Training Log Archive: veinbusterIn the 31 days ending Mar 31, 2016:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| « | » |
| » now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday Mar 30, 2016 #
8 AM
flexibility 22:00 [1]
Late start today. A migraine showed about midnight and instead of actively trying to contain it, I just went to sleep. Fail. Now playing catch up. Likely to be a forced rest day.
11 AM
Mountain bike warm up/down (Vinnie) 1:08:00 [1] 21.9 km (3:06 / km) +151m 3:00 / km
ahr:111 max:125
Mrs. beach ride.
18C and fierce wind of 35km/hr with frequent gusts. She wanted to try the full beach ride even though I warned her of the headwind on the return. A flock of Pelicans did a much better job of using the tailwind than we did, racing by us like we were stopped when the speedometer said 25km/hr.
headwind to tailwind differential of 7km/hr towing her in my draft. She called it a day when we got back to the house and I carried on for the last 2 km into the wind so I could finish with a tailwind.
Aura mostly gone, just an exploding brain left.
18C and fierce wind of 35km/hr with frequent gusts. She wanted to try the full beach ride even though I warned her of the headwind on the return. A flock of Pelicans did a much better job of using the tailwind than we did, racing by us like we were stopped when the speedometer said 25km/hr.
headwind to tailwind differential of 7km/hr towing her in my draft. She called it a day when we got back to the house and I carried on for the last 2 km into the wind so I could finish with a tailwind.
Aura mostly gone, just an exploding brain left.
Tuesday Mar 29, 2016 #
8 AM
flexibility 19:00 [1]
12 PM
Mountain bike warm up/down (Vinnie) 1:38:00 [1] 29.3 km (3:21 / km) +78m 3:18 / km
ahr:103
Mrs. ride around the wetlands.
We covered the last bit she had missed before. It appears she can draft if I keep my heart rate below 120.
We covered the last bit she had missed before. It appears she can draft if I keep my heart rate below 120.
Monday Mar 28, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 15:00 [1]
7 AM
Road cycle tempo (Cross bike road mode) 2:32:00 [4] 62.1 km (2:27 / km) +59m 2:26 / km
ahr:140 max:157 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Ride your age bonus ride and earliest ever 1000km to start a year
March 1, on the way to the beach I gave Mrs. a chance to comment on riding my age. Target was 7. I thought 10 was easily in range, but might be hard to repeat at home. She said in didn't have to count them all, certainly thinking ahead to 4+ hr sessions on the fat bike in the snow. Official ruling pending.
18C and light wind with radar showing the storm out to sea. I took the northern beach route, which is the most satisfying. The sun came out over the clouds at 8km and I tried to resist the temptation to watch the interval times and push them. 3 km from the turn around, I caught the edge of the rain clouds but decided I would carry on with the route and be back in the sun in about 15 minutes.
It was actually 15km before I saw the sun again and even then it was quite spotty giving me a total of about 5 km of sun until I got back to the house. Being on the edge of the rain also brought out the worst of the wind. The sky cleared as I made the turn onto the beach road at Surfside and stayed clear. I shot past the house to finish the route that has given me just over 60km most of our time here.
At the south turn around I had a good chance to compare the headwind versus tailwind pace. I thought about pulling in at the house - 1.5 km short of 60 with the detours gone, but shot by to get a full tailwind interval, then turned back for a short cool down into the headwind. Differential was a whopping 5 km/hr, most of which I didn't benefit from having started with an inconsequential NW wind to start and finishing with a strong SSW.
Nutrition: 3/4 of a honey stinger chew pack, 2/3 tailwind, could have used a bit more but didn't want the gel I had late in the ride
March 1, on the way to the beach I gave Mrs. a chance to comment on riding my age. Target was 7. I thought 10 was easily in range, but might be hard to repeat at home. She said in didn't have to count them all, certainly thinking ahead to 4+ hr sessions on the fat bike in the snow. Official ruling pending.
18C and light wind with radar showing the storm out to sea. I took the northern beach route, which is the most satisfying. The sun came out over the clouds at 8km and I tried to resist the temptation to watch the interval times and push them. 3 km from the turn around, I caught the edge of the rain clouds but decided I would carry on with the route and be back in the sun in about 15 minutes.
It was actually 15km before I saw the sun again and even then it was quite spotty giving me a total of about 5 km of sun until I got back to the house. Being on the edge of the rain also brought out the worst of the wind. The sky cleared as I made the turn onto the beach road at Surfside and stayed clear. I shot past the house to finish the route that has given me just over 60km most of our time here.
At the south turn around I had a good chance to compare the headwind versus tailwind pace. I thought about pulling in at the house - 1.5 km short of 60 with the detours gone, but shot by to get a full tailwind interval, then turned back for a short cool down into the headwind. Differential was a whopping 5 km/hr, most of which I didn't benefit from having started with an inconsequential NW wind to start and finishing with a strong SSW.
Nutrition: 3/4 of a honey stinger chew pack, 2/3 tailwind, could have used a bit more but didn't want the gel I had late in the ride
5 PM
Other (Surf walk) 30:00 [1]
Jellie fish rescue. The turbulent water had some of them heading to close to shore with the tide going out. I wasn't sure if they could survive the 90 minutes or so it would take for the tide to come back in and pick them up so fetched them out to water they should be able to orient themselves in. One of them was stuffed with little crabs, which was kind of cool.
Sunday Mar 27, 2016 #
5 AM
flexibility 15:00 [1]
6 AM
Road cycle (Cross bike road mode) 56:52 [3] 22.2 km (2:34 / km) +9m 2:33 / km
ahr:132 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Sunrise service tour. I thought it would be interesting to see how many sunrise services I could find along the beach. 100% chance of rain starting at 8:00am made me wonder how many people would show up.
Headed out with full lights to see if the nearest one really started at 6:30. It did, and lots of people were late trying to park 1/2km away. The signage for the next one was ambiguous in that it mentioned the pier, but also a marina 4km further south. Tons of people at the pier, but I headed to the marina anyway and it turns out that was overflow parking (and post service brunch). People were shuttled back to the pier in suburbans.
Rain started as I approached the marina so I overshot to put on my rain jacket away from traffic, and did a turn around to see what else I could find. Rain started to get heavy as I got back to the pier, but everyone was staying - most of them huddled under spots of cover. Back to the 6:30 start service, it had wrapped up and everyone was headed home.
By then it was late enough I had no chance of getting 15km north to the next likely spot before they would finish up. And I didn't feel the need to be riding when the rain got really heavy.
Impressive to see 500-600 people standing in the morning rain for a church service.
Headed out with full lights to see if the nearest one really started at 6:30. It did, and lots of people were late trying to park 1/2km away. The signage for the next one was ambiguous in that it mentioned the pier, but also a marina 4km further south. Tons of people at the pier, but I headed to the marina anyway and it turns out that was overflow parking (and post service brunch). People were shuttled back to the pier in suburbans.
Rain started as I approached the marina so I overshot to put on my rain jacket away from traffic, and did a turn around to see what else I could find. Rain started to get heavy as I got back to the pier, but everyone was staying - most of them huddled under spots of cover. Back to the 6:30 start service, it had wrapped up and everyone was headed home.
By then it was late enough I had no chance of getting 15km north to the next likely spot before they would finish up. And I didn't feel the need to be riding when the rain got really heavy.
Impressive to see 500-600 people standing in the morning rain for a church service.
Saturday Mar 26, 2016 #
7 AM
flexibility 16:00 [1]
Waiting for the rain to pass
9 AM
Road cycle tempo (Cross bike road mode) 1:30:00 [5] 40.2 km (2:14 / km) +4m 2:14 / km
ahr:150 max:161 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Between the rain.
I waited out the light rain early and went out when the radar showed a decent break before the next, and heavier round. The plan was to just do the length of the beach strip we are staying on - 11km with one stop light, and to date pretty light traffic. I planned to ride a max of two hours, or until the rain showed. I figured for this length of time I could just lay out a nice tempo, so a spun a slightly higher cadence than usual and tried to keep the heart in the low 150s. This should let me keep the intervals a bit under 12.
The wind seemed calm starting out, but picked up as the ride progressed to make for a 2km/hr headwind versus tailwind differential. Just enough to flavour the ride. Traffic was quite heavy, but the car drivers were quite willing to share the road. A couple of kids in the back of one of the golf carts I passed questioned their father's manhood for being passed by a bicycle.
At the lights mid way in the second pass south, there appeared to be a wall of rain ahead. I picked up the pace to see if I could make the turn around. About half way back I heard the first rumbles of thunder so called it a day.
I waited out the light rain early and went out when the radar showed a decent break before the next, and heavier round. The plan was to just do the length of the beach strip we are staying on - 11km with one stop light, and to date pretty light traffic. I planned to ride a max of two hours, or until the rain showed. I figured for this length of time I could just lay out a nice tempo, so a spun a slightly higher cadence than usual and tried to keep the heart in the low 150s. This should let me keep the intervals a bit under 12.
The wind seemed calm starting out, but picked up as the ride progressed to make for a 2km/hr headwind versus tailwind differential. Just enough to flavour the ride. Traffic was quite heavy, but the car drivers were quite willing to share the road. A couple of kids in the back of one of the golf carts I passed questioned their father's manhood for being passed by a bicycle.
At the lights mid way in the second pass south, there appeared to be a wall of rain ahead. I picked up the pace to see if I could make the turn around. About half way back I heard the first rumbles of thunder so called it a day.
Friday Mar 25, 2016 #
7 AM
flexibility 18:00 [1]
10 AM
Mountain bike warm up/down (Vinnie) 1:33:00 [1] 26.7 km (3:29 / km) +88m 3:26 / km
ahr:106 max:131
Mrs. ride. Through the camping area again. It as much busier today with frequent swarms of kids on electric scooters, hover boards and bicycles. Everyone enjoying the sun before the promised thunder storms.
We then head south into a 30+ km/hr headwind to explore some more of the wetlands. Great day for a relaxed ride, which ended by trying a new sandwich place: Which Wich was quite excellent. After a long ride, might go back to try the Elvis.
We then head south into a 30+ km/hr headwind to explore some more of the wetlands. Great day for a relaxed ride, which ended by trying a new sandwich place: Which Wich was quite excellent. After a long ride, might go back to try the Elvis.
Thursday Mar 24, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 17:00 [1]
7 AM
Road cycle long (Cross bike road mode) 2:44:56 69.36 km (2:23 / km) +41m 2:22 / km
ahr:146 max:163 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Ride your age session 8
This sets a new marker for future years so I thought a bit of extra distance was in order. I believe this is the furthest I've ridden a tradition bike since 1993. Legs started to feel a bit heavy at about 1300 calories but seem fine now that they are elevated.
16C to start with some low hanging fog right at the shore. I saw the last of it just before the 25km turn around. A slight headwind showed up at 45km about it didn't have much impact heading for the south end of the peninsula at 60km. As I was hoping, the bit of wind made the extra distance a bit more comfortable and my finishing pace was close to my average for the day while letting the legs spin at a cool down effort.
Nutrition: 1 bonk breaker over 7km at the north turn around. 1 gel at the south turn around. 2/3 of a tailwind. 2nd time I've tried this, using 1/2 to 2/3 of the recommended powder to water ratio. The remainder post ride with the juice of a lemon in a tall glass is quite refreshing.
This sets a new marker for future years so I thought a bit of extra distance was in order. I believe this is the furthest I've ridden a tradition bike since 1993. Legs started to feel a bit heavy at about 1300 calories but seem fine now that they are elevated.
16C to start with some low hanging fog right at the shore. I saw the last of it just before the 25km turn around. A slight headwind showed up at 45km about it didn't have much impact heading for the south end of the peninsula at 60km. As I was hoping, the bit of wind made the extra distance a bit more comfortable and my finishing pace was close to my average for the day while letting the legs spin at a cool down effort.
Nutrition: 1 bonk breaker over 7km at the north turn around. 1 gel at the south turn around. 2/3 of a tailwind. 2nd time I've tried this, using 1/2 to 2/3 of the recommended powder to water ratio. The remainder post ride with the juice of a lemon in a tall glass is quite refreshing.
Wednesday Mar 23, 2016 #
7 AM
flexibility 19:00 [1]
2 PM
Note
(rest day)
Shaping up to be a successful rest day though low tide is making a short ride on the beach look very inviting. Just a walkabout with Mrs.
Tuesday Mar 22, 2016 #
7 AM
flexibility 19:00 [1]
8 AM
Road cycle tempo (Cross bike road mode) 2:36:00 [3] 60.6 km (2:34 / km) +69m 2:34 / km
ahr:134 max:147 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Ride your age session 7
This matches that mark from the last couple of years, so I am officially not old.
I got up to 4C and only have clothing for 7C and above so waited around for the sun to do some warming. It was going to be a trade off between riding warm and riding in the wind. I gave the sun an hour and then went out at 5C, riding easy to warm up the legs. At about 8 km, the legs felt good but I stuck with the endurance pace. Lots of delivery traffic outbound so at the north end I explored for extensions that would give me extra distance if I am back in future years. I expect 65 to be about as far as I can do these rides on a traditional bike and found enough road to cover that.
At 35km I headed back south. For the first time, the shops on the boardwalk were open and the people waiting for customers looked incredibly bored. Pedestrian traffic was building, and darting across the road anywhere on a whim. Once I cleared that I picked up the pace a bit to make sure I got back by 11:00 when Mrs. was expecting me. It was very hard to make the left turn onto the highway, but I still got back with two minutes to spare.
13C by the time I rolled into the driveway. Another good ride, but the legs are showing signs of wanting a day off. I'll see if I'm disciplined enough to do that tomorrow.
This matches that mark from the last couple of years, so I am officially not old.
I got up to 4C and only have clothing for 7C and above so waited around for the sun to do some warming. It was going to be a trade off between riding warm and riding in the wind. I gave the sun an hour and then went out at 5C, riding easy to warm up the legs. At about 8 km, the legs felt good but I stuck with the endurance pace. Lots of delivery traffic outbound so at the north end I explored for extensions that would give me extra distance if I am back in future years. I expect 65 to be about as far as I can do these rides on a traditional bike and found enough road to cover that.
At 35km I headed back south. For the first time, the shops on the boardwalk were open and the people waiting for customers looked incredibly bored. Pedestrian traffic was building, and darting across the road anywhere on a whim. Once I cleared that I picked up the pace a bit to make sure I got back by 11:00 when Mrs. was expecting me. It was very hard to make the left turn onto the highway, but I still got back with two minutes to spare.
13C by the time I rolled into the driveway. Another good ride, but the legs are showing signs of wanting a day off. I'll see if I'm disciplined enough to do that tomorrow.
Monday Mar 21, 2016 #
7 AM
flexibility 20:00 [1]
I waited for the sunrise today. Stretching in a new sun is certainly conducive to long lazy holds. When you can see the sun movement between the start and finish, you know you're doing it right.
10 AM
Other 1:05:00 [1]
Skipped the morning bike ride at 6C because my gloves and jacket were still wet from yesterday. This had the legs fresh to take Mrs. for a morning beach walk on her first day back on the ocean. Nice calm water today and clear blue sky.
Coffee shop fail to end it. My macchiato was pretty much a Tim Horton's with a dollap of milk foam on it. They did serve the bagel with a little chunk of a muffin sample though.
Coffee shop fail to end it. My macchiato was pretty much a Tim Horton's with a dollap of milk foam on it. They did serve the bagel with a little chunk of a muffin sample though.
3 PM
Mountain bike warm up/down (Vinnie) 2:05:00 [2] 36.9 km (3:23 / km) +138m 3:20 / km
ahr:110 max:144
Mrs. wanted a bike ride so I took her north along the beach and then to a giant camp ground via an access road, so very little traffic. We toured the camping area for a bit, doing seat adjustments every 5km or so and ended up with it about 3 cm higher than what she made them set it at in the store. I looped her back to give a 15 km ride about she wanted 25, so we headed south past the house to the main access to Garden City. I looped her arou d there and shot the extra 5km down to the end of the peninsula to get some light cardio in.
14C to start, but the bright sun made it feel much warmer.
14C to start, but the bright sun made it feel much warmer.
Sunday Mar 20, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 18:00 [1]
Turns out I read the numbers wrong and didn't need three hours to get my rolling 10 back.
7 AM
Road cycle (Cross bike road mode) 2:15:00 [4] 50.2 km (2:41 / km) +62m 2:40 / km
ahr:140 max:156 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
If the weather cooperated, I was hoping to do a long ride today and get my rolling 10hr week back. I would need a bit over 3 hours, which is definitely pushing hard on my limit on a traditional bike.
9C and 25km/hr wind was going to make it a good work out. The threat of pop up thunderstorms could make it quite unpleasant. I popped my rain jacket in my back pocket with a couple of snacks and headed out for a 25km run into the wind. I set out at my endurance pace, just maintaining a good cadence and a heart rate in the 140s.
I road about 5km on the highway a few blocks inland of my normal northern route to make sure I remembered the landmarks for the airport, and to try to reduce the impact of the ocean front headwind. Lights slowed things a bit, which was ok for a long ride, but I got tired of sucking exhaust so cut back to the beach road. I saw a little pace line scoot by as I headed to the beach and had some hope of hitching a ride - about 200m back of them when I made the turn. I was slowly cutting into that when I had to pause for a red light which gave it all back. Took another 50m back when I got slowed by a bus dropping people off between us. That doubled there lead and killed my chance of a catch so I just kept them in sight. Turns out they stopped 5km short of my turn around so at best I would have had an easier time of 3-4km.
Grabbed a snack at the beginning of a planned easier 6th interval at the turn around and then started to enjoy the benefit of a bit of a tailwind. I got the third little spot of drizzle, but nothing worth putting the rain jacket on just as I was bringing the pace up for the return. The at 37km a few nig fat raindrops came out of nowhere, so I stopped the clock, jumped up the curb and grabbed the rain jacket. I got it over my shoulders just in time and took the opportunity to eat a gel and a handful of honey stinger chews before they would become out of reach. Struggled a bit to get the jacket zipped up and headed back on the road in a heavy downpour.
Hands and legs from the knees down were soaked almost immediately and felt quite cold within minutes. 10km later as I made the turn back down to the Surfside/Garden City road I finish on the rain eased up. In the 2km to the house, I debated the planned extension to the far end of the road, versus pulling into the driveway I would be a block from. I opted to cut it short. Turns out that was a good choice because by the time I got the soaked clothes off, the rain was torrential again. I would not have enjoyed the 9 km return in heavy rain and a headwind.
9C and 25km/hr wind was going to make it a good work out. The threat of pop up thunderstorms could make it quite unpleasant. I popped my rain jacket in my back pocket with a couple of snacks and headed out for a 25km run into the wind. I set out at my endurance pace, just maintaining a good cadence and a heart rate in the 140s.
I road about 5km on the highway a few blocks inland of my normal northern route to make sure I remembered the landmarks for the airport, and to try to reduce the impact of the ocean front headwind. Lights slowed things a bit, which was ok for a long ride, but I got tired of sucking exhaust so cut back to the beach road. I saw a little pace line scoot by as I headed to the beach and had some hope of hitching a ride - about 200m back of them when I made the turn. I was slowly cutting into that when I had to pause for a red light which gave it all back. Took another 50m back when I got slowed by a bus dropping people off between us. That doubled there lead and killed my chance of a catch so I just kept them in sight. Turns out they stopped 5km short of my turn around so at best I would have had an easier time of 3-4km.
Grabbed a snack at the beginning of a planned easier 6th interval at the turn around and then started to enjoy the benefit of a bit of a tailwind. I got the third little spot of drizzle, but nothing worth putting the rain jacket on just as I was bringing the pace up for the return. The at 37km a few nig fat raindrops came out of nowhere, so I stopped the clock, jumped up the curb and grabbed the rain jacket. I got it over my shoulders just in time and took the opportunity to eat a gel and a handful of honey stinger chews before they would become out of reach. Struggled a bit to get the jacket zipped up and headed back on the road in a heavy downpour.
Hands and legs from the knees down were soaked almost immediately and felt quite cold within minutes. 10km later as I made the turn back down to the Surfside/Garden City road I finish on the rain eased up. In the 2km to the house, I debated the planned extension to the far end of the road, versus pulling into the driveway I would be a block from. I opted to cut it short. Turns out that was a good choice because by the time I got the soaked clothes off, the rain was torrential again. I would not have enjoyed the 9 km return in heavy rain and a headwind.
C • Fun 2
Saturday Mar 19, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 16:00 [1]
7 AM
Road cycle tempo (Cross bike road mode) 2:23:00 [5] 63.0 km (2:16 / km) +28m 2:16 / km
ahr:151 max:171 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Ride your age session 6
It was supposed to rain a lot today so I thought I would get a jump on it and head out with the big lights as soon as day light started showing on the horizon. The weather channel showed rain off shore and inland to the south but a nice little pocket for me.
17C and the hint of drizzle to start, but it never really rained. I just settled into a comfortable pace and headed south. A hint of a breeze showed up at about 30km. Then a hint of a shadow for a few minutes at 46km. I kept the heart between 147 and 162 virtually the whole ride. A blip up to 171 to keep with the flow of traffic to make a left turn into the inlet and drops on a few turns with traffic. I took easier intervals for 6 and 10 to eat a bit.
Traffic was much heavier than I expected. I noticed 8 of 10 drivers didn't move and inch while passing me on a four lane highway. 1 would move completely into the left lane and one would drift over maybe 15 cm.
I did find it interesting the the calorie calculator on the Garmin using heart rate was 25% lower than a similar ride last week without heart rate.
Near perfect morning ride. I think it puts my cycle distance over 600km for the winter.
It was supposed to rain a lot today so I thought I would get a jump on it and head out with the big lights as soon as day light started showing on the horizon. The weather channel showed rain off shore and inland to the south but a nice little pocket for me.
17C and the hint of drizzle to start, but it never really rained. I just settled into a comfortable pace and headed south. A hint of a breeze showed up at about 30km. Then a hint of a shadow for a few minutes at 46km. I kept the heart between 147 and 162 virtually the whole ride. A blip up to 171 to keep with the flow of traffic to make a left turn into the inlet and drops on a few turns with traffic. I took easier intervals for 6 and 10 to eat a bit.
Traffic was much heavier than I expected. I noticed 8 of 10 drivers didn't move and inch while passing me on a four lane highway. 1 would move completely into the left lane and one would drift over maybe 15 cm.
I did find it interesting the the calorie calculator on the Garmin using heart rate was 25% lower than a similar ride last week without heart rate.
Near perfect morning ride. I think it puts my cycle distance over 600km for the winter.
Friday Mar 18, 2016 #
5 AM
flexibility 17:00 [1]
Poor sleep last night wondering about a bunch of things that don't really matter:
- should I try a double in the rain tomorrow
- should I wait until I get back to the beach to have dinner
...
- should I try a double in the rain tomorrow
- should I wait until I get back to the beach to have dinner
...
10 AM
stairs 20:00 [2]
Short one to test if I had successfully convert an attempted migraine to a dull nuisance ache in the lower brain...and could go south as planned.
I went south.
I went south.
Thursday Mar 17, 2016 #
5 AM
flexibility 19:00 [1]
4 PM
weight training 42:00 [2]
Day 2 free weights
Wednesday Mar 16, 2016 #
5 AM
flexibility 17:00 [1]
4 PM
weight training 47:00 [2]
Day 1 free weights
Tuesday Mar 15, 2016 #
5 AM
flexibility 16:00 [1]
4 PM
Road cycle tempo (Goldie) 59:02 [2] 21.0 km (2:49 / km) +97m 2:45 / km
ahr:129 max:150
On a Velodrome day in Calgary, it seemed appropriate to go out on the fixie. A stop at the courier had me a bit late getting out with the commuters, but with one exception, it was uneventful. I would have stayed out for another 10-20km, but the right side compression that usually holds for an after work ride couldn't stand up to the leg braking and broke lose. As it started slipping down my thigh, I headed back to the apartment.
The new heart strap works as it should and is a fair bit more comfortable than the dead one.
The exception:
I was doing nicely with no brakes but just short of 10km a black Lexus decided to test me. Drove up very close along side me and seemed to stick at my pace. Eased up a bit to put me right at the B pillar. Then started turning tight right. I had to grab the brakes to avoid her passenger door while I turned hard right. I cussed some while the car proceeded down the wrong side of the street for a block and half - I guess the driver thought she should give me some room now that we were going straight (not on the road I wanted to be on though).
The new heart strap works as it should and is a fair bit more comfortable than the dead one.
The exception:
I was doing nicely with no brakes but just short of 10km a black Lexus decided to test me. Drove up very close along side me and seemed to stick at my pace. Eased up a bit to put me right at the B pillar. Then started turning tight right. I had to grab the brakes to avoid her passenger door while I turned hard right. I cussed some while the car proceeded down the wrong side of the street for a block and half - I guess the driver thought she should give me some room now that we were going straight (not on the road I wanted to be on though).
Monday Mar 14, 2016 #
5 AM
flexibility 18:00 [1]
4 PM
weight training 37:00 [2]
Day 3 resistance bands, push-ups, abs
Sunday Mar 13, 2016 #
8 AM
flexibility 18:00 [1]
10 AM
weight training 42:00 [2]
Day 2 free weights
Get a bit of upper body in while I'm back in PA for a few days.
Get a bit of upper body in while I'm back in PA for a few days.
Saturday Mar 12, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 14:00 [1]
Friday Mar 11, 2016 #
7 AM
flexibility 17:00 [1]
11 AM
Other warm up/down 1:30:00 [2]
Skipped the bike today to preserve the legs to take Mrs. down the length of the beach. Highlights were a pelican diving for lunch - quite a sight - and a dog trying to catch the surf.
Thursday Mar 10, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 18:00 [1]
7 AM
Road cycle tempo (Cross bike - road mode) 2:23:00 [4] 60.3 km (2:22 / km) +58m 2:22 / km
shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Ride your age session 5
The weather channel said mostly cloudy, but it looked bright to me so I put on some SPF15 and headed out. There was a pretty noticeable fog so I went north so as to have less interaction with traffic knowing it would probably mean returning into the wind. The fog disappeared by 7km and the 15C I started in became 21C pretty quickly.
It was a perfect day to drop the hammer, but I had told Mrs. I wouldn't push past my limits without a heart monitor to warn me so I just settled into the high end of my long distance pace. Heart was probably mid 140s to mid 150s most of the time.
The wind stayed very light until 40km and then was only noticeable when I sat up to stretch my lower back. A bit stronger by 50km, but not a problem with only 6km left going south before the final turn around. The fast girl on her drops went by me north about 300m before my turn around so there was no temptation to see how long I could maintain the gap to her - she was long gone by the time I turned back north.
Perfect conditions and a pretty decent pace for me without working too hard.
The weather channel said mostly cloudy, but it looked bright to me so I put on some SPF15 and headed out. There was a pretty noticeable fog so I went north so as to have less interaction with traffic knowing it would probably mean returning into the wind. The fog disappeared by 7km and the 15C I started in became 21C pretty quickly.
It was a perfect day to drop the hammer, but I had told Mrs. I wouldn't push past my limits without a heart monitor to warn me so I just settled into the high end of my long distance pace. Heart was probably mid 140s to mid 150s most of the time.
The wind stayed very light until 40km and then was only noticeable when I sat up to stretch my lower back. A bit stronger by 50km, but not a problem with only 6km left going south before the final turn around. The fast girl on her drops went by me north about 300m before my turn around so there was no temptation to see how long I could maintain the gap to her - she was long gone by the time I turned back north.
Perfect conditions and a pretty decent pace for me without working too hard.
Wednesday Mar 9, 2016 #
7 AM
flexibility 17:00 [1]
1 PM
Mountain bike warm up/down (Vinnie) 1:25:00 [2] 24.4 km (3:29 / km) +33m 3:28 / km
Wetlands ride with Mrs.
During yesterday's ride I noticed a large selection of water birds in the wetlands at low tide and suggested Mrs. venture there one afternoon. She and her new pink mountain bike headed south to the best viewing locations I had been able to find. There weren't quite as many types of birds visible today but I got photos of a few (I'll pull them off the camera in a bit).
21C and a light ocean breeze of about 15km/hr. Just enough for her to decide drafting might be ok after all. Platform pedals might have made it easier for her. She worries a bit about not being able to unclip fast enough. She was willing to ride a bit further, but I thought 2 hours in the sun was probably enough for her skin. I'll adjust the seat a bit before her next ride.
During yesterday's ride I noticed a large selection of water birds in the wetlands at low tide and suggested Mrs. venture there one afternoon. She and her new pink mountain bike headed south to the best viewing locations I had been able to find. There weren't quite as many types of birds visible today but I got photos of a few (I'll pull them off the camera in a bit).
21C and a light ocean breeze of about 15km/hr. Just enough for her to decide drafting might be ok after all. Platform pedals might have made it easier for her. She worries a bit about not being able to unclip fast enough. She was willing to ride a bit further, but I thought 2 hours in the sun was probably enough for her skin. I'll adjust the seat a bit before her next ride.
4 PM
Note
Some sights from today's ride with Mrs.
It was very hard to get one of these catching something. Their heads move incredibly fast.
This is the overview. There is a tiny section you can walk out into, but most of it is for birds only. Dimensions are about 6 km on the east side, 1.5 km on the north side and 10 km on the west side. Open to the ocean on the south
It was very hard to get one of these catching something. Their heads move incredibly fast.
This is the overview. There is a tiny section you can walk out into, but most of it is for birds only. Dimensions are about 6 km on the east side, 1.5 km on the north side and 10 km on the west side. Open to the ocean on the south
Tuesday Mar 8, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 14:00 [1]
It might be a lazy day with Mrs. and I alone in the beach house again. Guests headed to the airport at 7am.
2 PM
Mountain bike tempo (Vinnie) 2:47:00 [3] 61.0 km (2:44 / km) +93m 2:43 / km
Ride your age session 4
I didn't set out to ride my age today. Still no heart rate. I replaced the battery and neither of the Garmins can detect it so I think it is a goner. The local bike shops are biased to beach cruisers and don't carry anything more than a Fitbit. The good running store sold all of their spares to weekend marathoners that had forgotten theirs at home. I told Mrs. I could keep myself to a reasonable effort without it, so she agreed I could ride around a bit while she worked for a couple of hours.
It was a sunny 21C so I slapped some sun block on my face and arms and took Vinnie out to break in the saddle a bit more. I felt 300km for the first week on the beach was well within range and doable in about 2 hours with the gearing on the old bike. Wind wasn't too bad. 4km difference into the wind versus with it, but this bike didn't care. The only place the wind really set up a challenge was in the channels straight down to the beach.
I as close to the house at 44km, but thought I might as well do one more run down the shore, which ended up resulting in my longest ride this year. A bit far with platform pedals and my quads started to feel the effort towards the end, but they aren't complaining now.
I didn't set out to ride my age today. Still no heart rate. I replaced the battery and neither of the Garmins can detect it so I think it is a goner. The local bike shops are biased to beach cruisers and don't carry anything more than a Fitbit. The good running store sold all of their spares to weekend marathoners that had forgotten theirs at home. I told Mrs. I could keep myself to a reasonable effort without it, so she agreed I could ride around a bit while she worked for a couple of hours.
It was a sunny 21C so I slapped some sun block on my face and arms and took Vinnie out to break in the saddle a bit more. I felt 300km for the first week on the beach was well within range and doable in about 2 hours with the gearing on the old bike. Wind wasn't too bad. 4km difference into the wind versus with it, but this bike didn't care. The only place the wind really set up a challenge was in the channels straight down to the beach.
I as close to the house at 44km, but thought I might as well do one more run down the shore, which ended up resulting in my longest ride this year. A bit far with platform pedals and my quads started to feel the effort towards the end, but they aren't complaining now.
Monday Mar 7, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 13:00 [1]
8 AM
Road cycle tempo (Cross bike - road mode) 51:39 [5] 21.8 km (2:22 / km) +2m 2:22 / km
shoes: Specialized SWorks road
My brother and sister planned to walk 5km on the beach so I said I would see if I could do the length of the beach strip faster than they did their walk. I thought if I could turn out sub 12 intervals it should be close. Wind was light today so the headwind and tailwind speeds only differed by a bit over 1km/hr. I got in just as they were coming up from the beach.
My heart monitor didn't register a single beat today.
My heart monitor didn't register a single beat today.
Sunday Mar 6, 2016 #
7 AM
Road cycle tempo (Cross bike road setup) 2:34:00 [3] 60.3 km (2:33 / km) +15m 2:33 / km
ahr:138 max:148 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Ride your age session 3
7C and calm to start. I expected light highway traffic so went south to Murrels Inlet. A couple of laps around the road best suited to a time trial - about 13km with no cross traffic. I was surprised just how flat this area was. I also had to check for a brunch location so ended up doing a tour of Surfside, Garden City and the Inlet. There was more traffic than I had expected, but none of it really impacted my ride.
The sun came out briefly at 20km. The wind started to pick up at 35km, and made it to about 20km/hr for the last 10km riding into it up the beach. I did the whole ride at a fairly steady endurance effort. Great morning.
Now for a protein biased breakfast.
7C and calm to start. I expected light highway traffic so went south to Murrels Inlet. A couple of laps around the road best suited to a time trial - about 13km with no cross traffic. I was surprised just how flat this area was. I also had to check for a brunch location so ended up doing a tour of Surfside, Garden City and the Inlet. There was more traffic than I had expected, but none of it really impacted my ride.
The sun came out briefly at 20km. The wind started to pick up at 35km, and made it to about 20km/hr for the last 10km riding into it up the beach. I did the whole ride at a fairly steady endurance effort. Great morning.
Now for a protein biased breakfast.
Saturday Mar 5, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 15:00 [1]
No clothes to ride in 2C with me so today's ride to Murrels Inlet is deferred.
9 AM
Mountain bike tempo (Vinnie) 1:01:00 [4] 21.9 km (2:47 / km) +54m 2:45 / km
ahr:143 max:157
It warmed up to 7C and was sunny so I took a quick ride the length of Surfside and Garden City while my siblings tried a walk on the beach. It warmed up to 9C in the hour I was out but felt warmer than the thermometer in the sun. Wind was a steady 25km/hr again. 6km/hr difference in speed with the wind versus against it.
Friday Mar 4, 2016 #
7 AM
flexibility 18:00 [1]
8 AM
Road cycle tempo (Cross bike - road setup) 2:50:00 [3] 60.5 km (2:49 / km) +54m 2:48 / km
ahr:132 max:145 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Ride your age session 2
This was a cool ride at 7C in damp air. The wind was the calmest it has been since we arrived at the beach - a steady 20-25km/hr. No real gusts for the whole ride. I waited until the rain was gone today, but the roads didn't start to dry until 45 km and the first I saw of the sun was at 59.5 km.
I was a bit under dressed with the warmest kit I brought south. The tights I thought I had were nowhere to be found so my legs never really warmed up. My calves could use the roller, which I intentionally left behind to make room for other stuff in my relatively small car.
For this ride I just settled into my endurance pace right from the beginning. That stretched the duration of the ride to about my limit for a traditional bike. Nice ride though and just enough of a workout to justify a big breakfast.
This was a cool ride at 7C in damp air. The wind was the calmest it has been since we arrived at the beach - a steady 20-25km/hr. No real gusts for the whole ride. I waited until the rain was gone today, but the roads didn't start to dry until 45 km and the first I saw of the sun was at 59.5 km.
I was a bit under dressed with the warmest kit I brought south. The tights I thought I had were nowhere to be found so my legs never really warmed up. My calves could use the roller, which I intentionally left behind to make room for other stuff in my relatively small car.
For this ride I just settled into my endurance pace right from the beginning. That stretched the duration of the ride to about my limit for a traditional bike. Nice ride though and just enough of a workout to justify a big breakfast.
Thursday Mar 3, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 19:00 [1]
It is interesting to see how fast the moon travels across the sky while you are lying on the floor doing mostly nothing.
Bike ride delayed due to a dead phone battery, perhaps related to it smashing itself on the floor. At least it had rather decency to pick what should be the coldest morning of the week for that stunt.
Bike ride delayed due to a dead phone battery, perhaps related to it smashing itself on the floor. At least it had rather decency to pick what should be the coldest morning of the week for that stunt.
2 PM
Mountain bike warm up/down (Vinnie) 1:35:00 [2] 31.5 km (3:01 / km) +121m 2:58 / km
ahr:125 max:145
After spending $300 on groceries in 24 hours, Mrs. felt the need to turn some of it into food and thought maybe I would go for a bike ride. I'm willing to take a hint so set out to see where she might be comfortable riding without needing to go out to the highway. It turns out there are plenty of choices that have minimal interaction with traffic and not too many stop signs. I found a couple of places that looked like good candidates for coffee or lunch.
The wind is pretty strong again today so the effort was either very relaxed or slightly punishing. The wind made it feel much colder than the nominal 15C. I was just warm enough having dressed for 10C.
The wind is pretty strong again today so the effort was either very relaxed or slightly punishing. The wind made it feel much colder than the nominal 15C. I was just warm enough having dressed for 10C.
Wednesday Mar 2, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 12:00 [1]
7 AM
Road cycle (Cross bike - road setup) 2:38:00 [4] 60.3 km (2:37 / km) +75m 2:36 / km
ahr:145 max:162 shoes: Specialized SWorks road
Ride your age session 1.
I was up about an hour early today. The clock wasn't readable so I wasn't sure if I was finished sleeping or not. By the time I sorted out what the real time was from the next 3 clocks telling different times I figured I might as well stay up and wait out the rain storm. Radar show the bulk of it passing at about 6:30 with one more arm that didn't look any more significant than a band of lake effect snow so I got ready to go out. Very short of beverages but that should be ok given it was only 15C and not expected to get much warmer.
The last of the rain wasn't bad and my pace started out pretty good. Turning west to get to the highway that would take me to the northern beach route showed how strong what had felt like a minor cross wind really was, but 1 km of that got me to nice clean road with no lights and no cross traffic. Legs were turning well so I let my heart run up to the low 160s to get a nice interval. It was well under 10 so I knew there would be a wind penalty coming home. The next intervals were through poorly marked construction detours and hotel deliveries galore so it was easy to back off to a 150s heart rate which should be sustainable.
Sun started to poke out at 20km. turn around at 25km was going to make the ride a bit short. Full sun at 30km and it was clear the now nasty headwind was going to make the ride a good bit of work after all. Construction pushed me to the business highway and I stayed there because it gave an occasion break from the wind and some psychological breaks at traffic lights.
Back to open road at 45km but traffic was picking up so I cut back to the beach road we are on. Riding by the house my clock showed the current pass would have me finish up after the 10:00 Mrs. alarm, but I was pretty sure continuing to the next town south and returning with the wind would work out fine. I made it back with 3 minutes to spare.
This was a nice loop, though I hope it doesn't have 30+km/hr winds every day.
I was up about an hour early today. The clock wasn't readable so I wasn't sure if I was finished sleeping or not. By the time I sorted out what the real time was from the next 3 clocks telling different times I figured I might as well stay up and wait out the rain storm. Radar show the bulk of it passing at about 6:30 with one more arm that didn't look any more significant than a band of lake effect snow so I got ready to go out. Very short of beverages but that should be ok given it was only 15C and not expected to get much warmer.
The last of the rain wasn't bad and my pace started out pretty good. Turning west to get to the highway that would take me to the northern beach route showed how strong what had felt like a minor cross wind really was, but 1 km of that got me to nice clean road with no lights and no cross traffic. Legs were turning well so I let my heart run up to the low 160s to get a nice interval. It was well under 10 so I knew there would be a wind penalty coming home. The next intervals were through poorly marked construction detours and hotel deliveries galore so it was easy to back off to a 150s heart rate which should be sustainable.
Sun started to poke out at 20km. turn around at 25km was going to make the ride a bit short. Full sun at 30km and it was clear the now nasty headwind was going to make the ride a good bit of work after all. Construction pushed me to the business highway and I stayed there because it gave an occasion break from the wind and some psychological breaks at traffic lights.
Back to open road at 45km but traffic was picking up so I cut back to the beach road we are on. Riding by the house my clock showed the current pass would have me finish up after the 10:00 Mrs. alarm, but I was pretty sure continuing to the next town south and returning with the wind would work out fine. I made it back with 3 minutes to spare.
This was a nice loop, though I hope it doesn't have 30+km/hr winds every day.
Tuesday Mar 1, 2016 #
6 AM
flexibility 11:00 [1]
7 AM
weight training 28:00 [2]
Hotel sort of day 2
A bit of an odd selection of weights and no bench so I just did what I could.
A bit of an odd selection of weights and no bench so I just did what I could.