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.