31 July 2012

treadmill run | walk commute

Hooray for me! I made it to the gym today.

I felt it would still be prudent to keep my ass off of any bike saddle to opted for a run. Besides, it's been a while.

Surprisingly it felt okay. I took it pretty easy and good thing because even though my legs were not averse to the movement, my lungs did not seem able to fill themselves properly, especially had I tried to go any faster. But I guess that's okay.

Then I walked home. Again. I love being able to do this.
Today I went up the Blaine stairs which are right next to the Howe Street stairs. It felt hard!

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food run - water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day run - 5:30 AM
Workout Type run - endurance
walk - endurance
Weather walk - 70, sunny, dry, light breeze
Course run - treadmill, 1% incline
Results
Time run - 30 min
Distance run - 3.9 miles
Pace run - 7:30
Equipment run - Brooks Launch
walk - Brooks Launch
Clothing

30 July 2012

commute walk

Took the bus to work and then walked home. It was beautiful out and I found some back trail behind the tennis court through Volunteer Park. Cool stuff.

I thought about going to the gym in the morning but the motivation never quite amounted to sufficient force to get me out the door.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 4:30 PM
Workout Type endurance pace
Weather upper 60s, sunny, dry, light breeze
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Launch
Clothing shorts, sleeveless active T

29 July 2012

walk around Seward Park

Casual walking is exercise so I'm posting it! Besides, I just happened to have my Garmin watch on at the time… :)

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 11:00 AM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather upper 60s, sun, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Launch
Clothing  

28 July 2012

Seattle Century on a fixed gear

I have a dream… or rather prior to today I had a dream. In that dream I could ride my fixed gear bike as long as I wanted. Over hill and over dale for miles and miles into the sunset I would ride all the while comfortably spinning like a madman.

So like an idiot I invited Jeff Reed to join me on the Seattle Century and suggested that we ride single speed bikes. I was feeling pretty macho since I had completed this ride last year on my single speed… Jeff replied, "Sure! How about we ride fixed gears?"

Whaa…?!

It seems I just got one-upped. Oh well, if you make your bed you need to lie in it so I agreed. Did I mention I was recovering from a wicked saddle sore? Whatever. Go!

CIMG9077

Joining Jeff and I was teammate Tony Bravetti on his geared bike. At least I had one person to keep me company in my misery. :)

Let me start by saying that this ride rocks. It's close to home (I was able to ride to the start), there is free food at the start, it's well supported meaning you never go more than 15 miles before you come to an aid station and the time of year is optimal meaning it's almost always warm and dry. Top it off with an AMAZING post-ride meal of grilled salmon and roasted asparagus (all you can eat) and beer/wine (all you can drink!) and I guess that's why I have been here four times in a row.

Turns out Jeff and I had a common goal - only eat ride food. Every year I get totally sick of all the sweet, processed specialty food products like bars and gels and so today we vowed to only eat what they had at the aid stations. I kinda goofed by bringing bottles filled with a fancy drink but I did not feel like dumping out the contents. In spirit I was right there with Jeff. And in practice it's why I had 'real' food at the start.

Unlike some of the more serious recreational rides in the NW this one is open and doable by pretty much all comers. Combine that with three different distances and you get folks like the guy I saw in full-length blue jeans and sneakers at the start. And I say good for him! Riding a fixed gear I was not about setting any speed records. On the contrary, today was all about (and here I'm gong to play off a common colloquialism that all the kids use these days) HTTU. Harden The Taint Up.

We rolled out. And then stopped and ate. Then we rode some more. And stopped to eat again. Repeat. I had stated that I wanted to take a short break at all the aid stations to eat but also to stretch my back and ease the part of my body that touches my saddle. Surprisingly, in spite of some sections that were uncomfortable I did way better than I thought and my crotch held up really well. I attribute this to good bike fit! Needing to rock your hips or being too stretched out, etc. will kill you on a fixed gear and luckily I have been tuning my position for many years.

In the beginning Jeff was destroying me on the descents. Tony would coast away and Jeff would slowly spin away while I struggled. I was totally stiff and could not relax the muscles in my legs. Thank goodness the more I rode the better I got and by half way I was able to keep up with Jeff when we went downhill. Just like any fixed gear ride, the climbs were a huge relief! It really changes your perspective, that feeling of looking forward to a climb is so refreshing.

Eating ride food can mean many different things. Today it meant we ate stuff like this.

CIMG9076

And this.

CIMG9083

I know...!

There were a few tough climbs climbs but not needing to go fast or keep up with anyone sure helped. We regrouped at the summit the one time we got separated. The hardest climb for me was heading west on the old Issaquah-Fall City Rd. Ouch. The hardest descent was going down Black Nugget Rd. Bigger ouch! Coming down from Snoqualmie Falls was not too bad. By then my legs were turning circles much better.

We laughed, we luckily did not cry and we spun our brains out. Here we are finishing up riding through Magnuson Park.

The longest ride I had ever done on my fixed gear prior to this was about 50 miles if memory serves me correctly so this is a new milestone for sure. Would I do it again? Yes! Especially if I did not have to start the ride with a sore behind.

Kudos to Jeff for doing this with me after suggesting it. Turns out he was almost not able to do so… He was truing the rear wheel of his fixed gear bike and broke a spoke. He went to the bike shop to get a spoke and they removed his cog so he could thread it through the hub flange. When he got home he discovered the shop had kept the axle nut. :( Thankfully I had a spare nut.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM - banana, water
7:30 AM - hard boiled egg, bread w/jam, coffee
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/2 scoops Perpetuem, 2 hard boiled eggs, half a peanut butter and jam sandwich, half a cheese and meat sandwich, slice of pie, 2 bottles Gatorade, 2 bottles water, banana, 2 slices watermelon
Injuries My right knee twinged a few times during the ride but it was at the end and did not bother me after I finished.
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather upper 50s to mid 70s, sunny by the end, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Kona Paddy Wagon
42 x 16 gear
700 x 23 tires
Clothing bib shorts, sleeveless undershirt, short sleeve jersey, cap

26 July 2012

RAMROD (Ride Around Mt Rainier in One Day)

What nostalgia!

24 years ago in 1988 Rick Benson and I posted a fast time (they stopped timing this ride long ago) on the original course (they have since shortened the route by a few miles) and today we connected for most of this ride again by chance(!) for what I think is the first time since that year.

CIMG9071

But the motivation for today started because of the impetus of Jeff Reed who lucked out and got a lottery entry. He gave me a shout and it turns out I got in too so along with some of his friends we headed to THE mountain.

In addition to Jeff we also hooked up with Sean "my mouth is saying I'm okay with a casual pace but really I want to teach younger people to respect their elders" Phillips, my friend John Ospina and the two friends of Jeff were Tony Blazejack and Justin Calvo.

It was a fabulous day. The mountain was in the clear and I opted to throw caution to the wind with regard to wardrobe and started in a sleeveless top. Bring it! The sun that is. As our group coalesced at the start line I saw Rick and his group roll out so I told everyone we needed to catch that train. It did not take us long and then we were at least 15 riders.

It was a stated goal of mine to hit up every food stop so that is what we did. It's the way I like to roll and as I have heard Jeff say many times, "I ride to eat!" You go Jeff.

The low-lying fog and clouds persisted a bit longer than I would have liked but I never got cold so it was okay. But of course when the sun did come out - as it usually does on the way to Ashford - it was sooo nice.

We must have been moving along at a reasonable clip as not everyone was too pumped up to pull. It was also the case that some people pulled too much and too hard too early and paid the price later on. :) Still, we were all together as we entered the park.

As the first real climb started Justin had to slow down a bit and Sean decided it was time to up the pace. After about 500 m I had enough and dropped off. Lucky for me Jeff, Rick, John and Tony felt the same way mere meters later. We never saw Sean again.

I had to stop once on the way up to Paradise to stretch my back but it was still a nice climb. I must have been excited (I love this ride!) because I kept pointing out the views to everyone I was riding with. :) At the top we got a group photo with the mountain in the background. The cloud 'halo' was really spectacular.

CIMG9070

I also made sure we stopped at Box Canyon for a peek into the crevasse that the water flows through. We all wondered aloud how many phones and sunglasses had been lost here… This was of course AFTER stopping for food at the Box Canyon aid station. I'm not sure I will ever tire of the chocolate croissants they serve here. That's right, I had two. I am not ashamed to admit it.

The little climb out of the Box Canyon aid station is always deceptive and today it wrecked me. By the top I was just about to cramp and John was slowly pulling away from me. Luckily I recovered on the descent and at the bottom I filled my bottles again for the climb up to Cayuse Pass.

I have ridden this climb totally empty/shattered and fresh and it's amazing how different you can feel on the same stretch of road. today was not a stellar day in terms of performance but it was beautiful out so who cares. John and I slowly pulled ahead of Rick and Tony dropped back with Jeff and Justin. I realized pretty soon that 9 mph was my max so asked John to keep it there and he was happy to do so. Nice.

we pulled over at the water stop half way up and I soaked my head and cycling cap - that felt freaking great. I think I slowed a little more toward the top and then Tony caught us with literally 200 m to go. Awesome! After regrouping it was a big plummet down to the deli stop.

CIMG9074

Once we arrived Jeff had to fix a flat and we all marveled at his perfect timing. They had a floor pump here and everything. What can I say about this aid station that has not already been said? Probably not much but here goes.

  • Smiling volunteers greet you and make you sandwiches.
  • You have your choice of breads, cheeses, cold cuts and they even have a variety of mustards!
  • The drinks are on ice. Literally.
  • The potato chips are fresh.
  • The porta-potties are clean.
  • They have folding chairs for you to sit in.
  • There is tons of fresh water to fill bottles, rinse your body, etc.

We all sat down to enjoy a leisurely sandwich and a Coke. I recall some years when I had two but this year one seemed sufficient. At this point Rick had to continue as he had a time constraint so now we were down to five.

One key to having a successful/enjoyable RAMROD is to leave this aid station with a big group. The last 40 miles are always into a headwind and if you are alone it's brutal. We waited and waited and not seeing anything roll out decided we had to take off. OMG did my legs feel heavy…! It was downhill to start and I was barely able to do 20 mph as we hit the highway. Slowly, very slowly, we all came back to life and the pace picked up. After a bit we were humming right along at something like 27 mph. Much better.

We kept catching and dropping people; our rotation was really smooth. After catching a group of three that seemed really strong John flatted and so we had to stop. But everyone was having a super time so no biggie. WE got the flat fixed and rolled out and soon were flying again.

There is one last climb as you approach the turnoff to Mud Mountain Dam and I happened to be on the front as we approached it. I must looked like I was feeling kind of spry because I stayed on the front all the way to the top. Truth be told I was faking it and turned the corner totally spent. But then it's flat and smooth and then down hill to the finish. Yes.

About .5 km from the finish John's rear tire started going soft again so I hung back just a bit to cross the line with him. Again, pretty perfect timing if you're going to flat.

Done!

At the finish there are COLD showers; hard to get in but oh so rewarding if you do. And ice cream! And more food and drinks! And a sprinkler! Awesome.

Looking at my Garmin file below our ride time was not too shabby! Of course if you rest long enough you can pretty much do any ride time but still. I have never ridden with power for this long and it's cool to see what I did. For example, you can see the power slowly trail off on the way up Cayuse… :) You can also see a massive spike when Sean gunned it going up Paradise. :( Stats are fun. So is this ride. Especially with good friends.

As Rick and I passed each other on the way up Cayuse he asked me, "Didn't we used to go up this on our 23…?!" I think we did. These days I can't even swing my leg over a saddle unless the cassette includes a 25-tooth cog. And my winter bikes has a 27.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep 4
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 4:00 AM - banana, water
6:00 AM - Clif Bar (when I realized there was no free food at the start…)
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 large bottles each w/3 scoops Perpetuem, 2 large bottles Gatorade, 2 large bottles water, scone, 3 (4?) cartons of O.N.E. Coconut Water, peanut butter and jam sandwich, 2 bananas, nectarine, 2 chocolate croissants, 2 PowerBar Energy Gel, turkey and cheese sandwich, Coke
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 6:00 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather upper 50s to upper 70s, dry, calm until the usual moderate headwind for the last 40 miles
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Ti Cycles Hyak
Neuvation R28 SL wheels
39/53, 12-25
Clothing bib shorts, sleeveless undershirt, sleeveless jersey, cap

25 July 2012

cardio

Today I did have the motivation to do some cardio and since I wanted to give my nethers as much rest and recovery time as possible I stayed off my bike one more day.

Believe you me, saddle sores can really take you out of commission!

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:30 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather  
Course elliptical trainer, 13 incline, 13 resistance
Results  
Time 30 min
Distance  
Pace 140-160 rpm by the end
Equipment  
Clothing  

24 July 2012

core | walk commute

I made it to the gym today AND I had enough motivation to at least work through my core routine. Whew.
Since my taint ain't recovered yet and since walking home was so much fun yesterday I did it again today. And this time I added the Howe Street stairs from the very bottom. Gotta love the most classic stair climb in all of Seattle.

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day 6:30 PM
Workout Type endurance (today my walk was consciously faster than just recovery)
Weather 70
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 30 sec leg lifts each leg
back extensions 3 x 40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 100 each leg
leg scissors 100
twisters 50 each side - 10 lb.
push-ups 20
hip abductors 3 x 30 - 100 lb.
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment Brooks Launch
Clothing Brooks Infinity Short III, sleeveless active T
Technorati Tags:

23 July 2012

walk commute

Oh man…

I went to the gym today to do some light cardio and get my legs moving again and it was NOT happening. Motivation was zilch and I lasted maybe 10 minutes before I climbed off the elliptical trainer. My 'below the belt' was still not up for riding a bicycle so instead I just walked home.

Saddle sores suck but walking home was fun. It made me realize that I am super lucky to live close enough to work for this to be an option.

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day 5:30 PM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather 70
Course
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment Brooks Launch
Clothing shorts, sleeveless active T

21 July 2012

High Cascades 100

"You're going the wrong way…!"

That's what some guy yelled at me as I was riding backwards on the course when I had finally managed to put about 15 PSI into my front tire after getting my third flat somewhere around mile 40.
But let me start at the beginning and catch you up.

Bend, OR/Mt Bachelor is a freaking GREAT place to ride mountain bikes. I had only heard this from others never having been there myself so took it on faith when I signed up for the High Cascades 100. Turns out the 'others' were right. The course was one big loop…! How often do you get to ride 100 miles and never ever cover the same trail twice? This was my first time and I loved it.

06
Trails!
Tons of miles of trails!
10+ mile descents!
Corners with 5' tall burms!

Okay, there were also sections called, "5-mile climb" but it's amazing how fast you forget stuff like that.
All of these 100-mile races seem to start at the freaking crack of dawn. I suppose that is to be expected with most people taking around 12 hours to finish but it's still a jarring experience when the alarm goes off at 4:00 AM. I forced down some breakfast, got back in bed and waited until the last minute to get dressed (of course I had the usual clothing debate with myself but in the end I chose right and was perfect) and rolled to the start. I think I left my room at 5:10!
At the start it was dark!

01

After the big shots got called to the front we started right on time and did a neutral roll-out leaving the Mt Bachelor Village Resort and headed down the road toward the ski area. Thankfully no one was pushing the pace and all the single speeders were able to keep up. We did about six miles of pavement and then turned off onto a dirt road where the pace picked up. I was feeling pretty darn good and kept squirting around people and in some cases riders were losing traction and getting off their bikes and each time I got lucky and just rode on by… I moved up quite a few places on this section of the course but the leaders were also riding away from me. No way can I hang with pros. :)

After a few miles of dirt road we hit some trail and it was SO MUCH FUN. Right away it's incredibly twisty but also incredibly rideable. The surface was covered in super fine dust and you would slide sideways but there were some burms on the corners and you could bank around at speed without losing traction. The morning light was filtering through the trees and it felt positively magical. A huge bonus was I was holding my position in the pack.

The first aid station was genius. Volunteers were handing you bottles for crying out loud. If you wanted, you could just ditch your empty, grab a full one and never get off the bike. I opted to stop but only for about 30 seconds.

Some more trail, some more dirt road and one on one of these dirt road sections with lots of sand I felt like my rear tire was moving around more than it should. No worries, I chalked it up to lack of experience riding in these loose conditions and carried on. Shortly thereafter we went under a bridge and the dirt road went UP. I saw a couple of people try to ride it but none of them lasted long. I got off pronto to save my legs and started power hiking.

By the time I got back on my bike it was obvious that my rear tire was indeed losing air and that what I had felt earlier was not my imagination or a lack of skill. Son. Of. A. Bitch! I looked back and there was a HUGE gap behind me so eventually I pulled over to top off my tire.

I still smile when I think back to how long it took me to realize I was not just going to be able to add air and finish the ride… I topped it off once and that lasted about two minutes. I topped it off again and that lasted maybe three minutes. As I was topping my tire off for the third time people started to stream past me. Damn.

In a panic I jumped back on my bike and tried to follow but I was practically riding on the rim and after maybe 100 m I had to pull over and fix my flat proper. That's when Gary Ballas and Doug Graver - the only two guys in the entire field I was trying to compete against - rode by. In turn they both expressed their sympathies as I was getting sealant all over myself and installing an inner tube in my now not so tubeless tire. Now that I was finally taking my time I also realized that my pump was not putting sufficient air into my tire… Nice. I would get to something around 15 PSI and then it would just max out. So there I was riding on an extremely squishy rear tire. For the time being it couldn't be helped.
But my race was not over! Oh no. After I fixed my flat and got it sorta, kinda aired up I poured it on and was blowing by the riders that had passed me earlier. I guessed that maybe 40-50 people had passed me and so I was trying to keep a mental count of how many I passed back. I may have made it around 20 or so?

Sadly it soon became obvious that my rear tire was still too soft so at around mile 40 I pulled in to the aid station where there was a mechanic and borrowed a floor pump. Sweet! Very timely too as my saddle had come totally loose on my seatpost and I had to tighten that down or risk losing it. it was here that I noticed that my seatpost was slipping a bit as well, it had dropped one full centimeter so far so I fixed that as well. Undaunted (well, I guess I was a little daunted to tell the truth… but not totally) I was still motivated and pulled out of the aid station and promptly passed another four or five riders on a steep pitch and then grabbed my bottle for a drink.

it isn't that I didn't see the rock coming, I just figured that with my fancy suspension fork I could ride right over it with just one hand on the bars… See, on my previous mountain bike I had opted to go fully rigid and so this fork was still a huge novelty.

I hit the rock and folded like a house of cards.

in the process I sliced the sidewall of my front tire and gauged my right shin. Ouch.

As I gingerly walked my bike off of the trail and saw sealant pouring out of the too-large-to-seal hole and blood running down my leg I decided that now my race really was over. Thank goodness I carry two inner tubes AND the mechanic was only about 3/4 of a mile behind me. I installed the tube, put in just enough air to ride it (which is about all my POS pump was capable of today unfortunately) and started to ride back to the aid station.

There, now you are all caught up. I think I also heard someone say, "That's the third time we've seen this guy…!"

Floor pump to the rescue! Again! I also double checked all the bolts on my bike before taking off just in case. :(

This time my pace was much more leisurely, the trails were incredible and I resolved to just enjoy them since I was at least 45 minutes behind where I wanted to be. I went up a hill, around some corners, started another climb and who should I see but Nick Zylkowski. I had seen Nick and Rosalyn Zylkowski earlier at the Safeway parking lot and had figured they were both here to race the Cascade Classic but no, Nick was here to ride in the dirt. Yeah for Nick!

Nick was fighting with a broken chain so since my race was done I pulled over and we got out my chain tool which was a little better suited to the job and fixed it. Nick looked a little worked and this suspicion was confirmed when we started to ride. Then not two miles later he realized he had forgotten both of his bottles back where we fixed his chain! I asked him if he could continue (he said yes) and so offered him some of my water and then I dropped back behind him in order to keep tabs on the guy. It was getting warm after all.

Then what should I find on the trail but a full, unopened bottle of water. What luck. I picked it up and when I caught up to Nick we stopped and shared it.

ASIDE - I could have picked up quite a bit of loot today if I had stopped each time I saw a full gel packet or bottle of pills or food bar or whatever, people were losing their shit big time on this ride it seemed.

The rest of the ride was fun! It was not fast but that was just fine with me at this point. We stopped at all the aid stations, got our chains oiled and our bodies fueled and hydrated and rode and chatted. Meeting nick was a stroke of luck. And he hung in there really well! We walked/rode the 5-mile climb together, rode a leg-sapping sandy climb after mile 75 together and then with about 15 miles left he started to come around. By the time we hit the pavement which took us back to the finish it was all I could do to hold his wheel. Deservedly, Nick crossed the line ahead of me. Way to tough it out Nick.

24

ANOTHER ASIDE - I have since learned some tricks for installing tubeless tires when using Stan's No Tubes tape.
  • Sand your rim bed lightly with some really fine grit sandpaper.
  • Clean the rim bed with Acetone and a clean cloth.
  • Stretch the shit out of the Stan's tape. No really; it will snap and pop and sound like it's going to break but it won't. Start opposite the valve hole and overlap the tape a good 3-4".
  • Carefully cut a small hole for the valve.
  • install your tire on the rim and then install an inner tube. Crank up the tire to about 40 or 50 PSI and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. This will help push the rim tape against the rim and ensure that it is not going to leak. Like mine did…
  • Remove the inner tube, pour in the sealant (I recommend two full scoops for a 29" tire), mount the tire and pump it up until the tire bead pops into the hook on the rim. Then shake, flip, spin and twist your wheel to generally make sure that the sealant is covering the entire inside of your tire.
At the finish they were handing out little cotton towels that had been soaking in coolers full of ice water. Hello mountain bike race promoter! This is genius and it felt SO good. We all had massive dirt tans and some riders looked like raccoons with all the dust on their faces.

I wiped my face off and then headed straight back to my room for a shower. Then I rolled back to the start (did I mention that my room was less than .5 miles away from the start/finish?) and indulged in the post-ride food and beer. And sun. And then I got an invitation from Gary to join his family and friends for beer and pizza at their pool! I was rapidly forgetting all my flats and my crash.

Put this race on your bucket list! The trails are amazing and the support is worth the entry fee.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep 5
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast 4:00 AM - 2 bananas, apple sauce, walnuts, 3 scoops Perpetuem, water
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food 2 large bottles each w/3 scoops Perpetuem, about 6 gels, about 6 more large bottles of HEED most of which had an Endurolytes Fizz in them, 2 bananas, peanut butter and jam sandwich, half a Nutella and jam sandwich, water, Coke
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day 5:30 AM
Workout Type race
Weather low 50s to 80, sunny, dry, calm
Course
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper Carbon 29 Singlespeed
gear: 32 x 20
tires: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29 x 2.25
I started with about 26-28 PSI but that didn't last long…
Clothing bib shorts, sleeveless undershirt, short sleeve jersey, cap, long finger gloves

19 July 2012

core | bike commute

For logistical reasons (like needing to be at work by 7 and needing to run an errand after work) I had to ride my bike to work today and I gotta say my nether regions are NOT healing up very fast. It was not comfy to say the least. I have stood up so much on the way home. :)

On the up side I can take tomorrow off again and my core routine went okay. Thank goodness for small favors.

Lately I have felt SO not like a racer lately… all I want to do is whatever I happen to want to do. With no pressure to perform. Am I getting old? Have I been racing too long? Do I just need to switch something up? I still love riding and running with friends, even alone at times but the 'show up and go fast' feeling has left the building. Many weeks ago actually.

I have two more races on my calendar, we'll see how they go with no specific training.

Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day core - 5:00 AM
Workout Type
Weather mid 70s, sunny, dry, calm
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 30 sec leg lifts each leg
back extensions 3 x 40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 100 each leg
leg scissors 100
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
push-ups 20 [I tried to do 21 and just collapsed. Whatever.]
hip abductors 3 x 30 - 100 lb.
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing

18 July 2012

cardio

I did not want to gross everyone (and by 'everyone' I of course mean the one or two people that read this blog) out yesterday but after my leisurely Monday commute which was interrupted by a couple of hours as I sat around at the Ballard Loft in the sun drinking beers (in my cycling shorts of course) I got a wicked saddle sore. :(

Saddle sores are not fun anyway but they are a huge bummer when you have a big bike race coming up. Shit. Why do I get these when I'm hardly riding my bike and I wear clean shorts every day? Sucks.

So yesterday I tried to ride as little as possible and when that did not help I opted not to ride at all today. Hence the cardio at the gym.

On the up side the cardio felt good. My legs are still pretty wicked tight [said in my best Hopper accent] and this loosened them up nicely. For a few hours anyway. :)

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 181
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:45 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather  
Course elliptical trainer, 13 incline, 13 resistance
Results  
Time 30 min
Distance  
Pace mid to upper 150s rpm
Equipment  
Clothing  

17 July 2012

core | bike commute

Made it to the gym this morning, whew. And for the first time in a while my core routine felt really good.
Unfortunately I only had time for the shortest way home today.

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather 70, dry, overcast, light wind
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 30 sec leg lifts each leg
back extensions 3 x 40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 100 each leg
leg scissors 100
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
push-ups 23
hip abductors 3 x 30 - 100 lb.
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing

16 July 2012

bike commute

My legs feel so incredibly heavy… and my quads are wicked tight. Funny (read: interesting) how this kind of things creeps up on you because after my run on Saturday I felt positively super.

Today I just rode to work and then to Ballard after work for a couple of beers with friends.

Coming home I just let my nose guide me and for some reason I ended up at the base of Belmont Ave E. Ouch.

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day
Workout Type active recovery
Weather 70, sun, dry, light breeze
Course
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing

15 July 2012

Tiger Mt MTB ride

Only one week to go before what is arguably the biggest and hardest (meaning the toughest competition will show up) MTB race of my summer: High Cascades 100. This weekend was supposed to be my last long/hard workout so yesterday I went for a longer run in the woods and today I was supposed to go for a longer ride in the same woods. But it didn't happen.

I met my new-found friend Gary Ballas at the South Tiger Mt summit parking lot and we headed out for what I hoped would be at least two laps of the standard loop. Gary wanted to warm up prior to tackling the big climb so we hit some trail first. It was great!

It was also the case that my front tire was losing air! What crap.

To top it off, my pump was not cooperating and would only let more air out of my tire instead of putting any in. :( Luckily Gary's pump was working but after topping my tire off at least four times and not finding any obvious leak and after crashing once because my soft front tire pushed out in a corner I packed it in. Rats.

Gary is a blast to ride with though, he's a much better bike handler than I and following him down singletrack required concentration. That's just what I need.

Oh yeah, it was really wet too. At least it was not cold.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food just a couple of gulps from my bottle
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:45 AM
Workout Type  
Weather 60, rain, wind (but we were in the trees)
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper Carbon 29 Singlespeed
Clothing  

14 July 2012

Cottage Cheese Ass loop on Tiger Mt

What's in a name you ask? Well, it so happens there is a 'Fat Ass' on Tiger Mt every year and this loop is similar to that, just a bit longer. And in the other direction. Sort of. Whatever, it's a great loop. Today the plan was to ran it with Bill Huggins and Justin Angle. At about 6:00 AM Bill and I got a text from Justin; he was out. :(

But when I got to the start I discovered that Bill had invited three friends, yes!

Two of them I had run with last Wednesday and they were not slow… I was hoping to keep up.

ASIDE - In celebration of the most excellent weather we have been having I left my shirt in the car. As Bill and I walked up to the other three he introduced me as 'the naked guy'. Nice.

We rolled out at an extremely sane pace which was a pleasant surprise. In my experience Bill does not hold back much and he's a super climber so I'm always huffing and puffing to stay in contact - especially when we go up. Today I was doing fine. I learned later that Bill had recently taken some time off from running and was just ramping up again hence his less than lightning pace. Mind you, I was not complaining.

This loop is more or less up for the first half and then it's pretty much down for the second. What's interesting is that the second half is not that much faster than the first. I guess there are some 'bumps' on the way down and it's somewhat technical to boot. This loop also has some of the most incredible singletrack there is on the mountain! I recall riding my mountain bike on them back when there weren't so many rules here.

We kept it steady and I made sure to keep drinking. The climb ends in a steep section of single track followed by a short dirt road descent and then a the road kicks up in a 'wall' to the summit. Until to day I had only run all of the singletrack climb once and had never run the road. Today I ran it all! I was pumped up!

At the top I gulped two gels, chased them with more cocktail from my bottles and then we headed down.

God this trail is great! it's soft, it's narrow, it's densely wooded and it's just so freaking beautiful. After a bit I found myself enjoying it so much I had passed Bill and his friend and was slowly opening up a gap.

ANOTHER ASIDE - Mind you, we were NOT racing but this is the first time I have ever been able to do this. Usually it's me trying to hang on at pretty much every stage of runs like this.

I had to wait at a couple of intersection not knowing which direction to go and twice I felt so good I just turned right around and started jogging back up the trail until I met the rest of our group.

My legs may have felt good but I was also tripping up a storm. I almost bit it about five times in the second half of this run and one of the times I tripped I was out of control for so long it caused me to stumble all the way past Bill who had been about 20' in front of me at the time. Sheesh…! I did not want to pull a Superman down this mountain.

Finally I was alone descending (Poo Poo Point Trail?) when I ran right past Bernie Boglioli and Woody Cox who were out mountain biking with friends. I yelled and they recognized me. Small world… I used to ride on the same cycling team as Woody and Bernie and I have ridden together a bunch in the past. Very fun to see them out.

The last flat mile back to the car has historically kicked my ass. But I guess I was 1) trying got close strong and 2) trying to keep up with faster guys. Today we just jogged it in and I was on cloud nine. I had my recovery drink, we did some stretching in the parking lot (it was a DREAM not to have a time constraint) and then I drove home. A bonus day. And my second fastest time on this loop! That's freaking excellent considering I waited four times and backtracked twice and did not push it at the finish.

I recall having so much fun while running today that I was picking and eating Salmon Berries while moving. With a bottle in my hand. Mad skillz.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 5:00 AM - 2 bananas, 1 scoop protein powder, walnuts, strawberries, coconut milk, Udo's Oil
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/1 tablet Nuun and 1 scoop HEED, 3 PowerBar Energy Gel
Injuries My left big toe gave a tiny bit of grief but not too bad.
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:15 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather low 60s to upper 60s, cloudy, dry, calm, muggy
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance people always tell me this is really 19 miles and I believe them as my GPS is notoriously inaccurate in the thick trees and on tight, twisty courses
Pace  
Equipment Hoka Combo XT
Clothing Brooks Infinity Short III

13 July 2012

cardio

Yesterday and today I am training for work so not much time to do anything else but I wanted a rest anyway so it worked out.

Today was just to keep my legs moving and keep the muscles loose after Wednesday's run. Thank goodness the tightness is going away but after doing some cursory stretching at the gym I realized I am wicked tight and need to get back on the stick.

There are so many things to remember to do…! :(

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:45 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather  
Course elliptical trainer, 13 incline, 13 resistance
Results  
Time 30 min
Distance  
Pace 140 rpm to start, mid 150s most of the time
Equipment  
Clothing  

12 July 2012

core

Rest day!

That run yesterday (of course) made me more sore than I thought… :)

I really had difficulty with my leg lifts doing the side plank today. Hopefully it was just an off day.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 6:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 30 sec leg lifts each leg
back extensions 3 x 40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 100 each leg
leg scissors 100
twisters 50 each side - 10 lb.
push-ups 23
hip abductors 3 x 30 - 100 lb.
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

11 July 2012

Cougar Mt run | bike commute

In just 19 days Justin Angle is going to move to Montana. He has been trying his best to get us out on the trail together before he takes off and I was really bummed to have to miss his official 'farewell run' on this same loop later in the month but lucky for me he was headed out again today. I jumped at the opportunity.

I'm going to miss him.

Sniff.
In the past the 'Cougar 10' was reserved for a rest day. And who knows, for the guys I was with the pace might have been restful but not for me… First of all I have not been running that much and second of all I am not the kind of guy that can just get off the couch and throw down. I always seem to need a ramping up period to get used to the impact/speed/hills/distance of running.

In addition to Justin I was joined by Bill Huggins and Bradlaugh Robinson (who I had met for the first time last spring on a jaunt up Tiger Mt).

ASIDE - I keep saying spring when technically it's really still winter. I guess it's a Pacific Northwest thing…
We started easy enough and it was awesome to be running in just shorts and a t-shirt! In fact, it was plenty warm and I could have gone topless if I wanted. :) Soon I was wiping the sweat from my face but with no sweat band or long sleeves the movement seemed pretty ineffectual.

The pace ramped up a tiny bit once we crested the hill but not so it was really noticeable. I even led for a while so it could not have been fast. Plus, we were all talking the entire time. About three quarters of the way in we got to a longer descent and whoosh, the pace picked up quite a bit. At the end of the descent are some rollers and it was all I could do to hang on over the first couple. On the third roller I got dropped.

On the upside I only slowed down a little once I was off the back and did not have to walk and did not keel over into the bushes. Bonus. I jogged it out, managed a little spurt of speed for the last quarter mile and when I looked at my watch it said I had gone almost one minute faster than my previous best on this loop. Nice.
Here is my run.

Here is my ride home. I was tired.

Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast 5:00 AM - banana, PowerBar, glass of water w/1 scoop HEED
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food bottle w/1 tablet Nuun and 1 scoop HEED
Injuries My left big toe seems to be rubbing my shoes with inordinate force lately… I need to figure that out or I'll have to take two days off after each long run to avoid blisters.
Therapy
Time of Day run - 6:15 AM
Workout Type run - threshold
commute - active recovery
Weather run - low 60s, clear, dry
Course run - Cougar 10
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment run - Brooks Cascadia 6, hand-held bottle
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing Brooks Infinity Short III, Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-Shirt

10 July 2012

treadmill run | bike commute

I figured I did not have time to get outdoors at lunch today so hit the gym in the AM. Oh man was it hard to get going today… Not only was I dragging ass when it came to leaving the house but I must have stood on the treadmill for what seemed like an hour (three minutes maybe?) just staring at the console. Not helping matters was the fact that my iPod had run out of battery. :(

When I finally kicked my own butt into gear it was fine. Quite good actually. Thank god. For the first two minutes or so I was picturing myself being that guy that steps off after five minutes and goes home.
At least I had the foresight to bring a water bottle and held it/drank from it the entire run.

Since the weather was positively brilliant again today I took the long way home. The Magnolia bluff loop rarely disappoints. On the way home I saw Alex Telitsine but I'm positive he did not recognize me. In his defense maybe my wave was a tad late.

Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day run - 6:00 AM
Workout Type endurance run, fun ride
Weather 70, sunny, dry, light wind
Course run - treadmill, 1% incline, 7:30 for 5 min then 7:00 for the remainder
Results
Time run - 30 min
Distance run - 4.2 miles
Pace
Equipment run - Brooks Launch
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing

09 July 2012

core | bike commute

Trying to get back into the routine after a few days off of work and away from the gym. You know what? it's not easy. :(

ASIDE - next on the agenda, figure out how to retire before next summer.

Core was tough but I expected it to be. And my legs were still a little sore/tight from my run last Saturday. Not too bad though.

Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day core - 5:15 AM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather upper 50s to mid 70s, mostly sunny, dry, light breeze
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 30 sec leg lifts each leg
back extensions 3 x 40
clam knee lifts 100 each leg
side leg lifts 100 each leg
leg scissors 100
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
push-ups 20
hip abductors 3 x 30 - 100 lb.
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing

07 July 2012

Lake Tahoe run

Incredible!
Beautiful!
Expansive views!
Dry!
Way above sea level!

Shelley and I were in Incline Village for her 20-year high school reunion (Incline High baby!) and since there was time to screw around and since packing running shoes and shorts is easier and cheaper than shipping a bicycle I hit the trails on foot.

Oh MAN are the trails nice up here… and by 'up' I mean right around 6,000'.

I started at the Ponderosa Ranch (where Bonanza was filmed) and headed up Tunnel Creek Rd. This is a stout climb that ascends for three miles at which point you get to about a million intersections and options. The Flume Trail had been recommended to me but I took a wrong turn. Luckily every turn is damn scenic up here so I just ran until I saw one hour and then turned around. Good times. Especially since I did not get lost.

Looking at my data below you can see how much I was dying until I turned around… on the way up I had to walk for a few seconds about every half mile! Luckily I took along plenty of fluids so actually finished with some drink left in my bottle.

I would go back here in a heartbeat. To run OR ride. Hell, I need to figure out a way to do both on the same trip. Here is a trail map of where I was.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 7:00 AM - 2 bananas, avocado, water
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 1.5 large bottles w/Vitamin Water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:15 AM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 70s to 80, sunny, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia
Clothing Brooks Infinity Short III

04 July 2012

Mt Rainier mega ride (Sunrise, Cayuse, Paradise, Cayuse)

A great route, good friends, all damn day, nice weather, what could possibly be better? That's rhetorical, the answer is not much.

Thanks to Aaron Griffith who got the ball rolling on this eight of us showed up at the Crystal Mountain turn off from Hwy 410 at 8:00 AM ready to log some serious miles in the mountains. IN attendance were Neal Goldberg, Audrey Baldessari, Jesse Nofziger, Alex Telitsine, my old friend John Ospina and two of Jesse's friends (Nick - who had just done an Iron Man distance tri 11 days ago and then won a sprint tri the following weekend(!) and Bryen Graver who happens to be the son of a guy I race on the dirt).

In spite of the fact the sun was shining it was freaking freezing out. Like 41 degrees freezing. I knew it was going to warm up tons so everyone tried to walk the line between not turning into a popsicle at the beginning and having enough pocket space to stash all the clothes we knew were coming off later in the day. Some were braver than others.

CIMG8856

We rolled out and Aaron went to the front. By the time we turned off to head up to Sunrise we had already lost one person. Aaron kept up the pace as the climb started and Alex soon took over. I joked that he was probably going for some power/Strava goal (and sure enough at the top he said that he was just barely over one hour for the climb which is a pretty good time). With about two or three miles left I had to let him go to save myself and he slowly rode away.

That's when I started to look around and remembered whey I come here.

CIMG8863

Other than the descent from Paradise down the west side of the mountain where you are pretty much guaranteed to encounter loads of traffic this ride down from Sunrise ranks right up there. At the top you have a few giant switchbacks and then at the bottom you are diving left and right around banked corners. I just LOVE that. With no cars today it did not disappoint.

Heading up Cayuse we lost two more in spite of a much more moderate pace and then Aaron had some knee pain so had to pull the plug. It was the intelligent thing to do but I know it was a really difficult decision for him to make and I felt very bad. So by the time we got to the descent of Cayuse it was down to just Jesse, John, Alex Bryen and me.

On the upside it was finally warming up and on this descent I did not need my knee warmers, wind vest or gloves! My pockets were already filling up…

We stopped at the entrance to Stevens Canyon for a bite and to top off our bottles and then pretty much right away we encountered dirt! Turns out the Park Service is in the midst of a road rehabilitation project to prevent the creep which results in the cracks you always see.

At first I was wondering if this would slow us down but the dirt surface was nice and firm and no problem at all to ride. In fact, it was kind of fun.

After some chit chat the pace slowly picked up again and the group got strung out with Alex leading once again. I was the last to stay with him but then at Reflection Lakes - which were still totally covered in snow - I had to get off and stretch my back. At least it made for another photo opportunity.

CIMG8872

I rode the last three miles alone at a comfortable pace and then we regrouped at the Paradise lodge for lunch. It was beautiful so I set up camp outside.

CIMG8876

I was carrying plenty of food with me so just hung out on the bench for a while and enjoyed the views of incredibly well equipped tourists getting ready to hike in the snow. It seems you can't step foot on the stuff without massive boots, long pants, uber tall gators, long sleeves, a hat with a sun flap in back, full finger gloves and trekking poles. And don't forget the seriously dark sunglasses. Obviously the climb had not put a dent in my attitude… :(

Coming down from Paradise is usually a blast as the road near the top is one-way so no oncoming traffic but on this day there were so many people up here that not only were all the parking lots full but cars were parked on the shoulder for about 300 m down this road. Needless to say there were lots of cars on the road as well. And suddenly I was freezing again! Not sure if it was the snow walls we were riding next to or what but that two mile stretch had me positively shaking and it did not get better until I had to pedal.

Luckily that was the last time we got cold and it was nice and warm the rest of the way back to the car. It wasn't even too hot, just perfect really.

On the way down we encountered the dirt again. Surprisingly I was able to ride it MUCH faster than all of these massive SUVs. In fact, I had to pass about 10 of them as they would slow to a crawl each time they approached a dirt section?! At the bottom we stopped for water one last time and then headed up Cayuse.

Ouch.

This climb is usually never easy unless you approach it really fresh. We were not very fresh today. Once again Alex set the pace but then after a couple of miles he pulled over and let me lead and this time we finished together. My legs were tired but not exploding. I did have to sit up a few times on the flatter corners to stretch but otherwise I felt reasonable. What a relief.

We regrouped at the top and then headed down.

I had told everyone we were going to sprint for the park entrance and they remembered! Jesse led it out from waaaaay far away and I was positive I was going to win but started from too far back and did not anticipate the sprint soon enough (you only see the arch with about 150 m to go) so finished second just barely ahead of John. Nice job Jesse!

What a great ride! What a long ride! What a tiring ride! I love the Pacific Northwest.

Just yesterday I figured out how to add a second bike profile to my Garmin Edge 500 so I added one for my new mountain bike. My mountain bike has no power meter so when I switched back I unfortunately forgot to pair it at the start and so rode about 75% of this ride not recording power. :( See my average power below.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 5:00 AM - 2 bananas, 1 scoop protein powder, walnuts, water
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 large bottles each w/3 scoops Perpetuem, 6 Perpetuem Solids, half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 3 Odwalla bars, 3 gels, 6 Endurolytes, 3 large bottles of water
Injuries I had to stop and stretch my back once going up to Paradise but it was manageable.
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather low 40s to upper 60s, sunny, dry, light breeze
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Ti Cycles Hyak
Neuvation wheels
39/53, 12-25
Clothing knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, wind vest, Polypropylene gloves, cap

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