Week two has come to an end and it has to be said I’m feeling OK, though a 30 minute run on Monday nearly broke me, but then I did slightly overdo the Sunday bike ride (by about three hours).

As someone that loves all forms of riding, from BMX to cross-country, it’s difficult restricting how much time and effort you put in on the wheels, although once back out running I’ve felt grateful for laying off the pedaling a bit.

Running is definitely my weak point but I’m gradually starting to enjoy it having knocked off 30 minutes on Saturday without collapsing in a heap or having to eat my dinner off the carpet.

In terms of calorie counting week two began on Google, trying to find a good nutritionist that can provide an outline of the sort of things I should be eating and in what quantities. It ended with a chicken burrito from Daddy Donkey’s followed by a cheese and bacon burger in the evening. On a slightly more positive note I’ve managed to wean myself off the chocolate milkshakes and onto “child sized handfuls of cashew nuts” (David Arthur). Unfortunately, having hands like shovels this has been a little difficult to regulate.

During week one I was a bit slack with the stretching but this has now been addressed after it was pointed out that I’d have no chance of doing much at all if I didn’t take stretching and core strength more seriously. This has lead me to purchase a roller, which are all the talk among the yoga and wellbeing types and according to Dirt Magazine designer Jon, “hurt like f*ck, but in a good way”.

On top of the roller I’m also going to give ice cold baths a go. Believed to help flush out waste products and reduce tissue breakdown, I imagine it will be both painful and have negligible benefits. I’ll let you know how I get on with the above.

Following this training program has given me a newfound interest in feats of endurance which just happens to coincide with an article in The Red Bulletin on 43-year-old Irish Deca Enduroman Gerry Duffy, who having seen a photo of himself looking a tad tubby, gave up the chain smoking and not content with taking part in one Ironman became one of only three men to complete the UK’s Deca Enduroman 2011. That’s 10 Ironman races in as many days. While my sights are aimed a little lower, you can’t help but be inspired.

One more thing, I may just have found a race to take part in after the guys at humanrace got in touch in response to last week’s blog. Having said that, the Grim Duathlon’s this Saturday but it’d probably be a bit silly racing just three weeks into my training.