Opening weekend in Belgium is here, as I type this Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is taking place and my favorite 6 weeks of cycling kicks off.
In other news back in December I was having issues with my Polar FT7 heart rate monitor. The battery in the transmitter was fading and needed to be changed. I'd changed it too many times to count so that the cover was pretty messed up and this was the last attempt for this particular back. When I contacted Polar about getting just the battery cover I was told it would be better to send it in for a $13 service, which would include the battery cover.
Well that's all well and good but I wasn't sold on the idea so I figured I'd just run without a heart rate monitor. Using a treadmill (or dreadmill as I refer to it) means that my running is static. The pace and gradient is always the same so I thought I was all set.
I ran through January and into February. I had a slip now & again & again with the NSNG but overall I was doing good. In fact at a follow up GP visit I found out that since 28 December I had dropped 17 lbs even with slips. That was great news, but somehow I felt that maybe I should've done better and I blamed it on the food I ate that I ought not to have.
Now it is true to some extent that the food I ate that was bad would've been "okay" had it been a once in a while. But most times it wasn't. I am trying though.
Well I finally decided to try again with Polar. I'm at heart a thrifty Yankee (but not a Yankees fan - they suck). And the thought of paying $13 just to get the transmitter back with a battery cover seemed wrong.
Whenever you deal with customer service you either get the super helpful person or the person who'd rather stick to the script/ not give away the farm. The second time I called Polar I got the former and thus got the battery cover for free. It arrived Tuesday.
Wednesday was a fluke day here in New England. Temperatures hit a high of 74 degrees F and I was not going to pass up an opportunity to ride in jersey & bib shorts. My first cyclo-commute of the year and my earliest ever was this passed Wednesday.
My running schedule is M-W-F and it wasn't until yesterday that I got my heart rate monitor back into use. And what did it tell me? It told me that I had run my way out of zone 2! In December when I still had it in service I was doing a 4.5 mph pace to stay around 140bpm. My z2 max based on age and being a bit fitter than most is currently 143bpm. Yesterday I was in the low 130s - high 120s bpm. Sigh. With a bit of pace increase I got my heart rate to 138-139 bpm right where I want it.
Long story short, I feel almost revitalized regarding my work outs. Yes I know exercise is not a good way to loose weight and that diet matters more. But knowing that I wasn't doing enough work makes me feel good because now I have the other part of the equation as to why I wasn't losing more weight.
I recently got some new wheels and with temperatures here expected to be in the 50s; I should be able to get out and give a shakedown today.
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Bricks or How I Train In The Winter
It’s that
time of year again, the period in January when most folks resolutions begin to
fray and fade away. Long ago, I opted to
set goals rather than resolutions because I felt goals were a better long term
target and thus more achievable.
To date I
have successfully achieved at least one goal that I set for myself that being
to take at least one picture when I’m out on my bike. In doing this I am required to stop and pause
somewhere scenic. Whereas normally I’m
just go, go, go.
The second
goal is in progress currently and that is this blog entry. I would like to be more regular as I train
for and eventually ride Mt. Washington this year. Thus, just like my photograph goal while
riding, this objective is also a long term goal.
Mt. Washington
is of course a multi-layered objective I have set for myself. There is the training, my weight loss and of
course the bike. The former will
hopefully have some upgrades later this spring.
My weight loss is an ongoing process as it does not come off as easily
as put on. And I can state that so far
so good, i.e. the physical signs are there that confirm the scales.
My training
is the one piece that has gotten off to a slower than intended start. As previously stated I had the worst vacation
ever – for me at least. And was unable
to ride for the majority of the time I was off.
I was cognisent enough to keep things in check via what I was putting in
my mouth. And as a result I kept my
weight in line because as Vinnie has said numerous times, exercise is a
terrible way to loose weight – it’s all about diet.
I am
fortunate that my workplace has a fitness center for employees and that it has
all the equipment that I need. Once back
from vacation I began to get back into the swing of my daily workouts. In years past it has been very crowded around
the beginning of January however over the last few years that trend has
disappeared completely.
My workout
routine is really quite simple. During
the late fall/ winter I spend 3 days a week on a treadmill for about 30 minutes
staying completely in zone 2. As we know
zone 2 is where the body burns fat for fuel not glycogen. I may not be running fast, but mileage is not
the goal, time in zone 2 is.
On the days I
run I also do a core work out and stretch.
The core work out comes courtesy of former pro-cyclist, Tom Danielson’s
book Core Advantage. I got this a few years back now and have
slowly made my way through nearly all the various routines. Every few months I go up to the next level or
workout. The amazing thing about his
exercises is that they don’t necessarily feel like anything the day of doing
them, but the next day you feel it! The
series of stretches I perform came courtesy of a chiropractor I saw a few years
back now that got my hips realigned properly and fixed a leg length issues as a
result.
Adding Pure
Vitamin Club Magnesium to the mix has seen my flexibility increase a lot. I can actually get into child’s pose and have
my butt touch my heels!
There was an
episode of the Monday Vinnie Tortorich podcast last year that resulted in me
changing my weight training regimen. I
had been one of those 3 sets of 10 guys pushing massive weight. And be massive I mean 580+lbs on the leg
press. He suggested to someone to try
cutting their weights in half and doubling the sets. I gave it a go and eliminated some redundant
exercises and found a great new weight regimen, which occupies the other 2 days of the week followed by the aforementioned stretching routine.
Anyone that
has ever lifted and then stopped for any period of time only to start up again
knows the feeling of how sore your legs can become. In order to alleviate that to some extent
rather than go full speed ahead I build up incrementally to my 60 reps by
starting with one set of 10, then two sets of 10 and on and on until I reach 60
reps.
On the
weekends if weather allows I try to get out on the road and ride anywhere from
20-40 miles on Saturday & Sunday.
This past weekend I managed a total of around 70 miles, which was
fantastic. The rides are a bit of an ego
crusher in that zone 2 means I have a lower than normal average speed. But as stated earlier it’s not about speed
this time of year, but putting in the hard work for later on.
Should the
weather not allow, which in New England happens a lot, then I am on the
stationary trainer inside for about 90 minutes, which is about all of that I
can take.
The program I
lay out above will get me through April and or late March when I am able to
ride outside a lot more. Last year I was
seeing lots of good results doing zone 2 and sticking to NSNG, but something
tripped me up and here & there I slowly started picking at things that
weren’t NSNG and things stagnated a bit.
I just cannot allow that this year or ever again.
Mt.
Washington won’t be a walk in the park, it’ll be hard and I want to ensure I
have done everything I can do to make it slightly less hard. There are a few events that I plan on using
to help keep me in check. Seeing results
in the mirror or moving down one notch in my belt are all fine and good, but
feeling a result on the bike is an even greater motivator to stick to the plan.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Speed Bumps
Every January for the last 11 years I have taken the first week and a half of the year off. Most years whether it be inside or out, I have gotten at least 150+ miles ridden. This was the first year where that did not happen due to numerous factors both mechanical and involving personal health that I shall not go into because I mostly do not want to relive them.
What I will cop to is that I put a bit too much life into living between Christmas & New Year's. As a lot of you who will read this are aware, our "guru" Vinnie Tortorich says it isn't what you eat between Christmas & New Year's that matters, but what we eat between New Year's & Christmas. Did I go whole hog off the NSNG path knowing what lay ahead of me. Probably. It also does not help that the cafeteria in my workplace bakes fresh cookies each day.
As stated in other blogs, I am going to tackle Mt. Washington this year. I am a reformed weight weenie, which means that I no longer believe it is my bike that needs to be light as possible to have performance games. Paleo and the first 6 months of 2012 showed me the path to brilliant otherworldly form and that is my weight.
Don't believe for a second that my bike won't be as light as possible. But what I mean as a reformed weight weenie is that I won't shell out an extra $200 on a carbon fiber stem that weighs a few grams less than the top of the line aluminum stem. In the big picture those few grams will matter much less than the pounds I take off my body.
And so with that in mind and having seen my GP in mid December for an issue unrelated to the malady that befell me during vacation I knew exactly where I was starting from and what damage I had done during the week spanning Christmas & New Year's. Throw in one last hurrah on my birthday and then on the last night of vacation and that's where I stand now. Back on NSNG and proving Vinnie's adage that exercise is a terrible way to loose weight.
That's right for those new to NSNG or this blog, you read correctly. Exercise is a terrible way to loose weight. Think about that for a second and you will realize just how true that statement is. How many runners & cyclists do you know who are on the heavy side? How many folks do you know that hit the gym all the time and aren't on the cover of Men's or Women's Health?
I hardly rode my bike in December. The stars just did not align and after clocking in a lot of miles last year I basically just put the bike aside. By the conclusion of my vacation I lost 13 lbs. How did I do it? Diet, by focusing solely on diet I was able to eat the right foods, eggs, cheese, meat, veg, & nuts. Realign the grelin & leptin receptors aka hormones in my body to the original factory settings and thus eat nutrient dense foods less often because I wasn't hungry all the time. In fact, just because I could and wasn't hungry I threw in some intermittent fasts on a few of my vacation days.
I hardly rode my bike in December. The stars just did not align and after clocking in a lot of miles last year I basically just put the bike aside. By the conclusion of my vacation I lost 13 lbs. How did I do it? Diet, by focusing solely on diet I was able to eat the right foods, eggs, cheese, meat, veg, & nuts. Realign the grelin & leptin receptors aka hormones in my body to the original factory settings and thus eat nutrient dense foods less often because I wasn't hungry all the time. In fact, just because I could and wasn't hungry I threw in some intermittent fasts on a few of my vacation days.
The result of this was that after a week and half off, and riding less than 50 miles I dropped 13 lbs. Had I not kicked my heels up 2 more times, once on my birthday and once on the last night of vacation, that number would be higher and closer to 15 or 20 lbs. Now I get that 13 lbs sounds like a lot but you have to realize a lot of that was water weight from being inflammed from bad food.
I'd have preferred to get some zone 2 miles in during vacation, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead I reinforced what Vinnie always says about exercise and weight loss. You can't out run a bad diet - literally. And rather than sink into remorse about what could've been, instead I looked to what will be. Me on Mt. Washington in August.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Love & Motivation
Hello dear reader, it's been awhile...
That time of year has come once more where I have to hang up my cyclo-commuting for the year. My work schedule, which is affected by my wife's work schedule along with the available daylight in the morning or lack thereof is an equation whose result is that I drive to work until April.
Ah well.
I'd wanted to try and hit 4,000 miles by the end of this year, but that also won't occur. When the mileage required per week was calculated it was just not gonna happen.
A few weeks back I was hit with a very strange ailment. Out of nowhere my left IT band ached and by ached I mean it was for a normal person probably an 7 or 8 on the 10 point pain scale. For me, someone with a high pain threshold - once a podiatrist checked sensation in toes to determine how bad two broken toes were. When she got to the two broken ones and braced herself for a foot in the face, she wiggled the two broken ones and I didn't blink. Yes they were still busted and bruised, yes I felt her hand, but no she couldn't wiggle them enough for me to register more than a 2 or 3 at most.
Thus I finally broke down and had my hip checked. No broken bones and no typical IT band issue where it is rubbing on the knee. This was entirely localized to my hip. Stretching was the prescription for wellness. I also doubled my dose of Pure Vitamin Club Magnesium to help loosen things up. By the weekend I was able to hit the road on my bike.
I have a love & hate relationship with cycling. Maybe hate is too strong a word. I absolutely love riding my bike it is a sense of freedom like no other. And the suffering of slogging up a double digit grade and cresting it is a sense of accomplishment that is hard to achieve. Plus, let's face it going fast downhill and I mean 40s and low 50s mph on tires 23 millimeters wide is a thrill that is hard to beat.
To test out my hip to see how it was feeling, I planned out a 44 mile ride featuring rolling terrain and no big climbs whatsoever.
I was looking forward to the ride even if the forecast and the clouds the day of left me wondering if I might get rained on. Rolled out of my parents house so that my kids could be watched and my wife got some reprise. See - the key to riding lots if you have kids is to make sure you get them watched by someone other than your wife. Maybe one day soon I'll do a blog post on how I get so many miles ridden with three kids under 7...
My parents live in the same coastal Maine town I grew up in, they are about a mile from the ocean and my route took me along the beaches so I had to wrap up a bit given the cool temps. About 12 miles into the ride is when my mind told me to maybe bail on the ride and have someone come get me. I wasn't in pain, but the thought, the sheer thought of riding for another 32 miles at that point was what was eating at my mind.
There are days where I have to force myself to ride. I am not tired or fatiqued, I just am avoiding it. Sunny blue skies, perfect temps and wind are present and I don't feel like riding. I hem and haw and stall. Eventually on those days I do get out and within a few miles my mood changes and I am so glad I rode. This is how this goes every time.
It is rare I get the bail out thoughts though and I really had to fight them off that day.
It took me a few more miles, but I eventually did push those thoughts out of my head and enjoyed the rest of the ride.
All I can say is that if you have those thoughts, feelings etc, just push through them. It's one thing not to ride if you are sick. But if you are feeling unmotivated or stalling, just go and see if in a few miles whether or not your mood changes. As Nike says "Just do it" and I guarantee that you'll be feeling good.
........
Editor's Note: In proof reading this, it came across as a wicked bummer, but now I leave you dear reader on a bit of a high note...
In other news, I have opted to sign up for the 2018 Mt. Washington Auto Road Hill Climb. I'd previously said I would wait until my daughter was old enough to remember me doing it. Registration opened a few days ago and I saw it in my Facebook feed. For whatever reason something clicked and the thought of doing it 2x began to smolder.
An acquaintance of mine has won Mt. Washington and he thought it was a good idea to do 2018 as a practice, because life and the bike might never be perfect. As a parent I get that. There is "no real good time" to have kids. If you wait until life is perfect you might never have them. I also picked the brain of our guru - Vinnie. Vinnie liked the idea as well. As you know Vinnie is a cyclist and ultra endurance events are his thing. Whether Mt. Washington officially qualifies as an ultra endurance event, I do not know. Given it is 7 miles long, with a section at the end of 22% gravel and that most pros that have done it, just barely finish within an hour then yes at least in my mind it is an ultra.
Between now & January 1, I plan on dialing in my NSNG-ness. Over the last week I put a lot of Life into Living knowing that there was not a lot in my future. Although my birthday in January means I do have an appointment with Chinese food & cheesecake. As much as I might want to indulge from time to time, I know that having the race next year as an objective will be a good reminder to not partake of a treat.
The plan for now is to ease back into weight training, core/ stretching and running in zone 2 during the week and or ride z2 during the week and get a ride in on the weekend. Around 1 January schedule a consult with Vinnie to help dial in the gym work and talk fueling during the ride. Beginning in the spring sign up for a few hillclimb TTs and also drive up to my mother-in-laws house and ride the foothills of the white mountains to get hill work in. The skeleton of my training is there, but what Vinnie will help with is fleshing it out.
What I want most of all is to do a strong practice ride in 2018. Then in 2019 I want to win my age group. There I said it, that is the plan, win my age group. In order to accomplish this I will need to drop my weight to pre driver's license levels. In 2012 I got down to 185lbs and this time I will probably need to drop another 10 and get to a weight I have probably not seen since the 1980s.
I've already begun researching bike components. Mostly stuff like brakes, but from what I have seen and based on my beliefs when it comes to gear; a few grams are not worth the hundreds of dollars that they are saved for. Meaning, the brakes that are a few grams lighter than the SRAM Red ones I;d been looking at but are double the price probably won't get bought.
SRAM Red 22 will be installed in the spring. I went from Shimano Dura-Ace to SRAM Red in 2012 and could not see going back. IMHO SRAM just performs better overall. It also helps it is lighter than Dura-Ace. A co-worker runs the electronic Shimano and she has had issues galore with it. Given the electronic stuff is usually about the same weight but much more expensive than cabled - I am going with cables. Plus cables are easier to replace from what I have seen with her stuff.
I won't be upgrading the wheels next spring - unless I fall into a bucket of money. I have two different wheelsets in mind and will eventually just have to figure out which one is best and then pull the trigger.
The only other piece of gear I plan on getting eventually is the Castelli skinsuit. It's lighter and allegedly more comfortable because it is one piece. I am a bit confused about the sizing given my bibs & jersey sizes for Castelli are soo different. Phil Gaimon is using one on his Worst Retirement Ever series, which I highly recommend on YouTube.
So that's that, a big goal for next year is on tap and a consult with Vinnie in the near future.
Keep the rubber side down.
That time of year has come once more where I have to hang up my cyclo-commuting for the year. My work schedule, which is affected by my wife's work schedule along with the available daylight in the morning or lack thereof is an equation whose result is that I drive to work until April.
Ah well.
I'd wanted to try and hit 4,000 miles by the end of this year, but that also won't occur. When the mileage required per week was calculated it was just not gonna happen.
A few weeks back I was hit with a very strange ailment. Out of nowhere my left IT band ached and by ached I mean it was for a normal person probably an 7 or 8 on the 10 point pain scale. For me, someone with a high pain threshold - once a podiatrist checked sensation in toes to determine how bad two broken toes were. When she got to the two broken ones and braced herself for a foot in the face, she wiggled the two broken ones and I didn't blink. Yes they were still busted and bruised, yes I felt her hand, but no she couldn't wiggle them enough for me to register more than a 2 or 3 at most.
Thus I finally broke down and had my hip checked. No broken bones and no typical IT band issue where it is rubbing on the knee. This was entirely localized to my hip. Stretching was the prescription for wellness. I also doubled my dose of Pure Vitamin Club Magnesium to help loosen things up. By the weekend I was able to hit the road on my bike.
I have a love & hate relationship with cycling. Maybe hate is too strong a word. I absolutely love riding my bike it is a sense of freedom like no other. And the suffering of slogging up a double digit grade and cresting it is a sense of accomplishment that is hard to achieve. Plus, let's face it going fast downhill and I mean 40s and low 50s mph on tires 23 millimeters wide is a thrill that is hard to beat.
To test out my hip to see how it was feeling, I planned out a 44 mile ride featuring rolling terrain and no big climbs whatsoever.
I was looking forward to the ride even if the forecast and the clouds the day of left me wondering if I might get rained on. Rolled out of my parents house so that my kids could be watched and my wife got some reprise. See - the key to riding lots if you have kids is to make sure you get them watched by someone other than your wife. Maybe one day soon I'll do a blog post on how I get so many miles ridden with three kids under 7...
My parents live in the same coastal Maine town I grew up in, they are about a mile from the ocean and my route took me along the beaches so I had to wrap up a bit given the cool temps. About 12 miles into the ride is when my mind told me to maybe bail on the ride and have someone come get me. I wasn't in pain, but the thought, the sheer thought of riding for another 32 miles at that point was what was eating at my mind.
There are days where I have to force myself to ride. I am not tired or fatiqued, I just am avoiding it. Sunny blue skies, perfect temps and wind are present and I don't feel like riding. I hem and haw and stall. Eventually on those days I do get out and within a few miles my mood changes and I am so glad I rode. This is how this goes every time.
It is rare I get the bail out thoughts though and I really had to fight them off that day.
It took me a few more miles, but I eventually did push those thoughts out of my head and enjoyed the rest of the ride.
All I can say is that if you have those thoughts, feelings etc, just push through them. It's one thing not to ride if you are sick. But if you are feeling unmotivated or stalling, just go and see if in a few miles whether or not your mood changes. As Nike says "Just do it" and I guarantee that you'll be feeling good.
........
Editor's Note: In proof reading this, it came across as a wicked bummer, but now I leave you dear reader on a bit of a high note...
In other news, I have opted to sign up for the 2018 Mt. Washington Auto Road Hill Climb. I'd previously said I would wait until my daughter was old enough to remember me doing it. Registration opened a few days ago and I saw it in my Facebook feed. For whatever reason something clicked and the thought of doing it 2x began to smolder.
An acquaintance of mine has won Mt. Washington and he thought it was a good idea to do 2018 as a practice, because life and the bike might never be perfect. As a parent I get that. There is "no real good time" to have kids. If you wait until life is perfect you might never have them. I also picked the brain of our guru - Vinnie. Vinnie liked the idea as well. As you know Vinnie is a cyclist and ultra endurance events are his thing. Whether Mt. Washington officially qualifies as an ultra endurance event, I do not know. Given it is 7 miles long, with a section at the end of 22% gravel and that most pros that have done it, just barely finish within an hour then yes at least in my mind it is an ultra.
Between now & January 1, I plan on dialing in my NSNG-ness. Over the last week I put a lot of Life into Living knowing that there was not a lot in my future. Although my birthday in January means I do have an appointment with Chinese food & cheesecake. As much as I might want to indulge from time to time, I know that having the race next year as an objective will be a good reminder to not partake of a treat.
The plan for now is to ease back into weight training, core/ stretching and running in zone 2 during the week and or ride z2 during the week and get a ride in on the weekend. Around 1 January schedule a consult with Vinnie to help dial in the gym work and talk fueling during the ride. Beginning in the spring sign up for a few hillclimb TTs and also drive up to my mother-in-laws house and ride the foothills of the white mountains to get hill work in. The skeleton of my training is there, but what Vinnie will help with is fleshing it out.
What I want most of all is to do a strong practice ride in 2018. Then in 2019 I want to win my age group. There I said it, that is the plan, win my age group. In order to accomplish this I will need to drop my weight to pre driver's license levels. In 2012 I got down to 185lbs and this time I will probably need to drop another 10 and get to a weight I have probably not seen since the 1980s.
I've already begun researching bike components. Mostly stuff like brakes, but from what I have seen and based on my beliefs when it comes to gear; a few grams are not worth the hundreds of dollars that they are saved for. Meaning, the brakes that are a few grams lighter than the SRAM Red ones I;d been looking at but are double the price probably won't get bought.
SRAM Red 22 will be installed in the spring. I went from Shimano Dura-Ace to SRAM Red in 2012 and could not see going back. IMHO SRAM just performs better overall. It also helps it is lighter than Dura-Ace. A co-worker runs the electronic Shimano and she has had issues galore with it. Given the electronic stuff is usually about the same weight but much more expensive than cabled - I am going with cables. Plus cables are easier to replace from what I have seen with her stuff.
I won't be upgrading the wheels next spring - unless I fall into a bucket of money. I have two different wheelsets in mind and will eventually just have to figure out which one is best and then pull the trigger.
The only other piece of gear I plan on getting eventually is the Castelli skinsuit. It's lighter and allegedly more comfortable because it is one piece. I am a bit confused about the sizing given my bibs & jersey sizes for Castelli are soo different. Phil Gaimon is using one on his Worst Retirement Ever series, which I highly recommend on YouTube.
So that's that, a big goal for next year is on tap and a consult with Vinnie in the near future.
Keep the rubber side down.
Monday, August 14, 2017
Bad Days & Good Days or an Honest Reflection of Why I Almost Tossed My Cookies
I have always said that a bad day on the bike is better than a good day in the car. Mostly this pertains to cyclo-commuting in the rain and or at the end of the week when you might be tired, etc.
Today though it took on an entirely different meaning.
On Friday I opted to get some Five Guys take out for us. Now any no sugar, no grain adherent understands that Five Guys burgers sans buns and certain condiments are a go. The french fries though, because of the glycemic index of white potatoes and the peanut oil they are cooked in are not okay.
I know this and yet it did not stop me because I love french fries.
What I realize now is that potatoes might be a gateway to sugar and poor food choices. On Saturday I cooked up and devoured a massive plate of sweet potato waffle fries. While lower on the glycemic scale than white potato, SP is just as bad because of the sugars. And with that I went right off the wagon and had ice cream and capped off the weekend with some pizza last night.
At the time I just said screw it, I have eaten terrible today, one more meal won't matter, which is a complete cop-out. We had plenty of choices that would have allowed for a no sugar no grain meal, including fat head pizza, which is delicious.
By the time bedtime rolled around last night I could see evidence of bloating in my belly & in my feet. Normally my feet look a bit veiny, but if I eat enough garbage they swell up and the veins disappear. Thankfully, because we have 3 kids under 7, I was not feeling sluggish, which is a result of bad eating. I had energy, but noticed that I wasn't wanting to do much of anything.
What I learned this weekend is that I just can't cheat, at least not right now. I need enough time under my belt that maybe I can control it better and eat something not good for me and then stop at that one item, whatever it might be.
Nope that too is utter bullshit. I just can't cheat. Whenever I do, it doesn't stop until I jack the brakes & the proverbial e-brake. I am pretty sure that I what I need to do is live clean 99% of the year and maybe just kick my heels up on my birthday.
In a perfect world I would cheat with one thing and then get back to clean eating. However history tells me that I am not able to do this.
So back to my ride this morning. I rolled out from my driveway at 5:45 and knew right away it would be a slower 12.4 miles to work. August in New England can mean temperatures in the low 50s as was the case this morning. Having scoped out the forecast ahead of time I was dressed appropriately so that wasn't an issue. My legs just weren't wanting to work, yes it had been a week since my last ride, but often I have fresh legs when that occurs.
Also normally I don't notice my full stomach when I roll out this early. Today was different, literally having just finished breakfast a few minutes earlier I could feel my stomach like a leaden weight. And as I type this hours later, it still feels a bit sour. By the time I was 4 miles out that sour stomach started to talk to me.
I was aware I wasn't feeling good, but I was thinking still better than being on the bike because it was low 50s and sunny. Just gorgeous weather. But as I pushed up a short climb my stomach revolted at the effort and I burped. It was not a normal burp, but one of those saying, "hey, if you keep this pressure up, something else is coming up."
Twice that happened and twice I had to back off.
I'm pretty sure that my aforementioned adage about bad days on the bike would have been tossed out the window had I tossed bacon, eggs & avocado all over my r3.
The other disappointing thing about this weekend is that we had been on a streak of no sugar no grains. Now that streak is reset to 0. But it was the longest streak in a while. I'm not perfect and while I know the science and understand why things are bad for me. Just like teens that have all the info on smoking, I still make bad well educated decisions at times.
Back at it though.
Today though it took on an entirely different meaning.
On Friday I opted to get some Five Guys take out for us. Now any no sugar, no grain adherent understands that Five Guys burgers sans buns and certain condiments are a go. The french fries though, because of the glycemic index of white potatoes and the peanut oil they are cooked in are not okay.
I know this and yet it did not stop me because I love french fries.
What I realize now is that potatoes might be a gateway to sugar and poor food choices. On Saturday I cooked up and devoured a massive plate of sweet potato waffle fries. While lower on the glycemic scale than white potato, SP is just as bad because of the sugars. And with that I went right off the wagon and had ice cream and capped off the weekend with some pizza last night.
At the time I just said screw it, I have eaten terrible today, one more meal won't matter, which is a complete cop-out. We had plenty of choices that would have allowed for a no sugar no grain meal, including fat head pizza, which is delicious.
By the time bedtime rolled around last night I could see evidence of bloating in my belly & in my feet. Normally my feet look a bit veiny, but if I eat enough garbage they swell up and the veins disappear. Thankfully, because we have 3 kids under 7, I was not feeling sluggish, which is a result of bad eating. I had energy, but noticed that I wasn't wanting to do much of anything.
What I learned this weekend is that I just can't cheat, at least not right now. I need enough time under my belt that maybe I can control it better and eat something not good for me and then stop at that one item, whatever it might be.
Nope that too is utter bullshit. I just can't cheat. Whenever I do, it doesn't stop until I jack the brakes & the proverbial e-brake. I am pretty sure that I what I need to do is live clean 99% of the year and maybe just kick my heels up on my birthday.
In a perfect world I would cheat with one thing and then get back to clean eating. However history tells me that I am not able to do this.
So back to my ride this morning. I rolled out from my driveway at 5:45 and knew right away it would be a slower 12.4 miles to work. August in New England can mean temperatures in the low 50s as was the case this morning. Having scoped out the forecast ahead of time I was dressed appropriately so that wasn't an issue. My legs just weren't wanting to work, yes it had been a week since my last ride, but often I have fresh legs when that occurs.
Also normally I don't notice my full stomach when I roll out this early. Today was different, literally having just finished breakfast a few minutes earlier I could feel my stomach like a leaden weight. And as I type this hours later, it still feels a bit sour. By the time I was 4 miles out that sour stomach started to talk to me.
I was aware I wasn't feeling good, but I was thinking still better than being on the bike because it was low 50s and sunny. Just gorgeous weather. But as I pushed up a short climb my stomach revolted at the effort and I burped. It was not a normal burp, but one of those saying, "hey, if you keep this pressure up, something else is coming up."
Twice that happened and twice I had to back off.
I'm pretty sure that my aforementioned adage about bad days on the bike would have been tossed out the window had I tossed bacon, eggs & avocado all over my r3.
The other disappointing thing about this weekend is that we had been on a streak of no sugar no grains. Now that streak is reset to 0. But it was the longest streak in a while. I'm not perfect and while I know the science and understand why things are bad for me. Just like teens that have all the info on smoking, I still make bad well educated decisions at times.
Back at it though.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Another Kind of Fit
Anyone who has ever watch a bicycle race knows that cyclists are rail thin with bones & veins protruding everywhere.
Anyone who has ever ridden a charity or group ride knows that non professional cyclists are not rail thin and the only thing that might be protruding is a bit of a gut.
That's the magic of lycra, it is the great equalizer and you cannot hide when adorned in it.
As mentioned elsewhere, I've done the Trek Across Maine 11 times and already registered for 2018. The types of folks who ride the Trek are very much like that United Colors of Beneton ad from the 80s. Or that Coke ad that apparently Don Draper created in the 70s. There's one of everything represented and a lot more of the latter description above then the former.
When I decided that I wanted a road bike and sought out my Uncle who owns a bike shop, one of the things I had to think about was whether I was going all in and wear spandex. In the 90s when I was on a mountain bike I never wore spandex. Taking that leap and wearing spandex meant that any sort of body issues I had would be front & center.
I won't delve into it much here, but guys can have as many body issues as women do. It's definitely not gender specific and to top it off all those fitness books I read were meant for the 175 lb skinny cyclist. Society puts less emphasis on a guy's appearance to the point where nowadays you'll see guys out on a date and not even trying and looking like they are reaching and the woman settling.
Ball busting is a great leveler, but there are times when it can maybe hit a bit too close too home. When I first went out for a ride and my mother commented with some superhero sounding name, I felt a bit self conscious for sure. Same with my father, snide comment meant to be funny but a bit deflating at the same time. I can give as much as I get, but this was something I was excited about and they were kind of in their own way shitting on my parade, even if it was wet squib...
They just didn't get it then and to be honest I don't think they do now.
The first ride was only 4 miles. I didn't know how easy it would be or how far I could go. Plus I was still getting used to integrated shifters and clipless pedals. The next ride I just started riding and didn't stop until I got to the Cumberland Farms on rt 236 in South Berwick. I felt AWESOME and just fell in love with my Trek 5000. The last road bike I'd ridden was heavy & clunky. My Cannondale mountain bike, an F-500, was fun but only zipping around on the trails. I effortlessly did 25 miles round trip that day.
So back to Cumbies. I rolled into the parking lot with the intention of getting something to drink. This too would be a first, the first time going into a convenience store all decked out in spandex.
That was on my mind I was slowly came to a halt.
What wasn't on my mind was that I was clipped into my pedals.
You can see where this is going yes?
As my predicament dawned on me and unaware of the "track stand," I tried to unclip but instead lurched slowly to one side and began what seemed like a slow motion fall. Hitting the pavement sped up the process it seemed and there I was, the fool on the bike laying in the parking lot. Since then I have learned that that happens to every new cyclist with clipless pedals at least once. All it takes is one time to never ever forget to unclip.
Anyway that comical tumble erased any sort of self consciousness that I was feeling. I owned that tumble and stopped worrying if anyone was staring.
Years on from that moment I get a little kick out of catching folks staring at me a bit too long if I'm in the grocery store post ride. Little kids will ask their parents if I am a baseball player and sometimes I catch folks staring a bit too long. And to be honest, the fitter I have become the more comfortable I have become in my cycling kit. I don't prance around like a Prima Ballerina, but I don't skulk around with shoulders down either.
Nor do I let cycling kit sizing affect my self esteem either. You know how women complain about sizes and how say Marlyne Monroe's size then is different than what it would be if she were around today? Well cycling kit is kind of the same based on the manufacturer. For instance, in Pearl Izumi or Giordana kit, I wear a XL jersey. But my preferred brand is Castelli and that's a XXL. Heck even Castelli socks are sized up (XXL too btw).
But one of the best feelings is when you are getting fit and seeing little changes here & there. You get ready for a ride and pull out a jersey you haven't worn in awhile and when you slip it on you notice the sleeves are looser. That's a good indicator the weight is going in the right way. Jerseys are meant to be tight and loose sleeves are a positive sign.
Long story short, spandex reveals all and own it, just own it.
Here's a bit of an addendum to my mother's super hero comment. Flash forward several years to the inaugural Dempsey Challenge in Central Maine. Patrick Dempsey, the actor/ race car driver & cycling enthusiast was born & raised in Lewiston Maine. He started the Dempsey Challenge as a fundraiser for the Eastern Maine Medical Cancer Center.
That first year Dave Zabriskie, George Hincapie & Ted King all professional cyclists participated in the ride and rode with Patrick. At one point between the start & 25 miles in, I passed them standing on the side of the road waiting for Patrick. They all were in their trade team kits and all three looked like superheroes standing there. And to this life long fanboy of 4 color fiction I was pretty stoked.
I was also stoke a bit later just before the first rest stop when I heard this noise behind me and suddenly WHOOOSH I was passed by Dave Zabriskie going flat out towing a massive line of folks behind him. It was pretty awesome and the only time I liked getting passed....
Anyone who has ever ridden a charity or group ride knows that non professional cyclists are not rail thin and the only thing that might be protruding is a bit of a gut.
That's the magic of lycra, it is the great equalizer and you cannot hide when adorned in it.
As mentioned elsewhere, I've done the Trek Across Maine 11 times and already registered for 2018. The types of folks who ride the Trek are very much like that United Colors of Beneton ad from the 80s. Or that Coke ad that apparently Don Draper created in the 70s. There's one of everything represented and a lot more of the latter description above then the former.
When I decided that I wanted a road bike and sought out my Uncle who owns a bike shop, one of the things I had to think about was whether I was going all in and wear spandex. In the 90s when I was on a mountain bike I never wore spandex. Taking that leap and wearing spandex meant that any sort of body issues I had would be front & center.
I won't delve into it much here, but guys can have as many body issues as women do. It's definitely not gender specific and to top it off all those fitness books I read were meant for the 175 lb skinny cyclist. Society puts less emphasis on a guy's appearance to the point where nowadays you'll see guys out on a date and not even trying and looking like they are reaching and the woman settling.
Ball busting is a great leveler, but there are times when it can maybe hit a bit too close too home. When I first went out for a ride and my mother commented with some superhero sounding name, I felt a bit self conscious for sure. Same with my father, snide comment meant to be funny but a bit deflating at the same time. I can give as much as I get, but this was something I was excited about and they were kind of in their own way shitting on my parade, even if it was wet squib...
They just didn't get it then and to be honest I don't think they do now.
The first ride was only 4 miles. I didn't know how easy it would be or how far I could go. Plus I was still getting used to integrated shifters and clipless pedals. The next ride I just started riding and didn't stop until I got to the Cumberland Farms on rt 236 in South Berwick. I felt AWESOME and just fell in love with my Trek 5000. The last road bike I'd ridden was heavy & clunky. My Cannondale mountain bike, an F-500, was fun but only zipping around on the trails. I effortlessly did 25 miles round trip that day.
So back to Cumbies. I rolled into the parking lot with the intention of getting something to drink. This too would be a first, the first time going into a convenience store all decked out in spandex.
That was on my mind I was slowly came to a halt.
What wasn't on my mind was that I was clipped into my pedals.
You can see where this is going yes?
As my predicament dawned on me and unaware of the "track stand," I tried to unclip but instead lurched slowly to one side and began what seemed like a slow motion fall. Hitting the pavement sped up the process it seemed and there I was, the fool on the bike laying in the parking lot. Since then I have learned that that happens to every new cyclist with clipless pedals at least once. All it takes is one time to never ever forget to unclip.
Anyway that comical tumble erased any sort of self consciousness that I was feeling. I owned that tumble and stopped worrying if anyone was staring.
Years on from that moment I get a little kick out of catching folks staring at me a bit too long if I'm in the grocery store post ride. Little kids will ask their parents if I am a baseball player and sometimes I catch folks staring a bit too long. And to be honest, the fitter I have become the more comfortable I have become in my cycling kit. I don't prance around like a Prima Ballerina, but I don't skulk around with shoulders down either.
Nor do I let cycling kit sizing affect my self esteem either. You know how women complain about sizes and how say Marlyne Monroe's size then is different than what it would be if she were around today? Well cycling kit is kind of the same based on the manufacturer. For instance, in Pearl Izumi or Giordana kit, I wear a XL jersey. But my preferred brand is Castelli and that's a XXL. Heck even Castelli socks are sized up (XXL too btw).
But one of the best feelings is when you are getting fit and seeing little changes here & there. You get ready for a ride and pull out a jersey you haven't worn in awhile and when you slip it on you notice the sleeves are looser. That's a good indicator the weight is going in the right way. Jerseys are meant to be tight and loose sleeves are a positive sign.
Long story short, spandex reveals all and own it, just own it.
Here's a bit of an addendum to my mother's super hero comment. Flash forward several years to the inaugural Dempsey Challenge in Central Maine. Patrick Dempsey, the actor/ race car driver & cycling enthusiast was born & raised in Lewiston Maine. He started the Dempsey Challenge as a fundraiser for the Eastern Maine Medical Cancer Center.
That first year Dave Zabriskie, George Hincapie & Ted King all professional cyclists participated in the ride and rode with Patrick. At one point between the start & 25 miles in, I passed them standing on the side of the road waiting for Patrick. They all were in their trade team kits and all three looked like superheroes standing there. And to this life long fanboy of 4 color fiction I was pretty stoked.
I was also stoke a bit later just before the first rest stop when I heard this noise behind me and suddenly WHOOOSH I was passed by Dave Zabriskie going flat out towing a massive line of folks behind him. It was pretty awesome and the only time I liked getting passed....
Monday, August 7, 2017
The Obsession of Hurricane Mountain
2.28 miles long
1,176 ft of elevation gain
9.6% average gradient
16% max gradient
And a ripping technical descent off the backside, where once past the access gate that closes Hurricane Mt Road in the winter, where the road straightens out and the brakes are released you'll accelerate from 5 mph to ludicrous speed in mere seconds.
That's Hurricane Mt and I fell in love with this climb a few years before I successfully ascended it.
The CCCP out of Portland Maine, runs the White Mountain Memorial Day Classic each Memorial Day. The ride is a fully supported 80 mile ride that goes up the aforementioned Hurricane Mt, over to Pinkham Notch and the Mt. Washington visitor center (not the summit) and then over to Evans Notch and then back to the start in Fryeburg, Maine. 2/3 of the rides 5,000 ft+ of climbing is done within the first 30 miles. Donations are accepted for the support provided and seriously who wouldn't put a few scheckles in the proverbial hat.
I first road the ride back in 2010. Back then I was hovering around 200lbs and riding a Trek Madone 5.2 OCLV with Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 11-27 standard cranks and Bontrager Race XXX lite components & Mavic Ksyrium wheels. On the CCCP event site it suggests running a compact crank and a 28 tooth cassette if possible. They are not kidding.
I walked more of the climb than I rode. It's steep enough that depending on where you stop if you do so in the wrong place, you aren't getting started again until it levels out a bit. My buddy Tommy who rode with me is a lot lighter than I and he got to the top without stopping or walking. I just did not have the right gearing and was too heavy.
The same thing happened again in 2011, except that I was a bit lighter due to doing a paleo light/ NSNG light approach. This time though I rode slightly more than the previous year, which I took as minor win.
Then that July a car pulled out in front of me while I was descending a hill doing 35 mph. The Madone was destroyed. In the two months inbetween the accident and reciept of my new bike, in dealing with Progressive I was super stressed and my weight ballooned. That fall I had a bit of a scare, where I over reacted to a chest pain that was a result of overdoing it at the gym, but having been told I had bad cholesterol back in 2006 I got scared.
That's when I gave Paleo a second go after reading whatever book Loren Cordain PhD had just put out. By February 2012 I was already noticing differences on the road. Come that year's Hurricane ride I was around 185 or fewer lbs. I was riding it with the guys who I ride up to Sunday River with each year. I hit the lower slope of Hurricane on my Cervelo S5 running SRAM Red, Zipp 404s and a 3T cockpit and made it all the way to the top without walking. My mind got the better of me at one point so I stopped to make sure my rear tire wasn't squishy. I was pushing it and at one point could feel that vein in my forehead pulsing against my helmet. My heart rate got into the high 180s. But I got up before anyone else in my group of folks I was with. I was flying.
By the time we got down and regrouped I realized that there was a huge bump in my self esteem for making it up all the way without stopping. It made the ride way more fun than it already was. I was in such good form, that no matter what I asked of my bike it did. After lunch, we shot downhill into Gorham, NH and crossed a set of RR tracks. The course turned right and approached those same tracks again, but this time they were at a sharp 45 degree angle. We approached them doing 25mph and I hit them at the wrong angle.
In a flash my front wheel dropped into the tracks, turned and flung me across the road into the soft shoulder. My helmet hit and cracked. And with that my ride was over.
Since then I have been chasing that dragon. The subsequent years going up Hurricane I have not been as fit as I was in 2012 but fitter than 2011 or earlier. Thus I have gone up it in one fell swoop but not as easily and in one year I went so deep overall that on the way home I came down with a nasty cold/ sore throat.
The last 2 years it has rained on Memorial Day and thus I have not done the ride. Those that do it have an option not to tackle Hurricane. But for me part of the attraction is Hurricane Mt so why would I do the ride if I didn't do Hurricane and I'd rather not slip n slide up it or chance a wet descent off the bike side.
As always I'll plan on being there next spring and hope to be in better form than 2012. And as always I'll spend the winter on the dreadmill churning out 5 miles at a time 5x a week chanting my mantra "hurricane mt, hurricane mt, hurricane mt...."
1,176 ft of elevation gain
9.6% average gradient
16% max gradient
And a ripping technical descent off the backside, where once past the access gate that closes Hurricane Mt Road in the winter, where the road straightens out and the brakes are released you'll accelerate from 5 mph to ludicrous speed in mere seconds.
That's Hurricane Mt and I fell in love with this climb a few years before I successfully ascended it.
The CCCP out of Portland Maine, runs the White Mountain Memorial Day Classic each Memorial Day. The ride is a fully supported 80 mile ride that goes up the aforementioned Hurricane Mt, over to Pinkham Notch and the Mt. Washington visitor center (not the summit) and then over to Evans Notch and then back to the start in Fryeburg, Maine. 2/3 of the rides 5,000 ft+ of climbing is done within the first 30 miles. Donations are accepted for the support provided and seriously who wouldn't put a few scheckles in the proverbial hat.
I first road the ride back in 2010. Back then I was hovering around 200lbs and riding a Trek Madone 5.2 OCLV with Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 11-27 standard cranks and Bontrager Race XXX lite components & Mavic Ksyrium wheels. On the CCCP event site it suggests running a compact crank and a 28 tooth cassette if possible. They are not kidding.
I walked more of the climb than I rode. It's steep enough that depending on where you stop if you do so in the wrong place, you aren't getting started again until it levels out a bit. My buddy Tommy who rode with me is a lot lighter than I and he got to the top without stopping or walking. I just did not have the right gearing and was too heavy.
The same thing happened again in 2011, except that I was a bit lighter due to doing a paleo light/ NSNG light approach. This time though I rode slightly more than the previous year, which I took as minor win.
Then that July a car pulled out in front of me while I was descending a hill doing 35 mph. The Madone was destroyed. In the two months inbetween the accident and reciept of my new bike, in dealing with Progressive I was super stressed and my weight ballooned. That fall I had a bit of a scare, where I over reacted to a chest pain that was a result of overdoing it at the gym, but having been told I had bad cholesterol back in 2006 I got scared.
That's when I gave Paleo a second go after reading whatever book Loren Cordain PhD had just put out. By February 2012 I was already noticing differences on the road. Come that year's Hurricane ride I was around 185 or fewer lbs. I was riding it with the guys who I ride up to Sunday River with each year. I hit the lower slope of Hurricane on my Cervelo S5 running SRAM Red, Zipp 404s and a 3T cockpit and made it all the way to the top without walking. My mind got the better of me at one point so I stopped to make sure my rear tire wasn't squishy. I was pushing it and at one point could feel that vein in my forehead pulsing against my helmet. My heart rate got into the high 180s. But I got up before anyone else in my group of folks I was with. I was flying.
By the time we got down and regrouped I realized that there was a huge bump in my self esteem for making it up all the way without stopping. It made the ride way more fun than it already was. I was in such good form, that no matter what I asked of my bike it did. After lunch, we shot downhill into Gorham, NH and crossed a set of RR tracks. The course turned right and approached those same tracks again, but this time they were at a sharp 45 degree angle. We approached them doing 25mph and I hit them at the wrong angle.
In a flash my front wheel dropped into the tracks, turned and flung me across the road into the soft shoulder. My helmet hit and cracked. And with that my ride was over.
Since then I have been chasing that dragon. The subsequent years going up Hurricane I have not been as fit as I was in 2012 but fitter than 2011 or earlier. Thus I have gone up it in one fell swoop but not as easily and in one year I went so deep overall that on the way home I came down with a nasty cold/ sore throat.
The last 2 years it has rained on Memorial Day and thus I have not done the ride. Those that do it have an option not to tackle Hurricane. But for me part of the attraction is Hurricane Mt so why would I do the ride if I didn't do Hurricane and I'd rather not slip n slide up it or chance a wet descent off the bike side.
As always I'll plan on being there next spring and hope to be in better form than 2012. And as always I'll spend the winter on the dreadmill churning out 5 miles at a time 5x a week chanting my mantra "hurricane mt, hurricane mt, hurricane mt...."
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