7th Training Day - A Swim Sandwich

Soup du Jour! A swim sandwich! Today the planned workout is a 15 mile bike ride to swim practice, where I will swim 3,000 yards, then a 15 mile ride back. On any other day, the ride or the swim would be considered a large enough workout by itself. There is only a month and a half left before I leave and I need to start pushing and testing my endurance.

First of all, the weather was beautiful. The temperature was in the 70's with the sun shining and a slight breeze. I could not have asked for more. In order to be able to ride 15 miles to the pool I had to drive, from my house, about 10 miles further away from the pool. I was motivated by the challenge of this workout and also excited about the weather. What's more was that I was using my new fancy backpack for the first time. I purchased the backpack because the bike bags I have will not provide enough room for the gear I will need to bring on the ride across the country. Today, though, it was carrying my towel, suit, and goggles.

It has been more than a week since my last ride, but I felt great. I was going fast. I was never below 13 mph on the climbs and was able to hold 20-22 mph in the flats. I was cruising and not very concerned with how my legs would hold up during the swim and ride back. I was surprised at how easily I kept the pace up. I wanted to see how high I could get that average speed. I completed the 15 miles in just under 50 minutes with an average speed of 18.3 mph.

Before swimming I quickly downed 48 ounces of water. The cool temperature of the water in the pool felt great. The 1,000 yard warm up was no problem. Yet, not longer after that, both my quads were cramping up. Oh, no. Everytime I straightened out my leg the muscles right above my knees would immediately cramp up. I was pushing myself, that's for sure.

I completed the 3,000 yard workout in an hour but had some slight concerns with how this ride was going to go. I wolfed a couple of peanut butter Powerbars (they taste pretty good when you are really hungry) and got back on my bike to finish my swim sandwich.

My strategy was to try to keep my cadence high so that I wouldn't strain the muscles in my legs by pushing too hard. The ride back starts out flat and then the last 5 miles are hilly. However, the flatness was not going to be as easy as I hoped. There was quite a headwind. My legs were in no shape to fight it so all I could do was shift down and keep my feet spinning furiously. I felt fine, but was not going very fast. I hovered right around 15 mph. For the first 10 miles, all I was thinking about were the hills that I was going to have to get up.

I have mentioned this hill in my blogs before. Every time I climb it I am exhausted at the top. However, I have never had to walk my bike up it. I was not going to end that streak today. The entire climb I was in my lowest gear. At the steepest part, right in the middle of the hill, that gear was not low enough. I was out of the saddle and was pushing with all my might just to get the pedals to go around one more time. Since I was out of the saddle my legs were now straightening at the bottom causing my thigh muscles to cramp up. Fortunately, there were no people walking on the path nearby because I was making some noises from all my exertion that would've been quite alarming (and yes, pretty funny). Despite the cramping legs I made it over the top! The streak goes on!

After that climb my confidence was soaring. There were other hills that slowed me to a crawl but I was not going to let those make me walk after I had climbed the largest one. I finished the second 15 mile ride in about an hour. I was very happy with the whole workout.

See how happy I am?

Notice the new fancy backpack?

Unfortunately, the post does not end here. In order for me to fit Blue in the Camry I am posing in front of, I have to remove the front wheel. Today was no different and after I removed the wheel I leaned it against the front of the car and proceeded to pack everything else up. The ride home was wonderful, lasting 30 minutes as I went through the park with no radio on, the windows cracked, watching a beautiful sunset and relishing in my accomplishment for the day.

I pulled in the driveway and began unloading my gear. My legs felt rubbery and I was looking forward to consuming a large quantity of food as soon as I got my bike out of the car. Then, I was snapped out of my post-workout/hunger daze when I realized that I had left something where I had parked my car! My front wheel! Having no other choice, I jumped back in the car and sped back to where I had just come from. This time, the drive only took about 20 minutes.

When I reached the parking lot, I was very happy to see this:

Phew!

By placing the wheel on the front of my car, I did not notice it as I backed out of the parking spot. I'm never going to forget that again!

Depsite my memory lapse and the extra driving it caused, it was a wonderful training day. I hope to have some more of those this weekend.

life = good

6th Training Day - A Ride With Nick

My friend Nick has recently purchased a road bike. I was excited to check it out and he was excited to take it for a spin. We decided to meet up this morning and get a ride in together before the March Madness games began in the early afternoon.

We arrived separately by car at our starting point in the park at around 9:00 AM. As we were putting on our cycling shoes and admiring our bicycles (especially Nick's new one) the realization was starting to dawn on us that we were woefully underdressed. The high today might have been in the mid 50's, but it was still early and the sun had not had a chance to warm things back up. It was right around 38 degrees. I was wearing cycling shorts, two t-shirts (one long sleeve) and a windbreaker. Nick at least had pants on but just a sweatshirt on top, no windbreaker. Neither of us had gloves.

It was great riding with a close friend. We were able to talk quite a bit while riding. It was pleasant because there was little traffic. Although, my hands and knees were turning an interesting shade of red and my toes were losing feeling not long after the first mile. Despite this I was certainly enjoying myself.

Riding with two people provides such a great advantage over riding solo. Nick and I would switch leading and the other would try to tuck in as close as possible behind the other and draft. While drafting, I would notice Nick in front of me pedaling very hard and I was not even pedaling and sometimes tapping the brakes so that my front tire would not rub on his rear tire. Oh, I really enjoy drafting. Then, when I notice Nick losing a little momentum I come pedaling hard around him and the roles reverse so that he can rest a bit while drafting before it is his turn to lead once again.

Unfortunately, we did not wear proper clothing for this ride and only managed a meager 13 miles. At least they were a quick 13 miles. I believe our average speed to have been around 18 mph. I still wore myself out by the end when I broke away from Nick and went off in a sprint. This ride was just a teaser. Nick and I plan to do some much longer rides in the future.

Lastly, this blog needs more pictures. You know, spice things up a bit. I mean, there isn't even a picture of me up here yet! So, I promise you that from now on EVERY post I make will include at least one picture. I know...you're very excited. But calm down. You won't have to wait long. The weather is going to be beautiful this week. I'm excited too.

5th Training Day - Another Friend, Another Record

I'll be honest, my goal was to ride 50 miles today. My excuse is that I was not able to leave work until 2 and was not on my bike until 3:15. There might've been enough daylight left for me to go the 50 miles but, I do not have any lights or reflectors on my bike and with all the Friday car traffic in the parks, I felt it was not a risk worth taking. Maybe that's a lame excuse but it was good foresight on my part. I barely managed 35.

The first 15 were easy enough, though. Once again, right from the start I crossed paths with another cyclist. Joe was his name and he is turning 40 next month. He was much shorter than me and held all of his weight in his legs (all muscle). When he was my age he was quite the talented cyclist. Then, he hung up the bike for a wife and a job. It took him getting laid off last year to get him back on the road. Still unemployed, he coaches a youth cycling team for no pay. I rode my first 15 miles with him.

We talked the whole way and I enjoyed his presence for the conversation, but also because whenever the headwind kicked up I could duck behind him and draft. He didn't mind. I could tell when he spoke, his breathing was much less labored than mine.

After we parted ways, I fought the wind for about 2 and a half more miles before conceding and turning around. The way back was spent mostly with my head down, teeth clenched, dueling it out with a nasty breeze that seemed to always be going into my face. I was forced to pull over and take rests every few miles. I stayed in low gears and watched my cadence on the computer keeping it above 90 rpm the whole way. The sensor on my rear wheel that sends the speed and distance information to the computer was not working for a portion of the ride so I don't know my exact average speed but it was approximately 15 mph.

Despite the fact that I was unable to accomplish my original lofty goal of 50 miles, I am more than pleased with what I did accomplish. I made a new friend and set a personal record with 35 miles being the longest distance I have ever ridden in a day. My first 50 miler will just have to wait.

4th Training Day - I Made a Friend

I work in downtown Cleveland. Anyone who lives near Cleveland is most likely aware of the festivities that take place in the city on St. Patrick's day. Bars open at 6 AM, there's a parade, and lots of people dressed in green. What a commotion it all is. For as much as I dislike throngs of drunk people, they did bring a lot of business and positive attention to a downtown area that is lacking in both of those. While walking around, I noticed the atmosphere, with the warm sunny weather and all the people and cars and noises, was more bustling like a Chicago or New York City; much different than the Cleveland I'm used to with overcast skies and empty restaurants. If only the people (preferably more sober) would come down more often.

Anyways, the weather was great. Not a cloud in the sky. I used this old custom that people take seriously by taking off work in order to be as inebriated as possible for the entire day, as an excuse to leave at 1:30 and go for a bike ride. What a relief it was to be in the park away from all those people! Immediately as I started out my ride, I noticed a fellow rider on his bike coming up right behind me. Knowing someone is in pursuit of me is just as motivating as me being in pursuit of someone. I rode fast right from the start.

At about 21-22 mph average I was able to hold off my chaser for 2 miles. I then got to the top of a rather taxing hill and decided to rehydrate in a parking lot. Not more than a minute or so later, here he comes up the hill and also decided to rest a moment. After commenting on the unusual make of my bike frame, we struck up a conversation covering most topics of cycling. We were both heading the same direction so continued our conversation on the road for the next couple of miles. Greg was his name. He is retired and considers cycling his "R and R". He enjoys very long daily rides. Longest of which was 150 miles in a day but said typically he will ride 80 or 100 miles on a Saturday. He only had time for a 30 mile ride today.

He mentioned a retired friend of his who, upon retiring at the age of 65, rode his bike across the U.S. twice. Good for him.

After parting ways with Greg, I continued for 3 more miles to ensure I got at least 20 miles in. It wasn't a speedy 20 miles, but it sure was an enjoyable 20 miles.

3rd Training Day - My Longest Ride Ever...For Now

Nine more days until it is officially spring in Ohio, yet mother nature could not wait. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping. and the snow nearly melted all away. Like a bunch of bears coming out of a winter long hibernation in search of what they lacked during their 3 month stupor, Clevelanders flocked to the parks. Instead of food, which they have had entirely too much of since the snow began to fall, Clevelanders were in search of sunshine and warm, fresh air. After a winter in Cleveland, one begins to miss these things so much that a Californian could not begin to comprehend. They are so spoiled.

I did not go in to work today just so I could be a part of this migration of people from indoors to outdoors. My goal was to ride 30 miles in under 2 hours.

I felt confident from the beginning. A man on his Ducati was waiting to pull out onto the road. As I rode by I asked if he wanted to race. I think he thought I was joking. For the first 15 miles my average speed was 14.6 mph. A little slow but I felt strong after I took a quick rest to rehydrate and soak in the sun.

The second half felt wonderful. I cruised through miles 15 to 25 averaging close to 20 mph. As I was coming upon an intersection, a couple of fellow riders came onto the road in front of me. I came upon them fast and was not sure if I should pass or not. I decided to lay back and observe. I noticed one of the riders pedaled with his knees out at a 45 degree angle away from his bike because his large midsection was in the way of his thighs as they pumped up and down. The other man was very fit and looked to be no younger than 60 years of age. The road was flat and they were cruising at around 19 mph. I decided to pass.

Let me say now that in an activity where experience is of tremendous value, I have learned to never underestimate someone with grey hair. I can thank my grandparents for that lesson. I immediately assumed that this older gentleman had put in countless more hours on his bicycle than me and was therefore many times wiser than me. In an effort to not be caught by this man, all I had going for me was my youth. I have also learned that youth is often no match for wisdom and experience.

I was right. But, I held him off for at least a mile and stayed close to him for the remaining few miles. It did not bother me to be passed by such a rider. However, it was the fat man that was drafting behind him that irked me as he rode by. My competitive nature pushed me hard to keep up with them and I finished the 30 miles in 1 hour and 52 minutes of riding time. My longest ride ever. However, I don't think that will be true for much longer.

The Bike Situation

You may be curious as to what bicycle I will be riding. The bike I own is produced by a company named Blue. I purchased it a few years back and could have bought a used car instead. It has a full carbon fiber frame and top of the line specs. Check it out.

Very sexy. (click for larger view)

However, because of the material of the frame I will not be riding it on my long journey. I will be loading my bike down with 40-50 pounds of gear and carbon fiber is not known for strength but rather flexibility and lightness. A steel frame would suit my needs much better. After some weeks of searching around for a low cost solution to my bike situation, I have finally figured it out.

My friend's father owns a high quality bicycle that he cannot ride anymore because of a bad neck. My friend told his father of my desperate situation and he graciously decided to lend me the machine for my ride. This certainly saved me hundreds of dollars. However, being out of use for years I will need to put some money into her to get her road-ready.  Money I will certainly have no qualms about spending. Check out the ride.

Also sexy, but I need to do something with those yellow handlebars.

What do you think about red?

(click for larger view)

She's fast and light right now. I need to make her more sturdy and tour ready. Which means new wheels and crankset. I'll post another update when I get the bike set for the long haul. The bike situation is not over yet!

2nd Training Day - It's Still Winter

Since February 21, the date of my previous training day, Cleveland has seen quite a bit of snow. Which is the reason that I have not ridden in 11 days. But, today was sunny with a high of 42 degrees. That type of weather would suit me just fine for a bike ride. The only problem being that it is Thursday and I am supposed to go to work on Thursday.

Planning ahead, I went to work on the earlier side and planned to leave early in order to get a ride in. Normally, I am not very busy at work and I sometimes leave early due to boredom. Today that would not be the case. There were issues coming up left and right and my phone was ringing much more frequently than I am accustomed to. For a brief moment I was concerned that perhaps my plans would be nixed all because some lawyers weren't getting their emails. Well, I knew what had to be done and I did it.

I caught the 2:07 westbound and was on my bike by 3:30. What were they going to do? Fire me? Hah! It seemed a bit colder than what the temperature suggested because of a slight wind. After the numbing of my toes towards the end of my previous cold-weather ride, I decided to invest in some wool socks. They did little good against the cold wind and my toes immediately began to bother me. Perhaps this ride will have to be shorter than the last.

I felt stronger going up the hills and made rather light work of the largest hill in my way. Being so out of riding shape, I stood to gain a lot from that ride 11 days ago. as the ride progressed, my toes became more and more of a concern. I had to remind myself that I was riding further and further away from my car and would need to turn around soon. I made it 10.5 miles before I decided I better head back. I stopped for a bit to wiggle my toes as much as I could and drink from my brand new water bottle (see "First Training Day" post). I always carry my phone with me and checked to see the time but noticed that work had called twice (I had silenced my phone for such a situation). Smiling, I put the phone back in my pocket and clipped back in to begin the now colder ride home.

That slight wind I had spoke of earlier while riding out did not feel so slight riding back. A headwind it was for the ten miles back. Not constant, not strong, but just enough for me to feel it and curse it at the same time. The wind of course did not do my toes any favors either. By the 15th mile my left foot from toe-tips to arch was numb and my right was getting there. I could still wiggle all my toes so that made me less concerned. I also began to notice the pixels on my spedometer were changing rather slowly. The computer was even cold!

I was coming upon the largest hill that I had gotten up quite easily on the way out. At the top of it is a traffic light. It was green as soon as I caught sight of it around a bend. I was still about 1,000 feet away from it waiting for it to turn yellow. It did not. I crossed that line that a rider draws before every green light when he says, "Alright, I'm going to sprint through this light no matter what color it is when I get there." It turned yellow just as I tucked my head down for one last push before racing through the intersection at 28 mph. Then, right before me is the hill! Going this fast really amplifies the cold air and I could feel it cutting through my windbreaker down to my skin. At the bottom of the hill I was up to 40 mph and pondering if that sprint was going to be worth it in the end since I had just chilled my body to the core. Ah, what the heck, it was fun!

I got back to the car wanting to warm my feet but also a little disappointed because my legs were not cramping and completely spent. I felt I had another 20 miles in me for sure! In this Cleveland climate and at this time of year, I was happy with the ride I had. I've got all summer for leg cramps.