I actually think I used this title once before. (March 2009 when I started hitting the gymn again.) But, the movie is such a good one, and there really isn't anything else that describes my thoughts.
First - I learned a valuable lesson this last week - just because someone isn't a "follower" of my blog doesn't mean it's not being read. Second: I have a nasty habit of opening my mouth a little bigger to stick my foot in a little further.
I've realized that when I write here I tend to "tailor" my comments to my percieved audience. I guess that comes from talking about money all the time. However, this is really supposed to be me talking to me - and letting whoever wants to drop in to this crazy, mixed-up part of my head listen in.
A big THANK-YOU goes out to Duanne for his help in getting my computrainer back up and going. I've been without a computer to run it (it's OLD stuff, and I just didn't have anything old enough to run it!) since my "friends" from the RCMP stopped by and siezed it. - he gave me an old laptop and POOF! I'm off and riding in my basement again. It's so much better than my rollers. I like rollers - great for improving my form and balance - but long rides on the rollers make things go a little numb, and standing for any length of time is difficult.
Of course, the disappointing thing is how far down my performance numbers are from a year ago!
I love my computrainer - it's basically a regular rear-tire mount bicyle trainer - except that for the resistance there's a cable that runs to this cool little box, and that runs to a computer. As the terrain changes (up hill or downhill - or even drafting!) the resistance is adjusted. All the while it monitors and records heart rate, cadence, watt output, leftleg/rightleg balance, time, etc. (and shows it all on the screen while hammering along.)
So this morning I went for a little 30km ride with a little climb in the middle. I was disappointed that my average wattage output has slipped by 60-65 watts. My max is almost half what it used to be. I worked hard this morning - and now that I've got it set-up, I can work hard again and get those numbers up in time to do some racing. Johnny, LOOK OUT! I'm coming for ya man!
On another note: I've gotten my numbers back from my DEXXA scan. Wow. I guess I'm going to have to hit the gymn. I've got some serious muscle imbalances. Pretty hard to correct those through running or cycling. The news wasn't all that great - but at least it tells the whole story and I know where I'm at now. I hope to be able to have another one this summer and that it'll tell a whole different story.
A special thank-you to my wife who is always so encouraging when I get down about where I'm at.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
I Really Didn't Know
So the big news I was so excited about on Friday was.... nothing. On Monday it got squashed like a mosquitto on the windshield of a Porshe at 200mph. It wasn't pretty. And at that moment I finally realized just how much stress I've been living with for the past 2 years. Stress that has permeated everything in my life - including my weight loss - and that because it's "always been there" I didn't really see how deep it was.
Two years ago my house got searched by the RCMP. It all had to do with "Clean Flicks" movies. I won't go into the whole legal battle here (someday...) but we've been fighting without being able to fight for almost two years. The first year was a year of complete unknown. Then, finally when deadlines were nearing they finally charged us. Then we fought for a couple of months (and court appearances) to get disclosure from the crown so that we could even enter a plea and then get to go to trial (and spend more legal money). We STILL do not have a trial date. On Friday I was told that the crown was going to drop all the charges against me (put simply, I have a "get of jail free card" and they KNOW they can't win.) - but with the weather on Monday court was cancelled and so nothing was put in front of the court, and, well, the battle goes on.
On Friday, for the first time in two years, I felt that burden completely lift. I felt "normal" - and then on Monday I felt it all come crushing down on me again. The sudden swing was the catalyst to make me see just how bad it was. I've known all along that it was there (kind of hard to forget that) but never really understood just how bad that stress was.
So, now we have another date to go before the court (it's another month away) - but I've heard nothing further from the Crown as to where they're at anymore. Long story, but there's some politics involved, too. I really do look forward to the day when I can finally tell the WHOLE story.
Anyway, weight is moving down, but not near as fast as I'd have expected. I'm glad that I took measurements, 'cause I've been able to see some of those shrinking even if the scale isn't co-operating much right now. I'm looking forward to next week having a meeting with Doc to get all the juicy details on my scan from last week.
That's it for now!
Two years ago my house got searched by the RCMP. It all had to do with "Clean Flicks" movies. I won't go into the whole legal battle here (someday...) but we've been fighting without being able to fight for almost two years. The first year was a year of complete unknown. Then, finally when deadlines were nearing they finally charged us. Then we fought for a couple of months (and court appearances) to get disclosure from the crown so that we could even enter a plea and then get to go to trial (and spend more legal money). We STILL do not have a trial date. On Friday I was told that the crown was going to drop all the charges against me (put simply, I have a "get of jail free card" and they KNOW they can't win.) - but with the weather on Monday court was cancelled and so nothing was put in front of the court, and, well, the battle goes on.
On Friday, for the first time in two years, I felt that burden completely lift. I felt "normal" - and then on Monday I felt it all come crushing down on me again. The sudden swing was the catalyst to make me see just how bad it was. I've known all along that it was there (kind of hard to forget that) but never really understood just how bad that stress was.
So, now we have another date to go before the court (it's another month away) - but I've heard nothing further from the Crown as to where they're at anymore. Long story, but there's some politics involved, too. I really do look forward to the day when I can finally tell the WHOLE story.
Anyway, weight is moving down, but not near as fast as I'd have expected. I'm glad that I took measurements, 'cause I've been able to see some of those shrinking even if the scale isn't co-operating much right now. I'm looking forward to next week having a meeting with Doc to get all the juicy details on my scan from last week.
That's it for now!
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Ummm - WHAT? REALLY?!
That line completely describes my last week. I can't go into much detail right now (hopefully more on Monday) but in virtually every aspect of my life and stress there's been major developments.
Sorry for it being just a teaser, but I AM excited and wanted to let the vast world of my followers (all one of you!) know it, but can't put any details out there just yet.
So, until next week...
Sorry for it being just a teaser, but I AM excited and wanted to let the vast world of my followers (all one of you!) know it, but can't put any details out there just yet.
So, until next week...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Progress??
So this morning at STUPID O'Clock in the morning (that would be approximately 4am) I woke up absolutely COOKING! Threw all the blankets off and curled up with just a sheet. HMMMMMmmmmmm that's better. Slept well for the next couple of hours. Is my metabolism finally starting to shift up? I don't know yet, but this morning's shower was much more bearable. (don't get me wrong, I'm still not enjoying the freezing cold, but I'm able to stay it in much longer.)
As I amp up my bike time and effort I'll start taking some ice baths. I'm putting that off as long as possible. I've done those before, and it's way more than just uncomfortable, it's very painful.
Weight was up this morning (WHAT?!!!) I hate it when that happens.
As I amp up my bike time and effort I'll start taking some ice baths. I'm putting that off as long as possible. I've done those before, and it's way more than just uncomfortable, it's very painful.
Weight was up this morning (WHAT?!!!) I hate it when that happens.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
YIKES! That's cold
Sunday 23 January, 2011:
Started my first REAL step into the world of thermogenex today - the cold shower. Here's the instructions for 5-10 Minute cold showers before breakfast and/or before bed. Like my Finanancial Planning life, I've broken it down to a 6-step process.
1)Use hot water for 1-2 minutes over the entire body (I like this part, no problem!)
2) Step out of water range, apply soap and shampoo to hair and face. (again, no problem.)
3) Turn water to PURE COLD and rinse head and face. (YIKES!)
4) Turn around and back into water, focusing water on lower neck and upper back. Maintain this position for 1-3 minutes. (This morning - ummm, ONE MINUTE!)
5) As you acclimate (does this REALLY happen?!) apply soap to all the necessary regions.
6) Turn around and rinse off normally. (Normally? Are you kidding? There's nothing NORMAL about any part of this!)
So, why am I doing this? Well, it's all part of the "thermogenex" stuff I mentioned in my last post. We'll see how this whole experiment goes. There's 3 other "options" for this phase, and I'll probably incorporate a couple of them - I'll tell you all about them once I've tried them.
Results so far? Nothing measurable of course, but I DO feel VERY awake! I'm going to try and do this twice/day and see what happens.
Last night's roller work-out was a little more adventurous than I'd have liked. I've got a bruised, possibly seperated shoulder this morning. Took a nasty spill off the rollers and couldn't get clipped out fast enough. It was loud enough that one of my kids, who was upstairs playing LOUD games heard it and came running. I got back on and finished my ride along with some ab-work and push-ups afterwards - but I HURT this morning!
25 January 2011
Still not enjoying these cold showers! Trying to do two/day. I've gotten the length of time for them up - last night I managed 10 full minutes at full cold. I also watched a show with ice-packs on my shoulders and neck as per protocol B. That and drinking 500ml of ice water first thing in the morning. Is it working? I don't know. Only a couple of days into it, and still not really doing it 100%.
Started my first REAL step into the world of thermogenex today - the cold shower. Here's the instructions for 5-10 Minute cold showers before breakfast and/or before bed. Like my Finanancial Planning life, I've broken it down to a 6-step process.
1)Use hot water for 1-2 minutes over the entire body (I like this part, no problem!)
2) Step out of water range, apply soap and shampoo to hair and face. (again, no problem.)
3) Turn water to PURE COLD and rinse head and face. (YIKES!)
4) Turn around and back into water, focusing water on lower neck and upper back. Maintain this position for 1-3 minutes. (This morning - ummm, ONE MINUTE!)
5) As you acclimate (does this REALLY happen?!) apply soap to all the necessary regions.
6) Turn around and rinse off normally. (Normally? Are you kidding? There's nothing NORMAL about any part of this!)
So, why am I doing this? Well, it's all part of the "thermogenex" stuff I mentioned in my last post. We'll see how this whole experiment goes. There's 3 other "options" for this phase, and I'll probably incorporate a couple of them - I'll tell you all about them once I've tried them.
Results so far? Nothing measurable of course, but I DO feel VERY awake! I'm going to try and do this twice/day and see what happens.
Last night's roller work-out was a little more adventurous than I'd have liked. I've got a bruised, possibly seperated shoulder this morning. Took a nasty spill off the rollers and couldn't get clipped out fast enough. It was loud enough that one of my kids, who was upstairs playing LOUD games heard it and came running. I got back on and finished my ride along with some ab-work and push-ups afterwards - but I HURT this morning!
25 January 2011
Still not enjoying these cold showers! Trying to do two/day. I've gotten the length of time for them up - last night I managed 10 full minutes at full cold. I also watched a show with ice-packs on my shoulders and neck as per protocol B. That and drinking 500ml of ice water first thing in the morning. Is it working? I don't know. Only a couple of days into it, and still not really doing it 100%.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
2011 Thoughts
Shock of all shocks, it's been two months since I've posted - again!
with some ideas this week. (related to weight loss) Here they are: I've said MANY, MANY times that I think I've found my answers, and that I expect the weight to come off. And, in fact, I've seen the weight come off in big chunks. And yet, this last week my weight was EXACTLY where it was 3 years ago. When I was challenged on that I struggled with how to answer that. I don't want to SAY anything about it, because I want the results to speak for themselves. I do think I've found some answers.
This week's big read is "The 4 Hour Body" by Timothy Ferris. Basically, the guy likes to experiment with his body and see what happens. Some of his experiments are things I've done myself. Others... not so much. I've decided to try out some of his thoughts. They all still fall within the general "lifestyles" program I'm committed to - but I've decided that enough is enough, I'm getting rid of this weight once and for all.
This month I've lost yet another friend to cancer. Her screen name is "Pansy Palmetto" - and she was a real charactor. A cyclist like no other, and one who has been fighting cancer for 7.5 years. She made a point of living every moment to it's fullest. What a great example. And so, I will try to emulate that.
Today my brother came over and weighed. I won't give his weight here, as I don't know if he'd appreciate that, but I think he was a little shocked. He's a big boy and I'm really concerned for him. So, I've invited him to join me in my experimental journey.
So, on to the experiment.
1) Nothing white. I've already started on this, but have had a couple of slip-ups. White bread has always been one of my kryptonites.
2) I'm going to try a little Thermogenex. The concept here is pretty simple: our bodies maintain a core temperature. If we make it work harder to maintain that, our metabolism has to increase. So, turn down the thermostat and turn up the metabolism. I'm sure it's going to drive my family a little crazy, and if you come into my office and feel a little cooler... well, smile and ask me if it's working!
3) TRAINING! Not exactly part of Tim's program, but I want to race this year, and I know that if I can shed 40lbs and put some miles in on the bike that I'll be very competitive. I've decided on a race schedule that I think my family can live with, and one that rewards me with some "trips" with my good friend, John.
Speaking of which - here's the schedule that I'm shooting for:
May 20-22 - Saskatoon's Bikes on Broadway. A stage race consisting of 3 stages. An Individual Time Trial, A Road Race, and a Criterium. I've done this one once before a couple of years ago, and this was the first race I ever managed to get on a podium for.
June 16-20 (or there-abouts - the 2011 dates haven't been posted yet.) Banff Bikefest. While there are many stages to this one, I'm basically interested in the Criterium in downtown Banff. It's a tough, competive race. My last trip there I didn't race, but took some photos (got some great ones, too!)
July 11 - Magrath Triathlon. I've participated in this one for years - this year I'd like to COMPETE in it. I'll be doing the Olympic distance again.
July 23 - Bob Cooke Memorial Mt Evans Hillclimb. Definitely the "peak" event for my season. I'll need to be down to weight and in top cycling shape for this one. Climbs to the top of Mt Evans at 14,264 ft. Pros and Amateur's alike struggle on this one, and it's steep and windy enough that if you have to stop, there's a good chance you won't be able to get started again.
July 30-Aug 1 Tour de Bowness - My final stage race for the year. Another stage race consisting of a Hillclimb, Road Race, and Criterium. I've competed in this one a number of times, and have yet to be able to finish the criterium. So, this year's goal will be to finish!
August 20 Fort Mcleod Triathlon. Done this one a number of times, and will be targeting a personal best here again.
That's the one's I'll definitely be going to. The two other cycling events I'm contemplating are the Hotter 'n Hell 100 (HHH) in Wichita Falls. I've done that one a few times, and it's a whole lotta fun! It's the 25th of August. I'll be going to race it, so better be fast! And the final possibility of the year will be the Tour de Tucson in November. 109 miles with 9,000 of my closest friends. I'll be trying again to Platinum (must finish in under 5 hours) - I came close 3 years ago with 5:14.
Yup, lots of events. Only 2 triathlons scheduled at this point (that's not to say I won't be able to be talked into one at some point.) and they're both Olympic distance. One open water, one in the pool.
All of it is hugely dependent on my weight getting down and I'm hoping that will give me the continued motivation to keep working hard at it. Speaking of which, my rollers are calling my name. Never seen rollers in action? Here's some pictures my buddy Steve and I took years ago - they're all hosted on the Bikejournal website, hope you enjoy the read!
Paceline Practice Canadian Style
Roller Wheelies
Hope you enjoy those as much as we did!! LOL
with some ideas this week. (related to weight loss) Here they are: I've said MANY, MANY times that I think I've found my answers, and that I expect the weight to come off. And, in fact, I've seen the weight come off in big chunks. And yet, this last week my weight was EXACTLY where it was 3 years ago. When I was challenged on that I struggled with how to answer that. I don't want to SAY anything about it, because I want the results to speak for themselves. I do think I've found some answers.
This week's big read is "The 4 Hour Body" by Timothy Ferris. Basically, the guy likes to experiment with his body and see what happens. Some of his experiments are things I've done myself. Others... not so much. I've decided to try out some of his thoughts. They all still fall within the general "lifestyles" program I'm committed to - but I've decided that enough is enough, I'm getting rid of this weight once and for all.
This month I've lost yet another friend to cancer. Her screen name is "Pansy Palmetto" - and she was a real charactor. A cyclist like no other, and one who has been fighting cancer for 7.5 years. She made a point of living every moment to it's fullest. What a great example. And so, I will try to emulate that.
Today my brother came over and weighed. I won't give his weight here, as I don't know if he'd appreciate that, but I think he was a little shocked. He's a big boy and I'm really concerned for him. So, I've invited him to join me in my experimental journey.
So, on to the experiment.
1) Nothing white. I've already started on this, but have had a couple of slip-ups. White bread has always been one of my kryptonites.
2) I'm going to try a little Thermogenex. The concept here is pretty simple: our bodies maintain a core temperature. If we make it work harder to maintain that, our metabolism has to increase. So, turn down the thermostat and turn up the metabolism. I'm sure it's going to drive my family a little crazy, and if you come into my office and feel a little cooler... well, smile and ask me if it's working!
3) TRAINING! Not exactly part of Tim's program, but I want to race this year, and I know that if I can shed 40lbs and put some miles in on the bike that I'll be very competitive. I've decided on a race schedule that I think my family can live with, and one that rewards me with some "trips" with my good friend, John.
Speaking of which - here's the schedule that I'm shooting for:
May 20-22 - Saskatoon's Bikes on Broadway. A stage race consisting of 3 stages. An Individual Time Trial, A Road Race, and a Criterium. I've done this one once before a couple of years ago, and this was the first race I ever managed to get on a podium for.
June 16-20 (or there-abouts - the 2011 dates haven't been posted yet.) Banff Bikefest. While there are many stages to this one, I'm basically interested in the Criterium in downtown Banff. It's a tough, competive race. My last trip there I didn't race, but took some photos (got some great ones, too!)
July 11 - Magrath Triathlon. I've participated in this one for years - this year I'd like to COMPETE in it. I'll be doing the Olympic distance again.
July 23 - Bob Cooke Memorial Mt Evans Hillclimb. Definitely the "peak" event for my season. I'll need to be down to weight and in top cycling shape for this one. Climbs to the top of Mt Evans at 14,264 ft. Pros and Amateur's alike struggle on this one, and it's steep and windy enough that if you have to stop, there's a good chance you won't be able to get started again.
July 30-Aug 1 Tour de Bowness - My final stage race for the year. Another stage race consisting of a Hillclimb, Road Race, and Criterium. I've competed in this one a number of times, and have yet to be able to finish the criterium. So, this year's goal will be to finish!
August 20 Fort Mcleod Triathlon. Done this one a number of times, and will be targeting a personal best here again.
That's the one's I'll definitely be going to. The two other cycling events I'm contemplating are the Hotter 'n Hell 100 (HHH) in Wichita Falls. I've done that one a few times, and it's a whole lotta fun! It's the 25th of August. I'll be going to race it, so better be fast! And the final possibility of the year will be the Tour de Tucson in November. 109 miles with 9,000 of my closest friends. I'll be trying again to Platinum (must finish in under 5 hours) - I came close 3 years ago with 5:14.
Yup, lots of events. Only 2 triathlons scheduled at this point (that's not to say I won't be able to be talked into one at some point.) and they're both Olympic distance. One open water, one in the pool.
All of it is hugely dependent on my weight getting down and I'm hoping that will give me the continued motivation to keep working hard at it. Speaking of which, my rollers are calling my name. Never seen rollers in action? Here's some pictures my buddy Steve and I took years ago - they're all hosted on the Bikejournal website, hope you enjoy the read!
Paceline Practice Canadian Style
Roller Wheelies
Hope you enjoy those as much as we did!! LOL
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
How long to BLINK?
Ok, so it's been a month since I've written. Actually, it hasn't, just a month since I've posted. I've got half a dozen posts saved as drafts, but I'm going to just delete them all.
This last week I got to spend alot of time in the car again. A work trip to Edmonton with some little jaunts off the main road here and there had me car-bound for a few days. While travelling I like to listen to audio books. Drives my kids crazy, but I find it a useful way to keep my mind working, and I usually come up with some interseting insights.
This trip I was listening to a book called BLINK by Malcom Gladwell. I've listened to it a couple of times before, but this time maybe I was just ready to hear a few things. The premise of the whole thing is that our minds - our subconciose minds - are capable of figuring things out long before we realize it.
He gives two examples in the beginning that are really astounding. One is the story of the Getty Museum's purchase of a statue. Experts analyize it scientifically and determine that it is consistent with being 1,000's of years old. blah, blah, blah. The Getty decides to purchase it. Another expert in antiquities is shown it, and as soon as the cover is lifted asks if they've already paid for it - can't tell them why, but says something is wrong. Two other experts have the same experience. Later it's proven to be a fake. In the blink of an eye these few were able to determine that it was a fake.
Second example: University test. 4 decks of cards - 2 red, 2 blue. Volunteers are told to turn over the cards as they choose. Certain cards will give them money, others will take it away. The game is rigged so that the blue decks will consistently pay out. The red deck is rigged so that you'll lose. It takes about 50 cards for people to figure out that the blue decks are better, and after about 60 they can explain exactly what's going on. What's interesting, is that there were monitors hooked up to the sweat glands in their palms, and they started sweating and showing stress in picking up the red cards within TEN CARDS! Their subconcious mine already had it figured out!
Gladwell goes on to explain that we can TEACH ourselves to listen to what our subconcious is saying - and in a BLINK we can "recognize the fake" conciously.
So, what's this all got to do with the price of rice in China? I'm finally learning how to listen to what my subconcious is telling me. Sometimes I have to really break myself down physically to be able to listen - which is why I think I had such a great "wake up" moment doing the 1/2 Ironman. I'm hoping that as I become more concious and self-aware I'll be able to be more authentic and able to make the changes I so want to make.
This last week I got to spend alot of time in the car again. A work trip to Edmonton with some little jaunts off the main road here and there had me car-bound for a few days. While travelling I like to listen to audio books. Drives my kids crazy, but I find it a useful way to keep my mind working, and I usually come up with some interseting insights.
This trip I was listening to a book called BLINK by Malcom Gladwell. I've listened to it a couple of times before, but this time maybe I was just ready to hear a few things. The premise of the whole thing is that our minds - our subconciose minds - are capable of figuring things out long before we realize it.
He gives two examples in the beginning that are really astounding. One is the story of the Getty Museum's purchase of a statue. Experts analyize it scientifically and determine that it is consistent with being 1,000's of years old. blah, blah, blah. The Getty decides to purchase it. Another expert in antiquities is shown it, and as soon as the cover is lifted asks if they've already paid for it - can't tell them why, but says something is wrong. Two other experts have the same experience. Later it's proven to be a fake. In the blink of an eye these few were able to determine that it was a fake.
Second example: University test. 4 decks of cards - 2 red, 2 blue. Volunteers are told to turn over the cards as they choose. Certain cards will give them money, others will take it away. The game is rigged so that the blue decks will consistently pay out. The red deck is rigged so that you'll lose. It takes about 50 cards for people to figure out that the blue decks are better, and after about 60 they can explain exactly what's going on. What's interesting, is that there were monitors hooked up to the sweat glands in their palms, and they started sweating and showing stress in picking up the red cards within TEN CARDS! Their subconcious mine already had it figured out!
Gladwell goes on to explain that we can TEACH ourselves to listen to what our subconcious is saying - and in a BLINK we can "recognize the fake" conciously.
So, what's this all got to do with the price of rice in China? I'm finally learning how to listen to what my subconcious is telling me. Sometimes I have to really break myself down physically to be able to listen - which is why I think I had such a great "wake up" moment doing the 1/2 Ironman. I'm hoping that as I become more concious and self-aware I'll be able to be more authentic and able to make the changes I so want to make.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Being Authentic
Whenever I hear the word "authentic" I think of the movie "Bagger Vance" - a great movie. Well, today I'm recomitting to be authentic to myself.
3 years ago I started a journey to lose weight. It's had it's ups and downs - literally. And through most of it I've kept it pretty much to myself. I've been participating in the Lifestyles program through the Cardston Medical Clinic - and sometime I'll have to delve more into that, but the greatest value I've recieved is from a group counselling program that's tied to it.
The single greatest benefit from this group is that it's helped me to be more aware of myself and my surroundings. More aware of what I'm thinking, and why I'm eating what I'm eating. During the run of the half-ironman I did last weekend I think I've finally discovered some of those answers. They're very personal, and not something that I'm going to post here, but finding those answers has given me real hope that now I'm going to finally get back to where I once was.
So, as part of this whole process that I'm beginning anew, I'm going to try and post my weight-loss journey on at least a weekly basis here. Most likely this will be on Thursdays after I've had my group meeting and re-tuned myself to my thoughts.
3 years ago I started a journey to lose weight. It's had it's ups and downs - literally. And through most of it I've kept it pretty much to myself. I've been participating in the Lifestyles program through the Cardston Medical Clinic - and sometime I'll have to delve more into that, but the greatest value I've recieved is from a group counselling program that's tied to it.
The single greatest benefit from this group is that it's helped me to be more aware of myself and my surroundings. More aware of what I'm thinking, and why I'm eating what I'm eating. During the run of the half-ironman I did last weekend I think I've finally discovered some of those answers. They're very personal, and not something that I'm going to post here, but finding those answers has given me real hope that now I'm going to finally get back to where I once was.
So, as part of this whole process that I'm beginning anew, I'm going to try and post my weight-loss journey on at least a weekly basis here. Most likely this will be on Thursdays after I've had my group meeting and re-tuned myself to my thoughts.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Ironman wannabe
Wow - still amazes me how fast time goes by and how much happens without me posting anything here. I'm not going to try and catch up - this is about my experiences this weekend.
John had convinced me that I should do a half-ironman is Sept - this was in about JUNE. I thought that would be lots of time, so I said okay and signed up for the Vikingman Triathlon, 1/2 ironman distance down in Burley, Idaho. I knew that running would be my weak point, so thought I'd try to focus on that.
Training went terribly wrong right away. I was wrestling with my sons on the front lawn when I pulled the muscles in my abdomen. It was so painful I thought I'd done something alot more serious. It was 2 weeks before I could move and 3 before I could run even a little bit. Not good.
I did the Magrath Tri (Olympic) in July - and I had a hard time staying down in the aerobars on the bike (I was only there maybe 20% of the time) and the run was extremely painful. Not a good sign.
In August I did the Olympic distance tri in Park City, Utah. Fun event, and would like to return again, but again, very difficult run.
My highest running week consisted of a total of 25 miles - 13 at once, and a couple of 6 milers. Most weeks was under 6. The only biking I had done was one long day with John in June, the tris, a day on the rollers for an hour, and a couple of other 1 hour rides. Swimming was pretty much hit and miss, too, though I did get out for a couple of open-water swims.
For the first time since I can remember, the night before the race I was actually scared. I knew I was not ready. I resigned myself to "just finishing" knowing there was a good chance I wouldn't. I had grabbed an old back brace to wear, hoping that it would help support my stomache muscles enough that I could finish. I wasn't worried about the swim - it was downriver, and I was comfortable enough in the water. The bike is where I feel really comfortable, so while I hadn't been training hard, I knew it wouldn't present any major problems. It was the run.
4am came early Sept 11. I rolled out of bed, walked around a bit, got some breakfast, and grabbed my stuff. I tried to relax and just enjoy the atmosphere a bit, and that helped. I got my transition set-up and got marked up. Then it was off to the start.
It was a cold morning - 39F to start. That wetsuit sure felt comfortable even before getting in the water! A couple of timing mat issues delayed the start for a bit, but eventually we got going. I got adjusted to the water pretty quickly. It wasn't a difficult swim - and there were lots of places where people were walking. If you stayed within 50 feet of shore the water was pretty shallow. Unfortunately, the current is pretty slow there, too. No such thing as a free lunch! I lost John and Dennis right away. They're both faster swimmers than I am, so I wasn't suprised they were gone so quickly.
As I stood up to climb out of the water, who should appear beside me but John! What a great surprise. Not so much for him, but great for me! He'd zig-zagged more than me out in the deeper water, and the difference had brought us to the swim finish at the exact same time. Climb up on the dock, and start the run to the transition area (about 200 yards away.) HOLY COW! That frost on the grass was cold on the feet! Got the top half of my wetsuit off and came upon the strippers. "Lay down" they shouted to me - and poof! My wetsuit was off. What a great experience that was!
First transition was slow. I put on an extra pair of cycling short over-top of my tri shorts - it was 56 miles! Also put on a jersey, arm warmers, and leg warmers. Not exactly a speedy transition - but faster than John's!
I knew that I was still fighting pulled stomache muscles, so I hadn't taken my TT bike, opting instead for the comfort of my Tarmac SL road bike. The only thing I did to improve aerodynamics was to wear my TT helmet and throw on a disc wheel. 3 miles in John went flying by me. I caught back up and we rode side-by-side for a little over 20 miles. We passed alot of people, and got passed by a few of the speedy ones, and a few that I guessed were doing the Olympic. Never saw Dennis on the ride. Shortly after the 24 mile mark I looked over to John and he was fighting to bring his aero extension back up. This road was ROUGH! Not as bad as the Death Valley Double had been a few years ago, but awfully close. His bars had worked loose and so he had to stop. I kept on going. I found out at the end that he also ended up with two flat tires. At the half-way mark I'd realized that I was on track for a 2:40 bike. That was 20 minutes faster than I'd figured I'd be able to do. It didn't finish that way. I managed to really slow down the second half and finished the bike in just under 3 hours. Transition #2 wasn't much faster than the first one had been. It had warmed up and I stripped off the arm and leg warmers, plus the bike shorts.
Surprisingly, I did not have the dead, painful, cramping legs that I was expecting. Had I maybe eased off enough on the bike? I didn't know, but it was a change from EVERY other triathlon I'd ever done. I wasn't exactly speedy, but I knocked out 3 miles at a sub 10 minute/mile pace. That doesn't sound like much, but it got even slower over the next 3.5 miles!
The first 5 miles of the run was out through some absolutely desolate country - or at least it seemed that way to me! It even had a stretch where we ran beside a runway at the airport. It was also the longest stretch between aid stations. I made a point of drinking at every station. Oh yeah - and the weather decided to warm up for us! Great, cold swim, hot run.
As I came into the Olympic finishing area (a VERY cruel thing to do - have a finish for the Olympics that we had to run by only half-way through...) I saw the clock - it read 4:49 - I realized that if I could knock of the next 10km or so in an hour and 10 minutes I could break 6 hours. That was something I never had even imagined, as I was fully expecting a 7 hour day. Stupid me - I kicked the pace up to a 8 minute mile. That only lasted for about half a mile and then reality kicked back in.
As I was running I was thinking how wise I'd been with my nutrition. I hadn't had any feelings of bonking. I didn't feel dehydrated. I hadn't had any cramps. I was thinking that even though I wasn't in good shape, I was doing pretty good! I saw Dennis at the 8 mile mark - he was on his way back, so only had a mile and a half left - he wasn't going to break 5 hours, but he'd be close. Except that he was having serious stomache issues. He had to slow down alot. I think he finished around 5:18
Finally saw the 10 mile turn-around - now only three more miles to go. You'd think that knowing there was only a 5km run left would be encouraging. That I'd be thinking really positive thoughts. That's not what happened to me. It took my full concentration just to keep my feet moving. All I wanted to do was walk. Thoughts entered my head of "you're not going to break 6 hours anyway, just walk it in.", "Nobody will know - hey, you finished, right?" With 2 miles left to go I passed John on his way out. Apparantly I didn't look as good as I thought I did.
Then my stomache started to rebel. I felt like I was fighting every part of my body. Before I knew it I was half-hunched over, retching as I stumbled along. I'm not really sure how I kept my feet moving, but I knew that if I stopped, I'd never be able to start again.
I started to have visions of rounding the final straight and seeing the clock tick by 5:59... and not be able to sprint to get under 6. Why did 6 hours suddenly mean so much to me?
12 miles done, 1.1 left. I had figured I'd need a 2:20 run time to get under 6 hours. My garmin was telling me that was going to be hard to do. My pace was down to 12 min/mile. The little changes in elevation on the path were getting harder and harder to deal with.
13 miles. Only .1 left. How long can .1 of a mile be?? A VERY long way. I could see the finish, but wasn't sure I could keep my feet moving. Then I saw the clock... 5:57..5:58... I raised my arms at the finish. Not in victory, I was a long way behind the winners. But I had done it. I had finished my first half-ironman, and I had done it in under 6 hours.
EDIT: The official results are now up, and I did NOT break 6 hours. My official time is 6:02:41. Missed it by 3 minutes.
John had convinced me that I should do a half-ironman is Sept - this was in about JUNE. I thought that would be lots of time, so I said okay and signed up for the Vikingman Triathlon, 1/2 ironman distance down in Burley, Idaho. I knew that running would be my weak point, so thought I'd try to focus on that.
Training went terribly wrong right away. I was wrestling with my sons on the front lawn when I pulled the muscles in my abdomen. It was so painful I thought I'd done something alot more serious. It was 2 weeks before I could move and 3 before I could run even a little bit. Not good.
I did the Magrath Tri (Olympic) in July - and I had a hard time staying down in the aerobars on the bike (I was only there maybe 20% of the time) and the run was extremely painful. Not a good sign.
In August I did the Olympic distance tri in Park City, Utah. Fun event, and would like to return again, but again, very difficult run.
My highest running week consisted of a total of 25 miles - 13 at once, and a couple of 6 milers. Most weeks was under 6. The only biking I had done was one long day with John in June, the tris, a day on the rollers for an hour, and a couple of other 1 hour rides. Swimming was pretty much hit and miss, too, though I did get out for a couple of open-water swims.
For the first time since I can remember, the night before the race I was actually scared. I knew I was not ready. I resigned myself to "just finishing" knowing there was a good chance I wouldn't. I had grabbed an old back brace to wear, hoping that it would help support my stomache muscles enough that I could finish. I wasn't worried about the swim - it was downriver, and I was comfortable enough in the water. The bike is where I feel really comfortable, so while I hadn't been training hard, I knew it wouldn't present any major problems. It was the run.
4am came early Sept 11. I rolled out of bed, walked around a bit, got some breakfast, and grabbed my stuff. I tried to relax and just enjoy the atmosphere a bit, and that helped. I got my transition set-up and got marked up. Then it was off to the start.
It was a cold morning - 39F to start. That wetsuit sure felt comfortable even before getting in the water! A couple of timing mat issues delayed the start for a bit, but eventually we got going. I got adjusted to the water pretty quickly. It wasn't a difficult swim - and there were lots of places where people were walking. If you stayed within 50 feet of shore the water was pretty shallow. Unfortunately, the current is pretty slow there, too. No such thing as a free lunch! I lost John and Dennis right away. They're both faster swimmers than I am, so I wasn't suprised they were gone so quickly.
As I stood up to climb out of the water, who should appear beside me but John! What a great surprise. Not so much for him, but great for me! He'd zig-zagged more than me out in the deeper water, and the difference had brought us to the swim finish at the exact same time. Climb up on the dock, and start the run to the transition area (about 200 yards away.) HOLY COW! That frost on the grass was cold on the feet! Got the top half of my wetsuit off and came upon the strippers. "Lay down" they shouted to me - and poof! My wetsuit was off. What a great experience that was!
First transition was slow. I put on an extra pair of cycling short over-top of my tri shorts - it was 56 miles! Also put on a jersey, arm warmers, and leg warmers. Not exactly a speedy transition - but faster than John's!
I knew that I was still fighting pulled stomache muscles, so I hadn't taken my TT bike, opting instead for the comfort of my Tarmac SL road bike. The only thing I did to improve aerodynamics was to wear my TT helmet and throw on a disc wheel. 3 miles in John went flying by me. I caught back up and we rode side-by-side for a little over 20 miles. We passed alot of people, and got passed by a few of the speedy ones, and a few that I guessed were doing the Olympic. Never saw Dennis on the ride. Shortly after the 24 mile mark I looked over to John and he was fighting to bring his aero extension back up. This road was ROUGH! Not as bad as the Death Valley Double had been a few years ago, but awfully close. His bars had worked loose and so he had to stop. I kept on going. I found out at the end that he also ended up with two flat tires. At the half-way mark I'd realized that I was on track for a 2:40 bike. That was 20 minutes faster than I'd figured I'd be able to do. It didn't finish that way. I managed to really slow down the second half and finished the bike in just under 3 hours. Transition #2 wasn't much faster than the first one had been. It had warmed up and I stripped off the arm and leg warmers, plus the bike shorts.
Surprisingly, I did not have the dead, painful, cramping legs that I was expecting. Had I maybe eased off enough on the bike? I didn't know, but it was a change from EVERY other triathlon I'd ever done. I wasn't exactly speedy, but I knocked out 3 miles at a sub 10 minute/mile pace. That doesn't sound like much, but it got even slower over the next 3.5 miles!
The first 5 miles of the run was out through some absolutely desolate country - or at least it seemed that way to me! It even had a stretch where we ran beside a runway at the airport. It was also the longest stretch between aid stations. I made a point of drinking at every station. Oh yeah - and the weather decided to warm up for us! Great, cold swim, hot run.
As I came into the Olympic finishing area (a VERY cruel thing to do - have a finish for the Olympics that we had to run by only half-way through...) I saw the clock - it read 4:49 - I realized that if I could knock of the next 10km or so in an hour and 10 minutes I could break 6 hours. That was something I never had even imagined, as I was fully expecting a 7 hour day. Stupid me - I kicked the pace up to a 8 minute mile. That only lasted for about half a mile and then reality kicked back in.
As I was running I was thinking how wise I'd been with my nutrition. I hadn't had any feelings of bonking. I didn't feel dehydrated. I hadn't had any cramps. I was thinking that even though I wasn't in good shape, I was doing pretty good! I saw Dennis at the 8 mile mark - he was on his way back, so only had a mile and a half left - he wasn't going to break 5 hours, but he'd be close. Except that he was having serious stomache issues. He had to slow down alot. I think he finished around 5:18
Finally saw the 10 mile turn-around - now only three more miles to go. You'd think that knowing there was only a 5km run left would be encouraging. That I'd be thinking really positive thoughts. That's not what happened to me. It took my full concentration just to keep my feet moving. All I wanted to do was walk. Thoughts entered my head of "you're not going to break 6 hours anyway, just walk it in.", "Nobody will know - hey, you finished, right?" With 2 miles left to go I passed John on his way out. Apparantly I didn't look as good as I thought I did.
Then my stomache started to rebel. I felt like I was fighting every part of my body. Before I knew it I was half-hunched over, retching as I stumbled along. I'm not really sure how I kept my feet moving, but I knew that if I stopped, I'd never be able to start again.
I started to have visions of rounding the final straight and seeing the clock tick by 5:59... and not be able to sprint to get under 6. Why did 6 hours suddenly mean so much to me?
12 miles done, 1.1 left. I had figured I'd need a 2:20 run time to get under 6 hours. My garmin was telling me that was going to be hard to do. My pace was down to 12 min/mile. The little changes in elevation on the path were getting harder and harder to deal with.
13 miles. Only .1 left. How long can .1 of a mile be?? A VERY long way. I could see the finish, but wasn't sure I could keep my feet moving. Then I saw the clock... 5:57..5:58... I raised my arms at the finish. Not in victory, I was a long way behind the winners. But I had done it. I had finished my first half-ironman, and I had done it in under 6 hours.
EDIT: The official results are now up, and I did NOT break 6 hours. My official time is 6:02:41. Missed it by 3 minutes.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tour of Utah
I really should have been posting stuff each day - but wow! What a fantastic experience this had turned out to be. I'll try and summarize and not bore you too much.
My first day there was ITT day - 14.5miles on the Larry H. Miller Speedway. I got there plenty early and watched some fast cars (and a few slower ones) zip around the track. It was open day, which meant anybody that wanted to race their car there could. I'll do another post about the fun I had touring the Larry H. Miller museum (some amazing cars!!) later.
The first team I saw coming in was the Rock Racing truck. It's pretty hard to miss! Fortunately for me, Ray, the driver, was willing to give me a peak inside the rig. A black leather sofa rests in the slide-out and a shower/bathroom at the back. The layout was comfortable, and the air conditioning cranked up!
As the BMC team van pulled up I was hanging with a couple of other photogs and noticed that a bike seemed a little askew - we ran up, waved them down, and just managed to save a bike from hitting the pavement. Soon Garmin/Slipstream and Ouch/Maxxis pulled in - and then it was everybody arriving at once.
I went down along the front side of the track, and as I was walking along almost got bowled over by a rider running for the track with his bike... it was Dave Zabriskie! I snapped a couple of quick shots as he hopped the barrier to take a warm-up lap.
The highlight of the day for me was the opportunity to be on the back of a motorcycle following Dave Zabriskie around the Time Trial course. WoW! The man is fast (and yet only managed 4th place!) I got some fantastic shots of him - again, I'll try and get those posted later.
I was able to interview a couple of the racers - and will post those as seperate posts when I get everything organized. I've got to get a couple of articles prepared and ready for our local newspaper (the reason why I got the press pass to begin with!) and then I'll also try and get some stuff ready for bikejournal.com
My first day there was ITT day - 14.5miles on the Larry H. Miller Speedway. I got there plenty early and watched some fast cars (and a few slower ones) zip around the track. It was open day, which meant anybody that wanted to race their car there could. I'll do another post about the fun I had touring the Larry H. Miller museum (some amazing cars!!) later.
The first team I saw coming in was the Rock Racing truck. It's pretty hard to miss! Fortunately for me, Ray, the driver, was willing to give me a peak inside the rig. A black leather sofa rests in the slide-out and a shower/bathroom at the back. The layout was comfortable, and the air conditioning cranked up!
As the BMC team van pulled up I was hanging with a couple of other photogs and noticed that a bike seemed a little askew - we ran up, waved them down, and just managed to save a bike from hitting the pavement. Soon Garmin/Slipstream and Ouch/Maxxis pulled in - and then it was everybody arriving at once.
I went down along the front side of the track, and as I was walking along almost got bowled over by a rider running for the track with his bike... it was Dave Zabriskie! I snapped a couple of quick shots as he hopped the barrier to take a warm-up lap.
The highlight of the day for me was the opportunity to be on the back of a motorcycle following Dave Zabriskie around the Time Trial course. WoW! The man is fast (and yet only managed 4th place!) I got some fantastic shots of him - again, I'll try and get those posted later.
I was able to interview a couple of the racers - and will post those as seperate posts when I get everything organized. I've got to get a couple of articles prepared and ready for our local newspaper (the reason why I got the press pass to begin with!) and then I'll also try and get some stuff ready for bikejournal.com
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Legacy 1/2 Marathon
This was a new experience for me, as I've never run a half marathon before. I've run the distance twice before - once was at Ricks during my first year of wrestling try-outs. They called it the "locker run" - finish 13 miles in under 2.5 hours and you get a locker. I don't remember my time, but I missed first place by not taking the short-cut at the finish. The last time I ran the distance was about a year ago when I was running 5-10km 5 times/week. I started out on a 10k run and ended up doing 28km. Wasn't fast, but boy did it hurt!
I have not been running regularly, as I've been more focused on biking. I ran 12km on Thurs and 6km on Friday - and that's the only running I'd done in 3 weeks! I really did not know what to expect, but really wanted to break 2 hours.
Paul Clarke gave me a massage on Friday, and then came up to the start early and gave me a foot massage Saturday morning. That was GREAT!
I was under the impression that the course was pretty flat - a gentle incline out, and a gentle decline back. So, I figured that we'd head from the JR. High down 5th onto the bypass, and then out to Aetna - WRONG - keep following the road out to the border!! That's not a gentle incline!!
I started off a little quick and was grateful to have my wife's Garmin on so that I could monitor my pace. Brought it back down to a 9 min/mile pace. That's what I'd need to average to break 2 hours. When I realized that we were heading straight through the intersection instead of turning to Aetna I was really wondering if I'd be able to break 2 hours, this is a hilly route!
I kept my pace, averaged exactly 9 min/ mile for the first half. HR average was 164, peaking at 176. I made the turn and kicked it up a notch. I started passing people on the hills, and then recovering a bit on the way down. I caught up to Chico, passed him on a downhill, he passed me back on the flat, then I passed him again on the next climb. Gradually continued to real people in. I averaged 8:04 min/mile for the second half to finish the race in 1:51:43! Shattered 2 hours. My average HR on the way back was 174 peaking at 188 (last half mile I sprinted trying to catch one more person before the finish, but couldn't quite do it - missed her by about 10 yards.)
It was great to see Melanie waiting for me at the finish! Total feet climbing was just shy of 1600 - I think that's a pretty hilly course! 900 on the way out, 700 on the way back.
Now to get the weight to continue to come off!
I have not been running regularly, as I've been more focused on biking. I ran 12km on Thurs and 6km on Friday - and that's the only running I'd done in 3 weeks! I really did not know what to expect, but really wanted to break 2 hours.
Paul Clarke gave me a massage on Friday, and then came up to the start early and gave me a foot massage Saturday morning. That was GREAT!
I was under the impression that the course was pretty flat - a gentle incline out, and a gentle decline back. So, I figured that we'd head from the JR. High down 5th onto the bypass, and then out to Aetna - WRONG - keep following the road out to the border!! That's not a gentle incline!!
I started off a little quick and was grateful to have my wife's Garmin on so that I could monitor my pace. Brought it back down to a 9 min/mile pace. That's what I'd need to average to break 2 hours. When I realized that we were heading straight through the intersection instead of turning to Aetna I was really wondering if I'd be able to break 2 hours, this is a hilly route!
I kept my pace, averaged exactly 9 min/ mile for the first half. HR average was 164, peaking at 176. I made the turn and kicked it up a notch. I started passing people on the hills, and then recovering a bit on the way down. I caught up to Chico, passed him on a downhill, he passed me back on the flat, then I passed him again on the next climb. Gradually continued to real people in. I averaged 8:04 min/mile for the second half to finish the race in 1:51:43! Shattered 2 hours. My average HR on the way back was 174 peaking at 188 (last half mile I sprinted trying to catch one more person before the finish, but couldn't quite do it - missed her by about 10 yards.)
It was great to see Melanie waiting for me at the finish! Total feet climbing was just shy of 1600 - I think that's a pretty hilly course! 900 on the way out, 700 on the way back.
Now to get the weight to continue to come off!
Racing in Saskatoon
First chance I've had to post this here, so sorry for the delay.
Bikes On Broadway, Saskatoon Saskatchewan. 3 stages, ITT, RR, Crit. 8 hours of driving to get there.
Stage one ITT
I didn't get a chance to do more than just drive the course before hand, so I didn't really know what the course had in store. It looked pretty flat. John and I got there with plenty of time for a good warm up. The course was a point to point course, on closed - to partially closed roads (no having to watch for cars - YEAAH!) Short - only 8.2km. Only one real turn, and that was just 1km into the race - what APPEARED in the car to be a sweeping right-hand. My target it to break 12 minutes, as that has won this in years past.
I had a bit of a rough start - too tall of a gear, but I quickly got on top of it and then laid out on the bars and went hard. Before I knew it the Right hand turn was coming - I had figured I'd be able to just lean it and stay in the aero-bars, but as I drew close to the approach I realized that this was alot tighter corner at speed than I had planned on. I barely made the corner. 2km in I caught my 30 second man. 5km in I caught my 1 minute man. Ahead I could see my 90 second and 2 minute man. I hammered hard to try and catch them. (nothing better than a rabbit to chase!) I missed catching them at the line by about 20meters,
Results: 8.2km Time 11:39, Aver HR 175, Max HR 179. Turned out to be good enough for 2nd place - just missing first by 2 seconds.
Stage 2 RR
I got NO sleep. Didn't fall asleep until 2am, and then got up every hour on the hour until time to get up at 7:30am A little over an hours drive to get to the course. This course will be 60km, an out-and-back. On the drive out it looked like it was pretty hilly, not long, not steep, but lots of them. Should prove interesting.
The race didn't start good for me - 10 seconds before the beginning of the neutral start, I realize that my front tire is going flat. I drop back to the wheel car, change, and was able to get back on before the neutral zone ended. Sheesh! Unfortunately, that now put me at the back of the pack, not where I wanted to be.
I worked my way up, and finally got up to the front 5-6. Slooooow. Suddenly an attack goes off from the outside. nobody responds. That surprises me. Usually in Alberta it's impossible for an attack to get away cause nobody will let 'em go. I quickly learn why - after opening a gap of 50-60meters, the rider sits up. This pattern soon emerges - young guys go hard for 20 seconds - if a couple of guys go with him NOBODY pulls through, and they sit up and no chasing has to be done. The funniest one was the guy who attacked with a tailwind on a downhill. Before he sat up the peleton had swallowed him up just coasting!
The turn-around was pretty dicey - narrow, packed in tight. I almost had to unclip. Oh well. The turnaround was SUPPOSED to be neutral 50 yards either side - yeah right. However, the previous pattern re-asserted itself and within 1km we were all back together again. Things started to get a little dicey as some of the weaker riders got tired, but not tired enough to get dropped. I went to the front and decided to do a little pacemaking to see if we could spit a few off the back and make it safer for everybody.
Up front I go - nice little headwind to fight, but I'm feeling pretty good. I pull hard for a couple of minutes and ramp the speed up to 40km/hr. I flick my elbow to signal I'm done - nobody comes through. I flick again, nothing. I turn-around and nod my head - nothing.
Enough of this, I think, I'm not doing all this if nobody else is gonna come up here. So I slow down. Nobody comes around. I slow down some more. Still nothing. Fine, I'll really slow down and move to the far right of the road (wind is coming from the left, so I'm eliminating any draft.) Nothing. Johnny is sitting about 10 wheels back just laughing his head off. He could see what I was trying to do, and as I had moved to the left, the line just snaked around behind me and nobody moved. I slowed down to 21km/hr and still nobody would come around. I did the "move to the left" move twice and the same thing happened both times. Finally someone came around. I was ready to stop and see if everybody would unclip or what! Come on guys, this is supposed to be a race!
With 5km to people finally start to pick the pace up. I'm in the top 3, but feeling like I'd like to drop back a spot or two - the 3 guys I'm watching are all behind me, and I hate having to play swivel neck to see when they're going. Speeds finally get up to the 45km/hr + range and people start getting spit out the back. Sheesh! Why wouldn't anybody do this earlier??!!
At 1.5km to go the guy who beat me in the TT goes. He opens a huge gap by coming around the inside - right as I rode into a box. First thought that goes through my head is "hey, nice move, if you can hold that, it's a winner!" Oh, BTW, the guy who came up and boxed me? Mr. one-leg. Yup, that's right, this guys got one leg and he is HAMMERING!
Two guys go off my left to answer the attack - teamates, and they're working together. I try to grab their wheel but just miss it. We've got the first attacker - last 90 degree corner coming up and then it's a straight shot for 300m to the finish. I start to turn and have got the wheel I want for the sprint - I could get this one! Suddenly Mr. One Leg flashes through on my inside and pushes me outside - off the wheel I want and I have to break to stay inside the yellow - scrubbing even a little bit of speed kills my sprint. I manage to sprint for 5th, but because it's a sprint finish the only thing I lose is the bonus time for top 3 - and they are all far enough back that I'm still 2nd over-all.
Stage 3 Crit
Another sleepless night. The crit is over some pretty ugly pavement. My first crit of the year, and I really haven't had a chance to get my crit bike outside. I did a quick tune-up after the RR, but...
The crit is pretty short, just 25min +3
Got a decent warm-up in, but my legs don't seem to be feeling too snappy.
Off we go. There will be 2 primes - one for a 5 second bonus, and one for coffee.
I didn't have a great starting position, but quickly moved up into the top 6. #179, winner of ITT and currently in 1st GC takes a flyer early and I end up being the one to chase him down. I do, then I sit up. Another attack goes off the front, and I wait. Finally someone else chases it down. This goes on and on, but I'm having the most fun I've ever had in a crit! This is the first time I'm animating. I attack, I counter-attack, I chase. Sure, my legs don't seem to have alot of snap, but they're good enough so far!
The course is 2 blocks long by one block wide - the two stretches of one block have broken pavement and potholes everywhere. Picking your line in the corners is extremely important. We're taking these corners way faster than I'd have guessed we could. Diving in, hammering out. It's really FUN!
First Prime bell - 5 second bonus. I lock on to #179, no way I'm letting him get that one. Second last corner before the line and #175 comes flying around me - I let him go.... he keeps going and makes a concerted attack. Oh no! I want that 5 seconds. We turn the corner and head for the line. I lunge... NOT ENOUGH! #175 gets it, and drops back. I follow him back.
The coffee prime comes up, and nobody goes hard for it, though we do push the pace enough to split things up a bit.
Just a few more minutes left to go and I'm starting to plan how I can finally add a victory to my palmares. I know I've gotta get some recovery in, so I slip into 3 wheel and sit. Finally, 3 laps to go.
I'm second wheel, and don't want to be there. So I ease up a bit and force 2more to come around me - there's 6 of us. 2 laps. We're keeping the pressure up, and I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna be able to pull this off, my HR is way down and I'm feeling good. Last lap.
We take the first corner fast and tight - sprint into the second one - everything is playing out nicely. Coming into the 3rd corner I'm getting ready to make my move and I hit a pothole I hadn't seen - I hit it so hard that my handlebars turn forward on me - I'm sure I'm going over the handlebars and ease up on the pedals (though I don't grap the breaks - probably because they're turned so far forward that I couldn't possibly reach them. But, it's enough to open a 10 foot gap to the #5 guy coming into the 4th corner. I sprint hard, but carefully and manage to nip him at the line for 5th. The dirty rotten #175 that got the 5 second prime also got the win and picked up another 15 seconds - enough for him to win and push me down to 3rd on GC. So, it's my first podium finish for cat 5.
Bikes On Broadway, Saskatoon Saskatchewan. 3 stages, ITT, RR, Crit. 8 hours of driving to get there.
Stage one ITT
I didn't get a chance to do more than just drive the course before hand, so I didn't really know what the course had in store. It looked pretty flat. John and I got there with plenty of time for a good warm up. The course was a point to point course, on closed - to partially closed roads (no having to watch for cars - YEAAH!) Short - only 8.2km. Only one real turn, and that was just 1km into the race - what APPEARED in the car to be a sweeping right-hand. My target it to break 12 minutes, as that has won this in years past.
I had a bit of a rough start - too tall of a gear, but I quickly got on top of it and then laid out on the bars and went hard. Before I knew it the Right hand turn was coming - I had figured I'd be able to just lean it and stay in the aero-bars, but as I drew close to the approach I realized that this was alot tighter corner at speed than I had planned on. I barely made the corner. 2km in I caught my 30 second man. 5km in I caught my 1 minute man. Ahead I could see my 90 second and 2 minute man. I hammered hard to try and catch them. (nothing better than a rabbit to chase!) I missed catching them at the line by about 20meters,
Results: 8.2km Time 11:39, Aver HR 175, Max HR 179. Turned out to be good enough for 2nd place - just missing first by 2 seconds.
Stage 2 RR
I got NO sleep. Didn't fall asleep until 2am, and then got up every hour on the hour until time to get up at 7:30am A little over an hours drive to get to the course. This course will be 60km, an out-and-back. On the drive out it looked like it was pretty hilly, not long, not steep, but lots of them. Should prove interesting.
The race didn't start good for me - 10 seconds before the beginning of the neutral start, I realize that my front tire is going flat. I drop back to the wheel car, change, and was able to get back on before the neutral zone ended. Sheesh! Unfortunately, that now put me at the back of the pack, not where I wanted to be.
I worked my way up, and finally got up to the front 5-6. Slooooow. Suddenly an attack goes off from the outside. nobody responds. That surprises me. Usually in Alberta it's impossible for an attack to get away cause nobody will let 'em go. I quickly learn why - after opening a gap of 50-60meters, the rider sits up. This pattern soon emerges - young guys go hard for 20 seconds - if a couple of guys go with him NOBODY pulls through, and they sit up and no chasing has to be done. The funniest one was the guy who attacked with a tailwind on a downhill. Before he sat up the peleton had swallowed him up just coasting!
The turn-around was pretty dicey - narrow, packed in tight. I almost had to unclip. Oh well. The turnaround was SUPPOSED to be neutral 50 yards either side - yeah right. However, the previous pattern re-asserted itself and within 1km we were all back together again. Things started to get a little dicey as some of the weaker riders got tired, but not tired enough to get dropped. I went to the front and decided to do a little pacemaking to see if we could spit a few off the back and make it safer for everybody.
Up front I go - nice little headwind to fight, but I'm feeling pretty good. I pull hard for a couple of minutes and ramp the speed up to 40km/hr. I flick my elbow to signal I'm done - nobody comes through. I flick again, nothing. I turn-around and nod my head - nothing.
Enough of this, I think, I'm not doing all this if nobody else is gonna come up here. So I slow down. Nobody comes around. I slow down some more. Still nothing. Fine, I'll really slow down and move to the far right of the road (wind is coming from the left, so I'm eliminating any draft.) Nothing. Johnny is sitting about 10 wheels back just laughing his head off. He could see what I was trying to do, and as I had moved to the left, the line just snaked around behind me and nobody moved. I slowed down to 21km/hr and still nobody would come around. I did the "move to the left" move twice and the same thing happened both times. Finally someone came around. I was ready to stop and see if everybody would unclip or what! Come on guys, this is supposed to be a race!
With 5km to people finally start to pick the pace up. I'm in the top 3, but feeling like I'd like to drop back a spot or two - the 3 guys I'm watching are all behind me, and I hate having to play swivel neck to see when they're going. Speeds finally get up to the 45km/hr + range and people start getting spit out the back. Sheesh! Why wouldn't anybody do this earlier??!!
At 1.5km to go the guy who beat me in the TT goes. He opens a huge gap by coming around the inside - right as I rode into a box. First thought that goes through my head is "hey, nice move, if you can hold that, it's a winner!" Oh, BTW, the guy who came up and boxed me? Mr. one-leg. Yup, that's right, this guys got one leg and he is HAMMERING!
Two guys go off my left to answer the attack - teamates, and they're working together. I try to grab their wheel but just miss it. We've got the first attacker - last 90 degree corner coming up and then it's a straight shot for 300m to the finish. I start to turn and have got the wheel I want for the sprint - I could get this one! Suddenly Mr. One Leg flashes through on my inside and pushes me outside - off the wheel I want and I have to break to stay inside the yellow - scrubbing even a little bit of speed kills my sprint. I manage to sprint for 5th, but because it's a sprint finish the only thing I lose is the bonus time for top 3 - and they are all far enough back that I'm still 2nd over-all.
Stage 3 Crit
Another sleepless night. The crit is over some pretty ugly pavement. My first crit of the year, and I really haven't had a chance to get my crit bike outside. I did a quick tune-up after the RR, but...
The crit is pretty short, just 25min +3
Got a decent warm-up in, but my legs don't seem to be feeling too snappy.
Off we go. There will be 2 primes - one for a 5 second bonus, and one for coffee.
I didn't have a great starting position, but quickly moved up into the top 6. #179, winner of ITT and currently in 1st GC takes a flyer early and I end up being the one to chase him down. I do, then I sit up. Another attack goes off the front, and I wait. Finally someone else chases it down. This goes on and on, but I'm having the most fun I've ever had in a crit! This is the first time I'm animating. I attack, I counter-attack, I chase. Sure, my legs don't seem to have alot of snap, but they're good enough so far!
The course is 2 blocks long by one block wide - the two stretches of one block have broken pavement and potholes everywhere. Picking your line in the corners is extremely important. We're taking these corners way faster than I'd have guessed we could. Diving in, hammering out. It's really FUN!
First Prime bell - 5 second bonus. I lock on to #179, no way I'm letting him get that one. Second last corner before the line and #175 comes flying around me - I let him go.... he keeps going and makes a concerted attack. Oh no! I want that 5 seconds. We turn the corner and head for the line. I lunge... NOT ENOUGH! #175 gets it, and drops back. I follow him back.
The coffee prime comes up, and nobody goes hard for it, though we do push the pace enough to split things up a bit.
Just a few more minutes left to go and I'm starting to plan how I can finally add a victory to my palmares. I know I've gotta get some recovery in, so I slip into 3 wheel and sit. Finally, 3 laps to go.
I'm second wheel, and don't want to be there. So I ease up a bit and force 2more to come around me - there's 6 of us. 2 laps. We're keeping the pressure up, and I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna be able to pull this off, my HR is way down and I'm feeling good. Last lap.
We take the first corner fast and tight - sprint into the second one - everything is playing out nicely. Coming into the 3rd corner I'm getting ready to make my move and I hit a pothole I hadn't seen - I hit it so hard that my handlebars turn forward on me - I'm sure I'm going over the handlebars and ease up on the pedals (though I don't grap the breaks - probably because they're turned so far forward that I couldn't possibly reach them. But, it's enough to open a 10 foot gap to the #5 guy coming into the 4th corner. I sprint hard, but carefully and manage to nip him at the line for 5th. The dirty rotten #175 that got the 5 second prime also got the win and picked up another 15 seconds - enough for him to win and push me down to 3rd on GC. So, it's my first podium finish for cat 5.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Catching Up & Tailwinds
Wow, been a couple of weeks since my last post.
Roy - your Canadian buddies are doing pretty good! Johnny & I went for a great tailwinds ride yesterday - more on that later.
This last week was tough weight-wise. At weigh in time I was up 1 pound. I suspect that it was a water-issue, as it was about an hour after our tailwinds ride ended, and I'd been rehydrating and replenishing. It was also 7pm instead of 7am for weigh-in. So, I'm not going to get too uptight from it. It does have me on alert, though.
On to the fun stuff - yesterday was Johnny's birthday, so the two of us headed out for a tailwinds century. The wind started out pretty tame, but built up to about a 45km/hr blow - unfortunately, it was from the northwest, so there was never a full-on tailwind. Our route was basically East, then south, so we tried to keep the wind at our back as much as possible. John's wife, Sheri, was our chaffeur for the trip.
We chatted, we hammered, we spun and basically had a fantastic time. Our finishing time was 3:52:50 with an average speed of 41.9km/hr. Not my fastest century, but the fastest and farthest I've gone in awhile! Really felt good to push the legs for a little longer time. The legs have recovered nicely, no stiffness or anything like that. I did notice a bit of neck pain and lower back discomfort at the end of the ride. Just goes to show again that I'm in bad need of strengthening the core more.
My bike performed well - not seat post issues and everything seems to be tuned pretty good. I'm interested in getting a power-fit at some point to see if there's some tweaking that can be done to improve my power output. I'm also really needing a new set of wheels. While my Rovals are really aero and fast, they're also very spongy. I need something stiffer. I'd also really like to try out some tubeless, but there's not alot of used ones out there and new ones are over $1,000 USD. (The ones I'd want are $1400 USD)
I was really impressed this last week with Bicycling magazine. I'd all but given up on it, as it seemed like such a "nothing in there" rag. They've really upped their game and I might even consider a subscription now. Great articles. The most recent one I liked dealt with diet - and had an interesting blip in there from Joe Friel. He got me thinking and I've since started to do some more research on the whole idea of blood acidity levels. You can find the basics of his thoughts at Big surprise - it largely boils down to more fruits and veggies, and less grains and stuff.
With that, I've also been looking at his training plans. I'm going to take a look and see what kind of coaching he's doing, and costs, etc. as well. I know I'll have to add a power meter of some kind to my training if I use him, as he requires that of all his athletes. Ideally, it looks like a Garmin 705 with a Powertap is the way to go. Don't know if I'll be able to afford that for awhile.
Anyway, I will continue with the weight loss struggle. I'm hoping to make a big break-through this week as I increase the intensity of my rides, and increase the distance of some of my runs.
Roy - your Canadian buddies are doing pretty good! Johnny & I went for a great tailwinds ride yesterday - more on that later.
This last week was tough weight-wise. At weigh in time I was up 1 pound. I suspect that it was a water-issue, as it was about an hour after our tailwinds ride ended, and I'd been rehydrating and replenishing. It was also 7pm instead of 7am for weigh-in. So, I'm not going to get too uptight from it. It does have me on alert, though.
On to the fun stuff - yesterday was Johnny's birthday, so the two of us headed out for a tailwinds century. The wind started out pretty tame, but built up to about a 45km/hr blow - unfortunately, it was from the northwest, so there was never a full-on tailwind. Our route was basically East, then south, so we tried to keep the wind at our back as much as possible. John's wife, Sheri, was our chaffeur for the trip.
We chatted, we hammered, we spun and basically had a fantastic time. Our finishing time was 3:52:50 with an average speed of 41.9km/hr. Not my fastest century, but the fastest and farthest I've gone in awhile! Really felt good to push the legs for a little longer time. The legs have recovered nicely, no stiffness or anything like that. I did notice a bit of neck pain and lower back discomfort at the end of the ride. Just goes to show again that I'm in bad need of strengthening the core more.
My bike performed well - not seat post issues and everything seems to be tuned pretty good. I'm interested in getting a power-fit at some point to see if there's some tweaking that can be done to improve my power output. I'm also really needing a new set of wheels. While my Rovals are really aero and fast, they're also very spongy. I need something stiffer. I'd also really like to try out some tubeless, but there's not alot of used ones out there and new ones are over $1,000 USD. (The ones I'd want are $1400 USD)
I was really impressed this last week with Bicycling magazine. I'd all but given up on it, as it seemed like such a "nothing in there" rag. They've really upped their game and I might even consider a subscription now. Great articles. The most recent one I liked dealt with diet - and had an interesting blip in there from Joe Friel. He got me thinking and I've since started to do some more research on the whole idea of blood acidity levels. You can find the basics of his thoughts at Big surprise - it largely boils down to more fruits and veggies, and less grains and stuff.
With that, I've also been looking at his training plans. I'm going to take a look and see what kind of coaching he's doing, and costs, etc. as well. I know I'll have to add a power meter of some kind to my training if I use him, as he requires that of all his athletes. Ideally, it looks like a Garmin 705 with a Powertap is the way to go. Don't know if I'll be able to afford that for awhile.
Anyway, I will continue with the weight loss struggle. I'm hoping to make a big break-through this week as I increase the intensity of my rides, and increase the distance of some of my runs.
Friday, April 03, 2009
More snow
Still doing all of my riding indoors on the computrainer - haven't been outside on the bike since March 22. YUCK! Snowed again last night. I'm really looking forward to being able to get outside again. In the meantime, I'm working hard.
I've found that running is really doing alot to help take the weight off, and I may change up my work-out schedule a little more next week to add more running (I've been trying to run 3x/week.) Longest run to date was this last Tuesday - I did 15km in 1:24. Even at that pace I won't be able to break 2 hours for a half marathon. However, the good news is I wasn't pushing it particularly hard, as my HR hovered right around the 152 mark. I'm sure as the weight continues to come off that my aver HR will continue to drop for that time. I do need to start doing more running intervals to get my comfortable pace up a little higher. 2 months until the 1/2 marathon, so still lots of time.
My watts/kg has definitely started improving on the bike. On 25 Feb it was at 2.6 - I'm currently at 2.98 That's a combination of raising my average wattage output from 231 to 245, and lowering my weight to 81.6kg. I'm still on track to hit my weight goal of 150lbs by Magrath triathlon, but I'm concerned about how the weight loss is going to come from the 160lb and on mark.
While I've been consistently losing 2 pnds / week, sometimes a little more - it hasn't been as easy as I expected it to be. I'm really having to focus and concentrate on it. That last 10 pnds is gonna be HARD!! But, for now I'll continue to mark off 2 pounds /week and try and get a pound ahead here and there. (I'm a little ahead of schedule right now.)
I've found that running is really doing alot to help take the weight off, and I may change up my work-out schedule a little more next week to add more running (I've been trying to run 3x/week.) Longest run to date was this last Tuesday - I did 15km in 1:24. Even at that pace I won't be able to break 2 hours for a half marathon. However, the good news is I wasn't pushing it particularly hard, as my HR hovered right around the 152 mark. I'm sure as the weight continues to come off that my aver HR will continue to drop for that time. I do need to start doing more running intervals to get my comfortable pace up a little higher. 2 months until the 1/2 marathon, so still lots of time.
My watts/kg has definitely started improving on the bike. On 25 Feb it was at 2.6 - I'm currently at 2.98 That's a combination of raising my average wattage output from 231 to 245, and lowering my weight to 81.6kg. I'm still on track to hit my weight goal of 150lbs by Magrath triathlon, but I'm concerned about how the weight loss is going to come from the 160lb and on mark.
While I've been consistently losing 2 pnds / week, sometimes a little more - it hasn't been as easy as I expected it to be. I'm really having to focus and concentrate on it. That last 10 pnds is gonna be HARD!! But, for now I'll continue to mark off 2 pounds /week and try and get a pound ahead here and there. (I'm a little ahead of schedule right now.)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
OUTSIDE!
Went for the first outdoor ride around here yesterday. It was BEAUTIFUL! 52km of sunshine and low winds. (Headwinds all the way, but only at 10km/hr, I could pretend that it wasn't there.) The temp was around 10C. This morning there's a fresh 3 or 4 inches of snow on the ground. YUCK! It'll be another week before I'm able to get back outside for a ride!
I also did a little run - only 3km - just to make sure that I got some running time in. Weight loss did not do so well this last week. My body must be making some changes or something, 'cause my min goal was 184, and I only hit 184.36 - so we'll see what happens this next week. Hopefully it's a better week!
Today is the dreaded Sunday lag - so I'm going to be extra diligent on my eating today and hope that I can break this poor eating pattern.
I also did a little run - only 3km - just to make sure that I got some running time in. Weight loss did not do so well this last week. My body must be making some changes or something, 'cause my min goal was 184, and I only hit 184.36 - so we'll see what happens this next week. Hopefully it's a better week!
Today is the dreaded Sunday lag - so I'm going to be extra diligent on my eating today and hope that I can break this poor eating pattern.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Weekend troubles
The weekend continues to give me troubles. Not as bad this time, but my eating on Sunday was really bad. I followed it up with a not-great Monday. I did, however, get some swimming time in on Monday, and I really enjoyed drowning - I mean, swimming again! My weightt is up from Saturdays, but still coming down over-all. If I can just get rid of the Sunday "jump" I think I could have a really big weight loss week!
My family has been selected to participate in a study regarding the activity of Canadians. As part of that, they sent us pedometers for each of the kids. We've been doing it for 3 days now (we do it for one week.) Some of the patterns I've already seen developing from this have been very interesting.
We all know that kids seem to have an easier time eating tons of food that's not great for them, but not putting weight on. (I've got twin boys that can pound back a gallon of ice cream and not put a single pound on.) - well, the pedometer is answering some of those questions already. My kids, so far, on an average day, without any "excercise" are taking 2, 3, and sometimes 4 times as many steps every day than I do. Add that up over a year and you're talking about a significant difference in activity levels. When the week is done I'll post the day by day numbers and you can see what I mean. The numbers do include excercise time, so when you see my numbers catch up to the kids, it's from going on a 10k run or something.
I'm seriously thinking of continuing this study for my family - the kids all seem to be getting a kick out of it, and the patterns that this information is already beginning to show could be life-changing.
We've gotta get out of our cars people! We live in a small town, we need to slow down and WALK a few more places rather than drive everywhere.
There's a lady that lives just around the corner from me that has lost aLOT of weight - and she's done it with a two-pronged attack. Of course, she's watching what she's eating, but she's WALKED everywhere. I rarely see her driving. I thought it was all a bunch of, well, you know. But, I now realize that something as simple as WALKING can make a very significant difference.
I'm not saying we need to never drive again - but we sure drive alot more than we need to. I'm going to talk to my family some more about this, but I really think we can cut back on the gas-bill, save some repairs to the vehicles, and get a little healthier while we're at it.
My family has been selected to participate in a study regarding the activity of Canadians. As part of that, they sent us pedometers for each of the kids. We've been doing it for 3 days now (we do it for one week.) Some of the patterns I've already seen developing from this have been very interesting.
We all know that kids seem to have an easier time eating tons of food that's not great for them, but not putting weight on. (I've got twin boys that can pound back a gallon of ice cream and not put a single pound on.) - well, the pedometer is answering some of those questions already. My kids, so far, on an average day, without any "excercise" are taking 2, 3, and sometimes 4 times as many steps every day than I do. Add that up over a year and you're talking about a significant difference in activity levels. When the week is done I'll post the day by day numbers and you can see what I mean. The numbers do include excercise time, so when you see my numbers catch up to the kids, it's from going on a 10k run or something.
I'm seriously thinking of continuing this study for my family - the kids all seem to be getting a kick out of it, and the patterns that this information is already beginning to show could be life-changing.
We've gotta get out of our cars people! We live in a small town, we need to slow down and WALK a few more places rather than drive everywhere.
There's a lady that lives just around the corner from me that has lost aLOT of weight - and she's done it with a two-pronged attack. Of course, she's watching what she's eating, but she's WALKED everywhere. I rarely see her driving. I thought it was all a bunch of, well, you know. But, I now realize that something as simple as WALKING can make a very significant difference.
I'm not saying we need to never drive again - but we sure drive alot more than we need to. I'm going to talk to my family some more about this, but I really think we can cut back on the gas-bill, save some repairs to the vehicles, and get a little healthier while we're at it.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Humbled
My little girl helped put things into perspective for me this week. In her school class her teacher has her write in a journal. Every month or two she sends all the journals home for the parents to read. One day, this was her entry:
"I like my parents because they help me. My mom is cool. My dad is old."
Keisha is always good for a laugh or two. Like today she had a friend over to play. We generally try to keep them pretty active when the kids have friends over, so when it was discovered that they were in the basement watching TV my wife went down to see if she could get them to do something a little more active.
"But we're playing!" Keisha cried.
Just exactly what were they playing?
"We're playing that we're supermodels - but we're just lazy supermodels so all we do is sit around and watch tv."
On to my work-outs - it's been tough. Wed I missed my bike time, as I had a full day of work/travel. (Which also made eating tough.) Today I was supposed to do a T-max interval and then some easy spinning, but my legs were tired, so I bagged the T-max and just did some high-cadence spinning for an hour.
Tomorrow I'm going to do a 10km run BEFORE I do any biking just to get a baseline of what kind of a 10k time I can turn in. That'll be somewhere around an hour of running, and then I'll spend two hours on the bike. Gonna be a hard day. I'm HOPING that after the run it'll be warm enough outside to be able to get outside for the bike! (snow is melted off the highways, so if it's not too cold it could be fun.)
"I like my parents because they help me. My mom is cool. My dad is old."
Keisha is always good for a laugh or two. Like today she had a friend over to play. We generally try to keep them pretty active when the kids have friends over, so when it was discovered that they were in the basement watching TV my wife went down to see if she could get them to do something a little more active.
"But we're playing!" Keisha cried.
Just exactly what were they playing?
"We're playing that we're supermodels - but we're just lazy supermodels so all we do is sit around and watch tv."
On to my work-outs - it's been tough. Wed I missed my bike time, as I had a full day of work/travel. (Which also made eating tough.) Today I was supposed to do a T-max interval and then some easy spinning, but my legs were tired, so I bagged the T-max and just did some high-cadence spinning for an hour.
Tomorrow I'm going to do a 10km run BEFORE I do any biking just to get a baseline of what kind of a 10k time I can turn in. That'll be somewhere around an hour of running, and then I'll spend two hours on the bike. Gonna be a hard day. I'm HOPING that after the run it'll be warm enough outside to be able to get outside for the bike! (snow is melted off the highways, so if it's not too cold it could be fun.)
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Saturday
My eating program continues to stay more or less on track. Yesterday was a bit of a step out - we went to the Rotary Dine and Dance last night, so it was a roast beef dinner. I thought I did pretty good by limiting my beef to just one slice and potatoes to just two spoonfuls. The rest was all salad and veggies. I splurged and allowed myself some of the ice cream with strawberries. My big weakness came latter in the evening while waiting for my kids to get home. I ended up eating a sandwhich and a couple of mugs of Hot Chocolate. Definitely not over-the-top like I would've done before, but not exactly "on program."
Today was my "long slow" day. So, I did a couple of hours on the computrainer - ended up a little over 67 km - and then went to the gymn and did an hour at a slow 5.5 pace. Good thing. It's been awhile since I've run much, and my knees were feeling a little sore. I may have to make sure and limit some of the running intervals for the first week or so and get some more running base miles in. Then I did some core excercises (amazing how little time those take!) and I'm done for the day. Just need to do some more stretching this afternoon.
The weight continues to come off right now. It's exciting to see it falling. I'm getting more and more optimistic that by May my weight will be down to a range that will make me competitive on the bike.
Today was my "long slow" day. So, I did a couple of hours on the computrainer - ended up a little over 67 km - and then went to the gymn and did an hour at a slow 5.5 pace. Good thing. It's been awhile since I've run much, and my knees were feeling a little sore. I may have to make sure and limit some of the running intervals for the first week or so and get some more running base miles in. Then I did some core excercises (amazing how little time those take!) and I'm done for the day. Just need to do some more stretching this afternoon.
The weight continues to come off right now. It's exciting to see it falling. I'm getting more and more optimistic that by May my weight will be down to a range that will make me competitive on the bike.
Friday, March 06, 2009
To The Pain!
I hurt. I hurt all over, but especially my legs.
Yesterday I did a nice recovery ride. Kept my HR down and just spun along. I didn't let myself get sucked into a race against the computer guy - I just drafted him and kept my HR under 135.
Then, last night, I met with Corey - a local personal trainer. He got me set up on a workout routine that would help me deal with a big weakness of mine - my core and upper-body.
This morning I did my first work-out. Ran for 1 mile (warm-up) - then did the work-out Corey gave me. That took about 40 minutes - parts of it I simply wasn't able to complete 'cause I'm just not strong enough yet. Then I did a 1 mile cool-down run. Head for home.
Jump on the bike and did 4 T-max intervals. The last 2 of those were pretty sloppy. I couldn't do all 6. My calves were cramping a bit, and I was just plain TIRED!
Tomorrow is a "long, slow" day. I'll probably do 90 minutes on the bike and then maybe another hour running. Will make sure not to push it hard, but I think that running will really help get the weight off.
Eating has been good - I was surprised yesterday. Got to the end of the day and still had another carb and a half to eat, but had no appetite to eat anymore. Weight has started to come off again - hopefully this week will fire that up and help me stay on track for my weight loss goals (right now I'm about 1/2 pound ahead of my goals.)
I'll probably go for a light spin again later this afternoon just to loosen the legs up a little. Won't be a very long one, that's for sure!
Yesterday I did a nice recovery ride. Kept my HR down and just spun along. I didn't let myself get sucked into a race against the computer guy - I just drafted him and kept my HR under 135.
Then, last night, I met with Corey - a local personal trainer. He got me set up on a workout routine that would help me deal with a big weakness of mine - my core and upper-body.
This morning I did my first work-out. Ran for 1 mile (warm-up) - then did the work-out Corey gave me. That took about 40 minutes - parts of it I simply wasn't able to complete 'cause I'm just not strong enough yet. Then I did a 1 mile cool-down run. Head for home.
Jump on the bike and did 4 T-max intervals. The last 2 of those were pretty sloppy. I couldn't do all 6. My calves were cramping a bit, and I was just plain TIRED!
Tomorrow is a "long, slow" day. I'll probably do 90 minutes on the bike and then maybe another hour running. Will make sure not to push it hard, but I think that running will really help get the weight off.
Eating has been good - I was surprised yesterday. Got to the end of the day and still had another carb and a half to eat, but had no appetite to eat anymore. Weight has started to come off again - hopefully this week will fire that up and help me stay on track for my weight loss goals (right now I'm about 1/2 pound ahead of my goals.)
I'll probably go for a light spin again later this afternoon just to loosen the legs up a little. Won't be a very long one, that's for sure!
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Stick to the plan?
Today was supposed to be a recovery ride. So, to keep my competitive juices from pushing me harder than I'm supposed to, I set the little computer guy to 150 watts. I figured that'd keep my HR nice and low. And it worked - for awhile.
Okay, I'll admit it. I got bored. I was spinning along nicely at 130-150 watts and listening to last night's American Idol. (my way of not really wasting time watching it - I'm working out!) Maybe it was the American Idol. I don't know, but I was feeling a little bored so I decided to do a little sprint. Nothing really tough, just see how quickly I could open a gap on my 150 watt pace friend.
I didn't pound it hard - in fact I only put out about 325 watts for that 10 or 15 seconds (I was watching my HR a little, you know.) But suddenly there was this gap of 30 lengths. And my legs still weren't really warmed up, so I didn't want to push it hard, but it was so boring just spinning! So I kicked the pace up a little.
When I'm time trialing I tend to do some "mental math" games in my head - if I can hold this speed for 10 more minutes, how much will that shave off my over-all time? Stuff like that. I started doing that. Before I knew it I was holding 300 watts for 2 or 3 minutes intervals, and then only letting it drop to 225 or so for recovery. The gap started to widen on my 150watt man.
Then I said to myself, "self, what's the biggest gap you've ever had on watt-man?" Realizing that number was only about 1km - mostly 'cause I don't usually give myself such an easy target of 150 watts, but that didn't matter this morning. I decided to CRUSH 150watt man!
I laid it down. 30 minutes into the ride I realized that my legs really were a little tired from yesterday's effort, and I really could have used a recovery ride today - but it was too late. I was gonna crush 150watt-man.
2km, 3km, 2.88 (Even 150 watts is fast when going down 5.6% grades while I'm climbing 3.6% grades!), 3km, 4km, 5km... yup. 5km is what I beat him by! I ended up averaging 209 watts. No, not a monstrous number - but I also kept my Aver HR under 158 - though at the end I did hit 178 while generating 429 watts in my sprint for the line. (Hey, who knows, maybe somebody picks him up and gives him a ride to the line sprint?! Always go hard for line sprints!!)
On a completely unrelated note - I've begun to put together a list of people in the area who would be interested in riding so that we can get some group rides together. Should be a fun year on the bike!
On a sadder note - no weight loss today. I'm thinking I must be eating stuff that I'm not calculating, so I've gone back to a notebook and will record everything I eat - and when. This weight MUST leave this year!
Okay, I'll admit it. I got bored. I was spinning along nicely at 130-150 watts and listening to last night's American Idol. (my way of not really wasting time watching it - I'm working out!) Maybe it was the American Idol. I don't know, but I was feeling a little bored so I decided to do a little sprint. Nothing really tough, just see how quickly I could open a gap on my 150 watt pace friend.
I didn't pound it hard - in fact I only put out about 325 watts for that 10 or 15 seconds (I was watching my HR a little, you know.) But suddenly there was this gap of 30 lengths. And my legs still weren't really warmed up, so I didn't want to push it hard, but it was so boring just spinning! So I kicked the pace up a little.
When I'm time trialing I tend to do some "mental math" games in my head - if I can hold this speed for 10 more minutes, how much will that shave off my over-all time? Stuff like that. I started doing that. Before I knew it I was holding 300 watts for 2 or 3 minutes intervals, and then only letting it drop to 225 or so for recovery. The gap started to widen on my 150watt man.
Then I said to myself, "self, what's the biggest gap you've ever had on watt-man?" Realizing that number was only about 1km - mostly 'cause I don't usually give myself such an easy target of 150 watts, but that didn't matter this morning. I decided to CRUSH 150watt man!
I laid it down. 30 minutes into the ride I realized that my legs really were a little tired from yesterday's effort, and I really could have used a recovery ride today - but it was too late. I was gonna crush 150watt-man.
2km, 3km, 2.88 (Even 150 watts is fast when going down 5.6% grades while I'm climbing 3.6% grades!), 3km, 4km, 5km... yup. 5km is what I beat him by! I ended up averaging 209 watts. No, not a monstrous number - but I also kept my Aver HR under 158 - though at the end I did hit 178 while generating 429 watts in my sprint for the line. (Hey, who knows, maybe somebody picks him up and gives him a ride to the line sprint?! Always go hard for line sprints!!)
On a completely unrelated note - I've begun to put together a list of people in the area who would be interested in riding so that we can get some group rides together. Should be a fun year on the bike!
On a sadder note - no weight loss today. I'm thinking I must be eating stuff that I'm not calculating, so I've gone back to a notebook and will record everything I eat - and when. This weight MUST leave this year!
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