Last week's rain just about drove me up a wall. Neither the kids or I could get outside much. This led to the determination I am not wired to live in a place like Seattle. No offense to Seattle, but I need the sun too much to live somewhere it rains as much as it does in the Northwest.
Adding to the pressure of not getting to exercise, was the fact I got laid off from the agency where I was working. I got added to North Carolina's ten plus percent unemployment rate. "At least you'll have more time to train," said a cyclist friend of mine. "Yeah, but I don't get paid to train on my bike," was my response. My prospects looked better by the end of the week, so I'm hopeful this is temporary.
There were good things that happened last week on the cycling front. First, Oakley came in as a sponsor, which was a great endorsement. I've been an Oakley fan back before the days of the M-Frame. I've owned several pairs over the years including a recent pair of Flak Jackets that gave their life to save part of my face and eyes in a crash in January. In that specific crash, I learned sneezing while hitting a pothole can catapult you over the handlebar. I wouldn't recommend it.
I got an education from the team at Oakley about lens selection. It is a lot more complicated than I ever thought. My Oakley Radar Path glasses came with Fire and VR 28 Polarized lenses. I now have two great selections depending on the conditions. Unfortunately I had to wait a day before I could road test the Fire lens. I'll be writing a review/overview of lenses in a coming post.
The next day something mysterious twice punctured my front tube. The first time I thought it was a fluke, so I changed the tube, pumped it up and took off. I didn't notice the tire had gone nearly flat as a took a 90 degree right turn on a slightly wet road about a mile from my house. The bike slid to the left and out from under me. I landed on the pavement and bounced on my head before coming to a stop. One more reminder why cyclists wear helmets. I was fine and my bib tights saved me from getting road rash other than a small patch on my right knee. I've had far worse.
Through some meticulous detective work, I found small nick on the inside of my rim that obviously connected with tubes when they were pumped up beyond a certain point or hit a large bump. A little filing and it was gone-mystery solved.
The next day I finally got to ride a decent distance. I had been taking 1st Endurance Optygen for a few days and I had some Pre-Race added to EFS Lemon Lime drink before the ride. Holy cats as Bob Roll might say, what a ride! I was very comfortable and flying.
I know without question I've moved the bars on my VO2Max and my lactic threshold after the Optygen loading period (1 week). Pre-Race and EFS drink seem to amplify things another level entirely. I'm sure training has had something to do with my form, but the only thing without question that changed over the week was 1st Endurance products. I'm going to write in more detail about that and hopefully talk to one of the guys there to get some more perspective.
I passed the 1,000 mile ridden milestone Sunday the 28th. That's the earliest in the year that I have ever passed that mark. I feel great about it and look forward to rolling the next 1,000 even faster now the sun has returned from its winter hiatus.
Within the last 10 days or so my weight also headed in the right direction. A little discipline and some more saddle time pushed me from bouncing between 174-176 to bouncing between 169.5 and 172.5. Not a lot to crow about, but the direction is right for a change. Only 10-12 more pounds to go before I get to my first weight goal!
This week is supposed to be fantastic with sun and warmer temperature. I hope I can get sunny news on the job front and get some good training time.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Being a dad has laughs and sorrow, but riding helps clarify-sometimes
Friday March 20th I signed my wife and I up to chaperon my 12 year old son's middle school dance. There was plenty of teasing about embarrassing him-none of which came to pass. However, it added another day-now three in a row, when I didn't get to ride. However, I wouldn't have missed this experience for the world.
The dance was from 7:00-10:00. When we arrived we were given our rotation of assignments, which consisted of where to stand in the gym like a Secret Service agent being ever vigilant to stop unwanted activities and threats. I'm glad my wife went so we could talk and half enjoy the music played at what seemed to be a skull splitting volume. Let's discuss what the average 12-14 year old thinks dancing is in this day and age. It's what I would call a modified "pogo" or calf pain inducing jumps up and down repeatedly punctuated with arm motions of some sort, but hammering and lawn sprinklers come to mind most prominently. Slow dancing is at this age consists of both partners placing their wrists on their partners shoulders and swaying. Needless to say we laughed a lot, but were very glad to go home.
In between soccer schedules, I managed to get two nice rides in over the weekend, which allowed me to enjoy the improving weather. I got to use First Endurance's Pre-Race and EFS sports drink for the first time since last fall. I ordered these to go with the Optygen the great folks at First Endurance were sending my way. I tried all of the First Endurance products last year during the summer and fall, but I had taken a break due to the cold weather. That was a clear mistake.
I had forgotten how good their products were and what a direct effect they have on my riding. Pre-Race and EFS sports drink when used together are high grade jet fuel. I rode harder in terms of speed and heart rate, but with a great deal more comfort and efficiency. My ride numbers proved that out. On longer rides, I've added EFS Liquid Shot with great results too. I only wish there were other flavors in addition to vanilla. First Endurance also has an interesting blog post about using Pre-Race and Liquid Shot together on rides. I'm looking forward to the added kick Optygen will give me in a week or so after the "loading" process is complete.
There was a painful parenting situation this weekend I'm sure nearly all of us have or will face. My oldest daughter loves soccer. It's her passion and she would rather practice and play than do almost anything. The problem now is her genetics have caught up with her. She still has the aggressiveness and passion for the game, but she may have peaked in terms of her abilities relative to the members of her team. She's seen her playing time drop dramatically as the team progressed into the upper strata of state-wide rankings and new players have joined the team. It's not much consolation for her to be told that she's in the top 250-300 14 year old girls in the state when her playing time is down. It also didn't do any good to tell her that she's progressed farther than I ever did as a competitive athlete at her age. I felt utterly powerless and useless. I'm not sure who felt worse, but it was probably her.
She has my competitive fire, but also unfortunately my lack of natural soccer genetics. The immediate prescription was some additional coaching and playing time as a guest player on a team where she should be a dominant force on the field as well as the ability to learn coaching by shadowing her coach during the game when she's not playing. That seemed to salve the wound, but not heal it. How can a parent effectively, gently, and lovingly tell a child their destiny and skills lie beyond the field of play in a sport they love? I'm still struggling with this one and not sure there's a real answer.
Sunday I did what I always do now. I take my thoughts with me as I ride to try to figure out answers to my problems and to try too find peace to the difficulties in life. My problem this weekend was that while my body felt strong, energized and powerful in the saddle, my brain and soul felt inept, unsure and powerless. I know this will pass with time and my daughter will find her way forward with or without me, but right now that's like my mother telling me when I was 14 I would eventually grow taller. I found peace at 5'9". I hope my daughter will find peace as a soccer player whenever she plays in the future even at my age. More importantly, I hope she and I can find a way to channel her fire and passion into something in addition to soccer.
The dance was from 7:00-10:00. When we arrived we were given our rotation of assignments, which consisted of where to stand in the gym like a Secret Service agent being ever vigilant to stop unwanted activities and threats. I'm glad my wife went so we could talk and half enjoy the music played at what seemed to be a skull splitting volume. Let's discuss what the average 12-14 year old thinks dancing is in this day and age. It's what I would call a modified "pogo" or calf pain inducing jumps up and down repeatedly punctuated with arm motions of some sort, but hammering and lawn sprinklers come to mind most prominently. Slow dancing is at this age consists of both partners placing their wrists on their partners shoulders and swaying. Needless to say we laughed a lot, but were very glad to go home.
In between soccer schedules, I managed to get two nice rides in over the weekend, which allowed me to enjoy the improving weather. I got to use First Endurance's Pre-Race and EFS sports drink for the first time since last fall. I ordered these to go with the Optygen the great folks at First Endurance were sending my way. I tried all of the First Endurance products last year during the summer and fall, but I had taken a break due to the cold weather. That was a clear mistake.
I had forgotten how good their products were and what a direct effect they have on my riding. Pre-Race and EFS sports drink when used together are high grade jet fuel. I rode harder in terms of speed and heart rate, but with a great deal more comfort and efficiency. My ride numbers proved that out. On longer rides, I've added EFS Liquid Shot with great results too. I only wish there were other flavors in addition to vanilla. First Endurance also has an interesting blog post about using Pre-Race and Liquid Shot together on rides. I'm looking forward to the added kick Optygen will give me in a week or so after the "loading" process is complete.
There was a painful parenting situation this weekend I'm sure nearly all of us have or will face. My oldest daughter loves soccer. It's her passion and she would rather practice and play than do almost anything. The problem now is her genetics have caught up with her. She still has the aggressiveness and passion for the game, but she may have peaked in terms of her abilities relative to the members of her team. She's seen her playing time drop dramatically as the team progressed into the upper strata of state-wide rankings and new players have joined the team. It's not much consolation for her to be told that she's in the top 250-300 14 year old girls in the state when her playing time is down. It also didn't do any good to tell her that she's progressed farther than I ever did as a competitive athlete at her age. I felt utterly powerless and useless. I'm not sure who felt worse, but it was probably her.
She has my competitive fire, but also unfortunately my lack of natural soccer genetics. The immediate prescription was some additional coaching and playing time as a guest player on a team where she should be a dominant force on the field as well as the ability to learn coaching by shadowing her coach during the game when she's not playing. That seemed to salve the wound, but not heal it. How can a parent effectively, gently, and lovingly tell a child their destiny and skills lie beyond the field of play in a sport they love? I'm still struggling with this one and not sure there's a real answer.
Sunday I did what I always do now. I take my thoughts with me as I ride to try to figure out answers to my problems and to try too find peace to the difficulties in life. My problem this weekend was that while my body felt strong, energized and powerful in the saddle, my brain and soul felt inept, unsure and powerless. I know this will pass with time and my daughter will find her way forward with or without me, but right now that's like my mother telling me when I was 14 I would eventually grow taller. I found peace at 5'9". I hope my daughter will find peace as a soccer player whenever she plays in the future even at my age. More importantly, I hope she and I can find a way to channel her fire and passion into something in addition to soccer.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A pissed off ride through the Kingdom of Anerobia
I'll admit it. I was completely frustrated to the point of being aggressively pissed off yesterday afternoon. I felt like the only guy who could see in the land of the blind in one meeting, frustrated by a conference call, frustrated by not being able to move the needle on my weight and the list went on.
I didn't ride Monday because I was still tired of riding in the rain from Sunday. That had me pumped up to start, then all the frustration and angst over the day lit the fuse. I could very clearly hear the HPL coordinator in my ears, "we joke that we could develop everyone into world class athletes if we could cut their heads off." Meaning, my head was telling me maybe I should have ridden a recovery ride yesterday, but instead I went out to kill it.
I hit the road about 5:15 glad it was day light savings time, because I was sure I needed close to two hours of hard riding to clear my head. I hit the pedals and took off hard from start to finish on a route with some decent rolling hills but also some spots to go for pure speed.
The numbers of my ride told an interesting tale. I had gone 33+ miles over rolling hills at the exact same average speed as my first time trial race Sunday-18.7 mph. I'll admit I was pushing myself really hard to beat the pissed off out of me. I guess you can use anger to push performance. Lance sure did.
I got home at dark tired physically, but more energized mentally and much more calm. I made some decisions while I was riding about some critical things in my world. That's probably a good thing and we'll see how it plays out in the next few weeks. I got home more human, more relaxed and less likely to detonate around the people I love. I even sat down with the family to watch American Idol without saying a word. All of my missions were accomplished on my pissed off ride through the Kingdom of Anerobia.
I didn't ride Monday because I was still tired of riding in the rain from Sunday. That had me pumped up to start, then all the frustration and angst over the day lit the fuse. I could very clearly hear the HPL coordinator in my ears, "we joke that we could develop everyone into world class athletes if we could cut their heads off." Meaning, my head was telling me maybe I should have ridden a recovery ride yesterday, but instead I went out to kill it.
I hit the road about 5:15 glad it was day light savings time, because I was sure I needed close to two hours of hard riding to clear my head. I hit the pedals and took off hard from start to finish on a route with some decent rolling hills but also some spots to go for pure speed.
The numbers of my ride told an interesting tale. I had gone 33+ miles over rolling hills at the exact same average speed as my first time trial race Sunday-18.7 mph. I'll admit I was pushing myself really hard to beat the pissed off out of me. I guess you can use anger to push performance. Lance sure did.
I got home at dark tired physically, but more energized mentally and much more calm. I made some decisions while I was riding about some critical things in my world. That's probably a good thing and we'll see how it plays out in the next few weeks. I got home more human, more relaxed and less likely to detonate around the people I love. I even sat down with the family to watch American Idol without saying a word. All of my missions were accomplished on my pissed off ride through the Kingdom of Anerobia.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
My Hell of the North, the Dismal Dash TT Race
You really know you're dedicated to a sport when you get out of warm bed with a beautiful wife at 5:00 AM in the morning especially when there are no kids in the house. Add to that the fact it was 38 degrees outside and steadily raining with gusting winds of 10-15 mph. I packed the car with everything the night before, so it was time to get dressed and head to Suffolk Virginia for the Dismal Dash time trial.
In the planning stages this seemed like a great weekend to race. The most of the kids were with the "other parents" and my wife Deborah was headed to Charlotte for a cheerleading competition with our 12 year old daughter Marrah. I would be on my own regardless of what I decided to do on Sunday March 15th, so I added the Dismal Dash to my race schedule for that reason and because I've never done a time trial before. What I didn't consider was the changeable weather we get in the southeast this time of year. It was gorgeous earlier in the week.
The race is named the Dismal Dash because the ride was through the Dismal Swamp area of southeastern Virginia near Norfolk. On any normal day the area would seem to be far from dismal, but not today. Today? Well quite dismal.
I got in the Jeep and pointed the car north for the two and a half hour drive as the rain pounded on the windshield. I looked down at the outside temperature gauge in the Jeep and it read "38". I was hoping it would get warmer on the drive north, but soon realized that just wasn't going to happen. Liberal amounts of caffeine and pre-race nerves kept me awake through the dark and rainy drive.
I got to the race site and checked in for my 9:20 start in the CAT 5 race and my 11:20 start on my Masters 40+ race. I found out later I was the only person who signed up for two races. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time! I got my race numbers and timing chips then headed back to the car to get ready. I had about 45 minutes to get warmed up.
For reasons I can't currently explain, I pack and load the car meticulously, but turn in to a mess when I get to the race site. I'm two for two on that issue. I finished getting dressed, got the trainer out and under the hatchback, unloaded my bike and...and...I lost the 9:20 timing chip. DAMN! Where the heck did I put it? I tore the car apart and finally found it, but losing it killed 15 minutes of warm up time. Greaaaaaaat!
I warmed up before taking off into the rain and wind and cold. Putting the trainer away and grabbing full a water bottle I mounted up and headed over to the starter's gate. Today the starter area was a small shelter like you see in parks or at kids games. I felt reasonably good until the two guys who would start after me rolled up with their super aero TT bikes complete with Zipp 404s on the front and rear discs as well as Giro teardrop shaped helmets. These guys easily spent over $8K on their rides and looked like they were lean seasoned triathletes. I passively listened to them banter about this being a"tune up" race. It would be interesting to see how long it would take before they passed me.
The starter checked my number, "number 19? ok, 30 seconds...10...GO!" I pushed with my right foot as the left locked into my Speedplay pedal and tried to accelerate at a steady pace without hitting my lactic threshold in the first 30 seconds. I noticed the steady rain hitting my face and the rooster tail my front wheel was throwing as I headed out of town. The wind seemed to becoming from the southeast or a nearly full on head wind. I'm pretty sure it wasn't my speed.
I should have talked to some of my triathlete friends about pedaling technique because I couldn't really decide what gearing and cadence to lock into. I tried 39-11, which was...ok, but I thought I wanted more resistance on pedaling, which would mean a faster speed. What about 53-13 or 14? That seemed better and my speed picked up, but I had a hard time sustaining a steady cadence in any of those gearings. I settled on 53-14 and tried to push to 53-12 on the very shallow descents, and by very shallow I mean 1% for a couple of tenths of a mile. The course was nearly pancake flat the whole way.
My heart rate seemed to climb for no easily understood reason and I locked in at a rate I knew was above my lactic threshold thanks to the testing I did Monday. I'd pull back on my cadence and it would get better, but not for long. "Screw it," I said audibly and just pushed forward. By the time I made the left hand turn at the 5 mile mark, my face seemed to forget the rain and I just got used to the fact I was going to be looking through speckled glasses for the race because I left my cycling cap at home-the one thing I forgot to pack. I slowed into the turn not wanting to wipe out, and pushed forward out of the turn.
A passing sign reminded me I was in the Dismal Swamp area. Dismal seemed to be the word of the day. My heart rate settled at or near 170 bpm and my legs ached, but I was still pretty dry on the inside so I settled in for cyclist suffering. I pushed on seesawing between 17.5 mph and 20 mph. Riding on a flat area seemed a lot harder than I thought it would be. At about the 10 mile mark, I heard this rumbling behind me and looked to my left as the first tri-guy in the starter tent passed me on the left. Expensive wheels sound different in the rain...more intimidating. He was nice though smiling and encouraging me to push forward harder. Having wheels like the guys who had the Zipps would be nice at some point in the future I decided.
The turn back to Suffolk came at 12.5 miles which was basically a turn from the right lane going south to the other lane going north. I over shot and the officials let me know and pointed me back the other way over the timing bumps. Ok, half done on race one. My average speed was 19.3 mph at that point, I hoped I would finish with that speed or better.
At the 17 mile mark I realized I was out of my element or I didn't fuel correctly or both. My speed was dropping and I changed gearing over and over again, but still couldn't get comfortable or settle into anything approaching a rhythm. How did the tri-guys do it? Was it the aero bars that gave them the edge on settling into a cadence? I didn't know at that point, but made a note to do some questioning on the subject.
I started to get a second burst of energy at the 21 mile mark, so I picked up my pace and finished stronger than the previous several miles. Crossing the line, I looked at my watch. I had 43 minutes before I would head out again. I did the first race at 1:21:13 or 18.7 mph. Not bad, but disappointing that my average speed dropped from the first half. I'd find out later that I would finish 36th out of 39 in the CAT5, which meant nearly half the field no showed for the race because 64 registered originally. Wimps!
Getting back to the Jeep after winding my legs down a bit, I checked my watch to see now I had 34 minutes before I would head out again. I took my Windstopper jacket off to change jerseys. The jacket kept me dry, but was like a sponge and seemed to weigh pounds more than it did dry. I changed into a second base layer and jersey while getting out my cycling rain slicker. I wanted to see if this helped with the weight because I wasn't noticing the cold as much as when I started. I checked the temperature in the Jeep again, 44 degrees. WOW a heat wave! After a couple of squirts from the water bottle and some nutrition, I threw on my rain and slicker. Watch check, 12 minutes to go, so I closed the hatch and remounted my bike to warm my legs up again before I headed back to the starters tent.
"Anyone else doing the course twice today beside me?", I asked the guy who was there the first time I headed out. "You're kidding, right? Not that I know of", he said looking at me like I was insane. "30 seconds...10... GO!" and I was off again. In my head according to the starter as well as on my bike.
The second leg was the virtually same as the first with the same cadence and gearing struggles, but I was also feeling the effort from the first race. I made the turn at the half way mark at an average speed of 18.5, which was disappointing, but I decided to ride as best I could and make notes on lessons learned. My legs were ready to stop pedaling as I crossed the line the second time. My second time was 1:23:57 or 18.2 mph. I later found out my CAT5 time would have put me 4 slots higher than I finished with my Masters time in that group. DAMN!
I rode a bit to avoid shocking my legs by just stopping. After about 5-10 minutes I loaded my bike and changed clothes for the ride home. The rain had picked up as I got into my Masters race and it kicked up a notch again as I pulled on to the road to head home. I was glad to be in the warm Jeep with time to think. I was reasonably satisfied with my effort since it was the first time. I had also ridden 50.5 miles in roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes, not too shabby for a 46 year old guy. However, I was frustrated that I couldn't seem to settle into a rhythm for either race.
I felt surprisingly good the next day maybe because I drank loads of water the rest of the day and stretched once I got home. I also didn't load up on junk food despite huge cravings. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do well in TTs unless I get some training and a TT specific bike. I'm sure a different bike wouldn't have shaved a huge portion of my time without training, but I think it might have helped me feel more comfortable. More lessons learned on the journey!
In the planning stages this seemed like a great weekend to race. The most of the kids were with the "other parents" and my wife Deborah was headed to Charlotte for a cheerleading competition with our 12 year old daughter Marrah. I would be on my own regardless of what I decided to do on Sunday March 15th, so I added the Dismal Dash to my race schedule for that reason and because I've never done a time trial before. What I didn't consider was the changeable weather we get in the southeast this time of year. It was gorgeous earlier in the week.
The race is named the Dismal Dash because the ride was through the Dismal Swamp area of southeastern Virginia near Norfolk. On any normal day the area would seem to be far from dismal, but not today. Today? Well quite dismal.
I got in the Jeep and pointed the car north for the two and a half hour drive as the rain pounded on the windshield. I looked down at the outside temperature gauge in the Jeep and it read "38". I was hoping it would get warmer on the drive north, but soon realized that just wasn't going to happen. Liberal amounts of caffeine and pre-race nerves kept me awake through the dark and rainy drive.
I got to the race site and checked in for my 9:20 start in the CAT 5 race and my 11:20 start on my Masters 40+ race. I found out later I was the only person who signed up for two races. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time! I got my race numbers and timing chips then headed back to the car to get ready. I had about 45 minutes to get warmed up.
For reasons I can't currently explain, I pack and load the car meticulously, but turn in to a mess when I get to the race site. I'm two for two on that issue. I finished getting dressed, got the trainer out and under the hatchback, unloaded my bike and...and...I lost the 9:20 timing chip. DAMN! Where the heck did I put it? I tore the car apart and finally found it, but losing it killed 15 minutes of warm up time. Greaaaaaaat!
I warmed up before taking off into the rain and wind and cold. Putting the trainer away and grabbing full a water bottle I mounted up and headed over to the starter's gate. Today the starter area was a small shelter like you see in parks or at kids games. I felt reasonably good until the two guys who would start after me rolled up with their super aero TT bikes complete with Zipp 404s on the front and rear discs as well as Giro teardrop shaped helmets. These guys easily spent over $8K on their rides and looked like they were lean seasoned triathletes. I passively listened to them banter about this being a"tune up" race. It would be interesting to see how long it would take before they passed me.
The starter checked my number, "number 19? ok, 30 seconds...10...GO!" I pushed with my right foot as the left locked into my Speedplay pedal and tried to accelerate at a steady pace without hitting my lactic threshold in the first 30 seconds. I noticed the steady rain hitting my face and the rooster tail my front wheel was throwing as I headed out of town. The wind seemed to becoming from the southeast or a nearly full on head wind. I'm pretty sure it wasn't my speed.
I should have talked to some of my triathlete friends about pedaling technique because I couldn't really decide what gearing and cadence to lock into. I tried 39-11, which was...ok, but I thought I wanted more resistance on pedaling, which would mean a faster speed. What about 53-13 or 14? That seemed better and my speed picked up, but I had a hard time sustaining a steady cadence in any of those gearings. I settled on 53-14 and tried to push to 53-12 on the very shallow descents, and by very shallow I mean 1% for a couple of tenths of a mile. The course was nearly pancake flat the whole way.
My heart rate seemed to climb for no easily understood reason and I locked in at a rate I knew was above my lactic threshold thanks to the testing I did Monday. I'd pull back on my cadence and it would get better, but not for long. "Screw it," I said audibly and just pushed forward. By the time I made the left hand turn at the 5 mile mark, my face seemed to forget the rain and I just got used to the fact I was going to be looking through speckled glasses for the race because I left my cycling cap at home-the one thing I forgot to pack. I slowed into the turn not wanting to wipe out, and pushed forward out of the turn.
A passing sign reminded me I was in the Dismal Swamp area. Dismal seemed to be the word of the day. My heart rate settled at or near 170 bpm and my legs ached, but I was still pretty dry on the inside so I settled in for cyclist suffering. I pushed on seesawing between 17.5 mph and 20 mph. Riding on a flat area seemed a lot harder than I thought it would be. At about the 10 mile mark, I heard this rumbling behind me and looked to my left as the first tri-guy in the starter tent passed me on the left. Expensive wheels sound different in the rain...more intimidating. He was nice though smiling and encouraging me to push forward harder. Having wheels like the guys who had the Zipps would be nice at some point in the future I decided.
The turn back to Suffolk came at 12.5 miles which was basically a turn from the right lane going south to the other lane going north. I over shot and the officials let me know and pointed me back the other way over the timing bumps. Ok, half done on race one. My average speed was 19.3 mph at that point, I hoped I would finish with that speed or better.
At the 17 mile mark I realized I was out of my element or I didn't fuel correctly or both. My speed was dropping and I changed gearing over and over again, but still couldn't get comfortable or settle into anything approaching a rhythm. How did the tri-guys do it? Was it the aero bars that gave them the edge on settling into a cadence? I didn't know at that point, but made a note to do some questioning on the subject.
I started to get a second burst of energy at the 21 mile mark, so I picked up my pace and finished stronger than the previous several miles. Crossing the line, I looked at my watch. I had 43 minutes before I would head out again. I did the first race at 1:21:13 or 18.7 mph. Not bad, but disappointing that my average speed dropped from the first half. I'd find out later that I would finish 36th out of 39 in the CAT5, which meant nearly half the field no showed for the race because 64 registered originally. Wimps!
Getting back to the Jeep after winding my legs down a bit, I checked my watch to see now I had 34 minutes before I would head out again. I took my Windstopper jacket off to change jerseys. The jacket kept me dry, but was like a sponge and seemed to weigh pounds more than it did dry. I changed into a second base layer and jersey while getting out my cycling rain slicker. I wanted to see if this helped with the weight because I wasn't noticing the cold as much as when I started. I checked the temperature in the Jeep again, 44 degrees. WOW a heat wave! After a couple of squirts from the water bottle and some nutrition, I threw on my rain and slicker. Watch check, 12 minutes to go, so I closed the hatch and remounted my bike to warm my legs up again before I headed back to the starters tent.
"Anyone else doing the course twice today beside me?", I asked the guy who was there the first time I headed out. "You're kidding, right? Not that I know of", he said looking at me like I was insane. "30 seconds...10... GO!" and I was off again. In my head according to the starter as well as on my bike.
The second leg was the virtually same as the first with the same cadence and gearing struggles, but I was also feeling the effort from the first race. I made the turn at the half way mark at an average speed of 18.5, which was disappointing, but I decided to ride as best I could and make notes on lessons learned. My legs were ready to stop pedaling as I crossed the line the second time. My second time was 1:23:57 or 18.2 mph. I later found out my CAT5 time would have put me 4 slots higher than I finished with my Masters time in that group. DAMN!
I rode a bit to avoid shocking my legs by just stopping. After about 5-10 minutes I loaded my bike and changed clothes for the ride home. The rain had picked up as I got into my Masters race and it kicked up a notch again as I pulled on to the road to head home. I was glad to be in the warm Jeep with time to think. I was reasonably satisfied with my effort since it was the first time. I had also ridden 50.5 miles in roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes, not too shabby for a 46 year old guy. However, I was frustrated that I couldn't seem to settle into a rhythm for either race.
I felt surprisingly good the next day maybe because I drank loads of water the rest of the day and stretched once I got home. I also didn't load up on junk food despite huge cravings. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do well in TTs unless I get some training and a TT specific bike. I'm sure a different bike wouldn't have shaved a huge portion of my time without training, but I think it might have helped me feel more comfortable. More lessons learned on the journey!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I can see clearly now, my trip to the Human Performance Lab
Monday I was like a kid waiting to get out of school. I knew my trip to the Human Performance Lab was going to be very interesting, eye opening, and possibly fun. I ultimately learned I was less than half the man Lance Armstrong is with regard to VO2Max, and probably 4 times the man he is with regard to body fat, but we'll get to that in a bit.
I got to the lab 20 minutes early to be ready for the 5:30 appointment. The tests would conducted while I road my bike so I didn't have to learn anything about operating a test bike. I dropped my bike in the lab and got changed.
The tests started with measuring my height and weight. The height was the usual 5'9", but my weight, at 175 lbs, pissed me off because I'm 20 lbs heavier than I want to be. Next came the body fat composition measurements. I felt OK with all the pinch measurements - there were 8 I think, until they got to just right of my belly button. That's when I realized at least one area of my body that needed to be significantly smaller.
Chris Newport the lab coordinator hooked my bike up to a trainer and a cadence sensor. She hooked a heart rate monitor to me. I switched on my Garmin so I could have a frame of reference for what I was doing since I couldn't see their data. Riding a steady speed and candence was important. The trainer was set to hold me at a specific level of watts regardless of cadence or speed.
The trainer and I warmed up at 50 watts for a few minutes while Chris calibrated the monitors. I got a swallow or two of water and then they hooked me up to the breathing mask to measure my VO2Max. It was more comfortable than I thought it might be, but I felt a bit like Darth Vader and sounded like him too.
The test started at 100 watts and ramped 30 watts every 3 minutes until I blew up at 280 watts. The lactic acid measurements came from blood drops taken from my ear lobe. I forgot to ask why they were taking it from my ear lobe, but it didn't hurt and I barely noticed. The test felt like going up a gentle climb until getting to 190 watts. It felt very hard starting at 250. I hit my lactic threshold at 161 bpm heart rate and 215 watts according to the tests. I now know exactly what hitting my lactic threshold feels like for the first time.
After exploding at 280 watts, the mask came off, and Chris ramped the trainer down to 100 watts to let me spin down gracefully for about 5 minutes. WATER!!! I got some water, cooled down and then they pointed me to the showers. It took them about 15-20 minutes to crunch the numbers. The test from warm up to cool down took about 40 minutes.
I got showered, changed and headed back to the lab. Chris was still crunching the numbers, but she told me immediately I was "over reaching" in my training. My Saturday 73 mile ride was a bad idea in retrospect and forced them to adjust the numbers a bit, but the first conclusion was the same. I was training the wrong way. Riding full out most of the time was not helping and was actually hurting my immediate and long-term performance. Time for a change in approach.
Cycling has been my therapy for the last 3 years or so and I've tended to ride like a mad man every time I get into the saddle so I could come home a nicer more normal person. I don't have ride like that now to be sane, so I need to train more efficiently, with a goal for every ride and half the rides should be"recovery rides". Recovery rides, after a discussion with the lab team, mean staying in the base area without spikes into the T1 area, thus avoiding muscle breakdowns. This is so I'll be ready to break my muscles down the right way on T1-T2 rides.
There was some good news in the results. My VO2Max at 40.3 is in the "good" range for a 46 year old. My body fat, at 18.3%, was also actually in the "good" range. I felt fat, but I was in the good range? Really?! Chubby must be the new normal! My percent of VO2Max at my lactic threshold was 82.8 % and my watts/kg at my lactic threshold was 2.71.
With Chris' input, I established the following goals:
Nearly all of my training before these tests tended to be somewhere in the T2-SS zones. I tried to convince myself that riding at 135 bpm wasn't riding hard enough. I proved that theory wrong by riding the next day watching heart rate most of time and ignoring my speed. Ok it could be done, if I focused, which is the bane of my existence-focus! She said I would lose weight faster and get faster if I backed off half the time and quit killing it all the time, because at higher speeds your body stops buring fat and only burns carbs.
I have to admit, nutrition and fuel during rides have been a mysteries to me. Chris explained my kcal/min fuel consumption at specific heart rates. Matching the kcal/min to heart rate multiplied by length of ride and you have the calories needed to break even. Meaning, a recovery ride at 139 bpm average rate for 60 minutes means 570 calories at 9.5 kcal/min. WOW it all makes sense now.
Chris suggested finding a sports drink I liked cold and warm. We discussed several brands and the ones I've liked seemed to be the ones she recommended. We also discussed gels and food. Gels seem to be more sugar with some electrolytes. In her opinion, food or gels are for the times you want to put something in your stomach that might stay there awhile longer than a sports drink thus delaying hunger.
The trip to the HPL will no doubt have a direct impact on my fitness and race results. I now understand how to correctly train for long term perfomance improvement, which will also improve my overall health. I have clear numeric goals with an understanding of how to achieve them and how to measure progress. The world of nutrition for rides is now significantly more clear than it was before my visit. I know I could take multiple classes and read labels for days, but the critical points are now clear.
Now all I need to do is follow their instructions and apply what I've learned. How tough could that be? Well it won't be easy since I want to kill it every time I ride, however, I am comitted to making it happen.
I got to the lab 20 minutes early to be ready for the 5:30 appointment. The tests would conducted while I road my bike so I didn't have to learn anything about operating a test bike. I dropped my bike in the lab and got changed.
The tests started with measuring my height and weight. The height was the usual 5'9", but my weight, at 175 lbs, pissed me off because I'm 20 lbs heavier than I want to be. Next came the body fat composition measurements. I felt OK with all the pinch measurements - there were 8 I think, until they got to just right of my belly button. That's when I realized at least one area of my body that needed to be significantly smaller.
Chris Newport the lab coordinator hooked my bike up to a trainer and a cadence sensor. She hooked a heart rate monitor to me. I switched on my Garmin so I could have a frame of reference for what I was doing since I couldn't see their data. Riding a steady speed and candence was important. The trainer was set to hold me at a specific level of watts regardless of cadence or speed.
The trainer and I warmed up at 50 watts for a few minutes while Chris calibrated the monitors. I got a swallow or two of water and then they hooked me up to the breathing mask to measure my VO2Max. It was more comfortable than I thought it might be, but I felt a bit like Darth Vader and sounded like him too.
The test started at 100 watts and ramped 30 watts every 3 minutes until I blew up at 280 watts. The lactic acid measurements came from blood drops taken from my ear lobe. I forgot to ask why they were taking it from my ear lobe, but it didn't hurt and I barely noticed. The test felt like going up a gentle climb until getting to 190 watts. It felt very hard starting at 250. I hit my lactic threshold at 161 bpm heart rate and 215 watts according to the tests. I now know exactly what hitting my lactic threshold feels like for the first time.
After exploding at 280 watts, the mask came off, and Chris ramped the trainer down to 100 watts to let me spin down gracefully for about 5 minutes. WATER!!! I got some water, cooled down and then they pointed me to the showers. It took them about 15-20 minutes to crunch the numbers. The test from warm up to cool down took about 40 minutes.
I got showered, changed and headed back to the lab. Chris was still crunching the numbers, but she told me immediately I was "over reaching" in my training. My Saturday 73 mile ride was a bad idea in retrospect and forced them to adjust the numbers a bit, but the first conclusion was the same. I was training the wrong way. Riding full out most of the time was not helping and was actually hurting my immediate and long-term performance. Time for a change in approach.
Cycling has been my therapy for the last 3 years or so and I've tended to ride like a mad man every time I get into the saddle so I could come home a nicer more normal person. I don't have ride like that now to be sane, so I need to train more efficiently, with a goal for every ride and half the rides should be"recovery rides". Recovery rides, after a discussion with the lab team, mean staying in the base area without spikes into the T1 area, thus avoiding muscle breakdowns. This is so I'll be ready to break my muscles down the right way on T1-T2 rides.
There was some good news in the results. My VO2Max at 40.3 is in the "good" range for a 46 year old. My body fat, at 18.3%, was also actually in the "good" range. I felt fat, but I was in the good range? Really?! Chubby must be the new normal! My percent of VO2Max at my lactic threshold was 82.8 % and my watts/kg at my lactic threshold was 2.71.
With Chris' input, I established the following goals:
- Push VO2Max to above 45 ml/kg/min which would put me in the "excellent range" for men my age.
- Drop my weight to 155 lbs (70.3 kgs), or about 7.5% body fat. 10% would be 159 lbs (72.12 kgs), which is where I was last summer.
- Push my % of VO2Max at lactic threshold to above 85%
- Produce over 3.1 watts/kg power at my lactic threshold which would be 225 watts at 159 lbs, or dropping my weight to 70.3 kgs and producing the same 215 watts at my lactic threshold.
- Max watts of over 4.25 watts/kg for a 3 minute time. I'm at 3.528 now. I can hit that with with weight loss down to 155 and 300 max watts or 306 at 159 lbs.
- Moving my lactic threshold curve to the right which means to raise the level and delay hitting my lactic threshold. I should have talked to her more about what is reasonable, but spaced on it.
Nearly all of my training before these tests tended to be somewhere in the T2-SS zones. I tried to convince myself that riding at 135 bpm wasn't riding hard enough. I proved that theory wrong by riding the next day watching heart rate most of time and ignoring my speed. Ok it could be done, if I focused, which is the bane of my existence-focus! She said I would lose weight faster and get faster if I backed off half the time and quit killing it all the time, because at higher speeds your body stops buring fat and only burns carbs.
I have to admit, nutrition and fuel during rides have been a mysteries to me. Chris explained my kcal/min fuel consumption at specific heart rates. Matching the kcal/min to heart rate multiplied by length of ride and you have the calories needed to break even. Meaning, a recovery ride at 139 bpm average rate for 60 minutes means 570 calories at 9.5 kcal/min. WOW it all makes sense now.
Chris suggested finding a sports drink I liked cold and warm. We discussed several brands and the ones I've liked seemed to be the ones she recommended. We also discussed gels and food. Gels seem to be more sugar with some electrolytes. In her opinion, food or gels are for the times you want to put something in your stomach that might stay there awhile longer than a sports drink thus delaying hunger.
The trip to the HPL will no doubt have a direct impact on my fitness and race results. I now understand how to correctly train for long term perfomance improvement, which will also improve my overall health. I have clear numeric goals with an understanding of how to achieve them and how to measure progress. The world of nutrition for rides is now significantly more clear than it was before my visit. I know I could take multiple classes and read labels for days, but the critical points are now clear.
Now all I need to do is follow their instructions and apply what I've learned. How tough could that be? Well it won't be easy since I want to kill it every time I ride, however, I am comitted to making it happen.
Sponsor Product! Rocket Bottles bring Aerospace Design to Your Sport Drinks
The cycling and triathlon world is full of companies with cool names to draw your attention. However, it is rare to find a company name that embodies not only the founders but also their products. Enter Rocket Science Sports a company started by Marcin Sochacki a triathlete who also studied aerospace engineering at the University of Texas.
Rocket Science Sports develops products engineered to cut through the air or water more efficiently and loaded with highly useful features and design elements. This becomes more significant with greater distances in the air or water and speed. While I’m not looking to shave 3 seconds off my personal record on a century ride-yet, I immediately appreciated the design of the bottles for other features.
Rocket Science Sports develops products engineered to cut through the air or water more efficiently and loaded with highly useful features and design elements. This becomes more significant with greater distances in the air or water and speed. While I’m not looking to shave 3 seconds off my personal record on a century ride-yet, I immediately appreciated the design of the bottles for other features.
- The bottles are very light and easier to squeeze than the bottles I had been using. This is more of an issue in colder weather, however in any weather it's hard to breathe, suck and pedal at the same time. Well it is for me!
- The bottles are made with safe and environmentally friendly plastic (PE#4), which is completely recyclable.
- Rocket Bottles are designed for holding 20 ounces of liquid, but they seemed to hold as much if not more than my bottles sold as 24 ounces.
- A tiny detail I immediately appreciated was the inside of the top is dome shaped. Why is that a nice detail? Have you ever filled your bottles up to the top and tried to shake them up to dissolve powdered drinks? You can’t, so you end up short filling them so you can.
- The bottles also have a silicon washer at the top where it meets the screw in bottle so they don’t leak. Why silicon? Because it works better than nothing and regular rubber. Excellent thinking by product management.
- The water level window on the side is nice to keep up with how much fluid is left. You end up shaking bottles that don’t have this design to guess how much is there or taking the top off.
- The Rocket Bottles taper at the bottom which helps them go into cages much easier than other similar bottles. The groove underneath the top is an easy surface to grab even with winter gloves and the dimples add traction. I've often struggled to get other wider bottles or ones with slick surfaces out with gloves or with sweaty hands.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Great weather, silly car mishaps, and lost gear
WOW, it seems spring may have finally shoved winter out of the way here in eastern North Carolina. There were two spectacular weekend days and a pretty good Friday. I enjoyed logging over 115 miles over those three days. One of the other great thing this weekend was the beginning of my 2009 cyclist tan. You know, the one that looks like a farmer tan only way cooler, right? It's also daylight savings time now, meaning an extra hour of training time!
Friday was a fairly normal ride other than almost getting t-boned by an idiot, which was not the name I thought of at the time, in a Mazda 626. She decided to cut in front of me on a left hand turn close enough for me to see what color her hair was as I felt the breeze from her car blow past. I looked behind me for a split second to see what the car situation was there and nearly ended up wearing a Japanese sedan to Friday night dinner with the family.
Why do people in cars do this stuff? On more than one occasion I have put my hand out on a car to keep from hitting it after locking up my breaks. I've been clipped by side view mirrors-twice. The first time was like being hit suddenly from behind and pushed forward. Luckily I managed to stay rolling and not splattered.
The second time I was not so lucky. I got clipped by a Tahoe's side view mirror with such force it put me in a ditch and threw my bike 10 feet away from me. I still don't know exactly what happened. One minute I was riding, the next I wasn't. I was only bruised and my bike wasn't hurt beyond changing some bar tape. The maddening thing was the guy got out of the car and didn't ask me if I was ok. Instead, he asked me if why I hit his truck. Those that know me best can predict my response to his question and it wasn't to wish him well on the rest of his ride home. The silver lining in that accident was the whole thing happened in front of a doctor who saw it all and checked me out before I rode home. Guess what? He was not just a doctor, but also a cyclist. Thank God for the little things in life. I knew that he wouldn't let me ride if I was too messed up, so I trusted him when he said I was ok to get home on my own if it wasn't too far.
This was a bad weekend for gear, which was the only bad thing. I lost not one, but two saddle bags with a spare tube, tire wrenches and a CO2 inflator. Grand total: nearly $100 when you add it all up. I think the lesson is to check the security of my saddle bag every once in awhile to make sure it's there. I guess a couple of good bumps knocked both of them off. So it's another trip to the bike shop to reload again. Sure as the world I'll blow a tube if I don't.
I need to give a shout out to my wife, the lovely and ever tolerant Deborah, for cutting me loose with time for my best ride of the year on Saturday. I did 73.06 miles at 18.5 mph, which is pretty darn good for this point of the season. The first 35 miles were biased nearly all uphill, the next 15-20 were sharp rolling hills and the rest was nearly all down hill. I'm not crazy! I felt awesome the last 10 miles and still had something left to drop the hammer.
Today was payback time. Deborah and I went for a recovery ride for me and her first ride of the season. I checked her bike out, made sure her iPod was juiced up, loaded some new music as a surprise and we were off. We rolled wherever she wanted to go for about an hour and a half until it was time to pick up one of our daughters. My legs felt better to spin some of the stiffness out and she loved the workout she got. It was nice on a day to ride as the temperature broke above 80 degrees again.
Tomorrow I head off to one of my sponsors, the Human Peformance Lab, for endurance testing. I can't wait to get a baseline of where I am now and to get some coaching on how to improve. One of my questions is going to be how to best lose the 15 lbs I don't want to take with me on rides. I'm not too chunky at 173 lbs and 5'9", but I'd like to be closer to 155 than I am now. I'd need to be 140 if I was racing in Europe. Last summer I got down to 158 for a bit and felt great. The goal for this year is to get below that quicker and stay there.
The European race season began in earnest today. It was really inspiring to watch the first stage of Paris-Nice. Contador absolutely slayed it with an average speed of over 30 mph on a 9.3 mile course in the rain and with temperatures in the forties.
This had to have driven a dagger into the heart of all his would be challengers because they know how devastating he is in the mountains and there are 4 mountain stages out of 8 in the race. Alberto had something to prove from last year and I think he made a statement today that might have already ended the race in the rain just outside Paris.
Friday was a fairly normal ride other than almost getting t-boned by an idiot, which was not the name I thought of at the time, in a Mazda 626. She decided to cut in front of me on a left hand turn close enough for me to see what color her hair was as I felt the breeze from her car blow past. I looked behind me for a split second to see what the car situation was there and nearly ended up wearing a Japanese sedan to Friday night dinner with the family.
Why do people in cars do this stuff? On more than one occasion I have put my hand out on a car to keep from hitting it after locking up my breaks. I've been clipped by side view mirrors-twice. The first time was like being hit suddenly from behind and pushed forward. Luckily I managed to stay rolling and not splattered.
The second time I was not so lucky. I got clipped by a Tahoe's side view mirror with such force it put me in a ditch and threw my bike 10 feet away from me. I still don't know exactly what happened. One minute I was riding, the next I wasn't. I was only bruised and my bike wasn't hurt beyond changing some bar tape. The maddening thing was the guy got out of the car and didn't ask me if I was ok. Instead, he asked me if why I hit his truck. Those that know me best can predict my response to his question and it wasn't to wish him well on the rest of his ride home. The silver lining in that accident was the whole thing happened in front of a doctor who saw it all and checked me out before I rode home. Guess what? He was not just a doctor, but also a cyclist. Thank God for the little things in life. I knew that he wouldn't let me ride if I was too messed up, so I trusted him when he said I was ok to get home on my own if it wasn't too far.
This was a bad weekend for gear, which was the only bad thing. I lost not one, but two saddle bags with a spare tube, tire wrenches and a CO2 inflator. Grand total: nearly $100 when you add it all up. I think the lesson is to check the security of my saddle bag every once in awhile to make sure it's there. I guess a couple of good bumps knocked both of them off. So it's another trip to the bike shop to reload again. Sure as the world I'll blow a tube if I don't.
I need to give a shout out to my wife, the lovely and ever tolerant Deborah, for cutting me loose with time for my best ride of the year on Saturday. I did 73.06 miles at 18.5 mph, which is pretty darn good for this point of the season. The first 35 miles were biased nearly all uphill, the next 15-20 were sharp rolling hills and the rest was nearly all down hill. I'm not crazy! I felt awesome the last 10 miles and still had something left to drop the hammer.
Today was payback time. Deborah and I went for a recovery ride for me and her first ride of the season. I checked her bike out, made sure her iPod was juiced up, loaded some new music as a surprise and we were off. We rolled wherever she wanted to go for about an hour and a half until it was time to pick up one of our daughters. My legs felt better to spin some of the stiffness out and she loved the workout she got. It was nice on a day to ride as the temperature broke above 80 degrees again.
Tomorrow I head off to one of my sponsors, the Human Peformance Lab, for endurance testing. I can't wait to get a baseline of where I am now and to get some coaching on how to improve. One of my questions is going to be how to best lose the 15 lbs I don't want to take with me on rides. I'm not too chunky at 173 lbs and 5'9", but I'd like to be closer to 155 than I am now. I'd need to be 140 if I was racing in Europe. Last summer I got down to 158 for a bit and felt great. The goal for this year is to get below that quicker and stay there.
The European race season began in earnest today. It was really inspiring to watch the first stage of Paris-Nice. Contador absolutely slayed it with an average speed of over 30 mph on a 9.3 mile course in the rain and with temperatures in the forties.
This had to have driven a dagger into the heart of all his would be challengers because they know how devastating he is in the mountains and there are 4 mountain stages out of 8 in the race. Alberto had something to prove from last year and I think he made a statement today that might have already ended the race in the rain just outside Paris.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Indoor Intervals Before the Weather Warms Up
I'm sure I'm not too different from other cyclists in that I have a love-hate relationship with my indoor trainer at this point of the off season. I have a nice CycleOps trainer that wasn't cheap so it's a great training tool, but I lack any enthusiasm to get on the thing now.
This week I have been hammering away on my trainer doing intervals to try to boost my VO2Max capacity and breath control in general. Necessary?Yes. A good training exercise? Yes according to all the cycling mags that had various iterations of this type of training in their November though February issues. Mind numbing? Totally. I have ridden with my iPod and set the trainer up in front of the family room TV, but in the end I'm ridding my bike inside and it's gotten stale. Give me 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity over winter any time. I'm ready now!
Last weekend when I had tons of time the weather was aweful. I got mad enough to ride any way, but about froze my hands off. This weekend is going to be spectacular weather and I don't have half the time I did the weekend before. The week started in the 20's with 1-2 inches of snow, which shut the city down. This is a total joke to people that relocate here from places that get real snows. The week will end in the 70's. In like a lion and headed to being a lamb is what March may be about this year. Weather in the Carolinas can be wickedly cruel this time of year, so that's the way it goes.
The good news this week is that I've scheduled my time to go to the Human Performance Lab here in Raleigh to get my pre-season/post race one baseline. I'm looking forward to meeting the team there and getting a better sense of where I am now and what they think is possible. The staff at the HPL are all athletes themselves so they can relate not just test.
The best thing to look forward to this weekend other than the weather, is daylight savings returns! A full hour more of training time no matter what. Another thing to look forward to is the Spring Classics kick off with the race to the sun-Paris-Nice. It should be a good test to see how the big teams and best riders are going to fair this season. It's also been a barometer of who could be on track to win the Tour in July. It should be fun to watch!
This week I have been hammering away on my trainer doing intervals to try to boost my VO2Max capacity and breath control in general. Necessary?Yes. A good training exercise? Yes according to all the cycling mags that had various iterations of this type of training in their November though February issues. Mind numbing? Totally. I have ridden with my iPod and set the trainer up in front of the family room TV, but in the end I'm ridding my bike inside and it's gotten stale. Give me 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity over winter any time. I'm ready now!
Last weekend when I had tons of time the weather was aweful. I got mad enough to ride any way, but about froze my hands off. This weekend is going to be spectacular weather and I don't have half the time I did the weekend before. The week started in the 20's with 1-2 inches of snow, which shut the city down. This is a total joke to people that relocate here from places that get real snows. The week will end in the 70's. In like a lion and headed to being a lamb is what March may be about this year. Weather in the Carolinas can be wickedly cruel this time of year, so that's the way it goes.
The good news this week is that I've scheduled my time to go to the Human Performance Lab here in Raleigh to get my pre-season/post race one baseline. I'm looking forward to meeting the team there and getting a better sense of where I am now and what they think is possible. The staff at the HPL are all athletes themselves so they can relate not just test.
The best thing to look forward to this weekend other than the weather, is daylight savings returns! A full hour more of training time no matter what. Another thing to look forward to is the Spring Classics kick off with the race to the sun-Paris-Nice. It should be a good test to see how the big teams and best riders are going to fair this season. It's also been a barometer of who could be on track to win the Tour in July. It should be fun to watch!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Rain rides prior to March's Lion-like Start
Weather in eastern North Carolina can be unstable and volatile to say the least. Earlier in the last week of February saw temperatures in the low to mid 60's. Today, Sunday March 1st we're expecting 2-4 inches of snow, sleet and ice. I think every parent in the area is expecting to have kids at home tomorrow. What about next week? Monday should be in the 30's and the temperatures should rise about 10 degrees a day through next weekend. In like a lion, progressing like a lamb.
I started the weekend looking forward to being alone for 48 hours with the kids being away and Deborah taking our oldest to Myrtle Beach for a soccer tournament. I even planned a 90 mile plus ride for the occasion. I knew I would have to mount a stuffed animal rescue trip to Greensboro, and I had Girl Scout cookie booth duty on Sunday, but I couldn't wait! Make plans and God laughs. I gave Him plenty to chuckle at this weekend.
Friday was in the mid 50's and I watched all afternoon as a wall of water move from west to east. I went home for lunch to fill my Rocket Bottles (love these things!) lay out my clothes, and top off my tires. I was ready! All I would need to do is get home change and roll. With all that preparation, I was determined to go regardless of the rain. The rain broke until about half way through my ride the rain came back. I didn't care!
My replacement Garmin had arrived, but I decided to roll rather than diddle with the settings. That would wait. It was a great ride. My pedal strokes seemed to be effortlessly transferring power to the bike. As the sun set and the light was disappearing, I returned home feeling great. My clothes were damp, but my legs felt great!
I got up on Saturday to the sound of a steady rain. There was a chance that it would let up. At least that's what the weather geniuses had said. It was 55 degrees outside, but heavily raining.
Ok time to mount the teddy bear (Beary) and penquin (Penny) rescue and recovery effort. The trip to Greensboro was 2 1/2 hours round trip including the stop at the hotel to get the animals. Normally, I wouldn't blow a tank of gas to get any stuffed animal, but Beary was special. He's the animal that made it ok for my youngest daughter to come stay with me when I separated from her mother. Kendall said she missed Beary with a tone of saddness at something special that was missing. That was enough for me. I was going to go get Beary if at all possible.
I got back at 3:30 and the rain had let up a decent amount, but the temperature dropped 10 degrees. I said to heck with it, I'm going. I geared up with my my Windstopper gear and the rain jacket my wife got me for Christmas. I wanted to go at least 20 miles so I knew I would be cold and soaked at the end, but I wanted to hold it off as long as I could.
The first 5 miles or so were easy. The wind was whipping and the rain stung, but the rest of my body was in good shape. The rain started seeping into my shoes slowly, but noticeably. Hmm, why was that happening. I had neoprene shoe covers. Damn, I forgot to put some plastic on the inside of my shoes to cover the vents. Note to self: next year get winter shoes for riding. For the next several miles the warmth of my feet kept up with the water coming in, so it wasn't too bad.
I noticed my shins were the next to be soaked and get cold. I was trying to stay out of puddles, but the water was being flipped up everywhere. Now I understood why the rain jacket had a flap that dropped off the back and below the saddle. Detachable fenders might be a good investment too.
I made a concious effort to drink at stop lights. I noticed my speed and comfort actually got better into the ride. My legs were warm and my speed picked up. Then the next weak link started to be a problem-my hands. I had Windstopper gloves and liners that kept them warm, but they weren't waterproof. Third note to self: Warm waterproof gloves would be another good investment.
I made a decision to turn back at the 10 mile mark. I stopped for a drink and to put something in my stomach. I noticed that my index and middle fingers were the coldest probably because they were the ones in the wind the most. The gloves weren't soaked through yet, but they were close.
Ok, it wasn't getting any warmer, so I headed back. My hands were completely frozen by the 14 mile mark and my thighs where wet to the skin too. I started watching the Garmin more often to check the distance ridden and picked up speed towards home.
I walked in the door and all I wanted to do was get all my wet clothes off. I got most of the clothes off and my hands in my warmest gloves to warm them up naturally and slowly. I waited on a shower until my hands and feet were nearly normal.
I felt great about going out in the wet and cold to do a decent ride-19.75 miles at about 15 miles an hour. It wasn't like stages in the Tour of California where riding in conditions worse than that for over a 100 miles seem to happen every year. The next two days are going to be icy with snow, so it looks like it will be time on the trainer.
I started the weekend looking forward to being alone for 48 hours with the kids being away and Deborah taking our oldest to Myrtle Beach for a soccer tournament. I even planned a 90 mile plus ride for the occasion. I knew I would have to mount a stuffed animal rescue trip to Greensboro, and I had Girl Scout cookie booth duty on Sunday, but I couldn't wait! Make plans and God laughs. I gave Him plenty to chuckle at this weekend.
Friday was in the mid 50's and I watched all afternoon as a wall of water move from west to east. I went home for lunch to fill my Rocket Bottles (love these things!) lay out my clothes, and top off my tires. I was ready! All I would need to do is get home change and roll. With all that preparation, I was determined to go regardless of the rain. The rain broke until about half way through my ride the rain came back. I didn't care!
My replacement Garmin had arrived, but I decided to roll rather than diddle with the settings. That would wait. It was a great ride. My pedal strokes seemed to be effortlessly transferring power to the bike. As the sun set and the light was disappearing, I returned home feeling great. My clothes were damp, but my legs felt great!
I got up on Saturday to the sound of a steady rain. There was a chance that it would let up. At least that's what the weather geniuses had said. It was 55 degrees outside, but heavily raining.
Ok time to mount the teddy bear (Beary) and penquin (Penny) rescue and recovery effort. The trip to Greensboro was 2 1/2 hours round trip including the stop at the hotel to get the animals. Normally, I wouldn't blow a tank of gas to get any stuffed animal, but Beary was special. He's the animal that made it ok for my youngest daughter to come stay with me when I separated from her mother. Kendall said she missed Beary with a tone of saddness at something special that was missing. That was enough for me. I was going to go get Beary if at all possible.
I got back at 3:30 and the rain had let up a decent amount, but the temperature dropped 10 degrees. I said to heck with it, I'm going. I geared up with my my Windstopper gear and the rain jacket my wife got me for Christmas. I wanted to go at least 20 miles so I knew I would be cold and soaked at the end, but I wanted to hold it off as long as I could.
The first 5 miles or so were easy. The wind was whipping and the rain stung, but the rest of my body was in good shape. The rain started seeping into my shoes slowly, but noticeably. Hmm, why was that happening. I had neoprene shoe covers. Damn, I forgot to put some plastic on the inside of my shoes to cover the vents. Note to self: next year get winter shoes for riding. For the next several miles the warmth of my feet kept up with the water coming in, so it wasn't too bad.
I noticed my shins were the next to be soaked and get cold. I was trying to stay out of puddles, but the water was being flipped up everywhere. Now I understood why the rain jacket had a flap that dropped off the back and below the saddle. Detachable fenders might be a good investment too.
I made a concious effort to drink at stop lights. I noticed my speed and comfort actually got better into the ride. My legs were warm and my speed picked up. Then the next weak link started to be a problem-my hands. I had Windstopper gloves and liners that kept them warm, but they weren't waterproof. Third note to self: Warm waterproof gloves would be another good investment.
I made a decision to turn back at the 10 mile mark. I stopped for a drink and to put something in my stomach. I noticed that my index and middle fingers were the coldest probably because they were the ones in the wind the most. The gloves weren't soaked through yet, but they were close.
Ok, it wasn't getting any warmer, so I headed back. My hands were completely frozen by the 14 mile mark and my thighs where wet to the skin too. I started watching the Garmin more often to check the distance ridden and picked up speed towards home.
I walked in the door and all I wanted to do was get all my wet clothes off. I got most of the clothes off and my hands in my warmest gloves to warm them up naturally and slowly. I waited on a shower until my hands and feet were nearly normal.
I felt great about going out in the wet and cold to do a decent ride-19.75 miles at about 15 miles an hour. It wasn't like stages in the Tour of California where riding in conditions worse than that for over a 100 miles seem to happen every year. The next two days are going to be icy with snow, so it looks like it will be time on the trainer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
