Over the weekend I had planned on getting out on 2 wheels and starting to put in some decent mileage, at least for me right now. Our 2nd oldest grandson was with us for the weekend and I had plans to get him out for a few rides to tire him out. Unfortunately one ride is all we managed in the 4 days we had available. There is no good reason why either, really.
We did get out and took a few laps around the block. He was complaining after the first that his legs were tired, but he did manage 2 more before throwing in the towel. After we were done and things put away he mentioned that he hadn't been ready to quit, that he just wanted a rest. I must have misunderstood him then since i heard him say he was done. Oh well. That was on day 2 and I figured it was no big deal and we would get out a couple of more times before the weekend was over.
Alas other things came up and took up the time. The next thing we knew the weekend was over and we had only managed the one 3 mile ride.
I need to change my riding habits and quickly as the Tour De Cure is quickly approaching on May 3rd and I need to get some miles under my belt before it arrives.
I hope Winter relinquishes its hold and everyone is able to get out and ride!
Showing posts with label preparation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preparation. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Monday, August 12, 2013
August Challenge Rdies 11 and 12
So far so good on the August Challenge. 12 days - 12 rides. Not a bad streak but I'm not even halfway there yet.
These 2 rides happened almost exactly 9 hours apart. Ride eleven was a fun little ramble around the neighborhood with the grand kids. We had fun and I'm amazed at how quickly they are progressing. Where a few weeks ago they would complain and want to take a break before we completed one lap, yesterday they were raring to go for multiple laps. The 3 boys actually did 4 or 5 laps and were doing great!
Stats for ride 11:
3.0 miles
0:21:45 elapsed time
This morning it was back at it - up at 4:00 and out riding by 4:07. There were a few remarkable things about this morning's ride. The traffic was awfully busy for that time of the morning. I must have been passed by 20+ cars. I know that's not a lot for most people, but that is one of the reasons that I like the early morning rides - virtually no traffic. Among the cars were an NHP cruiser and about 10 minutes later an LVMPD cruiser. What was remarkable was they both headed in the same direction - south on Pebble towards Durango.
I also saw a group of 4 riders headed north on Pebble towards fort Apache all decked out in their matching kits. I couldn't read what they said but they were all while and green.
One other item to note was I saw a young boy - probably 11 or 12 riding a much too big bike with no lights. He slowed and was waiting to turn onto El Capitan Way, but I slowed to wait for him to see if he was all right, but he disappeared. Not sure if he changed his mind about turning or rode into the new sub on the corner, but I couldn't find him. He just seemed out of place at that time of the morning.
Ride 12 stats:
10.4 miles
0:46:31 Elapsed time
Month to date:
87.7 miles
7:03:20 Elapsed time
Keep those pedals turning!
These 2 rides happened almost exactly 9 hours apart. Ride eleven was a fun little ramble around the neighborhood with the grand kids. We had fun and I'm amazed at how quickly they are progressing. Where a few weeks ago they would complain and want to take a break before we completed one lap, yesterday they were raring to go for multiple laps. The 3 boys actually did 4 or 5 laps and were doing great!
Stats for ride 11:
3.0 miles
0:21:45 elapsed time
This morning it was back at it - up at 4:00 and out riding by 4:07. There were a few remarkable things about this morning's ride. The traffic was awfully busy for that time of the morning. I must have been passed by 20+ cars. I know that's not a lot for most people, but that is one of the reasons that I like the early morning rides - virtually no traffic. Among the cars were an NHP cruiser and about 10 minutes later an LVMPD cruiser. What was remarkable was they both headed in the same direction - south on Pebble towards Durango.
I also saw a group of 4 riders headed north on Pebble towards fort Apache all decked out in their matching kits. I couldn't read what they said but they were all while and green.
One other item to note was I saw a young boy - probably 11 or 12 riding a much too big bike with no lights. He slowed and was waiting to turn onto El Capitan Way, but I slowed to wait for him to see if he was all right, but he disappeared. Not sure if he changed his mind about turning or rode into the new sub on the corner, but I couldn't find him. He just seemed out of place at that time of the morning.
Ride 12 stats:
10.4 miles
0:46:31 Elapsed time
Month to date:
87.7 miles
7:03:20 Elapsed time
Keep those pedals turning!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
August Challenge day 6
This morning I'm 6/6 for rides in August. I'm very happy with my progress so far and have to admit there have been a couple of days I wouldn't have ridden but for this challenge.
The thing about this morning's ride is there was very little remarkable about it. no exciting encounters with traffic, no wildlife, no overpowering smells, no real struggles, nothing. It was a good ride which challenged me and helped me to build my fitness.
Here are the stats:
10.4 Miles
46:16 Elapsed Time
And totals for the month to date:
49.6 miles
3:49:14 Elapsed time
Keep those pedals turning!
The thing about this morning's ride is there was very little remarkable about it. no exciting encounters with traffic, no wildlife, no overpowering smells, no real struggles, nothing. It was a good ride which challenged me and helped me to build my fitness.
Here are the stats:
10.4 Miles
46:16 Elapsed Time
And totals for the month to date:
49.6 miles
3:49:14 Elapsed time
Keep those pedals turning!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
100 Miles Of Nowhere...
Ok, here's the story for this:
Not much to remark on for this segment of the ride. I did a bunch of laps, the sun was out and warming things up and surprisingly my legs didn't feel much worse for wear. My saddle season was another matter, though. I was getting quite sore.
Just after the 50 mile mark it was time for another break. Still maintaining about the same pace as these miles took just under an hour as well. Here I was at 50 miles and 4 hours into my ride.
More powerade, a Honey Stinger Blueberry Buzz bar, a few more pringles and some oreos and I was on my way again.
I noticed that I was slightly slower and this was due to shifting my position on the saddle looking for some relief. It wasn't to be found, though. I toughed it out to 62.5 miles and decided that was it for this event. I had completed the 100 Miles Of Nowhere Las Vegas Metric Century around the block edition. I was pleased to have made it that far since this was 3 times the farthest ride I had taken in the last 3 years.
Now for a nap, some sushi and Cold Stone Creamery.
I was competing in the 100 Miles of Nowhere Las Vegas Block edition. As I posted here, I signed up for this for the first time this year back in mid-April. I figured I would have lots of time to train, get my stamina up and be ready to go. While i had the time, things didn't quite work out as well as I had hoped in that regard. My longest ride leading up to this event was only 20 miles.
My swag showed up 2 weeks ago. Great swag from all of the sponsors. Here is my race plate.
As I planned my event I decided to use laps around my block as my course for the event. From training and testing ride I determined that it was approximately .47 miles around the block. Doing the math that meant I would need to do 213 laps to hit 100 miles.
One concern I had was with the forecasted temperatures for June 1st. !0 days out the forecasted high was 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Way too hot to ride in all day. Since a lot of my training is done before work when it is nice and cool, I decided to start my ride nice and early in order to try and beat the heat. So my plan was to get up and be on the bike by 4:00 AM.
As I posted yesterday here, I had just changed my seat and did a quick shakedown ride to check the position. Friday night I washed my cycling attire, laid out all my supplies for before and during the ride, set my alarm for 3:30 AM and went to bed early for my at 9:00 PM.
The alarm went off, what seemed like way too soon and it was time to get up and get going. I got dressed, headed downstairs and had a banana and some Oreo vanilla cookies washed down with a bottle of Starbucks Vanilla Frappacino. I then aired up the tires and opened the garage. I was relieved to feel the cool air come in as it was only about 65 degrees. I turned on my Garmin and my lights and off I went.
The first lap wasn't too bad except for the 10 to 15 mph wind from the west. This meant that I was pushing into the wind on the uphill prat of the lap. Not bad, but I started thinking that it might prove to be a problem later on. One lap down and a whole bunch more to go.
Very few people were out so early so i basically had the streets to myself It was relatively peaceful and quiet.
I got into a pretty good rhythm and the laps started going by. I kept a count of laps in my head and the goal was to complete at least 45 or 50 laps before I took my first rest. As I rode along I noticed that the sky to the east was getting lighter and eventually at 40 laps I noticed the sun on the mountains o the west. A few more laps and I actually saw the sun over the houses to the east.
As the laps were adding up, my saddle area was getting a little tender. Let's face it, I just didn't have enough saddle time leading up to this ride.
I hit 53 laps, which was 25 miles and decided it was time for a rest. I checked my Garmin when I went in and noticed that I had completed the 25 miles in 1:55 which equated o an average speed of 13.0 mph. I was right on the pace that I had envisioned before the ride. I knew I needed to get hydrated and eat some calories or I would be in trouble.
So, some powerade, more Oreos, a couple of fig newtons and I was back on my way. As I rode the next laps, the neighborhood started waking up. People were walking their dogs, backing out of their driveways and starting to do some work round their houses.
As the laps progressed I was thankful for the Garmin as I lost count and had no idea how any laps I completed. fortunately I had my distance traveled on the Garmin.
One thing to note is that during this stage I actually had a dog chase. On the opposite of our block a woman was putting her 3 dogs into the car as I rode by. I was almost by when the largest of the 3 dogs spotted me and all 3 took off after me barking. The woman called after them and within a house or two they decided to listen and turned around.
At approximately 12 miles I passed the house and my wife was there cheering me on! Thank you dear! I completed the next lap to make 12 1/2 miles in just under an hour and it was time for my next break. I had just under 3 hours seat time and a total of 37 1/2 miles so far. My saddle area was also quite sore.
A banana, a powerade, some pringles and a couple of fig newtons and I was back on my way.
My wife took a picture of me during the ride:
Not much to remark on for this segment of the ride. I did a bunch of laps, the sun was out and warming things up and surprisingly my legs didn't feel much worse for wear. My saddle season was another matter, though. I was getting quite sore.
Just after the 50 mile mark it was time for another break. Still maintaining about the same pace as these miles took just under an hour as well. Here I was at 50 miles and 4 hours into my ride.
More powerade, a Honey Stinger Blueberry Buzz bar, a few more pringles and some oreos and I was on my way again.
I noticed that I was slightly slower and this was due to shifting my position on the saddle looking for some relief. It wasn't to be found, though. I toughed it out to 62.5 miles and decided that was it for this event. I had completed the 100 Miles Of Nowhere Las Vegas Metric Century around the block edition. I was pleased to have made it that far since this was 3 times the farthest ride I had taken in the last 3 years.
Now for a nap, some sushi and Cold Stone Creamery.
Friday, May 31, 2013
May ride #13
Today is the last day of May. I had hoped to get in 23 rides this month, but sadly my number is only 13. Of course if I compare where I am this year versus last year it looks a bit better or not. :) Last May I got in 20 rides for a grand total of 176 miles. This may my 13 rides total only 104 miles. What has improved is my total mileage for the year which is at 347 miles this year and only 286 miles through May of last year.
Today's ride was a short one as a check and adjustment of seat position in preparation for the 100 Miles of Nowhere I am riding tomorrow. As such it was a successful ride as I believe I have the new seat dialed in and the bike is ready to go. Now let's hope that I am ready for it.
If all goes according to plan, and let's face it when it comes to these things that is a rare occurrence, I should start about 4:00 AM and finish up between 2:00 and 3:00 pm. I am being very conservative with my speed estimates and generous with rest stops - about 10 minutes every hour.
Look for an update either tomorrow afternoon or on Sunday.
Today's ride was a short one as a check and adjustment of seat position in preparation for the 100 Miles of Nowhere I am riding tomorrow. As such it was a successful ride as I believe I have the new seat dialed in and the bike is ready to go. Now let's hope that I am ready for it.
If all goes according to plan, and let's face it when it comes to these things that is a rare occurrence, I should start about 4:00 AM and finish up between 2:00 and 3:00 pm. I am being very conservative with my speed estimates and generous with rest stops - about 10 minutes every hour.
Look for an update either tomorrow afternoon or on Sunday.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
May rides #7 & #8 and Weigh in
May ride #7 was a nice little 6 mile ride yesterday after the sun was up. I started a bit after 8:00 am and it was already in the 80's. In fact our overnight low was only 80. My objective was to get in a nice little work out and sweat out a bit more weight before my weigh in. Mission accomplished. I would have ridden a bit longer, but all of the parents were coming out to get their kids to school and the bus and frankly it didn't feel safe! It really is a winder there aren't a lot more accidents at that time of the morning.
More on the weigh in in a moment.
May ride #8 was this morning and it felt really good! I felt strong, the weather was perfect and there was little wind. The bike performed flawlessly and I was getting back some of the confidence on the cornering. It was a good morning to be on the bike. I did the 22 laps I had planned on Monday and netted 10.47 miles. My average speed was a good 14.6 mph and that was with actually taking a couple of cool down laps. I didn't push all out, but I did push and it felt awesome. I actually did most of rht laps staying in my highest gear. That means I'm getting stronger and I am getting more confident in m ability to accomplish the 100 Miles of Nowhere in 2 1/2 weeks.
Now for the weigh in. The good news is I lost an average of 1.8 lbs. per week for the last 10 weeks which makes a total of 18 lbs. for the Biggest Winner contest. The bad news is I think my off the rails eating over the last week probably cost me 4 or 5 lbs. on the contest. I feel bad because it feels like I let my teammates down. But it is what it is and its time to move forward. Now I want to concentrate on eating healthy and riding my bike and let the weight fall where it will. I'm not under the pressure of a contest, I know what I need to do and I'm just going to do it.
More on the weigh in in a moment.
May ride #8 was this morning and it felt really good! I felt strong, the weather was perfect and there was little wind. The bike performed flawlessly and I was getting back some of the confidence on the cornering. It was a good morning to be on the bike. I did the 22 laps I had planned on Monday and netted 10.47 miles. My average speed was a good 14.6 mph and that was with actually taking a couple of cool down laps. I didn't push all out, but I did push and it felt awesome. I actually did most of rht laps staying in my highest gear. That means I'm getting stronger and I am getting more confident in m ability to accomplish the 100 Miles of Nowhere in 2 1/2 weeks.
Now for the weigh in. The good news is I lost an average of 1.8 lbs. per week for the last 10 weeks which makes a total of 18 lbs. for the Biggest Winner contest. The bad news is I think my off the rails eating over the last week probably cost me 4 or 5 lbs. on the contest. I feel bad because it feels like I let my teammates down. But it is what it is and its time to move forward. Now I want to concentrate on eating healthy and riding my bike and let the weight fall where it will. I'm not under the pressure of a contest, I know what I need to do and I'm just going to do it.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Preparation
There is training and there is preparation. Training is something you do to improve and gain skills. Prepapration is getting ready. Until now most of what I have been doing is training. I have been working to gain skills and improve riding the bike, walking longer distances, swimming. Now, though, its crunch time and time to prepare for the actual event.
To try and prepare and know exactly what I am getting myself into I have been doing several things:
I have been reviewing the event materials to know what the course is, where I need to be and when, not to mention any requirements I need to fulfill (like having my ID at packet pickup on Friday to prove its really me!).
I have been reading blogs and forums written by first time triathletes as well as seasoned veterans to glean as much information as possible as to what I will be experiencing.
I have attempted (and will do it again) riding the actual bike course to know what torture I face.
I have picked up a Camelbak and new bike gloves to stay hydrated and hopefully alleviate some of the pain and numbness I get in my hands when riding more than a few miles.
I picked up some shotbloks and GUU to try and see how my system tolerates them and if they actually help my energy level over a long workout.
As you can imagine, many of these preparations are flowing from the reading and discussing I've been doing about completing my first triathlon. While I believe all of this preparation will help on race day, its truly crunch time and I am beginning to feel nervous and excited. I am beginning to second guess myself and wonder if I can truly complete this monumental task. I have underestimated the difficulty of tasks in the past and I hope to not do this here. I would rather think this will be harder than it turns out to be, but I'm not holding my breath. Its the invincible optimist in me that is saying "don't worry about it, you'll be fine!" I just need that to be relayed to the rest of my being and make it come true.
As more preparation/training I am planning a brick workout tomorrow with a 12 mile ride and 3 mile walk. This will be a flat course, but it will still be good to have the experience under my belt. I am also planning on biking the actual course on Sunday and this time I have researched the entire route and will make it to the top.
All of my training and preparation will be tested in a mere 9 days time and frankly I'm getting just a little scared. I figure that's a good thing!
To try and prepare and know exactly what I am getting myself into I have been doing several things:
I have been reviewing the event materials to know what the course is, where I need to be and when, not to mention any requirements I need to fulfill (like having my ID at packet pickup on Friday to prove its really me!).
I have been reading blogs and forums written by first time triathletes as well as seasoned veterans to glean as much information as possible as to what I will be experiencing.
I have attempted (and will do it again) riding the actual bike course to know what torture I face.
I have picked up a Camelbak and new bike gloves to stay hydrated and hopefully alleviate some of the pain and numbness I get in my hands when riding more than a few miles.
I picked up some shotbloks and GUU to try and see how my system tolerates them and if they actually help my energy level over a long workout.
As you can imagine, many of these preparations are flowing from the reading and discussing I've been doing about completing my first triathlon. While I believe all of this preparation will help on race day, its truly crunch time and I am beginning to feel nervous and excited. I am beginning to second guess myself and wonder if I can truly complete this monumental task. I have underestimated the difficulty of tasks in the past and I hope to not do this here. I would rather think this will be harder than it turns out to be, but I'm not holding my breath. Its the invincible optimist in me that is saying "don't worry about it, you'll be fine!" I just need that to be relayed to the rest of my being and make it come true.
As more preparation/training I am planning a brick workout tomorrow with a 12 mile ride and 3 mile walk. This will be a flat course, but it will still be good to have the experience under my belt. I am also planning on biking the actual course on Sunday and this time I have researched the entire route and will make it to the top.
All of my training and preparation will be tested in a mere 9 days time and frankly I'm getting just a little scared. I figure that's a good thing!
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