Stay on target

Although I don't think I will make my scheduled 14hrs, I think I will be close. Last night I did my last AA weight workout. I was able to do 360lbs on the hip sled 20 times. My goal by the beginning of race season is 620lbs 6 - 12reps.

Today was suppose to be an easier day but I had to rearrange my schedule because I will be traveling. But Sunday my travels will bring me to Moab, UT. I will get my long ride on SlickRock and Porcupine rim. Then it is off to Phoenix. I will be doing plenty of road biking there. I think it will be easy to get in my 17.5hrs on the road.



Stats -
Thurs night - weights duration 1:15, 2 sets of a AA workout
Friday - duration 2hrs, distance 28mi, avg spd 13.9, avg HR 140, avg Cad 193

Still catching up

I was able to lift last night. Didn't move up in weight but was able to do more reps at the current settings. I am going to do one more AA workout then I will be transitioning to the Muscle Strength phase.

Today, Spin class in the morning. One hour down...that was easy! This evening was harder. The temperature was not bad at 36 but the wind as strong and cold. Gusts up to 36mph.

Good news, I got my tooth fixed today. Root canal - ick! I felt good enough to ride tonight.

This is my first official week of base training. I am highly motivated to get the full 14hrs done but it may be difficult since I am traveling to Phoenix. I am bringing the bike though. I may have to rearrange some training hours. I am hoping I to get my long ride in Moab, UT. That should be fun.

Tues -
Weights duration 1:00hr

Weds -
Spinning duration 1:00hr, avg HR 145
Ride duration 1:35hr, distance 19.8, avg HR 139, avg spd 12.9, avg cad 89

Weekend Update

Friday night set the tone for the whole weekend. I was watching a movie when my tooth started throbbing. Just an annoyance at first but then it kept intensifying. Christine finally call the Dentist for drugs. I counted the minutes waiting for her to come back with the narcotic goodness.

Saturday, all I had to do was teach spinning. I am bummed I couldn't make the Cranksgiving festivities. I spent most of the day piddling around.

Sunday I was able to ride with the guys. We got about 3hrs and 54miles clocked off so that was good. Later that day I put on my new tires/tubes. I bought some Armadillo tires with True Goo tubes. My Trek bike is so heavy now.

This week starts training.

A thin line

I almost stayed in bed this morning. I laid(sp?) in bed contemplating whether to get up and ride or not. I got up. I took it slow... no pressure on myself. Started up the coffee maker and did some morning chores.

It was 39degrees when I left. I'll take it...pretty nice for Nov. in Nebraska. Cruised through a head wind heading south on the keystone.

I spent about 45min in my zone2, and about 10min above zone2. I am liking that. I am very happy with the average cadence. The avg speed is no fun.

Ride stats-
duration 1:35hr, distance 20mi, avg speed 13.6*, avg HR 139, avg Cad 93

* luggage rack & bag attached

It is going to be a long winter

Tuesday Night -
After much stalling, I climbed on my bike last night. I tried mentally breaking up my 2hr ride into two 1hr rides. I wasn't successful. The thought of doing one long hour to be only half way kept creeping into mind.

It took about 20minutes to raise my heart rate to zone 2. For 30 minutes after, I had to really focus to keep it my heart rate there. Then there was a period that I was comfortable. I gave myself a small break about 1:20hr into the ride. The last half hour I put myself back into zone 2 for 20min and then cooled down for the last 10min. Yay! it was over.

My Cad and HR numbers for this ride looked similar to a ride on the rode. So I was happy with that.

Wednesday Morning -
Spin class we did a lot of Muscle endurance work climbing hills and long intervals. My HR went into zone 5 several times.


(Tues/Wed)Ride stats-
duration 2:00hr, avg HR 136, avg Cad 94, Zone2 time 1:10min
Spin, 1:00hr, avg HR 140, Zone1 time 0:29hr, Zone2 0:12hr, Zone2+ 23 time

Today's Ride, weekly stats, and next week goals

Today I was on my own for my 3hr ride. Layers were the key to staying warm. I had several. I broke out the neoprene face mask for the first time to keep my face warm. As always I was a little chilled starting out but after the first few minutes I was comfortably warm. I set out on the usually Sunday 3hr course. Start at Wehrspan, then south to Ashland, east to Louisville, and back north to Wehrspan.

Most of the ride I had good focus. For my HR I try and keep it between 137 & 149 and my cadence I shoot for 95 - 105 rpm. The last 45min I got tired. I was in the "Gett'r done" mode. That's when my cadence drops and it is hard to keep the HR in the desired zone. My avg speed dropped significantly because I added a bike rack. I don't like recording my distance or speed anymore!

Ride Stats-
duration 3:00hrs, distance 42.5, avg spd 14.2, avg HR 134, avg cad 88

I finished up the week a bit short of my time goals. I am happy with the results though with the weather turning colder. I still did a 3 hour ride and was within 1hr of the time goals.

Weekly stats-
duration 11:19min, distance 95.4mi, avg spd 14.0mph, avg HR 133, avg Cad 86

Next weeks goals-
Get Training Bible log book, complete 3hr ride, complete 2 weight sessions, weight 196

Rolling along

There has been some modifications to the training plan but I am still plugging along with my prep period.

Last night I was in the gym doing my weight routine. I increased the weight load of almost every exercise. Bench, Step ups, Lat pulls, seated rows, and standing rows went up 10lbs. Leg extensions and hamstring curls up 5lbs. Finally, I went up 90lbs on the hip sled. I was able to get at least 20reps on all 3 of the hip sled set with 360lbs. I am happy with that.

I was in spin class this morning for just under an hour. Also, my second workout outside was just under an hour. I kept this ride close to home just in case I wasn't dressed warm enough. I will probably layer the same tomorrow, for my 3hr ride, as today. It is not suppose to be windy so I think I will be fine.

Ride stats-
spin class duration 56min, avg HR 143
outside duration 54min, distance 11.9, avg spd 13.2, avg HR 130, avg Cad 92

Change of Plans

Yesterday I was suppose to ride in the morning and then do weights later. I rode for 20 miles in the morning but didn't get to the gym for weights. So instead of an easy day on the bike, I packed my bags for the gym after work.

I think I will implement a 3 day plan for my strength training. It seems to take a bit longer than two days to recover from weights. With the 3 day plan my days at the gym will change. That's ok... I will do weights even if it is a day off. I think right now it is important to develop my muscle strength.

Catching up

I have some catching up to do with my blog and my training. Yesterday was suppose to be a 1:30hr day but I only logged 1:00 for spinning. Instead of riding the trainer last night I opted to skip the second workout. I will let the 1/2hr slide and just focus on what I have to do for the rest of the week.

Today 2:30hrs is scheduled - I plan on riding for 1:00 plus and spend the rest of the time in the gym. My gym workout usually takes about 1:30hrs so I should be good on time. I have been doing 30 reps on the hip sled with 270lbs. I think I will bumped that up another 90lbs. tonight.

The diet - I am slowly getting my energy back and it is getting easier to wait for meals. Part of the plan is to eat every 3hrs. At first I would get hungry 1hr after eating and then endure that hunger for 2hrs. Now, I seemed to stay satisfied longer and I am only hungry for 1hr. My weight is still hovering around 198.

Ride Stat -
duration 1:24, distance 20mi, avg spd ~14.3, avg HR 128, avg cad 82

That was close

Last week I had The Bike Way send my nice head light back to the mfg. They gave me a couple small ones to use but I had no good way to mount them on my bike. So, I resigned to the fact that I had to ride my trainer.

As I was setting up my bike to ride my wife asked, "You are not riding outside... it will be warm in the morning?". She was right, as always. It wasn't pretty but I used tape to attach two lights to the drops of my handlebars. I rode outside. The headlight rigging worked Ok... I wouldn't recommend it.

Weights tonight.


Ride Stats -
duration 1:19hrs, distance 21, avg spd 14.3, avg cad 82, avg HR 128

Day Off

Nothing interesting here, another day off starting a new week of training. This week and next week are my last weeks in the "Prep" period. After that I start my base training. On the bike I will be doing pretty much the same kind of riding I am doing now. HR stays mostly in Zone 2 rolling hills of 3% grades. I am behind with my gym work.


It is day 4 of the diet. Still, happy with the progress but a little sapped of energy. I am down about 3lbs. There is a long way to go.

Today Dan and I set out south to Ashland then back North to Yutan. We relaxed with with wind and worked together against the wind. Toward the end of the ride, I was running out of steam. I think the lack of energy is mostly from dieting.

It is pretty amazing to be riding this late in the year in shorts. I wore arm warmers and a vest but didn't need them.

Ride Stats -
duration 03:10hrs, distance 51.3, avg spd 16.1, avg HR 129, avg Cad

Still going

Still keeping up with the diet. I am not counting calories... Yet. Still in the clean up phase. The Blue Line Latte was not part of the clean up, oops! Otherwise it has been protein and fruits & veggies.

Spinning class was a lot of heavy resistance and high heart rate. Had fun with that.

It was such a nice day I stayed out for more than the prescribed hours. One thing I noticed during the ride is that 100rpm cadence is very comfortable. Towards the end the ride 95 was the cadence of choice. 95 - 100rpm is getting to be my new normal.

Also, keeping my HR in my zone 2 was difficult while I was keeping the cadence high. Now I can comfortable keep the HR in the upper part of zone two. I am still concerned about my avg speed. I want to be able cruise at 20mp while keeping my HR in zone2.

Ride Stats -
1) Spinning class 59min, avg HR 151
2) duration 2:41, distance 45, avg spd 16.8, avg hr 140, avg Cad 92