If you haven’t already figured it out, I’m blogging a little less often in the hope that my posts are slightly more original and not just me reciting the training I had completed that week.

So this is my first post of the new year. My training had gone really well up until christmas. Managed a couple of sessions up in Kirkby with Mickey, and was training nicely on the roads and on the track with Paul (my coach). Then, it started snowing….and did so for most of January causing all sorts of problems to my training. The only thing I could really do was gym work, which I am starting to really enjoy again. I go through phases of what I enjoy most and at the moment the gym is my favourite. I’ve been out for a few long pushes since the snow has gone but no where near enough. So I need to try to get back out in to Sutton Park and do some big sessions to try to make up for it as at the moment, I’m probably only doing 1 long push a week…..this is obviously not enough.

I’m still playing Basketball quite a bit too. Only had 1 Game this new year and we lost by 1 point to Wolverhampton Rhinos. That’s quite incredible as when we first formed as a team, we played Rhinos and got thrashed by 40 points.

Anyway, I have something quite important to inform you all of so it’s imperative you keep reading from this point on. Some friends of mine from the rugby club are doing the Snowdonia Challenge to raise money for a charity called Regain. Regain is a charity that is quite close to my heart because of what I have experienced through a certain period of my life. They are dedicated to improving the independence of all British men and women who have become Tetraplegic through competitive sports injury. Now, I can’t really explain to you how important it is for someone who has suffered a major injury of any type to be able to retain their independence, but I will try. It is massively important and is the reason I’ve managed to deal with my injury. Because I’m independent, I feel as though I retain my dignity and masculinity. It doesn’t matter that I can’t walk and use a wheelchair to get around because I don’t rely on anyone else….it’s me getting myself from A to B, and doing what I want in between. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have good friends and family around me. The rugby club, Old Saltleians Rugby Club, raised an enormous amount of money to help pay for my wheelchairs, racing chairs, basketball chair so that I could be independent and get back to do what any sportsperson wants to do….compete. Some people aren’t quite so fortunate and that is where Regain come in, and that’s why these friends of mine are doing the Snowdonia Challenge, which isn’t some walk in the park I can tell you. Cycle 40 miles, climb Snowdon, canoe 2.5 miles, in under 10 hours. It’s a task well worthy of the Charity they are rasing money for I’m sure you will all agree.

So, stop reading, get you debit or credit card out, click the link at the end of this paragraph, and donate what ever you want or can afford. A quid, a tenner, a ton, it doesn’t matter, but please donate something because I promise you now that you are going to make a massive difference to someone out there who has been injured playing sport and is perhaps struggling a little to retain their independance. Click here to donate.

It will only take a couple of minutes so please make sure you donate something. I get roughly a hundred people a week read my blog, and if everyone donated a pound, that will add up to large sum of money by June.

So all that is left now is to wish Nick Wilkins, Jason Bethell, Jason Langford-Brown and Jason Francis all the best. I’ll let you know how it all goes once they have completed it in the summer, and hopefully let you all know that my training is back to normal in a couple of weeks time.

Thanks

Ally

Yeah, I know what you are all thinking…where have my weekly posts been? I have a very good explanation. Modern Warfare 2 on the x box. Enough said.

The good news is that even though I haven’t been posting weekly updates, I have still been slugging my guts out on the road, track, gym and basketball court. Training is starting to enter a slightly different phase having nearly completed the stamina or distance stuff where I push as many km’s in the week as possible. Now I’m starting  to do more interval stuff on the track where I’m sprinting and recovering repeatedly. My coach Paul is finding time to train with me too which is good. It makes it slightly more enjoyable having someone there pushing you along…not literally of course…that would be cheating…

Anyway, I’m feeling quite strong and fit. The last session consisted of 15 1 minute sprints and I felt like I’m starting to get back into decent shape. I was able to keep a good pace all the way through the 60 seconds even on the last sprint. In the gym I’m lifting more than I ever have since my injury, although I’m not enjoying the gym at the moment. I tend to go through phases with that though so it’s not a massive problem. All I need to do is keep the training going which might be harder done than said as I’m told snow is coming. I don’t want to sound defeatist, but that would actually stop me training for a few days.

Basketball is going well too! We beat Leicester Cobras 36-32 and I actually scored too! It was a wonderful move and when I scored I acted all calm and composed (I wish)! Training for basketball has been a bit of a pain though, and this is going to start a mini rant. You see, the problem with basketball training is the sheer incompetence of people who work at the venues of where we train. At Sporting Club Albion we have a great coach, a good manager and some decent players who are new to the game, including me, but are happily going up against people who have been playing for years and so far we have played 5, won 2, lost 3. A respectable record for our 1st season in national league 3. However, our problem is that over the last two months, we have probably had 50% of our training sessions foiled at the last minute. People not booking us in on courts correctly, or not telling us when the courts are being used for exams, or caretakers leaving 10 minutes before our session is booked because they didn’t think we were coming. It’s becoming ridiculous, and this is all down to people who work at the venues being either stupid, forgetful, or lazy! Now hopefully we have had just about every possible excuse and reason under the sun stopping us from training, so if we are really lucky, we shouldn’t have our training sessions foiled by incompetent staff anymore.  Rant over!

So next week should bring 3 sessions on the track, and 3 gym sessions. I’m on a course over the weekend in Cambridge so it’s all got to be condensed in to the weekdays. With any luck, the snow will hold off for a little while yet.

Take it easy everyone, and I’ll be posting before Christmas so make sure you come back next week!

Peace

Anyway, last week was a  good week. I spoke to my coach at the start of the week to discuss a week lifting weights in the gym instead of pushing. He agreed and said ok, but I still had to go out for a couple of long pushes. So, Monday and Tuesday saw me lifting weights in the gym, followed by some basketball on the Wednesday. There was no training with Sporting Club Albion (yes, our team name has changed to something shorter), so Sarah and I played some one on one…she beat me again.

So after a few days of weights and basketball, I decided to get this long push out of the way. 15k was the target. I taped a water bottle to the central column of my racer, and attached the bike light to the back. I have struggled to go further than 12k so needed the water bottle for a carbohydrate drink, and the switch back to GMT meant I was going to have to push in the dusk. I was a little anxious because my last push wasn’t very succesful with my arms feeling really heavy…I needn’t have worried, because I had what was the best push of my training so far! I did 15 k, in 1hr 24mins and wanted to do more only I had run out of time. I was really pleased and thoroughly enjoyed a well deserved Guinness and Steak with Sarah and friends in the evening!

I managed another weights session before the week was out, but the weather on the Sunday prevented me from pushing again which was a bit gutting, but overall I was pleased with the step forward in training this week. Only thing is now that I can do it, and my coach knows this, he’s going to get me doing it all the time…brilliant!

So things are going well. If I can have another good week next week, and my body accepts it, then I will be seriously pleased. I’m starting the creatine next week too so that will hopefully have an effect in the gym. The only bad thing this week was not having the chance to train with Mickey, although hopefully I can get up to Manchester soon to train on this new Mondo track!

Regarding basketball, we have a game on Sunday against Bury Bombers which will be tough, but both Sarah and I are looking forward to it!

So until next Sunday, or maybe Monday, take it easy!

Monday – 10k push. Was very slow because I got stuck in a subway in the middle of Lichfield…eventually found a way out. Good push though.

Tuesday – Gym session. Concentrated on chest and shoulders.

Wednesday - Went to basketball in the evening…I was terrible but I’ll blame my injured thumb for that.

Thursday - 8k push in around 42 mins. Also went to the gym in the evening and concentrated on back.

Friday – Went out to do a 12k push but struggled. Not sure if tubs were slightly flat or I was just off form but I felt really heavy and slow. Only managed 6k before calling it a day and falling asleep on the sofa.

Saturday – Day off

Sunday – Basketball. Hopefully I’ll be better today…

With time switching back to GMT its going to be darker in the evenings, so I bought myself some bike lights to go on the racing chair and a high visibility training top to make sure people can see me when I’m on the roads. I can’t always guarantee that I’ll be training during the day so I could end up training in poor light.

Next week should be more of the same with 3-4 pushes and two gym sessions, plus basketball. I’m hoping to go up to Kirby to train with Mickey on the Friday so that will be cool. Apparently there is  some new mondo track which is meant to be fast!

I’m also about to start a cycle of creatine to help my training. Obviously I’ll let you all know what sort of benefits I get from it.

So until next week,

Peace.

Good week this week regarding training! I set my self a target of four pushes, 2 gym sessions, and some basketball. I missed out on only one push and that’s not really a problem because my coach has only put three pushing sessions a week down on my program. Of course, I can do more if I wish so hopefully that will be the case. My program is mainly tempo work for the first four weeks, then it starts to get a little more exciting. It is important to build up my stamina and base fitness but I much prefer sessions where you work hard in bursts, then recover repeatedly.

Monday – 8k tempo on the track at Alexander Stadium. Horrible because the track is quite slow for wheelchair racing.

Tuesday – 8k on the roads

Wednesday – 2 hours of basketball. Brilliant session, even though my thumb was giving me grief.

Thursday – Gym. Shoulder session.

Friday – 10k tempo in about 52 minutes. Made friends with a massive schnauzer….thats a dog for non dog lovers…

Saturday – Gym session concentrating on back

Sunday – Basketball

So as you can see, a fairly exciting week. I’m not feeling stiff or sore at all today which I’m pleased with as I have trained everyday this week in one form or another. A fourth pushing session might have been good though to take the total km pushed up towards 40km, but it’s my first week back training since holiday so I’m quite happy with that for the time being. Next week will be very similar with more tempo work but over slightly longer distances of 12k. I’m still wanting to get my 10k time under 50 mins…hopefully that will happen soon.

Many congratulations to Old Saltleians Rugby Club who won 69 – 6 against their opposition yesterday. It was brilliant to see!

Have a good week everyone, tune in next week!

Peace!

Well, Egypt was brilliant! Thats the first “summer holiday” I’ve been on since I was 19 can you believe? Food was brilliant, Hotel was quality, the Egyptians were very helpful (even though one of them wouldn’t get me off the plane until I had tipped him) and a good time was had by all. I think I felt slightly guilty I had not trained that well in the lead up to my holiday, but I can make up for that over the next few weeks. The rest does seem to have helped because in a gym session yesterday I was benching more than I have done before…

Egypt holiday photo

Anyway, as I said, Egypt was great. I saw the pyramids and the Sphinx and we also went to Naama Bay while Egypt were playing Italy in a World cup qualifier so the atmosphere was buzzing. I went on a boat trip to sea and experienced 20 foot waves and saw a lot of Cairo including a mini boat trip on the Nile. I tried some swimming but struggled to keep my head out of the water so I didn’t do too much of that!

So, now I’m back, I will be training as hard as I can through Autumn and Winter, probably 4 pushing sessions a week plus 1-2 gym sessions plus basketball. The good thing about a small rest is you have the energy and motivation to do everything! My coach called me yesterday and organised a training session together at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham for Monday afternoon as a way of making me realise that I am home and not still on the beach. No doubt he will destroy me…

Can't for the life of me imagine how they built these!

So back to earth with a bump. I’ve already done a basketball session with Sarah and a gym session since I’ve been back and have another basketball session today. Really looking forward to getting in the racer tomorrow, and I’ll let you know how my first week back was next Sunday!

Peace!

I know you’re all wondering if I hit my target of 40 k this week… The answer is no. Not in the slightest. It’s been shall we say, a poor week this week? I couldn’t get my compressor charged until Tuesday, then fell ill Tuesday night with some rubbish virus thing, and to be honest, just couldn’t find the motivation to push at all from friday onwards. I think this is the first real “blip” since I started training again so I’m not going to be too hard on myself, but I do know I’ve got to kick on with the training when I get back. I’ll be entering the winter phase of training in a few weeks where the mileage increases to build up stamina. Cold windy nights on the track or on the road just pushing away. It’s almost a test of discipline and mental toughness as well as a stamina building phase. Anyone who wished to join me just needs to ask! Hopefully when I return I’ll be hooking up with Ste Hoskins for some training sessions too which will be interesting to see how I’ve developed over the last few months since I last trained with him.

So that’s it really, 2 Basketball sessions and a gym session is all I’ve achieved this week. Slightly disappointing, but I’m sure I’ll hit the ground running (no pun intended) when I get back from Egypt.

I’m thoroughly looking forward to my vacation and will no doubt post some photos of me trying to swim!

Many congratulations to Ade and Anna who got engaged on their holiday last week! Vegas stag do???

Take it easy!

Rubbish week last week regarding training. I had a cold that was making me feel rough at the start of the week, and combined with two sore arms from 5 inoculations/vaccines for my holiday, it kept me away from my racing chair till the Thursday. I managed some basketball Wednesday night, a 7 seven km push on Thursday, a gym session Saturday morning, and some more basketball on Sunday. I suppose this seems like a fair amount, but the truth is I kind of feel guilty in a way for not having pushed that much.

I feel quit a bit better now though and I’m actually able to breath with my mouth shut, so training will resume as normal this next week, before I depart on my holiday to Egypt on the 28th of September. I’ve set myself a goal of at least 40km, and two gym sessions. I won’t be doing much training on holiday (Sarah won’t let me take my racing chair), but I do intend to try some swimming. I haven’t swam since before my accident so it will be interesting to see how that goes.

I’m afraid I don’t have an awful lot more to report due to the lack of training this week. There was a brief moment of excitement when I tried to charge my compressor and the charger exploded, but that was about it.

I know some of you are desperately awaiting the arrival of my diet post! I promise it will be up soon!

Make sure you tune in Sunday! Until then, train hard!

If you read last weeks post, you might remember that my last session of the week was cut slightly short by a puncture in my front tub. This was annoying for two reasons. First, because I was having a good push when I punctured, then had to push home on the flat, and secondly, because I had to change the tub…and I’m not very good at this. Usually my mate Cress comes over to sort it but I decided it was time I tried to do it my self.

It’s quite an awkward procedure you see, so if you’re not practiced at it, then it can take a while. The first step is to remove the punctured tub. It’s stuck on with tub tape to the wheel so it doesn’t turn round on itself. You then need to remove the tub tape which gets stuck to your hands and anything else it touches. Having removed the tub and the tub tape you then need to put some more tub tape on, put the tub on the wheel which is always difficult because they never seem big enough, and finally pull the backing of the tape off so the tub sticks to it. With just a little help from Sarah, I managed to do it although it did take me about ten times longer than Cress. So with that done I managed to start my training. Still no programme off my coach yet so I’m just trying to clock up the km’s and build up my stamina.

Monday – 10km push in 57 mins. Fairly slow but I did double back to do some extra hills. I also got held up at roundabouts and certain junctions where cars don’t indicate.

Tuesday – Went to Wyndley track with Sarah to mix up the training a little bit. 2km warm up followed by 11 x 150 m sprints, followed by a couple of 100 m sprints and a 200m sprint purely for curiosity.

Wednesday – Day off

Thursday – This is my first failure since I started pushing again. I ate too much for lunch and got quite bloated, then when I went to push an hour and a half later I kept heaving and trying really hard not to be sick. After about 4 km I ended my session. An hour and a half seems enough time to allow food to settle, but when you are hunched over and effectively squashing your stomach to push, it can cause unpleasantness. Lesson learnt.

Friday – 10km push in 52 mins. Much better than Mondays session and getting very close to the 50 min barrier.

Saturday – Day off

Sunday – Basketball game against Wolverhampton. Lost by 40 – 33, but a massive improvement against a team that has put serious points past us in previous friendlies. It’s our first season in the national leagues, so it’s going to be a tough year, but I expect Wolves are one of the strongest teams so it is also quite promising.  From a workout point of view, I cannot begin to explain how much my arms were burning through the game!

So, a decent week from a training perspective. Need to try and lift weights a couple of times this week aswell as my track/road sessions. I was hoping to train twice a day for the week just gone, but it didn’t work out. I still need a day to recover from the road sessions. Hopefully soon though…

From a spectator perspective, my rugby club Old Salts lost on Saturday to Lichfield 47-37. A very good game to watch with plenty of tries. We played some exceptional rugby but we can’t expect to win games if we concede 47 points. However, I’m sure the lads will correct this in future weeks.

Remember to come back Wednesday for the post about diet!

Peace!

Once again, sorry for the slightly late update! The last couple of Sundays have been fairly manic but I expect them to return to normal soon, giving me time to write and post.

The last week was not a great week of training in comparison to the 40km week I had previously. Having been camping for the weekend, and enjoyed my time relaxing, I continued that until the Thursday which is when I first got out to push. This was not the intention. I had planned to start on the Tuesday, but I’m afraid to say a slight lack of discipline stopped me from doing so. Poor form really, but there we are.

Thursday – I did 7km of sprints varying from 250m to 400m. Struggled a little, but I think that was more my frame of mind than anything else.

Friday – Set out to do a long push. I was feeling really good and was thinking I might actually break my 14km barrier, but alas, I got a puncture at 7km. Some losers keep smashing glass at a certain point on the route I use. Usually it doesn’t affect my tyres, but this time it did, and the air slowly disappeared out of my front tub. I was gutted but decided to keep on pushing for another couple of km purely because I wasn’t ready to stop. There was still some air in my tub so I wasn’t going to damage the wheel, and at least I got some drag training!

Saturday – Planned to go to the gym as I was training John there in the morning, but I didn’t get there early enough to do my session before he arrived. Poor discipline again…I think it was just one of those weeks…

Sunday – After going to Manchester in the morning for the christening of my niece, I just managed to get back in time for basketball. Good session. I’m particularly pleased with my shooting, and as the season starts next week, that can only be a good thing. I will be posting our scores on here for you to follow.

So not a great week, and it was purely down to being slightly disorganised and a little too relaxed from my weekend break, however, that usually means I’ll make up for it next week so make sure you come back to see how I got on. Also, there will be an information update on diet being posted next Wednesday. This will talk about the basics of nutrition and also include some very important do’s and don’ts.

Many congratulations to my rugby club Old Salts for beating Upton on Severn 74 – 0 in the first game of the season. And also, many congratulations to Sarah who completed the Lichfield 10k race in under 60 mins. Most impressive for an asthmatic who has only been running for 2 years!

Peace everyone, come back next week!