100 Miles of Nowhere

This post could have many titles, here are a few.

"Pretender exposed!"

"What's that mushroom cloud over the Marymoor Velodrome? Looks like total thermonuclear meltdown."

"So you think you can keep up with Tom do you...?"

Here is the abbreviated version of what went down. Tom and I have participated in the 100 Miles of Nowhere for four straight years (#1, #2, #3, #4) so I figured, what's one more? For 30 miles everything went swimmingly. Between 30-35 miles things got pretty shaky. At 39 miles the wheels. Totally. Came. Off. I putted around the track a bit more in hopes the fitness gods would feel like it has been way too long since they had a hand in some divine intervention and to try and assuage my guilt about leaving Tom in the lurch but eventually I had to head home absolutely gutted as they say down under.

Read on for the longer version.

Funny how tenacious faith is. Like my faith in my ability to ride 100 miles in four hours after all of the following.

• Not riding a bicycle at race speeds since last August.
• Not riding much at ALL since last August since I was now focusing on running.
• Hurting my ankle on 2 February and not doing much of anything for the next two months.
• Going on a two-week vacation just prior to this attempt during which my primary daily physical activity was carrying as much cheap, delicious wine to our apartment as I could carry. And using it to wash down mountains of bread and cheese.

It took just 90 minutes of riding at 25 mph to expose me for the pretender that I am.

I woke up nice and early, had a light breakfast and took my track bike down from the wall. The nice thing about track bikes is you can pretty much just put it in storage when the season is done and since it never gets dirty, you just air the tires and you're good to go. I got all deluxe and also cleaned and oiled the chain. At the last minute I recalled that Tom rode TT bars in 2012 so grabbed a set I had lying around and bolted them on. Perfect.

Ah the track...

I had a great time racing here for all those years and swinging my leg over the railing while carrying my duffel bag in one hand and my bike in the other felt just like yesterday. I was a bit early so casually got all my shot sorted.

Tom showed up a few minutes later.

In short order we got busy. We naturally fell into two-lap pulls and that seemed fine. We also pretty naturally settled into a pace that was right around 25 mph. As anyone who has ever ridden at the Marymoor Velodrome knows, even on a 'calm' day there is a headwind on the finish straight but we more than made up for it on the back side and I was seeing 24-27 all the time.

The TT bars were a GOOD IDEA. It took a ton of stress off my back which is prone to crapping out on longer rides - especially when I can't change my position much. I bet they also made it easier for me to maintain this pace as long as I did. I don't recall how long we went last year before stopping but today we went 25 miles until I suggested we pit for a snack. Although I had a bottle in my jersey, it was not so easy to drink and I did not want to bonk or get dehydrated today.

In the infield we met a fellow trackie. Hey we said, how would you like to do a nice, long warm up? "Uh... I'm just here to do some flying 200s." Damn. Back out we went.

During the next five miles I felt like my pulls were suffering a tad but not anything I was getting concerned about. In my head I had thought I would probably last fine until about 50 miles and then I might have to let Tom pull more than me. When I'm cycling fit we are similar riders in that we are both pretty big diesels so again I was not concerned with this slowing us down that much.

The dreaded fade sure crept up on me and all of a sudden I was struggling to pull even one lap at 25 mph. I think I lasted literally five laps of this and then Tom simply rode away from me.

Shit.

I had a sinking feeling but was not willing to throw in the towel just yet so went up track, slowed down, had a drink and let Tom lap me. When he did I slotted in behind him and off we went.

Tom pulled two laps, I pulled one lap, Tom pulled one more and then he rode away from me again. Things were not looking good.

I can't remember if I tried to join the train called Tom one more time or not but it was not long after this incident that I just stayed up track. I tried to gather myself but this did not feel like anything I could fix in time to help. What I needed was a few months of training and then a few more months of racing!

I drank some more but my speed was not going over 20 mph by this time. I even tried to slow down for a couple of laps to 18 in hopes that I would have a resurgence of strength [From where...?! Not sure what I was thinking.] but it did not happen. Looking down I thought I could at least complete 50 miles so set out on a lonely - although not nearly as lonely as Tom - journey. The second I hit 50 miles I rolled into the infield with my tail between my legs.

Finally, Tom pulled in.

He was all smiles and made a show of stretching to help me feel better.

And then I went home. Ouch.

To his credit Tom got back out there and finished this ride! Did I mention that he rode at least 60 miles of it solo? Way to freaking go Tom. Here's proof.

Go Tom go!

And when a mutual friend asked how it went Tom just said, "Martin had to go home." How polite of him. If I'm still running this time next year I will have to ride rollers if I even want a chance. Sorry Tom.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast	5:30 AM - Hammer Bar, some Perpetuem, tea
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	large bottle w/2.5 scoops Perpetuem, 1 shot of Hammer Gel
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	7:15 AM
Workout Type	endurance
Weather	low 50s, cloudy, dry, light breeze
Course	Marymoor Velodrome
Results	DNF
Time	2:10:47
Distance	50 miles
Pace	23 mph
Equipment	Raleigh Rush Hour Pro
Clothing	knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft Active Extreme Short Sleeve Baselayer, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, Polypropylene gloves, cap

Technorati Tags: 100 Miles of Nowhere,Fat Cyclist,Marymoor Velodrome,Tom Wick,100MoN

100 Miles of Nowhere

Well, who would have thought it? Here it is June and here I am again with my good friend Tom riding my bike a long way but not getting anywhere.

For the fourth year in a row Tom Wick and I are knocking out the Fat Cyclist 100 Miles of Nowhere and I must say that early on in the ride I was thinking this might be the last time… To try and stimulate ourselves we again chose the Marymoor Velodrome for our effort as trainers/rollers was a bit extreme and mind numbing. Not to mention crotch numbing.

This ride is technically a fund raiser for whatever charity selects but to be honest I just pay the minimum to enter and do it for the challenge. Still, I figure most any reason is a good one to push yourself.

There was a class scheduled on the track at noon so the plan was to get started early and unlike last year when I read the instructions wrong and showed up about 30 minutes late this time I got there on time and was able to roll out with Tom and Jerry Shafer. Whew. Nothing I hate more than starting a 100 mile ride 10 miles behind.

Right away we got down to business and our speed was averaging about 25 mph! Mostly thanks to Tom (who was the strongest this day for sure). Interestingly I think I felt worse about this ride in the first half than in the second half. Perhaps it was out pace? Perhaps it was just knowing how much was left? Whatever, it was definitely the case that as my body wore down my mind perked up.

We were absolutely tearing up the track!

Tom and Jerry. Hahahaha…

Unfortunately after about 20 mils Jerry got a bad headache and had to pull off. He managed to do several laps solo after that and we would lap him every six or seven laps but he eventually  had to pull out. Too bad, that must have been quite the debilitating headache. :(

The next 30 miles were a bit of a grind for me. With just the two of us I was not getting as much rest as I wanted. My mind kept going back to last year when Bilko got out the scooter and motor paced us at 30 mph for AGES. That was a freaking dream. Not this year.

Based on my experience and on the fact that my track bike has a more aggressive riding position than my road bike and on the fact that my back is 'busted' (herniated disc) I knew I would be needed several breaks throughout this effort. Somehow I stuck it out until almost 50 miles and then said something (it probably sounded kind of whiny) to Tom about needing to stop. He convinced me to go to 60 miles as that would mean we had a lot less left to go for the second half. I agreed and did not bother to stress the fact that I would need to get off my bike much more than once during this suffer fest.

Somewhere around mile 35 or 40 people had started to trickle into the track for their usual Sunday morning workout. By the time we hit 50 miles there was a nice, big paceline and although it was not going very fast (yet!) we latched on to the back for a bit of a breather.

Man did that feel nice!

Up to this point Tom had been taking four-lap pulls and I had been taking three-lap pulls and to not have to pull at all was incredible. And, the pace slowly increased so by the time we got to the front (there were about 20 riders in the paceline) we were flying. And then we only had to pull one lap each! Nice.

That took us to 60 miles and then we got off the bike for a bite, a drink and a stretch.

After we got rolling again we jumped into another smaller paceline and suddenly my left lag started to cramp. Yikes! This was way too soon for me to have problems and as I pulled up and let Tom ride ahead while I rubbed out my quad I was seriously worried this was going to be an issue. I rubbed, I drank and by the time Tom came back around lapping me I was able to jump back in. And the leg felt fine. Yes! But then just as quickly as this paceline started it fizzled out. Rats.

So from about 70 ish miles in to the end we were on our own again. But I was feeling better! I started pulling more and in spite of my legs feeling pretty toasted my mind was finally in the game.

ASIDE - Tom and I took different approaches to this ride. He had his cyclometer set to a screen that was displaying distance and I took the opposite tact and was only displaying my heart rate. I find that if I look at distance it CRAWLS and so I was trying to trick my tiny brain into zoning out for extended stretches and then 'surprising' it with how much we had ridden. It kinda worked.

Except early on when Tom was giving me distance reports. "10 miles done!" Holy shit… "10.25 miles done!" Okay Tom, very funny now shut up.

Around four hours in I asked Tom if we were going to finish in under five hours and he replied, "We're going to finish in 20 minutes!" OMG. My heart went pitter patter and I almost did not want to believe him. Only 20 minutes left? I tried to get stuck in.

But my back was screaming at me… A little later I told Tom I just had to take a break and sit up again. He replied, "Okay…" and then proceeded to keep right on riding. Damn! I clung to his wheel and after a lap or two he turned around and informed me that we had just SIX LAPS LEFT. Thank you Jesus. That was the nicest of the 'surprises' I got all day.

We both pulled the plug just as soon as our odometer read 100 and immediate hit the warm-up circle and then the infield. I was thinking I would have to do an extra lap as Tom lapped me once but then I remembered the first time we had stopped for a break and I had done a couple of laps of the warm-up circle before pulling in so luckily I was able to stop at the same time. Another nice surprise!

Here we are looking oh so attractive after finishing up.

Would I do this again? If it's just Tom and me I'm thinking not. I'm not the kind of guy that can just keep on doing the same event year after year just because, I need change and a new challenge. But we'll see, the body forgets pain very quickly. Too quickly sometimes. :)

Thanks Tom for being there! And thanks Jerry for showing up. I'm bummed you had to quit.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep	4
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast	4:30 AM - 2 bananas, apple sauce, 1 scoop protein powder, walnuts, water
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	large bottle w/3 scoops Perpetuem, 1.5 large bottles each w/1 tablet Nuun and 2 scoops HEED, 1.5 flasks of gel
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	6:45 AM
Workout Type	endurance
Weather	low 50s to 60, dry, calm
Course	Marymoor Velodrome
Results
Time	4:19:36
Distance	100.29 miles
Pace	24.7 mph
Equipment	Track Bike
Clothing	knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, wind vest, cap, Polypropylene gloves

Technorati Tags: Fat Cyclist,100 Miles of Nowhere,Marymoor Velodrome

core | commute | track race

The wind was blowing just a bit today… Riding the track outdoors is sometimes tricky as you can't push a big gear into a headwind so ideally you start small and then go slightly larger when the wind dies.

Unless you are lazy like me and just use the same gear (49x14) all the time.

Which reminds me of those times I have been on those death march rides. You are totally blown, your brain is barely working and you have to climb one more hill before you get home. because it's too much effort to even move a finger you don't shift down and you end up over geared which sounds ridiculous but I guess it's surprising what the brain will justify when you are suffering and in massive glycogen debt.

In the morning Shelley and I did our core routine and then I hopped on the townie for my usual plunge through the Interlaken ravine to work. I do love that commute.

At the track the weather was looking kind of dramatic and the wind was blowing a bit so warming up was not easy. On the home straight you were struggling and on the back straight you were coasting. This was when I realized I should change gears but true to form I didn't. Dumb. I should at least try it out to see if my theory about this is correct or not.

Once again they ran the masters first and since there was only one group of Cat 4 riders we finished in record time - I'm talking 8:00 PM! That has never happened before.

We started out with a 10-lap scratch race. I tried to make a move but ended up following wheels all the way to the end. Kyle F (Garage Racing) was out for the first time tonight and after complaining about not getting a warm-up he won. Typical.

Next up was a miss and out. This used to be my least favorite event until I figured out how to ride them. Not so bad now. Assuming you use your BRAIN which I did not. A Garage rider broke away about half way in. I hang tough and with three of us left (there were really four but I was not using my BRAIN) I figure, "I'm safe, this is the neutral lap before the sprint…" Then they call my name and I'm out. What made it even funnier is I'm holding up my hand and asking why I am getting pulled. No brain, none at all.

The last race was a 5x5 points race. My goal was to get away and I did a couple of times with others but it never amounted to much and I think the best I did was 3rd place in one sprint.

Fun but I do NOT feel fast.

Sleep	5
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	track - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED and 1 tablet nuun
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	core - 6:00 AM track - 7:00 PM
Workout Type
Weather	track - mid 60s, partly sunny, dry, wind at first and then calm at the end
Course	plank 3 min, 2 min each side back extensions 3 x 40 clam knee lifts 100 each leg side leg lifts 100 each leg twisters 50 each side - 10 lb leg extensions 100 push-ups 22
Distance	commute - 9 miles track - 29 miles
Time
Power
Results
Equipment	commute - Town Bike track - Track Bike
Clothing	track - bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, cap

Technorati Tags: Marymoor Velodrome,MVA

core | track race

Working out with your wife = good times.

Great weather at the track = arguably even better times.

This morning Shelley and I did our core routine again and boy did I need it. Good thing we both have messed up backs and so get to spend all this quality time together. Not.

ASIDE - I frequently laugh when I think of all the stuff I have to do (core exercises, stretching, PT, massage, chiropractic) just so I can do the stuff I want to do. Like ride a goddamn bike. But I'm not bitter. Seriously; riding is still incredibly fun and it could be a lot worse. As in I couldn't ride at all. Count your blessings people.

At the track they mixed up the schedule and I like it! For a change the masters raced first and they did all the mass-start races early and then we raced the keirin. I approve.

Jim F (Keller Rohrback) was pretty much toying with us tonight. That guy not only has a super sprint, he can also turn on the style for a full 400 m.

We started out with an unknown distance which is a fun event. There is never a bad time to break away and that's exactly what Tom W did about two laps in. For sure that has become his signature move.

In the points race I got off to a slower start than I wanted but finally got away. I was chasing a Garage Racing rider and it took a bit for me to latch on but after I did we stayed away for two sprints. Nice. Then with just a few laps to go Jim rolls up and we are three. To his credit he did not contest the final sprint and I managed to get second. Not sure what my result was for the race.

In the keirin I was DFL in my heat so got to head home early. Sigh. I just have not trained these kinds of efforts or speed/cadence plus I suck at them. A winning combo for sure. With about two laps to go I moved up on the outside and tried to box in a couple of guys but when the motor pulled off I could only maintain my position for half a lap and then faded back.

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	track - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED and one tablet of Nuun
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	core - 6:00 AM track - 7:00 PM
Workout Type	race
Weather
Course	plank 3 min, 2 min each side back extensions 3 x 40 clam knee lifts 100 each leg side leg lifts 80 each leg twisters 40 each side - 10 lb. leg extensions 100 push-ups 22
Distance	27 miles
Time	2:11
Power
Results
Equipment	Track Bike 49 x 14 Zipp disk, Neuvation front
Clothing	bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, cap

Technorati Tags: Marymoor Velodrome,MVA

trainer | track race

Since yesterday was a relative bust in terms of training I was psyched about hitting Seattle Multisport with Greg K and Ryan D. Good times.

And the weather report looked promising so hopefully I would be able to race at the track tonight as well. Yes!

Riding a trainer is a funny thing for me. And by 'funny' I mean it usually sucks ass and I rarely am up for making it as productive of a workout as it could be. Luckily this morning was a good day.

For the first time I started the workout at a threshold setting of 350 watts and kept it there. I even increased it towards the end.

ASIDE – I think one reason trainers are so whack is that people (read: me) who use them rarely put the numbers in perspective. When I suck I get down on myself and when I do well like today I get all up and forget that I weigh more than the guys I am riding with and that out on the road it's a whole different story. So bottom line I'm busy playing mind games with myself and not just working out.

This 'rest' portions of this workout is 65% of your threshold setting. I have done this at at a 340 watt threshold so today figured I would try 350. The first long interval was tough as my breathing was not very efficient yet meaning I could not get a proper lung full of air but after consciously working on breathing slower and deeper it got much better.

The transition from 100% of your threshold to 110% is noticeable. After a couple of the 1.5 minute intervals I was feeling it! By now Greg was panting pretty good but Ryan was totally silent/stoic. Half way through these 1.5 minute intervals I doubt I can maintain 350 watts but then I'm over the 'hump' and decide to dig in. My legs actually feel pretty good, it's just my damn breathing that is problematic.

Once I finish the 1.5 minute intervals I can totally smell the barn and increase my threshold watts by 10 for each of the 30 second intervals and manage to ramp up the speed to 30 mph  for the last one. Whew!

At the track I feel surprisingly good. Not 'quick' but my legs are not full of lead by any means. I get in a paceline for about 15-20 laps, do a couple of 200 m accelerations and then the bell rings.

In the tempo I try to go with a couple of attacks but never get the chance to hit out on my own. Turns out my legs a little slower than I thought. :)

The scratch race is more following wheels and at the end I am a little frustrated.

After one sprint in the points race I am looking, looking, looking but can't find the opportunity to get away. Not having a great jump is definitely hampering me here but I stay close to the front and after the second sprint the pack pulls up track and away I go. Alone. Drat.

As usual I established a good gap right away but then being alone and my AM workout started to collaborate against me and I begin to slow down. Alexie M said my speed looked pretty steady but I felt like I was slowing with every lap. :( With about two laps to go before the next sprint I see one or two people chasing me and one person catches and passes me about 100 m from the line. I get second and then the other guy that was chasing me catches us and we try to keep rolling but the coordination is not really there and we are not fast enough and so the pack reels us in with a few laps left and then I have nothing for the last sprint. Oh well.

With only one group of women and one group of category 4 riders and one group of masters we finish in record time! I am in the car by 8:45 which is unheard of but kind of fun.

The evening started out really windy and cool but as the sun got close to the horizon the wind disappeared, the sun came out and the temperature rose quite a bit. I was pretty overdressed by the time the points race wrapped up. Not that I mind, MUCH preferable to the opposite scenario.

Jim F is toying with us. So is Pekka J and this was (supposedly) his first race of the year! What good is endurance if you can't go fast? Not much when the races are so short.

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast	5:00 AM – cereal
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	trainer - water track – large bottle w/2 scoops HEED and one tablet of nuun
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	trainer – 6:00 AM track – 7:00 PM
Workout Type	intervals, race
Weather	60 maybe, mostly cloudy, dry, windy
Course	Seattle Multisport warm up (65%) 3 x 3 min w/2 min rest (100%) 6 x 1.5 min w/1.5 min rest (110%) 3 x 30 sec w/30 sec rest (110%) cool down (taper down to 65%) track – Masters 12-lap tempo 10-lap scratch 5 x 5 points
Distance	track – 27 miles
Time	trainer – 53 min
Power
Results
Equipment	trainer - Road Bike track - Track Bike
Clothing	knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft long sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, cap

Technorati Tags: Marymoor Velodrome,Thumbprint Racing,FareStart powered by Cobalt Mortgage

100 Miles of Nowhere

As much as I joke about this event it's obviously enough fun to keep me coming back. Thanks to my friend Tom W 2011 is the third year I have participated in the 100 Miles of Nowhere and if he keeps providing such fantastic venue as we had in 2009 and 2010 and this year, I'll most likely be back again in 2012.

The day started off with me arriving late. Crap. Nothing like thinking the ride begins at 8:30 when it really begins at 8. Especially when the course is not the most appealing/scenic one in the world and you just want the check the 'done' box as fast as humanly possible. Thank goodness everyone else started a little after 8 and I got there a little before 8:30. Still, it was a huge motivational balloon that got popped as I pulled up, casually changed my clothes, pumped up my tires and hopped the guardrail to cross the track. People were already riding...?! I was pretty sure only an insane person would ever consider warming up for something like this so when I turned to Phil S and asked if they had already started he simply laughed and said, "Yes!"

Since I was already late I figured one picture wouldn't make me that much later so here is all my shit in the 'before' photo.

Then I pulled out cold and hit the ground running at 25 mph.

After 'chasing' the small bunch that was already out on the track for about five laps I realized I was being stupid. I was not closing the gap so sat up and waited for them to make up the half lap. When I dropped in we settled into a pace that was about 25 mph with each of us taking one lap pulls. At first this seemed a little severe but after my legs had the chance to pull it together from my initial 'sprint' I started to feel better and even good.

A couple of miles later I made the mistake of looking down at my cyclometer, only 98 to go! OMG.

In addition to Tom my friend John M and track lover Ed A were there too as well as some others. I think Tom said seven people total had signed up for this 'adventure'.

Knowing that handups on the track are a dumb idea (even if I had someone helping me out who was willing to try) and since my track bike doesn't exactly have bottle cages on it I started off with some gel in one pocket, a bottle in another and my camera in the third. I must admit it felt strange to hit the track with all this stuff – not to mention food – in my pockets! But it helped. And once I got the hang of grabbing a quick drink on the straights it was sure nice to have all this along.

Another thing that was nice to have along was Phil S on the motor! Holy cow was that a dream to sit behind. I think he came out when we had logged about 10 miles or so and it was like bang! Suddenly it got a lot easier.

It was also fun to snap the occasional picture. Here is Phil on the motor followed by Ed followed by Tom followed by John followed by me.

At one point John's teammates dropped by for a 'compliance' check. Seems some of them doubted that he would actually ride this. :)

People would come and go so sometimes there were up to seven of us in a paceline and sometimes it was just Tom and I.

And of course sometimes it was just Tom! He was obviously having a great day. I even dared shoot a movie behind the motor.

God bless drafting.

We were fairly rocketing along; all thinks to this guy here.

Behind the motor our speed was never less than 25 and for quite some time it was a solid 27-28 mph. At first I thought no big deal but lap after lap (after lap after lap after lap...) it started to feel just a little quick.

We were making excellent time! I think I stayed on the track for almost 35 miles before taking a break. Thankfully my butt (read: crotch) was feeling really good and I had no numbness or chafing issues – hooray. But I had drained my bottle so needed a refill. I got it all done, including slowing down and doing half a lap of the warm-up track and getting back on, in the time it took the motor to do two laps. Phew.

Phil drove and drove and drove until the scooter ran out of gas! Talk about a downer... There we were, just barely over half way done when suddenly we had to haul our own sorry asses around the track. Suddenly even 25 mph and one lap pulls felt pretty hard!

ASIDE – Phil went out and got more gas! What a life saver that Phil.

At this time I think I started having teensy tiny doubts. Mostly because my back was starting to slowly blow up. I had also started the ride with my shoes nice and tight like I would for any other normal track event... this was not normal. During one of my breaks I loosened up the straps and the buckles. Ah, relief. Unfortunately my back was not getting relieved. The bars on my track bike are a bit lower than on my road bike and there are no hoods to ride on (although I did try the fake hood position for a while) and so with no real opportunities to change up my position much I had to take breaks with increasing frequency as the day wore on.

In the beginning I was only about 2.5 miles behind Tom on account of my late arrival. By the end I was eight miles behind on account of all my breaks for my back. Oh yeah, Tom also lapped us (read: me and Ed) at last once when I decided that the pace with no motor was too much. Tom did not and carried on.

During one of my back breaks I took some more pictures. At this time everyone was pretty much on their own.

On the bright side my frequent breaks were helping and I was going to finish; I just had to get off my bike about every 5-8 miles. The reason I know Tom was eight miles ahead of me at the finish is that Lila S showed up and suddenly Tom is shouting stuff like, "Only 30 laps to go!" Lila looked on incredulously as we hauled ass around the track behind the motor and shouted back, "You're cheating!" Hahahaha... if this is cheating I don't want to play fair. Besides, it was still not quite as easy as stuffing it in the 53x12 and hammering out 100 miles on the rollers. Infinitely more enjoyable though I must say.

As we got closer and closer to the end of our ride more and more people were showing up for a track workout. I saw Annette and Kenny W, several guys from Keller Rohrback like Jim F and several guys from Garage Racing showed up to cheer on Tom. Nice. And actually, it was nice. More people on the track gave us something to do other than just sit on the black line. We had to move up and back down and it made it much less mind-numbing that it could have been. More people in the bleachers was also nice.

Finally Phil held out his hand with five fingers meaning five laps to go. For Tom. With one to go Tom put in the obligatory effort and passed the motor to finish solo. Way to go. He really flew today and probably finished in about 3:45. Once that party was thrown I felt kinda down so turned to Ed and asked him how much he still had left to ride. "About 20 miles..." was the answer and instantly my mood went from bad to better. 20 was much more than eight!

And bless his heart, Phil and the motor were staying out on the track.

I think I lasted those last eight miles with no breaks. I think with the end in sight you sometimes can suck it up and push through. It was not without incident though, as people kept showing up we had a few of them crash our motor pacing party. Like Pekka J. Can't blame him really, there is only one motor and why should we be able to hog it all day long? I had to laugh when Pekka got behind Phil and told him to go faster. Now we're doing about 28 and Pekka says it again. Boom. I was gone. Seconds after I drifted up track so did Ed and it was somehow satisfying to know this pace was not just burning me up.

Lucky for us Pekka's effort only lasted a couple of laps and then we were able to pick up the motor again and I was able to finish this ride. Not wanting to be outdone by Tom I also surged with one lap to go and surprisingly had enough left in the tank to keep it at 27-28 for that last lap and was also able to finish 'solo'.

Thanks to Tom for organizing this again, thanks to the weather for cooperating and HUGE thanks to Phil for showing up and risking permanent disfiguration of his right hand all morning long.

Oh yeah, here is the 'after' photo. Note red line across forehead from helmet, love that. At least I was able to muster a smile.

Here are all my pictures.

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast	5:30 AM – cereal
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	3 large bottles each w/3 scoops Endurox R4, flask of gel
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	8:30 AM
Workout Type	endurance?
Weather	upper 40s to low 50s, dry, overcast, calm at first, light wind at the end
Course	Marymoor Velodrome
Distance	100.4 miles
Time	4:02
Power
Results	I finished!
Equipment	Track Bike 49x14 Zipp disk, Neuvation C50 front
Clothing	knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, OR Gripper gloves, cap

Technorati Tags: 100 Miles of Nowhere,Marymoor Velodrome

cardio | track race

Crazy night at the track! It started off innocently enough but then a weather front blew in and the sky turned BLACK. Then the wind picked up and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. Then it started to rain and then we had to go home.

I never got to ride the points race. :(

But I did get to do my first ever 200 m time trial for future sprint and Keirin seeding. HA! If there's one thing I am not it's a sprinter or Keirin rider...

I went to the IMA at lunch and today cardio was MUCH better than Wednesday... whew. Today it felt easy and relaxing – just the way I had intended it to be. The only bummer was that I finally brought my headphones and the sound was so damn quiet and only a third of the channels even had any. Poop. Eventually I ended up watching some football (read: soccer) match. There was tons of shirt grabbing and quite a bit of contact – hard core. It sure helped the time go by.

I had forgotten about the 200 m time trials today so when I got to the track and paid my fee and pinned my number on there was just time to ride about five laps of the warm-up circle (the track was already closed) and then I was up. Nothing like going 100% cold.

The TT consists of two laps. 1 1/2 to get up to speed and then you dive down the banking and go for the last half lap. I suppose I did all right, some people were out there doing their time trial on smaller than usual gears but even if I had warmed up I would still be in the bottom half of the field. Such is my fate.

In my Keirin heat I ended up third bike behind the motor which is a great position! If you can take advantage of it that is. :) With two laps to go I was passed by two riders and then when the motor pulled off the leaders simply pulled away! Crap. I crossed the line last and had to watch the final. I just don't have that kind of leg speed.

In fact, I had to sit around and watch a ton of racing – I was freezing! The wind had picked up a little and the sun was behind clouds so by the time we started the 12 lap scratch race I was practically numb and shivering. We rode around pretty fast for about six laps and this cat 3 (bikesale.com) who had moved up to our field put in a huge attack that strung us out and he held it for a few laps. What a motor. Then some fast guy attacked, I stupidly got stuck behind Hyun L so got gapped and then had to put in a massive effort to close. I got within about 30' of the pack but that was it. I blew sky high and finished second to last.

Then came another massive sitting around session and finally the rain cut our evening short. Half the A field had left by then anyway... it was getting really cold.

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	race - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED and 1 tablet nuun
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	cardio – 1:00 PM race – 6:30 PM
Workout Type
Weather
Course	A field 200 m TT Keirin heat – last 12 lap Scratch – OTB
Distance	79 miles
Time
Power
Results
Equipment	Track Bike 49x14 Zipp disk, Neuvation C50 front
Clothing	knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft long sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, cap

Technorati Tags: Marymoor Velodrome,Thumbprint Racing,FareStart powered by Cobalt MortgageMortgage

core | commute | Friday night track racing

Today was Bike to Work Day and my first track race of the year. All good things.

I started things off by heading to the gym where I have not been in ages since Shelley and I started doing core at home. It was nice. Sorta felt like home. Everything felt okay except the knee lifts which were phenomenally difficult. It seems that any time I don't do an exercise for a few days it is super hard to come back.

The aid stations supporting the bike to work folks this year were super unremarkable. In years past they were handing out drinks, full-size food bars, even SmartWool socks! This time the schwag was reduced to sample-size food bars and the requisite water bottle by a sub-standard manufacturer so I did not partake. Oh yeah, I did enter a raffle to win a bicycle from REI. My record in raffles like this? Zippo.

After a gorgeous commute home in a sleeveless shirt (firs time this year!) I put my race wheels on my track bike, loaded up the van and headed east.

Today was the second to last training race so not the real thing yet. The wind was not insignificant at the track. This was my first track race since early summer last year and my first race with the cat 2 field (as opposed to a masters field) in over a year come to think of it. Good times guaranteed.

I could feel the difference between my 88" warm-up gear and this 92" race gear. It did not feel good into the headwind and since I got out here kinda late my warm up was 90% solo riding. I did about 10 or 12 laps, hopped on a paceline for four more and then did two flying 200 m efforts. Done.

In the scratch race I was just following wheels; it was all I could do. Towards the end I got tailed off with a couple of other riders as the field was strung out pretty good for the finish sprint. Not so confidence building. :)

Next up was the chariot race. If there is a race that is the total opposite of what my strengths are this is it. One lap, full gas. My heat was five riders and three got a gap right away. I was doing my best in fourth but got passed on the finish straight. Only two advance to the final so I spent some time on the 'bench' watching races.

As we rolled out for the points race I was determined not to just hang around and at least try something. It took me five laps/one sprint to get warmed up and the pace stayed high for the second set of five laps so I was just sitting in. As the pack crossed the line for the second sprint they pulled up track and opened the door. I took off.

I got away clean and established a big gap right away. Nice. But could I hang on for five laps? For three it looked good but then the two strongest riders broke away from the bunch and set off in pursuit of me. By now I had slowed far too much but with one lap to go I was hoping I could hang on. Unfortunately I slowed even more and they passed me with less than 50 m to go.

Ideally I would have gotten on that train but mentally I was probably thinking win or bust so I busted and pulled up track. Of course these guys kept on rolling and stayed away until the end. I finished in the pack which broke up again and at least I was not in the last group. It was kind of fun to hear my name over the speakers while I was off the front. :)

Fun! Fast! Exactly what I need!

I was joined by Kurt A and we had two riders in the B group and in the women's race so not a bad turnout. It's only going to get faster but I'm excited for more.

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	large bottle w/2 scoops HEED and 1 tablet of nuun
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	race – 7:00 PM
Workout Type	race
Weather
Course	plank 3 min, 2 min each side back extensions 3 x 40 clam knee lifts 100 each leg side leg lifts 80 each leg twisters 40 each side – 10 lb. roman chair knee lifts 3 x 40 push-ups 20 hip abductors 3 x 30 – 100 lb. track race - A group (cat 1-2) 12 lap scratch – pack chariot heat – DFL 6x5 points race – pack
Distance
Time
Power
Results
Equipment	commute - Town Bike track - Track Bike 49 x 14 Zipp disk, Neuvation C50 front
Clothing	bib shorts, sleeveless undershirt, short sleeve jersey, cap, arm and knee warmers for the last race

Technorati Tags: Bike to Work day,Marymoor Velodrome

core | commute | track clinic

Sun...? Oh yes. A whole day of it. I even had lunch outside and read a book and was able to ride in shirts and short sleeves. Loving it. LOVING IT.

This morning Shelley and I did our core routine again and it went much better than yesterday. Whew, paint me relieved.

After work I rushed off to Marymoor Park for the last night of the three-part 'advanced' track clinic being conducted by Ryan Miller. Good times.

At the track we started off with a 15 lap warm up which I jumped into at about lap eight as traffic was nuts and I did not get out of work when I had intended. Nothing like trying to warm up at 25+ mph. :)

Next up were some flyers in groups of three or four. One person would sprint out of turn two or four and then we would each take a half lap pull working on our exchanges. Fun but a bit rough... some people really need to work on pulling up and then getting back on pronto.

Then we got to get behind the motor again. Yes! This is an area that I need loads of help with. We did a variation of a points race with the second bike getting one point each lap. The idea was we were supposed to try and be in that position. It sorta worked. Lots of learning needed here by most everyone including me.

Last up was a really cool drill. The motor lead the entire pack around the track. It would go about 1.5 or 2 laps and then pull up while slowing down slightly. The people in back were supposed to take a "T-Town Flyer" meaning you use the pack/draft to slingshot yourself past the bunch and get a gap. This is pretty much my only move so it came very naturally. :) And soon people were talking off not just from the back but from the middle or even third wheel. Nice.

By the end of the night we had pretty much self-seeded ourselves and I ended up in a group with three Garage Racing riders. It felt just like the real thing. :)

You would go hard for half a lap and then slow so the bunch would catch you, repeat. Big fun. Augmented by the fact that I had to keep my sunglasses on not only until the end of the clinic but for most of the drive home.

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	large bottle w/1 tablet of nuun and 2 scoops HEED
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	core – 6:00 AM track – 6:00 PM
Workout Type
Weather	mid 60s, sunny, dry, some wind
Course	plank 3 min, 2 min each side back extensions 3 x 40 clam knee lifts 100 each leg side leg lifts 80 each leg twisters 3 x 40 leg extensions 100 push-ups 25
Distance	commute – 9 miles track – 16 miles
Time
Power
Results
Equipment	commute - Town Bike track - Track Bike 49x15 (88") clincher wheels
Clothing	bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, cap

Technorati Tags: Marymoor Velodrome

rollers | core | commute | track clinic

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	rollers – 5:30 AM core – 6:00 AM track – 6:00 PM
Workout Type
Weather	low 60s, sun, dry
Course	plank 3 min, 2 min each side back extensions 3x40 clam knee lifts 100 each leg side leg lifts 80 each leg twisters 40 each side – 10 lb. leg extensions 100 push-ups 22
Distance	commute – 9 miles
Time	rollers - 30 min
Power
Results
Equipment	rollers - Road Bike commute - Town Bike track - Track Bike
Clothing

Getting started this AM was not super easy, my legs were a bit heavy. Luckily that only lasts about 10 minutes and then I feel fine.

Shelley and I did our core routine again and I gotta say doing this with her is a blast. I hope it continues as I could foresee ditching the gym membership down the road... That said every single core exercise was "wicked haad" today. I mean I barely was able to finish my planks and my face was much more contorted than I would like it to be during some other exercises. Rats.

I got outside at lunch today and just went to a bench and laid down in the sun for 30 minutes. Ah...

At the track it was nice enough for shorts and short sleeves! Until 8 PM! I know!

Today we worked on exchanges at speed and then behind the motor. Nice. Ryan was like, "Get on the roller! Hit it!" and I was like, "I'm scared!" Oh well, maybe next time? Or maybe at a slower speed and not 28 mph. Still, good times and I learned something once again like how to pull off when you are behind this rig.

At the end of the night we had a chariot race to practice our standing start and for some reason I hit the front in our heat... Usually my jump is the worst and admittedly I was not up against the folks I usually race against but still, fun. I did get passed just before the line but it was a close race.

Rosalyn R was there, Nick Z was there, Jennifer T was there collecting money (and even got some time on her bike), what a freaking great evening. Oh yeah, and I got to ride three of my bikes today; how cool is that?

Technorati Tags: Marymoor Velodrome

training-core | track clinic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Technorati Tags: Marymoor Velodrome