Since it's cold and raining this morning, we had our team ride at Breakaway Bikes as an RPM class. Charlie Zamastil organized the ride and created a custom course that he thought would be fun.
Let me tell you, when someone who is 5'10" tall and 134 pounds makes a course that he thinks is fun, it will have a lot of climbing in it. Long, steep climbing. For example, he put in a 3 mile, 6% climb, which took us about 20 minutes to climb. He also had a couple climbs at 9% and 13.5%. It was brutal. My legs were dying, especially after yesterday's ride.
Half the group didn't even finish the course. Of course, the funny part is that our group did the course that Charlie designed. The group that Charlie was riding in did a much easier course (the one that we did yesterday, actually).
My legs are freaking killing me. Good job, Charlie :-)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Life is like a box of chocolates....
You never know what you're going to get.
This morning was my first RPM class in 3 weeks. Two weeks ago I was in Colorado, last week I locked myself out of my apartment, so this week I was back. I didn't know what to expect.
I haven't been riding much the last few weeks. I was in Colorado for 5 days and Vegas for 4 days, and got no exercise short of walking the whole time. I just got back in the gym this week once for the first time in almost a month. I rode the trainer a few times this week and was generally winded and felt like crap. I didn't expect much in today's ride, so I planned on going easy. Yeah, right.
We had seven people in class. Within the first few miles, we saw how the groups would form. We had 3 higher category riders who took off fast early. The second group of 3 riders held back a little. One guy was good and actually rode a steady base ride pace.
I was in the second group of three, with my teammates Steve and John. Steve and I took off pretty fast and had a little gap on John. On the first couple climbs, I pulled away from Steve and got a decent gap on him. About 40 minutes into the ride, Steve and John got together on the course and were able to start working together. The Computrainer software allows drafting, so they could benefit from working together to bring me back. Anything within 40 feet is considered drafting (it sounds like a lot, but I guess it makes sense for riding indoors). I held them off for about a half hour, but I knew they were gaining and I was getting tired.
I had to make a decision. Do I try to hold them off on my own or do I let them catch up? Each one had risks. If I tried to stay on my own and they did catch me, I might be too tired to stay with them. If I let them catch up, I might not be able to get away in the end. I decided that letting them catch up was less of a risk.
With about 8 miles to go in a 38 mile course, they caught me. I stayed with them, trying to stay in the draft as much as I could. A couple times I tried to the front and get away, but they immediately followed. I knew this was going to come down to the finish.
The end of the course was a steep 4.5% climb that lasted about 4 minutes. I felt terrible already and that climb would hurt like hell at an easy pace. Now I was counting on it to get me away.
When we hit the base of the climb, I gave it everything I had. My heart rate was already at 170 BPM, so I was already breathing hard and sweating like crazy when I made my move. My heart rate spiked to 180 BPM. I was pulling away... 10 feet....20...30... 40.... they weren't in my draft anymore. I shifted up and jumped out of the saddle. I was only doing 13 mph, but it was enough. My power was at 350 watts. I knew that was a little too high, so I sat back down. I looked across the screen. Steve was trying really hard, but he was losing ground to me quickly at about 11 mph. I had 200 feet on him. John was 200 feet behind him doing 10 mph. All I have to do it hang on....
What the hell kind of thinking is that?!?! I jumped out of the saddle again, giving it everything I had. My speed surged a little to 14 mph... then I hit the change in grade where it levels out. I gritted my teeth and pushed as hard as I could. I could barely see or breath, but I could see the distance numbers between me and Steve still ticking upward.
I cross the finish line and thought I was going to pass out. I finished in 1:51:10 (1 hour, 51 minutes, 10 seconds). I shifted into a lighter gear, took a drink, and grabbed my towel to wipe my face. I saw Steve cross the finish line, 40 seconds behind me. John finished about 40 seconds behind him. My gamble had paid off.
By comparison, the faster guys finished like 8 minutes ahead of us!
As my heart rate came down, I noticed my power numbers. I had averaged 241 watts, the best power I've ever held that this duration. By comparison, a month ago I held 247 watts, but for 20 minutes less.
Of course, my weight is still more of less plateaued. I was 174.8 this morning. Hopefully I can be a little more consistent this week and burn off a pound or two.
This morning was my first RPM class in 3 weeks. Two weeks ago I was in Colorado, last week I locked myself out of my apartment, so this week I was back. I didn't know what to expect.
I haven't been riding much the last few weeks. I was in Colorado for 5 days and Vegas for 4 days, and got no exercise short of walking the whole time. I just got back in the gym this week once for the first time in almost a month. I rode the trainer a few times this week and was generally winded and felt like crap. I didn't expect much in today's ride, so I planned on going easy. Yeah, right.
We had seven people in class. Within the first few miles, we saw how the groups would form. We had 3 higher category riders who took off fast early. The second group of 3 riders held back a little. One guy was good and actually rode a steady base ride pace.
I was in the second group of three, with my teammates Steve and John. Steve and I took off pretty fast and had a little gap on John. On the first couple climbs, I pulled away from Steve and got a decent gap on him. About 40 minutes into the ride, Steve and John got together on the course and were able to start working together. The Computrainer software allows drafting, so they could benefit from working together to bring me back. Anything within 40 feet is considered drafting (it sounds like a lot, but I guess it makes sense for riding indoors). I held them off for about a half hour, but I knew they were gaining and I was getting tired.
I had to make a decision. Do I try to hold them off on my own or do I let them catch up? Each one had risks. If I tried to stay on my own and they did catch me, I might be too tired to stay with them. If I let them catch up, I might not be able to get away in the end. I decided that letting them catch up was less of a risk.
With about 8 miles to go in a 38 mile course, they caught me. I stayed with them, trying to stay in the draft as much as I could. A couple times I tried to the front and get away, but they immediately followed. I knew this was going to come down to the finish.
The end of the course was a steep 4.5% climb that lasted about 4 minutes. I felt terrible already and that climb would hurt like hell at an easy pace. Now I was counting on it to get me away.
When we hit the base of the climb, I gave it everything I had. My heart rate was already at 170 BPM, so I was already breathing hard and sweating like crazy when I made my move. My heart rate spiked to 180 BPM. I was pulling away... 10 feet....20...30... 40.... they weren't in my draft anymore. I shifted up and jumped out of the saddle. I was only doing 13 mph, but it was enough. My power was at 350 watts. I knew that was a little too high, so I sat back down. I looked across the screen. Steve was trying really hard, but he was losing ground to me quickly at about 11 mph. I had 200 feet on him. John was 200 feet behind him doing 10 mph. All I have to do it hang on....
What the hell kind of thinking is that?!?! I jumped out of the saddle again, giving it everything I had. My speed surged a little to 14 mph... then I hit the change in grade where it levels out. I gritted my teeth and pushed as hard as I could. I could barely see or breath, but I could see the distance numbers between me and Steve still ticking upward.
I cross the finish line and thought I was going to pass out. I finished in 1:51:10 (1 hour, 51 minutes, 10 seconds). I shifted into a lighter gear, took a drink, and grabbed my towel to wipe my face. I saw Steve cross the finish line, 40 seconds behind me. John finished about 40 seconds behind him. My gamble had paid off.
By comparison, the faster guys finished like 8 minutes ahead of us!
As my heart rate came down, I noticed my power numbers. I had averaged 241 watts, the best power I've ever held that this duration. By comparison, a month ago I held 247 watts, but for 20 minutes less.
Of course, my weight is still more of less plateaued. I was 174.8 this morning. Hopefully I can be a little more consistent this week and burn off a pound or two.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
And now for something completely different....
Today I had planned on doing our group ride. The logistics of getting into the city with the Philadelphia Marathon going on kind of killed that. I left too late and couldn't get anywhere near the start of the ride in time. So I tried something else.
I went home, dropped of my road bike, and picked up my mountain bike, then went out to Tyler State Park. It's actually a lot closer to my new place. I got out there and realized it's a lot different than I'm used to.
First off, it's a network of trails. I'm used to a simple out-and-back, so I had to pay a little more attention to where I was. On those trails, there are a LOT of people with dogs. They don't pay attention and they don't even all walk to the same side of the trail. So I had to pass them pretty slowly and call out my approach a lot sooner.
Most of all, it's freaking hilly. I'm not a climber. Not even remotely. I'm way too muscular and still have too much fat left on me. Not to mention, my road bike, fully loaded with drinks and tools, is 24 pounds. My mountain bike, also fully loaded, is 41 pounds. So not only did I have to climb some pretty steep hills, I had to carry an extra 17 pounds with of bike up them. This was NOT an easy ride.
It was fun though. It felt good to be outside on a cool fall day and get in a ride, even if it's not the ride I really wanted to do.
My weight is not really moving. I'm still 175 pounds.
UPDATE: Now on Monday, my arms are KILLING me from the added vibration and shock from being off-road. It's pathetic, really. I was on a paved trail most of the time and was on a gravel/packed dirt trail for 15 minutes. Ugh!
I went home, dropped of my road bike, and picked up my mountain bike, then went out to Tyler State Park. It's actually a lot closer to my new place. I got out there and realized it's a lot different than I'm used to.
First off, it's a network of trails. I'm used to a simple out-and-back, so I had to pay a little more attention to where I was. On those trails, there are a LOT of people with dogs. They don't pay attention and they don't even all walk to the same side of the trail. So I had to pass them pretty slowly and call out my approach a lot sooner.
Most of all, it's freaking hilly. I'm not a climber. Not even remotely. I'm way too muscular and still have too much fat left on me. Not to mention, my road bike, fully loaded with drinks and tools, is 24 pounds. My mountain bike, also fully loaded, is 41 pounds. So not only did I have to climb some pretty steep hills, I had to carry an extra 17 pounds with of bike up them. This was NOT an easy ride.
It was fun though. It felt good to be outside on a cool fall day and get in a ride, even if it's not the ride I really wanted to do.
My weight is not really moving. I'm still 175 pounds.
UPDATE: Now on Monday, my arms are KILLING me from the added vibration and shock from being off-road. It's pathetic, really. I was on a paved trail most of the time and was on a gravel/packed dirt trail for 15 minutes. Ugh!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
A Different Crowd
This week's RPM class, I was in with the big boys. Most of the riders were at least one or two categories above me, making them much stronger and faster than I am.
It started out with a lead group of four who I was able to stay with. That eventually split into two groups of two and I was in the trailing group just watching the other group's lead grow. Joe Wentzell started a little late and was chasing us for quite a while. When he caught up to my group, I hopped in his draft and held on for dear life.
When I'm really stressed in life, one of two things happens when I get on the bike: I completely wimp out and start complaining to myself about how hard it is to ride, how I shouldn't be there, how I really should be home in bed, how I don't want to do this.... you get the point. I'd be looking all over the place, thinking about whatever is bothering me instead of cycling. The alternative is that my conscious brain pretty much shuts down. All it does it process numbers and tactics. It looks at my heart rate, power, speed, perceived exertion, and the location of other riders. I think in short declarative phrases, like "a couple RPM more" or "downshift" or "he's gaining, speed up." My attention goes from being really scattered to razor sharp focus. Usually, in order to achieve that higher state, I've got to really push HARD, which is not easy when your attention is scattered.
Joe going by me was all that I needed. Chasing him, even benefiting from being in his draft, my heart rate skyrocketed from 155 - 160 up to 178 - 180. I was working as hard as I could and my brain just shut down. All I focused on was keeping my distance away from him close enough to stay in his draft.
The other guy in my group was not able to hang on. Over the next several minutes, I gained almost a mile gap on him.
On the next hill, Joe pulled away from me, leaving me stuck alone, but with a mile lead. All I had to do was hang on.
Joe pulled almost two miles ahead of me by the finish. He won, of course, sprinting to a solo finish on his own. I finished fourth out of seven.
What was interesting was that my average power was the second highest of the group, yet I finished second. How can that be? I'm still dragging too much weight. Every hill, I'm fighting my extra weight. I need to get my ass in gear and lose that last 10 to 15 pounds.
Once I was off the bike, the rest of my worries gradually came back and the reality of life sets back in. At least it was a good morning on the bike.
It started out with a lead group of four who I was able to stay with. That eventually split into two groups of two and I was in the trailing group just watching the other group's lead grow. Joe Wentzell started a little late and was chasing us for quite a while. When he caught up to my group, I hopped in his draft and held on for dear life.
When I'm really stressed in life, one of two things happens when I get on the bike: I completely wimp out and start complaining to myself about how hard it is to ride, how I shouldn't be there, how I really should be home in bed, how I don't want to do this.... you get the point. I'd be looking all over the place, thinking about whatever is bothering me instead of cycling. The alternative is that my conscious brain pretty much shuts down. All it does it process numbers and tactics. It looks at my heart rate, power, speed, perceived exertion, and the location of other riders. I think in short declarative phrases, like "a couple RPM more" or "downshift" or "he's gaining, speed up." My attention goes from being really scattered to razor sharp focus. Usually, in order to achieve that higher state, I've got to really push HARD, which is not easy when your attention is scattered.
Joe going by me was all that I needed. Chasing him, even benefiting from being in his draft, my heart rate skyrocketed from 155 - 160 up to 178 - 180. I was working as hard as I could and my brain just shut down. All I focused on was keeping my distance away from him close enough to stay in his draft.
The other guy in my group was not able to hang on. Over the next several minutes, I gained almost a mile gap on him.
On the next hill, Joe pulled away from me, leaving me stuck alone, but with a mile lead. All I had to do was hang on.
Joe pulled almost two miles ahead of me by the finish. He won, of course, sprinting to a solo finish on his own. I finished fourth out of seven.
What was interesting was that my average power was the second highest of the group, yet I finished second. How can that be? I'm still dragging too much weight. Every hill, I'm fighting my extra weight. I need to get my ass in gear and lose that last 10 to 15 pounds.
Once I was off the bike, the rest of my worries gradually came back and the reality of life sets back in. At least it was a good morning on the bike.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Hardest Things
I said this blog would only be about weight loss and fitness, but here I am writing about my divorce. This week I've had to do several really difficult things relating to that and thought I should mention them. Maybe someone else can benefit from my mistakes and experiences.
On Tuesday, I had to pack the remaining items at the apartment that my wife and I shared. I left on pretty short notice at her request and still had quite a few items there that were too large to carry out on my own. My wife's stuff was all gone, leaving only a random collection of items. To see my things without hers next to them just felt wrong. A couple times it completely overwhelmed me. At one point I found myself sitting on the stairs sobbing. OK, it was more than once that I found myself sitting somewhere random in the place sobbing. Usually someplace where I had a random happy memory hit me. Once I just dropped to my knees and smacked into the hardwood floor hard enough to see stars.
People who know me know that I'm not easily shaken emotionally. Being there again shook me to my core. It was so hard being in a place with so many memories, so many sweet little moments, so many hopes and dreams. All of them are just memories and failed hopes now.
I had thought about sleeping there on the couch and then getting up to meet the movers the next morning. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't stay there without her. It felt wrong and it hurt too much. The fact is that I have a gaping wound in me as a person that will probably take a while to heal, no matter how much of an act I put on at work and with my friends. Spending that much time there would have just hurt too much.
So I threw a few things in the car and went back to my apartment, which I still can't say feels like home. I tried playing some XBox to get my mind off it all.... no luck.
I came back the next morning and watched as the movers took my stuff out to the truck. I had to really try not to break down in front of them. It felt like they were taking all my memories of the last few years away. I know there are bad memories too, but it's the good ones that you miss.
The first couple weeks, I was more or less OK. I don't think it had all set in yet. Now, I can barely function. I'm depressed. I'm hurt, stressed, I can't focus my attention on anything, and I sleep but wake up a lot and never feel rested. I miss her a lot and hate myself for the pain I caused her.
Perhaps the hardest thing I've had to do is to make myself feel that emotion. I'm not drinking, I'm not burying myself at work or at the gym or on the bike, and I'm avoiding anything that might get me in trouble.
I didn't start that way. Believe me, the first few weeks I did everything I could to distract myself and I did some things I'm not proud of. So now I'm here facing it head on. And it hurts.
A piece of advice to all you married folks out there: recognize a good thing when you've got it. As frustrated as you might be, as hurt as you might feel, whatever faults or slights you perceive.... just be ready to deal with how hard it is to live without them. I was really unhappy in the final months, but not a day goes by that I don't wonder what would have happened if I'd done something more or something sooner. Maybe we could have worked it out before the major damage was done.
Living without someone who you thought you would never be without is harder than I ever thought it could be.
On Tuesday, I had to pack the remaining items at the apartment that my wife and I shared. I left on pretty short notice at her request and still had quite a few items there that were too large to carry out on my own. My wife's stuff was all gone, leaving only a random collection of items. To see my things without hers next to them just felt wrong. A couple times it completely overwhelmed me. At one point I found myself sitting on the stairs sobbing. OK, it was more than once that I found myself sitting somewhere random in the place sobbing. Usually someplace where I had a random happy memory hit me. Once I just dropped to my knees and smacked into the hardwood floor hard enough to see stars.
People who know me know that I'm not easily shaken emotionally. Being there again shook me to my core. It was so hard being in a place with so many memories, so many sweet little moments, so many hopes and dreams. All of them are just memories and failed hopes now.
I had thought about sleeping there on the couch and then getting up to meet the movers the next morning. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't stay there without her. It felt wrong and it hurt too much. The fact is that I have a gaping wound in me as a person that will probably take a while to heal, no matter how much of an act I put on at work and with my friends. Spending that much time there would have just hurt too much.
So I threw a few things in the car and went back to my apartment, which I still can't say feels like home. I tried playing some XBox to get my mind off it all.... no luck.
I came back the next morning and watched as the movers took my stuff out to the truck. I had to really try not to break down in front of them. It felt like they were taking all my memories of the last few years away. I know there are bad memories too, but it's the good ones that you miss.
The first couple weeks, I was more or less OK. I don't think it had all set in yet. Now, I can barely function. I'm depressed. I'm hurt, stressed, I can't focus my attention on anything, and I sleep but wake up a lot and never feel rested. I miss her a lot and hate myself for the pain I caused her.
Perhaps the hardest thing I've had to do is to make myself feel that emotion. I'm not drinking, I'm not burying myself at work or at the gym or on the bike, and I'm avoiding anything that might get me in trouble.
I didn't start that way. Believe me, the first few weeks I did everything I could to distract myself and I did some things I'm not proud of. So now I'm here facing it head on. And it hurts.
A piece of advice to all you married folks out there: recognize a good thing when you've got it. As frustrated as you might be, as hurt as you might feel, whatever faults or slights you perceive.... just be ready to deal with how hard it is to live without them. I was really unhappy in the final months, but not a day goes by that I don't wonder what would have happened if I'd done something more or something sooner. Maybe we could have worked it out before the major damage was done.
Living without someone who you thought you would never be without is harder than I ever thought it could be.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Bad Ride
Today, I felt absolutely lousy on the trainer. It could be the lack of sleep, from stress, from a change in my diet, or some other factor, but today was the first time since I came back to training that I can really say I had bad day.
How bad? My heart rate was between 15o to 160 BPM when I was only generating 150 watts or so. I'm usually doing 200 watts at that heart rate.
I should have known that I'd have a bad day eventually. It's just a part of training. I guess I should be happy that it took me this long before I had one.
My weight didn't really move this week. I'm at 173.6 pounds.
How bad? My heart rate was between 15o to 160 BPM when I was only generating 150 watts or so. I'm usually doing 200 watts at that heart rate.
I should have known that I'd have a bad day eventually. It's just a part of training. I guess I should be happy that it took me this long before I had one.
My weight didn't really move this week. I'm at 173.6 pounds.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Full motor
Yesterday's RPM ride was the kind that makes me glad to be alive.
It was a decent warmup followed by a 13 mile course that looked U-shaped. A steady descent followed by a flat stretch followed by a really vicious steep finale. It took 52 minutes to finish, so you know it was not an easy climb. At some points I was moving at 6 mph.
It was the end that made it exciting. I went all out in a way I haven't done in years. My power levels were holding at about 280 to 300 watts. It's not a high level of power, but my threshold is only about 220 watts. I was purely anaerobic for about the last 12 minutes of the ride. By the time I hit the finish , my heart rate was at 182 BPM. I was sure that I was about to puke all over my bike.
I know, I know, it's the foundation time of year and I'm supposed to be going easier than that. Tough shit. Most people are coming off a long season of training and racing. I'm coming off 2 years of being a fat slob and the mental boost from knowing that I still have that kind of fight in me is well worth it.
Today on the trainer, I can't say that I felt it at all. I was able to spend about 90 minutes on a rolling CompuTrainer course and felt great.
This week, I'm going to try and get back into the gym. No, I'm not going for any new records (though that 1200 pound goal is seriously taunting me!), it's not the time of year for that. By the end of the year, I want to get back under 165 pounds and I'll need to be doing the kind of weight work that I was back in the summer.
This morning, I was at 173.6 pounds and 19.8% body fat.
It was a decent warmup followed by a 13 mile course that looked U-shaped. A steady descent followed by a flat stretch followed by a really vicious steep finale. It took 52 minutes to finish, so you know it was not an easy climb. At some points I was moving at 6 mph.
It was the end that made it exciting. I went all out in a way I haven't done in years. My power levels were holding at about 280 to 300 watts. It's not a high level of power, but my threshold is only about 220 watts. I was purely anaerobic for about the last 12 minutes of the ride. By the time I hit the finish , my heart rate was at 182 BPM. I was sure that I was about to puke all over my bike.
I know, I know, it's the foundation time of year and I'm supposed to be going easier than that. Tough shit. Most people are coming off a long season of training and racing. I'm coming off 2 years of being a fat slob and the mental boost from knowing that I still have that kind of fight in me is well worth it.
Today on the trainer, I can't say that I felt it at all. I was able to spend about 90 minutes on a rolling CompuTrainer course and felt great.
This week, I'm going to try and get back into the gym. No, I'm not going for any new records (though that 1200 pound goal is seriously taunting me!), it's not the time of year for that. By the end of the year, I want to get back under 165 pounds and I'll need to be doing the kind of weight work that I was back in the summer.
This morning, I was at 173.6 pounds and 19.8% body fat.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Back on
OK, so I'm finally starting to get some semblance of normalcy again.
After the chaos of moving and trying to get settled into a new place, I'm finally at a point where I can say that I'm getting some kind of routine again. The miracle is that I didn't gain any weight during all this since I was not training much the last few weeks.
I had a really good ride at RPM on Saturday and I got in solid workouts Tuesday and Wednesday. I was up too late doing homework to get up and ride this morning.
I'm still not back in the gym yet, even though I live like 2 miles from the closes branch of my gym. I figure I'll need to get caught up with my school work before I can pull that off.
I should have known when I started this weight loss project that sometimes life gets in the way. I never would have expected something as major as a divorce, but here I am anyway. So now, on top of the challenges I already had (traveling for work and getting my MBA), I now have the added emotional strain of being completely on my own again and rebuilding a new life. I've avoided talking about all the problems going on since that's really not what this blog is about, but I realize that I should mention it since things like this do happen in life.
I couldn't do it alone. I've managed to reconnect with some old friends who I lost touch with and made some new friends who have made the whole experience a much happier one than it would have been otherwise.
I kind of fell off from blogging since I didn't know quite what to write or how. I realize that I should keep writing. It helps me keep all my thoughts and goals in order.
Despite all this, my weight is still dropping slowly. This morning I was at 174.2 and 19.1% body fat (I forgot to mention, I got a nicer used Tanita body fat scale really cheap!). A month or two ago, I had bought some pants with a 36" waist and a smaller belt and they are now getting a little looser. I'm guessing at around 170 pounds I'll need to buy smaller pants again.
I'm throwing down this goal right now: my major target is to win a crit race in the spring. I don't know which one or anything yet and I realize it may be a matter of doing several and learning from each one until I can pull it off. But there it is: I don't just want to be thin and lean again. I want to win again.
After the chaos of moving and trying to get settled into a new place, I'm finally at a point where I can say that I'm getting some kind of routine again. The miracle is that I didn't gain any weight during all this since I was not training much the last few weeks.
I had a really good ride at RPM on Saturday and I got in solid workouts Tuesday and Wednesday. I was up too late doing homework to get up and ride this morning.
I'm still not back in the gym yet, even though I live like 2 miles from the closes branch of my gym. I figure I'll need to get caught up with my school work before I can pull that off.
I should have known when I started this weight loss project that sometimes life gets in the way. I never would have expected something as major as a divorce, but here I am anyway. So now, on top of the challenges I already had (traveling for work and getting my MBA), I now have the added emotional strain of being completely on my own again and rebuilding a new life. I've avoided talking about all the problems going on since that's really not what this blog is about, but I realize that I should mention it since things like this do happen in life.
I couldn't do it alone. I've managed to reconnect with some old friends who I lost touch with and made some new friends who have made the whole experience a much happier one than it would have been otherwise.
I kind of fell off from blogging since I didn't know quite what to write or how. I realize that I should keep writing. It helps me keep all my thoughts and goals in order.
Despite all this, my weight is still dropping slowly. This morning I was at 174.2 and 19.1% body fat (I forgot to mention, I got a nicer used Tanita body fat scale really cheap!). A month or two ago, I had bought some pants with a 36" waist and a smaller belt and they are now getting a little looser. I'm guessing at around 170 pounds I'll need to buy smaller pants again.
I'm throwing down this goal right now: my major target is to win a crit race in the spring. I don't know which one or anything yet and I realize it may be a matter of doing several and learning from each one until I can pull it off. But there it is: I don't just want to be thin and lean again. I want to win again.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
No heroics
this week, I don't have any major heroics to report other than this: I'm still here.
I didn't have any great adventures in the gym or on the bike. Today was kind of nice: I saw a small group of QCW riders and their friends on the road and had brunch with them on a sunny day outside, probably one of the few remaining for the year.
Mostly, this week was just about hanging on through adversity. The stress showed, as I dropped 2.2 pounds this week, mostly from not eating much. I'm down to 175.6.
I didn't have any great adventures in the gym or on the bike. Today was kind of nice: I saw a small group of QCW riders and their friends on the road and had brunch with them on a sunny day outside, probably one of the few remaining for the year.
Mostly, this week was just about hanging on through adversity. The stress showed, as I dropped 2.2 pounds this week, mostly from not eating much. I'm down to 175.6.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Another Record Falls
There was really no reason for me to believe that I'd set a personal best in anything today.
I had planned on doing a 42K TT just to see what I could do, but I can't say that I've been doing any specific training that was aimed at improving my time in that distance. I've only been riding an hour or so on weekday mornings, lifting weights, and doing and occasional group ride on the weekends. None of that screams "long distance speed record."
A 42K time trial is a pretty long and difficult event. A 42 kilometer ride is really close to 26.2 miles (It's like 26.09). I've always done mine as a 26.2 mile ride just because my bike computers are all set to miles, not kilometers. I just call them a 42K because it's easier.
My best time previously was just over an hour and eight minutes. You have to go hard the whole time but not so hard that you wear yourself out. I do them on West River Drive, which is about 4 miles from end to end, so I have to turn around six times in order to do a 42K. I have to be really efficient in the turnarounds so I don't lose too much time, not slowing down too early, making the turn smoothly, and then getting back up to speed quickly.
I've always liked using the 42K time as a test because it's so hard to do. You have to be mentally focused and can't let your attention wander. It's not something that you can do if you've been training hard for several days in a row and it's not something that you can do just a little of and go home (like I've been known to do on the leg press at the gym).
For today's ride, I set a target for myself of 220 watts. For an effort this long, I figured I could hold a few watts under my threshold.... but I don't know what that is right now. My last threshold test was four weeks ago, when it was 215 watts. I figured that I had improved a little since then, and maybe I was at 225 now, so 220 would be a decent goal, both hard to accomplish and within reach if I tried hard enough.
Boy, was I wrong.
I didn't even know what speed that would be equal to. It was a little cold, a little windy, and there were leaves all over the road, so I figured my speed would be a little low.
I was wrong again.
My previous record, 1:08:16, was an average of 23.1 mph. Today, I did 1:06:57, for an average of 23.5 mph. My power was the real shocker. I averaged 232 watts. I had no idea that I'd be that strong. That means my threshold is probably up around 240.
By the end of the first lap, I knew I was having a strong ride. My average power was 226 watts and my average speed was 23.6 mph. The winds picked up on the second and third laps, but my power increased (which is normal, it's usually a good plan to slowly increase power during a long time trial). With the winds as strong as they were, my speed ranged from 21 mph all the way up to 26 mph.
When my computer ticked over at 26.2 miles and I saw my finish time, I almost cheered. I couldn't believe that I'd beaten my all time record by over a minute. I beat it by 1:19 to be exact.
While I'm sad to see the end of the riding season approaching, I am overjoyed to see such an important record fall.
It's almost a footnote after all that, but my weight this morning was 178.2 pounds. I'm creeping up on that 20 pounds lost marker of 177 pounds. Probably another week or so...
I had planned on doing a 42K TT just to see what I could do, but I can't say that I've been doing any specific training that was aimed at improving my time in that distance. I've only been riding an hour or so on weekday mornings, lifting weights, and doing and occasional group ride on the weekends. None of that screams "long distance speed record."
A 42K time trial is a pretty long and difficult event. A 42 kilometer ride is really close to 26.2 miles (It's like 26.09). I've always done mine as a 26.2 mile ride just because my bike computers are all set to miles, not kilometers. I just call them a 42K because it's easier.
My best time previously was just over an hour and eight minutes. You have to go hard the whole time but not so hard that you wear yourself out. I do them on West River Drive, which is about 4 miles from end to end, so I have to turn around six times in order to do a 42K. I have to be really efficient in the turnarounds so I don't lose too much time, not slowing down too early, making the turn smoothly, and then getting back up to speed quickly.
I've always liked using the 42K time as a test because it's so hard to do. You have to be mentally focused and can't let your attention wander. It's not something that you can do if you've been training hard for several days in a row and it's not something that you can do just a little of and go home (like I've been known to do on the leg press at the gym).
For today's ride, I set a target for myself of 220 watts. For an effort this long, I figured I could hold a few watts under my threshold.... but I don't know what that is right now. My last threshold test was four weeks ago, when it was 215 watts. I figured that I had improved a little since then, and maybe I was at 225 now, so 220 would be a decent goal, both hard to accomplish and within reach if I tried hard enough.
Boy, was I wrong.
I didn't even know what speed that would be equal to. It was a little cold, a little windy, and there were leaves all over the road, so I figured my speed would be a little low.
I was wrong again.
My previous record, 1:08:16, was an average of 23.1 mph. Today, I did 1:06:57, for an average of 23.5 mph. My power was the real shocker. I averaged 232 watts. I had no idea that I'd be that strong. That means my threshold is probably up around 240.
By the end of the first lap, I knew I was having a strong ride. My average power was 226 watts and my average speed was 23.6 mph. The winds picked up on the second and third laps, but my power increased (which is normal, it's usually a good plan to slowly increase power during a long time trial). With the winds as strong as they were, my speed ranged from 21 mph all the way up to 26 mph.
When my computer ticked over at 26.2 miles and I saw my finish time, I almost cheered. I couldn't believe that I'd beaten my all time record by over a minute. I beat it by 1:19 to be exact.
While I'm sad to see the end of the riding season approaching, I am overjoyed to see such an important record fall.
It's almost a footnote after all that, but my weight this morning was 178.2 pounds. I'm creeping up on that 20 pounds lost marker of 177 pounds. Probably another week or so...
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