Training Log Archive: veinbuster

The question of whether or not to go to the weight room tonight was answered by the hotel having no fitness room at all - another sort of rest day it is.

Blood tests Monday still showed test results 20% below the low end of the therapeutic range. I think I'll want to chart the impact of high volume exercise in a somewhat scientific manner.

C • Test Results 2

54.6% water, 61.7kg muscle

I'd like to see what happens to the muscle over the next little while now that the tour is done - but not quite enough to drag my scale across country

Day 3 soloflex
Dips and pull ups felt pretty solid after doing very little upper body for about a month

54.2% water, 61.2kg muscle

Tour de Pierre stage 21

My original plan was to finish with a replay of the original Flight chase for the grand finale, but it has too much elevation for an elevation ban so I headed to the Holland Marsh. I was a bit surprised to find that I had to climb 100m to get down to the marsh - that meant there would be a decent elevation getting back.

I stayed away from the outer loop which is quite rough and has too much fast traffic. Most of the road inside the marsh was battered but there was very little traffic so it was pleasant in spite of the bumpiness. Worming through the marsh got me within a breath of Queensville side road so I shot up it to do a proper sighting of the river enter where it intersects with Yonge - it isn't very nice water this summer so won't be a satisfying place for a paddle.

The natural place to go from here was over to Warden to hang out with the time trial riders. I looked a bit short of the 60km I thought I should ride to try and match the Tour time for the day and decided to do both the west extension to Kennedy and the south extension to St. John's. I felt a bit short of fuel today, which I'll fix in a few minutes.

Flag hasn't dropped yet at the Tour de France, which I have to watch via a UK station because my cable doesn't deem it worthy of telecast - maybe they'll catch up on the Champs.

Nutrition: 1/2 Gatorade

C • Congratulations! :) 6

53.4% water, 60.9 kg muscle

Tour de Pierre stage 20a

I went out just before dawn to front load the days ride time and still be able to get back for the last two climbs on the Tour. I'll have to squeeze the rest between and appointment in Mississauga and company coming this afternoon so I hope someone climbs fast to win the stage.

The KT tape I had put on my left side stayed put for 20 hours and as I suspected, a bruise developed at the bottom of the tape. The vein doesn't seem to have popped out any more though. The tape in the centre only lasted for the first ride - it might have detached because I placed it twice or because it was on hair. I carefully shaved along the centre vein and retaped both today.

Beautiful morning with the temperature only making it up to 28C as I was finishing up.

Nutrition: 1tailwind

Tour de Pierre stage 20b

It seemed only right to take a quick rugged loop while the real adventurers were out Rockstaring.

I wasn't expecting 36C before noon, but didn't really notice the heat until the instant I stopped riding.

Nutrition: nada, though I stole 3 of Mrs. Honey stinger chews the instant I got in the door.

Tour de Pierre stage 19a

Rushed out early to get a good bite out of today's stage time before it got really hot...and to get back in time for the HC climb. I forgot sun screen in my rush out the door so biased the morning to the woods. It was very quite this morning with the GO lot only half full after the last train went south. I didn't even see a Pokemon player for the first 2 1/2 hours and he was riding his bike staring at his phone.

I was out early enough to see a fox carrying home a large black squirrel.

Nutrition: 1 tailwind, 1 fruit roll up - the last of the healthier Halloween options not given out last year.

Tour de Pierre stage 19b

Spirit Tree Cider ride

Mrs. didn't want to skip the last chance for Friday cider even though it was going to unbearably hot, so we took two water bottles each and left two more in the car. I planned to do 40 minutes out and then turn back, betting that the climb up to the cidery would take 3 minutes more than the decent.

At 35 minutes Mrs. was looking about to boil so I suggested she pause, guzzle a water bottle and start back at an easy pace. I picked up the pace to finish my outbound and then headed back at a good speed. When I caught her, she was riding 21 km/hr, noticeably faster than when we were riding out together. I slowed her to 18 and reminded her to keep drinking. She ran out of water with 5km to go so I took one good drink from my second bottle and poured the rest (about 1/2 a bottle) into her bottle and had her take a good swig of it, sit on a log in the shade for a few minutes to bring her heart rate down, then paced her to Boston Mills at 15 km/hr. On days like these, clearly it is good to have someone with you to see if you are suffering more than you realize.

Half of our elevation was the climb from the trail back up to Spirit Tree so I reminded her to climb at her own pace and if she fell a long way behind, I would come and pick her up. The climb has three main chunks: the first runs up to 11%, then what feels pick a false flat at 4%, back up to 7% to a short flat at a stop sign. A tiny downhill and then the man event going briefly up to 17%, but mostly 10-11. I was a little short on time so carried on to the next intersection and looped back - to see Mrs. cresting the hill to the Spirit Tree entrance.

A quick change out of sweaty bike clothes (38C according to my Garmin) and went in for chocolate milk, a litre of water and a selection of ciders. No pizza until 4pm, so we ate other stuff including one of each type of butter tart they had made.

Nutrition: 1/2 eload

C • No Pizza! 2

53.6% water, 60.7kg muscle

Day 2 soloflex

Tour de Pierre stage 18

The plan was to do some hot laps on the Bacchetta, but Mrs. got up early and dressed up in her bike kit to join the morning ride. I couldn't turn down that offer so we headed out along the river. I took her south to see the now completely dry marsh, then north for a loop that would cover the distance of the time trial in France. There were numerous construction detours to slow us down, but it was a nice ride.

Nutrition: nada