A boring appropriation of a tired joke; That's somewhat akin to the actual act of riding the trainer. If it weren't for the precision of training afforded by this method, the monotony of it would surely end my career on psychological grounds.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
For Sale: 2008 Madone .52 Pro 58cm
Full Ultegra SL Gruppo.
Bontrager Race Lite Wheel (Regular front, Aero rear)
Bontrager Race Lite Stem and Handlebar.
Bontrager Race X Lite InForm Saddle.
Ultegra SL pedals.
Race Lite Cages.
RXL AC 23c tires.
Great condition, never crashes. Once cosmetic scratch on right of downtube.
$2000 OBO.
Bontrager Race Lite Wheel (Regular front, Aero rear)
Bontrager Race Lite Stem and Handlebar.
Bontrager Race X Lite InForm Saddle.
Ultegra SL pedals.
Race Lite Cages.
RXL AC 23c tires.
Great condition, never crashes. Once cosmetic scratch on right of downtube.
$2000 OBO.
All Better!
It took about a week to get over my lovely little cold. And I'll admit, large volumes of alcohol compromie the immune system, so it's my own fault. I was being lazy and stupid in the off-season. I did, however, end up with a net weight loss of 2.5 lbs. Yeah, party!
Back at it, I did 45 minutes at tempo Monday the 7th, as well as my sit-ups. Today, the 8th, I'll be doing an hour at tempo while watching Lost on DVD. Coach says I can ride however much I want whenever I want (as long as it totals 5 hours weekly) until January 1st, which is when I'll start structured training. My coach is awesome. My coach is Aaron Whalen.
I'm not sure I've addressed my seasonal plan for the year, so here goes:
A-priority races: Rhinelander, Eau Claire, Chequamegon.
B-Priority: Sheboygan, Subaru Cup, Franklin.
Still waiting to hear on team things for next year, so in the mean time I'm working on a Google Calendar of the WORS season, as well as what will be a team Google calendar for the year.
Back at it, I did 45 minutes at tempo Monday the 7th, as well as my sit-ups. Today, the 8th, I'll be doing an hour at tempo while watching Lost on DVD. Coach says I can ride however much I want whenever I want (as long as it totals 5 hours weekly) until January 1st, which is when I'll start structured training. My coach is awesome. My coach is Aaron Whalen.
I'm not sure I've addressed my seasonal plan for the year, so here goes:
A-priority races: Rhinelander, Eau Claire, Chequamegon.
B-Priority: Sheboygan, Subaru Cup, Franklin.
Still waiting to hear on team things for next year, so in the mean time I'm working on a Google Calendar of the WORS season, as well as what will be a team Google calendar for the year.
Illin’ and eatin’
Date: 12/04/09
Weight: 155!
Breakfast: Latte
Lunch: Half of a freezer pizza, Orange juice
Dinner: PBJ,
Snacks:
Workout:
Notes:
Since my post on my dietary challenges, I’ve gotten lots of offers of help. This is awesome. Obviously, I’m not the only one who has a hard time with diet (America, I’m looking at you and your 32% childhood obesity rate). But for this discussion let’s consider the athletes I know and with whom I pop wheelies.
My coach is currently trying to drop a few in order to fine tune his performance. He’s already a successful cat. 1 roadie in Boulder, but losing weight safely will help him out as he’s naturally built with a bit more muscle mass than most cyclists. The Gehling is hoping to cut some weight so that (he’s not such a fatty) he can move up the cat. 1 ranks. As for me, I’ve never really considered my diet very carefully as part of my training, and usually carry 5-10 lbs more than necessary. But now I need to look at all the variables in my racing, because next year I play on the big kids’ playground. And I want to rock out.
The diet plan is still on the way, but in the mean time I learned one of the worst ways to lose weight: I got a nasty cold this week and it took almost 5 lbs out of me. Naturally, some of that was water weight, but I also completely lost my appetite. Super duper.
So I haven’t ridden or done sit-ups. I have, however, had a ton of water and vitamins and naps. I’m getting fairly pro at napping.
Weight: 155!
Breakfast: Latte
Lunch: Half of a freezer pizza, Orange juice
Dinner: PBJ,
Snacks:
Workout:
Notes:
Since my post on my dietary challenges, I’ve gotten lots of offers of help. This is awesome. Obviously, I’m not the only one who has a hard time with diet (America, I’m looking at you and your 32% childhood obesity rate). But for this discussion let’s consider the athletes I know and with whom I pop wheelies.
My coach is currently trying to drop a few in order to fine tune his performance. He’s already a successful cat. 1 roadie in Boulder, but losing weight safely will help him out as he’s naturally built with a bit more muscle mass than most cyclists. The Gehling is hoping to cut some weight so that (he’s not such a fatty) he can move up the cat. 1 ranks. As for me, I’ve never really considered my diet very carefully as part of my training, and usually carry 5-10 lbs more than necessary. But now I need to look at all the variables in my racing, because next year I play on the big kids’ playground. And I want to rock out.
The diet plan is still on the way, but in the mean time I learned one of the worst ways to lose weight: I got a nasty cold this week and it took almost 5 lbs out of me. Naturally, some of that was water weight, but I also completely lost my appetite. Super duper.
So I haven’t ridden or done sit-ups. I have, however, had a ton of water and vitamins and naps. I’m getting fairly pro at napping.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
trainer rides, and being a fatty-fatty-fat-fat.
I've been riding the trainer about four hours a week, lately. It will ramp up once the coach and I can meet to discuss specific plans, but for now I'm playing video games and cleaning the bike fleet.
As the off-season has hit, I've tried to make it more of a transition season, but this has proven difficult. I've never raced a year as seriously as this past one, though I'm used to taking an entire month completely off of the bike. Also, in winter, my diet usually goes to hell, and I lose quite a bit of the fitness I'd gained as I pack on a few kilos. While I still eat way too much for the small training volume I'm doing, I've found a few keys to keeping semi-fit; They mostly involve trying new things.
This year I've managed to keep riding occasionally by getting a cyclocross bike and mixing up the training. In terms of motivation to ride, this new type of riding has been the biggest key to my success. Rail trails might not be the most exciting riding, but I've only ever ridden them a few times in the past, so it's something new. Cross bikes are a great way to explore south-central Wisco, and we've gotten some awesome group rides going as a result.
Now I'm transitioning to the trainer due to the mercury drop in the last few weeks. I've some frostbite damage in my fingertips from riding all winter in Mpls, so I can't ride outside much past freezing. G&C have a nice trainer studio setup, complete with projection movies and obese felines. I've also managed to improve my trainer setup by using my CX bike and buying a new television.
The greatest challenge I have in training (not just in the transition seaosn, but always) is my diet. My upbringing didn't include much nutritional education, so I've had to teach myself how to eat healthily. The three areas I've been working on are content, volume, and timing.
I know not to eat fast food, and have gotten better this eyar about packing lunches when I go to work to avoid grabbing Taco Bell (my dietary Achilles' heel). A healthy lunch is easy to make, in part because one can plan and choose ahead of time. Going out and making dinner at home when one is tired from a day at work are where it gets tricky. I've been known to eat a large bowl of salsa with chips and have a tall glass of chococlate soymilk for dinner because I didn't feel motivated to make a healthy meal.
Packing a lunch for work also lets once control the volume of the meal. The bigger challenge comes when going out with friends or making dinner myself. Most portions for hommade meals are made to be split into two or three meals, but it's easy to eat an entire container of Macaroni and cheese in one sitting. Listening to how hungry my body is before I start eating, as well as planning meals ahead of time (even if it just involves thinking about dinner o the way home) help greatly.
Lastly, I'm a nighttime snacker. The calories I eat just before bed are the most wasteful, and avoiding that last snack is a strictly disciplinary measure. I also need to make sure I eat filling food for dinner. Not a high-volume dinner, but one that will make me feel full enough for a few more hours. And if I need a snack, I shouldn't drive to Taco Bell for a Crunchwrap Supreme.
With those three ideas in mind, I'm developing a diet plan that should help me maintain my goal weight for next year's racing season: 150 lbs. I raced this year at 155, and between September and now have put on four more. I need to safely cut almost 10 lbs before May, and I'm going to set my Spring training trip (in May) as a halfway goal.
More on eating like a bike racer coming soon.
As the off-season has hit, I've tried to make it more of a transition season, but this has proven difficult. I've never raced a year as seriously as this past one, though I'm used to taking an entire month completely off of the bike. Also, in winter, my diet usually goes to hell, and I lose quite a bit of the fitness I'd gained as I pack on a few kilos. While I still eat way too much for the small training volume I'm doing, I've found a few keys to keeping semi-fit; They mostly involve trying new things.
This year I've managed to keep riding occasionally by getting a cyclocross bike and mixing up the training. In terms of motivation to ride, this new type of riding has been the biggest key to my success. Rail trails might not be the most exciting riding, but I've only ever ridden them a few times in the past, so it's something new. Cross bikes are a great way to explore south-central Wisco, and we've gotten some awesome group rides going as a result.
Now I'm transitioning to the trainer due to the mercury drop in the last few weeks. I've some frostbite damage in my fingertips from riding all winter in Mpls, so I can't ride outside much past freezing. G&C have a nice trainer studio setup, complete with projection movies and obese felines. I've also managed to improve my trainer setup by using my CX bike and buying a new television.
The greatest challenge I have in training (not just in the transition seaosn, but always) is my diet. My upbringing didn't include much nutritional education, so I've had to teach myself how to eat healthily. The three areas I've been working on are content, volume, and timing.
I know not to eat fast food, and have gotten better this eyar about packing lunches when I go to work to avoid grabbing Taco Bell (my dietary Achilles' heel). A healthy lunch is easy to make, in part because one can plan and choose ahead of time. Going out and making dinner at home when one is tired from a day at work are where it gets tricky. I've been known to eat a large bowl of salsa with chips and have a tall glass of chococlate soymilk for dinner because I didn't feel motivated to make a healthy meal.
Packing a lunch for work also lets once control the volume of the meal. The bigger challenge comes when going out with friends or making dinner myself. Most portions for hommade meals are made to be split into two or three meals, but it's easy to eat an entire container of Macaroni and cheese in one sitting. Listening to how hungry my body is before I start eating, as well as planning meals ahead of time (even if it just involves thinking about dinner o the way home) help greatly.
Lastly, I'm a nighttime snacker. The calories I eat just before bed are the most wasteful, and avoiding that last snack is a strictly disciplinary measure. I also need to make sure I eat filling food for dinner. Not a high-volume dinner, but one that will make me feel full enough for a few more hours. And if I need a snack, I shouldn't drive to Taco Bell for a Crunchwrap Supreme.
With those three ideas in mind, I'm developing a diet plan that should help me maintain my goal weight for next year's racing season: 150 lbs. I raced this year at 155, and between September and now have put on four more. I need to safely cut almost 10 lbs before May, and I'm going to set my Spring training trip (in May) as a halfway goal.
More on eating like a bike racer coming soon.
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