To an old friend

Make my spirit soar!

Turning gloom into bright skies

I love you, caffeine

Craptacular

Ugh.  So I haven’t had a meaningful ride in almost a week.  Taking stock of the last few days it makes sense, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

On Monday, I led a conference call at the J-O-B for about 90 minutes.  By the time it was over, my voice was a little rough.  I figured it was from the usual vocal stress of talking for over an hour.  I drank some water and forgot about it.

When I woke up on Tuesday morning, I felt like a golf ball had been forced into my larynx.  My voice sounded like I was channeling some weird mashup of Barry White and Tone Loc.  While it was fun to play with this new sound, it hurt.

It simmered for a couple days, but by Thursday it had become a problem.  I actually completed 25 minutes on the trainer doing some easy tempo, but even at that pace I could feel every breath irritate my throat.  I was sure it was Strep, so I went to the doc.  Turns out, no Strep.  It’s some upper respiratory virus – wait it out for a week and take some vitamin I.

Side note: They had to weigh me for some reason.  I tipped in at 186.  That was hard to take.  The heart rate of 56 mitigated it somewhat.

Today I felt like I was turning the corner, but now I think I have a full-blown cold.  To quote Samir, “This is a suck!”

Mrs. Stallion had gotten me some new training vids, and I’m dying to try them out, but now I have to wait.  They say you can still train and ride as long as your illness doesn’t go below your neck.  I don’t think I’m that desperate yet, and I don’t want to redirect my body’s energy to non virus-killing activities.

Does this count as rock bottom for my fitness and weight?  I dunno, but I need to turn things around post haste.  Not liking the trend.

Consistency at Last

A quick check over at Winning Stats shows I had 11 rides for November.  Not bad, considering that my goal every month is for 12 rides.  I consider three rides a week to be a good pace.

It’s also a good number of rides considering the paltry amount I did over the summer.  We set a record for rain here in July, and August was only slightly better.  I think I had 12 rides over the course of two months.  Blech.

Factor in that I packed it in during the second week of October, and the road season this year sucked.

I’m glad that the Sufferfest is putting out new material, as I’m finally fully adjusted to trainer mode.  I think that I’m learning what training works best for me during these cold, dark months.  The outright thrashing of some of the Spinervals videos isn’t what I’m looking for.  I guess that the Sufferfest is dishing out similar punishment, but I have a good time doing them.  The Trainright workouts seem to work well also, but they leave me in better condition afterward.  I feel that I definitely put out a hard effort, but I recover from them better and feel that I get a stronger fitness gain.

I have also been reading about the classic off-season ”LSD” (Long, slow distance) theory of building the base.  Since I’m not a racer, I can feel free to take my own approach.  What seems to be working so far is mixing in at least one mid-tempo hour-long ride per week.  I throw in a time trial-esque 10 minute high aerobic interval to make it a little harder, but it’s just a good calorie-burner.

The mix of tempo and interval workouts is feeling like a good mix.  I just have to be able to keep at it and hope for better weather come April.

I’m Here To Pump You Up

I was reading the latest post over at teh n00b, and it got me thinking about my tires.  More specifically, what do I do when it comes to flats?

As with most riding hazards, the best problem is the one you avoid.  There are measures you can take before you ride to minimize your risk: don’t ride on cheap tires, maintain proper pressure and inspect the tires before you leave. 

When you’re on the road it’s always good to be mindful of your surroundings, and the pavement is no exception – you should always have an eye on the road 10-15 feet (3-4 meters) ahead of you.  I can’t count how many times I have narrowly avoided pieces of glass and other sharp debris that snuck up on me.

These preventive measures have kept me flat-free for a long time.  I have had two flats in the last five years, and one of those was a slow leak that I noticed when the bike was still in my garage.  I was also able to help other cyclists I encountered with their flats on the road.

Apparently, there is a bit of debate when it comes to inflating tires while out on the road.  Should you use a CO2 cartridge or a frame pump?  It breaks down like this – the weight weenies love the out-of-sight light weight of the cartridges, but they sacrifice it for a one-shot deal.  If the inflation doesn’t work, you’re walking.

Frame pumps, on the other hand are always there.  Yes, they do add a small amount of weight, but unless you’re paid to race your bike, it’s negligible.  Chances are if you’re not paid to race your bike, the biggest weight penalty is the rider.  I have a full frame pump fastened under my top tube, and I would be surprised if it weighed two pounds.

Is there really a question here, people?  I guess there are always going to be race-facing pricks out there who can’t stand how a frame pump looks.  I just can’t justify the risk of being stranded when there is a perfectly good solution out there.

Feeling ‘Cross

So yesterday Mrs. Stallion and I were spectators at our first cyclocross race.  It was the Saratoga Spa ‘Cross held at the Spa State Park.  Up until Sunday, my only impressions of cyclocross were from online reports, podcasts and pictures.

It was an awesome event.  It’s a real intimate setting for a race, and there were no bad vantage points along the course.  Adding to the parcours was the fact that the day before the area was treated to about 3 inches of rain.  Race day conditions were great for racing with sun & clouds and about 55°F.

Rain makes mud

The DJ had some rockin’ music blaring from the pavillion, although the choice of Norah Jones playing during the Men’s Singlespeed/Women’s Elite race was questionable.

We showed up just in time to check out the course before the mens 3/4 race.  As you can see from the pictures, the course was very muddy in parts.  What you can’t see is that there are a lot of pine needles mixed in with the mud – a lot of riders were picking gunk out of their brakes that got caked up with the stuff.

The terrain added something I wasn’t expecting – quiet.  I never thought about it, but when you ride a ‘cross bike with what looked like tires at around 40psi on mud and pine needles, it really deadens the sounds of the bike.  Braking was the complete opposite – those rims screamed for mercy when the pads forced the mud on them!

As for the spectator experience, Joe’s Burrito back at the pavillion was hard to beat.  An “epic” burrito was well worth the 5 bucks.  One of the sponsors turned out to be my LBS!  It was cool to see them there.  One of their mechanics that raced the Men’s Singlespeed worked on my bike this season – easy for me to root him on (I got a big thumbs up from him when I told him he was racing for a burrito at the finish line).

It was a great time.  It was the first year having the races there and I really hope they come back.  I felt inspired by all the action – the riders gave it their all; even guys 5 minutes back were drilling it over the course.  I don’t think I’ll be racing anytime soon, but who knows?  It might make its way on to my bucket list.

The best moment that I saw was during the little kids race.  About 7 little kids on their striders and training-wheeled bikes did a mini “race” near the pavillion.  When they were about halfway done, one of the Singlespeed guys was previewing the course before his race.  He caught up to the kids and slowed to a stop.  The next thing I hear from the pavillion is a heckler yelling “Sandbagger!”.  Awesome.

Which Way Do I Turn?

When I’m out on the road, I have a good sense of where I want to ride.  There are times when I get to an intersection and, depending on how I’m feeling and the weather conditions, I’ll take a different direction than what I had planned.

It’s that time of year now when that change of direction becomes a metaphor for whether or not I go anywhere when I turn the pedals.  It’s a colder than usual October here, and I’m desperately checking the long range forecasts for anything above 52°F and a wind less than 15mph.  I’m not having much luck.

I was all psyched to gain a calendar advantage with a riding vest.  I was able to use it only once so far.  It has not only been cold, but very windy and rainy.  The one ride was successful, but it was almost two weeks ago.

I have stated before that I ride for fitness and for fun.  To me, riding in a cold rain while pushing the red line so I can go 12mph into a stiff headwind is not fun.  The other side of the coin here is that I can turn this all around by calling it a season and moving indoors to ride on the trainer.

Is this that much of a decision?  I can eliminate weather as a factor and get in three solid workouts every week.  No more numb fingers and toes, no more chasing ever-waning daylight, no more feeling guilty that – while my appetite has not lessened - my caloric expenditure has.

I think I know what I should be doing, but I’m fighting it – for now.  I should just pay attention to the signs; there’s only one way to go.

Congratulations Julian Dean

Today marks the conclusion of the Vuelta a España.  Garmin-Slipstream rider Julian Dean crossed the finish line to become the only rider to complete all three Grand Tours this season.

I can’t imagine the fatigue this guy is feeling.  Not just from all the miles he’s ridden, and not just from the fact that he rode three weeks in a row three times in five months.  Also from the mental energy expended during that grueling time.

I’ll leave it to y’all to do the math on the calorie expenditure.  I’m impressed that he can still have the will to get out of bed and toe the line for another stage after all that.  The number of abandons during the Vuelta this year points to his cycling character.  Charlie Wegelius couldn’t make it past stage four before his fatigue caught up to him.

So Julian – get some rest.  You’ve more than earned it.  Chapeau.

Feeling Loopy

Most of us cyclists have a handful of reliable routes that we ride.  I am no different.  Whether I’m heading south into Vischer Ferry or north and west toward Charlton, my routes are a point to point affair – beginning and ending in my driveway.

Surprisingly, one thing that had never occurred to me was to define a loop course and do laps around it.  About a month ago, I decided to do just that.  It took some getting used to, but I now consider it a welcome addition to my cadre of routes. 

My observations:

1. Directions: It’s weird riding 11 miles and only making one left turn.  Like most of the terrain out here, it’s rarely flat for more than a half mile.  You’re either going up or down.
2. Poor man’s hill repeats:  There is a nice Berg about 5 miles into the loop.  Every lap takes me up it one more time.
3. Passing the finish line (temptation):  I always set out with a predetermined number of laps to complete.  However, if it’s one of those days that I have dead legs, it’s very tempting to just bag it early when I see the start/finish line.  I haven’t done it yet, but it has crossed my mind.  Also, there are two points along the way where I can take a shortcut home.  I always ignore them and consider them for emergencies only – a storm fast approaching, a mechanical problem, bonked, injury, etc.
4. A nice way to measure out a ride:  It’s almost exactly an 11 mile circuit.  I ride about 2 miles total getting to and from it.  That way, it’s easy for me to know how many calories to bring along and about how long the ride will take (One loop takes about 40-45 minutes).  It’s funny, but when I do the longer point-to-point rides, I feel weird not doing the whole route.  When I ride the loop, it’s ok to only do one circuit because I’m crunched for time.

All in all, I’m glad I did it.  Once again I prove to myself that there can be something more to discover on roads you’ve ridden countless times.

It’s Go Time

When I saw the forecast for this week, I knew it would be a good one.  I planned on riding four days this week, and that’s saying something this year.

This season has been pretty bad in terms of riding volume.  I counted 7 rides for all of August.  That’s it.  In a normal year that total would be around 12.  They would also be longer rides.  I was averaging about 2½ hours per ride last year and this year it’s dropped to about 2 hours flat.

It’s been the same old gremlins that get me: weather and schedule conflicts.  July was the rainiest on record, and August had a host of non-cycling commitments.  Ergo July and August combine for 15 rides.  Pathetic.

Then there’s this week.  The weather is awesome – 70s, low humidity, light wind.  I’ve already been out twice and have two more on the calendar.  It’s such a small thing, but it’s huge in my riding confidence.  My average speed on rides is down a good half a mile per hour.  If I can push it as I have done so far this week, I can have good form going into the cool weather season of late September and October.  If the vest I’m purchasing works out, I could conceivably ride at least a week into November.  Anything to delay the trainer season.

They say Spring is the season of renewal.  If things go as planned this week, Spring will move to September.

This

I’m not big on reposting stuff from other sites, but this one deserves it.  It comes from the “Scott’s Spin” section of the RoadBikeRider weekly newsletter.  I recommend this site to all non-racing roadies who want to get better.

Scott nailed this one.

A concerned co-worker noticed I hadn’t been too chipper recently and asked if I’d considered taking anti-depressants. Something like Prozac, Zoloft or HappiTyme. (Caution: Side effects may include nausea, dry mouth and rectal leakage.)

 Fun as that sounded, it hadn’t occurred to me to try drugs of the non-EPO variety. I guess because my anti-depressant has always come with 2 wheels and derailleurs.

 Would medication help? I wondered. The answer came — as it often does — on my next ride.

 It was a balmy summer evening after work, around 7:30, and I’d just finished some hill repeats. I was heading home at an easy pace, feeling wasted but satisfied. The roads were quiet, finally. The setting sun bathed the ridgeline orange.

 Time, I noticed, had slowed way down. I felt incredibly peaceful and began seeing things I’d normally miss.

 As I glided by, a woman in her garden looked up and said hi — two of us doing something we loved, possibly after a long day of doing something we didn’t.

 I passed some horses in a fenced yard. “Please don’t feed the animals,” a sign said. “They bite.” Ah, nature.

 A mile from home, I almost made the light I never make. But I didn’t care. I’d already taken my anti-depressant.