I skipped the morning workout due to feeling a little fatigue from my ride yesterday. I could have went, but the break was nice.
I did do chest workout at the gym, but weights were definitely not the same. Todd saw how little I was doing and seemed happy to know I'm getting weaker. In the grand scheme of things, I would have to agree. However, the amount of work I'm doing on my first sets absolutely prevents me from moving the same type of weight as I used to. The explosiveness of the rep, in itself, tires me out and really prevents me from going heavy. The good thing is intensity can be achieved through different ways, so my new training regimen still causes me to hit failures. The only thing is I hope it conditions the muscle by tightening rather than growing.
Tomorrow's ride should be interesting. No starchy carbs tonight at all...just fibrous and with chicken. Wish me luck.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Trainer day 1-30-11
Here's a link to the ride report for the group: http://broadcomcycling.blogspot.com/2011/01/1-30-11-training-day.html.
On this ride, I worked on a couple riding techniques mostly pertaining to climbing. I observed a racer girl climbing up a certain way up NPC where she held the big ring the whole time and at a good pace. I spun behind her, but she seemed to tire less than I was.
I tried it out and it seems to allow me to charge up the hills faster. Leaning forward ahead of the bar but with your ass sticking up and your core tightened, pedal holding this form and it seems to allow me to push a bigger gear than when I'm spinning. It was definitely a good way to start a hill. On Aliso Creek, I found I was not only able to start out strong, I was able to rest for a little through spinning, but then got up again to finish the hill. I can't way to keep trying this out elsewhere, so we'll see if it really works.
On this ride, I worked on a couple riding techniques mostly pertaining to climbing. I observed a racer girl climbing up a certain way up NPC where she held the big ring the whole time and at a good pace. I spun behind her, but she seemed to tire less than I was.
I tried it out and it seems to allow me to charge up the hills faster. Leaning forward ahead of the bar but with your ass sticking up and your core tightened, pedal holding this form and it seems to allow me to push a bigger gear than when I'm spinning. It was definitely a good way to start a hill. On Aliso Creek, I found I was not only able to start out strong, I was able to rest for a little through spinning, but then got up again to finish the hill. I can't way to keep trying this out elsewhere, so we'll see if it really works.
Friday, January 28, 2011
1-28-11 Arms and More Cycling
I always think arm workouts are going to be easy, but they never really are. Doing the explosive fast reps take their toll and always make my arms feel crampy. Emphasis was on triceps first followed by a couple bicep sets. Despite smaller muscle group, still got winded after each set. 20-40+ reps depending on weight.
I was able to get out for a lunch ride today with Wed/Fri group. Noah was there along with Jaffe and Hiroshi, and I was almost going to just ride my own ride and not push too hard and work on tempo instead. Our route today was to Portola and back via bike trail. On CA, I rolled down with Noah, but once on the trail, I decided to hold steady pace and let front group just go. Doing so, I expected to fall far behind, but for the most part, was still able to see the front group all the way to Harvard. They jumped across the street before I could there though, and I sat at the light with this other guy who had fallen off the front. That let them start on Harvard while we had to wait to cross the street first, and then cross Barranca.
To that light, I had done most of the pulling with David and Tim behind me. Tim took one turn, which was cool, but I relieved him after and for the rest of the way. On Harvard, they were talking about how they were just going to hang behind me the whole time, which I didn't think would be too fun. I decided to up the pace at that point to see if I can catch front group. Fortunately, they got caught at light before bike trail after train tracks, so I was able to ride with them then. The group behind that had fallen off had also caught us by then.
Noah started the work on the bike trail, and I just stayed with the group not to incite any aggressiveness. However, Noah ended up getting a flat, and while I offered to help, he said to just go ahead and continue since he knows how to fix a damn flat. Off we went.
I started up front this time to go ahead and tow the group at a fairly decent pace. At one point, Hiroshi did get up front to do some work, but once he tired, I kept the group going and towed everyone to the top. At the top, they weren't sure what route to take back, but we ended up just double-backing to see if Noah was okay.
Of course, starting off again, no one jumped up front and I pulled back a little in case anyone wanted to do so. While doing about 24, Vin passes (just like always does) trying to prove to someone (maybe himself) how fast he's getting. Of course, I latch on to his rear wheel shortly after and wait for him to peter out. He does so shortly before seeing Noah again. Pulling all the way to Harvard, Jaffe or Hiroshi started to get up front, but it was pretty short-lived given hitting the first light.
I think we hit another light and saw 2 cyclists make a right turn in front of us. The regulars decided to chase them down only to get behind them once caught. Noah, on the other hand, took it to them instead and tore off past them. I jumped on to help, and took a turn to keep these 2 guys at bay. We did get caught at a light at Barranca where the rest of the group, including rider x and y sat in the back.
We got across the street and on the bike trail, and Noah led the group at this point. Once he got across the bridge, he picked it up a notch while the othes remained in his draft. The winds definitely seemed harder at this point, and after no one would relieve Noah, I went ahead and jumped up front again to help the guy out. In some ways, this makes Wed/Fri rides even more difficult since the turns up front are far more than Tues/Thurs.
After the other bridge, Noah decided to turn it up here as well, and being 4th or 5th back, had to chase him down and drop the others just to get with him again. Surprisingly at a point shortly after catching Noah, rider x and y pass us. Once they did, we hopped on their rear wheel up until we got on University. Once on University, Noah jumped ahead and we just wanted to again create a gap and finish strong to our regular CA sprint point. Noah was definitely strong today, and I just hung on (but prepared to defend again if necessary).
Up CA, I got caught at the first light while the others spun through it. This made for a nice little chase up the hill. I did catch Jaffe and eventually Vin, but the others had gotten to the top and were stopped by the light.
When we crossed Bison, Vin seemed to want to sprint at that point, so I tore off at this point as well to blow off the rest of my energy. Maybe next time, Vin.
GPS stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/65524269
I was able to get out for a lunch ride today with Wed/Fri group. Noah was there along with Jaffe and Hiroshi, and I was almost going to just ride my own ride and not push too hard and work on tempo instead. Our route today was to Portola and back via bike trail. On CA, I rolled down with Noah, but once on the trail, I decided to hold steady pace and let front group just go. Doing so, I expected to fall far behind, but for the most part, was still able to see the front group all the way to Harvard. They jumped across the street before I could there though, and I sat at the light with this other guy who had fallen off the front. That let them start on Harvard while we had to wait to cross the street first, and then cross Barranca.
To that light, I had done most of the pulling with David and Tim behind me. Tim took one turn, which was cool, but I relieved him after and for the rest of the way. On Harvard, they were talking about how they were just going to hang behind me the whole time, which I didn't think would be too fun. I decided to up the pace at that point to see if I can catch front group. Fortunately, they got caught at light before bike trail after train tracks, so I was able to ride with them then. The group behind that had fallen off had also caught us by then.
Noah started the work on the bike trail, and I just stayed with the group not to incite any aggressiveness. However, Noah ended up getting a flat, and while I offered to help, he said to just go ahead and continue since he knows how to fix a damn flat. Off we went.
I started up front this time to go ahead and tow the group at a fairly decent pace. At one point, Hiroshi did get up front to do some work, but once he tired, I kept the group going and towed everyone to the top. At the top, they weren't sure what route to take back, but we ended up just double-backing to see if Noah was okay.
Of course, starting off again, no one jumped up front and I pulled back a little in case anyone wanted to do so. While doing about 24, Vin passes (just like always does) trying to prove to someone (maybe himself) how fast he's getting. Of course, I latch on to his rear wheel shortly after and wait for him to peter out. He does so shortly before seeing Noah again. Pulling all the way to Harvard, Jaffe or Hiroshi started to get up front, but it was pretty short-lived given hitting the first light.
I think we hit another light and saw 2 cyclists make a right turn in front of us. The regulars decided to chase them down only to get behind them once caught. Noah, on the other hand, took it to them instead and tore off past them. I jumped on to help, and took a turn to keep these 2 guys at bay. We did get caught at a light at Barranca where the rest of the group, including rider x and y sat in the back.
We got across the street and on the bike trail, and Noah led the group at this point. Once he got across the bridge, he picked it up a notch while the othes remained in his draft. The winds definitely seemed harder at this point, and after no one would relieve Noah, I went ahead and jumped up front again to help the guy out. In some ways, this makes Wed/Fri rides even more difficult since the turns up front are far more than Tues/Thurs.
After the other bridge, Noah decided to turn it up here as well, and being 4th or 5th back, had to chase him down and drop the others just to get with him again. Surprisingly at a point shortly after catching Noah, rider x and y pass us. Once they did, we hopped on their rear wheel up until we got on University. Once on University, Noah jumped ahead and we just wanted to again create a gap and finish strong to our regular CA sprint point. Noah was definitely strong today, and I just hung on (but prepared to defend again if necessary).
Up CA, I got caught at the first light while the others spun through it. This made for a nice little chase up the hill. I did catch Jaffe and eventually Vin, but the others had gotten to the top and were stopped by the light.
When we crossed Bison, Vin seemed to want to sprint at that point, so I tore off at this point as well to blow off the rest of my energy. Maybe next time, Vin.
GPS stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/65524269
Thursday, January 27, 2011
1-27-11 Training Ride
Ride report blog: http://broadcomcycling.blogspot.com/2011/01/1-27-11-training-ride.html
Did okay today, but had little hints of cramping with the calves. This seems to happen from the leg training the day before, but it didn't ever fully cramp today like it did last week. Re-adjusting on the seat to use other muscles seemed to work. Got through the ride without either one fully locking up even after running out of water at Jamboree.
I was worried today that my reduced carb intake from the last couple nights (maybe since Monday) would be a factor, but I seemed to not be affected too much by it. The weight loss seems to be helping somewhat where I'm not lugging too much chunk up the hills.
Do I ride tomorrow?
Did okay today, but had little hints of cramping with the calves. This seems to happen from the leg training the day before, but it didn't ever fully cramp today like it did last week. Re-adjusting on the seat to use other muscles seemed to work. Got through the ride without either one fully locking up even after running out of water at Jamboree.
I was worried today that my reduced carb intake from the last couple nights (maybe since Monday) would be a factor, but I seemed to not be affected too much by it. The weight loss seems to be helping somewhat where I'm not lugging too much chunk up the hills.
Do I ride tomorrow?
1-27-11 Shoulder Day
Just finished training shoulders and the high rep sets are definitely taking their toll. Sets range from between 20-50 reps depending on how much I can keep breathing. The odd thing about building up intensity through high reps is that it hurts like a mutha during my workout, but the lasting effect isn't the same as when I train heavy.
One good thing is that it seems like it's taking less toll on other supporting muscles, so I'm hoping for a less injury prone year this year.
I checked my weight yesterday and came in under 164. I believe I was over 170 at the beginning of the year. so far so good.
One good thing is that it seems like it's taking less toll on other supporting muscles, so I'm hoping for a less injury prone year this year.
I checked my weight yesterday and came in under 164. I believe I was over 170 at the beginning of the year. so far so good.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
1-26-11 Leg Training
First of all, sleep was pretty broken up last night, so I'm not sure how today's leg workout is going to go. I even work up at around 11:30 pm and thought my alarm clocked had gone off and was starting to get ready for the gym only to called back to bed by the wife.
Today, looking to do high rep sets for calves, hamstrings, glutes, and quads again. Energy level is medium, so we'll see how it goes.
For training at lunch, I'm contemplating on riding or just getting some elliptical action in the gym. I haven't decided yet. Maybe my leg training this early a.m. will decide this.
Today, looking to do high rep sets for calves, hamstrings, glutes, and quads again. Energy level is medium, so we'll see how it goes.
For training at lunch, I'm contemplating on riding or just getting some elliptical action in the gym. I haven't decided yet. Maybe my leg training this early a.m. will decide this.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Training Ride 1-25-11
GPS stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/65131843
Quite a humbling day today. 12 of us went out, and although Shannon not here, the group was still pretty stacked. Hilly ride, so just trying to stay in the middle of the pack was a challenge.
Vince and Todd were their usual billy goat selves and PV was also up there in the mix. He'd have been 3rd up Vista, but changing gears on a road bike is still something he's getting used to. Vince and Todd skipped the extra credit, so they really got ahead of us after Vista. As if they needed a head start.
Gary rode in today, so it was cool to see him out there with us despite. Stud!
Adrian implemented new tactics today of rest and charge. Both he and Verm would drop a little on the hills, and then come out of nowhere and blast past me...and with authority!
Hiroshi was also doing well up the hills, and was the perfect pacesetter for me all the way up Vista.
Regrouped at the top after doing extra credit, and the downhill on Park was a little sketchy for me. Nothing like the feeling that something may be wrong with your bike (wheels) when going down this street.
Eddie and I worked on NPC to catch PV and Adrian before the bottom. Eddie took the last pull to close the gap, so he's getting more comfy on that Felt.
Turning left on Bonita Cyn, I still kept thinking something was wrong with wheel and checking out the rear after we took off let the group get away. Mike Z. waited for me though...nice guy. We took turns up front most of the way back.
Upon entering the locker room, first thing Jaffe says to me was "are you okay? You were pretty slow today." I love these guys.
Quite a humbling day today. 12 of us went out, and although Shannon not here, the group was still pretty stacked. Hilly ride, so just trying to stay in the middle of the pack was a challenge.
Vince and Todd were their usual billy goat selves and PV was also up there in the mix. He'd have been 3rd up Vista, but changing gears on a road bike is still something he's getting used to. Vince and Todd skipped the extra credit, so they really got ahead of us after Vista. As if they needed a head start.
Gary rode in today, so it was cool to see him out there with us despite. Stud!
Adrian implemented new tactics today of rest and charge. Both he and Verm would drop a little on the hills, and then come out of nowhere and blast past me...and with authority!
Hiroshi was also doing well up the hills, and was the perfect pacesetter for me all the way up Vista.
Regrouped at the top after doing extra credit, and the downhill on Park was a little sketchy for me. Nothing like the feeling that something may be wrong with your bike (wheels) when going down this street.
Eddie and I worked on NPC to catch PV and Adrian before the bottom. Eddie took the last pull to close the gap, so he's getting more comfy on that Felt.
Turning left on Bonita Cyn, I still kept thinking something was wrong with wheel and checking out the rear after we took off let the group get away. Mike Z. waited for me though...nice guy. We took turns up front most of the way back.
Upon entering the locker room, first thing Jaffe says to me was "are you okay? You were pretty slow today." I love these guys.
1-25-2011 Back Day
This morning, I woke up a half hour earlier than alarm clocks, but was just starting to fall asleep again when the alarm went off. I ended feeling groggy as a result, but got not nonetheless.
Getting to the kitchen to get my coffee, I realized I had a little ambien induced binge last night where I ate 1-2 pieces of chicken along with some bread. While I can remember it, I can't actually remember my state of mind during the time I was eating it. It definitely occurred AFTER I had the ambien. I hate when that happens.
Now it's time to work off the extra food I ate last night, so hitting the gym in the morning to hit the back. Still on track to keep the weights fairly light but with higher speed to work the fast twitch. For lunch time, I hope to train some hills with the guys. Need to burn off that extra chicken!
Getting to the kitchen to get my coffee, I realized I had a little ambien induced binge last night where I ate 1-2 pieces of chicken along with some bread. While I can remember it, I can't actually remember my state of mind during the time I was eating it. It definitely occurred AFTER I had the ambien. I hate when that happens.
Now it's time to work off the extra food I ate last night, so hitting the gym in the morning to hit the back. Still on track to keep the weights fairly light but with higher speed to work the fast twitch. For lunch time, I hope to train some hills with the guys. Need to burn off that extra chicken!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Starting 4th Week
I didn't sleep too well last night, but I still felt good enough to get up this morning to do my chest workout despite yesterday's long ride.
As far as my diet yesterday, it's pretty difficult to take in enough when dieting on chicken and pasta, so I had to eat a few times. Even then, I never really felt full. I lightened up on the pasta and was just eating vegetables after a while just to minimize carbs. I hope I do decent on the weights today given this.
I still plan on hitting some cardio at lunch time too. I hope to get on the elliptical and do a steady pace today just to burn fat. I'll save the intense cardio for the Tuesday ride.
As far as my diet yesterday, it's pretty difficult to take in enough when dieting on chicken and pasta, so I had to eat a few times. Even then, I never really felt full. I lightened up on the pasta and was just eating vegetables after a while just to minimize carbs. I hope I do decent on the weights today given this.
I still plan on hitting some cardio at lunch time too. I hope to get on the elliptical and do a steady pace today just to burn fat. I'll save the intense cardio for the Tuesday ride.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Training Ride 1-23-11
What an usual day. Forecast was suppose to be windy throughout Orange County, but when I woke up, it was cold and I could not hear any wind blowing. Looking out the window, all the trees seemed pretty calm. It was fairly cold this morning, so having to turn the heater on in the house made me worry that I'd need more gear for today's ride. It was further substantiated when I left to meet up with buddy, Eddie, that car was reading 43 degrees as outside temp. As I was heading up to Irvine, I thought, wow, the temperature is climbing fast. Cool. When I finally arrived, the temp was reading 64 degrees! This was only a 20 minute drive! While the temp was nice, the winds were blowing ridiculously...just like the forecast. It seemed to be at least 10-12 mph winds with occasional high gusts.
On our way out, we rode directly toward the wind and this made the climb up Jamboree more challenging than normal. However, I knew this would be nothing compared to the climb up on Cannon heading toward Imperial Hwy.
Eddie and I stayed together all the way to Cannon, but he seemed to be picking it up here and there on occasion where it was noticeable that he was starting to dig his new bike. Near the top of Cannon, I went into spin mode, and this let me get to the top before him. He wasn't far behind though. After he passed me while I was waiting, he tore off down the other side, which I've gotten to 54 mph previously. I could not do the same today, because the wind was so scary, it kept blowing my front wheel with such great force, I was afraid I'd eat shit on the way down. After getting caught at a light, I was able to meet up with him toward the bottom and we were off.
Once we got to the Santa Ana River Trail, we finally had the wind behind us. This was the plan and why we took this route. I tore off with Eddie behind me, and I thought 24 mph was a good speed. However, Eddie decided he can do more and passed me and was riding between 26-27 mph. After he led through the wavy section and the trail straightened out, I decided to take over. We kept bouncing off 30 mph and was just flying by everyone. We kept the average up to 26-27 and then we hit a slow section dropping it down to 20. Once we got passed a few guys, we turned it up some more and dropped a guy wearing Astana kit (poser) who tried to stay with us. I think we were averaging 28 for a while, which he just couldn't hold on. We did catch a couple guys who were going a pretty decent rate, but after passing them, they jumped in our draft, and then got it front for a bit. I was waiting to make another move to get in front of them after the wooden bridge, but they just stopped there so we let them go.
On the trail towards Huntington Beach, Eddie had a pretty good pace, and I got behind him while we passed a few guys. I guess one guy wearing Rock N Road kit on a Transition TT bike thought he'd return the pass and blew by us at a pretty good rate. I chased him down and got in his draft, but Eddie fell off in the process. I was waiting to see if he was going to keep trying to get away, so I sat in his draft for a little bit. However, since he never really picked it up too much, I got in front and opened it up all the way to the beach. He couldn't hang on, so I dropped him half way through.
Eddie and I went on PCH and backed it down some. We were still doing a decent pace, but nothing as crazy. One guy in a yellow jersey decided he wanted to show us how fast he was, so we chased him down. When some pedestrians hit the crosswalk light in CDM, this guy decides he's going to use it to try to get away while Eddie and I stopped. After the pedestrians walked by, the chase was on. By the time we were getting out of downtown, we came up and passed him.
Since we have some big hill rides this year, we decided to go ahead and go up NPC. I tried to keep a good pace going up, but got caught at the first light where sweat started getting in my eyes and burning them. I turned thinking the rider next to me was Eddie to complain about my burning eyes, and it was a lady in a Simple Green kit who ended up getting a flat for the Como Street ride and decided against continuing it further without another spare. I think she weight all of 90 lbs, so I knew she was going to be strong climbing up the hill. Once the light turned green, she took off first and I tried to stay behind her just to keep her pace. Impressively, she never came out of the big chainring up front, and maintained a pretty good tempo. Behind her, I was able to stay but I couldn't figure out how I wanted to do so (spin faster, stand, etc.). Thus, I tried them all. About 4/5 of the way up, she started to gap me, so I decided to back it down some. Yeah, right.
Since Eddie had fallen back, I decided to go up Vista and see how that would feel. In the beginning, all I wanted to do was spin up it and not trash legs too much. Thus, my pace had at some points reached single digits. After it flattened out, I decided on the last hill, I want to give the big ring climbing a try again. I leaned forward and kept driving my knees toward my chest (vs. pushing down or working the rotation) and this helped a lot. I managed to make it the rest of the way up on the big front ring.
I took it easy going down Park since I still feel hints of wind blowing here and there. No incidents though.
After meeting up with Eddie on NPC, we decided to go up Shady, out to Laguna Canyon, and get on the bike trail to Harvard. Eddie still had some energy here and started this off. Once it straightened out though, I decided to put in a good pull all the way to Jeffrey. We both took turns on the bike trail, and one guy on a Fuji decided he wanted to pass us. Eddie looked back to see if i was going to chase, and latched on to that guy shortly after. After a couple deep breaths, I took off after and got in front of both until we got to Harvard. Too aggro.
The way back up to Portola was pretty mellow. We were definitely not killing it, but you can still feel the winds we felt earlier. Nonetheless, we pressed on and stayed together most of the way. I gapped a little toward the top as I again tried the standing leaning forward big gear pedaling. However, Eddie never really fell off too much here.
In Ed's defense, he had ran out of water back on the Irvine bike trail, and would not take my water despite me offering/insisting. I still had a lot of my 2nd bottle still, plus I had Shot Bloks too. He pushed on and made it all the way back without cramping. Ironman stud.
Here's a link to today's GPS stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/64852431
On our way out, we rode directly toward the wind and this made the climb up Jamboree more challenging than normal. However, I knew this would be nothing compared to the climb up on Cannon heading toward Imperial Hwy.
Eddie and I stayed together all the way to Cannon, but he seemed to be picking it up here and there on occasion where it was noticeable that he was starting to dig his new bike. Near the top of Cannon, I went into spin mode, and this let me get to the top before him. He wasn't far behind though. After he passed me while I was waiting, he tore off down the other side, which I've gotten to 54 mph previously. I could not do the same today, because the wind was so scary, it kept blowing my front wheel with such great force, I was afraid I'd eat shit on the way down. After getting caught at a light, I was able to meet up with him toward the bottom and we were off.
Once we got to the Santa Ana River Trail, we finally had the wind behind us. This was the plan and why we took this route. I tore off with Eddie behind me, and I thought 24 mph was a good speed. However, Eddie decided he can do more and passed me and was riding between 26-27 mph. After he led through the wavy section and the trail straightened out, I decided to take over. We kept bouncing off 30 mph and was just flying by everyone. We kept the average up to 26-27 and then we hit a slow section dropping it down to 20. Once we got passed a few guys, we turned it up some more and dropped a guy wearing Astana kit (poser) who tried to stay with us. I think we were averaging 28 for a while, which he just couldn't hold on. We did catch a couple guys who were going a pretty decent rate, but after passing them, they jumped in our draft, and then got it front for a bit. I was waiting to make another move to get in front of them after the wooden bridge, but they just stopped there so we let them go.
On the trail towards Huntington Beach, Eddie had a pretty good pace, and I got behind him while we passed a few guys. I guess one guy wearing Rock N Road kit on a Transition TT bike thought he'd return the pass and blew by us at a pretty good rate. I chased him down and got in his draft, but Eddie fell off in the process. I was waiting to see if he was going to keep trying to get away, so I sat in his draft for a little bit. However, since he never really picked it up too much, I got in front and opened it up all the way to the beach. He couldn't hang on, so I dropped him half way through.
Eddie and I went on PCH and backed it down some. We were still doing a decent pace, but nothing as crazy. One guy in a yellow jersey decided he wanted to show us how fast he was, so we chased him down. When some pedestrians hit the crosswalk light in CDM, this guy decides he's going to use it to try to get away while Eddie and I stopped. After the pedestrians walked by, the chase was on. By the time we were getting out of downtown, we came up and passed him.
Since we have some big hill rides this year, we decided to go ahead and go up NPC. I tried to keep a good pace going up, but got caught at the first light where sweat started getting in my eyes and burning them. I turned thinking the rider next to me was Eddie to complain about my burning eyes, and it was a lady in a Simple Green kit who ended up getting a flat for the Como Street ride and decided against continuing it further without another spare. I think she weight all of 90 lbs, so I knew she was going to be strong climbing up the hill. Once the light turned green, she took off first and I tried to stay behind her just to keep her pace. Impressively, she never came out of the big chainring up front, and maintained a pretty good tempo. Behind her, I was able to stay but I couldn't figure out how I wanted to do so (spin faster, stand, etc.). Thus, I tried them all. About 4/5 of the way up, she started to gap me, so I decided to back it down some. Yeah, right.
Since Eddie had fallen back, I decided to go up Vista and see how that would feel. In the beginning, all I wanted to do was spin up it and not trash legs too much. Thus, my pace had at some points reached single digits. After it flattened out, I decided on the last hill, I want to give the big ring climbing a try again. I leaned forward and kept driving my knees toward my chest (vs. pushing down or working the rotation) and this helped a lot. I managed to make it the rest of the way up on the big front ring.
I took it easy going down Park since I still feel hints of wind blowing here and there. No incidents though.
After meeting up with Eddie on NPC, we decided to go up Shady, out to Laguna Canyon, and get on the bike trail to Harvard. Eddie still had some energy here and started this off. Once it straightened out though, I decided to put in a good pull all the way to Jeffrey. We both took turns on the bike trail, and one guy on a Fuji decided he wanted to pass us. Eddie looked back to see if i was going to chase, and latched on to that guy shortly after. After a couple deep breaths, I took off after and got in front of both until we got to Harvard. Too aggro.
The way back up to Portola was pretty mellow. We were definitely not killing it, but you can still feel the winds we felt earlier. Nonetheless, we pressed on and stayed together most of the way. I gapped a little toward the top as I again tried the standing leaning forward big gear pedaling. However, Eddie never really fell off too much here.
In Ed's defense, he had ran out of water back on the Irvine bike trail, and would not take my water despite me offering/insisting. I still had a lot of my 2nd bottle still, plus I had Shot Bloks too. He pushed on and made it all the way back without cramping. Ironman stud.
Here's a link to today's GPS stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/64852431
Friday, January 21, 2011
Type A Team
One of the things I love about the guys at work I go cycling with is that they're all very competitive. This week has been a blast riding with them and they continue to humble and show me the possibilities of human strength and endurance. Yesterday in particular, my buddy Adrian and I just kept pushing each other to our thresholds despite the heavy winds out there. 2 other guys, Shannon and Vince, showed us that their steady pace can prevail as far as overall time average. That and they got lucky on several lights.
Legs still feel decent after 3 straight days of riding, so that may be in part due to my new training program. Working mostly on fast twitch muscles throughout seems to be making a different. The diet seems to help too as I weight myself yesterday and I'm already back to my summer weight of 165.
The madness continues this morning with a workout for my arms followed by a mellow lunch ride today.
Legs still feel decent after 3 straight days of riding, so that may be in part due to my new training program. Working mostly on fast twitch muscles throughout seems to be making a different. The diet seems to help too as I weight myself yesterday and I'm already back to my summer weight of 165.
The madness continues this morning with a workout for my arms followed by a mellow lunch ride today.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Yesterday's training
I thought I'd mash out my legs yesterday on some light fast repetition sets for each area: calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. I hadn't done that for a while, so as expected it was tough.
I went to ride my bike at lunch time to see if I can just get a spin in to keep my legs from ceasing up after the workout, and it was also suppose to be fairly easy. However, buddy Noah, came out too and kept kicking it up a notch where it felt right to go ahead and go with him. At one point, I thought early on my quads were going to cramp up from the morning workout, but they were able to keep it together. A couple regular Wednesday riders kept attacking here and there, so it was fun to try and defend every single time.
I went to ride my bike at lunch time to see if I can just get a spin in to keep my legs from ceasing up after the workout, and it was also suppose to be fairly easy. However, buddy Noah, came out too and kept kicking it up a notch where it felt right to go ahead and go with him. At one point, I thought early on my quads were going to cramp up from the morning workout, but they were able to keep it together. A couple regular Wednesday riders kept attacking here and there, so it was fun to try and defend every single time.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
1-18-11 End of Day
For this morning's workout, really picked it up with back workout by trying to do a lot of fast alternating reps along with some drop sets. My back felt pretty tight after leaving the gym, so good day.
For ride at lunch, I felt great so I tried to break away from the team here and there. On Newport Coast, I tried to attack those who love to climb, and got away for a little bit. However, strongest climber eventually caught me along with 2 others. I'll have to use different strategy next time...maybe spin a little more vs. trying to manhandle cranks. I did take one of the sprints, but lost the 2nd. The guy I lost the 2nd sprint too had nothing left for the following climb, so I don't feel too bad.
I adjusted stem on bike to make handlebars be set a little more aggressive. If I feel good after tomorrow's leg workout, I'll take it in and give it a spin to see how well I do against Wednesday group. They're less aggressive, so that should give me some good seat time with new angle.
For ride at lunch, I felt great so I tried to break away from the team here and there. On Newport Coast, I tried to attack those who love to climb, and got away for a little bit. However, strongest climber eventually caught me along with 2 others. I'll have to use different strategy next time...maybe spin a little more vs. trying to manhandle cranks. I did take one of the sprints, but lost the 2nd. The guy I lost the 2nd sprint too had nothing left for the following climb, so I don't feel too bad.
I adjusted stem on bike to make handlebars be set a little more aggressive. If I feel good after tomorrow's leg workout, I'll take it in and give it a spin to see how well I do against Wednesday group. They're less aggressive, so that should give me some good seat time with new angle.
Getting Up
For some reason this morning, I had a little trouble getting out of bed. As always though, I focused on what it was I set the alarm for and soon enough, I was up and getting ready for the gym. Works every time. Well...almost.
I'm working out my back this morning, so looking to make it a good one. I'm also trying to build up core strength and increasing the amount of reps I do for abs every day.
I'm also bringing my bike in to work today and looking forward to today's lunch ride. After this weekend, a lot of the guys I ride with are excited to come out, so it should be a fun one.
I'm working out my back this morning, so looking to make it a good one. I'm also trying to build up core strength and increasing the amount of reps I do for abs every day.
I'm also bringing my bike in to work today and looking forward to today's lunch ride. After this weekend, a lot of the guys I ride with are excited to come out, so it should be a fun one.
Monday, January 17, 2011
1-17-11 Results
Chest training went well today. 5 different exercises with drop sets on two of them. At lunch, got to do a decent cardio workout. Spoke to CEO while on the elliptical, so I didn't really get too into it until after he left. In the process, I found out he has 3 kids, a 17 year old girl who plays lacrosse, a 13 year old son who played soccer, and a 5 year old daughter who once rank a 9-10 mile pace for 1K. I couldn't get him to commit to supporting our cycling team though. HA HA. I tried.
For dinner, oldest daughter came over to visit and I got to sit with my whole family at the dinner table. I ate chicken (maybe more than normal), but it could have been much worse. I ate some pasta salad too for some carbs. I think I did pretty good today, but I hope to do better tomorrow.
For dinner, oldest daughter came over to visit and I got to sit with my whole family at the dinner table. I ate chicken (maybe more than normal), but it could have been much worse. I ate some pasta salad too for some carbs. I think I did pretty good today, but I hope to do better tomorrow.
Chest and Cardio Day
I did pretty good yesterday upholding my diet and not eating anything too bad. We had Chinese food for dinner though, but I managed to eat chicken with vegetables or a shrimp and scallop plate with some brown rice. Had some light popcorn while watching a movie with the kids, and when I got hungry again, downed some skinless grilled chicken.
Now it's onto the gym this morning for a chest workout. I wish I could stay home with the kids today, but too many things to do at work. Work helps regulate my schedule anyway, so looking forward to cardio session at lunch time.
Now it's onto the gym this morning for a chest workout. I wish I could stay home with the kids today, but too many things to do at work. Work helps regulate my schedule anyway, so looking forward to cardio session at lunch time.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
About Me
Finally! I get to jot down random thoughts somewhere about my diet and training progress if anyone is interested in reading it. I'm a previous bodybuilder turned cyclist (I know, huh?) and I try to balance them both despite being polar opposites. The 2 don't work together very well, but se la vie. For 2011, my plan is to focus a little more on cycling but still keep the weight training up. Crazy.
Right now, I'm actually not in bad shape but my goal is to get very conditioned. I did a bunch of big rides last year, and want to improve this year. My plan is to lift lesser weights and bring up intensity through speed and frequency instead. Hopefully, this will allow me to trim down and drop all unnecessary body fat to help lighten me up some on the bike. I'm probably around 165-170, so we'll see how I do.
Good luck to me.
Right now, I'm actually not in bad shape but my goal is to get very conditioned. I did a bunch of big rides last year, and want to improve this year. My plan is to lift lesser weights and bring up intensity through speed and frequency instead. Hopefully, this will allow me to trim down and drop all unnecessary body fat to help lighten me up some on the bike. I'm probably around 165-170, so we'll see how I do.
Good luck to me.
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