Quite possibly…
the best pure training ride I’ve ever done. Today was solo. Late start. In the wind. I had hill repeats on the schedule and was rested enough and strong enough to execute them to the tee. I did 4×1.5 mile laps on Lookout Mountain. My times were all within a few seconds of each other, and my avg HR was 167, 167, 166, and 168. Maybe just a shade low (legs still a little tired from training camp), but I’m happy with the consistency. Cadence averages were 64, 64, 63, and 64 – I think I’m getting dialed in… After the 4th interval, I continued to the top and then hunkered down for a long 12 mile drop to Morrison.
Had my first Clif bar (team sponsor) while riding today. Peanut butter and something else. GOOD STUFF!!!! Totally hit the spot…
The rest of the time was classic spring riding. New team kit on, and just the sound of my breathing to keep me company. I felt strong. Wind, some rain, sun, clouds, and a race against the sunset made for an epic 3 1/2 hours and 5500′ of climbing. Not too shabby for the middle of Feb!
And so ends my first ‘build’ phase. Next week – 5 hours riding and lots of rest. Ahhhhh, the legs are ready. They feel like they’ve been pulverized with a meat tenderizer. I felt ok really shredding them today knowing that rest was around the corner.
Basic eating for basic training
Interesting article on VeloNews about eating and training. Haven’t ever seen anything so specifially spelled out in terms of calories per pound before.
All I want for Valentines Day
Forget chocolate. I’m having a Big Mac (not really). Today is my anniversary of when I started on my journey back to fitness. One year ago I weighed 220 pounds and had done one 10 mile ride in the previous 18 months. 365 days and a few thousand miles later, I’m down to 155. To put that in perspective, I went through high school at 165. I’m still dropping and figure I can go another 5 pounds before calling it good. That 65 pound loss works out to the caloric equivalent of around 500 Big Macs.
It’s been quite a journey. I’m pretty astonished that I had so much to lose, but am soooo glad I’ve finally done it. I feel like ‘me’ again. I’m wearing size medium shirts (not since 9th grade). Pretty crazy… Cycling definitely agrees with me!! It was very cool to wrap up training camp yesterday and reflect on how far I have come. I wouldn’t have been able to follow those guys around the block a year ago, and yesterday I came home with 3 trophies. Pretty sweet indeed.
When someone I haven’t seen in a while first catches sight of me, the reaction is pretty dramatic. Invariably, they get around to asking how I lost the weight – their first question always seems to be ‘were you sick’? I don’t think I look sick, but I guess they’re searching for something to explain such a BIG difference. I can’t easily answer how I did it. It’s a combination of things. I worked less, I rode. I rode a LOT. I stopped drinking soda. Breakfast used to be a 44oz Pepsi and a Twix. No more. I eat about 1/3 of what I used to, and the quality of food I eat is infinitely better. Last summer I would get up early and head out on a 5 hour ride with nothing to eat at least once a week. I wouldn’t recommend that approach for the ‘low-carb’ crowd, but it worked for me because I had years of riding experience to draw upon. Also, I wasn’t training for racing at the time.
I visualized being in a boxing ring with the weight I had to lose. All of the other diets would have you sit down for a tea party with fine china, or otherwise tiptoe through the tulips on your way to weight loss. I didn’t have time for that crap. I pictured myself as Mike Tyson. Ugly. Mean. Tattoos. Gap teeth. B-A-D. Staring down the quivering mass of fat. In the fight of my life. Hitting, kicking, tearing, biting, POUNDING that weight to a pulp. Full-on Kumite. Making it beg for mercy before it shrunk away, out of the ring. Never to be heard from again. My arms held up in victory. Take that, Atkins.
The Scene Begins 