Pg,

I don't really know how to evaluate strings. My process was to keep trying some medium priced ones with descriptions that sounded like they'd be good for my game and keep trying different ones until I found some I really liked. Also I tend to be biased by ones with pictures of my favorite players on them.

Yes I searched high and low for Tim Henman branded strings with no luck.

RIP - Crisps

Update:

Strength - Pretty good. 70KG * 12 * 3 bench press. 90KG * 5 * 3 squat but I can do more.

Fitness - Surprisingly good. Played tennis last Friday, Footgolf Saturday and tennis again on Monday. Stamina held up well.

Weight - not good. I'm frustrated because this is a high priority and I just can't get under 100KG. It's very annoying. I'm fat right now. I keep wearing the same clothes because I can't get into the ones that fit when I'm 98KG (and there's a bunch more that fit when I weight less. Eager to get back to 98KG but it will take a while.

Diet - not good, hence why I'm fat. But I've got things in shape somewhat the past 10 days. Also, I've eaten vegetarian for the past four days. Not sure how long this will last, four days is a record! I'm doing this for ethical, not dietary reasons. But I do like meat so we'll see. Due to my dairy intolerance this means I'm almost vegan + eggs. I'll need to learn how to cook vegetarian food. Protein is an issue. I ordered 1KG egg white powder from Amazon which I'm planning to mix with fruit & coconut milk to make smoothies (done the same thing minus the egg whites and it was delicious).

pg,

Do you track/log your food?

Not recently :/

Honestly, probably back to blubbery. Had a very solid first week back in the saddle - some but not enough exercise and excellent diet. Bought some new shoes because I was walking a bunch in some really beat up trainers and had a bunch of muscle stiffness. Perhaps unrelated but new shoe feel is amazing!

It feels good to wake up actually hungry, never feel like I've overeaten during the day etc. Just a shame that I yo yo so much and tend to have multi-month periods of awful eating rather than maybe two weeks of ****ty eating a couple of times a year which would be manage. My online dating pics now count as deceiving - I'd be pissed if a girl turned up 10% heavier than fattest photo so golden rule and all means I'm off the online dating grid for a couple of months. Wasn't going on many dates anyway but not a good sign!

Update: probably re-herniated my disc. It's frustrating and disheartening.

Tennis v. Professor

3-6

Played well considering the long break and would have beaten Professor (who's nursing an elbow injury and did not play well) if I wasn't so out shape both literally and figuratively. Was blowing hard after two games and basically took a break until down 1-4. Utterly knackered at the end (final game went to multiple deuces giving me a change to get back on serve). The lack of cardio is normal - I always take a month or two to be able to play a couple of hours without fatigue, but my current blubberiness needs swiftly dealing with. Re-herniated my disc, ingrown toenail ... these are just excuses. Mostly the same old bad habits. If I eat well and exercise which I think I will, I'll get back down to 100 KG in a few months after which I'll probably be tired of dieting and ballooning back up would then be easier than steadily progressing to 90KG.

I'm thinking of signing up for a 10K run or a long bike ride for Septemberish. There's in a triathlon in July but that comes too early :/ Something medium term motivation has historically done me good but sticking with it longer term is still the problem.

Strength wise I'm doing OK. Need to do more stretching!

How are you all???

Ran ~1 mile. Slow but I thought I'd need to stop much earlier (~ten years ago when I was less fat I'd start by running one song walking one song on a cycle then after a week or two running two songs walk one song). Today I got through three songs off the bat! This is the first time I've enjoyed the post exercise endorphin run in ages and it feels amazing! (Have played tennis a couple of times + semi-regularly do 20 minute bike rides at ~15-16 mph).

Working towards a 10k run in six months. That's enough time but I'm so out of shape that I couldn't do a 10k in three months*. I think if you're healthy you should always be in good enough shape to do a 10k in three months. That's like bare minimum. And you should always be able to do a 5k within a couple of weeks. 5k isn't that much if you're healthy and not old. Anyway, the tricky thing about this particular run** is that it takes part in hills and I suck at hills. Such running, suck hiking, suck cycling. So if in three months time I'm in significantly better shape and it looks like I'm really going to do this 10k I'll start on improving my hill running.

*technically I'm at week seven of this twelve week couch to 10k so maybe I'll be ready in five weeks!

** which it's not certain I'll run but it's a good target to push myself for a couple of months.

01/04

1 mile run: 11m 57s

- Expected something closer to 11m.
- Paced myself. Could have down 11m 30s to 11m 40s?
- 11m 30s for 1 mile is still not fast!

Friends who I'm planning to do the September run with tell me with one of their dogs gets overheated and starts whining due around 8k and suggest I take her with me on the 5k. Pfft to that.

o/t but do any of you have experience with dog cooling vest like these:

https://www.amazon.com/LotFancy-Cool...gateway&sr=8-6

https://www.amazon.com/RUFFWEAR-Stre...gateway&sr=8-7

5k isn't really a run imo, not long enough to actually train for and get up early in the morning etc. I'll go for the 10k hopefully with the dog.

Want to get down to one mile in 10 minutes soon. Think I can do 11 minutes by the end of April and 10 minutes some time in June? Preferably early/mid June but even the end of June gives me 12 weeks to turn one ten minute mile into six which is ~ what I'm aiming for. To clarify I'd like to a flat 10k in 62.5 minutes to 65 minutes by the end of September. The actual 10k I'm planning to do is hilly so I might do a flat 10k one to two weeks beforehand as training. It won't be easy - 11:57 for one mile converts to 82:51 for 10k, apparently & similarly I need to go from ~12 minute mile to ~9:20 minute mile to reach my goal but I'm excited to try.

Update: have a wild cellulitis/staph infection on my right shoulder. Will post a link if anyone wants a photo but it's gross. Doctor put me on antibiotics with the proviso I should go to A&E immediately if I feel worse (because it could be sepsis). Actually feel ****ty today but that's probably because I randomly got assaulted last night :/. I won't be able to squat for at least a week and maybe two due to the location of the infection (have six appointments scheduled for the next two weeks to get the bandage changed). I think I can bench press and should be able to deadlift. I guess I can run too although probably not a great idea to sweat too much? My muscles get tight for days when I take up squatting after a lengthy intermission but perhaps I can mitigate this with deadlifts and leg presses and the like.

Damn dude, feel better. Sorry about the assault, too.

Re: lifting, I'd follow your doctor's advice on the subject. If you didn't ask, abstain from anything strenuous and/or load bearing until you do.

Thank you! Doctor just said to get the bandage changed every three days and not to get the area wet. I can shower but should angle my shoulder away so it doesn't get soaked. I'm ruling out squatting as the bar would rest on the wound but think most of the other stuff should be OK? Didn't think to ask. I guess I can just wait and ask at my Saturday bandage change appointment but I'm very keen to run a mile tomorrow. It's a mile and even given my low level of fitness that's not going to lead to a drenched tee shirt level of sweat that might aggravate the infection? The big thing is how the infection looks/feel tomorrow. I'll take my 6th out of 28 anti-biotic pill tonight which means it should be clearing up by tomorrow. It's currently difficult to see since the bandage is so vast but it's seems to be noticeably less painful than yesterday.

05/04

1 mile run: 11m 31s (treadmill)

Could have run slightly faster. 11 minute mile by the end of April should be easy.

Area around the shoulder is less inflamed but I won't get a chance to look at it until tomorrow (have to wake up early since tomorrow's bandage change is one I don't have an appointment for & I don't want to spend four hours waiting in walk-in). Joint feels tired and sore, like I've done a few tough sets of lateral raises, this is either because I carried some shopping earlier or my joint got infected lol. I think it's the former. Want to tennis next week but that all depends on my shoulder - finish antibiotics next Wednesday so I'm hopeful but will take instruction from the nurse tomorrow.

Nurse is happy with my progress and suggested if it looks better on Tuesday I don't need to go to my dressing change appointment. For the non squeamish here is a before and after (n.b the before is gnarly):

https://imgur.com/a/1PI7M8s

It's a lot less painful but still feels sore/tired. Due to the location I think it's OK to squat/bench press but playing an hour's tennis is too much? That's today - assuming the soreness doesn't indicate anything serious it should improve enough to allow tennis within a few days.

Re: running - I can already imagine getting bored of one mile runs so envisage working towards something with one weekly timed mile run along with HIIT, two mile runs (can probably do a slow two miles rn?) + lifting/tennis etc.

x/post


This has me yearning for the Concept 2 (I used to own one and could do 10km at ~2:10 pace). Outdoor rowing too, not that I've ever done it (outside of an extremely leisurely pace) - the idea of waking up at 6 a.m to hit the lake/river and get some rowing in. mmm.

Meh. Nurse wasn't happy today. Wound has lots of slough. Not sure how dangerous that is: probably just means it will take longer to heal. Nurse told me not to lift anything (boo) and in response to a question about cycling said I should "take things in moderation". Can cycling really be harmful? I have to get in 15-30 minute sessions for mental well-being. Don't want to totally abstain from exercise unless absolutely necessary. Next appointment is on Thursday which is just after the end of my antibiotics course let's hope for better news. I want to run, lift and play tennis etc.

20 minutes reclining bike: 4.57 miles (13.71 MPH).

Worked up some sweat. Eyed the weights longingly.

10/04

1 mile run: 10m 31s

On pace to break the world mile record on May 14th and the three minute mile on May 18th.

Not only was this significantly faster than I expected it was also much easier. I could have done another half mile at the same pace. My pulse are 01/04's 11m 57s mile was 162 BPM (hand timed ~20s-30s after finishing the mile) and 147 BPM after 10/04's 10m 31s mile (ditto).

10 minute mile some time in June now seems unambitious but I'm happy to stick with it since it will have me on course for a good (for me) time in September's 10K. Since I'm basically happy with my one mile time (would have a chance at doing at doing a 10:00 mile within a week) going to work on longer runs - 2 miles at 11:00 pace, 5k at 11:00/mile pace (34:19) etc.

Shoulder improved. Almost zero slough - it looks like a normal wound. Returning Sunday and nurse thinks thinks I won't need another appointment. Not allowed to lift until then but hopefully after...

I'm not trying to be discouraging or a dick but to think that your cardiovascular fitness improved that much in that short amount of time is some serious ytf'ing. Your goals are not unambitious. Reach them and then set new goals.

To be clear the part about breaking the world mile record on May 14 was a joke.

I realize that PGUK. I'm simply asking you to consider the accuracy of your heartbeat estimate and to think carefully about any extrapolation of that measurement you might be tempted to make about how easily you're going to crush your goals. Especially in light of the thread title and time elapsed since it's creation.

My recommendation would be to keep on working and that once you reach your goal would be the time to reassess.

I think the 86 second improvement in my mile time is:

1/3 - I didn't know how much stamina I had before the initial mile, took things very cautious and could have gone much faster.

1/3 - Improvements start off huge when you do an exercise you haven't for like a year.

1/3 - I was better rested yesterday/the weather was nicer/my shoulder improved. That is random factors.

- I'm a massive favourite to run a 10 minute mile by June and should do by May.
- Based on this thread it's not clear I'm a favourite to run a 65 minute 10k by the end of September.
- I should do 10k by the end of September as long as I stay healthy but it would require discipline which is why it is far from guaranteed.
- If I run 10k in 65 minutes by the end of September that would be an excellent accomplishment.
- That's why my goal for now remains to do exactly that and continue from there exactly as you suggest. I'd like to work on getting the 65 minute 10k in a month early so I'm not running (!) against a deadline but I'll count it as a win regardless.

Hope that clarifies things