Sharkathlete

So apparently the month of January for a UKB-following punter goes a bit like this:

1 - 0
2 - indoor bouldering + short run
3 - indoor routes + short run
4 - 1.5 hours gym
5 - indoor bouldering
6 - 0
7 - indoor bouldering + short run
8 - 2 hours gym
9 - indoor bouldering
10 - 1.5 hours gym
11 - 20 min run
12 - 0
13 - indoor bouldering + 1 hour / 4 miles walk
14 - indoor routes + 35 mins / 2 mile walk
15 - 0
16 - 1.45 hours gym
17 - indoor auto-belay and bouldering
18 - 1.45 hours gym
19 - indoor bouldering
20 - 2.5 hours gym
21 - indoor routes
22 - 20 mins run
23 - 1+ hours gym
24 - indoor routes
25 - indoor routes
26 - 2 hours gym
27 - indoor routes
28 - 0
29 - 1+ hours gym
30 - 1 hour sport climbing
31 - several hours sport climbing + 2 x 20 mins tiring walking

Yup it's the sharkathon, in which the aim is to do at least 30 mins of exercise everyday, cut down on the booze, and ideally eat a bit healthier too. A well-meaning post-Xmas boost sort of thing. I'm taking the tick for it, for the few days I missed, there were enough double days to compensate. And yes I'm counting 20 min runs with DVTs as 30+ mins (conservative, they're actually more equivalent to 40 mins previously).

TBH this month wasn't exceptional for me this winter, I've been doing plenty of training, the week before Xmas was back2back indoor wall + run days with long gym sessions (pre-empting festive food and also training for my brother and I's traditional Xmas run - it worked, I did new PBs of 2.5 miles continuously twice this time!). But the sharkathon did encourage me to be a bit more consistent and aware of my exercise. I found that anything after a inactive day felt desperate, whilst most things after a lighter gym or wall session felt good (and obviously doms / sore fingers after a heavier session). By the end I managed to beat or equal all my gym / weights PBs, and do indoor routes and bouldering close to normal.

Weight-wise I started *before* Xmas at a repugnant 79-ish kg and was so appalled that I haven't dared look since then. I think the sharkathon definitely required a lot of burying-head-in-sand denial of current circumstances and lack of any short term gains whatsoever in the blissful hope that it will all be useful in the future, whenever that might be.

As a bonus I've got quite into 0,0% beers as a way to maximise the refreshment vs. indulgence balance. Most are too bland or too sweetly malted, but San Miguel 0,0 and Erdinger Wiessbeir low alcohol are good, whilst my favourite Sainsbury's Czech 0.5% clocks in at 87 calories / 500ml bottle compared to 5 times that amount for many normal lagers which is pretty reassuring.