First step, make a salad. Second step, go the gym. Third step, do abs workout. Final step, bring low fat popcorn and Sprite Zero over to the lads for FiFa 10 night. That’s 4 steps to glory and I followed them all. It’s always depressing going back to the gym or to any exercise after a prolonged period away from it (says the man who hadn’t done any real exercise in some 13 years until last October) because your base fitness levels have always dropped way more than you thought they would.

My right leg is still a bit out of sorts after the reoccurrence of my shin injury last week at badminton, so today I stayed away from anything that might make it worse and just cycled and did some cross training, 20 minutes of the former, 25 minutes of the latter. It doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but it’s more or less and hour on the trot of keeping the heartrate up at a decent level, so (in my humble opinion) it’s not to be sniffed at. A little each day presumably goes a long way, though I have yet to independently verify this myself.

Add an 8 minute abs workout into that equation, and a whole day of healthy eating, and we’re back in the game.

The plan, which I’m telling you so you can keep track of exactly where the plan falls to pieces, is to just cycle and cross train all week until Sunday to hopefully get some cardio back without putting the body through too much and give my leg time to fully heal (again) then start back running, but with a reduced training plan from Sunday. Fingers Crossed.

Hopefully if I’m a bit more patient and sensible and start of with very little running (2 miles for long run, 1 for short) for the first few weeks, I’ll finally be able to build it up without injuring myself!! But I think a run might also kill me, look at the state of me after the cycle and cross training today!!

Spin1038 DJ Ryan Phillips is running the Dublin City Marathon 2010 on 25 October 2010. That’s ages away, but he’s really unfit, and this is his training blog to see if and how he makes it to the finish line. Today was training day 126, Monday 1 March 2010

I had hoped I wouldn’t get to the day quite so soon where I’d write a three-for-one blog post about my marathon training, but since the results are the same for each day, I’ll have to just say I did no training for the last 3 days. Things just got absolutely crazy with Christmas Party season and pre-recording continuity for 3e and I just didn’t get a chance to get into the gym on Friday or Saturday. It was literally from the radio show on Friday, to recording continuity, to home, to the Christmas Party, to bed, to our Guess the Wreck Final, to home to food shopping for party to bed to party to bed. It was absolutely manic.

That being said, I could easily have squeezed in some gym time on Sunday, but after two very heavy and late nights and still with continuity to script for 3e, I actually couldn’t muster the energy or enthusiasm to be honest.

Now, for the silver lining bit. I can’t believe that after 13 years of doing practically no exercise, I’m so annoyed at myself for not having done any exercise in 3 days. I’m genuinely livid with myself, and not just because of the lack of exercise, but also for the amount of junk food and alcohol I’ve consumed in the 3 days that I haven’t done exercise! I mean, it’s disgusting the amount of crap I’ve put through my body (though I am rather proud of it in another way!). It feels like in 3 days I’ve undone maybe two weeks of exercise and healthy eating, if not more.

So will days 53-55 have definitely no been good, they have firmed my resolve (yeah, you heard) to get back into it now and keep pusing on!

I’ve decided that I’m going to the gym tomorrow come what may.

Tonight, I gorged on crisps and choclate while we watched Star Trek on DVD. Not much use for training for a marathon as such, but good fun nonetheless….

On the plus side, I picked up a double packet of Jammie dodgers before the match and we managed to console ourselves after it by eating most of them (and then I went home and ate the rest). Thinking about it now, in all likelihood, any calories burned off while playing badminton were probably but back on in Jammie Dodgers. Best not to dwell on that I feel.

It was another good general workout for my basic fitness level, and that’s still the basic aim of the game at this stage. After Christmas and into the new year, that level of exercise wont cut it on it’s own, but I’m still only 16 days in training, adn I’ve 13 years of no exercise to make up for, so I have to keep reminding myself that it has to be baby steps at this stage or I will just hit a wall and either injure myself, or give up, or possibly both!

It was Lucan that beat us by the way, and the average age of their players must have been at least 10, maybe even 15 years older than our team’s average age. I don’t mean to me ageist, but that really does feel like salt in the wound. I’m not sure why, but there’s something about being beaten by someone old enough to be your parents that is thoroughly demoralising!!

Mmmmm, Jammie

I bring this up in the context of my crisp “problem”. Today, I was very sore after my job in Marley park yesterday, so I decided not to do any training in case I would injure myself. This is something I’m particularly conscious of at the very start because I haven’t done any exercise in 13 years and I’m very unfit, I’m not planning on continuing to take random break days every week for the next 50 weeks, honest.

Anyway, as usual, not doing any exercise at all actually threw me very far in the wrong direction, so I had a packet of snax, a packet of mega meanies, a twix, a drifter bar and a bottle of lilt….it’s amazing how my head works (or doesn’t as the case may be). I am 100% motivated to run the marathon, so I’m hoping that it’s just the fact that it’s so far away that is letting me so easily give in to crisp temptation. Still though, shedding 5lbs by Christmas is starting to look a little unlikely with this kind of thing happening once or twice a week. Someone needs to give me a stern talking to, if you want to be the one to do it, leave a strongly worded comment below!

Mega Meanies.....Mmmmmm, tasty (but bad for your diet)

Today Orla and I ventured to Marley Park for our first joint exercise (sexercise excluded, obviously) of a job in the park. Last night we ended up staying in for a quiet night watching the X-Factor. 3 and a half bottles of wine later, and we’ve both been in better shape come mid-day on Sunday afternoon. Both threatened to pull out, but we stubbornly went anyway.

If you were in Marley Park today, you might have noticed us. I always think that it really easy to spot someone who’s just out for their first jog. They aren’t really wearing the right things, the look a bit uncomfortable, and they seem very tired for the amount they have done. Today, that was us. We arrived to find that a cross country race was already taking place in the park, and we certainly didn’t want any of that action. So, we found a quite spot and, rather self consciously, busied ourselves with a number of standard issue stretches. One of the things I should point out is how inflexible I am, in fact, I’m going to start a new “mission touch toes” section of the blog, where the goal is to be able to touch my toes. At the moment, I can just about get past my knee caps, and I’m not exaggerating for effect.

Anyway, after the strecthes, came the jogging. Marley Park is quite a big spot when you try to jog around it. I was very concerned that my ankles and knees would give in, so I kept to the grass as much as possible. We jogged for about 10 minutes (it was more 7-8 being honest) and then had to stop for a breather. A bit more jogging followed, then it was all over. In total, I’d say I jogged about about 20 minutes and walked for about 10. The pace, slow. The result, I was shattered. The legs, in agony.

All in all, it was hard to fault the first outing, I was glad we did it, and I look forward to making it a bit further without stopping next time. It has to start somewhere, and after 13 years of no meaningful exercise, a few days on the bike in the gym wasn’t going to turn this into an impressive marathon inspiring effort. Still, baby steps. The Marathon is still 50 weeks away, and hopefully, when that day comes, I’ll read this back and remember the first jog on the road to the 26 mile….. God, I sound like JD from Scrubs wrapping up an episode with some inspiring insight.

I’m surprised it’s taken me 13 days of training to buy some “essential” bit of training kit, but rest assured readers, if there’s some gadget or gizmo that even has a hint of benefit to me in training, then I’ll buy it. Today i acquired a funky drinks container you can hold easily while running, and not 1, not 2, but 3 pairs of tracksuit bottoms in Elverys. Doesn’t that just scream “wow, this guy is serious” to you??

I mean business, check out my fancy water bottle!!

Firstly, I got through 24 Hours without having a custard cream, which I’ve you read Days 1 & 2 you’ll realise is something of an achievement. In fact, I didn’t have any biscuits at all. I know, O.M.G!!

Today’s fitness training involved having my ass handed to me on a plate by my badminton buddy Tom, who hockeyed me off the court 3-0. The mind is willing, but the body is SLOW!! It’s actually a very frustrating experience, because when I used to play badminton competitvely (granted 13 years ago!) I could totally make all the shots I’m missing now, and cover the court better and faster. A lot of the time today I just couldn’t get to the Shuttle…..oh go on then, COCK. I ran, well, more skipped, nay sashayed (I just had to look up how to spell that FYI) my litttle legs off, but I’m just a lot slower than I used to be. That was kinda depressing to be honest, and a timely reminder, like one was needed, that I’m no longer 16.

Still the basic plan for the first 2 months of operation marathon is to take in less calories, and burn more by doing more exercise. Boxes ticked for today. I have set myself a goal of losing 5lbs before Christmas, and this is a good step in the right direction.

I haven’t set a date for when I’m going to beat Tom, but his time will come!

I would and all...