Need to shed those Christmas pounds

So after a nice Christmas break and time with the family I have been picking up the training once again as my big ultra distance event is fast approaching.

I certainly am in need of some serious exercise as after a long 25km run yesterday and a decent pace swim tonight I just weighed myself to find myself still a good 6 pounds over my healthy bodyweight and probably nearer a stone off my race weight and what I should be aiming for in April.

I have set out a basic plan to run 3 times a week. 2 shorter distance (5 to 10km) as strides, hill reps, intervals or tempo and one long distance run. For recovery and cross - training I will build in swimming, cycling (mostly turbo / MTB) and some strength work at the gym.

A typical week should be as follows:

Mon - swim
Tue - strides run set
Wed - bike turbo / swim
Thu - tempo run
Fri - gym / spin class
Sat - swim
Sun - ĺong run

I need to pushing back up to 10 hours by mid January and 12-14 during Feb / Mar.

My long runs need to increase to 30km - 50km in distance and over 4 hours on my feet. Most of these long easy runs should be off - road and include plenty of hill work.

I cannot completely disregard my cycling as I have entered the classic Liege - Bastogne cycle sportive in late April.

It's all go!

A little run in Morzine

Back in Morzine for a few days skiing before Christmas - very lucky!

There isn't much snow around but we luckily found a few pistes open so got a few solid hours of activity in over the last three days.

Yesterday after we came off the slopes I managed an easy run around town and a short loop of the town, finding the scenic river bed, oudoor swimming pools, ice rink and high suspension bridge over the valley.

Gower Peninsula MTB weekend

Well what a weekend of cycling!

A very early start on Saturday morning meant I joined the boys at breakfast and well in advance of their proposed start time. The weather looked good so we saddled up and headed for those hills.

To be honest we were already pretty high up so almost immediately benefited from the amazing views of the surrounding countryside and picturesque beaches - it was simply breathtaking. I have been privileged to have cycled in some great places: South Downs (home), French Alpes and Spain but none were as dramatic as the trails and views of the Gower peninsula.

We were very fortunate as over the 2 days the weather was also very well behaved and I would even go to say pretty hot on the Sunday, however that aside the views was really what won the day.

Throw in some great company, good food, decent enough accommodation,  a few beers and Joe's ice - cream (a local favourite) this was an amazing way to relax and spend some much needed time on the bike.

If anyone is thinking of a weekend away on the bike I thoroughly recommend this part of the country, although it does help to have a local guide (in our case a friend from the Club sharing his favourite cycle routes) - thanks Sean.

Off to the World Cycling Track event in London (Olympic velo park) tomorrow, which should be fun.