Training Log Archive: veinbuster

I decided to tend to a bit of business before my flexibility routine this morning and suddenly it was time for a last minute flight to Calgary. Most of my routine isn’t sock glue friendly even if I was inclined to do it in an airport waiting area. I will do some neck stuff. That has been the weak link for the last year.

C • Calgary 2

Flight and NF (until he got tired of going as slow as me).

This was a ride from the house. We went along the river path for a fair distance, dodging the weekend out doors traffic and eventually escaped to the north west. It was more climbing than I had done in 6 months so I sucked air a bit when the grade went up to 10%.

We went on a bit of the road I had been on in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, including a fairly long descent - which of course meant I would have to climb back up over the ridge to get back to the city. NF pealed off to get a training ride in and Flight looped me back to town via "The Wall". This is on Springbank and is a tiered upward climb. about half way up the last tier, my heart rate hit 174 and I decided to bail out. I walked the last 200-300m and let my heart rate drop back down to a reasonable rate before hopping back on the bike to finish the now gentle climb.

We went back to the house mostly via roads to avoid the heavy path traffic. The road was quite civilized and I felt like I earned tasty beverages, including some boutique sake to honour my dad's long fascination with Japanese culture.

This is a ride I could do again. I think in two more tries, I could beat "The Wall" on a regular bike. I could get over handily on the trike, though that bit of road isn't especially trike friendly.

Day 2 soloflex and free weights

Travel day

C • Happy 40th! 3

South down the beach to show Mrs the really expensive homes. Many had upper decks bigger than our house.

I had to wait an hour for the fog to thin enough to give 50m visibility then headed to the bike path with all my lights blinking. At the end of the gravel trail I too, the park road rather than the bike loop. It crossed a nu bet of bike paths, but the fog was too disorienting to feel confident that any of them would take me to a known location.

At 12km I felt like I was going back south, but Garmin said no. I planned to retrace my steps at 15km, but shortly after finding out I was still north bound the road ended. I looped back with only one place that it wasn’t obvious which branch to take.

The tiny tires were easy to upset in what would normally be an uneventful pot hole. They also seemed particularly sensitive to wet spots like the line marking the bike line and the wood on the boardwalk.

loaded GPS for Delaware rides yesterday and today.

Beach with Mrs. We had to walk off the sweets from her afternoon tea.

I started down the beach boardwalk, which allows bikes from dawn until 10am. Then I took the nearest beach road south by some giant houses. That cam to a dead end so I looped north along the road nearest the beach and was pleased to find a trail that claimed to be 5.2 miles long.

Two miles through a marsh area including a 600m long elevated path with a floor of thin recycled plastic strips. After the marsh there was a large parking area beside the trail. At the far end, I found another bike trail that looped through protected dunes and a camping area. That ended at a beach road that I followed briefly before looping back.

I’ll pull the GPS sometime. Wifi here isn’t great.

Day 1 free weights and a bit of hotel gym machine

I tried a couple of sets that have been problematic on the soloflex while I had access to a shiny new multi way weight stack on cables. Upright rowing in particular went very well, both with elbows up and elbows down (on the soloflex I do elbows up).

I think my problem is as much the nature of the resistance in fat rubber bands as it is my aging joints. I replaced the bands about 10 years ago and it might be time to do it again, or break down and get a membership at a real gym. I’m quite well equipped at home with both the Newmarket stuff and the Pennsylvania stuff, but no longer have the time constraints that were part of what made a home gym appealing.

Rehoboth Beach boardwalk with Mrs.
The dunes vegetation is coming in nicely since last year.