ages - hate not having carbs and feeling hungry - I remembered that I need to do HITs - high intensity training sessions - to deplete the glycogen stores - hadn't managed to get my act together to go running at Wooler running club, so made a last minute decision to go to club bike time trial, as for once, it fitted my training in the HIT category.....lately I've been prioritising longer and hillier biking and running, and open water swimming - well, can't do everything. But the time trials are fun........this one was especially, as I was able to gradually catch up with the one person who left before me - and just after I overtook her at the bottom of the hill up passed the quarry, I was overtaken towards the top - but he then slowed down, so I was able to hang on behind for a while - then shortly after, just after starting the long fast descent, got overtaken again - but went faster than I'd ever gone trying to hang on behind her - which I managed - ish - (didn't make the slip stream unfortunately) - until the bottom, then she pulled away. Luckily, all this distracted me from the fact that the person I'd overtaken was still hanging on not far behind me! I think I did a personal best, although I can't find my times for last year, when I did it more regularly, and the one I stupidly did under the influence of alcohol a few weeks ago didn't get put on the tri site.......maybe it was just too slow! Certainly I had not pedalled any of the long downhill section, as I'd been convinced my gears were jammed, only to find later I'd been pushing the lever the wrong way!

Tues 28th July

Bike time trial - tri - club session, 12 miles-ish around Alnwick tri bike route, undulating, light rain and quite breezy - pleased - 42min 46 secs

'Fat loss week' - as per 'cyclofuel' from cycloclub - only I've shortened it to 5days instead of 7, and day 1 was not great, as only started at 5pm...had to have meal after time-trial to avoid eating just before, but that meant eating at 9pm - way too late - though at least I went to bed late, so in theory, still manged the 3 hrs not etaing before sleep so as to allow growth hormone to kick in just after sleep - but probably blew this by sharing a couple of bottles of beer with my Helvellyn accomplice! He's no doubt trying to sabotage my training so as to beat me!! Which he should do easily, IF he can keep going that long.........unlike me, he hasn't really tested himself over that many hours yet...