Fitness for Glasto 2021

[Crazyfool01]

5 minutes ago, Homer said:

Going on hols - the wife is a Kiwi so off to see the in-laws (Jum and Luz) for the first time in two years. Sadly means I have to spend some more time in Auckland (not exactly an NZ highlight) and Willington (extended family). At least am making it to the south island this time - Christchurch and Queenstown. We are also going to Coromandel for a few days. Any recommendations welcomed! X

A few recommendations of the top of my head before I go for a swim  they might not be so conducive to this thread mind you  Auckland was somewhere I was advised to spend as little time in as possible ...  like you mentioned the rest of Nz has so much to offer ... we did a cycling wine tour around waiheke island which was a short ferry trip away from the main ferry terminal ... Christchurch obviously very English but the Cathedral a highlight ... although im not sure of its current state of repair after the earthquake also the botanical gardens there where lovely to sit in with the sun shinning ... also if memory serves me correct the main square had some good busking acts that could while away a few hours .... Queens town a beautiful lake with some potential outdoor swimming just watch out for sandflies .. they seemed to like taking a bite out of me all over NZ ... obviously some great opportunities around there for extreme outdoor activities ... bungies ... Kawaru bridge ... 47m  (where I got over my fear of heights attached to a danish girl  ) and the 134m I think Nevis bungy ... if you are mad ?:) .... Skydives a plenty around those parts and a go kart track at the top of the hill a stroll uphill from the QT but a good uphill walk  and a visit to fergburger after to replen those calories .... Other things on the south island for me were franz joseph Glacier ... hopefully its not melted due to climate change .... and Tongariro  crossing ... a great and beautiful but not that strenuous mountain walk with some picturesque glacial blue lakes up top ... And Abel Tasman National Park at the top of the south island for potential orca spotting ... Apologies to any NZ folk for any misspelling ... I bloody love the place and think I saw more in NZ than ive done in the UK (must get out more  ) ... anyway hope there is something here of use 

Alex 

[John the Moth]

13 hours ago, Homer said:

Going on hols - the wife is a Kiwi so off to see the in-laws (Jum and Luz) for the first time in two years. Sadly means I have to spend some more time in Auckland (not exactly an NZ highlight) and Willington (extended family). At least am making it to the south island this time - Christchurch and Queenstown. We are also going to Coromandel for a few days. Any recommendations welcomed! X

Auckland I’d definitely agree that a visit to Waiheke Island is well worth it. Beautiful. Hire a bike or alternatively get a hop on/off bus ticket. With the bus I’d get to the island early and go straight to Onetangi beach at the end of the line for the morning; swimming, walking etc. then stop off at two or three vineyards on the way back, Stoneyridge is my favourite. It has a great outdoor space with chilled DJs.
Also in Auckland, catch one of Mrs Moth’s gigs (end of plug)

In Coromandel, Hahei is a great base with a nice hike up the coast to cathedral cove in one direction and a longer hike/short drive to Hot Water Beach in the other direction.

Elsewhere on North Island: Lake Taupo for adventure sports (not as good as Queenstown I hear), Tongariro crossing,and of course Hobbiton. Everywhere I’ve mentioned is crawling with tourists mind.

[Quark]

Managed a faster run last night, brought 5km in under 25 mins (not bad considering it was pitch black!) and the knee held up OK on that as well so we're definitely getting there!  Last thing is to test it out on some proper hills this weekend...

[Quark]

Lovely 10 miler in dark, wind and rain tonight. Glorious. 

Knee still holding up so looks like I'm back on track!

[Homer]

Good work! I managed to get back to the gym on Thursday and Friday with my ribs (only thing I couldn't tolerate was sit-ups) and played football (albeit badly) on Saturday.

[Quark]

Ah that's good. Feel any better yet?

[squirrelarmy]

Got a puncture so my cycling commutes were put on hold briefly. I’m just deciding whether to get back on the bike tomorrow in the freezing conditions. Is it worth the risk?

[Quark]

1 minute ago, squirrelarmy said:

Got a puncture so my cycling commutes were put on hold briefly. I’m just deciding whether to get back on the bike tomorrow in the freezing conditions. Is it worth the risk?

How confident are you on the bike? I've ridden a 35km commute before when it was so cold the water in my bottle was freezing over (!) but I cycle a lot and I'm comfortable with my control of the bike.

If you're not so much, maybe not. Is it forecast to actually be icy cold, or just uncomfortable cold?

[dotdash79]

18 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

Got a puncture so my cycling commutes were put on hold briefly. I’m just deciding whether to get back on the bike tomorrow in the freezing conditions. Is it worth the risk?

Depends on your route, if it's main roads and stuff you should be fine due to the roads being gritted, just don't give it the full beans on the bends and you will be fine.

[Homer]

22 minutes ago, Quark said:

Ah that's good. Feel any better yet?

Good ta. Was surprised I was able to 'sprint' without any issues. It more hurts when I cough, so I guess it must be a 'vibration' issue. I got hiccups when i was pissed at Underworld last Sat which hurt a bit!

Found that they do a parkrun in the suburb of Auckland that my in-laws live in, so I guess I'll be doing that on Sat!

When does your training ramp up?

[Homer]

The frustrating thing is that I've realised that if I'm going to get any better at football, I'm going to have to get even fitter (despite exercising 5x a week this year). Fitness really is a never-ending laugh riot isn't it?

[Quark]

Just now, Homer said:

Good ta. Was surprised I was able to 'sprint' without any issues. It more hurts when I cough, so I guess it must be a 'vibration' issue. I got hiccups when i was pissed at Underworld last Sat which hurt a bit!

Found that they do a parkrun in the suburb of Auckland that my in-laws live in, so I guess I'll be doing that on Sat!

When does your training ramp up?

Good stuff, sounds like bruising or muscle strain rather than any cracks then.

Ideally itbshoupd have ramped up already, but the knee delay has kiboshed that a bit. Less than 3 weeks to go now, so I'm not realistically going to make that much difference to fitness, and luckily I'm pretty happy with that already. Going to load up the bergen at the weekend and go get some hill work done; as much about putting some miles on the clock and getting the muscles and tendons comfortable with the work. Just about miles on the clock now ahead of the 4th!

[Quark]

2 minutes ago, Homer said:

The frustrating thing is that I've realised that if I'm going to get any better at football, I'm going to have to get even fitter (despite exercising 5x a week this year). Fitness really is a never-ending laugh riot isn't it?

I love the fact it never gets easier, you just push yourself harder! Whether it's weights, running, riding or even classes, you can always push harder

[squirrelarmy]

23 minutes ago, Quark said:

How confident are you on the bike? I've ridden a 35km commute before when it was so cold the water in my bottle was freezing over (!) but I cycle a lot and I'm comfortable with my control of the bike.

If you're not so much, maybe not. Is it forecast to actually be icy cold, or just uncomfortable cold?

It’s forecast to be around the freezing mark. Along with windchill it could be a bit nippy. 
 

Cycling is still the quickest form of transport to work. Hopefully it should be fine. I just need to man up!

[Quark]

1 minute ago, squirrelarmy said:

It’s forecast to be around the freezing mark. Along with windchill it could be a bit nippy. 
 

Cycling is still the quickest form of transport to work. Hopefully it should be fine. I just need to man up!

Well, yes and no! The risks in dodgy weather are cars (nothing you can do about that), bombing it and not riding to the conditions (take the foot off the gas a bit), and not being comfortable or confident with your own handling and hesitating in how you ride and react (and that one's just experience). 

Dotdash has got it I reckon, just give yourself a bit more time and dont try to steam it

[Homer]

8 minutes ago, Quark said:

Good stuff, sounds like bruising or muscle strain rather than any cracks then.

Ideally itbshoupd have ramped up already, but the knee delay has kiboshed that a bit. Less than 3 weeks to go now, so I'm not realistically going to make that much difference to fitness, and luckily I'm pretty happy with that already. Going to load up the bergen at the weekend and go get some hill work done; as much about putting some miles on the clock and getting the muscles and tendons comfortable with the work. Just about miles on the clock now ahead of the 4th!

Wow, that's a tricky time of year to be trying to get in shape! I am hoping that I do what I did last year and use the logic that if I'm not working, no excuse not to exercise every day. I remember I went out and ran 5k on Xmas Day and Boxing Day mornings.

Although I was in Bristol then. not NZ. Though on the flipside, I've found in the past that jetlag can be a real motivator when it comes to morning exercise!

[dotdash79]

30 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

It’s forecast to be around the freezing mark. Along with windchill it could be a bit nippy. 
 

Cycling is still the quickest form of transport to work. Hopefully it should be fine. I just need to man up!

Pick a lower gear and spin faster it will keep your hart rate up and warm you up.

Rather it be cold than wet.

[Quark]

34 minutes ago, Homer said:

Wow, that's a tricky time of year to be trying to get in shape! I am hoping that I do what I did last year and use the logic that if I'm not working, no excuse not to exercise every day. I remember I went out and ran 5k on Xmas Day and Boxing Day mornings.

Luckily I'm in pretty good shape anyway (relatively!) so it's more about specific event training than starting from scratch. Always been used to winter training from rugby so it's not that bad; biggest difference is I've got my head around running in proper darkness.

We're doing a family trip over Christmas, so need to work out what I can do while we're away!

[squirrelarmy]

1 hour ago, dotdash79 said:

Pick a lower gear and spin faster it will keep your hart rate up and warm you up.

Rather it be cold than wet.

I don’t mind either too much. What I really don’t like is wind. 

[Quark]

6 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

I don’t mind either too much. What I really don’t like is wind. 

Agreed. Headwind can go fuck itself

[dotdash79]

6 minutes ago, Quark said:

Agreed. Headwind can go fuck itself

Alway try to ride out into a headwind and home on a tailwind, but it you are commuting then you have no chance

[Sasperella]

11 hours ago, Quark said:

Lovely 10 miler in dark, wind and rain tonight. Glorious. 

Knee still holding up so looks like I'm back on track!

Cheers for the inspiration, Quark!! I find myself making excuses about running in the Glasgow winter. 

However, climbing tonight and booked a 6.15am spinning class on Wednesday (which means getting up at 5.30am...eeeeesh). If I make them both I'll know I'm back on track. 

[Quark]

24 minutes ago, Sasperella said:

Cheers for the inspiration, Quark!! I find myself making excuses about running in the Glasgow winter. 

However, climbing tonight and booked a 6.15am spinning class on Wednesday (which means getting up at 5.30am...eeeeesh). If I make them both I'll know I'm back on track. 

The hardest part is getting out there (cliche I know).  It's the same as trying to avoid puddles or big mud patches when you're running; easiest thing is just to plough straight into the first one and get wet / muddy feet, then it's out of the way and you can get on with it!

It's all about the right kit for me. So long as I'm set up right and got all my hi-vis and lights on, I'm happy. There's something nice about ploughing on through bad weather. Think it might be smugness that knowing most people won't face it!

Also, knowing you've got a hot shower and a cuppa at the end of it is absolutely critical!

Edited December 17, 2019 by Quark

[Sasperella]

On 12/17/2019 at 7:54 AM, Quark said:

The hardest part is getting out there (cliche I know).  It's the same as trying to avoid puddles or big mud patches when you're running; easiest thing is just to plough straight into the first one and get wet / muddy feet, then it's out of the way and you can get on with it!

It's all about the right kit for me. So long as I'm set up right and got all my hi-vis and lights on, I'm happy. There's something nice about ploughing on through bad weather. Think it might be smugness that knowing most people won't face it!

Also, knowing you've got a hot shower and a cuppa at the end of it is absolutely critical!

After a few too many weeks of making lame excuses for myself, I finally went out for a little 5k on Christmas Eve and then again just now. This one was in the dark and even drizzling a bit, and you know? It was fine 🙂

I'm still not sure how to balance cardio with weights/climbing...hoping to work that out over the next few weeks 

[Homer]

Kia Ora from Christchurch! Just cycled up a big hill with my Glastonbury vet friend (on the right) who now lives here. Managed a few swims and tramps (long walks) - ribs holding up okay. Have a great new year all! X