"When you are the anvil, sit...

and when you are the hammer, strike."

The origin of this phrase is unknown to me, but I was originally told this by Robert Visina, a retired domestic pro who was wrenching at my last shop while he was going back to school. It's pretty simple to understand, but some people think they need to be heroes even when they don't have it.

Monday, February 23rd, 2009
Ride time: 50 minutes at 145.
100 situps, some pilates core work, and stretching the legs. particulary the hips.

Not a bad day at all. Legs felt fine, lungs felt fine, body felt maybe a bit dehydrated. Oh, and I bought a car. It's a 2006 Toyota Matrix with 50k miles on it. This is the bicycle privateer's race vehicle if I've ever seen one.

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009.
ride time: 2hr15 @ 155 BPM.
stretching, snacking, stretching.

Today I was the hammer. At 1hr 30 I was ready to go with the break. At 1hr 55 I was ready for my leadout. Now, I know I'm not supposed to get my HR up high at this point in the season, but I had it in me to thrown down a killer attack. So I saved it for race day.

Hammer Heed Perpetuem and a chocolate Powerbar were on the menu. The Hammer Heed is a winner, the Powerbar... not so much. The energy was good, but I almost puked from the flavor. It was just way too rich for this stomach.

Speaking of this stomach, today reminded me of a ride on which I was the anvil. Tuscon, 2006, with the U of M cycling team. I had a smoothie on our way out of town and it did not sit well. I was pulling on what I later learned to be a false flat, abolutely destroying myself when the smoothie decided it had had enough of me.

Smoothie on the road, maybe a little bit on Mikey, maybe a bit on Billy. Coach said to shut up, sit in and don't be a hero if you're feelin like shit. So I did, and I started to feel better. Then a bee flew into my mouth going back into town and stung me under the tongue. Screech pulled out the stinger and the adrenaline carried me back into town and I even won a line sprint.

What does one do when he or she pulls up to the start line and feels like the anvil?

kind of a bad day

So I live in my parents basement. This is nice because I don't pay rent or for food. This is shitty because when I'm trying to just ride and watch the TOC they asks a million questions and when I gasp out the answer, they say "what?"

Ride time: 1 hour (was supposed to be 1:15 but I gave up when they wouldn't stop asking me what was going on, who was where, how's Lance, who's Levi? who's this Schleck guy? oh, George Hincapie is really good, isn't he on Lance's team? why is he beating Lance?) @ 159 BPM.

At one hour my HR wouldn't stay in one place no matter what I did. This morning my sinuses were a little stuffed up, so when my HR was being wonky I called it a day.

Anyway, it was a good finish in today's stage of the ATOC. After tomorrow (rest day) it's back to the pain cave so I can ride, uninterrupted.

ITT thoughts

Friday, February 20th 2009:
ride time: 2 hours at 145 BPM plus a cadence workout.
100 sit-ups (all at once!) and nice stretching.
food: wheaties, milk, PBJ sammitch, coffee, banana, clementine, Clif Shot Recovery in Best Flavor Ever.

Legs felt fine; hammered out 2 hours and still felt good. Watching Levi destroy the TT helped, as did watching one of my TT favorites, Dave Zabriskie.

mustache + "DZ Nutz" chamois cream + argyle team kit + way fast = Awexome.

I wonder what would have happened had Cancellara been present.

recovery days, ATOC

Thursday, February 19th, 2009
REST DAY!

TOUR DAY CALIFORNIA:

All I can say is Boonen looked "le pissed." Also, please note the Cavendish "suck it" victory salute.

Armstrong on Cavendish; "kid's fast."


I know I'll never be that fast, but I would not mind being half that fast.

pain cave

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

Ride time: 1 hour at 145bpm (I was scheduled to ride 1:15 but was late for work. I rode to work and back twice today, so I guess it isn't as bad?)

100 sit-ups, stretching.

food:bagel, cream cheese, coffee, a veggie wrap, and some Clif Shot recovery right after my ride. I got a good night of sleep last night, despite having to get up earlier than normal.

So I live in the basement; My bedroom is there. I train in the 2nd basement, and I play nerdy video games online in the basement. Lance trains in his basement; in a dark room with lots of speakers to make it noisy and scary and God knows why. I quit watching videos during my training rides and started just listening to music in the basement. I watch the time less and less, and now when I get to my target HR I just ride and listen to music in the basement. It's much more meditative and mentally easier. Conversely, I have to watch my HR more closely, because my imagination gets into picturing race courses I'll be riding this year, and it makes my HR jump significantly. Gehling called the basement the pain cave, which is occasionally accurate.

Living in the basement is improving my crazy to weight ratio (Gehling has a good rage to weight ratio). We were talking ratios the other day, like the oft-discussed strength:weight, and I came up with one that's actually useful: gear-inch range to body mass index. More useful ratios to come.

Does anybody use The Stick? I have in the past and am thinking of getting one.

a party, rest days, and back at it.

Saturday February 14th:
I was supposed to ride 2 hours at 138-160, but instead visited my grandfather in Antigo, WI for his 85th birthday party. It was totally worth it and I had a blast. I saw a cousin who I haven't seen in three years or so, and my grandfather is one of my favorite people in the world.

Sunday was a scheduled rest day. Oh, unless your name was Fabian Cancellara, then it was GO TIME!

Monday I had a LONG day at work, but the 45 minutes at 138-160 BPM felt good. I stretched and did 100 sit-ups. Something is happening with my stomach that has never happened before: it's looking toned.

Tuesday, Fabruary 17th:
2 hours at 145 avg. and a high-cadence workout.
My legs felt good, my head was in it, and I stayed hydrated.

Food: french toast, American fries (yeah, I know, I know), coffee, Penne Rose with Feta, Oatmeal squares, chocolate soy milk. Tons of water.



I had a health screening for my insurance today and didn't realize they were going to draw blood. For those of you who wonder about blood donation and cycling: read this article. Now if I could find out if my planned tatto will give me any problems.



Regarding ATOC stage 3: WTF happened with Cav and Gorgeous George? For as good of a job as Cervelo did of leading out Thor, High-Road did an equally poor job.



I'm ordering Avid Matchmakers for my Procaliber. If it were possible, I'd get a G2 SID WC with pop-lock. If one exists, I know where to look.

professional-caliber bikes for professional-caliber riders

Friday, February 13, 2009.
Ride time: 2 hours (scheduled 1.5 on the trainer, BUT I RODE OUTSIDE) at 150 BPM.
100 sit-ups (I can almost do all 100 in one go) and stretching.

It was chilly, and I wore gloves that were too light, but it felt great to get out on the Procaliber. I dig it. This bike is fast and I am already learning a lot about suspension tuning.

I found that riding outdoors was way easier than riding the trainer. I guess that momentum plays into that. Maintaining 150 BPM for two hours wasn't very hard when I was actually going somewhere.

Other than riding, I've been feeling pretty good. Mentally, I've had a few really hard days in the last few weeks, but I've been sleeping better and on a more regular schedule. I started wearing running shoes at work instead of flat Vans slip-ons and my hamstrings feel better after a day of walking around.

Tomorrow it's off to The Bear's house (my grandfather) for his 86th birthday. WOOT! Antigo, here I come.