DAILY REGIMEN
1- Each morning wake up call (3.1mb). There is nothing better than this to get the juices flowing.
2- Don hooded sweatshirt and head to the meat locker for a brief work out
3- Take a jog with dog through neighborhood and climb steps at City Hall in downtown Vienna.
1- A little off road fun. DO NOT SHOW THIS TO MY MOM OR WIFE BEFORE THE TRIP. I am the second one with the camera. Descente (6.5mb - Windows Media Player)
2- A brief workout on the trail. Download Training_Day_One.m4v (8.6mb)
ODDS AND ENDS OF THE TRAINING CYCLE
Mary snapped a picture while I was pushing out the last few reps of sit-ups last month
Getting ready to attack
This is last Spring in the Chesapeake Bay. I enjoy rowing to stay in shape but my training partner just can't keep up:
PROGRESS TO 3100 TRAINING MILES
Click the image to view the chart full-size.
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Highlights Taken from the Training Log and the 'Learnings'
March 2009
Will go down as the confident growing month. Its time to get at it. Weather more accepting than in January but it also makes it more crowded out there. Achieved the second big milestone--the recommended 80 mile and 60 mile back to back days at a brisk pace to simulate what it will be like on the trip. Continued riding the Cat III hills with Chris L and Scott M. Started doing FAST and HARD rides twice a week at Tom C's urging-- Good call and very smart. The 64 mile day with Chris could have been on Cat IV hills. Looking to April--one more century and more fast rides and more time with Tom C. to work more on core--all working around Spring Break. My goal of 3100 miles in the saddle for the training period seems to be within reach.
All gear got delivered by Midwest on time which eliminates the worry and the overhang of wondering. RD did a great job with these cycling shirts. My kids colored drawings jump out at you on these shirts.
Biked with Chris L down to Mount Vernon 67 miles round trip. Encountered some slight snow and some mechanical challenges at mile mark 45 but got thru it. Next day Scott and I biked out to Purcellville Virginia—he drafted off of me the whole way but bought me lunch at Wegman’s afterward. Good distraction for me to ride with Scott. A lot to talk about. Tried the video camera out with a few different views--under the seat looking to the rear; mounted on the side looking forward; under the seat looking forward to capture the handlebar feeling and of course the Matt P{ollard/Al Franken look of on the helmet.
First accident. Hit a dog on the W&O trail that was off of its leash. Thank God, I had routinely practiced getting shoes out of the toe clips in a hurry or my knees and neck would be in casts now. Went ass over tee cups—me not the dog—a bit scary for a nano-second. Kids wanted to know if the dog was OK. Yes, the pooch was as stunned as I was but he got up and scampered off.
My Takeaways-(i) dont underestimate the benefit of these hard rides; need 2 day recoveryafterwards (ii) have determined that on an average day I will burn between 5200 and 5500 calories--so I need to spend more time on the nutritiom strategy (iv) need to think about desert strategy--still not sure what the plan is and what are the Do's and Dont' and (v) need more practice of getting flat tire changed in under 4 minutes--still not proficient here.
February 2009
Biked to Mount Vernon to see George and Martha’s place- 67 miles round trip. Snow, fog, locust, hail and fire. Had all the Biblical plagues on this trip. Stopped at the Starbucks in Alexandria for a cup of cider. Mid week and in the cold maybe saw 6 people the entire length of the trail—3 of them cyclists all stopped to see if there was anything I needed. Mental note to do the same. Best single month for miles in the saddle.
Beginning to mix up the rides—fast, moderate and easy. Doing these Fast Intervals at > 100% AT for 4-5 minutes and repeating is tough for this 51 year old body. Being reassured that it will pay off in May and June. Building toward the day in May.
My Takeaways- (i) if you can dress for it, the best time to have these trails and roads for your self is in the dead of winter (ii) confidence building and wanting to get this thing underway and (iii) need to do more intense rides—at least once a week.
January 2009
Cold and in the teens with wind chill. These days can give you quality thinking time in the saddle. Lost a few days due to snow on roads and trails. Went spinning to keep my fanny in the seat. Did my first back to back spin class. Biked upper Montgomery County with Chris L. Maybe three cars passed us on these back country roads over 3 hours. Went back 2 weeks later and did the longer route solo—not safe to do by yourself but needed to build the confidence if I break down in the middle of Kansas and no one aorund.
I am beginning to understand why mental part of this training can be a problem.
My Takeaways- Physically I am getting there. Mental training is a big deal. I need to work on (i) staying focused on mission at hand (ii) turning negative thoughts into positive ones (iii) staying on the bike on these cold and rainy days.
December 2008
The first real test after putzing around since July. Completed Stress Test and got flying colors from the Doc—Good to Go. Now riding 85% of the time with no i-Pod—safety a big deal.
Spent a few days biking solo at the Jersey Shore in the dead of winter. Flat, cold, windy and desolate on Long Beach Island. Got the miles in. Spent some time chomping on Power Bars under Old Barney at Barnegat Light. Wind chill was 23 degrees and my mind wandered off thinking of what the Mojave desert ride will be like in May. A few breakdowns (equipment wise and close to mental) but repaired on side of road and pushed on. A lot of time to think. While on LBI, I did my first 90 mile day. Came home to find Mrs. Federico had made a batch of pasta for me. Poof—gone like that. Next day followed up with 45 miles. Whipped. The Shore is pretty neat place to be in the middle of winter.
Had some great help from a local entrepreneur in Ashburn Virginia. Had a mechanical breakdown and I did not have the right tools with me. Owner searched and searched until she could find what I needed (with customers in the Store). I jury rigged the fix and got home. Hope these are the kinds of people I run into on my ride. Old Mill Furniture is the Store. I ended up buying a gift certificate.
Treked up to Gettysburg Pennsylvania for the day with Scott and Rich. First real challenge climbing hills. Very nice ride especially the back of the mountain—2 miles down hill with the wind at our backs and apple groves on the left side and the right side. Cold but we had our booties on. Rated as a category 3. Mission accomplished. Toured the civil war battlefields and had lunch in the local pub. Owner of the Gettysburg Bicycle & Fitness very helpful on maps and bike routes. Between the Old Mill, Mrs. Fred and this young man—there are indeed kind people still in America. Don’t listen to the news—get out and meet them.
Charted a new route in upper Montgomery County with Scott. Category 3 with hills. All back roads—minimal traffic. Good views. Good route to find. Intend on doing a few times again. Very rural and very little traffic. Stephen Kings movie ‘Children of the Corn' kept coming to mind. Two Maryland troopers stopped to see how things were going. Nice touch.
There are 16 things that need to be checked off and I am forgetting 3-4 of them. Not good. Rain jacket was one of them-Nothing worse than the day going cold and rainy and no rain gear.
My Takeaways- (i) I have confidence that the bike will do the job, (ii) finally understood what Tom was saying about the importance of stretching before and after the ride (iii) the importance of eating and nutrition is clear and center and (iv) I need a checklist in the morning before I bike.
July thru November 2008-
W&O trail that runs 70+ miles is very convenient but after 2-3 months of this regimen I want to put a soup spoon in my ear. The monotony of it all. Need to try new venues. Listened to every song on i-tunes! I know every Broadway musical made in this century. Dabbled in musical areas that are laughable—good thing no one got a hold of my i-pod. Would be hard to explain. On more than a few days, came close to taking my kids i-pod to mix it up. Need to find the tunes with the right cadence. Never thought, I would say this but 5 months after listening to Bruce, I need a break.
My takeaways-
(i) Need more time in the saddle,
(ii) need to be able to change flats with my eyes closed
(iii) need to try some new cycling venues
(iv) my Edge 705 and heart rate monitor makes all the difference in terms of training right and smart—good investment
(v) need to get to cadence of 85-95 RPM’s
(vi) I have no interest in training indoors over the winter—will ride outside if there is no snow or ice.
