Update: 7 Weeks...

Weight: 12-10.2. (Target 12-11.8). BMI: 25.5. Body Fat: 23.4%.
Forecast: 11-11.3 (extrapolate: 8.6 lbs loss over last 4wks to remaining 6wks).
Wk8 Training: Hours: 6:19 (Target 13:00). Bike: 55km @ 28 kph.

 

Weight... Down 0.8 lbs. That'll do.  I'd have liked to have lost a little more but after a couple of good weeks of loss and not a great week of training I can't complain.  As an aside, this now makes twenty weeks of consecutive weightloss - How good is that - This year consistency has been the real driving force behind my weightloss (39 lbs and counting).  My extrapolated forecast remains highly improbable at 11st 11.3.  Or does it... A brief search on the interweb tells me that "Elite male endurance athletes will often be in the 4-10% range".  I am 178 pounds and 23.4% fat.  Or as I prefer to look at it 76.6% not fat (136.5 lbs).  So, if I were to get to 11 stone (154 lbs) - I would be carrying approx 17.5 lbs or 11.4% of fat.  Which is still well above the fat% levels of elite performers.  I can not imagine myself at 11st - intriguingly I would still have a BMI of 22 which is not even near the low end of the supposed healthy range (18-25).  Sub-11 here I come???

 

Training... Not a great week.  Monday to Friday was fine; five pretty good gym/spin sessions.  Just the weekend where it went awry.  Saturday went to the zoo, watched the Giro and then chose to do a Richmond park TT (see below).  Sunday was all set for the club run when it started raining.  I was on my way but decided I wasn't up for four rain soaked hours and woossed out.  Anyhow, onwards and upwards.  This week is the start of my final build towards the Marmotte.  Five weeks of increasing workload and then just two weeks taper before the big day. No time left now to have 'quiet weeks'.  Will have to just get on with it.

 

Testing... So, over the last week or so I have tested myself against the clock and both Richmond Park & Box Hill.  This gives me the opportunity to see where I am versus my expectations...

> Box Hill.  Wk9 => 6:54 (Target 6:55).

> Richmond Park.  Wk8 => 58:57 (Target 60:49).

And the answer is ahead of where I thought I would be!  Ok for Box Hill this is marginal, but, I probably set too hard a target (I now don't believe that the 6mins I have set as my end of June goal is going to be achievable - based upon how long it takes other faster riders).  So that means the fact that I am 'on target' is notable.  As for Richmond Park, to be almost 2 mins ahead of schedule is great.  I am going to try to keep these gains - I reckon that I should be able to get well inside my 57min target and maybe even to 55:30 (3x 18:30 laps).  Something to aim for.