As Toeic approached as the first test, I was aiming high. I probably should have prepared a better listening exam. Hopefully, I can still get a high grade. Toeic is not difficult as long as one has enough practice ahead.
If someone ever takes Toeic, the just let me suggest these pages. First one is for practice, and the second one is to get used to the tricks for Listening. For Reading, I am no expert but the ability to skim, read fast, and extract (and interconnect ideas among multiple passages) the information given is very useful.
TOEIC Listening Skills Preparation - YouTube
RIDING
This week started too lightly. Two days rest on Monday and Tuesday was a given after 17h(+6h from usual) from last week. However, I forgot an important advice I came to hear from Gio quoting his PE (Physical Education) teacher: "the only way to beat muscle soreness, is make the muscles work!", and that really resounded with me on this week. I shall include some light active moving on rests days. I guess thats the key to a good recovery.
Anyways, I felt pretty much recovered by the end of the week. HR levels much more stable, but also sensitive due to the recent heat waves. The legs were feeling on good condition when spinning on Saturday, and I got a good steady pace on Miyama-Hanase on Sunday. Long weekend I shall say, but now back to usual as my Sundays are free until next exam. Wish me luck.
WEIGHT
It's been going down recently, though sometimes it seems too drastic as I can lose more than 1kg after riding or after one night sleep. Sometimes I feel good, other times I feel weak. Timing nutrition around workouts has been really helpful too. The carbs really help when taken in advance, and the morning coffee has had a nice effect when riding and when studying or taking exams. I guess that works for me now.
Furthermore, I've been reading articles to get an idea of where my ideal weight shall be. I am currently 74.2kg. Indeed, my weight is far from optimal. I got (a lot!) of belly fat. The elites of my height(170cm) are usually 58~63kg, and I cannot see myself fit in that picture. I worry mainly about how it would feel to be at that weight. Would I be energetic enough for everyday tasks? Will I feel healthy and not worry about food I put on my plate counting every single gram? I don't know.
Ideally, I was thinking I could eventually make it to 65~66kg with a balanced and controlled diet. I would be happy with that, though the final decision will eventually be revelead by how I feel at that moment carrying that weight. It's all about being sustainable. Once I manage to keep it constant then I can tweek it accordingly. But, back to reality, I am still on a downward trend and hopefully I can keep it that way.
ON NOT REPEATING MISTAKES
I haven't been to any race nor spend any money on the club since the 春合宿 or the 新歓23割り勘, so I don't expect any big debt that I will have to cover doing any part-time jobs. I don't wanna screw this trend like in August last year. I really don't wanna spend any more money than necessary.
THE WEEK
Remarks:
-> Wednesday right should've been L2, but I still found entertaining pushing with Ung the first half.
->Gym half an hour more than usual.
->Running slower than last time but still good
-> Legs feeling good on Saturday but Heart was high. Legs on L2, while Heart on L3,L4? Probably the heat effect?
-> It's been a while since doing a 4h> ride. I forgot this is how it feels like even if doing it at L2. Well, I am glad I can still keep a stable pace. Eating on time really help, though calories not enough. I had to buy some more at Miyama.
ON BIKE MANTEINANCE
I decided to make it a 52/36, since I will be able to push more on flats and my spinning on climbs will not be so affected. I am still thinking on getting a high sprocket or changing derailleur so I can fix a 30~12 on the rear wheel. My end-goal seems to be climbing faster. It's easy to say now though since I am writing from a computer, but probably out there you will only see my face of pain. Even then,
And, just as an end-note, I am thinking of not going to Club Practice on Saturdays at least until I get the new Chain Rings. The main reason is because most of the time I ride on big chainring and middle-to-low gear on the back, the chain seems to drop. I cannot even dance or stop the bike without worrying of it suddenly dropping. Thus, I can only mostly ride with small chainring, or ride with big chainring and high gears. More than hurting myself crashing, I worry about hurting other people at high speeds, so I'll check and see this week how I can make it work for next Saturday.
Well, that is all for this week. お疲れ様でした。
