30 April 2011

Longbranch RR

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM – cereal
9:30 AM – banana
10:00 AM – large bottle w/3 scoops Perpetuem
12:00 PM – half a PowerBar, water
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 1.5 small bottles each w/2 scoops HEED, gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 1:10 PM
Workout Type  
Weather mid to upper 50s, dry, mostly sunny
Course 11 mile loop including 2 hard hills with false flats at the top
Distance 43 miles
Time 1:54
Power  
Results 40-49, Cat 1/2/3
pack (3rd group on the road) finish
Equipment Road Bike
39/53, 12-25
Zipp 404 wheels
Clothing knit shoe covers, bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, Polypropylene gloves, cap

Woke up feeling dehydrated, still. And that's after an effort to drink a ton last night. :(

I removed my gloves after one lap and never needed the shoe covers, I guess I was just trying to be fashionable. Or a dork.

This course has never been good for me but hey, it's the state championship road race so you do it. I was joined by Brad K,l Greg K, Keith F and Peter V.

The first lap was FAST, Luckily I survived the hills but truth be told I am always getting dropped and then chasing back on. When I feel good I have people to chase with and when I feel bad I am chasing alone.

On the second lap after the hills Brad took off and was soon joined by Todd H, Michael E and one other guy. Boom goes the dynamite. Nicos M from Garage was close to joining but gut shelled but he's not at his best since he is coming back from a broken finger and a bad crash.

Crossing the finish line with two laps to go I got in a move which included Mick W who was pulling like a man possessed or determined to get in a good workout. He towed us up the entire hill just past the finish line and at the top we were tantalizingly close to the break... so much so that I considered jumping across but in all honesty I was laboring just to hold Mick's wheel so was uncertain of my chances. I opted to suck wheel some more in hopes of others closing the gap and it was the wrong move. Their lead started to grow and the pack closed us down.

The third time up the hills I did the huge fade. I do it so well I should trademark it. I start at the very front of the bunch and by the top of the hill I am pretty much last thus allowing myself to ride just a little slower than everyone else. The only problem with this move is if the back of the bunch gets tailed off so do I. It almost happened this time. Someone drilled it across the top of the big hill and I was not seeing anyone behind me and barely able to hold the wheel in front of me. Thank goodness we caught back on. Just in time to hit the second hill. Ouch.

Again I was off the back and chasing for all I was worth. Somehow I got back in contact.

The fourth time up the hills the pace was noticeably slower but I was feeling even worse so it was wash, rinse, repeat. Ouch, ouch.

At the top of the second hill Peter surged and got away with about three other riders. That guy had been burning matches like they were going out of style all race long so to have this kind of push left at the end speaks volumes. His group stayed away those last few miles and he won the sprint for 5th place.

Up front I guess Michael detonated the break and Brad had to solo in for 4th but he stayed away so yeah Brad! According to Brad his power meter was pegged at 300 watts just holding Michael's wheel. I could not have done that.

Back in the pack I turned to Keith and told him to get in front of Greg for the sprint and he did but then he went too early and too hard and blew/pulled over well before 500 m to go. Oh well, not sure how much Greg had left to give.

I rolled across the line happy to be done.

I felt a little like a cramp was coming on during that last lap but never bonked so my nutrition was probably adequate. Hell... hard to get it wrong, this was a short race!

29 April 2011

training-core | commute

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 7:00 AM – cereal
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy stretching – 20 min
sauna – 20 min
Time of Day core – 6:00 AM
IMA – 12:30 PM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather mid 50s, dry, pretty calm, partly sunny
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 8(?) lb.
leg extensions 100
push-ups 22
Distance 10 miles
Time  
Power  
Results  
Equipment Town Bike
Clothing  

Shelley and I did our core routine again this morning! That's two days in a row for those of you that weren't counting. :) Very nice.

Stretching at the IMA was crazy hard today... of course it had nothing to do with the three drinks I had list night or the water I did not drink. :( Amazing how fast your body tightens up when you are dehydrated. There must be a life lesson in there somewhere but I'm too lazy to dig and find it.

For some reason I feel like I am not getting in nearly enough volume lately. It's strange when I do zero aerobic activity for two days in a row... not even an active recovery ride or anything. I guess I'll be well rested tomorrow and hopefully that is worth something and doesn't just make me feel slow.

28 April 2011

training-core

Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:00 AM – 180
12:00 PM – 181
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:30 AM – smoothie 
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy stretching – 20 min
sauna – 20 min
Time of Day core – 6:00 AM
IMA – 12:00 PM
Workout Type rest
Weather  
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 5 lb.
leg extensions 80
push-ups 20
Distance  
Time  
Power  
Results  
Equipment  
Clothing  

Not much sleep last night...! :( Bad dreams again; I feel like a little kid that needs to run to his parent's room and jump in bed with them.

Today Shelley and I decided to try doing core together. It worked! Nice. At the gym I usually grab a weight for my twisters, today – since we don't have any weights in the house – I used a big hardback book.

Went to the IMA at lunch again.

I got nervous today because I have only ridden twice this week! Sunday and Tuesday, and the rest of the week has been rest. Sometimes things just don't work out I guess. Tomorrow I will get in a short ride and then race Saturday. What happened to training?

27 April 2011

training-core

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:30 AM
Workout Type rest
Weather  
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 12 lb.
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
push-ups 20
Distance  
Time  
Power  
Results  
Equipment  
Clothing  

Dang... I was hoping to get in some kind of aerobic something today but ran out of time and did not plan very efficiently. Oh well.

Core felt fine. There was someone using the hip abductor machine when I got there so I just bailed. Sometimes that is a sign. :)

26 April 2011

training-core | commute | Pacific Raceways CR

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:00 AM - 177
Body Fat 7:00 AM - 9
Breakfast 6:45 AM – cereal, banana
9:30 AM – orange, almonds
Lunch 1:30 PM – smoothie, Stonewall's Jerquee
3:30 PM – 3 pieces Fitness Bread w/peanut butter and jam, tea
Dinner  
Workout Food gym – water
drive to the race – HEED 
race – water
Injuries  
Therapy stretching, sauna
Time of Day gym – 5:45 AM
race – 7:00 PM
Workout Type race
Weather low 50s, wet, calm
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 12 lb.
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
push-ups 20
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb.
Pacific Raceways – counter-clockwise down the escape road
Distance commute – 9 miles
race – 19 miles
Time race – 45 min
Power  
Results Masters
1st prime - 4th
2nd prime – pack
finish – 1st
official results
Equipment commute - Town Bike
race - Road Bike
39/53, 12-25
Zipp 404 wheels
Clothing race – Sugoi shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts. Craft long sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, wind vest, cap, Polypropylene gloves

Blasted through my core routine today! It feels good not to dawdle.

Hit the IMA at lunch for stretching and a sauna, I am loving that. LOVING it.

At Pacific Raceways it was me, Greg K, Dave H and Brian S in the masters field. Leaving Seattle the weather was FINE. By the time we got to Kent it was NOT FINE. I was in serious danger of getting grumpy and had to keep telling myself to shut up as the rain dumped on us. Luckily by the time we got to the track it eased a bit and by the start it had actually stopped and the sun was poking out under the clouds from the west. In honesty it could have been a lot worse, it was not very cold. Too bad the track does not drain at all and there is always tons of standing water.

Rory said go and this guy takes a flyer. You'd think by now I would know his name but I don't... to me he is the-guy-that-only-races-here-to-train-for-cross-and-attacks-and-chases-at-random-nonsensical-times. So everyone let him go. Sure enough, we caught him half way up the first hill.

Since my warm-up consisted of hunkering down in the van feeling sorry for myself and conducting an internal debate about the merits of my seatpost fender I opted to sit in for a couple of laps before working hard.

The third time up the hill Keller Rohrback put in an acceleration but it was nullified pretty quickly and then we got the first prime bell which caused the usual bunching. Being warmed up now I figured I would try 'my move' which is to draft the sprint for the prime and then counter. As the sprint developed I saw Matt H in front of me with exactly the same idea so I caught him and he jumped on. Surprisingly we had a large gap. Nice.

After pulling for a bit I swung off and unfortunately heard Matt utter, "Sorry Martin, I have the brain but not the legs..." Darn. Time to get stuck in. I did what I could but it was not enough; we got caught after we crested the hill two (three?) laps later. Matt did pull a couple of times but the two of us were not sufficient. On the upside it was probably the longest break at PR so far this season. It made me tired.

On the lap after we got caught Michael P put in an acceleration. I was near the front and found myself drifting to the right to stay on a wheel when suddenly someone behind me had issues with another rider. Seems some guy had cut some other guy off or taken their wheel? Whatever, It sure was heated for a training race.

As the disagreement escalated Michael rode away. Greg went by me with a big grin on his face because of the argument behind me and I figured this was perfect. I sat up and let him go while attention was focused on the squabbling. As the gap opened Matt and an Audi rider went with Greg and soon the four of them were away. Matt sure did have the brains.

I thought this was the move. For sure. But it came back just one lap later. As we were chasing them Deanna gave us the two laps to go sign so in my head I was urging them on. Go Greg! Go!

I think it was Starbucks that pulled them back and we hooked up at the bottom of the second section of the climb. I was watching the gap shrink and anticipating the junction so across the flat portion half way up the hill I passed a few people to put myself near the front. As we rounded the left hand corner I realized there really was only one move. If I waited for the sprint the odds were not in our favor and although an attack might not stick it would at least make other teams chase so being near the front already I took off.

And I got away.

My jump is not very intimidating so I'm guessing people were afraid of making an effort this close to the finish? No matter, I went as hard as I could.

On a dry day the pack always goes down the hill faster than any single rider but today people were worried about seeing the holes in the pavement through the wheel spray and I bet that helped me out. On this gradual hill the pack is also usually faster than a solo rider but I did what I could knowing my TT was only going to be about five minutes long.

I looked back at the top of the descent and again half way up the climb and my gap was promising so I was hoping I wouldn't blow once I crested the hill. Going at full gas is difficult, if you literally go 100% you blow so you try to go at 90 ish and hope it's enough. I got over the climb and gave what I had left around the corner and down the finish straight. Turns out it was enough and I still had a comfortable lead when I crossed the line. Whew.

Not sure if I'm coming on or if I just got lucky but it is a confidence boost regardless; especially after my multi-lap effort earlier. And it was nice to get a shoutout in the blogosphere.

25 April 2011

training-core

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:00 AM - 177
12:00 PM - 179
Body Fat 7:00 AM – 9
Breakfast 6:45 AM – cereal, yogurt
9:00 AM – almonds, water
Lunch 1:30 PM – yogurt, 4 pieces Fitness Bread, fake turkey, Stonewall's Jerquee, tea, water, 6 dried figs, Sugar Daddy
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy stretching, sauna
Time of Day gym – 5:30 AM
IMA – 12:00 PM
Workout Type rest
Weather  
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 12 lb.
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
push-ups 20
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb.
Distance  
Time  
Power  
Results  
Equipment  
Clothing  

I am starting to miss massage... all it takes is money, right? Exactly.

To mitigate my lack of pampering I hit the IMA at lunch and did a solid 20 minutes of stretching followed by 25 minutes in the sauna. Nice. I gotta say, trying to read the newspaper in a dimly lit room while sweat is dripping in your eyes is not easy.

I want a sauna at home!

neutral support–PRO style

Ever wonder what it's like to provide neutral support for the insanity that is Paris-Roubaix? Here is just a taste.

And you thought riding this on your bicycle was hard.

I'm sure there are hundreds of riders that would say, "Thank you Mavic!"

24 April 2011

training-trainer

Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 5:30 AM – cereal
8:30 AM – half a PowerBar
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 9:00 AM
Workout Type intervals
Weather  
Course 2x20
Distance  
Time 56 min
Power 1st interval – 330 threshold
2nd interval - 330+ threshold
Results  
Equipment Road Bike
Clothing  

Last night I gave my bike some TLC. I cleaned it – thoroughly – and went so far as to add crease to the hub bearings and overhauled the jockey pulleys.

Who needs sleep? Apparently not me. AT least my brain seems to think so... I woke up at 3 and that was all she wrote. Not good.

At Seattle Multisport it was just Greg K and me. I did the first interval at a threshold setting of 330 watts (each interval is at 90% of your threshold setting so I was really at 297 watts) and it was not as easy as the last time I did this workout. My legs were tired from yesterday for sure.

I started the second interval at 330 with the intention of upping the power to 340 after 10 minutes but seven minutes in I had to stop pedaling! Damn. It was totally mental, my legs were tired but okay but I just did not have the drive to push through. 10 minutes in I upped the power to 340 anyway just 'cuz but shortly after I had to stop for a couple of seconds one more time. Then Greg's bike slipped out of the trainer and I stopped again! I started pedaling the last time with about four minutes left and resolved to stick it out.

With three minutes to go I upped the power to 350 and then again to 360 with two to go and managed to eek out 370 for the last minute. My speed was barely over 20 mph, not the usual 24-25 that I try to maintain.

Not so great in other words. But the company was good and the movie was pretty fun.

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23 April 2011

training-team ride | tandem ride

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:15 Am – cereal
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food team ride – 1.5 large bottles each w/2 scoops HEED, gel
tandem ride – water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day team ride – 7:15 AM
tandem ride – 12:30 PM
Workout Type team ride – 6-8 min hills
tandem ride – first one of the year!
Weather team ride – low 40s to mid 50s, dry, sun
tandem ride - 60+
Course  
Distance 75 miles (total)
Time  
Power  
Results  
Equipment team ride – Road Bike
39/53, 12-25
Neuvation wheels
Clothing team ride – knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft long sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, OR Gripper gloves, cap
tandem ride – bib shorts, sleeveless undershirt, short sleeve jersey

What a great day...! So great that I rode once with the 'boys' and once with the wife. Can't beat that.

I left home around 7:15 and headed north. On the way I hooked up with Dean J and Jeff W and we joined Tony B, Greg K, RC R and Lane S in Bothell.

I held back on the first hill (96th) as my legs were still not warmed up but not Greg. He surged once which gapped me and then really turned it on towards the top. I sorta kinda ramped it up and pulled everyone to within 50' of Greg by the top.

We turned left and headed up the south side of Norway Hill and again it was Greg going hard but this time he was joined by Lane and in short order Lane took the lead in what was to be par for the course for the remainder of this ride. These guys gapped me but I kept a little in reserve and shifted up across the top and managed to haul them back in.

Next up was the north side of Norway and this time when Lane went I went with. We had a gap right away. Mentally I was trying to psych myself up for a move half way up and shortly after making a right at the intersection there is an uphill right hand corner where I wanted to go but when we got there Lane accelerated too! Ouch. I went anyway. Instead of shifting up once I had to shift twice and in spite of a good push on my part Lane was having none of it and was right on my wheel. And then I started to explode... He passed me and even put 10' into me but as we neared the summit I got out of the saddle one more time and just managed to edge him before we slowed down. Whew.

Then we tackled Juanita from the Kirkland side. We were only going up to Holmes Point Dr so I knew it would all be big ring until then. I put in a big effort as we rounded the right hand corner and RC went with me but I could not quite maintain it all the way and died about 100' from the intersection where you turn. Greg, Lane and Dean went roaring past me and got a head start on the descent.

On the downhill I caught Tony and pulled him all the way along the water and made the junction just as we started to climb. I opted to keep right on going so rode through everyone except for Lane who was already scooting off the front again. No way was I catching him this time. This is a hard hill and although I closed a hair with my initial surge at the bottom he slowly pulled away from me all the way up. This was a huge effort. I tried standing twice and both time had to sit back down pretty much damn quickly. Too steep for me I guess.

Next up were four hills north of Bothell Way that I don't remember the names of. The first one ended in a wicked steep pitch and for a bit I was able to control Lane but he is so damn strong compared to me and I faded back by the top. As we hit the false flat near the top Greg came roaring past so I did my best to accelerate again and got close to him by the top so felt a little better. No full on explosions yet, just regular old fatigue.

Greg was really coming on now and the next two hills he and Lane gapped me. I would put in a good effort about half way up, not be able to maintain it and then Lane and Greg would pass me and I was not able to hang. It was partly mental but I was also pretty beat!

The last hill started out the same. I figured throw caution to the wind and stood really early and went hard. I gapped everyone but then first Lane and secondly Greg passed me when I faded. Greg said something to the effect of, "C'mon!" as he went by so I tried as hard as I could and got on his wheel. This time I managed to stand one more time near the top and we finished close together instead of me off the back.

WHAT A HARD WORKOUT. These hills are almost all longer than three minutes, most are in the six to eight minute range and so super stuff. Lane is strong! Greg is tenacious! Rolling home I joined Dean and we went along the Seattle waterfront for the views and it was postcard perfect.

After shoving food in my face and resting for a bit Shelley and I headed out for a spin to Seward Park in what was our first tandem ride of the year! By now it was nice and warm and we even stopped at Starbucks in Leschi on the way home. Damn there were a lot of people with expensive bikes there... One guy in a white Mellow Johnny's jersey and his girlfriend (daughter?) were all decked out riding carbon everything and both had on yellow Livestrong bracelets and the whole nine yards. You know...

  • He had on this crazy expensive looking wrist watch.
  • They both had iPhone 4s.
  • He had his arm warmers pushed down although it was much too warm to have them on at all.
  • White Oakley glasses.

Good times. I am so judgmental.

Then we crawled up Madrona (hello triple!) and up Union and home. And I promptly hit the deck in the prone position. It was my first day lying out in the sun this year.

22 April 2011

training-core | commute

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:00 AM - 179
Body Fat 9
Breakfast 6:45 AM - smoothie
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day  
Workout Type active recovery – not
Weather upper 40s in the AM, low 50s in the PM, sunny, dry, windy
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 12 lb.
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
push-ups 20
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb.
Distance 20 miles
Time  
Power  
Results  
Equipment Town Bike
Clothing  

Core was kind of hard today.

Hello sunshine...?

The forecast today was for mid 50s and SUNNY but the clouds did not burn off until about 12:30 PM thus keeping me on the edge of my seat (or ball in my case as I no longer use a regular chair at the office) all morning. It did finally arrive.

ASIDE – funny how "mid 50s and sun" is so freaking fantastic this time of year... in a few months that will seem downright cold. God willing. Have I said this before? I like warm weather.

My legs were sore from last night; how crazy is that? I race for 30 minutes and I'm sore. What a joke.

So I pedal out to Ballard and I can tell that I am tired. Climbing all the way up to Discovery Park from the locks is not easy today and then all the way up Capitol Hill from the waterfront is even worse. But what the hell, I love this route. And this bike.

Today I was passed by several geared bikes all of which I had no hope of catching but what stood out to me was how squeaky the chains were on all of these bikes. LOUD. Sometimes I want to site on the side of a bike trail with a huge can of spray lube and tackle people off their bikes and oil the chains. Seriously. Have they just become socialized to this constant howl? It drives me nuts. People, don't treat your bike like this. Or someday I will find you and spray you down with oil.

21 April 2011

Seward Park CT

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:00 PM
Workout Type race
Weather 50, wet ground, dry sky, cloudy, some wind
Course upper Seward Park loop, counter-clockwise
Distance 44 miles
Time I lasted 30 minutes
Power  
Results Cat 1/2/3
see 'Time' above
Equipment Road Bike
39/53, 12-25
Neuvation wheels with new Vredestein Fortezza tires
Clothing knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft long sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, Polypropylene gloves, cap

Today sucked.

I rode to work – no problems there.

I rode from work down to Seward Park – that was fine too except it had just dumped on the park and the roads went from bone dry to sloppy wet in a matter of feet about one mile form the park.

I got to the park pretty early so signed in and then went for a spin back up Lake WA Blvd. When I returned to the park it was about 6:40 so I just dorked around and then lined up.

Go. Jamie S had lined up on the front.

ASIDE – that guy persists in wearing just shorts and a short sleeve jersey, not even an undershirt! I was freezing complete with chattering teeth and this guy is practically naked. Just one more sign that I am old.

Jamie is off like a shot. The pack gives him some rope, he looks back to see the gap and goes even harder. Crap. The next three laps are all out and my cold legs are NOT liking the hill at all. In fact, no matter what gear I choose I am going backward on the hill every time. In the first three laps we drop at least five people.

After three laps I sorta get into a groove and by 'groove' I of course mean I work like hell on the flats to pass people and move up so that when everyone passes me on the hill again I am not off the back. As it is I am pretty much last at the top of the first climb and have to chase across the false summit. Repeat.

The road around the park is covered in moss and debris. If you go wide or try to cut any corner your tires are sliding. We were taking the hard left super slow and my wheels were still slipping on the pavement (or was it the paint stripe?). I already have a problem accelerating out of corners and this was not helping me at all.

After dangling off the back for a few more laps I finally decided to stop and let some air out of my tires. They were brand new (so perhaps still a little slick) and maybe I had pumped them up too high this morning? My recollection was that I had put in 110 PSI which should be perfect by my pump at home is crap so maybe I had erred on the high side...

I got back on the bike, waited for the pack to come around and jumped in. Right away I could tell I had let out too much air. Damn. My tires were still sliding and now I also had the vague, spongy feeling every time I stood up and accelerated. Not good.

after about 10 more minutes I threw in the towel. I rode a couple of laps by myself thinking I would get back in the next time the bunch came around but then I found myself coasting to the parking lot. DNF baby.

I watched two laps and it seems several other people had similar issues as the pack was at least 10-15 riders lighter than at the start. At least I was not the only one.

Riding home this guy passed me as I pedaled through Leschi and it was like the nail in the proverbial coffin. Turns out he was headed up Madrona and so was I so I managed to keep pace all the way to the top. My legs were done. Donner than done. The donest. Done times infinity. When I got home it was a handful of food, fix my computer (inexplicable bleu screen) and bed. Out.

I wonder how much of this was mental. At least I warmed up once the race started and even the ride home after was fine.

Phrases used to describe Philippe Gilbert

after he won the 2011 edition of La Fleche Wallonne while being the out-and-out favorite and marked to the gills.

  • God damn baller.
  • Dude can drive nails just by staring at them.
  • Beast.
  • Horse.
  • Hammer.
  • PRO.
  • Gilbert just opened up a No. 10 can of Jens Voigt on 'em. [By now it should be obvious that this phrase will need to be rewritten soon as the contents of said can has changed...]
  • The chief export of Philippe Gilbert is pain.
My legs break just watching this.

20 April 2011

training-core | track clinic

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day gym – 5:30 AM
track – 6:00 PM
Workout Type education
Weather 50, dry, light wind, overcast
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 12 lb.
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
push-ups 20
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb.
track – clinic with Ryan Miller
Distance  
Time track clinic – 2 hours total
Power  
Results  
Equipment Track Bike
49x15
clincher wheels
Clothing knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft long sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, wind vest, Polypropylene gloves, cap

I signed up for this 'advanced track clinic' and was pretty excited to go! Then traffic on 520 was minimal and I flew to Redmond; it was going to be a good evening.

30 minutes into the clinic some of my enthusiasm was dampened slightly when I realized that one coach trying to address the needs of almost 30 people with VERY diverse amounts of experience on the track was not going to be ideal but it was only $10 and I was having fun so it was very much okay.

We did a couple of warm-ups (about 15 laps each) and the second one we split the group so the faster bunch was together and the slightly less fast bunch was together. We worked on how to pull off and up the banking and how to get back on with a minimum of effort. Then we did some efforts from the rail in groups of three and finally some five lap 'races' with a sprint finish.

I didn't really learn anything and in fact was helping others out most of the night but it was fun! Jennifer T was there helping out and taking money as was Ryan's father so for my first day at the track it felt almost like the gang was all here if you get my drift.

I totally guessed at what gear to use and got pretty close. This Garage racer Zack(sp?) was there and in spite of being on a smaller gear than me was quite a bit quicker. Hello leg speed. I want some of that.

The wheels I used were totally clean and so was the cog and I had no grease in my van so I used chamois cream to spin my gear on... better than nothing and it let me take the cog off when I got home and use the real stuff.

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19 April 2011

training-core | commute

Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:00 AM - 180
Body Fat 9
Breakfast 6:45 AM – cereal
8:30 AM – tea, 8 figs
9:45 AM – almonds
10:30 AM – chocolate
Lunch 2:00 PM – pasta, greens, 2 pieces Fitness Bread w/fake meat and cheese, Stonewall's Jerquee, yogurt, tea, 2 carrots w/peanut butter
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy stretching, 25 min sauna
Time of Day gym – 5:30 AM
IMA – 12:00 PM
race – 7:00 PM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather 50, dry, sunny
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 12 lb.
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
push-ups 20
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb.
Distance 15 miles
Time  
Power  
Results  
Equipment Town Bike
Clothing  

Argh... not much sleep last night. Why does that happen? Probably a million reasons. I woke up at 3 and that was all she wrote. :(

Core was okay except my obliques felt sore like I had really worked them recently and I know that isn't true...

Today I accompanied Andy G to the IMA. He jumped into a spin class and I stretched for 20 minutes and then hit the sauna. YES. Man, did that feel good. Of course I was totally dehydrated when I exited but that's easy to fix.

About one hour before it was time to head out and drive down to Pacific Raceways I started having doubts. No one else on my team was going so that meant no HOV lane, no help with the cost of gas and no one to work for/with and the course was the flats. My least favorite. I made my decision literally walking up the stairs to grab my bike; I was not going to race today. Instead I took a longer route home and judging by how tired I was I made the right choice. Man, I was really crawling.

I opted to ride home along the Seattle waterfront through Myrtle Edwards Park and as I'm cruising along this guy on a yellow Schwinn Varsity complete with stamped dropouts, streamers on the grips, jeans and boots passes me and has the audacity to say, "Good going!"

Game on.

I'm usually not a passive-aggressive commuter and I got over needing to not let anyone pass me on the Burke Gilman Trail ages ago but this flipped some internal switch and I sped up.

This guy was really flying! And I was on a single speed with platform pedals. But my competitive nature won out and I reeled him in after a few corners. When you have to coast around the turns you know you are going fast.

After disposing of Mr. Good Going I was back to my 5 mph crawl home. Climbing up to 1st Ave from the waterfront was killer... it's just two blocks but it's steep. When the lights are red I try to get a running start at the hills on the flat of the intersection (not much space to accelerate) but it's never sufficient and I have to muscle the majority of the climb. Sometimes it's okay and sometimes it's really hard. It's never easy. Riding up Pine was like a slow walk up a huge flight of stairs. I stood pretty much the while way and just turned over the pedals.

18 April 2011

Marshmallow Peeps-they can haz lots of fun

At work today we had a staff meeting. One of the units asked for volunteers to participate in a mock game show and so I raised my hand. It was pretty fun; and each participant won a prize! Here is what I got.

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What was even more fun than squeezing my prize was thinking of things to do with the Peeps because you know none of them were going into my mouth. by the time I got home I decided on a photo essay. You know, the kind you might do in a photography class in high school.

So presented here for your entertainment is a Peeps party. Just like any people party everyone lines up to get in and then proceeds to stand around like a bunch of wall flowers. But add a little alcohol to the mix and watch the inhibitions disappear.

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This photo essay was inspired by the Durex Condoms – Kama-Balloon-Animal-Sutra Commercial; one of my favorite ads ever.

17 April 2011

training-TT bike ride

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM – cereal, banana
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/2 scoops HEED, PowerBar
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:30 AM
Workout Type TT bike technique, longer intervals
Weather mid 40s to 50, dry, mostly sunny, calm
Course  
Distance 53 miles
Time 3:15
Power  
Results  
Equipment Time Trial Bike
Clothing knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, mid-weight vest, Polypropylene gloves, cap

Dry roads! In attendance were Greg K, Lane S and Dustin V. Four is such a perfect number for a TT bike ride.

My breakfast was not enough and just minutes after collecting everyone and rolling out of Leschi I was hungry. In Bellevue I managed to stuff half of the PowerBar in my face and then at Issaquah-Hobart I ate the other half.

We went about 80-90% and tried to work on exchanges, riding predictably and all the stuff that makes a wining TTT team. We have a long ay to go. :) But it was a good time!

When we got to Mercer Island Dustin and Greg had to head home so it was just Lane and I doing the twisties. We slowed down even more here from fatigue but it was still really cool to ride around the corners on your aero bars; sort of like being on an amusement park ride.

God was the sun nice to feel on my face.

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16 April 2011

training-ride

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM – cereal, banana
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:30 AM
Workout Type hill intervals
Weather upper 40s, wet ground, cloudy
Course 3 x Alder, 3 x Madrona, 3 x Capitol Hill, 3 x 3rd Ave on Queen Ann Hill
Distance 34 miles
Time 2:46
Power  
Results  
Equipment Rain Bike
36/50, 12-25
Clothing Sugoi shoe covers, Roubaix knickers, Craft long sleeve undershirt, long sleeve jersey, OR Gripper gloves, cap

Oi... after riding my race bike for a bit I had to get on the tank (read: rain bike) today because of the persisting wetness. Yes, I can tell the difference.

In attendance today were Greg K, Dean J and Peter A for what I think is one of Greg's favorite routes. We met at Leschi and then went up Alder three times, Madrona three times, Capitol Hill three times and up Queen Ann Hill three times. Luckily for me Greg decreed that the first time up each hill would be 'easy'.

My goal was to actually take it easy on the first time up each hill, then try and hang with the leaders the second time but stay in the saddle and then on the third time go pretty much as hard as I can including getting out of the saddle. Ouch.

Dean was riding really well considering he went hard Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Peter was on a carbon bike with carbon tubular wheels so he does not count. Plus he flatted after six hills and had to bail. Greg was tough as usual and we sparred on intervals 8, 9, 11 and 12.

Greg pointed out, and I agree, that I am going much better than in the fall and winter when we did this route. Today I was able to hang with the leaders while keeping just a tad in reserve and then shift up, stand up and give it that extra push.

It has always been hard for me to keep training once mid-week racing starts as I'm either going hard or resting. I hope I can continue to improve as we have some important and hard road races coming up in the next couple of weeks.

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15 April 2011

training-core | walk

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:30 AM - 179
Body Fat 10
Breakfast 7:00 AM – cereal
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day gym – 5:30 AM
walk – 3:00 PM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather 50, high clouds, dry
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 12 lb.
bench leg lifts 30
bench leg extensions 40
push-ups 20
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb.
walk – from work down to Green Lake and around and to the Latona Pub
Distance 6 miles
Time  
Power  
Results  
Equipment  
Clothing  

For some reason I was not in the mood for core this AM but I switched up an exercise and a friend convinced me to finish up so in the end it was all good. Friends are great to have.

A co-worker started this mailing list at work to get people interested in walking specifically but it's morphed into a general wellness list and it's been super being a part of it. I used to go on walk with these people regularly and hope to do so again when it gets nicer out. It is a wonderful way to take your lunch.

Today is the anniversary of this list so we went on a longer walk and actually took a couple hours off from work to do it. Nice. Work should let you – hell, they should encourage you to do this kind of thing.

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14 April 2011

training-core | trainer intervals

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food gym – water
trainer – water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day gym – 5:45 AM
trainer – 6:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
back extensions 3x40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 80 each leg
twisters 40 each side – 12 lb.
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
push-ups 20
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb.
Seattle Multisport – 3x3 min, 6x1.5 min, 3x30 sec
Distance  
Time trainer – 53 min
Power threshold set to 340 for the warm-up and the first 8 intervals, 350 for the last 1.5 min interval and 360 for the 30 sec intervals
Results  
Equipment Road Bike
39/53, 12-25
Neuvation wheels
Clothing  

Core was okay but the push-up were practically impossible. How hard can it be to do 20 push-ups? If you ask me, very. I was shaking when I got to 17 and almost did not make it. WEAK.

At Seattle Multisport we did the following. By the way, this is one of the best workouts they have in my humble opinion. Right up there with that crazy popular 2x20 workout.

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Warm-Up
This consists of about 12 minutes. You start at 65% of your threshold and stair-step up to 90 and then you get a 2 minute break.

3 Minute Intervals
Each interval was 100% of your threshold and you get 2 minutes of rest after each one.

1.5 Minute Intervals
These are 110% of your threshold and you get 1.5 minutes of rest after each one.

30 Second Intervals
These are also at 110% and you get 30 seconds of rest after each one.

Cool-Down
This is a steady 3 minute decline in resistance, from 85-65% of your threshold.

Like I said above I started this workout with my threshold wattage set to 340 so my actual work once I hit the first interval was also 340 (that's what 100 percent means the last time I checked). The next set was 110% so I was pushing 374 and then the last 1.5 minute interval where I increased the threshold setting to 350 I was doing 385. I upped it again for the last three 30 second intervals to 360 so that works out to 396 watts.

These numbers sound good! But for some reason the workout was not as hard as I thought it would be. In hindsight I guess I was reasonably well rested having done nothing Monday and Wednesday and only a short race Tuesday so maybe that is just what happened. Regardless I'm excited to be able to do this and hopefully it translates into more staying power on the road – which is where I feel lacking compared to the last two years. And next time I will try starting at 350 watts.

Dean J was there to keep me company – thanks Dean!

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13 April 2011

training-rollers

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 7:30 AM – cereal
Lunch 1:30 PM – banana, water, 2 tortillas w/cheese and fake turkey
Dinner 6:30 PM – Cactus w/Dad, 2 beers
8:30 PM – 2 toasted tortillas, one w/jam, one w/peanut butter and banana
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 4:00 PM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather  
Course rollers in the garage
Distance  
Time 30 min
Power  
Results  
Equipment Road Bike
39/53, 12-25
Neuvation wheels
Clothing  

Managed to hit the rollers today instead of just doing nothing. Whew.

12 April 2011

how to mount and glue a tubular tire

Tubular tires are the best. It's my blog so I get to say stuff like that. The weight savings alone over a clincher rim and tire combination are significant (at least 100 g) but you also get increased resistance to pinch flats, the ability to run lower tire pressure for increased traction (not just a concern for cyclocross!) and increased suppleness/comfort because of the taller tire profile.

Plus, no matter how far clincher technology advances, tubulars are PRO. As is most every niche/trendy/complicated/steeped-in-tradition thing in cycling.

That said there are drawbacks. Gluing a tire is not a quick process even if you are efficient and ideally you need 48 hours before you want to actually ride your tubular. And if you get a flat the process of removing the tire, cutting the casing threads, patching the tube, sewing the casing back up, gluing the base tape back on and re-gluing the tire is too much work for most people; usually they just buy a new tire.

In my experience if you train on clinchers and save your tubulars for races you can get two solid years out of a set of tires assuming you don't get a flat. Minimum. This is a good thing because quality tubular tires cost a lot. Even with a midweek race or two all summer long I have used the same tires for three(!) full seasons.

There are loads of techniques and variations if you will be using tubular tires for cyclocross, etc. but this post will primarily focus on road tires for use on road bikes.

Supplies
You will need the following.

  • Floor pump.
  • Two tubes of glue per tire.
  • Some Latex, etc. gloves or a plastic bag or a small, disposable acid brush for spreading the glue around. If you opt for a brush, be sure to buy several!
  • A truing stand is really nice but not essential if you have your bicycle in a work stand.
  • Very fine sand paper.
  • Glue solvent or acetone and some not very linty rags.
  • Box knife and/or putty knife.

New Tire/New Rim
This is the most common scenario and also the easiest. Here is what I do.

  • Mount the new tire on your wheel and pump it up to about 140 psi. Then let is sit for a couple of days. This will 1) stretch the tire and 2) make sure you did not get a lemon.
  • Remove the tire from the wheel and inflate it just enough so that the tire starts to turn inside-out and the base tape is facing up when you lay it on the ground.
  • Apply a thin layer of glue on the base tape of the tire and using a brush/glove/plastic bag spread it around so the entire base tape is covered edge-to-edge in a thin layer.
  • Set the tire aside to dry for 2-24 hours. Much longer is not recommended but one whole day is totally fine and can make the job of mounting the tire easier.
  • Put your wheel in the truing stand and lightly sand the tire bed. All you are trying to do here is rough it up just a tad so that the glue will have a better purchase.
  • Apply a layer of glue to the tire bed. Be sure that coverage is edge-to-edge here as well but do not get too much glue in the spoke holes or the valve hole. Better to apply with caution and then apply more as needed than to spluge the whole tube into your rim. It will never come out if you do.
  • Now is the time to clean up any glue that accidentally got onto your braking surface! If your braking surface has glue on it you will get a violent and unwelcome surprise the first time you apply the brakes. Set the wheel aside to dry for 2-24 hours.
  • Before you mount the tire, install your valve extender! It helps to use a tiny bit of plumbers tape/thread tape so air does not leak out when you pump up your tire. If your valve extender does not let you open or close the valve, open it all the way and don't worry about it. You will never lose any air by riding even at highway speeds down a mountain pass.
  • Put the wheel back in the truing stand and apply a second layer of glue to the tire bed. Again, be sure you get edge-to-edge coverage and don't get too much in any of the rim holes.
  • When you mount the tire start with the valve. Insert the valve all the way and then put the wheel on the ground with the valve at the top of the wheel. Grab the tire on both sides of the valve and pull it down HARD as you slowly mount the tire working your way around the wheel all the way to the bottom. The last bit will be hard but if the first layers of glue are dry enough and you have applied just the right amount in your second layer you should not get any (or much anyway) glue oozing out from under the tire as you pop the last bit on the rim.
  • Pump about 20-30 PSI in the tire and put the wheel back in the truing stand and spin it. If you see that the tire is not centered on the rim, grab it with both hands and lift it up and move it over and place it back down. You will probably not be able to simply slide it sideways.
  • Add a little air and repeat this process until it looks as centered as possible. Let the air out if needed to center it and then put a little back in.
  • Pump the tire up to 120 PSI and let it dry for 24 hours before riding it.

New Tire/Old Rim or Old Tire/New Rim or Old Tire/Old Rim
Once you own some tubular wheels and get a flat this becomes the most common scenario.

  • Deflate your tire all the way in case it still has some air in it.
  • Start opposite the valve and try to pry the tire off the rim from one side.
  • Do this on the opposite side of the tire as well.
  • Repeat the process working from both sides of the tire until you can 'tear' the tire off of the rim. In many cases you will need to use a screwdriver to help pry the tire off especially if you have done a good job of gluing it on in the first place. :) Just be careful so you don't damage your carbon rims! If you are just going to mount a new tire you don't need to care if you damage the tire.
  • Remove any big chunks of glue from the rim. This is where the box knife or scraper come in handy. Again, be careful not to damage the rim and always err on the side of leaving glue on the rim rather than trying to get it all off – you are only trying to remove the big, dry, blobs, NOT ALL THE GLUE. This is also a good time to clean up the braking surface if you have any glue there and even the edge of the tire bed. Having glue where there is no tire does not help. In my experience fine sandpaper is preferable to solvents which can make a big mess if you are not careful.
  • If the tire is new, inflate it so it turns inside-out and coat the base tape with a layer of glue.
  • If the rim is new, put it in a truing stand and apply one layer of glue to the tire bed.
  • Let your tire and/or rim dry for 2-24 hours.
  • Even if your rim has lots of glue on it, apply another layer being careful to get edge-to-edge coverage and not to force glue in any of the holes.
  • Mount the tire per the above instructions.

And that's pretty much it. Some people are WAY more meticulous than this insisting that you get all the glue off the rim each and every time you glue on a tire but in my experience this is absolutely not necessary. They are probably only saying that because of liability concerns and their legal team required it.

In my experience new glue will activate old glue and as long as there is good coverage and you have those three layers of glue and there is no dirt or old chunks of dry glue then you are good to go.

Here are some guides and videos from people that are much more meticulous than I am.

Park Tool
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/tubular-tire-gluing

VeloNews
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/08/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/video-how-to-glue-a-tubular-tire_132537

Zipp

Mounting and Gluing Tubular Tires

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