Target 15:00
Achieved: 15:25
Yeah Baby this week rocked as I now have officially finished the longest planned week of the 16 week plan. I put a lot of effort into Tuesday – Friday and was quite challenged with work as I had some presentations and customer plans to work on. I ended up with 6.5 hours of training on the indoor trainer. I did 103km (2 x Suikerbos) on Saturday and also did another 60km in Suikerbos on Sunday. This left me with 160km of altitude training (1900m above Sea level) and a total ascend of 4135m
This was awesome as all the ascending was done in just 2 short days. Roadies you may now wipe the sweat from your brows. To put it into perspective one does a total of 1000m of climbing in the Argus and this is done with a road bike.
My legs know I have been in a fight with Suikerbos and they will need some recovering. I cannot wait for next weekend when I can do this all again. I met some awesome guys on the weekend once again and it was a lot of fun riding with them. When I arrived on Sunday I was in the mood for a hard one and I bettered my time in Suikerbos from 3:01 to 2:45.
I also had a great run on Thursday and my legs were quite sore after the run. I need to get this going again as well as some swimming. I am after all doing IronMan ‘09 1 week after the Epic.
I am starting to find some hope that this can be done. My challenge this week is to find a way to replicate my so called success thus far in training in my work life. I recon it is all about the planning and execution of this plan. One should also be able to change the plan when needed and then execute on it. Well we will see how that all works out for me.
General:
I am hoping that everyone is happy with the new format of the Blog.
I am going to add a Vote option for all of you to direct me in what the Blog still needs.
We got our Sintrex Shirts this week and now we are officially branded and all. I feel a little guilty as I do know that we will most certainly not give Sintrex enough coverage and I so hope I can make up for it with this Blog. This is after all the reason I started the Blog. Thanks guys and we will wear these shirts with pride and will do our best to make the press and all.
This week in conclusion:
Wow, awesome and glad it is done.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
And Week 10 is gone!!!!
Target: 13:36
Achieved: 13:58
So this week was quite a challenge and very testing. My flexi hours was changed to office hours and this on a very tight week where failure was not an option.
I live by the motto “Improvise and overcome” as well as the fact that losers look for excuses and winners find opportunities. I would have to improvise and find an opportunity in this week 10.
I made a decision to do a big chunk of work in the week. I have learned a very big lesson in the last couple of weeks and that is to keep up the work rate in the beginning of the week. One never knows what can happen later on in the week.
I packed my tri-bike and home trainer into my car and left home early in the morning to make sure I could start my training in the basement of our office at 6:00 am. This plan seems to be working fine as I ended up clocking 7 hours from Tuesday to Friday.
This was mostly done in base and I decided to do 7 hours of riding on Saturday thus leaving Sunday as a family day. I had some time to fix some stuff around the house and even ended up washing and servicing both my MTB and Tri-Bike. We then went for a movie after having some coffee with some friends.
We arrived home and I made some pancakes in front of the TV while we watched another movie. I am now sitting in bed and updating my Blog. This system seems to be working so well that I will apply it for the remaining 6 weeks.
I ended up with plenty base lots of altitude training and 2400m of ascending. I totaled 330km of riding and this while doing my work and spending plenty of quality family time.
I recon I achieved my goal this week and look forward to next week where I have to clock 15 hours and this is also our longest week. I am waiting for some pictures a friend took while I was riding in the basement and will upload as soon as I get them.
This week in conclusion:
Make the time you have count. When you train, train hard and when you work make sure to do it right the first time and never neglect the family. I will do an update in the week on my noble steeds as well as my awesome wife without none of this would have been possible.
Live your life like a writing a book. Make it worth reading!
Achieved: 13:58
So this week was quite a challenge and very testing. My flexi hours was changed to office hours and this on a very tight week where failure was not an option.
I live by the motto “Improvise and overcome” as well as the fact that losers look for excuses and winners find opportunities. I would have to improvise and find an opportunity in this week 10.
I made a decision to do a big chunk of work in the week. I have learned a very big lesson in the last couple of weeks and that is to keep up the work rate in the beginning of the week. One never knows what can happen later on in the week.
I packed my tri-bike and home trainer into my car and left home early in the morning to make sure I could start my training in the basement of our office at 6:00 am. This plan seems to be working fine as I ended up clocking 7 hours from Tuesday to Friday.
This was mostly done in base and I decided to do 7 hours of riding on Saturday thus leaving Sunday as a family day. I had some time to fix some stuff around the house and even ended up washing and servicing both my MTB and Tri-Bike. We then went for a movie after having some coffee with some friends.
We arrived home and I made some pancakes in front of the TV while we watched another movie. I am now sitting in bed and updating my Blog. This system seems to be working so well that I will apply it for the remaining 6 weeks.
I ended up with plenty base lots of altitude training and 2400m of ascending. I totaled 330km of riding and this while doing my work and spending plenty of quality family time.
I recon I achieved my goal this week and look forward to next week where I have to clock 15 hours and this is also our longest week. I am waiting for some pictures a friend took while I was riding in the basement and will upload as soon as I get them.
This week in conclusion:
Make the time you have count. When you train, train hard and when you work make sure to do it right the first time and never neglect the family. I will do an update in the week on my noble steeds as well as my awesome wife without none of this would have been possible.
Live your life like a writing a book. Make it worth reading!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Work Life Balance
What a tough article to write.
The only way I can do this is to reflect on my own life and my life experiences.
Anyone who knows me will know that I have an abundance of energy and I absolutely throw myself into whatever I believe in at that time. I have a very addictive personality and thus I stay well clear of drugs and gambling J
Some time ago I smoked and drank, of course in abundance. I soon realised that I did not want to do this anymore and stopped smoking as well as drinking. I also submerged myself into work and soon found a safe haven in this new found joy called job.
It must be said that I was married at this time and I was also the father of an awesome daughter. A good example was where the company I worked for sponsored a holiday for my entire family in Mauritius. In hind site I am sad to say that I ended up studying for a new course that I was presenting the following week. I even did some studying on the airport. How silly was that?
I worked 100 hours per week for several weeks at a time. My wife used to bring my daughter to work so we would sit at work have supper and they would go back home so I could do a little more work. I remember one night standing in the supermarket and an old school friend walked up and greeted me. I was so tired that I could not get one straight word out and I must have come across as totally intoxicated.
I told my family I was doing it for them. I bought my daughter a quad bike to show everyone how “wealthy” I was. Yet every time she wanted to go riding I was either working or too tired. She soon learned that to ask was useless.
I began riding my bike and this became and is currently my addiction. I learned to work smart and Cisco gave me the perfect opportunity with their collaboration strategy and my productivity increased and instead of throwing my extra time into work I decided to spend it with my family and riding.
Recently things changed at the office and we are now required to be at the office between 8 and 5. Now my day begins at 4:45 when I get up. I drive to work and do some spinning in the basement at work between 6 and 8. This is actually quite cool as I then start work. When I get back home 7nish at night I can then spend time with the family.
The one danger in this is that you can of course forget your socks at home and end up like me all dressed up with no socks in a customer meeting J
So I have spent 2 hours cycling 9 hours of work and the entire evening with the family. I need to train 14 hours this week at a minimum. Thus if I do 2 hours Tuesday to Friday I have 8 hours in the bag. I then do a long 6 hour session on Saturday morning and spend the entire Sunday with the family.
So it all then comes down to some planning, lots of discipline and commitment to your dreams. I make sure not to confuse my work with private time and visa versa. When I cycle I do it with passion. I stay true to my plan and I stick to my plan.
In hind site it does not look so impossible after all. I get up at 04:45 and go to bed at 22:00. I just do not use work as an excuse to skip family time or exercise. I used to start at 4:45 and go to bed at 22:00 doing work all day and not being much more productive than I am now.
When you do it, do it with conviction and do it right the first time. Be true to yourself and NEVER neglect your family.
The only way I can do this is to reflect on my own life and my life experiences.
Anyone who knows me will know that I have an abundance of energy and I absolutely throw myself into whatever I believe in at that time. I have a very addictive personality and thus I stay well clear of drugs and gambling J
Some time ago I smoked and drank, of course in abundance. I soon realised that I did not want to do this anymore and stopped smoking as well as drinking. I also submerged myself into work and soon found a safe haven in this new found joy called job.
It must be said that I was married at this time and I was also the father of an awesome daughter. A good example was where the company I worked for sponsored a holiday for my entire family in Mauritius. In hind site I am sad to say that I ended up studying for a new course that I was presenting the following week. I even did some studying on the airport. How silly was that?
I worked 100 hours per week for several weeks at a time. My wife used to bring my daughter to work so we would sit at work have supper and they would go back home so I could do a little more work. I remember one night standing in the supermarket and an old school friend walked up and greeted me. I was so tired that I could not get one straight word out and I must have come across as totally intoxicated.
I told my family I was doing it for them. I bought my daughter a quad bike to show everyone how “wealthy” I was. Yet every time she wanted to go riding I was either working or too tired. She soon learned that to ask was useless.
I began riding my bike and this became and is currently my addiction. I learned to work smart and Cisco gave me the perfect opportunity with their collaboration strategy and my productivity increased and instead of throwing my extra time into work I decided to spend it with my family and riding.
Recently things changed at the office and we are now required to be at the office between 8 and 5. Now my day begins at 4:45 when I get up. I drive to work and do some spinning in the basement at work between 6 and 8. This is actually quite cool as I then start work. When I get back home 7nish at night I can then spend time with the family.
The one danger in this is that you can of course forget your socks at home and end up like me all dressed up with no socks in a customer meeting J
So I have spent 2 hours cycling 9 hours of work and the entire evening with the family. I need to train 14 hours this week at a minimum. Thus if I do 2 hours Tuesday to Friday I have 8 hours in the bag. I then do a long 6 hour session on Saturday morning and spend the entire Sunday with the family.
So it all then comes down to some planning, lots of discipline and commitment to your dreams. I make sure not to confuse my work with private time and visa versa. When I cycle I do it with passion. I stay true to my plan and I stick to my plan.
In hind site it does not look so impossible after all. I get up at 04:45 and go to bed at 22:00. I just do not use work as an excuse to skip family time or exercise. I used to start at 4:45 and go to bed at 22:00 doing work all day and not being much more productive than I am now.
When you do it, do it with conviction and do it right the first time. Be true to yourself and NEVER neglect your family.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Week 9 finished
Target 10:53
Achieved 11:09
To sum up this week is easy. I did day 4 of the Epic Training Camp and this was just over 7 hours of riding on Monday. Then I recovered for the entire week. I did 4 hours today and thus finished on target.
I REALLY struggled today as I was back in the mountains at 1800m above sea level. After about 2 weeks and several hundred km’s of riding at sea level got me used to amble oxygen. I realised today what an advantage I have training high then recovering 400m lower and then competing at sea level.
Some more tips from last week.
Mechanicals:
Ray broke a rear derailleur and had to convert to single speed. Well that was the theory anyway. The end result was a trip back on the back of a pickup. The problem was simply that no one seemed to know how to do the conversion.
Suggestions:
Have a drop out and make sure you carry it with you. It is designed to break and protect the rear derailleur in case you hit a rock or something else. In Ray’s case it would not have helped as the entire derailleur was actually broken by a stick and not the dropout. In this case one would have to convert the bike to a single speed. One of course needs a chain breaker and the one we had with us broke. Make sure you have a good one. Then you follow the following.
1 - using a chain breaker take out a link so that you've got a single chain length and not a loop
2 - trying to keep the chain fairly straight (i.e. centre front to centre rear sprocket) set the chain and observe the link overlap
3 - move up/down a couple rear sprockets until the chain would be 'just' too short if you were to shorten it
4 - remove the excess links with the chain breaker and rejoin the loop
5 - undo the axle quick release, set the chain on the sprocket then push the axle back until the chain has some tension (axle should not have returned all the way to its usual spot)
6 - do up the quick release
7 - start peddling and be careful to avoid bumps/jumps/speed which could force the axle back and damage the bike.
This could be the fix that helps you finish a race like the Epic. I do suggest that you do this before the race so you know exactly how to do this. It is easier said than done.
Summary:
I had a week with 2 big sessions and no surprises. I now know I can also finish the IronMan and I should be able to recover enough within 1 week. I thus entered the IM South Africa for the 5th April. Learn to make a Single Speed and make sure all your tools are working. Always have a dropout with you as it is designed specifically for your bike. Carry all these tools with you in the Epic.
Ride safe and train hard
Achieved 11:09
To sum up this week is easy. I did day 4 of the Epic Training Camp and this was just over 7 hours of riding on Monday. Then I recovered for the entire week. I did 4 hours today and thus finished on target.
I REALLY struggled today as I was back in the mountains at 1800m above sea level. After about 2 weeks and several hundred km’s of riding at sea level got me used to amble oxygen. I realised today what an advantage I have training high then recovering 400m lower and then competing at sea level.
Some more tips from last week.
Mechanicals:
Ray broke a rear derailleur and had to convert to single speed. Well that was the theory anyway. The end result was a trip back on the back of a pickup. The problem was simply that no one seemed to know how to do the conversion.
Suggestions:
Have a drop out and make sure you carry it with you. It is designed to break and protect the rear derailleur in case you hit a rock or something else. In Ray’s case it would not have helped as the entire derailleur was actually broken by a stick and not the dropout. In this case one would have to convert the bike to a single speed. One of course needs a chain breaker and the one we had with us broke. Make sure you have a good one. Then you follow the following.
1 - using a chain breaker take out a link so that you've got a single chain length and not a loop
2 - trying to keep the chain fairly straight (i.e. centre front to centre rear sprocket) set the chain and observe the link overlap
3 - move up/down a couple rear sprockets until the chain would be 'just' too short if you were to shorten it
4 - remove the excess links with the chain breaker and rejoin the loop
5 - undo the axle quick release, set the chain on the sprocket then push the axle back until the chain has some tension (axle should not have returned all the way to its usual spot)
6 - do up the quick release
7 - start peddling and be careful to avoid bumps/jumps/speed which could force the axle back and damage the bike.
This could be the fix that helps you finish a race like the Epic. I do suggest that you do this before the race so you know exactly how to do this. It is easier said than done.
Summary:
I had a week with 2 big sessions and no surprises. I now know I can also finish the IronMan and I should be able to recover enough within 1 week. I thus entered the IM South Africa for the 5th April. Learn to make a Single Speed and make sure all your tools are working. Always have a dropout with you as it is designed specifically for your bike. Carry all these tools with you in the Epic.
Ride safe and train hard
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