Loading up on Miles

I rode 55miles yesterday and today another 35 miles.  It helps to have warm December weather and some vacation hours to burn.  Although, after the ride I headed back to the office to take care of some last minute project items.  UGH.

Not sure what I am going to do tomorrow.  I have to work a couple hours then I have the rest of the day off.  I would go to the gym but my legs are fried.  Maybe an easy 2hr ride is in order.  The tough part is keeping it easy.

Joe the Grey

I have been growing a beard since Thanksgiving weekend.   At first my wife didn't like it, said it ages me but I think she is use to it now.  It seems to help keep my face warm.  On my ride to work this morning, I only wore a skull cap on my head.  I could feel the chill of the air on my cheeks and neck.

Last nights weight lifting session went well.  I am into week three of the plan.  In week three the number of reps go down to 4 x 8reps of squats, 4 x 4 reps of Dead lifts.  With the lower reps I can increase the weight... but still no going to failure like the weight lifters.  It should feel hard but if I had to I could do another one or two more reps.   Also, I want to be careful that my form is good so I am being very conservative with the amount of weight I am pushing.  I had 105lbs for the squats and 120lbs for dead lifts. 

I rode into work today.  I will take the long way home so I can get another 2:30hrs.

Christmas Weekend

The weather has been extremely warm for this time of year and I took advantage of it.  Everyday this weeked the temprature climbed into the 40s.  I was able to ride a couple longer rides on Friday and Saturday.  Sunday, I went out for a quick 1:30hr spin while the Christmas beast was cooking.  Then Monday I joined a group for a 65mile haul.

I feel good about my fitness now.  The trick will be to keep it up through the dark days of Jan/Feb.  This is the first week of my training plan restart.  I am a little bit off track because the long ride I did on Monday wasn't part of the plan.  I was suppose to lift.  I will do that today.

Quick Post

Since this is Xmas week, I rearranged my training schedule to do my long ride yesterday.  It worked out well.  I took 4hrs vacation time and the weather was good.   I finished with 3:20hrs in the saddle.  Nearly half of the time was Zone 2 and a little Zone 3.

Another weight lifting session is in store for this afternoon.   I will get most of the longer rides done during the week and play the weekend by ear.

Early Xmas Present

The weather last weekend was as good as it gets here in Nebraska.  In the middle of Decemeber.  The early december snow was gone and the temperatures climbed into the 50s for both Sat & Sun.  My training schedule called for a 2hr ride on Sat and 3hrs on Sun.  I wanted to ride with my wife on Sunday so I had planned on doing the longer ride Saturday.

The group had planned to do a 35mile loup out to Elk City, Valley, Waterloo, and back.  I needed to get more time so I rode another 12 miles to where we met.  We had a special guest for the ride.  Rob on a motorcycle.  He moto paced the group on the flat roads near Elk City and again going ito Valley.  It was pretty fun.  At one point he made a motion with his hand.  It could only mean hold on I am going to increase the speed.  Rob made it up to 43mph with his son Cole tucked in nicely behind.  I got dropped at 33mph. I ended the day with 4hrs and  54 miles.  The intensity of the ride was a bit higher than a Zone 2 endurance ride but when I was done I didn't feel tired at all.

Sunday was another nice day, temps in the middle 50s.  A few ladies, including my wife, joined in on the ride.  We did basically the same route as Saturday.  I kept the intenisty low focusing on spinning and pedal efficiency.  At one point we did a one legged sprint to a stop sign.

Last night it was back to the gym for some weight lifting.  I am happy with my form in the Squats & Deadlifts so it is time to start increasing the weight.  Slowly.  Today, no workout is planned. 

Weight Training - Round 2

I started this session with some running, and stretching to warm up.  Five minutes of running is good enough to get my blood flowing.  The stretches seem to loosen up the muscles.  

I thought that I was ready for Squats but my knees and adductors (sp?) were not.  As part of my prep, I go through the squat motion without any weight.  That was difficult.  I tried it with the 45lb barbell ... better but still hard.  I had 3 sets of 12 reps to do.  Surely I could knock out 1 set.  I did the one set and worked through the discomfort with just the barbell.  It got easier as I moved through the reps.  The second and third sets were easier.  I thought my form was good... head up, back straight, down until legs are parallel to the ground, push through the heels.  It all looked good in the mirror.

I worked only the barbell for the bent over rows and the leg presses were no problem.  I super setted my bench press, and leg curls.  I was trying to get three but ended up with only 2 pullups then instead of more pullups finished with Lat pulls.

I finished with 3 sets of 5 deadlifts.  Another exercise that can hurt you if you don't do it right.  I added 2 x 25lb plates to the bar just to lift the bar off the ground.  Again form was key... back straight head up, etc...

In general my muscles were tight this morning nothing sore.  That may change as the day progresses.  I did this routine last year and think it  is a good routine for me.  It only takes 1:30hr but I am hitting most of the major muscle groups.   The squats and deadlifts hit the leg muscles for sure but also taps into my lower back, shoulders and abs.   I believe this helps with longer rides.  I don't seem to have as many lower back issues at the end of a 2, 3, or 4hr ride.

Today schedule calls for spin ups for an hour.  Working on pedal effeincies.  I did this as part of my commute to work.  Riding up some of the hills on Blondo I got more of a force workout but going down hills I was able to max out my cadence.  A couple of times I spun out.

About last night.

Although I was on the trainer last Saturday for about an hour, in my mind last night was my first extended time on the trainer.  I was to do an Aerobic workout.. mostly HR Zone 2 work.  Zone 2 is 145 - 155bpm for me.  Another goal that I had was to keep my cadence 90+ rpms

It took about 30 minutes to get my HR into Z2.  Once I was there, it was relativly easy to maintain. I settled in at 150bpm.   Still, very easy to maintain.  Soon, I had more time in Z2 than I had in Z1.  New goal - get 60min in Z2.   Got it and now 10min to cool down.  I have to say that last 10min went by so slow.  I was ready to get off the trainer.  I was happy with the workout.  61min Z2, Avg Cadence 90

When, I woke up this morning I gave mysef a 3 out of 7 for fatigue.  The intensity of an Aerobic workout is suppose to be low.  You are suppose to be able to "Back Up" or repeat the workout the next day with no problem.  I could do it again today but am glad I don't have to.

Weight Training - Round 1

Last Monday was my first round of lifting.  Easy, just work on doing the excercises properly.  Keeping the loads light and the effort low.

I did a warmup then headed to the squat rack.  From youtube videos I knew what a squat was suppose to look like.  Bar on the shoulders, slowly lowering, keeping head up, and knees over the toes.  Back Straight too.  No problem with only a 45lb barbell.  So to get a little more intesity I added 20 more pounds for my next set of 12 reps.  Still no problem and no effort at all.

I skipped the standing rows.  I had no clue how to do them properly.

Next was the hip sled for Leg Presses.  Leg presses on the machine are easy... slowly lower the weight and then push up.  I started with 90lbs and finished with 225lbs.  Very easy.

Dead lifts are tricky for me.  I tried working through the motion with no weight.   Then added barbell only.  It just didn't feel right.

I finished the night with Leg Extensions, and Pullups.  I can only do 3 pullups followed by a set of 2... same as last year.  I would really like to work on doing more.

I walked out of the gym Monday thinking that I didn't get much of a workout and come Thursday I would be ready to add weight to all the exercises.  As the day went on yesterday, my legs started to tighten up and feel sore.  I suppose I am not use to all the motions involved with squats, dead lifts, and leg presses.  I hope the soreness goes away by tomorrow evening.

Tonight is a trainer ride... trying to get motivated for that.

Plan Reworked

Last week didn't go as planed.  I missed several days of training from some kind of bug.  It would have been counter productive to do any kind of workout.  So, I spent the week sleeping it off and by the weekend I was ready to do something. 

I got on the trainer Saturday for just over an hour.  Then Sunday I went outside for a 3hr ride.  I started out solo but noticed a bunch of cyclists hanging out buy Blue Line Coffee Downtown.  It was a bunch of racers taking advantage of the relativly nice December weather. 

So instead of a 3hr LSD ride, I knew it was going to be a more up tempo pace.   The winds were out of the south and the plan was to ride over to Council Bluff, head south, over the bridge to Bellevue, and back North.  That took about 2hrs.  There were some fast riders setting the pace up the front.  I was trying to keep my HR low so I hung in the back.  Popping out of the line a few times up the hills.   I finished up my ride with another hour solo.

Since I had a bad week, I reworked my training plan to peak in the middle of June corresponding with the Elkhorn Classic in Baker City, OR.  All the bike workouts type, duration, and intensities are all spelled out for the next 23 weeks.  I have a couple weeks of Prep then full-on Base Training. 

Like with every year weight loss will be a prime focus.   Looking back at last years paper log, I have a good start.  I am a few pounds lighter.  Not nearly enough for the 6 mile Mt. climbs of the Elkhorn Classic.  The goal is to lose about 15 more pound.  I am amazed and motivated by my teammate Glen Houts who did some serious weight loss last year.

This year I will also focus on my ability to work at or above my LT.  I am still going to do a full 12 weeks of base training.  In the hope that it will help me with my weight loss and prepare for  my longest RR in the Elkhorn Classic.  Then for the build phase focus only on my breakthrough workouts.  I may even drop down to only 3 rides a week.  Focusing on my advanced abilities... sprinting, climbing, anerobic work, etc.

Finally, I am working in 12 weeks of weight training on Mondays and Thursdays.  I know there is a controversy on weights. Some say do it and others say it doen't  do much good for cyclist.  I think it will give me a nice break from the trainer this winter.  After the 12 weeks then I am hoping to keep it up at least 1 day a week.  The training includes mostly leg work... squats, leg presses, and dead lifts.   I have a few upper body excersized planned .. Bench Press and Pull ups.   Fun fun.

15 Degree Ride

I had to break out most of my winter clothes.  Wind pants over my amfib tights.  A thicker fleece long sleeve shirt for my thermal layer and my neoprene face mask.  I was cozy for my 30+minute ride to work.

One problem, my glasses fogged up after a hard effort up the hill on Blondo to 90th St.  I thought they would clear going down hill but the fog turned into frost.  Got to fix that.  Also, my thumbs were getting a little cold in my mittens.  Any colder than 15, I will put my bar mitts on the bike.  Finally, my toes were cold.  I will try some thicker sock.

Winter Mode

Today I will be in full winter mode.  Tonight my road bike will be mounted on the trainer and I have switched my computer, repair bag, and other things over to the CX bike for outside riding.  The leather on my riding boots has be waterproof... I just have to seal up the screw holes on the soles.

I have been reading some winter riding sites:
http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Recreation/wintercycling.htm
http://allweathersports.com/isport/ibiketips.html
http://www.bikecalgary.org/winterriding


I am looking forward to some of the extreme temps.  Sick Huh?

2012 Begins now

I started training for Joe Martin today.  My training plan is in place and I am starting to get motivated.  The motivation is hard to come by.  In the past 2 years, I have spent many hours on the trainer up to 4hrs session. I will probably do the same this year but I dont want to think about it.

 I am starting with good base miles.  Nothing formal.  With commuting and group rides on the weekend, I have been averaging 8+hrs a week in the saddle.

I have my training plan set to peak for Joe Martin but the ultimate goal is the Elkhorn Classic Bike Race in Oregon.  All other races will be training for these two events.

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - 2012 will be the 35th anniversary for the amatuer races and 10th anniversary for the NRC races.

The Joe Martin Stage Race is part of the National Race Calendar (NRC) which is the pro and elite amateur cycling tour of USA Cycling. USA Cycling is the national governing body of cycling operating under the United States Olympic Committee.
More than $50,000 in cash and over $10,000 in merchandise will be given away over the four-day, four event Pro/Elite category and two-day, three-stage amateur category races.

Over 700 athletes from 19 countries and more than 47 states will be attending the race.

Tour De France Fantasy League

If anyone is interested I have created a Mini Fantasy Tour De France League (OmahaTDFLeague – code 28185340) on http://www.velogames.com/tdf11index.php. It is pretty simple, with 100 credits you buy riders to form a 9 man team from the riders list. The list is broken up into categories, the better the rider is, the more they cost. You get points for stage wins, standings in the General Classification and other categories. Check out the Rules menu of the sight for Game Rules and Scoring.

After you create your team you can join my "Mini League" OmahaTDFLeague.  Go to the bottom of your team page to see the "League Manager".  Select a "Join League" on one of the spots and then enter the league and code to register to the league.

Crazy Man who hates bikes

Just thought I would pass this along...

I just want everyone to know that we had another incident in Ft. Calhoun with Don Bilderback (the crazy man who hates bikers) with one of our club members whom was almost run off the road.




I talked to the county attorney and found out last fall charges were brought against him and he did have to pay a fine for wreckless driving (after the incident with Bob and I on the Omaha Trace Rd).



It is important for you to call the sheriff and file a complaint if you have an incident with this man. He is very dangerous and will kill someone someday if he continues with this madness. If you carry a cellphone when you ride be sure to snap a photo of his plate #. This is excellent evidence- take photo's of his face -if the opportunity arises!



I told the county attorney that his license needs to be revoked and he said that would eventually happen if we keep recieving complaints against him. So you can see it is very important to "act" when he harasses you.



One more thing! We are requesting that if you have had an incident with Don Bilderback that you would please write to the editor of the Blair Paper at this address: news@enterprisepub.com with "letter to the editor" in the subject line. I have spoken with Melissa from the paper and she said they will print all our letters the same day and that should have a big impact on the public. Refrain from using his name and refer to him as "a particular individual in Ft. Calhoun" We only want letters that involve Bilderback --not general harassment from the public letters. THANKS TO ALL We have the right to ride safely on the road and not be harassed!!!



PLEASE PASS ON TO ANY CYCLISTS YOU KNOW WHO RIDES THE AREA NOT IN THE CLUB



~Trudy

Blair Bike Club

Elkhorn Classic - Baker City, OR

Wow!  what a great venue for a race.  Baker City, OR is in eastern Oregon, up in a plateau between two mountain ranges.  There are plenty of hotels, coffee shops, and gift shops.   It is in the "high desert" so there is not much rain and you could see the Elkhorn mountain range all around the small town.  Stages 1 & 4 went straight into the heart of the mountains.

The roads were awesome!!   Most of the time they felt like fresh asphalt.  No expansion cracks or potholes.  Just very smooth and fast. There was very little traffic on these roads too.

The weather was the big question mark.  In the ten years of the race they have everything from snow to 100 degree temperatures.  For Stage 1 we enjoyed a perfect day.  The sun warmed the area to 75 degrees and there was a slight breeze.  What humidity?  Stage 2 started early Saturday morning with temps in the upper 50s and a chance of light rain.  I started the TT dry but was a little wet at at then finish line.  Stage 3 started later on Saturday.  The stage started dry for the Cat 4/5s but just after the start it began to rain.  The race was called due to a crash in the Cat 4/5 race on the second lap. My race was also canceled.   More on that later.   Stage 4 was a bit chilly with temps in the lower 50s and a stronger breeze.  It was very hard to decide what to wear.  The chill gave way to bright sunny skies and temps back into the 70s. 

The riders were mostly from the area... Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and California.  I raced the Masters 1/2/3 40+.  There were 4 major teams represented with about 4 - 5 riders in each team.  We had a total of 42 riders.  The other races Pro 1/2, Cat 3, Cat 4/5, Masters Cat 4/5 had about the same or more number of riders.   The woman a few less.

I thought there race was very well run and organized.  The wheel lottery was interesting.  If you name was highlighted on the sign up sheet for the stage, you had to put wheels in the wheel truck to be used if needed by any rider.  I can see a few advantages in doing a lottery.  For the organizers, there are less wheels to carry so you don't need a big truck for each race.  For the riders, there is no searching for your wheel set.  You just get the next wheels set.  No searching for your own.  In my experience even if you find the wheels quickly you have to untangle your set from the bunch of others crammed in the truck. Wasting precious seconds.   I was selected for Stage 4 and my wheels went into a Honda Element with about 10 other sets.

That is all I have for now... I will detail each stage over the coming day(before I forget).

The "A" race

Tonight I will be packing for my trip to Baker City, OR for the Elkhorn Classic Bike race.  A three day stage race. 

Why did I pick this race?  Mostly because it sounded "cool" but I haven't seen my aunt that lives there in a long time.

Am I ready for this race?  Umm no, not really.. I don't stand a chance against the other racers in the mountains.  Not a positive attitude but it is a reality.   I am ready for challenging myself over the four stages of the race.

Anybody else going with you?  No, other racers.  My lovely wife Christine is coming along.

What is the race?  Here is the link Elkhorn Classice Bike Race.  I should be able to hang with the group for at least 20miles in the first Mountain stage.  I suspect that the action won't heat up until the first set of rollers or the first climb. 

The TT should be interesting.  Devin offered to let me use his  TT bike but I wanted to ride with Christine so we are bringing her bike.  I will ride my road bike(no Eddy Merckx competetion) 

My best performance will be on the criterium.  It is wide open "L" shape course, with 6 turns and pan flat.  Sounds like fun to me! 

The last stage has four good sized climbs. I just hope it is sunny and warm so I can enjoy the scenery.

That's it.  We leave in the wee hours of the morning.  I will wave to all my Norfolk friends as I roll through town early Tuesday morning.  I will keep ya posted... cya!!

Racing so far... continued

Cat 3 racing Downtown Norfolk, NE -
I lined up with about 26 other riders including some Cat 1/2s.  The team to watch was the Trek Team.
The Kaos team  had a good presence but didn't seem to have the team cohesion as years before. 

At the whistle the race started.  I still have problems quickly clipping into my pedals.  I need to figure this out... it puts me in chase mode right away.  Not a big deal on this day though.

After a few fast starting laps, Lucas and Paul on the Trek team got off the front.  The annoucer started giving us split times.  15 sec, then 25...  Then another Trek guy try to bridge but was ordered back to the pack.  Team Kaos put in a few efforts to chase.  The gap stayed at about 30sec.  

Then the blocking started.  I shouldn't say blocking because we didn't have to follow.   Mark S. got on the front for the Trek team and set a good pace and everyone was on his wheel.  Instead of taking the corners wide, he would come in tight and accelerate out of them.  This tactic seem to slow the chase down and wear me out.  Putting that one in my bag of tricks.

At one point in the race Dan S. got in front of me and asked me if I wanted to go with him.  I said "No".  I was just surviving.  Well maybe just more than surviving.  I did some hard pulls up front and chased some people down.  It was not much though.

I was still with the pack crossing over the line the counter said 2 laps to go.  I was just wanting to finish this race.  Mark S caught the pack by surprise launching an attack off the front.  This was a smart move since Lucas and Paul had, in effect, lapped the pack, we were on the last lap.  Mark held on for 3rd.  I finish just behind a big group of riders.  Like the masters race... very very fun!!

Now, I am getting ready for the Elkhorn classic in Baker City, OR. Here is the riders list so far - http://elkhornclassic.com/Libraries/Data/June_7_2011_Registrations.htm.   I am looking forward to the crit on Saturday.  Here are the stages http://elkhornclassic.com/Stages/Stage_1.html
More to come on

Racing So far...

has been less than stellar.  With two more races on my schedule I want to go back to the drawing board.  I still have some hope I can up my game by mid - July for the Omaha weekend but I think I may target something for late August or September.   Something like the Gateway cup in St. Louis.

This weekend I raced a lot better than ever.  Saturday, the weather was near perfect.  80s for temps, and no gale force winds.  I think that is about close to perfect in Nebraska.  The course was very nice too.  Smooth asphalt with very few road hazards which were marked.

This race was short for me.  I hung with the group on the 8% rollers of the first leg.  A couple times I would get tailed off the back but quickly recovered.  The second leg I found myself in a break.  Two Kaos guys were let off the front.  They may have had 30secs.  Then Brady M. of the Trek team bridged with me on his wheel.  We had a good gap and started rotating.   Not sure why they did it but the Trek team shut this break down. 

The 3rd leg of the race introduced the cross wind and some more hills.  With the cross wind the race went into the gutter.  I survived a few rollers but eventully I fell off at the crest of a hill.  Just 5 feet out of the slip stream.   I didn't blow up... I pushed hard to get myself back on.  So close, I could heard the group.  They inched away.  The officials car slowly passed.  They could hear me fight and sometime yell things.  That was it.  I was off the back. 

I still had some hope to get back on, so I kept a solid tempo.  I waited for Dan and we worked together to finish.  He was going to roll off after the first lap but stayed on for another.  I was glad.

Sunday's Masters Crit race was fun.  Another nice day in Norfolk.  Ten of us rolled off the start line.  I wanted to win this race.  There was about 5 off us with similar abilities.  Eric OB was riding well this year and I knew he had a good sprint.  Rich P. is strong he has great steady state speed.  Jeff on the CPC team was fast and a seasoned rider.  Then there was Craig H. who could ride smart and pull out a great sprint.  Craig was on the team so I wasn't really worried about him.

There were several attempts to get off the front.  I tried one of them but I was quickly pulled back by mid race we knew that it was going to be a bunch sprint.  My main competition in the 40+ group was Eric OB.  So I asked Rich if he wanted to get away.  We never got anything going.   On the prime lap, I was boxed out on the right side.  I rolled across with some good speed and kept on going.  I had my gap for 3/4 of a lap but let up.

With 5 laps to go it was very slow at time then fast. 2 to go, a Trek team rider got on the front.  I was 3rd wheel.  That is where I wanted to be.  Then it was a game of chicken.  Who would jump first.  I am a little foggy on what happened next but I was still sitting 3rd wheel waiting for someone to come around.  The lead guy had good speed so I was happy to stay there a bit longer.  Then Eric OB accelerated around me and was far left on the road.  I stood to go with him.  It was a drag race and he got the jump on me.  I heard he was having chain problems but he was still going good.  Then he dropped his chain and fell out of site.  I kept hammering.  I crossed over to win with Rich P on my wheel.  Very, very fun!

One more race to write about the Cat 3 Crit

Ready to Race

I am officially on a rest week.  I did an easy 2hr ride Tuesday.  Last night I went slow into the wind but on the way back felt the need for speed.  I hooked up with a couple other guys and we flew down the road at times over 30 mph. 

Tomorrow will be a rest day in preparation to the race I am doing in Iowa City.  The road race is very short for a Cat 3 race.   It almost seems like a sprint.   After a few miles I expect it to be "Game On".  Since I don't have a TT bike I am liking the fact that no TT bikes are allowed in the time trial.  I heard the crit is tough, I am worried about that.. I can't help but remember my crash last year.

I will have an aggressive race schedule for the next couple of months..
- Iowa City this weekend
- Fayettville, Ak for the Joe Martin Stage Race May
- No race
- Lincoln, NE Capital City Criteruim
- Norfolk NE "The Classic" June
- Baker City, OR Elkhorn Classic June
- Omaha, NE Omaha Weekend

Dottie Again?

Yep, I was on the trainer again last night.  Riding outside was an option but it was just as easy to climb on Dottie and go.   3hrs, that is not happening.  My only focus las night was to get some quality, long Zone 4 efforts.  I wasn't going to get off the bike until I had at least 30mins in Zone 4.

I warmed up for 40min.  By that time, I had a solid sweat puddle growning on my trainer mat.  I was ready.  I did a 2x6min, 1x7min, and 1x10min intervals.  Cool down... I was done.

The last interval was a stretch.  I had this conversation with myself to keep going and if I came up short I would have to do another 6min interval.  I made it 10 minutes on the last interval.  If only I could do that for an hour.

Tonight, I am scheduled for a 4:30 hr ride.  I will probably get about 3:30 - 4:00hrs of riding.  Close enough.  Tomorrow I am going make another attempt to do some short power intervals.

Dottie Returns

It has been weeks since I have been on my trainer.  I was going to warm up on it before the Twin Bing race but was too lazy to switch out the skewers.

Last night, I pulled out Dottie to do a short power interval workout.  Simple, just warm up well and do some 15 second sprints, rest and repeat 6+ times.  I warmed up and did a couple 1min hard efforts.  A few minutes of easy spinning,  I was ready.  My first sprint I went out too hard, I stopped the effort after 10 second.  I finished with 5 more sprint for the whole 15 sec duration with 1min break in between sprints.  Later I looked in "The Bible", the rest interval should have been 5 minutes.  I was wiped out.  My wife said I looked pale and sick.  My heart stopped racing 10minutes later.

This morning more subdued trainer work.  1:15min Zone 1/2.  I spent 40min in Zone 2.  Tonight I will finish with another 1:15min aerobic workout.

Good news, my weight is at 185lbs.  Just 15 more pounds to my goal.

Last Weekend - Back to racing

This last weekend was highlighted by the Twin Bing race.  A 68 mile road race in Climbing Hill, IA.  A race I was looking to test my fitness.  For many riders it was the first race of the year. 

The start was pretty tame.  Rolling down a flat stretch of road the hill part of Climbing Hill, IA was rising before the group.  This was the same evil hill that turned my race last year into a 66 mile training ride.  I was determine not to let that happen again.

It was a hard climb for me but I made it up no problem.  I was relieved to have survived but ther was still work to do.  What saved me was the head wind... no one was interested in attacking into a 20mph headwind at least not on that hill.  There were attacks later causing big gaps.  The gaps were filled and most of the riders were still there.

After several rollers, we turned to a flatter cross wind section.  The pace slowed.  I even did a pull on the front.   Then just before the turn into the wind the pace got faster and it was an all out scramble to chase down the leaders.  This put me into trouble...  I did get back onto a wheel but was gassed.  Another right hander then we were back into another set or rollers.  The first hill sucked but I was still with the pack.

I stayed in contact the whole first lap.  To me that was a victory... now it was an endurance game.  So, I thought.  Again, I survived the rollers and flat section.  I knew what was coming as we turned into the wind.  I wasn't disappointed.  The speed with the wind was close to 35mph.  Riders were chasing hard.  I was at my limit, another turn, then start another hill. Still at my limit.  I watched as the group left me on the base of the hill.  That's ok, I will just chase hard.  I did...never caught the small group just in front.

My cruising speed is excellent.  I was riding into a cross-headwind at 23mph.  I was working with someone but lost him on a hill.  Last lap, alone.  It was pretty miserable.  I did have pretty good energy on that last lap, right up until the last hill.  The hill and the wind got the best of me.  I rode over the 1k and what felt like 30 minutes later I was done.

I have some more comments but that is enough for now.  Heading out for a long ride tonight.

Must... Have... more control

Yesterday, I was suppose to get out and have a nice liesurly long ride.  I packed my cycling stuff so I could leave work at 4pm to ride for 4hrs.  I forgot my bike shorts. Damn!  So, I had to go home and pick them up.  Then I started thinking I could be good at a group ride.  Nice and slow, take it easy because I rode hard the night before.  In all my years of doing the Wed. Night Rides, it has been very hard to "take it easy".  Yesterday was no exception.  I am suprised I didn't get a call from Joe Friel himself call me a dumb#$# .

It was fun though.  Hanging with the group and contesting the sprints.  I seem to do well on the short hills and the flat sprints.  The longer hills still get me... yeah, I will be holding on to dear life for the race this weekend on the very first hill.

Tonight, the team is getting together in Hooper, NE.  I hope I can be in control and take it easy.  Luckily my cruising speed is pretty fast.  I can stay with the group and not work so hard.

Let's Start building

I had a pretty good rest week.  After a couple rides Tuesday and Wednesday, I took a couple days off.  The time off wasn't planned but I figured I needed the rest for my fitness test Saturday.  Problem is I didn't do that either. 

Saturday I installed in a new sink in the kitchen.  That took pretty much all day to get the plumbing right.  I did ride down the trail to 36 & Cornhusker to watch the Mtb race.   I also swapped out my large "club cut" jerseys for "race cut" jerseys.  Thanks Dan!!  I rode straitght home from the race for about 1:30hr of easy riding.

Sunday was more of the same.  Work in the kitchen then out to the Mtb race for another 1:30hr.

Now for Build week.  I have tonight to look at the training plan but I know tomorrow will be some cruise intervals.  I may make a quick trip up to Blair and do some hill and flat intervals right at my LT.  Wednesday is a long easy ride.  Thursday I will probably do a hard group ride.  So Friday it will either be a tempo ride or an aerobic ride.    Sunday is the Twin bing race so I will have to take it easy Saturday.  Also, I commuted to work today and will try to do every day this week.

Weight wise, I gained a couple pounds back after the rest week.  I need to get off another 10-15lbs by June.  I feel like I am climbing better.  The hills don't seem so steep or so long.  I took a gamble ordering the Large jerseys.  I was expecting them to be tight but they actually fit.  I was very happy about that.

What to think?

I decided late yesterday afternoon to test my legs at the "Wednesday Night World" ride from the Trek store.  The ride started at 5:30.  It truly was a last minute decision... I wasn't prepared at all.  No clothes laid out, no water bottles, and no dinner.  I have about a 20min drive home, in that time I thought about how I was going to get rush through the house to get everything ready.  Where are my bottles, what clothes to where, air in the tires, lights, ride or drive to the shop...etc.

I decided it would be faster to ride to the shop.  I had plenty of time once on the bike.  Whew! relief.  I made it with a few minutes to spare.  We did the typical roll out down the trail then North out of town.  There is a long flat road about 3miles before the ride kicks into full throttle.  I kept thinking... I don't want to work.    A couple of guys got out in front just before the hill.  A sort of head start or pre-emptive strike.  I was on the front not working too hard but not resting either.  Just waiting for the rest to roll by.  Note to self... don't do that!  Surprise, I was able to stay resonably close to the lead pack.  I had to make up a little gap.   Heart rate check 179bpm.  Top of Zone 5.

Now there was about ten guys in the packed.  Some guys that I have never ridden with were pretty fast.  I was right at my aerobic threshold when we hit the next big hill.   I blew up on this hill.  I had to slow down and found a more sustainable pace.  Again, the group got together.

Next up were the rolling hills of the Omaha trace rd.  I like rolling hills.  I saw some incredible speeds on my computer.  35mph down hills 25mph over the hills.  I was pretty comfortable with this pace.  I had good energy for the sprint.  Limpach and Lucas got out in front but I wasn't far behind.

Overall, I am happy with my fitness.  It was fun to mix it up with a group ride.  The bike works great!  No problems at all.  It just did it's thing and let me do all the work.  TODOs:  more cruise intervals, more hills, less weight :)

Still work to Do

Even though it is a rest week there is still riding to do.  This morning I took the chance to sleep instead of waking up for a trainer ride.  So, I will do that tonight.  1:30hr endurance work.  Nice and Easy.  

I will have to do some work Thursday with some Form Sprints.   Then Saturday, I will do another fitness test on the trainer.  I am feeling faster so I am looking forward to seeing how much.  It would have been nice to have a rest week right before the Twin Bing race.  I would have substituted the test for the race.

I am looking forward to the Twin Bing race.  Looking at the results from last year...  I finished last of all the people who finished.   I think everyone that finished in front of me are Cat 2 now.  A little encouragement.  I need to look at my training schedule and work around this race.  I don't want to taper.   I will just rearrange to have easier/shorter days before the race.

Ready to Rest

Though, I did not ride all my scheduled hour I finished with a solid week. 

After I missed my Thursday and Friday rides, I was determined to ride and not on the trainer.  I ventured outside in the snow.  I prefer to have 35 degrees and snow over the same temp and rain.   My feet and seat still got wet from the wet road but it was bearable.  I was able to ride 4hrs.  In that 4hrs I did 25min in zone 4 with some long cruise intervals into the wind.  I did another 35 minutes in zone 3 and the rest in Zone 2 and below.  The last hour I was done riding and just limped home.

Sunday, I was scheduled for 5hrs.   I led a Spin class and then made it home for a 4hr ride.  Craig was able to meet me at Hiway 370 & Hiway 50.  We coodinated out training schedule and it worked out good.  He had a "Group Ride" day.  He could ride hard or easy.  I had an endurance ride... zone 2 and lower.  We set a moderate pace down Hiway 50.  Craig rode hard up the hills and I kept my consistant speed.  Once we got on the flats, Craig would do most of the pulling into the wind.  There were a couple times my HR went above my Zone 2.  We parted ways at Hiways 370 & 50.  I rode home into a steady headwind.  I had to help out with some painting at home so I called my wife for a rescue.  Still I had 4:15hrs on the road. 

This morning it was very slow going.  I was beat.  Thank goodness I am now on a rest week.

Wait, What?... it's Snowing

Wet sloppy snow last night and more predicted tonight.  That is going to throw a wrench into my training plan. 

I still trying to work out in my mind how am I going to make this weekend work.  I have already missed my workout last night.  Didn't feel like climbing on the trainer this morning.  So now I have an endurance ride tonight, Hill work tomorrow, and my long endurance ride Sunday.  I suppose I will take it one day at a time.

Today, I am scheduled for 4hrs.  Not going to happen... I will sit on my trainer for 3hrs.  I am thinking tomorrow I can get out on my Single Speed for my Hill workout.  Sunday, I will do a Spin class and probably head out for another long ride.

Blown off course

The plan yesterday was to ride NorthWest of town then back to the East to Blair.  That didn't happen.   The planned route would have taken me far away from home.   The weather was so cold and windy, I did not want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere if I ran out of steam.  So, new plan, go North and fight the wind as long as possible.  Then turn around and ride home with the wind.

So from my office it took me about thirty minutes to get out of town.  I made it to the Omaha Trace rd then to Ft. Calhoun.  At this point it was only 1:15min into the ride.  It seemed like 3hrs.  I was out there and feeling ok, I might as well finish the ride.  After Ft Calhoun came a long ~5mi flat section.  I had been thinking about how miserable it was going to be.  I would feel the full force of the wind here.  I watched the time on my HR monitor, telling myself that  1:45hr was long enough to fight the beast. When the time hit 1:45hr I was only a couple miles out of Blair... should I keep going.  I didn't.

I made a quick stop to dig out a Clif Bar from my jersey, then headed South.  What a difference.  My speed was 11mph into the wind and now it was 31mph without trying.  I covered 7 miles in no time.  Went back through Ft. Calhoun and onto the flat roads by Boyer Cute.  There I completed a couple cruise intervals... getting my HR up to my lactat threshold.  With an assist from the wind I powered up some steep hills.   I was home free.  I ended the ride with 3:25hrs & 55miles.  So with the ride to work I had over 60mi and ~4hrs a little short of the plan but I will take it.

Wednesday Update

Not much to report.  Last nigh I only did two short cruise intervals on the trainer.  My rear wheel flatted about 4 minutes into the second interval.  The patch gave out on the tube.  I put on a wheel from my other bike but lost all my motivation.  I was ready to be done.

I rode into work this morning.  The traffic down Blondo at 6:30 is light.  Tonight I am riding to Blair.  Since the wind will be out of the Northwest, I will ride to Elk City then North to Highway 30.  Highway 30 will bring me to Blair.  Then it will be a easy ride home with the wind.

I am getting tired.  It seems that as soon as I climb off the bike from one ride I am preparing for another.  I am ready for a rest week. Just a few more days!

This is the last work week of Base 3

It is going to be tough to work in all my training hours.  Today will be fine.  I did a workout in the morning and I will do my 2hrs of Cruise intervals tonight.

The problem will be the next three days.  I have to do a long ride tomorrow.  I am thinking that I will get into work by 6am and leave at 3pm. Doing the long ride won't be that tough either but after that I will be less motivated to finish the rest of the weekday schedule.  Which is a 2:30hr ride Thursday and 3:00hr ride Friday.  

For the weekend, I have more hill intervals and another long ride on Sunday.  I can't wait 'till rest week!

Recap for the Week

For the past week, I stayed with the training schedule.  I did miss my workout on Thursday but made up the time with a longer than scheduled ride on Saturday & Sunday. 

Saturday, I went with the Bike Master's group.  I also was slated for a hill workout.  So either on a hill or into the wind I would pick up the pace.  I did this one time before the sprint point just before Maple Street out west by Waterloo.  I got in front of the group and picked up the pace.  A couple guys hung onto my wheel.  When the sprint sign was visible one guy attacked.  I was able to get on his wheel.  I was able to recover a bit and counter to take the sprint.  I contested the sprint a couple more times but was beat out.

Sunday, went with the EVCC group on Sunday.   I was in for a easy ride but Rich and Craig were there.  Rich likes to do steady hard pulls.  Craig likes to sprint for stop ahead signs.  So, more hard pulls and sprints.  Craig is riding well and he beat me on a few sprints.  It was a fun weekend.

Coming up is one more week of Base 3.  This will be my longest week for hours.  I may be riding in the dark for some. 

Very little to Blog

Go Green... it is doubly good on St. Patrick's day.  Yesterday I spent the evening painting the kitchen green.  On the bike schedule I had a Speed works day.  I thought about dragging out the trainer but needed a day off.  So, nothing yesterday.

Today, I rode into work and will ride for another 3hrs after work.  This weekend I have more hill work on Sat. and Sunday an endurance ride.  The weather for the weekend looks ok.  I may have to work around some rain.

Long Ride... Long Day

Yesterday was a long day for me.  The drywall was done in my kitchen remodel so it was time to paint the primer coat and I had a long bike ride scheduled.  Sounds like a good time to take the afternoon off from work.

So, I left work at noon to head home.  I quickly ate lunch while I put on my painting cloths and quickly got to work.  Since everything was out of the kitchen, figured it would only take an hour to paint a coat of primer.  It took an hour and a half.  I was on the road just before 3pm.

My route took me North to Blair, so I had a nice 15-20mph southerly tail wind for about 20miles.  I choose to do this because there were no good ways to get through town to head south.  I didn't want to ride the trail either.

The first 10 miles I had company.  It was a med. student from Creighton.  He was all key up waiting to learn where he was doing his Internship so he went out for a ride.  We parted ways in Ft. Calhoun.  With a tail wind the nine miles to Blair went quick.  I should of stopped there for drinks there but kept riding.  I headed on West Hiway 30.  Straight into the wind... my speed went down from 23mph to 10mph.  I watched the town signs go past.  20 miles to Fremont.  I wasn't going to Fremont but what seemed like an eternity the next sign said 17miles to Fremont.

I finally made it to my turn off Hiway 30, staight South.  The was less wind so my speed picked up.  I was now on the Bike Master's Wed. Night ride route.  Cool, I can meet up with them.  I did for awhile.  I was going to hang off the paceline but was coaxed into working.  When I got to the front I was working way harder than I wanted.  We made a turn then I hung off the back.  I was able to keep the pace pretty well, it was still harder than I wanted to work so I just road back to the shop by myself.  I had to stop because I was totaly out of fluids.  I downed a gatorade and Mt Dew.  Talked to some peeps and headed home in the dark.

Toughing it out

I climbed on my trainer last night to do my cruise intervals.  I had to stop at Lowe's to pick up some stuff for my kitchen remodel so I didn't get dinner until 6:30.  When I got home I ate too much.  Well, too much to climb on the trainer to do an intense workout.  I waited for an hour and watched some of the Tirreno-Adriatico race.

I was on the trainer at 7:45.  The plan was to do 3x12min cruise intervals.  Intesity zone 4/5a.  I really hoped to hold a good effort in zone 5a.  I did my standard warm up recovered for 10min and was ready for my first interval. 

From the start 12min seemed do-able.  I watch my HR steadily climb into zone 4.  Five minutes into the interval I was right at 174.  The top of my zone 4.  The next 3 minutes I struggled to keep that effort.  To finish out the 8th minute I convinced myself that I could change plans and do 4x8minute intervals for the workout session.  That is what I did.  I finished the last interval did about a minute easy spin and I was ready to get off the bike.  It was the hardest thing I have done this year to date.

I am taking off work early to paint my kitchen and do an endurance ride.  This ride is going to be nice and mellow.  Nothing over Zone 2.   The hardest thing to do is stick to the training plan because I really want to do a Wednesday Night Shop ride to test out the legs.

Yesterday was a good start to my Base 3 week 3.  Adding up my workouts for the day I had over three hrs (45min Spin Class, 45min elliptical, and 1:30+hr trainer).  Today it is 4:30hr endurance ride.

Tuesday Cruise

Monday was a rest day nothing to report there other than I needed it.  My legs were a bit sore from my Hill workout Saturday and the occasional sprint on Sunday did not help recovery.  Today I feel pretty fresh.  I had to lead a spinning class this morning.  I got my HR up but didn't push against any of my limits.

Tonight calls for Cruise intervals.  Each of these intervals can be 6 - 12 minutes long.  I am going to try for 3 12 minutes long.  I remember somebody telling me last year that I had good speed but I didn't have a very good top end.  I think he is right.  So even though I am still working my base 3, I am going to start pushing my upper zones.

Tomorrow I may take the afternoon off for a 4:30 hr ride.  I will ride to work then take off from there for another 4hr or so ride.

Is it Spring yet?

Almost, the time change is a good indicator that spring is right around the corner.  I believe next week.  I am doing well with my training but it is just the start of Base 3.

To recap the weekend:

Friday, started the weekend early with a long endurance ride.   The wind was pretty strong as Rich and I headed west to pick up Craig.  My schedule called for a 3hr ride but ended up with a bit more time in the saddle.  I did what I needed to do... stay in Zone 1 & 2. 

Saturday, I meet a bunch of people north of town to do hill repeats.  I did one warm up hill on Mckinly up to 72nd then back to Hiway 75 for longer steeper hills.  I worked two hills and I was somewhat disappointed that I couldn't get my HR up into my zone 5a.  It was a force workout so I was focusing more on getting the burn in my quads.  I got that for sure.   On the "Surfside" hill I definatly got both the burn and up to Zone 5a.  A couple times into the wind I used the wind on the flat roads as my hill to get the desired affect.  Anyway, Force workout... check.

Sunday, I had spin class then a 3hr endurance ride.  Check.  I pushed it into my Zone 4 a couple times.  Which I am not happy with but I am getting better at controlling my urge to take off with the group.

This week is Base 3 week 2.  More of the same.  Adding about 3 more hours to the weekly time in the saddle.   I am pretty much done in the gym. 

Early Start

Getting an early start on the weekend.  Today I am going to take some vacation time to take advantage of the weather.  I have a 3hr ride scheduled and would like to do it while I still have some sun light.

Tomorrow, I am doing a force workout.  I am meeting some guys at the Scooter's on Mckinly St & Hiway 75 at 11:00am.  We are going to do some hill repeats on 75 then move over to do the hills by NP Dodge park for more repeats.  Should be fun! 

Sunday, I have a 4hrs of riding schedule.  I will count spin class as an hour.  I will do another 3hr ride on the road.

On Target

I am still on target to get all my hours this week.  Last nights long ride, it was tough to stay focused and in my zones.  I just tried to keep my HR in a comfortable zone.  The last 45minutes, I was energized enough to keep my effort in upper Zone 2. 

Today, I rode into work.  My route is only about 7mi with short steep hills down Blondo Street.  It took me about 30min from doorstep to doorstep.  Today is a short day for riding.  At somepoint in my commute I have to do some high cadence work.

Cruise Intervals..

were the main course of last nights workout.   My goal was to get at least 20 minutes worth of work in my Zone 4/5a. 

I had some things to do at home so I didn't climb onto my trainer until 7:30pm.  A bit late in the evening.  I was worried that I would not be able to sleep after an intense workout.  Since my workout was to be 2:00hrs in duration I had plenty of time to warmup.  I used the warmup I do for my Fitness test:
20min easy
10-15min Zone 2 - 3
5min Zone 3 - 4
5min easy
1min 95%
3min easy
1min 95%
5min Zone 3
10min easy

The warmup is a workout in itself.  The intervals went well.  I did only three for a total of 20min (6min, 7min, 7min).  Starting the first interval, I watched my HR climb up into mid Zone 4.  It was tough and I wanted to be done after 2 minutes.  I was thinking that I had a long way to go to get into shape.  I kept pushing.  I wanted to hit my zone 5a but was happy to finishing the 6min up top of Zone 4.

I did some quick calculating and figured if I could get away with doing only 2 more 7min intervals to get the recomended 20minutes of cruise intervals.  The second and third intervals, I was able to reach up to Zone 5a.  I was happy with that and didn't feel so bad.

For me, the key to doing these intervals is knowing how hard to start.  My HR monitor is not going to tell me untill about a minute and a half into the interval.  So I watch my HR climb if it is not where I want it, I would lift my intensity.  About 3 minutes into my intervals, I can tweak my effort and my HR will soon follow.

1st Day of Base 3

My morning workout almost didn't happen.   I had the alarm set for 4:30am and planned to be on the bike by 5:00.  The half hour gives me time to wake up and do some chores.  Instead, I was going to skip the workout.  I went back to sleep.  I woke up 20 minutes later and relized that I would be upset with myself for missing this workout. 

I wiped the sleep from my eyes, then was on the trainer.  The trainer will now be named Dottie (a vicious life-sucking bitch from which there is no escape!).   I was going to do either a Tempo Ride or Some Cruise Intervals.  I ended up with an Endurance ride.  Just couldn't muster up the energy or motivation.  I will do the Cruise Intervals (3 - 5 intervals 6-12minutes long).

Rest Week Highlights

I was on the bike 3 times for a total of 6hrs.  I climbed on Tuesdays and not until Saturday did I climb on again for my test.

The test on Saturday went well.  I was fairly motivated for the test.  I have been doing so many Endurance rides in the base period I was looking forward to the challenge of working hard again.  Also, I was interested in how my training is progressing.   I don't use power but I can compare my avg Speed for the 30min time period. 

After a proper warmup, I started my 30min TT.  I was able to get my HR to 175bpm within the first 5 minutes.  I felt pretty comfortable.  It started to get tough about 8 minutes into the test.  Going slower was not an option so I kept pushing.  I was relieved when I finally hit the 20 minute mark but at that point 10 more minutes seemed like an eternity.  My avg. speed was dropping.  Now down to 5 minutes.  I have been able to lift my effort in the last 5 minutes but not for this test.  I could only manage a short burst of energy for a few seconds. 

The end result was avg speed was a little bit higher than last year.  My avg HR was 175bpm.  When I looked at my graph, I noticed that my top sustained speed was when I had my cadence at ~106rpm.  Interesting.

So, the training zones will be the same.  I think 175bpm is about right.  Anything above that seem to be unsustainable for more than a few minutes.

Sunday, I was back to a 3hr endurance ride.

Rest Week Starting Badly

For some reason, I couldn't sleep last night.   I think I had a total of 2hrs sleep.  When 5:30 rolled around I got on my trainer for an hour.  No problems there... I kept a solid effort going from start to finish.  Anyway, I have another hour to do tonight.  I think I will move my weight lifting session to Wednesday.

Baby Steps

Even  though the rest week is part of the phase, in my mind Base 2 is over.  Time to think about the next phase of training. 

I put in a solid week of training last week.   I had my Tempo ride on Tuesday, a long ride Wednesday, and a Hill ride on Friday.  I would consider those rides my "Breakthrough" rides.  I could not work another long ride on Saturday.  Too many things to do.  Instead I worked in a 1:30hr trainer ride early and another 1:15hr trainer ride later in the day.   Since I was about 2hrs short of time Saturday, I was determined to get in all my time on Sunday. 

Sunday I did a 1:00hr spin class then sat on the trainer for 3:00hrs.  I spent the first 1:45hrs doing a Spinnerval workout - Endurance Booster.  The workout consisted of a sets of 15 minute Tempo intervals.  Then I put in my ear buds to finish out the 3:00hrs listening to my music.  Of note, I felt great for the trainer ride.  I was comfortable spinning at 110+rpm.  My heart rate was in Zone 2 and Zone 3 for the tempo intervals.  When 3:00hrs came around, I wanted to do more.  I can't explain where the extra energy came from.  Maybe it was knowing that it was the last workout before the rest week.  I don't know.

Now it is rest week.  I can use the mental/physical break but I feel good and ready to take on more.   I am looking forward to riding outside more as the weather gets warmer.  I think the trainer will always be an option for workouts under 2:00hrs.  This time of year it just saves a bunch of time to climb on the trainer.

For the Record

My ride yesterday was just under five hours.  It was a beautiful days with temps in the upper 40s to low 50s, Sunny and a North wind ~10mph. 

I did make it to Blair in good time.  Too good of time.  Blair was my mental half way point.  I was thinking that I could turn around there and that would ge me 5hrs.  Into the wind I made it there in under 2:30hrs.   So, instead of heading straight back home I had to do a few extra miles.  Which ment turning around and re-riding the airport road to get in my time. 

My avg Speed for the ride was 15mph.  Not bad for keeping the effort in the bottom half of Zone 1.  Total Mileage was 72 miles.

Toast

Yeah, I had some for breakfast but that is not the toast that I am talking about.  My body, it's toast, I'm tired, and have little energy. 

My body is toast because of lifting weights last night.  I up'ed the weights on my squats and pushed hard on the concentric (lifting portion) of the squat.  When I had to do the leg presses, my legs were done and I stopped short of all my reps.  Some good news... I cranked out 3 sets of 2 full chinups. 

Tired because I woke up early this morning.  I could have slept in this morning.  I woke up at 4:30 because I was hungry.

No energy because I have been trying to scrub off all my Christmas fat and turn myself into a climber.  Hah, that is not happenin.

Nothing that a recovery day won't fix.  Will I take a recovery day... sorta.  I am doing a mellow LSD ride.  As recommended for weight lose in this training tip I am going to keep my HR below 70% HR Max.  That is 134bpm for me.  My normal cruising HR is about 150bpm. 

Also, I am picking a tame route.  From Midtown>Ft. Calhoun>Blair and beyond.  Not very many hills.  I have done several 4- 5hr ride so the duration shouldn't be too bad.  The weather will be cooperating.  It looks like the winds will be shifting from the South to the North while I am on the ride.  So If I head straight North, I should have a tail wind both ways.

Happy Birthday Christine !!!

Today is my wife's birthday.  Woo Hoo, she is so good to me...  we celebrated last night so I can workout tonight.  I woke up last night at 12:30 to her humming in her sleep.  I think the song was happy birthday to me?  I don't know what that is all about.

Tuesday is the day I do my Muscle Endurance work in my Zone 3( ~ 158 - 162bpm).  Today I was to stay in my Zone 3 60 minutes.   I had a hard time getting it there.  In fact I spent almost half the time just below my zone at 156/157.  Eventually at the top of the hour I was holding a solid 160bpm.   I ended up with 90 minutes in the saddle and burning 1100 calories.  Tonight it is off to the gym for lifting and Spin class.

Tomorrow I have half the day off work to do my long ride.  I usually do my longest ride on the weekend but it will be warmer tomorrow than Saturday.  I hope I have enough sunlight to do a long ride.

Weekend review

Saturday, I took off for a long ride.  I road down to Bellevue to pick up Rich and we headed over the river to Glenwood, IA. 

On the way to Glenwood there were miles of open road with the wind blowing straight at us.   So, we started our two man rotation.   Rich and I have been riding together for years.  We just work good together.   We seem to be in synch with a lot of aspects of pace lining.   The distance we keep from each other, the length of pulls, and cruising speed.  It is nice riding with someone where you don't have to worry about holding them back or going too fast. 

Even though Rich and I were evenly matched on the flat roads he had a little edge on the hills.  On the long climb up the Loess Hill Highway to Glennwood, Rich rode away.  That was ok, I just kept up a constant speed.

Both in the pace line and climbing my, my lower back started hurting.  I had to stand up a few times to stretch it out.  I don't think my back is conditioned to do longer efforts of sustained work.  I have done my Tempo workout but they were on the trainer.  Not the same.

So, Saturday I did my long ride.  Sunday I did Spinning class and then road at the Bike Rack for another 2 hrs.   I hit all my training hours and racked up 256miles.  Not bad but next week is going to be harder due to the weather and I also have more hours scheduled.

Sometimes...

I like to not set my alarm before I go to bed.  I know I will be up in time for work at eight.  I am just use to waking up way before seven.  I do have a hill workout scheduled for the day.  It is nice to have the option to do it in the morning or in the evening.   If I wake up early, I can get it done or I can get much needed sleep and to it after work.  This morning I chose sleep.  I did get up at 6:00am just a bit too late.

I did ride last night for just over 1:30hr.  For the most part it was a mellow ride but I felt the urge to pick up the pace a couple times.  Tonight will be hills on the trainer.  I can officially get my HR up to Zone 4 on hills up to 3 minutes long.  Of course they will be similated trainer hills.

Outside again

Yesterday I took some time off work to ride in the afternoon.  Rob also played hooky from his new job.  We headed down the road... destination unknown.  We wanted to go south into the wind but ended with a due West Track from NW Omaha to LaShara.  We kept the pace nice an mellow and I worked on keeping my cadence over 100rpms.  I logged 2:15hrs and 30mi.

We headed back to Rob's and I pick up his son Cole for another 2hr ride.  This time we did had south to Q street and then headed west on Q which eventually turns North.  Again I worked on keeping my cadence over 100rpms.  I logged another 2:00hrs and 30mi.

Weight Work out

Last night I finally went to the gym for a weight work out.  It had been two weeks since my last session.   This is about the time last year that I stopped lifting all together.  I am in the last four weeks the routine that I have been doing and want to finish.  After the 4 weeks, I want to continue lifting at least once a week but I fear that it will be replaced with riding and hill training. 

I think lifting has been good.  I am not sure how much force/power I am gaining but it seems to be helping my on bike workouts.   I don't seem to be as sore after a hard bike workout.  My knees are not as cranky after riding in the hills.  Also, my back seems to be able to handle the longer rides better.

On the first few sets of squats, I started with the weight I did the last time I lifted 155lbs.  That was pretty easy.  Then I moved up to 165lbs.  Harder but doable.  All the other excersizes went as expected.  I am still pretty wimpy on the pull ups.  I stuck around and did a stretch class and then a 45min spin class.

Today I will get outside for my long ride it should be nice.  Feburary temps in the 50s is always good in Nebraska.

Knocked it out

This morning I knocked out a Tempo workout.  As usual it was a struggle to get up to my zone 3 but eventualy I settled into a comfortably hard pace.  For the most part my cadence was in the lower to mid 70s.   My tempo zone is such a narrow range, from 158 - 162bpms, I had a hard time keeping it in there.  I dipped below the range from time to time.  That's ok, it wasn't because I was tired.  Anyway I think I "Stuck" the workout with energy to spare.

I didn't do weights last night so I will try again tonight.  If I don't make it to the gym then it is another 90minutes on the trainer.  Tomorrow, it is back on the road for a long ride.

Spring Fever?

I have a touch of it but I don't think we are out of the woods yet.  What that means to me is that I will still be on the trainer most of the time.  Spring really starts for me when the time changes.

With that said it does feel like spring.   I was able to get out both Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday I met a bunch of guys at Rick's Boatyard for a early morning ride.  It was still below freezing so there was a bunch of icy spots.  It looked like a couple guys were just itching to test their legs so Dan went off the front with them.  I stayed back with the second group.  I was amazed at how easy it was to keep in my zone 2 on the road.  When I am on the trainer it takes a little effort to stay in zone 2.   After a quick stop in Ft. Calhoun we headed back down Hiway 75.  Since I had skipped my Force workout Friday, I decided it was ok to do a modest attack on the rolling hills.  It felt good to jump up to zone 4 a few times.   I rode approximatly 3hrs with the guys and then headed out on my own for an hour.  Overall, it was just over a 4hr ride and 59 miles. 

Sunday was another great Feburary day.  After an hour in spin class I rushed over to Elkhorn to meet a group for a ride.  It was amazing to see all the peeps that showed up.  I kept it pretty mellow staying in zone 2 most of the time.  There were a couple points where I decided to do slow acceleration off the group.  I knew Craig and a couple others would get on my wheel.  I was happy with my sustained speed from this hard effort.  I tried to ride the guys off my wheel but couldn't.  When I was at my limit Craig and Cole went off to contest the sprint.  Another good ride approximatly 35miles.  With spin class I had a total of 3:15hrs for the day.

For the week, I logged 14:30hrs a little less than what was scheduled.  I think it was a good week I did three 3+hrs rides and a tempo ride.  I mixed in my Force ride with my endurance ride on Sat.  The only thing missing was weight lifting.  I skipped that altogether.

Next week will be a bit more.  I am scheduled to do 2 4:30hr rides.  I think I will be taking 1/2 off work on Wednesday to do my mid week long ride.  I am doing my weight routine tonight and hopefully I can work in one more this week.

No Junk Miles

Yesterday the schedule called for a 3:30hr of endurance riding (LSD).  The plan was to do 1:00hr in the morning before work and then 2:30hrs after work.   That plan didn't work out... I was rudely called about midnight for a problem at work.  Not good when you have your alarm set from 4:30am.  No problem.  I will just leave work early and do a trainer ride.

I spent the day thinking about how the trainer ride would go down.  I would say to myself.  Just do 2hrs that would be good enough.  Ok 3hrs... I can do 3hrs no problem.  3:30hrs, that would be great!!  or Just get on the damn bike, see what you got!

Thats what I did.  When I got home I didn't stop to think or watch TV.  I put on my workout clothes, got my water bottles and hit it.  The first 30min flew and the next 1:30hrs went well.  It was a chore into hour 3.  I still held on to doing 3:30hrs.  After riding through the 3hr mark, I was relieved and told myself just to cruise for another 30min.  I was drained... mentally definatly, physically maybe.  I relized that I wasn't doing much so I envoked the "No Junk Miles" rule and pulled the plug.

Today, I will be doing some speed work.  High cadence stuff with moderate intensity.

So it begins

Officially Base 2 week 1 began yesterday but it was a planned rest day.  So, in my mind I started Base 2 this morning with a 90minute trainer ride.

According to Joe Friel's bible, you get to work harder into your tempo zones.   This is a nice change from the monotonous Aerobic endurance rides.  So this morning I did a Muscle endurance ride.  Total time was 90minutes.  In that was 30mins of lower cadence, tempo riding.   Since I don't have a HR monitor, I don't know if I got the zone right.  My main focus was to keep tension on my legs.

While I was riding this morning, I was thinking about the races that I picked for this year.  Both the Joe Martin and Cascade classic have a lot of climbing.  How am I going to similate race conditions here in Nebraska?  For Joe Martin there are rolling hills.  Longer in comparison to hills around here.  There are some hills in Iowa that are close. 

The Cascade classic has mountains.  I am thinking that I will have to seek out windy days to similate the effort of climbing.  That or take a weekend trip up to Colorado.  Hmmmm.

Rest Week Wrapup

I finished my rest week with a 3hr trainer ride Saturday and a 1hr spin class on Sunday.   The week went down as it was suppose to.  I feel energized and ready to take on some more training.

Today, I got a call from polar.  $69 for a new mounting plate, transmitter strap, and batteries.   It will be shipped tomorrow and I should have it in my hot little hands by the weekend.  Yay!  I do not like riding without it.  It is tough to guage my intensity on RPE.  Endurance rides are no problem, I just get my level of effort to the point where I am breaking a little sweat the entire time.   This week I have to do a Tempo and a Force ride.  It will be tough to guage my effort for those workouts.

Rest Week Update

Last night, I got on the bike for 90 minutes.  I was dragging my feet big time.  I have been doing epic 2hr and sometimes 3+ hour sessions.  I don't know, 90 minutes seemed like more of annoyance.  I always get this feeling with rest weeks.    The shorted workouts are not much of a challenge but I was determine to follow through with the scheduled training time.

Another downer is that I am riding blind.  I sent my HR/Cyclo computer into Polar for repair.  The bike mounting tabs broke off the unit.  So, no HR, cadence, speed, miles... etc.   ugh, it makes for a long ride.

Tuesday I went to the gym for some weights.  I am now in week 8 of 12.  The only change is more squats.  Now I am doing 3 sets of 5 sqats and then 5 sets of 3 squats.  The sqats are followed by 3 sets of 5 Leg presses.

My Schedule

Although it is snowy, windy, and cold outside... it is another day closer to spring. 

I am jumping on Algomaha's coat tails and posting my  schedule too.  My "A" races are the Elkhorn Classic Stage Race and probabaly UNL Cycling weekend in September.  Although not listed I will probably go down to Kansas for a early Crit or RR.

April

10 — Twin Bing Classic
16-17 — UNL Cycling Weekend

May
5 - 8 -- Joe Martin Stage Race
20-21 — Flatwater Cycling Weekend

June
4-5 — Norfolk Classic/State criterium
17-19 - Elkhorn Classic Stage Race
25 — State time trial

July
16-17 — Omaha Cycling Weekend

August
Minnehaha County Stage Race?

September
10-11 — UNL Cycling Weekend

A Very Good week

It was a very good week, I met all of my weekly goals.  The two main goals were to get 16hrs of training and get over 250 miles on the bike.  Check and Check.  As usually there were a couple days where I had very low energy.  These days were Thursday and Sunday.  Other than those days I had good energy for my rides.  Including 2hrs weight lifting I had a total of 16:30hrs training last week and 253miles on my trainer and in Spin class.

I decided not to go outside Saturday morning so I did my long ride on the trainer downstairs at the Bike Rack.  This week is a rest week... only 10:30hrs.  I say only but it is still a substantial amount of work.

It feels good to stay on track.

Tomorrow

I am going to  ride tomorrow.  I can handle temps in the 20s but the problem is refeeze of  the melting going on today.  Good news is I have studded tires on my Single Speed.  Bad news, the studs are worn down.

So the game plan is to start at The Bike Rack, ride West on Maple and then ride where the wind carries me.  I am thinking Fremont again.   Ride time 4:30hrs.  Anyone? Anyone?

About last night

Last night I was determined to get at least 90 minutes on the bike for the second half of the days workout.  Since the Bike Rack closes at 7:00, I needed to get there and be set up by 5:30.  No problem, I climbed on the bike at 5:30. 

Ten minutes later my heart rate was still low.  Just over 100bpm which is not even Zone 1 for me.  No problem, I will just focus and work a little harder.  120bpm was all I could manage.  Normally, once I am warmed up my heart rate settles in to 138ish.  Not this time.  I was struggling to keep the heart rate about 100bpm. 

If I didn't have a heart rate monitor I would have thought I had a good workout.  I was still pushing hard, sweating, and spinning my pedals at a good cadance.  The only give away was my gear choice which was very low(easy).  As soon as my computer read 1:30hr, I climbed off the trainer, packed up and headed home.

I am not quite sure what I accomplished sitting on the bike in such a condition.  The only good I see in sitting on the bike last night is that I burned some calories.  I don't know how and if it contributed to my fitness.

Checking In

This week started early.  Normally I take Mondays off but decided to hit the weights in the evening. 

I loaded up the squat bar with the same amount of weight I have been using for the past 2 weeks.  It felt light so I pushed a bit harder on the way up.  Making the lifting phase of the squat more explosive.  By the 5th set I was back to normal speed.  My legs were toast at the leg press... I did two of three sets.  I felt I accomplished the goal on the legs.  Only other thing of note is that chin ups are getting easier.  I still can only do 2 at a time though.

Tuesday morning I sat in on the 5:30 spin class and did some more time to get 2:00hrs.  Tuesday night ... nothing. 

This morning, I sat on the trainer for just under 2hrs.  I was full gas up to 1:45hrs.  Just couldn't bare to sit on the bike for another 10min.  Tonight, I have another 2hrs scheduled.  I doubt I will get that.  It will be more like 90min.

Before the Storm

Saturday, I was able to get outside to ride before the snow storm.  At 19 degrees the tempurature was relativly warm. 

To make a long story short I was able to ride for approx 4hrs.  This was perhaps my longest ride in 5 months.   It felt good to get off the trainer.  I like the "Bar Mitts" that I had on the bike but they were almost too warm.  I wore some lighter weight gloves but still had to pull my hands out of the bar mitts to cool them down.  I did notice one issue with the mitts... you are pretty much locked down to one hand position.  This is a problem for longer rides.  My back was getting a little cranky from riding on the hoods. 

So, the final numbers on last week were ~14hrs of training and 183miles.  This next weeks schedule calls for more training time.  I can handle a little more time but am going to focus on getting more sleep in order to get more quality time on the bike.

A Hard day

Yesterday was a hard day.   I had low energy from the start but I am glad I pushed through to do as much as I could. 

It took me awhile to get out of bed when the alarm went off.  Then at the gym, I was too tired to complete all my reps on some of my excersices.   Work was a drag too... It felt like a long day.  In the evening, I had planned a 1:30hr ride but only did 1:15 and the last 15min really shouldn't count.

Not quite sure why I was so tired.  I had 3hrs of trainer time Wednesday but I don't think that is the only reason.  I think it is that I am not use to getting up so early for 3 days straight.  I am hoping if I keep a consistant sleeping routine that I will be better next week.

Tomorrow, I have a 4hr day planned.  Yikes, I don't know how I am going to do it.  I want to ride outside because I don't think I am "Tough Enough" to spend 4hrs on the trainer.  Right now even 3hrs sounds long.  I may try for 3hrs and then go lift weights in the afternoon.  We'll see.

As expected

I climbed on the bike for a 90min ride last night.  It was a conservative ride because I knew that I had to get up early and repeat This morning.

Last night I stayed mostly in the upper part of Zone 1 with 35minutes in Zone 2.  This morning, I was tired.  It wasn't from the riding but from less sleep.  Also, I wasn't motivated to climb on the trainer again.  I expected that feeling.  Luckily I wasn't done with my Movie "Overcoming" (about Bjarne Riis & Team CSC in the tour) so I climbed on the bike and started slowly ramping up to cruising speed within 15min.  Again my effort was mostly in Zone 1.  In the last half hour I challenged myself to keep the effort up in Zone2 for 15min before the cool down.

Tonight it is off to the Bike Rack for some group spinning.

Training Program - Redoux

I wasn't feeling to good about my training to date.  I had some good weeks and some bad but nothing really consistant.  This weekend I did some recalculating.  I have the same overall goals but have to pick another race to do my peaking.  Like something in June, or July.

For now,  I have a plan laid out.  So now by the power of the pencil, I am in Base 1 wk 2 AGAIN this week.  Why start at Base 1 wk 2?  In the context of the training plan from the Joe Friel's Training bible and a 650hr Annual Training plan, I am ready for Base 1 wk 2.  I have been riding ~12hrs a week for several weeks.  Also, some easier riding will allow me to focus on my weight.  That is where I am really struggling.  Let's just say, that I have a lot of "Dead Meat" on me.  So it is another couple weeks of mostly Aerobic Endurance rides.  I may throw in some Tempo rides.

I planned to ride a lot outside on the weekends, probably mostly on my single speed.  Not to show how tough I am but just to get off the trainer.  Nothing kills your training Mojo like a 3+hrs ride on the trainer.  I bought a Giro Snowboard helmet which is perfect for cold temps.  It has vents on the top that you can open and close.  It has attached liner pads come down over your ears.  I may buy a Pearl Izumi P.R.O series jacket too and I already have some Bar Mitts.  They work well.

The Pinarello is getting work done too.   I am replacing my compact crank with a standard one... along with a new chain and rear cluster.  Until then I will be using "Blue" my '99 Trek 5200 and my Single speed.

Weekend Update

After unplanned rest day on Friday, I was ready to do some training this weekend.  Saturday I was at the Bike Rack with about 30 other peeps.  It was a very motivating sight.   I wish the people for Live Well Omaha could see that there are people in Omaha that are very health oriented.  I lead them through a virtual Time Trial.  A hilly one at that.  We would grind up a hill for one song and then do some high cadence work down the back side of the hill.  We had a solid 35 minutes of Zone 4 work.  After about an hour, most people left but a few of us racers stayed for another hour.  Time goes by quick when you are with friends.

Later that day I headed to the gym for some weight training.  I was motivated to start the next 2 week phase of weights.  This phase has the same excersizes but more sets and fewer reps.  For example, last week I was doing 3sets of 6 squats and now it is 5 sets of 5 squats.  Since I was loosing some form last week at 165, I didn't up the weight for the squats.

Sunday I lead the spining class at my gym for an hour and then back to bike race for another 90minutes on the training.  The group had put up some Lance Documentary and I watched some of it.  I mostly was head down doing my high cadence Aerobic Endurance workout.  I was going good but ran out of steam about 1:15 minutes into it.  I spun another 5min and then got off the bike.  NO JUNK MILES right?

I had a good week but I feel like it is not enough.   I have to re-assess my training plan.  I don't know if I will be ready for Joe Martin.

Working hard

Yesterday was a good day.  I was able to crank out a 60minute tempo ride early in the morning.  I rushed the warmup a little which made the first 15 minutes a struggle to get up to and stay in Zone 3.  After that I it was rather easy to keep a tempo effort.

Since I did a somewhat hard workout in the morning I should have taken it easy with Zone 2 Aerobic ride in the evening.  I didn't.  I worked hard with the group.

This morning it was back to the gym for more weight lifting.  My first excersize was squats and I up'd the weight another 165lbs.  Ten pounds more than Tues.  That may be a bit much because I was feeling the strain in my back.  I finished all my sets and reps though.  I may have to stay at that weight or start wearing a belt.

Quick Note

Did my 60min Tempo workout this morning.  RPM under 80 and HR 155+ for an hour.  Tonight it is off to the bike rack for another 1:30hrs with HR mostly in Zone 2.

Free Weights

I look forward to my time lifting weights.  I have always lifted in the winter but this is the first winter that I have done mostly free weights.  My lifting is that shining part of my training this year.  I feel like I am leaning out, but my body weight is still high at 195lbs.  If the extra weight translates to bike power I will be happy but I know for the Joe Martin Stage race that I will have to shed some fat and possible a little bit of the muscle.

On the squats I added another 10lbs to push the weight up to 145lbs.  Still not much but I monitor my technique carefully.  Lowering my legs until they are parallel to the floor.  Listening to my body for any joint or muscle pain.  One added benefit for doing squats is that they are helping my shoulder flexiblity.  When I started squats it was a strain on my shoulders to hold up the bar.  Also since I was not so flexible I could not put the bar lower onto the "meaty" part of my shoulders.

After squats I do leg presses.  I am still working 2x6 reps of nearly 500lbs.  The weight for this excersize may go up a little in the near future.

I may be stuck at 70lbs for the single leg Hamstring curls.  I can get 6 reps but my form starts failing me at 4 reps.

I will be holding 135 on the bench for another few sessions.  I may add another 5lbs next week.  I am happy with my progress here.  For me, there is something about graduating to the big plates.   That statement may take some psychological evaluation.

Chin ups, I am up to 2 per set.  I would like to improve in this to at least 6.

Another update

Although I would like to get in more aerobic endurance time on the bike, I have been doing well with strength workouts and my Muscle Endurance workouts.

Last week I did a couple Muscle Endurance workout on Tuesday, and Sunday.  I add 15 minutes each week.  I try to keep the cadence down to below 85rpms so I have nice tension on my quads.   Yesterday I did a 30min warmup to my Zone 2 (~150bpm) before I started.  This made it very easy, to elevate my HR to 160+bpm.  The 45minutes was hard but very sustainable, I am ready to move up to 60min next week.

Also, last week I did two sessions weight lifting.  I know it doesn't sound like much but I was able to squat 135lbs.  That is the bar plus two 45lb plates.  This week I will shoot for another set of 10lb plates.  My goal is to squat 225lbs with good form.

Friday night I had a bonus workout.  I met Rich out in Benson to do the Greenstreet sprints.  I did not do the tournament but I did challange some other guys.  To win a sprint it is all about leg speed, there is very little resistance.  The forks of the bike that you ride have their forks mounted, and the back wheel sits on rollers.  So when they say good, you just pedal as fast as you can.  It was amazing to watch Kyle and Lucas give it all they got.  I suppose they were well over 200rpm. 

I did challenge Rich.  We tied downed to the 1000ths of a second (although, the computer said I won).  We had a rematch and he got me pretty good.  Oh well it was fun.  I will count that as a Power/Speed work workout.

Next week I am going to bump up my Muscle Endurance workout time to 60min.  Also, I need to do more time in the saddle with more Aerobic Endurance rides of 2+hrs.

Training Update

I am not very happy with what I have been able to do for training on a couple different fronts.  Mostly, I am not happy with the number of hours I am devoting to the bike.  I ride almost every day but most of the time it is only for an hour or a bit more.  I may get a 2hr session in on the weekends but that is about it.  I may have to re-think my Race Schedule.  Joe Martin in early may is fast approaching. 

My weight lifting is going well, I feel super strong lifting weights and on the bike.  This year I have focused on doing squats.  Lots of squats.  Initially I didn't like them... the bar hurt my shoulders,  I was worried about my lower back, and worried about my knees.  I just took it slow and worked on my technique.  I learned to situate the bar on my shoulders so it doesn't hurt.  My back and knees have adapted well too.   Now I am hitting one of my goals. More of a milestone.  Tonight I will squat 135lbs.   It is not much, I can bench press that much.   I look forward to my weight lifting sessions.

On the bike, I have not done the 3hr slogs but have been making sure I get my tempo and speed work done.   Last week I started off with 30 minutes of muscle endurance.  Muscle endurance for me is keeping my HR at 162 and a lower cadence of 75 - 85 rpms.  Last night I did 45minutes.  I felt good.

A couple goals for this week is to do a 2:30 hr ride and do another 45minute muscle endurance ride.