I have worked my butt off for the past three years to build speed. I have ridden pos bikes during that time and endured the fun being made about my old pink bike. That's fine!
No where in all that time was I unplanned off for more than a week! So I never really lost training effect. I did the periodization like I should and at this time I should be enjoying the effects of riding at 21 plus MPH average, but I am not because of a derail that was beyond my control.
I tried to maintain and plateau, but that was hampered by a week and a half vacation where I gorged myself and gained fourteen poundages. No problem, I thought, I can lose that! Ehhhn! Thanks for playing!
It is proving very difficult to lose that which I have gained. My periodization has taken me to a peak and I'm doing less mileage, but at faster speeds, but my speed is hampered by my weight so here I am unable to improve like I would like. I'm almost considering blowing off the rest of my peak and training and assume the work of losing those pounds. You know what else? My BP is up! That sucks! Maybe it's a stress thing and God really intended me to be a full time cyclist and not work?! Ha!
I'm supposed to race this weekend, but who wants to race when it is too hard to maintain even a decent speed. Best I could do on a sustained effort last week was 16.3 average. 16 through 75, but then I hit the wall at about 83 and everything hurt so I only bettered my time on a 100 miler by about a minute from when I did it back in May.
Beats me what I'll do! Probably just try to race this weekend then do the Hike and Bike ride on Labor Day and then go from there. I think my peridoization has me going easy till the end of the year. So perhaps I'll just do the old stay under 150 bpm on my HRM and work at losing the poundage and finish up my four thousand miles for the year.
Any one know of a good core workout book? I'm not so good with tapes and dvds for workouts.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Holy Guacamole, Batman Drawn and Quartered
What will Commissioner Gordon do? Can Robyn run the Wayne estate by himself? Is Gotham doomed to be a wasteland?
Batman found quartered on the side of the road. At the time he must have been shrunk a la Honey I Shrunk the Kids because what was left of him, his torso, was just three inches long.
This all may have been a fig-newton of my imagination since it happened in the last throes of a 100 miler I logged yesterday in and around San Antonio. Final time 6:50 temp 103, stops three, drinks nine with a lunch break taken. It was truly hot, but not as hot as Hotter N Hell. I hear it was 112 and the course was closed early by Medical staff to ensure the safety of the participants. Ouch!!!
Batman found quartered on the side of the road. At the time he must have been shrunk a la Honey I Shrunk the Kids because what was left of him, his torso, was just three inches long.
This all may have been a fig-newton of my imagination since it happened in the last throes of a 100 miler I logged yesterday in and around San Antonio. Final time 6:50 temp 103, stops three, drinks nine with a lunch break taken. It was truly hot, but not as hot as Hotter N Hell. I hear it was 112 and the course was closed early by Medical staff to ensure the safety of the participants. Ouch!!!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Hike & Bike Adventure Camp
Last week I completed my first cycling camp where I was in charge. My attempt to give something back to the sport that gives me so much daily. It sounds trite, but I also wanted my church to gain some from the cycling knowledge I've accumulated. It will probably happen again in a different form because I know there are some adults that were not able to attend and learn what they needed to learn.
The camp was run for fun, not to instill training regimens or anything. We did rides of moderate challenge for Junior High Age kids. We ended up doing about 15 miles per day. We ended the week with over 75 miles all on hybrid mountain bikes or trick bikes. We had days that were road only, some that were road and trails and one that was road and trails and horse-back riding.
First couple of days there were mechanicals so we were able to practice some of the things that the kids had seen done on the first day when all we did was learn how to repair some basic things and to handle obstacles and how to keep a straight line. We did practice going from a group riding technique to a single file paceline type arrangement. We did practice good traffic skills within a group using city maps and being smart about what roads we traversed.
It was cheap for the kids and basically paid me back on what I spent on go-juice and goomies. They were also introduced to various things to try to eat while on the road so there was a nutrition component. And since it was done in August, they had plenty of practice dealing with the heat, but most days we were out of there before the hottest part of the day took effect.
We were also able to secure sponsors for the shirts and will use this opportunity to produce our Hike and Bike t-shirts which each participant will receive one for free and jerseys which participants will have to invest some to receive. But the point is that we have begun the process and that is the big challenge.
The camp was run for fun, not to instill training regimens or anything. We did rides of moderate challenge for Junior High Age kids. We ended up doing about 15 miles per day. We ended the week with over 75 miles all on hybrid mountain bikes or trick bikes. We had days that were road only, some that were road and trails and one that was road and trails and horse-back riding.
First couple of days there were mechanicals so we were able to practice some of the things that the kids had seen done on the first day when all we did was learn how to repair some basic things and to handle obstacles and how to keep a straight line. We did practice going from a group riding technique to a single file paceline type arrangement. We did practice good traffic skills within a group using city maps and being smart about what roads we traversed.
It was cheap for the kids and basically paid me back on what I spent on go-juice and goomies. They were also introduced to various things to try to eat while on the road so there was a nutrition component. And since it was done in August, they had plenty of practice dealing with the heat, but most days we were out of there before the hottest part of the day took effect.
We were also able to secure sponsors for the shirts and will use this opportunity to produce our Hike and Bike t-shirts which each participant will receive one for free and jerseys which participants will have to invest some to receive. But the point is that we have begun the process and that is the big challenge.
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