31 October 2010

training-ride

Hours
Sleeping
  Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
  Distance 54 miles Power  
Time
(total)
3:11 Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 1.5 large bottles each w/3 scoops Sustained Energy
Injuries right knee/IT band
Therapy  
Workout Type endurance with a couple of harder efforts
Weather low 50s, some wind, mostly sunny, dry
Course around Lake WA with scenic detours
Results  
Equipment Rain Bike
Clothing knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, wind vest, cap

What a nice day! I never needed gloves.

For a change I took along my iPod and it was dreamy. Having tunes when solo is a godsend.

I saw all kinds of fun/funny stuff today.

  • There was the lady with devil horns on her helmet.
  • There was the guy with a Medusa 'wig' on his helmet.
  • There were the 20 people on the side of the trail adjusting their costumes before getting on their bikes.
  • Just one mile form home on the I-90 lid the bike polo gang was out in full force so I hung out and watched for at least 10 minutes.

Another bonus was meeting Chance R half way around the lake. He opted to do an about face and ride home with me. Then at Seward Park we passed Dustin V going the other direction and he turned around as well. Nice.

30 October 2010

MFG Cyclocross–King County CX

Today Thumbprint Racing was out helping MFG Cyclocross put on the King County CX event. What a blast.

I was at the registration desk all morning but then got a chance to be a crossing guard right at the start/finish so was able to get some pictures of racers as they rode by. We had quite a few folks entered but since I had to leave around noon I did not get a chance to see them all.

Congratulations to all that entered!
CIMG6726
Justin starting.
2 laps to go for the Cat 4 Masters Men 35+.

29 October 2010

training-core | commute

Hours
Sleeping
  Body
Weight
7:30 AM - 179 Body
Fat
8
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
gym – 5:30 AM Distance 12 miles Power  
Time
(total)
  Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries right knee/IT band still not so good
Therapy foam roller – 10x each leg
massage
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
clam knee lifts 3x40 each leg
side leg lifts 3x40 each leg
back extensions 3x30
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
leg extensions/lifts 60?
hip abductor 3x30 – 100 lb
Results  
Equipment Town Bike
Clothing  
All the core stuff was hard today... And because of the fall on my right arm I still can't support myself on the Roman chair but I was able to do the plank.

I rode my bike to my massage appointment today and then to work and home. My knee felt pretty great! Oh yeah, my LMP is super and I highly recommend him.

28 October 2010

training-ride | Seattle Multisport

Hours
Sleeping
6 Body
Weight
7:15 AM - 181 Body
Fat
7
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
6:00 AM Distance 20 miles Power set threshold at 310
Time
(total)
1:30 Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast 4:15 Am – cereal, banana
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/3 scoops Sustained Energy
Injuries  
Therapy  
Workout Type AM fun ride
PM 2x20
Weather 50, mostly dry sky, damp ground, clam, mostly cloudy
Course  
Results  
Equipment Rain Bike
Clothing  

I met Ryan D and Justin A at the Dawg at 6 and since some of us had a time constraint we opted for a scenic loop around Discovery Park and the Magnolia bluff.

I have noticed the last few days on this bike that the tires slide around like mad. Not so good for a winter/rain bike. :( Today was no different. Even just on damp roads whenever the surface was not clean asphalt or concrete I could make my rear tire spin simply by getting out of the saddle.

I forced Ryan and Justin to go through Discovery Park instead of around and as we rode up to the south gate... it was locked! Not deterred we headed east and found an opening in the fence. Whew.

Cruising along the waterfront is always nice. Where there is no one on the trail it's even nicer.

At Seattle Multisport I was cautious. Not having done any kind of substantial workout in ages I set my threshold wattage at 310 and resolved to keep my cadence up this time. It worked.

I was able to maintain 24-26 mph in what I think was my 50x15 for both intervals. My heart rate started out in the upper 150s and slowly climbed peaking around 170 at the end of both intervals. 170 is kinda high for me these days I think so I must have been working hard.

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27 October 2010

training- stairs

Hours
Sleeping
  Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
6:00 AM Distance 12 flights Power  
Time
(total)
48 min Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries right knee/IT band still a bit sore
Therapy  
Workout Type strength
Weather upper 40s, dry, calm partly cloudy
Course Howe Street stairs
Results  
Equipment  
Clothing shorts, long sleeve active t, short sleeve active t, cap

Today was the best day on the stairs so far this fall.

When I started I still felt my right IT band/knee (only going down though) but after about four flights it started to get better and after about six it felt almost normal. Almost.

About six flights in suddenly this group of about 8-10 women show up with headlamps and long sleeve shirts tied around their waists. It was like a swarm of fireflies with all the lights going up and down and up and down.

I noticed today that it is taking me almost exactly four minutes per flight (down and up once). I'm still going down very cautiously but am able to keep the pace high (walking two at a time) on the way up. And I was thrilled to note that I felt almost the same at the end of the workout as I did in the middle.

having a water bottle handy for this workout is great. I need to remember to keep bringing it.

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25 October 2010

training-core

Hours
Sleeping
  Body
Weight
7:00 AM - 178 Body
Fat
8
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
5:30 AM Distance   Power  
Time
(total)
  Time
(moving)
cardio – 30 min Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast 6:45 AM – cereal
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries right knee made itself known about half way into cardio but it never was a sharp pain
Therapy foam roller – 10 x each leg
Workout Type  
Weather endurance type effort
Course
clam knee lifts 3x40 each leg
side leg lifts 3x40 each leg
back extensions 3x30
hip abductor 3x30 – 100 lb
cardio – elliptical trainer, 14 incline, 14 resistance, 140-150 rpm, heart rate 140-150
Results  
Equipment  
Clothing  

My weight is under 180! What a relief. Better celebrate with some beer and brownies.

My right forearm is still all bandaged up from my fall Thursday morning and so I was not able to do the plank or the Roman chair ab exercise. Rats. I guess I should be glad for what I can do as even my clam knee lifts and especially the side leg lifts hurt on my bruised hip.

At least cardio did not hurt! I watched King 5 news and all anyone was talking about was the 'storm' (read: WINDS UP TO THIRTY SEVEN MILES PER HOUR) that Seattle was being subjected to. Man, if 37 mph is so awful, what happens when it gets windy? Here in the NW every weather event has to be some sort of apocalypse.

24 October 2010

Best Coast "When I'm With You"

In a country as young as ours there aren't many things that we can legitimately claim we invented instead of just borrowed or stole or simply altered. Surf music is one of those things. I love it.

This song goes out to Shelley.

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23 October 2010

training-ride

Hours
Sleeping
6 Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
9:30 AM Distance 49 miles Power  
Time
(total)
3:34 Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast 6:30 AM – cereal
Lunch  
Dinner 2:00 PM – 4 pieces pizza, beer, brownie
Workout Food 2 large bottles each w/3 scoops Sustained Energy
Injuries right knee still not cooperating but it felt reasonable today
Therapy 3 Ibuprofen
Workout Type endurance pace
Weather upper 40s, a few spots of light rain, partly sunny, mostly dry, calm
Course Leschi, Renton, May Valley, Newport, across Mercer Island, home
Results  
Equipment Rain Bike
Clothing Sugoi shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft long sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, clear rain cape, OR gloves, cap

Two words: weather window

Two more: great company

I met Aaron S, Greg and Suzie K, Ryan G and Dean J at the Leschi Starbucks and was blown away by the number of people gathered there today! It must have been at least 50. A group of 8+ Garage riders rolled out, there were about 20 Hagens Berman riders, some Starbucks riders, etc. Kinda nuts.

One hour before the start it was pouring rain at my house so I sent a text to Aaron asking if he was still; riding. He replied, "Yup". Okay then.

And we were rewarded handsomely. I was never cold; in fact I took my rain jacket off for the majority of the ride and my gloves off for about half of the ride.

At 405 Suzie, Dean and Greg turned left and went home and Ryan, Aaron and I continued east. At these speeds you have plenty of wind to chat and chat we did; constantly. Blah, blah, Subaru WRX, blah, blah Ken Block Racing, blah, blah, budding team romance, blah, blah. You get the idea. Good times; for a guy.

Hank Sanders is still mad

So mad that he called me right here in Seattle and urged me to vote for Ron Sparks (Governor) and Jim Folsom (Lieutenant Governor). What's funny isn't that I got a call from a senator – that is unfortunately all too common these days – but that Hank Sanders isn't representing Washington, he's from ALABAMA.

Here is the voicemail.

Doing a quick web search it seems that Mr. Folsom has been getting some flack from this robocall but to his credit he said all he would change in the script was to ditch the four letter words. Nice.

I'm starting to like Jim and just wish we had more positive ads like this back here in Washington.

22 October 2010

training-commute

Hours
Sleeping
5 Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
  Distance 12 miles Power  
Time
(total)
  Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries - right knee still making itself known
- right hip is super sore and stiff
- scrapes on right forearm, left knee, right hip, left palm
Therapy massage
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s in the AM, mid 50s in the PM, dry sky, wet roads, partly cloudy, light breeze
Course  
Results  
Equipment Town Bike
Clothing baggy MTB shorts, knee warmers, short sleeve active t, long sleeve active t, knit gloves, wind vest, cap

Oh MAN am I sore from yesterday's fall... There is a lump on my right hip and walking feels pretty awkward. It has been a while since I have crashed and I don't miss it one bit.

Since I snapped my super retro, trendily anodized crank arms two days ago I am now rocking some sweet, sweet, almost just as retro cranks that I found in our alley. Literally.

kooka

I know, you are all SO jealous.

After proudly proclaiming that all my bikes are sporting 180 mm cranks, these are 175s. It made my PT happy.

21 October 2010

training-ride

Hours
Sleeping
  Body
Weight
182 Body
Fat
8
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
6:00 AM Distance 28 miles Power  
Time
(total)
2 hours Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast 4:45 AM – cereal
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/3 scoops Sustained Energy
Injuries Right knee felt okay, it was noticeable but did not prevent me from riding and did not 'hurt'. Of course I did fall down again scraping my right forearm and hip.
Therapy  
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s, clear, dry, calm
Course Dawg, Leschi, down East Mercer Way, back the same way
Results  
Equipment Rain Bike
Clothing knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft long sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, wind vest, cap, knit gloves

Martin fall down go boom. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I was bummed to have missed Tuesday's ride so was ecstatic to be able to make this one. I topped off my tires, grabbed my lights and headed down to the Dawg to meet Greg K, Ryan D, Nelson J and one of our new teammates who's name I have now completely spaced... We headed out for a couple of intervals on Mercer Island and it was a great morning with dry roads and mostly clear sky.

Which is exactly what was puzzling me when I was lying in the middle of the road on the second switchback headed down to Lake WA Blvd.

Turns out I Had a slow (read: pretty fast) leak in my front tube and in the apex of the corner my wheel pushed out and down I went. Rats. After my fall yesterday this was getting old fast.

Everyone helped me up and helped me fix my flat and after doing some personal inventory I opted to continue. The fall had really hurt but it's been my experience that halting all activity can make you even more stiff and sore than riding it out if you are able to do so. And in retrospect I think it was the right call as I did loosen up some by the time I got home.

Still, the ride was a little less fun than if I had not hit the deck. :( The whole ride my right forearm felt like it was burning and I kept looking at my arm warmer to see if blood was going to soak through. It never did so when I got home and pulled the arm warmer off I was mildly surprised to see that my undershirt was totally red. Testimony to the wicking qualities of Craft clothing I suppose.

This group is great! Here's to more of the same rides and but fewer falls.

20 October 2010

training-stairs | walk | commute

Hours
Sleeping
6 Body
Weight
7:30 AM - 182 Body
Fat
9
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
stairs – 6:00 AM
walk – 12:00 PM
Distance stairs – 11 flights
walk – 3 miles
commute – 12 miles
Power  
Time
(total)
stairs – 55 min
walk – 50 min
Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast 7:15 AM – cereal
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries My right knee started hurting on my walk! Jesus this is getting old...
Therapy  
Workout Type  
Weather stairs - upper 40s, dry, calm
walk – low 60s, sunny, dry, calm
Course stairs - Howe Street
walk – marsh loop around Husky Stadium
Results  
Equipment Town Bike
Clothing stairs – shorts, long sleeve active t, short sleeve active t

Yikes, my weight is climbing. :( It would be nice to keep it at 180 so I only have to lose five pounds in the spring, more than that and it's just too hard. Not fun.

My right knee started attracting attention to itself on the second flight of stairs this morning but then it plateaued out and did not get any worse I continued. Ryan D and I have  been at this for three weeks now and his company is great. We talk about all kinds of things from local politics to team politics to bike racing politics.

So far we are just walking the stairs two at a time at a relatively fast pace, I hope to start running then in November if my f'ing knee ever gets any better. In case I have said it enough, this stupid knee injury is SUCKING.

Since my knee was not so bad on the stairs I pushed my luck and went for a lunch time walk. It started acting up pretty much right away and of course it was the worst at the half way point so what could I do? I had to walk back to the office. More slowly.

My ride home started out fine for a change. It was really pleasant out, still nice and warm when I left the office. I head over to Fremont, across the bridge and up an dover Dexter. As I was climbing up Capitol Hill on Pike I stood up to go when the light turned green, managed about 10 pedal revolutions and suddenly got pitched into the street. Broken crank arm; crap.

5101086382_02c89397f0_b

So after hobbling out of the street, realizing I was lucky this happened on an incline when the cars were going slowly, thanking the cyclist that stopped to see if I was okay what is the first thing I do? Snap a quick picture and fire it off to Twitter of course. I'm retarded.

I'll spare you the aftermath photo. Let's just say that my left shin and knee are missing some skin and there is a big bump under my left patella. More sucking. So I walked my bike home the last mile or so. Oh well.

choose carefully, please

As the mid-term election draws near I'd like to encourage everyone to get out and vote. Even if you disagree with my choices, voting your conscience – especially if you have done even a lick of research to back it up – is to be commended. Nothing worse than hearing people whine about the election results and then finding out they didn't vote...

Who does Martin endorse? Nine times out of 10 I vote for everyone and everything that The Stranger endorses. I like to pretend that I'm a fiscal conservative but really I'm all about social issues, social responsibility and and am willing to spend money to support those ideals.

Speaking of elections and campaigns, Shelley and I were watching television the other night when another Dino Rossi campaign ad graced our screen. I remarked that I could not recall the last time I saw a positive political ad. These days they all seem uber negative. Democrats too.

I suppose it could be for a couple of reasons.

  1. Fear/a crisis/sensationalism sells; pure and simple. Why say that you have been working your butt off to support the right of gays to serve openly in the military or have always been an advocate for tent city space in Seattle when it's easier to call someone a nut for making an off-hand remark about being a witch?
  2. No one really has done anything and thus has little positive to say.

In spite of the fact that modern political races seem devoid of substance, they are NOT devoid of humor as this speech will attest to.

Big time unrealized comic genius.

All I can say is Phil could not have had more perfect comedic timing if he was doing this on purpose. I lied... And is there really such a huge difference between this lunatic and people like Christine O'Donnell? Sarah Palin? Nice.

When is more just too much? Or, "That's right, these are 180s..."

I ride 180 mm cranks. On just about every bike I own. The only exceptions are my track bike (175 mm) and my single-speed/fixed-gear road bike (175 mm). Even our two tandems have 180 mm cranks in front and lately I'm getting pretty self conscious about this fact.

First some history.

Back in the day (read: the early 80s when Martin starting riding bicycles) everyone had 170s. It did not matter if you were 5' 6" or 6' 5", it's pretty much all there was. And no one cared about crank length, it was just a commodity that you needed to propel your bike forward.

Then someone I worked with suggested I try something longer. He thought longer cranks were cool and since I was 6' 2" I guess he felt a kinship of sorts and was compelled to impart this nugget of wisdom on the sponge-like disciple that was Martin. So when I purchased my first 'real' bike I got it with 172.5 mm cranks.

I know, I know, HUGE difference. In my head.

Time passes and I upgrade my components and the next time I got cranks I opted for 175 mm. Hey, it just seemed logical. By this time I was reading about pro riders and how some used longer cranks on their TT bikes and I was kinda tall after all so why not? I also worked in a bike shop so the parts did not cost so much given my employee discount.

Then I got my first custom bike. And what goes better with a new frame than all new components? Nothing, that was rhetorical. Say hello to 177.5 mm.

At this point the jump to 180 mm was almost incidental. I mean if a little longer is good then outrageously long must be better, right? Totally. At the time long stems were cool too. There were loads of juniors riding around with their arms totally straight because if they were bent they would not have been able to reach their handlebars. Peer pressure – or the mere appearance of it – is not to be underestimated.

Now I was far from being a junior... I started riding and racing when I was about 20 years old and by the time I fully submersed myself in bike culture complete with subscriptions to VeloNews (back when it was newsprint) and Cycle Sport magazine I was pretty advanced from my teens. But that mystique is strong. If you think something is cool or if you tell yourself it's cool long enough then by god it's cool and damn anyone show claims otherwise.

Plus I swore up and down that longer cranks were advantageous. Looking back now I vividly recall a study performed by Leonard "longer is better" Zinn where he had riders of various height ride up a hill at a constant heart rate with different length cranks. The riders did not know what length they were riding each time up the hill and they were asked to subjectively rate their effort. The results showed conclusively that each rider benefitted from longer cranks as the speed went up the longer you went while keeping the heart rate constant. There was even a tiny triathlete who was close to 5' tall and even she liked the 180s the best.

Hook, line and sinker.

Now I think I am relatively flexible – at least compared to the average Joe – and so the old adage of, "Go longer to increase your leverage until it affects your spin." was sort of my guide. And I never thought that my spin was being affected.

I had (of course) conveniently blocked out some experiences... like this one time a friend and I were riding up Hurricane Ridge. Climbing was no problem. Coming back down you have to pedal if you want to fly as the slope is just not that steep. What happened? Martin got dropped because he could not spin fast enough. And I was a reasonable descender! At the time I chalked it up to my saddle being too high and that might have been part of it but the other part might have been my crank length. You think?

Fast forward to the present. I'm having all kinds of issues with my back because I herniated a disk (or two) skiing when my core was ultra weak a few years ago. Unfortunately cycling is just about the worst thing for it. Straight spine = happy back, bent spine (especially for extended periods of time) = very, very unhappy back.

The problem with long crank arms is that when you round the top of the pedal stroke your hips get kicked up. As long as you are flexible and your core is strong it's manageable but as soon as you falter in either area like any time you don't religiously work on either or even just at the end of a long/hard race when your core is fatigued it causes more discomfort.

So what's my problem? Why not just stick 175 mm cranks on al my bikes and call it good?

Because I have so many! Upgrading them all to 180 was a huge financial investment and going back is quite daunting. Of course I could just buy arms for the bike I am riding right now and see how it goes...

I also honestly do not understand how a 15 mm range of sizes (165-180) an adequately meet the needs of people that vary in height from under 5' to well over 6'. If someone who is over a foot shorter than me AND has proportionally shorter legs than I do can comfortable ride 170s, why can't I ride 180s?

I guess the answer is just that we are not all the same in terms of what we can tolerate.

And I guess I have a mental block about switching. When some of your best rides and races and cycling experience were with one thing, it's hard to give that thing up.

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19 October 2010

Lucca goes skating

Doing what she likes since, oh, about forever.

Is this video beautiful or what...?! That's rhetorical of course. Lucca made this movie and now I can't hear these songs and not think of her skating. And I like that.

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18 October 2010

training-core | commute

Hours
Sleeping
7 Body
Weight
7:00 AM - 181 Body
Fat
8
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
gym – 5:30 AM Distance commute – 12 miles Power  
Time
(total)
  Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast 6:30 AM – cereal
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries right knee/IT band, still feeling it going down stairs
Therapy foam roller – 10 times each leg
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s to upper 50s, dry, mostly sunny, calm
Course
clam knee lifts 3x40 each leg
side leg lifts 3x40 each leg
back extensions 3x30
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb
Results  
Equipment Town Bike
Clothing  

So... I am now officially scared that once I get back to running I will be a huge, fat, slow slob. Thoughts like this do go through my mind and I'm not afraid to admit it. Of course I get ridiculed by my friends (and my wife) when I say stuff like this and I have flashbacks to when I went on a diet but seriously, my knee has been so f'd up that I'm afraid to even go for a walk. :(

On the up side I'm only 181 and it could be much worse. MUCH worse. But even if the weight is not sky high, my fitness is pretty darn low as it's been a solid three weeks now since I have run at all. In those three weeks I have ridden a trainer twice, ridden outside once and walked up some stairs twice. Help.

Not to be all about doom and gloom though, I saw my PT today and he said it's pretty obvious that I'm doing the right thing but my inflammation is not going away in spite of the fact that my IT band is getting looser. The solution? Drugs of course. Say hello to anti-inflammatory pills (that's Ibuprofen to you and me) twice/day. And honestly, since they were making me feel about 1,000 percent better each time I took them I would have suggested I take them if he had not. Here's hoping it helps.

Oh yeah, and he said I could ride my bike and use the elliptical trainer now. Nice. And as if to prove to me that God does exist, I got home and saw an invitation from Ryan D to go riding tomorrow. Yes. Thank you Ryan. And then tomorrow night I will do another trainer workout. GO!

17 October 2010

training–ab class | body pump

Hours
Sleeping
  Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
abs – 8:45 AM
body pump – 9:15 AM
Distance   Power  
Time
(total)
abs – 30 min
body pump – 60 min
Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course ab class – tons of crunches and oblique exercises
body pump – chest, squats, triceps, shoulders, biceps, lunges, crunches
Results  
Equipment  
Clothing  

First of all, I will be the first to say that 'body pump' is such a lame name for a class... all I can think about when I hear this term is obscenely bright, inappropriate Lycra outfits, terry cloth sweatbands and Reebok aerobics shoes with the little Velcro strap above the laces. And is it just me or or does 'body pump' suggest the class might turn into a swingers party when you hit the showers? Very unfortunate. Then again, I might just be taking this all a bit too far; as is my nature.

I used to participate in these indoor exercise classes at my gym quite a bit but not so much in the last couple of years. Honestly they are pretty fun! I must like that group workout thing where everyone helps motivate each other... I did an outdoor exercise class for three years and a boot camp class for another two as well.

Today I was just here because my right knee is preventing me from doing the things I'd really rather be doing. Running and riding.

The last time I took a class like this it was VERY different. Today we did all these ab exercises that seemed not only kinda ineffective but also dangerous if you had a bad back. Which I do. Whatever, I was very careful and didn't always follow the directions to the letter.

The body pump portion of the class was centered around a barbell and dumbbells. People were swapping weights on their barbell every exercise it seemed so I tried to follow suit. It was not easy to figure out how much weight to use so I opted for light and got it right most of the time. Light meant I Had anywhere from 10 lb on each side for the upper body stuff to 15 lb on each side for the lower body stuff. My dumbbells were just 8 lb and even that was too heavy for me in the end. I AM A WIMP.

When we finished I was not that beat. The pace was very moderate so we were not sweating buckets or anything but I bet I will be super sore tomorrow. All in all I'm glad I went. My knee did NOT bother me in the least, even when doing lunges.

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16 October 2010

Bicycle Film Festival

For my first time ever I checked out the Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) last week and loved it. LOVED it.

ASIDE – I wonder if the BFF acronym was an accident?

Sure the BFF is cycling movies but it's so much more. To start I met a couple of friends (Aaron S and Jeff D) at the Siren Tavern for a beer. This place seems to typify old school Seattle; it's south of downtown by the docks, you won't see any drag queens here and they don't serve that trendy PBR. We're talking Rainier.

Then we walked across the street to the actual film venue at Western Bridge. What a cool place. It's very industrial with concrete walls and stairs and exposed plywood and steel beams. In a word: unfinished. But not in a cold way, it's plenty inviting.

We had some time to kill prior to the first film so hit the balloon room. Basically, a ball pit for adults.
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It was a blast! You could crouch down and complete disappear or rush across the room pushing a wave of balloons in front of you. Everyone in the room had their phone out taking pictures and movies.

I have to cop to loving (good) trailers and so in addition to some shorts and the feature I also go treated to some super bonus footage. Another bonus was the cycling cap I scored from event sponsor Relentless. They were made by Walz and seem top notch. There were also tubs of energy drink all over the place but I abstained – those things scare me more than a little.

When the first viewing (we hit the 7:00 PM show and there was another at 9:00 PM) was over Jeff suggested we head over to West Seattle for some food, he's got a friend that owns a bar or something like that... It was fun. The theme of the place was hair metal and I'm not afraid to admit it was pleasantly nostalgic to listen to old Motley Cru, Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Poison and Wasp.

Did someone say after party? Oh yes, back to the Siren we went. This time for a goldsprint competition put on by Emerald Sprints. Very cool. As soon as Aaron saw the bikes on rollers he signed all of us up. And guess who was first?
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This was FUN. The concept is a 500 m sprint from a standing start (Aaron and I did not know this last part...) and first one done wins. Fastest time for the evening wins a prize. There is also a series as well as championship events. Yes! Another cycling niche, finally. Unicycle mountain biking was becoming so passé...

Seeing as none of us had EVER done a gold sprint we watched some people take the bikes for a spin.
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The two bikes were identical and had a quick release on the seatpost and double straps on the pedals. That didn't stop some of the I-always-keep-my-u-lock-in-my-back-pocket crowd from hoping on in their clipless shoes tho.

After Aaron and I finished it was time for Jeff to have a turn.
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They guy he was up against was very fast, the fastest of the night I think.

Amazing how high your heart rate can get in the 20 or so seconds it takes to complete a 500 m sprint with no resistance! We all got off the bikes with our heart absolutely pounding. Good times. I had to hang around just a bit to wind down before driving home.

When this shows up next year, go check it out.

training–walk

Hours
Sleeping
  Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
12:00 PM Distance 3 miles Power  
Time
(total)
  Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries right knee
Therapy  
Workout Type  
Weather mid 50s, sunny, light wind, dry
Course Green Lake
Results  
Equipment older Brooks running shoes
Clothing shorts, active t, hoodie

Shelley and I got out on a fantastic, sunny afternoon for some people watching. It was beautiful out but I could not help wishing I was riding with all my friends who went up to Snoqualmie Falls. Curse my knee.

I could feel the knee make its presence known half way around the lake but luckily it never started to hurt.

15 October 2010

training–core

Hours
Sleeping
6 Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
  Distance   Power  
Time
(total)
  Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries IT band felt pretty good, but I did not do anything to aggravate it...
Therapy foam roller – 10 times each leg
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
clam knee lifts 3x40 each leg
side leg lifts 3x40 each leg
back extensions 3x30
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb
Results  
Equipment  
Clothing  
Oh man, my abs were sore today... seems all of Thom's favorite exercises from yesterday are stuff that I never do.

14 October 2010

training–core | Seattle Multisport

Hours
Sleeping
  Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
core – 5:30 AM
trainer – 6:15 PM
Distance   Power not sure I have this figured out yet...
Time
(total)
trainer – 60 min Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Workout Type intervals
Weather  
Course core – abs with Thom W
plank – 3 min
trainer - 2x20
Results official results
Equipment Rain Bike
Clothing  

Damn. Today Martin got schooled on trainer workouts. And today I did my first ever 2x20 workout. Seriously.

Let me start by saying that I do not know what I am doing. And from what I saw, neither did most of my friends that were participating in the same workout. In attendance today were Jeff D, Ryan D, Jennifer W and Lane S plus some others. The workout consisted of a 5 minute warm-up followed by a 20 minute interval followed by 5 minutes of rest followed by another 20 minute interval and then 5 minutes of cool-down. The only advice that I got (which made any sense in retrospect) was to keep my cadence up. This, I unfortunately did not do. Here's how it played out.

As we rolled into the first interval the resistance seemed ridiculously easy. If that sounds like some pretty typical famous last words you are RIGHT. Each 20 minute interval ramped up pretty quickly in the first 5, continued to get harder (but more gradually) for the next 5 and then tapered off for the second half.

We were supposed to enter our threshold power from last week (the average of two 10 km TT efforts) and then each interval would max out at around 90 percent of that number. Of course I had 1) not remembered what the hell any of my numbers were from last week and 2) my fitness is crap so 20 minutes seems like years longer than 15. To me.

My first 20 minute interval was okay... my speed was always over 20 mph (mostly in the high 20s) and my power was between 280-300 watts.

My second 20 minute interval was a joke. My speed kept dropping off and I was learning that the trainer had been configured to keep the power constant so the end result was me riding at 16 mph (barely) and still doing 290 watts. It was a strange feeling to shift down in search of relief (three times during the second interval!) and getting zero.

Other people told me after that they would put in a 'spurt' and pick up the cadence which would make the same resistance easier. I should try that next time... honestly I was kinda tired and speeding up seemed daunting at the time. Mid to upper 20s seems like an ideal speed for this effort.

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13 October 2010

training–stairs | commute

Hours
Sleeping
7 Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
stairs – 6:00 AM Distance stairs – 12 flights
commute – 10 miles
Power  
Time
(total)
stairs – 58 min Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries right IT band is still pretty sensitive going down the stairs
Therapy  
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s on the AM for stairs, mid 60s on the way home, dry, sunny, calm
Course Howe Street stairs
Results  
Equipment Town Bike
Clothing  

What crap.

I got to the stairs a bit early and so headed down for a 'warm up' flight. Even on this first flight I could tell that going down was not so great. Going up was fine, no worries there but the slightest impact seems to aggravate the hell out of my knee. Poop.

So what does Martin do? Another 11 flights with Ryan D of course. But hey, it was not 'hurting', it was just uncomfortable. And it did not get worse so I'm taking that as a positive sign. Last week it did get worse the more flights I walked and this time not. Progress? I sure hope so because doing nothing is really starting to irk me. And honestly, I'm afraid of how my fitness will fair once I am able to finally start working harder. I hate that feeling of being totally winded.

Waling these is kind of fun. Ryan and I talk about all kinds of things from the hot brunette a friend got married to that turned into a psycho to dreams to training to what have you. I like it. It's a STARK contrast to running these stairs when everyone involved is sucking wind like mad. Those I am actually fearful of on occasion. And I'm not afraid to admit it.

I brought a bottle of water along today – that was nice to have.

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12 October 2010

training–core | commute

Hours
Sleeping
  Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
  Distance 12 miles Power  
Time
(total)
  Time
(moving)
  Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
  Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries right IT band is still sore but walking feels okay now and riding feels pretty good
Therapy foam roller, 10 times each leg
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s in the AM, 60 in the PM, sunny, dry, calm
Course
clam knee lifts 3x40 each leg
side leg lifts 3x40 each leg
back extensions 3x30
plank 3 min, 2 min to each side
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
hip abductor 3x30 – 100 lb
Results  
Equipment Town Bike
Clothing  

Okay, the knee is feeling better! [Says Martin hesitantly...]

I could still feel it while doing my dumb core exercises but on the ride to and from work it felt great! I even got out of the saddle and romped up some short hills and it was no problem at all.

Now if only it would feel like this when I walked or ran.

11 October 2010

training–core | cardio

Hours
Sleeping
7 Body
Weight
  Body
Fat
 
Pulse
(waking)
  Pulse
(rising)
  Difference  
Time
of Day
5:30 AM Distance   Power  
Time
(total)
  Time
(moving)
cardio – 30 min Time
(stopped)
 
Speed
(overall)
  Speed
(moving)
140+ rpm Speed
(max)
 
Total
Ascent
  Max
Elevation
  Gradient  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy foam roller, 10 times each leg
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
clam knee lifts 3x40 each leg
side leg lifts 3x40 each leg
back extensions 3x30
plank 3 min, 2 min to each side
roman chair knee lifts 3x40
hip abductors 3x30 – 100 lb
cardio – elliptical trainer, 14 incline, 14 resistance
Results  
Equipment  
Clothing  

On a scale of 1-5 that looks like this:

1 – No pain at all. I. Really. Can't. Feel. My. Knee.
2 – I feel it, there is an ache and some discomfort but no outright pain.
3 – It hurts, I should probably stop what I'm doing.
4 – Ouch! Walking hurts, moving my knee hurts, this is not good. Time for Ibuprofen. There is no doubt that what I am doing is making it worse.
5 – I'm crippled.

my knee was a 2 today. So, not terrible but not great.

The plank was hard! But I'm just starting this up again after a long hiatus so no surprises there.

On the elliptical my calves got wicked tired/sore! Sheesh... with no running I feel like my body is kinda losing it.

10 October 2010

Superprestige #1

Welcome to the first race in the Superprestige series.

Those rainbow stripes mean something...

What a freaking fast venue! What a day! What an amazing amount of fans! What a good time it would be to ride those whoop-de-dos on a mountain or BMX bike! What an incredibly long sand pit! What a grueling run up!

Cyclocross has got to be one of the most spectator-friendly outdoor sports in the world. Thanks cyclocrosschannel.

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