Autumn is officially here

I know it's been a while since I last put a post on here, but there always seem things to do these days. However, as today is officially the first day of autumn I thought that I would begin my winter cold water routine again. So today for the first time in a long time I ran a cold bath. Water temp was 15C and I stayed in for a full 15 minutes. No shivering, hands in the water most of the time and head under a few times during the session.

I had done some yard work just before so was quite warm to start off with and gradually cooled down during my long soak in the bath. Dried, dressed and warming up now as I sit here to write this.

As the weather cools down so, hopefully will the water temp out of the tap. The coldest it got last winter at my house was 9C. Let's hope it goes a little lower this year.

I am still running about 2-3 times a week - a lot more fluidly than before the summer. Also seem to have reached a stable weight of around 67kg. On the scales this morning the reading was 66.4Kg but this can vary by as much as 1Kg depending on when I weight myself and when I last ate or had a drink.

I hope to intersperse some pictures to liven this blog up soon. If there are still followers out there or you discovered this for the first time. Please write a comment or send me an e-mail.

Back in Circulation

I know it has been around 5 weeks since my last post but I have an excuse - I was on vacation.

The pic on the right was my everyday view (yes, sunny skies, >30C every day and cool, clear water for swimming in). Sorry for the poor quality but it was taken on my phone rather than with my digital camera. Still working on some more pics to post here in the coming days.

Spent 3 weeks in Greece replenishing my Vitamin D content (i.e. nude sunbathing to get an all-over tan). Also did a fair amount of walking, running and swimming (a lot of that was done naked too!) as well as trying to not eat too much (mostly clothed to eat, unfortunately!).

The effort seems to have paid off as since I have been back in the UK I have seen a slight improvement in my time for running my standard route and also am less breathless during the latter stages of my run - also I am managing to run the complete route now too which I found very difficult before.

It has also had an effect on my weight - which, depending on when I weigh myself, occasionally shows below the 66kg mark (today was 65.9kg so very close to my self-imposed goal weight of 65kg). There is definitely not a lot of fat left on my body but I don't have the tools to get an accurate body fat assessment.

Am still running shirtless all the time and do not intend to run with a shirt on through the winter either. Looking for a local running partner in the hope of improving my fitness further.

The cold showers are more like luke-warm showers at the moment, but still have one after my run to cool me down as I am normally very hot when I get back after around 40 minutes of solid running. Haven't measured the water temp since I have been back but it is certainly not that cold.

Till the next post......

Last Post for a While

Hi, not much to report and as I am off on vacation from today for 3 weeks you are not gonna get a post in a while. Normal, or should that be sporadic, service will be resumed soon.

Not been doing much running this week except to do the final chores and get ready for holidays. Am looking forward to doing a lot of naked walking, swimming and suntanning over the next 21 days. Hope to post some pics on my return and give you an update on the fitness side too.

Weight today 68.0Kg Hope to get this down a bit more on the holiday and to get a bit more defiined as well (I am hoping that the swimming and running whilst away will drop the body fat% too). I will just need to watch my hydration levels cos its going to be hot (35C+) most days.

3 Weeks On........

Well, here I am 3 weeks on from my last post. I have not been as good with my posts as I would have liked, nor have I been as active with running either.

Nevertheless it has at least been hot and sunny here in the UK. Adding to the tan is always nice as is working outside. I also went away for a weekend with a mate of mine and did a bit of running, cycling and swimming at the coast, which made a real nice change from the usual weekend fare. 40+ miles on a bike after a very long layoff meant I had a sore butt for a while! Swimming in the UK sea is also a very cooling experience.

Some travel for work in sunny climates has also added to my tan. Not done any running on my travels mainly because it has been way too hot (30C+). Done some in the UK since being back but only on a few mornings. Still managing to do my standard run in around 40 Minutes.

With the weather being so hot my weight has also been fluctuating from its lowest of 66.9Kg (on a really hot day in which I did go for a run) to around 68.5Kg. The difference I think is based on the amount of fluid I have in me which can vary quite a lot depending on temperature. I still plan to be at around 65Kg by the end of the summer and will try and keep to that weight year round thereafter. Anyone else have any comments about weight fluctuation?

Till next time.

A Great Day

After the thunderstorms of last evening and a night of rain it is a beautiful day today - clear skies and sunshine. Up early for my normal run followed by a cold shower and then catch up on mails and work stuff. Working from home does have its highlights and advantages - like being able to sit outside on the patio without clothes on, laptop on the table and the telephone next to me for those all-important business e-mails and phone calls.

The result of all the good weather is that I have a great all-over tan, am happy and relaxed and doing what I like to do best. The fitness regime is certainly paying dividends. I am looking better and feeling better physically. I have a lot better definition and body shape and although I am not doing weights to get some more muscle, I still think I look good. And being happy with oneself is much better than anything else. My weight is still coming down too. After the run and shower the scale showed 67.7Kg.

I did 2 runs since my last mail - my normal one on Friday morning and a longer one on Saturday (a full hour) taking in footpaths and roads close to my home that I have not been on before. Being able to enjoy the scenery as I go is also fantastic. I am starting to understand how to pace myself a bit more when running. I was finding that I generally start too fast and ended up neing out of breath and had tired legs early on. By taking things easier and not so fast, concentrating on breathing and getting an easy manageable pace is better as it means i can run for longer without a break and still not feel too tired. I guess this means I am actually enjoying the runs! Also, I don't beat myself up about having to stop and walk for a while if the going gets really tough (like a steep uphill section). I am not in a race, I am here to enjoy myself and to get exercise so a few minutes of walking enhances that experience rather than taking away from it.

OK philosophical murmurings are over for today - I am off to my patio to enjoy some more sun! Till next time......

Another week

No apologies for the delay in posting - I have been away in a hot climate. Far too hot to run and just right for lazing around a pool (not distance swimming). The result is that I have a great suntan, have lost a little more weight, and am feeling much more relaxed.

Went for a run this morning and, despite having taken a break from running for nearly a week, managed to do it in under 40 minutes. I did manage a run last Saturday before I left the UK in a slightly better time. My weight on the scales today after my run was 68.3Kg so still improving. My goal is now to get down to 67Kg by the end of the month and to be able to improve my run time to less than 38 minutes.

Two Runs and a Swim

Since my last post I have been quite good. A run on 2 Mornings and a 2.4km swim. 2 cold showers and a hot one (just for a change) as well as some physical work in the garden and a spot of suntanning.

Weight is down to under 69Kg and my time for my regular run was completed in under 40 minutes! No reason to slack off though. Hope the sun shines this weekend - highly unlikely but I can always dream can't I!

10 day report

Time has gone past too quickly this past week. Exercise has been on my mind but not on the agenda. I managed 2 runs over the first weekend of this blog post and on Monday but nothing the rest of that week or this past weekend - it was too sunny by half. The hot weather is not conducive to working out or exercise except in the early morning or late evening. Maybe the weather will break and I get a chance later this week to run in cooler conditions.

No swims this week either - too much activity, entertaining and eating out and commitments elsewhere. Needless to say the weight is starting to creep back on - but still grimly hanging on just below the 70Kg level fortunately.

Cold showers (if you can call them that) are still the order of the day - in fact I find it hard to take a really hot shower now without feeling guilty or wanting to turn the temp to cold. How strange is that?

Hopefully I will be back into my normal reporting routine this week. Look out for a post before Friday (or Friday at the very latest).

This week (with pic)

Well, another week has gone past and without a post from me. Its been a fairly busy week.

The water in the taps is definitely getting warmer as I can stay in the shower for a lot longer without feeling cold at the end of it now. I am persisting with the cold showers.

On the exercise front I have been fairly active this past week. I managed my normal run on Saturday and Sunday as well as Thursday night so almost 15miles under the hoof this week! I also managed to get out to swim 2km at the local pool on Wednesday night. I seem to have reached a consistent swim time of approx 30 minutes per km. My run is also run in a fairly constant time of around 40 minutes for 4.5Miles. My weight is also back down below the 70Kg level - I hope to get this down a little more over the next month so that my body is really lean and my body fat level down below 10% for my summer vacation. I included a webacm pic I took today to give you an indication of what I look like right now (apologies for the bad quality!).

Question: Are these times for running/swimming good or not? What can I do to improve them? Any comments on my body shape/form and what I can do to get the 6-pack showing more? Do you think I should get my nipples pierced? I am thinking of getting a small barbell in each.

Another week

Seems like Fridays is my day for updates. I have been away this week on business. I did manage to get a 5k run in on machine at the hotel gym and 2 days where I managed a 1km swim. I also managed to get a good start to the summer all-over tan as I grabbed a few "my time" sun hours next to the hotel pool in a thong.

I feel like my body fat level is coming down but the weight has gone up a fraction since my last report to 70.3Kg. Is this muscle gain or just that I have been eating more and exercising slightly less? Can anyone give me ideas as to how to bring my body fat level down quicker? Are there any supplements that would help this fat reduction process so that my muscle definition comes out more?

Last night's normal 4.5mile run was in my best time yet - just under 40 minutes. I still have to regulate my run so that I can do it all without walking for a portion of it and so improve my time even further. I am still looking for a running partner - any volunteers?

Weight Milestone - Under 70Kg

For the first time in as long as I can remember I stepped on the scale this morning and did not see a "7" in the first position on the Kg Scale. Although not down to what I believe my ideal weight should be (around 65Kg) I reckon that achieving under 70Kg (69.9Kg this morning) is worth blogging about. Its taken around 3 months to get here so its not been a miracle cure.

It is, however, a milestone on the way to a much healthier lifestyle. I have not done anything special to lose the pounds, or kilograms, I just ate sensibly, exercised a lot more and had a generally positive attitude about things. I think that the cold water showers and bath have played their part in speeding up my metabolism to burn off the excess fat too, so that regime will continue.

All I need now is someone to push me a little harder and faster in my exercise and training schedule to continue the improvements.

Running Shirtless

Now that the weather is warmer I have taken to running in just my running shoes and shorts (I was running in shorts and T-shirt when the air temp was barely above freezing a few weeks ago so the 15C of today was like summer come early). My normal route is around 30% on Public roads and pavements (for those reading this in the USA pleas read sidewalk for pavement!). Total distance of around 4.5 miles which these days I seem to consistently manage to run/jog/fast walk in around 41 minutes.

Increasingly I have become aware that a number of motorists take great pleasure in sounding their hooter (horn) at me as they pass. I have no idea why they do this. Not that it is off-putting or anything, just a little annoying (and flattering to think that they have noticed me). Today I was hooted at twice! On a previous occasion about 5 or 6 motorists did this. And it is not just the women that do this either, a lot of men hoot as they go past. What is this all about? Is it that they are:

• Jealous?
• Think I am crazy?
• Think I am good looking (at 50+ years of age I doubt it) and fancy me?
• Doing it to put me off my stride?
  

Any suggestions as to why people do this please leave a comment/response and let me know. Does this only happen in the UK? Does it happen to anyone else?

Monday Update

A long weekend of exercise and relaxation is probably a good summation of the past 3 days. I managed to get my standard road/woodland of approx 4.5. miles in on Saturday in a personal best time of just over 41 Minutes. I am happy with this time although a little disappointed that I did not run the whole way - so there is room for improvement. I guess my longer run up north during week helped up my fitness just a little more.

Today I managed a 2Km swim in a little over an hour in the local swimming pool. Again a pretty good time for the distance. I think I can improve on that time too as the 2Km was done using breaststroke rather than front crawl. I am still having problems with getting my breathing correct on the crawl. I did a few extra lengths to try and improve my crawl strokes and breathing rhythm so maybe one of these days this time will come down too. At the moment its more about getting more aerobically fit and burning some excess fat off.

I even managed a few hours out in the garden in the sun and have the start of a suntan developing. Here's hoping that the sun keep appearing over the next few months so that I have a tan before my summer vacation this year.

3 Months in: let's drop the day count

Well, here we are at over 3 months of this routine now. It seems to be working for me at the moment. During the summer months I guess posts to this blog will become less frequent and only include highlights. From now on in I think it better to have more meaningful headlines rather than a day count.

At this point in time I am running around 10 -15 miles per week and swimming at least once per week of 1k to 2km each time. My weight is down to approximately 71Kg although this varies slightly from day to day depending on what I have eaten and how much exercise I have done.

As this is the first post for a couple of weeks I can tell you that since report that I have been taking cold showers each day and also swimming again (2km in one session taking around 75 minutes to complete that distance).

I can also report that I met up with a member of the toughness yahoo group (see link on the right) for a run up in Scotland. We did a run (for me more of a jog/walk) around 6 miles (10km) along a mixed tarmac/dirt trail around a local reservoir. The air temp was around 10C with a cooling wind. It was a bit more of an up/down path than my normal run so I did a fair amount of walking, especially up the steeper gradients.

We finished the run with a swim in a different lake of around 10 minutes duration. Water temp approx 9C to 10C. I was pretty cold and starting to shiver by the time I had finished drying myself off at the car afterwards, but did not feel cold at all in the water.

I was definitely not as fit as my running companion - but then he is almost 20 years younger than me and has been running and competing in events for quite a while. He is certainly a lot more acclimatised to the cold weather than I am.

Till next time......