I've actually been waiting to publish this blog for a couple of weeks now. I didn't want to post it too soon because I was afraid I would jinx myself. You see, I finally got my 2009 season under way after a few false starts. Where I've been mentally and the turning point can be boiled down to 5 words - no goals and new scale.
It's actually funny to think of this as my "season" since I currently have no plans. I think that was part of problem. Of course the wind and rain of winter didn't help either. However, last year I was training for the Terrible Two so I diligently got on the trainer 2-3 times a week when the weather was bad. This year, not so much. I am discovering I am quite capable of completely ignoring my trainer if there is not an event in the immediate future.
It's not like I have been a total sloth. I did some half-ass trainer workouts. I started running again. And I have had some great rides already. But there was no motivation to keep things going. I think of these false starts a little like waking up. At first you are jarred awake by the alarm. Your up, but not necessarily awake. So you turn the alarm off and go back to sleep. Then you wake up more gradually until you finally notice you are wide awake and ready to face the day. That's how 2009 started for me.
So, since I am not currently planning any events, what finally got things going for me. Well, for one thing I bought a new scale that includes body fat percentage. Now don't get me wrong. I knew I was carrying about 10-15 extra pounds but I naively thought my body fat would be in the 20's. Then I got on the scale for the first time and saw the real number. In the words of Coach Tim; "Oh, hell no!" This was a number that needed to come down.
So I hit the trainer, I started running more regularly and I added core and strength training. How do I know I am finally awake? Because I am doing this things without having to think about them. On Tuesdays, I come from work, change and get on the trainer. No real thought, it just happens. Or I'll decide to skip my run one morning only to find myself cruising along my favorite course 30 minutes later.
The result is starting to show. Body fat is coming down. Motivation is going up. I am currently getting in 3-5 cycling workouts, 2-3 runs and 2-3 strength workouts per week.
Now, all I need are some goals for this year I just might be able to keep it going. Until then, I just keep sweating in the name of good health.
Ciao!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Riding both ends of the spectrum
Well, what else can I say other then it was another great weekend of cycling. I rode on both Saturday and Sunday although they were very different rides. One was a very fast tempo ride while the other was to help newbies learn how to ride in a group. The difference - about 10 mph.
Saturday was Revolution Riviera Ride #3. This monthly ride is really starting to grow and we had about 30 riders at the start. The plan? We are all heading out together for the first 30 miles then the A group will pick up the pace and add some miles while the B group heads to lunch. I was definitely going to be in the B group.
So with waivers signed, lunch count completed, and final instructions heard, we are off. As always we start on the bike path to head out of town so the pace starts nice and easy. We finally hit the open road and it's time for things to kick up a little. Coming out of the town of Forestville there is a small but very steep hill (15+%) that drops you right into a T-intersection. I was the 5th person there so I stopped and kept giving the riders behind me the all-clear signal so they didn't have to stop. Although this was a nice thing to do I ended up paying for it later.
You see, just past this T-intersection is where the pace accelerated and the attacks started. This portion of the ride was described by many as a complete hammerfest all the way to where we would regroup. And where was I? Desperately playing catch up since when the attacks started I was completely stopped and yelling "clear". So the chase is on.
I settle into in very strong cadence and try to rock it back to the group (who by the way are stronger then me on the flats). I am pushing the big ring and a heart rate in the low 160's. But I stay focused. After a couple of miles I see 3 of the lead group up ahead and work hard to bridge the gap. I get to within 100 meters but cannot seem to close it down. Finally, on a small hill I went all out and caught them at the top. After they were kind enough to give me a minute to recover we formed a pace line and road strong the rest of the way. It was hard work but in the end it felt great.
After we split into our A and B groups, the B group road back to Riviera at a good pace but nothing deadly. I was feeling very good and was extremely pleased with my recovery from the earlier effort. At one point I was on the front and simply rode away from the group without even realizing it. Everyone eventually makes it to Riviera where we all enjoy a 4-course meal complete with wine. Man I love cycling!
On Sunday I was feeling the efforts. I went for a short run and with every step my legs reminded me they were toast. That was fine because my Sunday ride was going to be a recovery ride. I was going out to help Coach Tim work with some new riders in learning how to ride in pace lines and with a group.
We meet around 1:00 and after resolving some pedal issues we are off. My first job was to hold a pace of 12 mph and make sure I did not drop the newbies. So I am riding down the road constantly looking under my arm for the shadow to see how close they are. They did a great job of holding the line. On the second part of the ride I became the official photographer as we rode together just chatting away and having a great time. Once we were done it was time for lunch at the local brew pub.
So there you go. The full spectrum of cycling in one weekend. On Saturday, I rode 60 miles with an average speed of 18 and an average heart rate of 140 (with a max of 175). Sunday was a much calmer affair of 17 miles, an average speed of 11.5, and an average heart rate of 114. And while they were radically different rides they shared 1 thing in common. They both ended with good friends enjoying a great meal. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Ciao!
Saturday was Revolution Riviera Ride #3. This monthly ride is really starting to grow and we had about 30 riders at the start. The plan? We are all heading out together for the first 30 miles then the A group will pick up the pace and add some miles while the B group heads to lunch. I was definitely going to be in the B group.
So with waivers signed, lunch count completed, and final instructions heard, we are off. As always we start on the bike path to head out of town so the pace starts nice and easy. We finally hit the open road and it's time for things to kick up a little. Coming out of the town of Forestville there is a small but very steep hill (15+%) that drops you right into a T-intersection. I was the 5th person there so I stopped and kept giving the riders behind me the all-clear signal so they didn't have to stop. Although this was a nice thing to do I ended up paying for it later.
You see, just past this T-intersection is where the pace accelerated and the attacks started. This portion of the ride was described by many as a complete hammerfest all the way to where we would regroup. And where was I? Desperately playing catch up since when the attacks started I was completely stopped and yelling "clear". So the chase is on.
I settle into in very strong cadence and try to rock it back to the group (who by the way are stronger then me on the flats). I am pushing the big ring and a heart rate in the low 160's. But I stay focused. After a couple of miles I see 3 of the lead group up ahead and work hard to bridge the gap. I get to within 100 meters but cannot seem to close it down. Finally, on a small hill I went all out and caught them at the top. After they were kind enough to give me a minute to recover we formed a pace line and road strong the rest of the way. It was hard work but in the end it felt great.
After we split into our A and B groups, the B group road back to Riviera at a good pace but nothing deadly. I was feeling very good and was extremely pleased with my recovery from the earlier effort. At one point I was on the front and simply rode away from the group without even realizing it. Everyone eventually makes it to Riviera where we all enjoy a 4-course meal complete with wine. Man I love cycling!
On Sunday I was feeling the efforts. I went for a short run and with every step my legs reminded me they were toast. That was fine because my Sunday ride was going to be a recovery ride. I was going out to help Coach Tim work with some new riders in learning how to ride in pace lines and with a group.
We meet around 1:00 and after resolving some pedal issues we are off. My first job was to hold a pace of 12 mph and make sure I did not drop the newbies. So I am riding down the road constantly looking under my arm for the shadow to see how close they are. They did a great job of holding the line. On the second part of the ride I became the official photographer as we rode together just chatting away and having a great time. Once we were done it was time for lunch at the local brew pub.
So there you go. The full spectrum of cycling in one weekend. On Saturday, I rode 60 miles with an average speed of 18 and an average heart rate of 140 (with a max of 175). Sunday was a much calmer affair of 17 miles, an average speed of 11.5, and an average heart rate of 114. And while they were radically different rides they shared 1 thing in common. They both ended with good friends enjoying a great meal. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Ciao!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Cycling versus running
The newest member of our cycling group made an inference on her Facebook page that running was the best of the 3 triathlon sports. My only thought was that she must be insane. How could running ever be better then cycling?
I thought about this a lot yesterday as I went for run versus riding the bike. This had less to do with preference and more to do with the 20+ mph wind gust we were experiencing. Currently, I am only running for a little cross-training. So I have a nice little 3.3 mile route from the house that takes me through the older parts of Santa Rosa. On Sunday, I decided to go run at Spring Lake Park. It's a beautiful park in the city with a comfortable 3.7 mile loop. It also has hills.
In fact, you start on a hill. So up I go and from the minute I start I am feeling slow. Very slow. And this is by no means a big hill. So over the top I start my descent and this is where I really notice the difference between running and cycling. If I was on my bike I could simply quit working and let the bike and gravity carry me down the hill. On foot, I am still running. Maybe not has hard as the climb but I am still exerting energy.
My heart rate is another significant difference between when I run versus when I ride. I feel like I am putting out about the same effort but it is higher when I run. Coach Tim finally pointed out what should have been obvious. When cycling, your upper body is really just along for the ride. But in running, the swinging of your arms engages more muscle groups so of course your heart rate will be higher.
As I make my way around the lake I say good morning to my fellow joggers. Less then 25% say anything back. WTF! It's very hard to pass a fellow cyclist on the road and not get a wave or at least a head nod. Even in my years before cycling, I was amazed at the number of runners who plug in the Ipods and disconnect from the world. Try that on the road during a ride and you are just asking for a ambulance ride.
As I reach the half way mark, I am really tired. I don't know if it is the small hills or the really intense ride I did on Saturday, but I am not feeling it. If I were on the bike I would simply change the route to something a little easier. As in - let's avoid hills. But when running around Spring Lake there is only 1 route. So you are forced to man up and finish the run you started. (There are actually more routes but they are all longer and hillier and that didn't seem like my best option.)
As the run was winding down I finally found my old hill rhythm. Work up the climb and then recover on the descent. I am feeling a little better but finding it hard not to stop. I am also being blown sideways by the wind. It wasn't until the final mile that I felt I was running well. Still slow, but well.
As I finally make it back to the car I check my watch and was pleasantly suprised. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. After a little stretching, very little, I head home. I fired up the laptop to enter the data and discover that I was only running about 10 seconds a mile slower then usual. So it was not as bad as I felt.
As I change out of my simple wardrobe of black tights and gray shirt (versus a full multi-colored matching bike kit), I start to feel a little better about the run. I also decide it is time to increase the distance, speed and hill work. Just as long as it doesn't interfere with my rides.
Ciao!
I thought about this a lot yesterday as I went for run versus riding the bike. This had less to do with preference and more to do with the 20+ mph wind gust we were experiencing. Currently, I am only running for a little cross-training. So I have a nice little 3.3 mile route from the house that takes me through the older parts of Santa Rosa. On Sunday, I decided to go run at Spring Lake Park. It's a beautiful park in the city with a comfortable 3.7 mile loop. It also has hills.
In fact, you start on a hill. So up I go and from the minute I start I am feeling slow. Very slow. And this is by no means a big hill. So over the top I start my descent and this is where I really notice the difference between running and cycling. If I was on my bike I could simply quit working and let the bike and gravity carry me down the hill. On foot, I am still running. Maybe not has hard as the climb but I am still exerting energy.
My heart rate is another significant difference between when I run versus when I ride. I feel like I am putting out about the same effort but it is higher when I run. Coach Tim finally pointed out what should have been obvious. When cycling, your upper body is really just along for the ride. But in running, the swinging of your arms engages more muscle groups so of course your heart rate will be higher.
As I make my way around the lake I say good morning to my fellow joggers. Less then 25% say anything back. WTF! It's very hard to pass a fellow cyclist on the road and not get a wave or at least a head nod. Even in my years before cycling, I was amazed at the number of runners who plug in the Ipods and disconnect from the world. Try that on the road during a ride and you are just asking for a ambulance ride.
As I reach the half way mark, I am really tired. I don't know if it is the small hills or the really intense ride I did on Saturday, but I am not feeling it. If I were on the bike I would simply change the route to something a little easier. As in - let's avoid hills. But when running around Spring Lake there is only 1 route. So you are forced to man up and finish the run you started. (There are actually more routes but they are all longer and hillier and that didn't seem like my best option.)
As the run was winding down I finally found my old hill rhythm. Work up the climb and then recover on the descent. I am feeling a little better but finding it hard not to stop. I am also being blown sideways by the wind. It wasn't until the final mile that I felt I was running well. Still slow, but well.
As I finally make it back to the car I check my watch and was pleasantly suprised. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. After a little stretching, very little, I head home. I fired up the laptop to enter the data and discover that I was only running about 10 seconds a mile slower then usual. So it was not as bad as I felt.
As I change out of my simple wardrobe of black tights and gray shirt (versus a full multi-colored matching bike kit), I start to feel a little better about the run. I also decide it is time to increase the distance, speed and hill work. Just as long as it doesn't interfere with my rides.
Ciao!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Playing Hooky
Last Friday, Sherry and I played hooky. Ok, it wasn't hooky in its truest form since she has every other Friday off and I took a vacation day. But, we were both free to go play on a work day so it felt like playing hooky and that's all the really counts.
The plan was pretty simple. I was going to ride in the morning while she slept in. We would do a little house cleaning, I needed to get my hair cut, we had our insurance guy scheduled to look at the kitchen remodel, and so on. However, in the middle of all that we also planned to head out to the town of Sonoma for one of our long lunches.
I got up bright and early as normal and spent some surfing the web and playing around on Twitter and Facebook. I read all the latest cycling news on Paris-Nice. And then I checked outside. Damn! After 4 mornings of driving to work under brilliant blue skies there is a very wet marine layer that rolled into town. I don't want to ride in that mess. I want sunshine! Just as I was resigning myself to be cold and wet I thought - "Wait a minute! I have the day off and can go ride this afternoon once the sun comes out." So, with the situation resolved, I poured myself another coffee and enjoyed the slow pace of the morning.
After Sherry got up we had a quick breakfast of cereal. While I was eating I made a mental note that from now on it would only be french toast on hooky days. We did our house cleaning and then headed out to Sonoma. After a little shopping (there is a great cook ware store on the Square) we headed for lunch.
The Girl and the Fig is one of our favorite restaurants. They have a beautiful outdoor patio and the sun has now burned the fog away leaving us with plenty of sunshine to dine outside. After a short wait at the bar, where we felt obliged to order drinks, we made our way to our table. Lunch was fabulous. A simple little 3-course meal with wine. This beats my normal Friday deli sandwich any day. After our leisurely lunch it was time to head home.
Our insurance guy had to reschedule so now the rest of the day is free. Time to jump on the bike and hit the road. I toy with riding the single speed but decide on Paolo (my bike with gears). I have the sunshine I was hoping for but I also have wind, which I had anticipated. Still, I am only wearing about half the layers of clothing I would have had on that morning so I am a happy boy. And with my pre-ride meal of assorted Artisan cheeses, fig and arugula salad, duck confit served on a bed off white beans, profiteroles and a half of bottle of wine, I am ready to ride.
Back home from a tough 40 mile ride (the wind really was pretty challenging) it is time to just relax for the rest of the night. Neither of us wanted to cook so we ordered pizza. Then we just sat back watched a little TV, chatted away about nothing and everything, and starting planning our real weekend.
Now that's the way to spend a Friday.
Ciao!
The plan was pretty simple. I was going to ride in the morning while she slept in. We would do a little house cleaning, I needed to get my hair cut, we had our insurance guy scheduled to look at the kitchen remodel, and so on. However, in the middle of all that we also planned to head out to the town of Sonoma for one of our long lunches.
I got up bright and early as normal and spent some surfing the web and playing around on Twitter and Facebook. I read all the latest cycling news on Paris-Nice. And then I checked outside. Damn! After 4 mornings of driving to work under brilliant blue skies there is a very wet marine layer that rolled into town. I don't want to ride in that mess. I want sunshine! Just as I was resigning myself to be cold and wet I thought - "Wait a minute! I have the day off and can go ride this afternoon once the sun comes out." So, with the situation resolved, I poured myself another coffee and enjoyed the slow pace of the morning.
After Sherry got up we had a quick breakfast of cereal. While I was eating I made a mental note that from now on it would only be french toast on hooky days. We did our house cleaning and then headed out to Sonoma. After a little shopping (there is a great cook ware store on the Square) we headed for lunch.
The Girl and the Fig is one of our favorite restaurants. They have a beautiful outdoor patio and the sun has now burned the fog away leaving us with plenty of sunshine to dine outside. After a short wait at the bar, where we felt obliged to order drinks, we made our way to our table. Lunch was fabulous. A simple little 3-course meal with wine. This beats my normal Friday deli sandwich any day. After our leisurely lunch it was time to head home.
Our insurance guy had to reschedule so now the rest of the day is free. Time to jump on the bike and hit the road. I toy with riding the single speed but decide on Paolo (my bike with gears). I have the sunshine I was hoping for but I also have wind, which I had anticipated. Still, I am only wearing about half the layers of clothing I would have had on that morning so I am a happy boy. And with my pre-ride meal of assorted Artisan cheeses, fig and arugula salad, duck confit served on a bed off white beans, profiteroles and a half of bottle of wine, I am ready to ride.
Back home from a tough 40 mile ride (the wind really was pretty challenging) it is time to just relax for the rest of the night. Neither of us wanted to cook so we ordered pizza. Then we just sat back watched a little TV, chatted away about nothing and everything, and starting planning our real weekend.
Now that's the way to spend a Friday.
Ciao!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Back on the road
Finally! After 3 weeks of no road rides due to work and rain (mostly rain), I was able to get out this last weekend. It definitely wasn't Spring but at least it was dry. I could hardly wait to get back on the bike. I was like an excited little kid waiting for the cookies to come out of the oven. And like a child, I completely over did it. After 3-weeks of short trainer workouts and even shorter runs, I decide to kick out 128 miles in 3 days.
Friday morning was a good day and since I did not have any meetings until later in the morning, I decided to hit the road. I take the bike path along the creek out of town and it's really cool to see it so swollen with rain water. Once I clear town I decide to make the ride count. But I have be careful. We have big group ride schedule for Sunday so I don't want to flog myself.
Still, if I was on the trainer I would be doing intervals so off I go. I start kicking out 2 x 2 speed intervals. That's 2 minutes at intense effort followed by 2 minutes recovery, which I repeated 5 times. I then recovered for a solid 5 minutes and did a second set. Man it felt good to be hammering the pace on the road. I finished with a whopping 23 miles. It was a little more intense then I planned but Sunday's ride was going to be at an easy pace so I should be fine.
Saturday when I woke up there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I headed out and played on the hills near the house. Nothing major, however I was feeling the impact of Friday's speed workouts. I managed to get in some good climbs and a total of 43 miles with over 1600 feet of climbing. I am feeling the efforts so thankfully the ride on Sunday will be a little easier. I will use that as a recovery ride.
I also had plenty of time to think on Saturday since I was riding solo. It is amazing the thoughts that go through my mind. Like, why after a couple of weeks off the road is your ass the first to go? Everything felt fine on Friday's ride except my back side. I guess you can't replicate the constant bouncing of Sonoma County's rough roads on a trainer. If you decide to try it, please be kind enough to video it and post it on YouTube so we can all have a good laugh.
Sunday morning Coach Tim and I ride to Sebastopol to meet the gang. A total of 8 of us head out to go various distances. And while we started nice and mellow that's not how we finished. The pace seem to keep lifting and at times we were flying. There were even more times the group was flying as I was dangling off the back. I am now feeling every interval and every hill from the last 2 rides. About 35 miles into the ride my legs basically said "we're done!". It was time to find a pace I could manage for the rest of the ride.
Part of the group was going long, so we settled into a more leisurely pace and rode on. Eventually Tim and I peeled off and headed for home with a stop at Bad Ass Coffee along the way. By the time we reached Bad Ass I was yawning I was so tired and was basically just riding along with my head down. Tim was in the same boat and our only conversation was about how much harder that ride was then we thought it was going to be.
I was also getting hungry. It wasn't that I didn't eat plenty of GUs and Shot Blocks but more that I needed some real food. So at Bad Ass I had an apple turnover (for some fruit) and a peanut butter cookie (for protein) along with my coffee. With my energy restored, I was able to complete the 20-minute ride back to the house in only 30-minutes. The final tally for the day was 62 miles. In the end, I was tired and fatigued but it felt great.
Monday morning my legs reminded of the saying that revenge is best served cold. It doesn't matter. I had a blast and would do the whole thing all over again. In fact, this weekend I think I'll do just that.
Ciao!
Friday morning was a good day and since I did not have any meetings until later in the morning, I decided to hit the road. I take the bike path along the creek out of town and it's really cool to see it so swollen with rain water. Once I clear town I decide to make the ride count. But I have be careful. We have big group ride schedule for Sunday so I don't want to flog myself.
Still, if I was on the trainer I would be doing intervals so off I go. I start kicking out 2 x 2 speed intervals. That's 2 minutes at intense effort followed by 2 minutes recovery, which I repeated 5 times. I then recovered for a solid 5 minutes and did a second set. Man it felt good to be hammering the pace on the road. I finished with a whopping 23 miles. It was a little more intense then I planned but Sunday's ride was going to be at an easy pace so I should be fine.
Saturday when I woke up there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I headed out and played on the hills near the house. Nothing major, however I was feeling the impact of Friday's speed workouts. I managed to get in some good climbs and a total of 43 miles with over 1600 feet of climbing. I am feeling the efforts so thankfully the ride on Sunday will be a little easier. I will use that as a recovery ride.
I also had plenty of time to think on Saturday since I was riding solo. It is amazing the thoughts that go through my mind. Like, why after a couple of weeks off the road is your ass the first to go? Everything felt fine on Friday's ride except my back side. I guess you can't replicate the constant bouncing of Sonoma County's rough roads on a trainer. If you decide to try it, please be kind enough to video it and post it on YouTube so we can all have a good laugh.
Sunday morning Coach Tim and I ride to Sebastopol to meet the gang. A total of 8 of us head out to go various distances. And while we started nice and mellow that's not how we finished. The pace seem to keep lifting and at times we were flying. There were even more times the group was flying as I was dangling off the back. I am now feeling every interval and every hill from the last 2 rides. About 35 miles into the ride my legs basically said "we're done!". It was time to find a pace I could manage for the rest of the ride.
Part of the group was going long, so we settled into a more leisurely pace and rode on. Eventually Tim and I peeled off and headed for home with a stop at Bad Ass Coffee along the way. By the time we reached Bad Ass I was yawning I was so tired and was basically just riding along with my head down. Tim was in the same boat and our only conversation was about how much harder that ride was then we thought it was going to be.
I was also getting hungry. It wasn't that I didn't eat plenty of GUs and Shot Blocks but more that I needed some real food. So at Bad Ass I had an apple turnover (for some fruit) and a peanut butter cookie (for protein) along with my coffee. With my energy restored, I was able to complete the 20-minute ride back to the house in only 30-minutes. The final tally for the day was 62 miles. In the end, I was tired and fatigued but it felt great.
Monday morning my legs reminded of the saying that revenge is best served cold. It doesn't matter. I had a blast and would do the whole thing all over again. In fact, this weekend I think I'll do just that.
Ciao!
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