Friday Through Today

My consistency with blogging needs work, but I do like having a journal of my workouts and training.  In fact, I probably should look over my journal last year since I'm interested to see how much different I'm training this year vs. last.  I think this year, I'm actually gaining size vs. losing weight.  I've been training with some heavier weights here and there, and I think I've grown as a result.  Now most people would probably want the additional growth, but I'm not sure I do.  I still prioritize cycling, but I've been also trying to keep weight lifting interesting.  Maybe after I come back from my vacation, I'll reset and actually work on a very specific goal. 

Friday, I skipped my morning workout and rode my bike to work.  I added a couple extra miles in doing so.  I didn't work out at lunch because we had a picnic with our group, so I rode my bike to it since it was probably just a mile or 2 away. 

On Saturday, I didn't work out at all and ate a little more in order to prepare for my ride on Sunday.

Sunday, I rode with Shannon for 67 miles with 5000+ feet of climbing burning some good calories. 

Yesterday, I was still feeling a little tired (as was my back), so I opted to skip my morning workout and train with weights at work.  I did my chest and tried to see where I was again strength-wise.  After a couple warm-ups, I knew my strength just wasn't there but I gave 335 on the bench anyway only to fail miserably.  HA HA.  Now some may feel that this type of failure sucks, but to me, it motivates me to work towards improving upon it the next time where it's not such a bad thing.  At least I got to see how it felt.  I also did 20 minutes on the stationary bike with about 15 minutes at full intensity (level 20).  I worked up a good sweat in that short period of time.

This morning, I got my back worked out and it was pretty good albeit the weight amount (or resistance) was still all over the place.  It was a decent workout nonetheless with 4 exercises for the back with 3 sets each.  I also did my lower abs. 

For lunch, I hope to get a decent ride in with the guys.  I'm not sure what route we should take today, but I'm thinking I may want to pull back on how hard it will be only because I'll be riding down to San Diego tomorrow.  Chances are, however, someone will want to do a lot of hills.  We'll see.

Shoulders and Cyclng

I worked out my shoulders this morning and decided to keep it really light after last week's injury.  I also stayed seated for my dumbbell raises and all went well this morning.  I think my shoulders don't look as tight as they typically do, so I REALLY need to lose some weight.  HA HA.  I also worked my lower back and lower abs this morning.

For lunch, I hope to get a decent bike ride in.  I did wake up this morning where I felt yesterday's run more than I did yesterday, so I don't know how my legs will hold up.  I'll still push it as much as I can just to get some good training in. 

Just a Morning Run

I was torn this morning as to what I wanted to do for a workout.  I was invited to go out for lunch, so I only had one for today so it was between working out my legs or running.  I haven't ran yet this week, and I won't have any time to do so except this morning, so I opted to do that.  I know I also want to or need to train my legs, but based on my current goals, a run would be more suitable as well.

I ran about 5.8 miles in 50 minutes with a 3 minute cool down totaling over 6 miles in the end.  It was at a faster average pace than I've been doing, so it seems like I'm making some improvements despite only running once a week.  I wonder if I'll be feeling it later on.  Oh well.

Catching Up Again

I haven't blogged since Thursday, but that doesn't mean I haven't exercised.  It just means I've been too lazy to write what I've been doing. 

On Thursday, I wasn't able to ride since I still had problems with my mid-back that made it uncomfortable to move certain ways and even to breathe.   Instead, I did get some cardio by getting on the spin bike and taking it easy. 

On Friday, I woke up like I was going to the gym and would have worked my arms.  However, I could still feel the tightness on my back where  I didn't want to chance aggravating it more.  Instead, I went back to bed.  I did spin again on Friday and by that time, I felt better than when I spun on Thursday so I kicked it up a little more.

On Saturday, it was our crazy ride and all I can say about it was that was the worse cramping I ever had.  I definitely could have prepared better for it, but I knew having been on a Met-Rx diet for the last two weeks wasn't going to fare well for me.  Oh well, I still had "fun."

Sunday, I rested and didn't do a thing.

Yesterday, I woke up early like I was going to the gym, but I decided I was going to skip cardio to recover more from Saturday.  I could have done cardio, but I thought I'd rest a little and back in bed I went.  I did work chest at lunch yesterday, and I decided I'd go heavy just because I wanted to see where I was strength wise.  I managed to put up 325 lbs. on the bench after hitting 315 just before.  I think if I went straight from 275, I may have been able to hit 335.  Maybe I'll find out next week. 

Today, I got in and got my back worked out.  Unlike yesterday where I did mostly progressive resistance sets, I went back to pyramid sets but did do some heavy back.  I don't really know why I'm doing this because it never helps my cycling, but I think it keeps the weight training interesting for me.  Maybe I'll go back to straight light sets again someday when I'm motivated to do well at a race.

For lunch today, it'll be a ride with the guys.  I'll train on my Cervelo since I plan to use that next month at the Pasadena Gran Fondo.  I will use my carbon wheels to train on, but I'll likely go back to my Eastons for the actual event. 

Resting, Back, Getting Hurt, and We'll See

I rested yesterday since I was feeling tired from the training on Monday and Tuesday.  Plus, it was my birthday where I just wanted to recover.  My calves were feeling a little worked from my Monday run, which caused a major cramp on my Tuesday ride, so I thought I'd actually give my legs a break.  I didn't even do weights.  Wow.

I did make it in to the gym this morning, and my plan was to stay light.  I felt good from the rest and was going to try to get a lot of reps in to get a good work out.  On my 3rd exercise, front dumbbell raises, I was on my 2nd set when all of a sudden I felt something where I had to put the weights down.  I couldn't localize where exactly, but all I know is I couldn't breathe.  Now that my adrenalin is back down, I think a muscle in my mid-back got a little strained.  I tried to resume the exercise, but couldn't so I only finished up with one more exercise and a lower ab set. 

I'm sitting here writing this wondering if I'll be able to make it in to work today.  If I am, I also wonder if I'll be able to ride at lunch.  I'm going to have to make these assessments after trying to roll out my back and seeing if that helps.  Oh I hope it does.

Weekend Overtraining, Yesterday and Today

Overtraining can be defined a couple ways:  training to the point where one doesn't give muscles or the body enough time to rest to recover OR training beyond what the body can supply in the form of fuel.  On Saturday, I pretty much experienced both.  After training every day last week with both cardio and weights, I thought I'd be able to do a ride to my sister's house on Saturday since it was only 60 miles away.  I did opt to take a hillier route, and I probably should have pulled back some earlier, but I was being dumb.  On top of the training, I've been on low carbs the whole week including the Friday night before, so by the time I was in the canyons, I felt like I was completely out of fuel.  The honey gels helped but after more climbing, I bonked on the trails parallel to the 91.  I made it to a gas station there just as I noticed my front tire was flat, so after having a Pepsi and fixing my flat, I was ready to finish the remaining 11 miles.  Admittedly, I had called Lisa to pick me up there since I felt so flat, but I changed my mind and pushed on.  By the time I arrived at my sister's house though, Lisa said I looked like I had no color.  My ears also wouldn't stop popping for a couple hours, which after doing some research on the Internet says I had just way overdone it.

I was going to ride my bike down to San Diego on Sunday but my above experience was enough to knock some sense into me.  I ended up driving down with Lisa, but I did go bodyboarding.  I did eat more this day though, so I didn't feel too depleted.

Yesterday, I worked my chest in the morning and ran 6 miles later in the afternoon, which means the training has resumed.  I also ate pretty good, so I guess I'm back to normal.  Going into this weekend, however, I will pull back on Friday and get some rest in preparation for a big ride on Saturday.

Today, I trained my back and got my core training in.  I was going to follow my mode of throwing in a heavy set in each of the exercises performed, but I went back to just light and fast with lots of reps.  I should know better that working heavy will mean more responsiveness to the intensit, which my muscles may respond to more in the form of growth.  That will just mean my cycling will suffer as it had the year before. 

I do hope to get a ride in at lunch today after being off the bike for the last 2 days, so I'm hoping I do okay at lunch.  My legs are feeling a little tired from yesterday's run, but I'll suck it up and do what I can. 

Diet Progress, Motivation, Yesterday and Today's Training

What a week!  It's Friday and I feel good about making it through this week after having restarted my diet where my carbs were fairly low with only my oatmeal in the morning (which I skipped on Monday) being my source of starchy carbs.  I've had other carbs, but mostly fibrous or simple carbs (i.e. sugars). 

I spiked my motivation again to stay on my diet by stepping on the scale a couple days ago.  I've been avoiding it because for a while to regain some strength for some of the rides I was preparing for since my performance had been horrible.  My performance did improve as a result since I did start eating again (even started drinking again), but it came at the expense of additional weight.  I'm now hovering around 154-155, so I need to get back on track and try to get back to 150 and then push on from there to see where I can get.  The problem is, I've also been training a little heavier again, so I can't really say the weight I'm gaining is bad weight.  However, ANY weight I gain regardless of whether it's fat or muscle is just more to carry up the hills.  Oh the dilemma. 

Yesterday, I rode in the morning and did think about my weight to motivate me to push as hard as I could.  It worked, but I was seriously turned inside out as a result.  I could feel the lack of carbs midway through the ride, but I pushed on anyway.  I hadn't felt that inside out for a while, and I'm sure the lack of carbs was probably the biggest factor.  Okay, so running, cycling, spinning and the leg training I did earlier in the week probably contributed to it also.  Aha. 

I also got in a shoulder workout yesterday during lunch, and it was okay.  I was still feeling a little unsettled from the morning, so that kept me from being able to crank up the intensity but it was good enough.  I also got in an ab workout.

For this morning, I got to train my arms and finally included my triceps again.  I've been saving my triceps for my riding since they get worked when I climb off the seat but on the drop.  I didn't get to do too many exercises, but good enough.  I did do some heavier weights following my MO for the week, but it did make me wonder why I'm doing this when it can potentially promote growth and slow me down on the bike again.  Oh the dilemma.

For lunch, I don't know what I want to do yet, but I know training would make me feel good.  My legs feel good so I may jump on the spin bike, I may run, or I may do the elliptical.  I have a weekend with a lot of activities planned, so I may need to pull back some and get some rest...or not.  We'll see.

Leg Day and Lunch Cardio

It's been a while since I did weights with legs, so I wasn't going to go too crazy today.  Plus, my legs were a little tired from my run on Monday and yesterday's ride.  I did calf extensions, leg presses, leg extensions, and seated leg curls today.  For each exercise except leg extensions, I did a high rep light set, 1-2 heavy sets, and returned back to a lighter high rep set.  Since I did leg extensions, I was going up for my 2nd heavy set and I felt a little tension below my weight belt where I decided to call it a day.  Not sure what that was, but I didn't think it was worth it to get hurt.   It felt better after I walked it off.

For today's cardio, I think I'll try and jump in the spin class if one is held.  Optionally, I'm considering spinning on my own, doing elliptical or maybe get a light run in.  I suppose I'll choose last minute depending on how I feel later...or shall I say how my legs feel later. 

Diet, Back Day and Lunch Ride

I was pretty good on my diet yesterday and had minimal carbs and a good amount of protein.  I was suppose to have Met-Rx 4x but I only had 3 since Lisa made me some hand rolls with celery and crab meat instead (no rice).  As a snack last night, I ate red peppers and hummus and when I got hungry again, I ate some sugar snap peas.  This is my popcorn substitute.  Aha.

I woke up and my lower back wasn't as tight as it has been, which was surprising considering my 6.7 mile run yesterday on the treadmill.  I got a back workout today with 4 different exercises followed by some ab work.  I am bumping up the resistance significantly at least for one set of each exercise for more strength training now that I don't have any big climbing rides in store.  It also makes the workout more interesting for me.

For today's lunch ride, I'm hoping for something a little more flat, so maybe we'll ride up to Portola and back.  My legs feel pretty good, so I think it should be a good ride.  

Catching Up, Ride Analysis, and Today

It's been almost a week since I last blog, so what have I done since.

Wednesday, I rode in the morning with a couple guys and did a 28 miler.  At lunch time, I worked my shoulders at the gym.  Both were good workouts.

Thursday, I ended up staying in bed in the morning to start resting and then worked biceps at work along with a half hour of elliptical during lunch.

Friday, I did absolutely no exercises and had lunch with Lisa at work instead.  Noah and I had Carribean food as my pre-ride meal, but since my red snapper didn't come with a lot of carbs, I picked up a couple apple fritters after.  Totally unorthodox diet, but what can you expect when you hang with Noah?

For Saturday, I did the Ride around the Bear ride and had a pretty good outing.  It wasn't the fastest, but I got to do it pretty much at the pace I wanted to.  It's fun to ride with the guys, but I was totally happy just getting some hill climbing in on my own.  I passed a ton of people, got passed by a no more than a handful of people (no women or grey hairs - woo hoo) and finished the ride half hour sooner than in the past.  Granted it was a little lonely at times (especially during that dreadful climb up to Onyx), but I didn't have any cramps, my legs felt fine after, and I didn't have any problems with not having enough food.  I did it with less than 5 bottles of electrolytes, 1 package of shot bloks, 1 waffle, and 3 gels.  Not bad during the 6.5 hours of elapsed time.

I rested yesterday, although again, my legs were fine where I actually thought it would be nice to go for a bike ride with the family.  Instead, I lounged around just to give my lower back a rest.  It's been bugging me even before yesterday's ride, especially in the morning, so I thought I'd just keep off my feet as much as I can.

Today, I worked out my chest and will be resetting my diet in preparation for a trip I have planned for next month.  I was also working a little harder at the gym today and will probably mix it up with some heavier weights for a little while to change it up and stimulate the muscles differently.  I was sweating after, which made it quite apparent that I forgot to use deodorant this morning.  HA HA

For lunch today, I think I'm suppose to eat with the guys, but I'll be eating very light if I do.  I plan on going back to a mostly Met-Rx meal as much as my body can tolerate since my immediate goals are more aesthetic than performance, so we'll see how that works out for me.  I will try and get a run in today and if not at lunch, I'll do so after work just to keep this type of training up.

Morning Battle, Back Workout and Lunch Ride

Every morning is a battle to get up to go to the gym, but thankfully, most of the battles are won where I make it in vs. going back to sleep.  I probably could use a little more rest leading up to this weekend, but I think I should be able to do that toward the latter part of this week.  I always feel better when I get my workout done, and I get to through my day with less guilt from anything I may have indulged in the night before. 

I got in and got my back worked out with 4 different exercises, but only managed to work my abs after since the lower back machine I like to use was taken.  Like yesterday, I threw in a couple heavy sets within the exercises I performed just to keep it interesting.  I also focused on speed during my exercises concentrating on going from the top to the bottom of the movement as fast as I could.  It was a good one.

For lunch today, I plan to ride with the guys and continue to test out my Cervelo.  Since the chain dropped twice on me on Sunday, I really need to make sure it no longer happens.  Juan adjusted it again yesterday, so I'm hoping it will be good to go for this Saturday.  We'll see.

Slow Out of the Gates, Chest Day and Lunch Cardio

After yesterday's ride, it was quite difficult to get up and going this morning.  My lower back felt a little tight and my legs fatigue where some extra sleep could have done the body good.  However, Lisa made some barbecue ribs last night where I definitely indulged.  Thus, this morning's motivation for my workout was pure and simple guilt.  It worked.

I got in and worked my chest managing to get all of my five exercises in:  3 different chest presses and 2 different cable crossovers.  I also managed to work my lower back and abs as well.  Good enough.

For lunch today, I probably will do a light spin but I am contemplating the elliptical just to change things up.  I want to keep it fairly low intensity-wise just so my legs can recover from the weekend and be ready for this Saturday. 

Almost More Cycling, Shoulders and Run

I was really torn between whether I wanted to commute to work on my bike today or work out.  If I had ridden my bike, I was still going to run at lunch as well and thought that that may be too much.  In one way though, I thought it would be a good way to prepare for all the work I'll be doing next week for the ride up Bear.  In the end, I decided against it and managed to go ahead and workout instead. 

For this morning, I did do my shoulders and got 4 exercises in plus a couple core exercises too.  I kept it very light today and just banged out the high rep sets as fast as I could.  I almost did more weights during my shoulder press as a final set just to change it up, but I was wiped after so many reps.  I did push through after feeling like I couldn't go anymore and forced myself to do a 2-3 more reps...that hurt!

For lunch today, I plan to do a 6+ mile run since I need to stay on top of this training.  I'll be running alone, so I plan on just zoning out and getting it done.  I would only have ran 4.5 if I rode my bike, so the additional 1.5-2 miles will be for the additional calories I want to burn today.  That should get me ready for the weekend. 

Yesterday's Pedaling, Today's Back and More Pedaling

I didn't get to blog yesterday as I rode early in the morning with Shannon for a fast 29 miler.  I was suppose to workout with weights but decided to do more pedaling and spun at the gym instead.  There was no class, so I did my own thing and worked on off the seat pedaling to prepare for our Big Bear ride on June 9th.  I worked up a good sweat from both, but no ill effect cramp-wise.  Good.

I woke up hungry this morning, but managed to get in the gym despite.  I worked out my back but for some reason, ran out of time and only managed to do 3 exercises for it.  I did do my core workout also.  It was an okay workout.

For lunch today, I'm bringing in my Cervelo, which I haven't ridden for a while now.  Since it is the bike I'm taking to Bear,  I need some serious seat time on it as I haven't ridden it for a while.  I suppose I'll figure out a route, hopefully with some hills, for lunch today.  I'm open to doing something else though if the guys want to save it for some training this weekend.

Long Weekend and Starting Over

While I live for long weekends, one of the things that often happen is that I tend to not follow my diet too much and end up feeling quite regretful after.  This is how I feel this morning.  I did have a good long ride on Sunday but I carbed up before and then ate poorly after for the next couple days.  I did run yesterday at the beach with Lisa, but I don't think it was nearly enough to offset the crap I ate.  Oh well, now it's time to pay the piper. 

As far as my long ride on Sunday, I was quite pleased that I was able to manage doing the whole ride with only 2 bottles.  I did get half a bottle of water at our stop in Carlsbad, but that was what I drank in lieu of the rest of my Ultima left in another bottle.  I also had 1 package of Shot Bloks and only 3 gels.  I guess my carb loading worked!

For today's workout, I started my weekly routine today working my pecs and also getting in my core workout in.  I was having a little trouble getting started although not for a lack of motivation but just feeling a little slugging from the long weekend.  I still managed to get a good workout in and worked up a sweat in the process.

For lunch today, I plan on riding with the fellas and I think the plan is probably a hilly route.  Let's see if the guys want to do our "puke" route, which is not going to be fun for me since I'll have my standard crank bike today.  Oh well...more intensity I guess. 

Wednesday Through Today

I didn't blog on Wednesday because I went to work early to ride with Galen.  We did the Shady 133 NPC loop and it was a great workout despite it just being the two of us.  Tuesday's lunch ride was pretty tough, but I still had legs for the loop.   At lunch time, I was going to do weights but opted to get some more cycle training and jumped in Madison's spin class.  She was conducting a sprint trainer class, so I got to work on fast spinning.  My legs were definitely beat up after that.

Yesterday I skipped my morning workout in favor for resting as much as I can.  It helped a little for my race last night, but I just couldn't repeat the surges that kept occurring enough.  On the first run down the straight, the surge was unreal and people were passing like mad where I was close to the back by the next corner.  From there, it was just closing gaps for the next few laps until I finally ran out of steam.  I decided to just get a good workout out of it, so I went into time trial mode for the rest of the ride picking up riders who also couldn't sustain the pace.  Not a good outing again, but still a good workout.   I think I'll work on this type of riding more after Big Bear and hold off on any further races just because it's way too humbling not doing them as prepared as we used to be. 

For this morning, I got my shoulders worked out and the intensity and rhythm was very high.  I was dripping sweat even in my first exercise, so the rest of the exercises had me gasping for air.  I also got my core training in so cool. 

For lunch, I want to get a run in but we'll see how the weather is.  I may get on the treadmill, but hopefully an outside run would be better.  I hope to get 6 miles in. 

150 Weekend Miles, Yesterday Workout and Today's Back/Ride

Haven't blogged since Thursday so what's happened since.  Friday I rode down to San Diego to attend a funeral and got 63+ miles.  It was tough because I didn't eat much the night before or the prior nights for that matter.  I bottomed out halfway through the ride, and struggled to finish rationing my 2 gels and 1 waffle as best as I could.  When I arrived at my in-law's house, I definitely needed the two cokes I had as soon as I arrived.  Good stuff.

I rested on Saturday and got some good calories in this time where I was better prepared for a ride on Sunday.  I went out with Craig and his friend Dave and we put in 86+ miles by riding down to Encinitas and back.  I had a better outing and managed to do it with less intake during the ride finishing the whole route with just 2 bottles, 3 gels and 1 package of shot bloks.  Craig is definitely stronger now, so it was nice to see how eating allowed me to work with him and do a significant amount of pulling on the way back.  When a guy on a tri bike passed us on El Camino Real, we broke off from Craig and I finished the last 8 miles on my own. 

Yesterday, I wasn't up to have a 2 workout day so even after I got up early, I went back to bed.  I did get in the gym at work during lunch and got a good chest workout in.  I also did 20 minutes on the elliptical to burn some extra calories. 

This morning, I got my back worked out and worked up a pretty good sweat.  I started out doing sets of pull ups, which I haven't done in a while.  I got 4 exercises in plus a lower ab workout but the lower back machine was tied up.  I'll do it tomorrow. 

For lunch today, I plan on a lunch ride with the guys.  Not sure yet what kind of route to do, so we'll see if anyone has any suggestions.

Yesterday, Shoulders and More Cycling

I missed yesterday's blog since I rode in the morning with a couple BRCM guys for some extra cycling.  I got to ride an extra 10 miles more than normal and at an intense pace making for a good day's worth of training.  I skipped my training at lunch opting for a haircut instead and ended up  also skipping one Met-Rx meal.

For today, I worked on my shoulders and I'm really noticing that I have more energy with real food, which I ate again last night.  I did 4 exercises plus 2 core workouts and managed to get a little sweat going. 

At lunch, I will be riding with the guys and hopefully finding a route with a good mixtures of hills and flat roads.  I'm always open to any suggestions from the guys though, so we'll see what we end up doing.  My legs are a little worked since I've been training them since Sunday, but I still hope for a good outing. 

Back Day and Lunch Ride

I didn't sleep too well last night, but that's probably from having taken a nap when I got home from work.  I didn't even think it was a work day and was a little disoriented when my alarm went off.  Nevertheless, I still made it to the gym with Lisa this morning and got my back worked out.  I had a little trouble focusing feeling a little distracted with things going on at work, but I would regain focus every now and then and get a good set in managing to get a good sweat going.  I also did my lower back and lower abs as well. 

For lunch, I hope to get a good lunch ride in but my legs are a little worked after yesterday's 6.5 mile run.  They don't hurt too bad, but let's see if they can put any power down.  I may try and revert back to a high cadence run and keep building on this style of riding again since I don't think I do this enough.  It was really effective on my Sunday ride, so I'm hoping it'll be the same for today. 

Effects of Eating, Catching Up and Today's Training

I  missed Friday's blog since I started out at work early in the morning for a ride with some of the BRCM guys.  We had a good 30 miler and I had a pretty good outing despite having raced the night before.  The race was tough but ended up ending early due to a crash, so I definitely had a lot of legs left.  It was nice to be able to push hard again, so the food I've been eating is coming through in my performance.  I still want to work toward 145, but I just am taking a break given I don't like suffering too much on our rides.

I rested on Saturday, ate like crap, but then had a good outing on my solo ride down to Del Mar yesterday where I met my family to hang out at the beach.   The weather conditions were ideal, so I was able to PR and hit a 21.5 average.  I passed a bunch of people and not one latched on or tried to mix it up.  I felt good all the way down and didn't even suffer too much leg wear by the time I finished where I was still able to play with the kids. 

This morning, I made my way into the gym and got my chest worked out.  5 exercises done and then I hit my core also.  My chest workout was light and I even substituted presses with push ups.  It was a pretty decent workout and my focus again was speed.

For lunch today, I hope to get a run in to keep this cross training up.  I think Madison and I were going to try and PR our hilly lunch route, so we'll have to see how that goes. 

Back and Cardio

I felt pretty tired when I got up this morning and could have easily been persuaded to go back to bed.  As that didn't happen, I managed to get up and get in the gym to workout my back.  I only managed to get 3 exercises in (pull downs, rows, and pullovers) but they were high rep sets.  I also got my lower back worked out along with lower abs. 

Now it is my legs that are feeling pretty tired, but I do want to get a cardio session in today during lunch.  I may spin on my own but I'll consider other options as well since last week's attempt to spin with low intensity left my glutes feeling really worked. 

Catching up, Chest and Lunch Cardio

Let's see...it's been since Thursday when I last blogged, so what's happened since then?  First off, my Thursday spin session was suppose to be light as part of tapering for the week and in preparation for Saturday's ride.  I really kept the intensity down but for some reason, the effect of the spin was that my glutes were really worked where by the end of the evening (after a happy hour), they felt really tight.  They even felt tighter on Friday (especially when I went out for dinner and drinks with some friends) where I could barely sit down.  This was enough for me to skip all workouts all together on Friday just so I can have my body recover as much as possible.

On my ride on Saturday, I could still feel my glutes but they didn't end up being too much of a factor.  Surprisingly, neither did the alcohol...or at least I don't think it did.  No cramps, finished the ride with just a little more than 2 bottles, and only had 2 gels plus almost 1 package of shot bloks.

Sunday was a complete rest day. 

Yesterday, I got up to go to the gym, but went back to bed to get some rest based on Lisa's request.  I'm compliant.  I did get a 4 mile run in during lunch with some of the girls at work.  It was a good session with a good warm up pace for half of the ride and then running harder for the rest.  I didn't wear a Garmin, but I think I was doing sub 8 minute/miles in the end. 

Today, I got in the gym and got my chest worked out, and since we went out to eat last night, I worked my ass off today.  I got 5 exercises in for chest plus a lower back and ab workout.  Funny thing about eating real food is that I get so much stronger when I do.  What scares me is how much harder I train where rather than tightening up, I think my muscles respond to it by growing.  I don't want to get bigger, so it's not a good thing to have the extra energy in that regard. 

For lunch, I do want to get a ride in with the guys and maybe we'll do a flatter run today and get some high intensity training in to prepare for this Thursday's crit.  I hope the other guys buy in on it, but I'm open to whatever. 

Arms, Lunch Cardio and Mind Games

For this morning's workout, I worked out my biceps only.  I didn't want to workout my triceps since I'm hoping to save them for this weekend for my off-the-seat climbing.  They get pretty worked from being on the drops, so I want them 100%  I also worked my core with a set of lower back and upper abs each. 

For lunch, I will skip today's lunch ride and do something a little lighter instead.  I've been working high intensity for the last 3 days, so I'm going to taper a little and let my legs recover.

One thing I wanted to talk about in today's blog is the inner dialog I have during my workouts.  I'm not sure what other people thing about when they work out, but to give some insight on what I think about, a lot of the times I'm telling myself not to waste my time in there.  Sometimes, I have to stop and check myself to remember that I need to make each rep count, and it seems to renew my enthusiasm and push me a little harder.  I also think about what my big picture goals are and I think how others who have the same goal are probably working harder than me where it pushes me to do more as well.  Whatever it takes, right?

Shoulders and Lunch Ride or Spin

Still not doing legs yet since I have a big ride this weekend, so I did shoulders instead.  I did 4 exercises:  alternating cable overhead presses, side lateral machine, front cable raises, and rear delt machine.  I got a pretty good pump from keeping up with the explosive reps and focusing on speed.  No free weights today.  Cables and machines don't get enough credit, but they do work.  The intensity starts from the bottom of the movement, one can focus less on using other auxiliary muscles and apply all the intensity to the target muscle and it's easier to add or drop weight as needed, which promotes even more intensity.   They get it done.

I wanted to get a lunch ride in today since I've been off the bike since Saturday.  I skipped yesterday just because I didn't think it would be dry enough where it would be safe and/or clean...hate when the bike gets too dirty.  Ha ha.  I again jumped on the spin bike yesterday and worked the high intensity off the seat training, which I hope will help for this weekend.  If I can't get out today to get a ride in given it seems even more wet today than yesterday (at least at my house), I'll probably opt to spin again.  I don't know if I'll do the off-the-seat training again, but I may.  I'm hoping it will be dry enough to ride outside. 

Back Day and Lunch Ride

Unlike yesterday, I had my iPod this morning and was able to get a pretty decent back workout.  I was also able to focus where the movement for each rep was as explosive as possible, which I think helps with speed.  I got four exercises:  alternating pull downs, machine rows, standing angled close grip pull downs, and overhead cable pull overs.  I also did my lower abs and lower back.

For lunch today, I hope the light drizzle goes away and we can get a good ride in.  Yesterday, I had a hard spin and did work on some off the seat pedaling with really high resistance (so high that he flywheel overheated at one point and the crank ceased where I couldn't pedal anymore).  My legs still hadn't fully recovered from Saturday when I spun yesterday, but they actually feel even more tired this morning.  I'll try to take it easy so that they can recover more (try being the operative word). 

Starting Over Again

After this weekend's ride, I probably overcompensated with the food and drinks where I really need to reset my training and diet plans.  Like most, I find comfort in food, and the cycling sufferfest definitely warranted it.  I just felt like crap this morning as a result, so I do want to clean up my diet and restart my training and diet (i.e. hit the old reset button).

I forgot my iPod this morning, so I had to work out with any music.  It's always a bummer to do so, but I managed to get in my 5 sets for chest along with my lower back and ab workouts.  My routine was light and explosive again with light weights and high reps.  My lower back felt a little tight from the ride, but it wasn't much of a factor.  My groin also felt a little worked, but it just makes walking a little challenging.

For lunch, I do want to get on a spin bike and just loosen up my legs by getting the circulation going again.  The compression pants I wore Saturday night helped a lot to keep them from swelling up too much, but now it's time to get the blood working through them again.  I'll try to keep it fairly light, but I may do some off the seat training as well.  I'll have to see how I feel.  I am getting an itch to run though only because I don't want to not have ran for over 2 weeks, but I'm not sure that's a good idea at this point...especially with the Alpine Challenge this weekend. 

End of the Week Taper

Yesterday, I didn't blog in the morning since I actually decided to stay in bed and get a little more rest in preparation for this weekend.  I only had arms to workout anyway, and I figured doing so wouldn't really do anything for me for the ride.  If anything, I wanted to give my triceps a lot of rest since riding on the drops for an extended time does tend to tire them out.  I did spin on the bike at work yesterday during lunch but it was fairly mild.  Got a good sweat out of it.

For this morning, I actually spun again just to keep the blood circulating in the legs.  As hard as it was to do so, I kept it very mild and had the resistance quite low the whole time.  I did do some off the seat pedaling here and there, but nothing crazy. 

This will be it for workouts today.  I plan on getting something to eat with Lisa during lunchtime instead.  I will also be wearing my recovery compression pants all day and night, so this will hopefully prepare me for tomorrow's big ride.  Hopefully.

Diet, Shoulders and Cardio

I went to visit Eddie yesterday at the hospital and had dinner with him.  I opted to bypass my diet so he can feel comfortable eating whatever, so my meal selection wasn't exactly the healthiest.  I actually haven't followed my diet at nights this week, but the irony is that I actually felt pretty good during my ride yesterday.  I'm sure there's a correlation, but I don't want to continue in this mode.  I do still want to get to 145 this year, so I need to get back on track next week (or after...ha ha).

I was not sure what I was going to work this morning, and in all honesty wanted to stay in bed.  However, after yesterday's meal, I couldn't skip without feeling guilty.  I almost went straight to arms just to do something a little less strenuous but ended up doing shoulders.  I'm still not doing legs given this weekend's ride, so for this week's training, I should be done with weights by tomorrow.

For lunch time, it looks like it's going to rain today so I'll probably spin.  I may change it up and do something low intensity like treadmill or elliptical, but we'll see how I feel.  If the weather holds up, I may also just jump on my bike.  I'll be ready for any of these options. 

Lazy Back and Lunch Ride

In the gym this morning, I overheard someone say after welcoming someone back how "something is better than nothing."  Well, that pretty much summed up how my back workout was today.  I had slept pretty good last night but since I didn't the night before, I really wanted to make up the lost sleep.  However, I forced myself up and got in the gym where my mode was just to get one in vs. actually work towards a specific goal.  I got 4 exercises in for the back, and I did one mixed intensity exercise and the rest was just light and high reps.  I also did some core training and no cramps today. 

For lunch, I'd like to get a ride in but I don't know what route would be interesting to do.  Given this weekend's hill trainer, I see no point in doing anything too hilly today.  I'll go through some of the routes we've done and try to pick one we haven't done in a while. 

Calf, Chest and Cardio

Although it doesn't seem to bother me while I cycle, my left calf STILL hasn't fully recovered after straining it last week.  For this reason, I'm not going to run this week so that I don't risk any further problems leading into the L'Etape this weekend.  I hope it heals fully soon.

I worked my chest out today and rather than start out with weights, I did 3 sets of push ups instead.  I've been dealing with problems with my wrists ever since I crashed a few weeks ago, and they, too, don't seem to have recovered in full.  I think this is what happens when one gets old.  Sigh.  I was able to get 5 exercises for chest nonetheless, and I also did my lower back and abs.  For my ab workout, I did crunches on the machine.  When I went to pick up my water bottle from the floor, my upper abs locked up fully (i.e. cramped) and would not unlock for almost 5 minutes.  It hurt! 

For lunch training, I wanted to ride my bike today but it is so drizzly this morning that I may just jump on a spin bike.  If I do jump on the spin bike, I'll keep working on my off the seat riding since I plan on utilizing this more for this weekend's ride. 

Arms and Lunch Spin

This morning was once again a struggle to get up for the gym.  I didn't sleep too well last night, so it is always so tempting to just stay in bed and get some extra rest.  After all, rest is when we grow.  However, the fear of gaining weight by not burning enough calories from a missed workout inevitably forces me to get up and get ready.  I did manage to get my arms worked out albeit only through 4 exercises.  Still doing the mixed intensity training theme, so it hurt a little doing the heavier weights given I haven't done so for my arms in a while.  One thing I noticed was how my wrists STILL hurt from when I crashed a couple weeks ago.  I felt both of them bugging me  when I was doing bar dips.  I also managed to get in a lower ab workout.

For today, I think I'll actually give Lauren's spin class a try again.  It's been a while since I've been in her class since I've typically been running on Friday's, but since I ran on Tuesday and my calf still feels strained, the spin class seems like the better way to go.  I did think about actually riding my bike today but spin seemed like it would present more of a workout.  I want to burn calories! 

Keeping it Going with Shoulders and Cardio

Oh boy.  The two days I didn't get up to go to the gym earlier this week sure has made it hard to get up the last couple days.  I almost caved in to staying in bed and getting more sleep, but I was able to force myself to get up.  Lisa had made some real food for me to eat last night, so that was my motivation to get me in the gym.  I wanted to make sure I burned the calories from what I ate.  I know...I'm a freak.

I got a good shoulder workout in today with 4 exercises and I also did my abs and lower back.  I kept the theme of the week going with the mixed resistance training (light high reps, heavy low reps, light high reps).  I was worried about some of the weights I chose for my heavy weights just because I didn't want to get hurt, but pleasantly surprised I was able to move them around without problems.  I guess I'm not that weak.  HA HA

For my cardio during lunch, I need to get back on my bike.  I had a great workout on the spin bike on my own yesterday, but I need some real bike seat time.  My left calf is still bugging me from my Tuesday run and since I worked on off-the-seat on the spin bike (staying off the seat and keeping the resistance high for the whole time), my quads are also still feeling it from yesterday.  I don't know what I'll have for the ride, but if anything, I'm just looking for another good workout.  I'll give it what I have...I hope. 

Catching Up Again

I haven't blogged my training for awhile, but that doesn't mean I haven't been training.  I think I left off with my training on Thursday, so here's what happened since then:

Friday - I had the day off from work, so I also took the day off from training.  I had planned on saving my strength for a race I had signed up for on Saturday. 

Saturday - I didn't end up racing due to the weather, and on top of that, didn't also end up training.  I had a couple foot races with my son, Richie, though.  HA HA.  I would have trained but planned a hill trainer on Sunday.

Sunday - epic hill trainer on Baldy.  My times have definitely dropped when I compare to all the previous times I've been up that mountain.  Slowest times for almost all segments.  I just couldn't put down the same amount of power as before.  More hill training needed I suppose.  I was able to get away with doing the ride with 1.5 bottles and 3 gels, plus almost a package of shot bloks.  This just shows that I'm not working hard enough, right?

Monday - I was a little worked from the hill trainer, so I skipped morning work out but got a chest workout in during lunch time.  I went from light to a heavier set and back for the exercises I performed.  I also spun a little on a stationary bike just to make my legs feel better.

Tuesday - I didn't get in the gym but went for a 10 mile run to clear my mind due to some things going on at home.  I  tried to maintain a tempo that was doable for that distance, but I did pick it up some on the way back.  In the end, my left calf started to hurt, so I think I may have gone a little too far.

Today - My calf is still feeling it, so I'm walking with a limp.  This, however, didn't stop me from making it into the gym today.   This was the first morning this week I made it in, and I was close to just skipping once again.  I convinced myself that if I don't go in, I may just never make it in for the rest of the week.  It worked, and I got a back workout in.  It took a lot of inner dialog to get going, so my workout wasn't the best.  I was just glad to be able to get in there, so good enough.  I still did the same thing as I did with my chest workout by alternating between light and heavy, and I'll probably do this for shoulders tomorrow.   At lunch time, I'm planning on a light spin because of my calf.  Tomorrow, I'll ride again.  

Arms and Lunch Ride

Today is my Friday since I'm off tomorrow, so I'm glad it's my last day of the week to get up early.  I'm still having trouble getting up at least from a motivational standpoint, but I am getting up nonetheless.  This morning, I got my arms worked out and managed 2 exercises each for arms and biceps.  I had it in my mind to work with a purpose and today's purpose was just to keep working on improving my conditioning where I blew out as many reps per set as I could.  Both were pretty worked despite only 2 exercises each (3 sets per).  I also did my lower abs and my lower back.

For lunch today, I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike.  I had a good spin session yesterday, but despite, my legs feel pretty recovered...finally.  I hope to find a route that will make today fun but safe.  If as many come out today as they did Tuesday, it should be a good one training-wise.

Shoulders over Legs and Spin

Originally my plan was to hit legs today with some weights, but since I ran 6.5 miles on Monday, I wanted to give them a little more time to recover.  They were pretty tight yesterday morning, but ironically they loosened up after yesterday's lunch ride.  Nonetheless, I opted to work shoulders instead. 

My shoulder workout was pretty good today.  Although I only got 4 exercises in for them, the high rep sets plus going beyond my "breaking point" on several of the sets got them pretty worked.  I was happy with it.  Considering I felt hungry when I woke up and only drank coffee before working out, it was good.  I couldn't wait to have my Met-Rx when I got home though. 

For lunch time, I do plan on hitting spin (another reason I opted to skip legs).  I haven't been spinning much since I picked up running as part of my training regimen, so I'm looking forward to getting back in there. 

Leg Fatigue, Back Day and Lunch Ride

Yesterday, I opted to run during lunch for my cardio, and it was nice to just be able to run alone where I manage my own pace.  I still pushed it here and there and ended up running 6.5 miles.  My legs felt okay after albeit a little tired, but when I got up this morning, I could definitely feel them more.  My calves felt especially tight, but I am still able to walk.  It doesn't hurt anywhere near like it did when I first ran a few weeks ago.  Some extra strength Tylenol this morning should help.

I made it to the gym with Lisa this morning and I chose not to do any progressive resistance training.  Every exercise was merely the same weight where I tried to do as many reps as possible each set with minimal rest in between.  Because of all the reps, I was only able to do 4 exercises for back, but I did work my lower abs and lower back also. 

For lunch today, I'm planning to ride my bike.  I have my wheels on my BMC again, so I'll be taking this bike to work.  I'm not sure what route we're taking, but I doubt it'll matter given my legs aren't going to be too strong. 

Yesterday's Ride, Today's Chest and Lunch Cardio

For the weekend training, I rode down to Poway from my house with Vin and got 68 miles + 3000 feet of climbing.  We started out fairly slow to warm up, but got our average up to 20.7 mph by the time we got down to the Camp Pendleton McDonald's.  Trying to find our way through Rancho Santa Fe and getting a little lost, our average dropped to 19.4, but it was still a great workout.  I didn't mind working up front a lot to keep the pace up as I was interested in earning my Easter eats.  Vin came in on occasion and helped keep the pace up as well.  Despite the ride, I never felt like my legs got too worked, so it was a good ride.

I did contemplate on whether I wanted to work out this morning given I've been resting more, but I felt a little guilty from what I ate over the weekend.  Curiously, I was a little hungry this morning when I woke up.  I did end up going in and getting my chest worked out and it was pretty good.  I stayed light and didn't really pyramid up and got 5 chest exercises in plus lower back and abs. 

For today's cardio, I'm contemplating getting a run in but I may spin as well.  I will be off on Friday where I won't be able to get a run in then, so I may do so earlier this week. 

Race Analysis, Arms and Lunch Run

Once again, the same thing happened during last night race where at some point half-way through, I started to just fall off the back and for the life of me, I can't figure out why.  It's never a matter of feeling like I can't breathe or where I start to cramp.  I just can't keep up.  I did notice my HR was up for a while, but I've held an elevated HR for a lot longer previously.  I think I just have to concede that I am not in crit racing shape and maybe there's just not much I can do about it.  I hate the thought of feeling so helpless though.  Lisa, who came to watch, said I looked like I was doing better.  I'm not sure what that really means, but maybe there's some improvement from week-to-week...or maybe I'm just kidding myself.  The next race is in two weeks, so maybe the break will help. 
 

This morning, I was so tempted to just stay in bed since Lisa wasn't feeling to well.  I did manage to drag my ass up and get in the gym, but it took a while to get going.  I did punish my arms (mostly biceps) for yesterday's sad race performance and finished it off with a core workout.

I will be running today at lunch time to keep the running up.  Madison won't be running with us, so I'll have to find a way to challenge myself.  I would try to break last week's record on my own, but I just don't know how to pace myself well enough.  Maybe I'll borrow Lisa's GPS and track this run, but I'm afraid it'll only tell me I'm slow here too.

Morning Spin and Lunch Time Shoulders

After yesterday's ride, I liked how my legs felt resulting from the rest I gave them on Monday so I thought I'd go with an earlier spin this morning.  This way, they can be rested more for tomorrow night's crit.  I never felt like I was blowing up yesterday, so I'm hoping that tomorrow will be more of the same.  My spin this morning was a lot lighter than what it would be like had I joined the spin class at lunch.  I still worked up a pretty good sweat though.

At lunch time today, i'll opt to do my shoulder workout at the gym at work.  I did get a good shoulder workout two weeks ago when I did this, so I'm hoping for more of the same today.  After this, it's all rest until the race. 

Diet, Back and Lunch Ride

I'm doomed.  Lisa seems to not want to help me too much on my diet, and I can't resist when she offers me things that aren't exactly in lined with what I want to eat.  I didn't eat much in terms of quantity last night, but I could have eaten better.  I'm trying to only go down to 3 Met-Rx a day (vs. four) but she wants to give me more food as a result where I wonder if this is a good plan after all.  I guess we'll see.

For my back training today, it was back to very light and very high reps.  I'm trying to not train heavy since Lisa seems to think my shoulders are getting bigger, so I'm wondering if even the light training is getting my muscles to respond by growth.  I don't want to get bigger.   I also got my core training in today.

For the lunch ride, I'm going to propose the double back bay route with points that we did before.  I'm bringing my Cervelo so I won't be able to see my power numbers, but one of these days I'll swap out the brake pads on it so I can interchange the wheels between both bikes.  I'm interested to see how my power numbers will be on the Cervelo.  I hope I don't get blown out the back today. 

Perpetual Decline and Today's Training

It seems no matter what I do, I just can't seem to get out of the rut that I'm in.  This is with regard to weight loss, strength training, and just improving in cycling.  For the most part, progress is either stale or actually reversed, and to be honest, I don't know what to do.  I've received several suggestions from friends about what I can do, but I can't seem to get behind any of them because they conflict with my general ideas of training and dieting.  This conflict isn't necessarily where I believe they're wrong and I'm right.  It's more about getting myself to go against my grain.  I'm trying to adapt some aspects by training less here and there, but the results are showing that none of this is really working.  Take yesterday's riding for example:  It should have been an ideal time to at least match some of my top times in certain segments, but once again, Strava is showing me as having a big fat zero.  I look at my times going up certain hills and segments, and they are way off and show a trend of decline.  Okay, so I drank a bunch on Saturday and didn't sleep until late, but I don't expect it to reflect that poorly on my riding.  I'm just tired of making excuses as I try and analyze what reasons are causing me to do poorly.  If I were to have done everything right and STILL performed bad, then that would even be more reason to be annoyed with my progress.  In ways, I think that's why I'm losing the motivation to continue to try and excel.  I don't think I'll even be close to ready enough to have a good outing for the L'Etape in a few weeks, but I'll still give it my best whatever that is.

For this morning, I once again woke up where I could have gone to the gym...but didn't.  I felt tired from yesterday's ride still (which didn't use to hamper me previously), so I decided I'd give my legs a little rest and will opt to train on chest at lunch time.  I was going to try and change my schedule around to where I can train my legs to improve their strength, but how can I do that when they feel less than 100% from the riding? I may have to reschedule my whole training program all together and find a way to make everything fit if that's even possible.  At least for today, all I have to worry about is weight training.   I hope it's at least a good workout.

Yesterday's Race, Today's Arms and Lunch Run

Yesterday's race revealed once again that I just don't have the energy to finish the race strong.  Midway through the race, I just started to fall off the pace of the rest of the group even from the draft.   I was glad not to get dropped right away though since it was fast from the start.  I just need to bring up my endurance to be able to sustain the high pace throughout.  I don't know if now is a good time for it though given I don't take in a lot of carbs during the week, so  maybe I should just expect this for now.  Once I drop the weight I want, maybe I'll be able to have the energy needed to do better.  I'll be eating real food again vs. mostly Met-Rx, and if I can remember last year, this was good for me. 

For this morning's workout, I did my arms but with the rep count for each set, I was only able to do 3 exercises:  2 biceps and 1 tricep.  Time flew this morning, but my arms got a good enough workout.  I also got to work my core, so good enough for this morning. 

At lunch, I hope to do a 4.5 mile run with some people and I'm contemplating taking it easy.  However, I doubt that will be the case once I get going.  I do want to keep running just to get more accustomed to it, but I do wonder how it'll affect my racing.  I'm not willing to give it up this early though, so it is what it is.  Maybe I'll actually focus on racing and do only things that will help it down the road.  Maybe.

Shoulder morning and Lunch Spin

Last week, I opted to do cardio in the morning and shoulders at lunch time since my legs were trashed from a run I did over the prior weekend.  Since my legs feel good today despite yesterday's lunch ride (with the exception of my damn bee stings), I worked shoulders this morning and will spin at lunch.  We'll have to see whether this affects my race tomorrow night.

My shoulder workout was a good one.  I got 5 exercises in, high reps, blew up during some of the sets but drove to do even more after.  The weights were light, non-increasing, and the reps were fast and explosive as usual.  Side dumbbell raises, seated machine shoulder press, alternating front dumbbell raises, cable overhead press, and rear delt machine.  I also got my 100 rep lower back set in and my lower ab workout. 

For lunch today, I'll be spinning in Madison's class.  I feel like I haven't been spinning as much lately, so I'm looking forward to it. 

Swollen Legs, Back Day and Lunch Ride

I'm really not having a great reaction to the bee stings to my legs where my right calf is totally swollen as is my left inner thigh.  They are sensitive to the touch, feel really tight since they're swollen, and they itch like hell.  I've been taking all sorts of stuff to try not to feel them, but nothing is working.  They feel no better today than the last couple days.  I hope I can get through today.

I did make it in to the gym this morning and got my back worked out.  I went back to light and fast reps without increasing the resistance through each rep.  I figure I need to go back to my original objective of trying to adapt to high reps without taking the intensity up too high.  It was good and I got 4 exercises in...barely.  I also got my core workout in. 

Even though my legs are jacked from the stings, I'm going to ride with the guys today during lunch.  I'm not sure what kind of route we should do, but I'm open to anything.  I just want to ride. 

Friday Run, Yesterday's Ride and Today's Training

On Friday, I ended up running with Madison and a few others during lunch and the pace was not as manageable as expected.  I was hoping for a 10 min/mi pace or somewhere in that range if not slower, but we were doing sub-9 minute miles throughout 4.5 miles over hills and with a sprint finish.  That was NOT the plan, but I rolled with the punches.  I was off the back for the beginning, but caught Madison a little past midway through.  Running with her was a challenge, but she's alpha through-and-through and I guess so am I.  My legs were feeling it after but not as bad as from when I ran the weekend before.

I did get a decent ride in yesterday despite my legs still recovering from the run, but my pace was sub 22 mph.  I didn't really set the ride up for the climb up and over Cook's, but it was still fun and I got a great workout as a result.  In the reverse loop we did after, we did a good amount of off the seat riding, so that was fun.  On the way back on Irvine Blvd though, I got stung by a bee...on both legs!  I didn't mention the 2nd sting on the ride blog, but it was on my calf on the other side.  I thought my leggings caught and that's why it pinched, but you can see where I got stung after I took them off.  Both areas are now swollen and itchy.  Sigh.

For this morning, I ended up skipping the gym because my legs were feeling a little tight last night (maybe more from the bee sting than anything else), but I thought it may be a good idea to rest them today.  I'll be training pecs during lunch at the gym at work, so it should be a good day for my legs to recover.

First Race Analysis, Yesterday's Diet and Today's Training

Well, I finally got my first crit out of the way and it was pretty much just as I expected.  It revealed that 1) I'm not ready for that type of racing yet and 2) I may not be ready for any type of racing.  Going into it, I did do some things right like resting the day of the race, getting there early enough to get a warm-up, and getting enough fluids in where I had no problems with cramping.  For the next race however, I won't eat like crap the night before (due to Lisa's birthday), drink alcohol the night before, and I will make sure my bike is free of any problems.  I also hope to have my legs as fresh as possible whereas only today, my legs finally don't feel the effects of last Saturday's run.  I do think I have to find my way back to "wanting it" more since I seem to have some motivational issues when pushed to the limit, but I hope getting out there regularly will do this.  In general, I don't think I did too bad considering it was my first race and I was alone.

After binging on Wednesday, I was actually down on calories by a lot even after racing.  According to a calorie tracker app and based on my weight and calories burned, I was over 500 calories under what I was suppose to burn yesterday.   I'm okay with it since it probably was still less than the extra I took in on Wednesday.

For this morning's workout, I got my arms done and started out with triceps for once.  I haven't been doing triceps as much only because they would get worked on climbing from the drops off the seat.  However, I think it's time to give them a little attention, so....  I got 6 exercises plus the lower back and ab workout. 

At lunch, I plan on getting some running in and will run with some folks at work.  I think the pace should be manageable where I can consider it a light day for cardio.   I need to keep running so when I do the duathlon, it just won't hurt as much.  I don't expect to kill it at that event, but I don't want to embarass myself too much either.

Morning Cardio with Lunch Shoulders

Rather than working out with weights in the morning, I opted for the ideal where I got my cardio out of the way.  I say ideal because cardio in the morning after a cup of coffee is best for burning fat since glycogen levels are depleted from the overnight fast.  The reason I did my cardio first, however, was just so I can give my legs enough time to rest for tomorrow night's crit.  They feel better today albeit with some slight discomfort still, but nowhere near as bad as it had been the last few days.  They didn't hold up as well as I had hoped for yesterday's ride, but maybe after giving them a whole day's rest, they'll be good.

I do plan on doing weights at lunch time but there is a possibility I may skip since today is my wife's birthday.  If she opts to come join me for lunch, I'll go and push out my shoulder workout to Friday.   I plan on sleeping in tomorrow, so it would have to wait until then.  If she doesn't, I will be working on my shoulders at lunch time at work.  I hurt my wrists yesterday after a little spill on my bike, so I don't know how effective my workout will be but I'll still give it a try. 

Back Day and Lunch Ride with Unrecovered Legs

This morning, I was a little charged up for my back workout despite still feeling pains from Saturday's run.  I had some pretty good sets where I actually broke a pretty good sweat.  The weights I used this morning are a little heavier than what I was using before (I'm bored with the light weights), but they're not too heavy where I can still crank out a lot of reps.  I may go back to the lighter weights since my goals are not to get bigger, but I need to change it up a little just to keep it interesting.

For our lunch ride, I'm hoping to get some good crit training since I do want to do this Thursday night's crit.  The only problem is my legs have not recovered fully from running.  My hamstrings are the worst with my feet and shins coming a close second.  I spun yesterday and they felt okay after some endorphins kicked in, so I'm hoping they'll be the same today.  

Friday through Today

On Friday, I did end up doing some cardio during lunch time but it was very light.  I went to the bldg 6 spin bike and just spun for an hour.  I still managed to get a good sweat going, but my legs were not taxed very much.

Saturday, I was suppose to race but after getting cancelled, I ended up just going to the gym and running for an hour (6.25 miles) followed by an hour on the stationary bike.  I had a lot of anxiety I needed to work off.  Plus, we were going to a birthday party in San Diego, so creating a little deficit was a good thing. 

On Sunday, I also worked out but I just did my arms and then I did a little spin only to get some blood circulating through my legs.  The run I did on Saturday was after not having ran for over a year, so my legs were thrashed.  It helped to spin but ibuprofen helped more.

Now considering the above, this means I have been in the gym or on a bike every day last week.  In other words, I didn't have a rest day.  There were some missed sessions, so good enough for now.  I'll save the rest day for this weekend.

This morning, I made it in the gym and got my chest worked out.  I did a lot of reps where I didn't have a chance to do my push-up finish, but it was a good one.  I got to work my lower back and my lower abs as well. 

For lunch time, I think I'll either spin or do something different.  My legs are still feeling Saturday's run, so keeping the blood circulating should help them recover sooner...hopefully.

Calories, Shoulders and More Cardio

My goal weight (145) may take longer than I expected.  I stepped on the scale yesterday and did not like what I saw (153).  I seem to be going the wrong way despite what I feel is a fairly managed diet.  I've even given up beer!   I downloaded a calorie counter on my phone last night and after plugging in what I eat, it doesn't seem like I'm dieting enough.  Wha?  Maybe I'll be more aware of my calorie intake, and see what happens.  It seemed easier to lose weight last year, but we were probably throwing down more miles on the bike then?  I didn't think so given I ride just about every day (including spin), but whatever.

For this morning, I managed to get up and get a decent shoulder workout despite not having slept well last night.  I didn't push too hard given I don't want to get hurt before this weekend's race, but it was good enough.  I also worked my abs, but I didn't get to work my lower back. 

At lunch time, I'm contemplating what to do for cardio.  I may spin but I may also just do so on my own and not in a class.  My upper things are feeling yesterday's spin class for some reason, so I may have to give them a little lighter session today to help them recover.  I'll definitely take it even more easy tomorrow.

The Conflicts Within Me

This morning, I got up to go to the gym but was conflicted.  I wasn't sure I wanted to go given I was contemplating skipping a workout to give myself some additional rest.  However, Lisa had indicated she wanted to go.  Thus, I was going to just go with her and maybe get my shoulders trained a day early (skipping legs due to this weekend's race).  I would then contemplate skipping my lunch workout.  Ultimately, I ended up not going at all (ironically as Lisa convinced me to go back to sleep), so that's exactly what I did.

Now for training at lunch time, I still remain conflicted.  I don't know whether to do weights or to do cardio.  I think the latter can help me stay trim for this weekend, but it may come at the cost of not giving my legs any rest (I've ridden for the last 4 days).  Then I think I can go ahead and work shoulders, but other than sparing my legs, it doesn't really do anything to help for this weekend.   I brought clothes to do both.  In addition, I still have my bike at work and do have the option to ride at lunch as well...and yes, I brought clothes for that too.  I guess I'll decide on what to do before lunchtime.   Sigh

Normalized, Back day and Lunch Ride

I'm feeling a lot better than I had the last couple weeks where my digestive system seems normal again.  I'm not sure it factored into my performance, but yesterday, I actually felt normal during my spin session.  It wasn't a spin class, but I still got a real good sweat going.  I hope it continues.

This morning, I worked my back and had a pretty good workout.  4 exercises:  close grip pull downs, alternating wide cable pull downs, rows, and cable pullovers.  I also did my lower back and my upper abs.   

For lunch, I want to take out my Cervelo and see how I do on it since I'll probably end up taking it this weekend.  In a way, I think I'm faster on my BMC but the hill in the race makes me nervous where the compact may help me spin up more in race mode.  Plus, I have the aluminum wheels on it where it'll be better for the expected wet weather.  The only thing is I won't get to see my power data.  Oh well.

I had a pretty decent weekend of riding where I was able to get in 90 miles; 60 on Saturday and 30 yesterday.  I wasn't trying to kill it on my ride on Saturday as I was just trying to keep going without stopping to build up my endurance.  I didn't expect to mix it up but ended up doing so with a guy on my way back.  It was nice to be able to charge up a hill after him as he thought he could get away from me.   I hope I have the same capabilities for next weekend's race.  I did have a couple close calls with crashing where one was where I went through the reflectors near the gate on my way back and almost tucked my front tire on some dirt after.   The second was where the guy I was mixing it up with ended up dropping his bottle right in front of me after we went through the fence onto the parking lot at the state beach.  My legs were tired on yesterday's ride at Como, but I did okay.  The compression pants helped a lot to keep my legs in check.

For today, I was able to make it into the gym despite the time change.  Boy was it rough to get up at 4:30 this morning.  I still managed to get a decent chest workout but I did skip my lower back training and only got an ab workout after.  I just wanted to be done.  I'm sure once I get used to the time, I'll be more focused...maybe. 

For lunch time, I'm thinking about a run on the treadmill.  However, I'm skeptical to try something new just before a race this weekend.  I may just spin.  We'll see.

Shoulders and Lunch Ride - No Race

This morning, I had to decide whether I wanted to race this afternoon or not.  If I were to race, I'd have stayed in bed and got some additional rest, but after getting up, my legs (and motivation) just didn't feel up to par for racing.  Thus, I got up and got my ass to the gym to work out my shoulders.  I got a pretty decent workout where I stayed true to form this week with a heavier workout.  I actually need to be careful just because I'm falling into the mode where I like training heavy vs. light, and I'm actually doing well in this mode.  However, I know the heavy training just counters my cycling, so I'll be back to the lighter weights next week for sure.  I also got my lower back and ab training in for the day.

For lunch time, I do plan on bringing my bike in for a ride.  I'm thinking nothing should be different from Tuesday where I'll probably get dropped again.  I think this because during yesterday's spin, I really had a hard time warming up and didn't even want to push my HR above 120.  Oh boy, I'm in big trouble if this continues through next week and for the Bulldog race.

Struggling to Figure Things Out

Okay, I didn't think it would be too difficult to figure things out from a training/dieting perspective, but I have to admit...I'm stumped.  I honestly don't feel like I have any control anymore of what's going on.  My goal, as I proclaimed to all my cycling buddies, is to reach a weight of 145.  As I'm trying to do so, I've lessened my caloric intake, but I feel like I'm going backwards.  I'm not only not losing weight, but my strength seems to suck as well.  I did do well on my weight training this week, but my ride yesterday was an absolute mess.  This was despite having skipped a cardio session on Monday.

So what do I do this morning...skip my weight training session thinking this would help.  I didn't get any sleep last night to boot, so this also kept me from wanting to train this morning.  However, for the most part it was just that I'm trying to figure things out.  I wanted to apply more emphasis on my cardio today, so another reason I skipped this morning's workout.  I hope Madison doesn't cancel spin class as that's my only plans for training today.

One thing I thought about since yesterday's ride was how unprepared I am for tomorrow night's crit.  This plagued my mind all evening and I still have yet to figure out whether it's worth going or not.  Since daylight savings time is this Sunday, it may be better just to hold off one more week and be able to race later in the afternoon, hopefully if they shift the race times.  Or I may just go tomorrow night.  I guess I'll have to decide by tomorrow morning.

A Little Heavier Back Workout and a Lunch Ride

After yesterday's bench fiasco, I decided I'd kick up the weights a little bit for today's back workout.  I still tried to push the weights as fast or explosive as I could, but every exercise had 1-2 heavier sets than normal.  It's nice to train heavy once in a while because it does change things up and hopefully will cause my muscles to respond more to it.  Even with heavy training, I think it still helps to get me leaner now that I'm set to try to drop down to 145.  Lean mass burns more calories, so working on getting more more mass underneath should help me lose weight but hold on to muscle.  I also worked on more core and am now alternating between upper and lower abs every day.

For today's cardio, I do want to get a ride in with the guys during lunch.  I think I'll bring my Cervelo out and maybe do a Starcrest route.  There's some things I want to try out/work on on the hills today, so I hope it doesn't rain.  Should be good.

Skipped Cardio and Chest Workout at Lunch

I got up this morning but decided I still need to make strides in reducing the frequency of my workouts so I give myself enough time to recover.  I rode 60 miles yesterday, so I figured I could give my legs some rest.  It's not that they felt bad or anything, but I really need to manage my training better...so back to sleep I went.  

Since I was letting my legs rest, I opted to train with the weights at lunch time.  The nice thing about training with weights later in the day is that I have more food (fuel) in me to do so.  With the additional sleep I got, that helped as well.  I ended up seeing Patrick and Joey, who I used to bench with previously, at the gym and they were both working out with Josh...someone who used to train with us on occasion.  Now I was content on doing my own thing and keeping it light, but after picking up the 135 lbs. for my first set, I thought "Wow, that felt pretty easy."  After doing another warm-up of 185, which also came easy, I decided to join the other guys just to see where I was strength-wise.  

One motivation to see how much I could bench was because I've heard that Patrick, the nicest guy and all, had been talking a lot about how strong he was where other guys would tell me about it (like I'm his dad or something...haha).  I knew Patrick had once hit 300 on the bench but confirmed he had not yet hit 315 (three plates each side).  Although I hadn't done this type of weight for a while now, I decided to do one more warm-up of 225 lbs (3x) and decided to go for 315 subsequently.  Patrick had indicated beforehand as I approached them that I looked like a gymnast now (an indirect poke at how I look smaller...which is true), so I pretty much dedicated the attempt to him.  Surprisingly, I nailed it and even possibly had enough for one more rep, but I was happy with the one as it was enough to quiet Patrick...especially considering I'm only 150-ish.  In contrast, he's upwards of 170-180.  I had a great workout after and even did 13 reps of 225 following the 315 rep.  Hopefully, Patrick saw that too.  LOL.  

I finished up with other chest workouts and did some crunches to end the day.  Tomorrow, the 2x resumes.

Arms, Lunch Cardio and Wheel Evaluation

Lisa didn't get up with me this morning to go to the gym, so it was tempting to stay in bed under the premise that I need to take it easy.  That didn't stick though, so I got up and made it to the gym despite the 39 degree temperature outside.  I did some high rep arm workout and did the most dips I've ever done.  I think I was pretty fresh though when I did it.  Good conditioning workout. 

Since I exercised 3 times yesterday and subsequently had a stomach ache last night, I'm not sure what my plans are for today's cardio.  I don't feel tired though, so I may do a light cardio.  However, I do like doing spin class, so I may just do that. 

On a cycling note, I'm really starting to love my wheels.  I rode home yesterday and it was my first one-on-one time with it.  It's lateral stiffness is quite noticeable and very reminiscent of Noah's wheels.  After putting Pro Race 700x23, they also seem to work better for me where they feel more familiar.  One area that seems different from Noah's was how they didn't seem have me bouncing around as much.   This seems contrary to the lateral stiffness, but that's what I noticed.  Lastly, the braking on these wheels are so much better than when I had the Spinergy wheels on.  They are definitely more quiet and the braking is reminiscent of aluminum.  I think aluminum still has a little more grip, but these Reynolds definitely inspire a lot of stopping confidence.  Great wheels!

Race Fate, Shoulder workout and...

I hadn't committed 100% to racing this afternoon, but I was definitely leaning towards doing so.  My only reservation was the the time it was going to start whereas I wondered if I could make it out in time.  As fate would have it though, my car broke down where I have to get it fixed.  That means I'll be bringing it to a shop this morning and possibly picking it up this afternoon.  Since it's Lisa's turn to do the carpool for the kids this week, her car is not an option.  Again...fate.  I suppose this will give me one more week to get ready.

Since I'm not racing, it was a no brainer to go in this morning and do my shoulder workout.  I had a pretty good one with super high rep sets and fast and explosive.  Overall, I was satisfied with the intensity given I was a little distracted with my car situation.  I also got to do my core training also. 

Depending on how I get to work and/or how I get home, I may either spin or ride at lunch...if I can.  I may ride my motorcycle, so this will be where I'd spin at lunch if I did.  If Lisa takes me to work, I'll throw my bike in the back and ride at lunch.  I may also ride home, so this may be a triple day of exercising. 

Diet, Back Day and Lunch Cardio

I probably don't talk about my diet enough, but last Sunday I decided to kick it up a notch for a couple reasons:  1) I've been eating a lot of junk on the weekends where it just isn't translating to energy as well and 2) I think I can stand to lose more body fat.   The changes I'm making will be that I will no longer be eating fried foods again, I will avoid overeating after my long rides, I am giving up alcohol (for a little while anyway), and I will increase my protein intake on the weekends.  These are not drastic changes, but I hope it'll help me tone up more and translate to more efficient cycling.

I got a pretty decent back workout this morning hitting 4-5 different exercises plus my core training.  Speed was the focus and I kept pushing even beyond when I would typically stop.  My back feels worked.  Good deal.

For lunch, I am toying with the idea of bringing my bike, but I'll likely jump in today's spin class.  I would like to try out my bike again with the new wheels, but I may save it for tomorrow night's race.  I still plan to race just to get a good training session in even though it doesn't seem like anyone will join me.  In the end, I hope the training will help for the Bull Dog race coming up soon.

Restarted Weight Training, New Approach and Lunch Cycling

After taking some time off from the weights since last Thursday, I woke up this morning wondering if I should just one more day.  I really wanted to stay in bed, but last night, I was committed to return to the gym today, so off I went.  I started my workout schedule from the beginning, which means today was my chest day.  I had a decent workout, but I feel like I had a diminished breathing capacity.  Lisa had mentioned she noticed I was wheezing the other day when I slept, so I don't know if I have a bug.  I'm not showing any other symptoms though, so I'll assume it was just from being really tired from my ride on Sunday. 

Speaking of my ride on Sunday, I'm getting a little tired of coming up with excuses, so I won't.  I don't think I did very well, and I was spinning on my low gears more than I wanted.  I don't even want to try to figure it out, but I am trying to change my workout schedule where I will start taking it easy vs. going hard M-F.  Weight-wise, it'll still be the same, but the cycling will be high and low intensity.  Since races start this week, I'll also be skipping my leg workouts for a while. 

For lunch today, I hope to try out the new wheels/Power tap and see how they feel.  The roads are quite wet, but I think they'll dry out enough for a ride out with the guys.  If for some reason the roads are still wet, I'll jump in the spin class.  My legs feel better after I spun on a Lifecycle stationary bike yesterday for an hour. 

Trying to Train Less...For a Little Bit Anyway

After Wednesday's spin, not even a class led one since it was cancelled, I felt horrible.  Although I had a good solo session and sweated up a storm, I just felt like I was nauseated and almost went home after.  Seeing as how I've been taxing my body so much lately, and with my HR staying pegged during rides, I thought it would behoove me to find some way to not train so much.  I make it sound as though it's hard not to train, and the reality is, it is.  I love to train and it's easier to follow a routine than deviate from it when that's all I've been doing for a while.  However, since I've been unable to shake this "deep" feeling of fatigue, what I've decided to do was skip  my morning weight workouts and get more sleep.  That's what I've done the last 2 days.  I can't not be active though, so I did go on a lunch ride  yesterday.  The guys let me get away with a lower intensity ride, albeit  a BRCM lower intensity lunch ride is probably not really low.  At least my HR wasn't pegged again.

For today, I do plan on getting in a spin class, but the rest from this morning hopefully will make it less painful.  I'll try to take it easy in there as well. 

Although I know a longer rest session would be good, I'm feeling better already.  We do have plans to ride up Baldy on Sunday so hopefully, I'll be up to par by then.  

Leg day and Spin Class

Today I woke up hungry given my lack of carbs from yesterday.  I had to have a little blueberry almond snack with my coffee this morning just so I don't go into the gym feeling starved.  This seemed to work well for my leg workout as I had a pretty good one.  I was on a mission in there to push where my rep sets were fast and continuous.  I would blow up my muscle on a set, take some deep breaths, and then hit it again.  There were sets of 90 reps excluding the additional ones that I would bang out after.  I was pretty blown out once I finished and calves, quads, glutes and hammies were toast.

I know my legs will probably still be in recovery mode, but I do plan to join Madison's spin class today.  I may wear compression pants underneath to improve circulation and hopefully keep me from cramping during the class.  I'll bring water too.  Better safe than sorry.

Healing Back, Back Day and Lunch Ride

My lower back seems to be improving, although I still feel it's susceptible to being injured.  It didn't get in the way of my training this morning, which coincidentally is a back day.  I was able to do some rows even, but I did lighten up a bunch.  I also trained for speed today just like yesterday, and this will be the mode moving forward for a while.  Hopefully, it'll be helpful during race season.  I got 4 exercises done along with completing my core exercises.

For lunch, I'm hoping for a good run out.  My legs feel better than they did last week, so the shorter miles over the weekend probably helped.  I did work with Eddie yesterday in the spin room, but I'm hoping that it will not affect my performance during lunch.  I'm contemplating a hill route vs. a Portola run, so we'll see what the guys want to do and go from there.

Monday Chest Day and Lunch Cardio

Lately, I've been waking up in the morning where my lower back has felt like it's on the verge of going out.  However, I've just been very careful with certain movements where I think that's helped to keep it from doing so.  It even bothered me in yesterday's ride, but it didn't seem to have much impact other than discomfort in the beginning.  This morning was just more of the same. 

I still managed to get in the gym this morning despite how my back felt, but I definitely had my weight belt cinched up good.  I also made sure that I was breathing properly through every exercise.  During my chest workout, my focus was speed.  While I been working fast explosive moments for a while, I don't know if I always make a mental connection to ensure that I push or pull as fast as I can.  Today, I made such a connection and had a pretty good workout.  I did also do my lower back and abs despite my back issue where it doesn't seem to hurt anything.  In fact, it helped to keep the area warm so now that I'm at home, it feels okay.

For lunch today, I was contemplating on running again, but with my back bothering me, I don't know if that's a good thing.  When I used to run before, I had thrown out my back a couple times just because the pounding is so harsh to my spine.  If I don't spin, I'll be in the spin room.  I feel much better today vs. last week since I only did 40 miles yesterday (to rest), so I'm hoping for a better week cycling-wise.

Rested but Spun at Lunch

After yesterday's ride (and actually during), my energy level was not the same and I continue to drag my ass for the rest of the day...even leaving a little early from work just to rest.  I ended up sleeping with my compression pants (again), but when I awoke this morning, I just didn't feel good.  Not sick but just an overwhelming feeling of fatigue.  As a result, I opted to skip my arm workout and just stay in bed.  Rare, but it happens.   I know I've been training a lot for a while and to boot, my diet is pretty taxing, so I just decided I would skip and see if it would help me recover some.   I know it's not much, but I also have tomorrow (Saturday) to recover for the most part.  

I did jump in a spin class led by Lauren today and Todd and Eddie were there with me.  I actually couldn't hold cadence at some point because of the fatigue I've been feeling, but I did the best that I could.  I meant to take it easy, but I think if I do, Lauren notices and makes all of us suffer.  HA HA.  I dug real deep for today's class, but I'm not sure if it was really helpful or hurtful in the sense that it is still keeping me in the OT state.  I didn't care.  As bad as it is, what's more difficult for me is not being able to eat given I like to maintain a certain ratio of intake to expenditure.   Less training (which we already saw in me not going to the gym this morning) means less food.  Crazy talk considering my carb intake is probably a little too low (except on Valentines Day).  Now I feel like crap, but again, it's all downhill until Sunday's training ride.  Hopefully, I'll be in the 90+ percentile with regard to my energy level by then...at least I hope my legs to be.  

Shoulders and Lunch Ride

This morning was my shoulder workout and it was a pretty good one.  I was able to actually work up a sweat due to the high fast reps during my dumbell raises (front and side) blowing out 30-50 reps per set.  I only did one pressing exercise, and keeping it light also let me push the intensity level pretty high.  I did do pyramid sets for most of the exercises, but not to high in weights during the top.  I also did a drop set on my pressing movement.  The more I change things up, the more I hope my muscles to respond. 

For cardio today, I plan to ride during lunch with the guys barring any more foul weather.  Hopefully, the roads will be dry enough.  I do want to train on flats in preparation for the crits, so let's see if we an do a Portola or Triple BB run today.  My legs should be better, but I may wear my compression pants just in case. 

Yesterday, Leg Day and More Cardio

Despite feeling tired and wanting to rest yesterday and skip cardio, I still made it into the gym for lunch and jumped in Madison's spin class.  I tried to ask Lisa to lunch, but she wanted to wait for our "date" until dinner.  Knowing I'd be eating real food, I decided to create a deficit so I can eat freely.  I was thinking of taking it easy on the spin bike, but that never happens as planned.  I had a good sweat going again by the end of class.

Today, I worked my legs but I focused a lot on my calves and quads.  I pretty much blew both of them out as much as I could, so I didn't have any time to do my hammies.  I could barely walk after, and my shirt was full of sweat.  Great workout. 

For today's cardio, which I still planning on doing, is probably going to end up being another spin sesh.  I was thinking of riding my bike to make up for yesterday, but the forecast calls for rain.  Plus, I think my calves will probably explode if I ride.  After last week's fiasco, I think I'll wait until tomorrow to ride and see how that goes. 

Back Day and Ummm...

It's Valentines day, so it was nice to get in the gym this morning with Lisa.  I got my back worked out and had some pretty solid sets.  I was able to get into the mode where I would stop thinking it was all I could do, but then push through for a few more reps.  I was a little worried since my lower back and glutes felt less than 100%, but they never became a factor.  I was even able to work my lower back and abs subsequently. 

Now for lunch today, I'm contemplating the idea of skipping a ride altogether.  Yesterday, I did get on the spin bike in lieu of running, but got a wild hair up my ass and decided that I would stay off the seat for the length of training (1 hr) and pedal with a cadence matching the beat of my music...except during the last 3 minutes for cool down.  In the end, I felt worked.  What's funny is I couldn't even run to the car last night when I walked out of the office and it was raining. Maybe I'll spin.  Maybe I'll go to lunch. 

Ride Analysis, Chest and Lunch Cardio

The ride on Saturday was a bit more taxing than I expected.  I didn't expect to have to eat and drink as much, but I ended up eating all my gels (3), a PB&J at the SAG, and 3 bottles of electrolytes along with 1.5 packages of Shot Bloks.  The winds made the ride so much harder than in the past, and the guys pushing the pace not willing to ride with others too much for probably about 70% of the route.  My legs felt okay at the end, but yesterday and this morning I'm feeling the fatigue. 

Although tired, I made it in to the gym and got my chest worked out.  I got 6 chest exercises in including a couple repeated sets of push ups to failure.  I also got my lower back and abs worked.  Overall, it was a good workout but strength was down for sure.

For lunch, I may run but I may just sit on the spin bike.  I haven't decided yet.  I will do something though just to get back on track.  If my legs are feeling a little tight, I'll just spin. 

Baselining, Arms, and Then....

I think for this week, I blew it in terms of prepping for this weekend's ride.  Well, so I didn't exactly blow it, but I sure don't have the confidence heading into it as I normally would.  One of the things that make the ride more predictable is when I have consistency (or a baseline) such that my diet, my training, etc., are constant.  This week, my training has been pretty constant but I cleaned up my diet a lot this week where my calories/carbs are done.  The absence of carbs always makes me feel a little more tired and a lot sooner, but I've still been pushing as hard as I could.  Whatever I'm doing wrong, I need to figure it out in the next 2 days. 

I did my arms this morning and focused mostly on my biceps.  I'm saving my triceps since they tend to get worked when I'm on my drops a lot on a long bike ride, especially when I'm off the seat.  I noticed that my biceps seemed more defined, so maybe the diet has helped to lean me out some. 

For lunch time, this is where I'm not sure what I want to do.  Part of me thinks I should rest and let my legs feel recovered (as they still don't yet and my left calf is still twinging) or should I just back down the intensity and take it easy in spin class.  I'm leaning toward the latter because THAT is what I've been doing leading up to the last few rides.  However, I'm really nervous since the norm is that I do not cramp on such a simple ride.  I'll be ready for the spin, but I may end up doing nothing and just relaxing.  I write about it tomorrow.

Saving Legs, Trained Shoulders

I thought I'd save my legs for this weekend's century, so this morning I opted to work on shoulders instead.  Went back to the fast low intensity high rep mode and had a great workout as a result.  My shoulders were definitely feeling the pain  after a few of those high rep sets.  I also got my core worked out, so it was a complete day of training. 

One thing I thought I'd share was the importance of establishing a focal point during the exercise.  This is both visually and mentally.  I do this often where I just look at an object and stare at it while I let my mind focus on what I'm trying to accomplish as well as what will motivate me to do more reps while ignoring the pain.

My legs are a little tight given the riding/spinning for the last 3 day, but I will probably bring my bike in and go out for a ride during lunch.  Nothing crazy I hope.  Just need to keep the blood circulating.