What to do when the hotel pool is tiny?!

Picture the scene, you arrive at the hotel, drop off the bags and then head down to check out the leisure facilities only to find that the pool is far shorter than the website pictures or brochure suggested.  What do you do? Moan and then avoid, telling yourself that that was a waste of time and spent the time avoiding said disappointment? No! 

Get changed, get in and practise your push and glides, turns and then work on your sculling, all the stuff that you 'never have time for' back home.  It isn't always just about the distance.

Enjoy.

Illness, workload, training and feeling under the weather

For the last couple of weeks, I've not felt great.  This in part I think is to do with the weather, my body telling me to rest and a greater sense of workload at work.  As much as I like to consider myself an athlete, it is not my sport that pays the bills, so there are times when work needs to come first.  Don't get me wrong, I most definitely work to live not live to work but sometimes needs must.

I've carried around some sort of virus for the last couple of weeks resulting in headache that to be blunt has been a distraction.  I've been determined to not miss time from work, it is also when my work load appears to have gained pace.  So has my work load increased or have I become less efficient and productive because of not feeling on top form?  Well I think it is a little bit of both.

January was an awesome month for me in terms of training, kicking off a good 8lbs in weight and getting some consistent hours of training per week in, one week I even smashed in 10 hours.  With this lull in February, I'm wondering whether I did too much in January?  The ice and freezing weather are also factors that have detered me from outdoor training; with a lack of cold winter gear combined with feeling below par, my training has suffered.

I've now got a weeks holiday from work.  The plan was to smash as much training in as possible, the demon in me whispers, 'man up, get your ass moving,' whereas the guy in white is telling me to kick back and take stock, to get myself right.  If I'm going to be back to my more efficient self, I need to find a balance and build more slowly.  We live and learn, after all things are difficult before they are easy.
Interested to hear your views and how you approach workload and illness with regard to consistent training.
Any question I have is how many hours per week do you spend training and how did you build up to this figure?

Sundog Eyewear

Very pleased with these glasses on my ride today.  Excellent fit and extremely comfortable, there was no excess movement what-so-ever during my 2 hour ride.  The lenses improve visiblity and make every thing sharp and fresh.  The carbon-look frame make the frames look great!They steamed up a couple of times however this was only due to misdirected breathing as I was wearing a snood to stop the wind against my face and they quickly cleared afterwards.  The specially made protective sleeve is weight-less with its specially formulated material that helps keep the lenses clean and smudge-free.

Nutrition Review

Nutrition Sample Reviews

By M.R. Hunt http://twitter.com/#!/somethinkblue

Clif Builder’s Entirely Natural Protein Bar

Straight away, I found the packaging appealing.  A subtle neutral green, the labelling and nutritional information is easy to engage with, complemented by pleasant contrasting colours and fonts that work.  After a day of ‘being through the wringer,’ it seemed an apt time to try my chocolate mint sample.  Biting into the bar creates a number of sensations as each layer gives way to the next; with its chewy inner texture, I was left with a satisfied feeling as if I had eaten much more.  Whereas with other ‘snacks’ you can be tempted to eat another one, the Builder’s bar leaves your appetite diminished and your body ready to get back in that ‘wringer.’ Afterwards, I found the after taste even better than the initial taste-bud hit that had felt a little chalky consequently; I think that the bar would be difficult to eat while moving or mid training session, yet as a sit down for 5 minutes snack, it was ‘distinctive.’  

Orbana Healthy Energy

By M.R.Hunt http://twitter.com/#!/somethinkblue

Once I had read the instructions, I found myself quite surprised at how little water each packet (50g) needed; each sachet only required 250ml.  With this in mind, I made up a sachet and drank it about half hour before hitting the treadmill. The powder, in this instance in an easy to use sachet mixed easily with shaking. Initial effects on energy were impressive and dismissed any negative voices in my head about not going to the gym.  I had mixed a 2^nd sachet to drink during my gym session, of which I am very grateful because 30 minutes into my cardio session, I felt the initial energy lift waning.  The taste was obviously orange and after my gym session that had also included some stretching I felt much more hydrated as if I had drank much more (subsequent trips to the loo confirmed this.)  As far as use on the go, should I use Orbana regularly, I think I would need to revise how much fluid I drank in training because I think; I would not need as much when using the Orbana Product, which from a weight carrying point of view could be an advantage!