Not alot of time but a heck of a training session

Well, did not have alot of time to train yesterday so I took something I have learned and took a small amount of time and got a killer work out. I started out on my around town loop. (need to stay close baby is coming any day) It was really windy and the first down hill I did was a bit hairy with a 35 mile an hour cross wind. Well, as i came through town I remembered a hill I saw by my sons preschool it was about two or three hundred feet but very steep. So, I made it into a interval. It only took about 30-40 seconds to climb but its a 29% grade (my computer has an grade function). I did it four times with about 3 minutes inbetween sets. But the really killer was I pulled right up to the base and started from a stop. So over all I only did about 15 miles but the work was hard. I also did some ab and back work and cool down. Cyclo-C0re Cooldown and Cyclo Zen Fix the back strength. I have been really seeing that you dont have to do a 5 hour ride to get some great training in.

Gun

Harvey

Feeling good..

Man do I feel good, everything is coming together in all areas of my life. Going to have a new baby any day now, I feel as I have moved to a new level of fitness (based on how work outs are and how I recover after) and I am am eager to start racing again this year. You cant beat the feeling of when everything is in balance and your making gains in all aspects of your life. I believe that one thing affects another. If your having alot of personal issues, your training time suffers and you your health starts to decline. If your not feeling good your moody and your personal life is affected. So when everything is in harmony everything seems to improve. Amazing that most of the time we dont get that concept.

gun

Race season is quickly approaching..

Well, time is going fast. My new baby will be here in a few days, I will hopefully be doing a race on the 5th of april that is similar to my big race coming up, but about a 1/3 of the distance.It will be good to get a feel for riding my road bike on hard dirt and gravely (if that is a word)roads with out going to hard two weeks before my A race. The A race has 12 miles out of 62 on Pave (not cobbles but closest we have) and the big thing is there are some decent climbs and decents on the dirt. I am really psyced up and cant wait to drop the hammer on that race.


gun

Post Sickness Fatigue

I am still feeling pretty fatigued from being sick for most of two weeks the last week was the worst. I did a decent ride yesterday and actually it went pretty good. 35 miles of good climbing. I did feel a bit drained and even had considered not doing the ride, but I have the Battenkill race coming up in 3 weeks or so and that is 62 miles with 7+kfeet of climbing. This will be my last race as a cat 5 so I want to go out with a bang and finish at least in the first half of the field. But, my actually goal is to get in the top 10. I will be doing my next endurance ride on Tuesday or Wed and that will be the test to see how I feel then. I am planning on at least 50 miles with a bit more climbing. My nutrition is good, and on track, I am actually down to 186 pounds now and other than the left overs from being sick feel good. Well, Full Speed Ahead

Harvey

Gun

Ending fatloss protocol

Well, today is day 7 of the fat loss boot camp and this time I had mixed results. First, I should have probably ended it the other day when I was starting to not feel good my body was ok with it but I think I could have been nicer to my immune system. Anyhow, it was a success again I lost right around 7 pounds and learned a few more things about myself (your body really communicates with you during this bootcamp) and hopefully I got my metabolism into gear and ready to work hard. I started to take my training to a whole new level this year and look forward to a great season of racing and rides. If you have a few pounds of fat you want to shed or just want to kick you metabolism in the butt then try this Fat Loss Boot Camp at cyclo club. http://www.cyclo-club.com/public/11.cfm its really got me going.

Harvey

Gun

Carb depletion

I am feeling the carb depletion more this time than I did the first time I did the Fat Loss Bootcamp, but feel in control of things and not overly craving anything. It is amazing how good food taste when I do this program. My overall weight loss is close to 7 pounds, it would be impossible to cut that kind of weight out of my equipment let alone it would be very exspensive to drop even a few hundred grams on the bike. This is going to take me right into the race season physcially as well as mentally primed for a great season. I will be up grading from a cat 5 to a cat 4 in april after the Battenkill Roubaix, I am jazzed about this race and can see myself having the potential of doing well compared to how I raced my races last year. I am physically as well as mentally in better shape ten fold and that means alot.

Gun

Harvey

Finally Broke 190

Well, today is the start of day 4 of the FLBC. I got up this morning did my morning ritual weighed in this is the first 188.8 yeee haw. I ate my omlete with green peppers onions mushrooms and jalapeno's and veggie chesse, took my son to school and the teacher asked me what kinda diet I was on. I told her I dont diet I changed my lifestyle particularly my nutrition. I eat wholesome food and not the garbage that I use to. She said "well I have tried to do that but most of that food doesnt taste good too me and its so exspensive" well I gave her a little education on how first off I dont spend anymore on food overall than I use to the money I save on all the crap I bought like soda chips etc.. is going to good food, I also dont eat nearly the size of protions I use to I fuel my body not stuff it the try to cram in more. Hope she ask somemore questions, I like passing it on, well start a revolution lol, one where everyone lives a healthy life and enjoy's the quality of their life. I am down just about 6 pounds in three full days and my slightly tight 34 pants fit perfect now. Look out Battenkill Roubaix here I come.

Harvey

Gunnadropya

Throwing the curve....

Spur of the moment I decided to put a FLBC into my program, its been about 2 months since I did my first. Its amazing how good scrambled eggs with some spiniach and red pepper taste :) I am still in a mode for racing but,I figured I have been hitting my body with all sorts of regimented work outs time to throw it a little curve. I do mix up my work outs actually I am thinking a little to much but now that I am doing the climbing Program I should be more on track with that.
I did the work out on the Int/adv program for the flbc it was power yoga followed by the two time through the 8 minute Power routine man did that kick my (might get in trouble for saying what I want) butt, I did great on the hindu squats but the then to the chair ouch, I just pushed till I fell on my bottom got up and into position again. Awsome routine.
gun

Weighed in at 194.6 yesterday when I started, when I got up today 191.4 gotta love the curve ball....

Anticipation

Yesterday was a day off, as per the plan only doing fix the back stretching routine (Cyclo Zen) I also did some hypoxic breathing from Cyclo Secrets. Its now 7:21am morning of the first race of the year. Its kinda like Christmas morning for me, you know that anticipation of what is waiting under the tree if what you asked for is really going to be there. I am wondering if all the hard work (also thinking did I work hard enough) will pay off have I achieved what I set out to achieve? Are my gains physically as well as mentally going to show? Is my fueling plan going to work on race day, a day unlike a normal group ride (even a fast one) or training session. The intensity and draw on ones energy is much much higher, the demand is greater on the fires that fuel the body. Sure, its only a training race (actually going to do two races today) but what is it going to show me, "that I have been spinning my wheels" or "that I am on target and just need to keep up the good work". These are some of what is going on in my head.

I am not a professional, barely an armature but very competitive in nature and would like to work into some of the higher levels of the Masters Circuit. I know this may seem a bit, "unrealistic" but I don't think like that, I don't see myself racing in the Tour but hey stranger things have happened, remember the movie "Rudy" if you want something bad enough it may happen, but what is most important is that if you want it and you do all that can do and still do not achieve it, that deep inside you know you did all that you can do and are satisfied with your effort.

This may a bit of thinking for so early in the morning of an every day cyclist life, but with out dreams there is no chance of reality, at least that's what I think. Well, off to my morning meal small but enough to top off those glycogen stores, and then load up and get ready to bump elbows.

Harvey

Gunnadropya

Day 2 In the books

My 4wk climbing program day 2 of week one is in the book. The jumps seated and standing were awsome did a total ride of 30 miles. Felt great except for the stuffy nose but that is working its way out. I am doing the race on Sunday, it will be short high intensity effort more to get back in to riding in a close pack. Legs are still screaming from the hindu squats yesterday but they felt good on the bike.

Harvey

Gunnadropya

Started Cyclo-Club 4week Climbing Plan...

This sinus thing has really put me down but, today I was feeling about 85% so I decided to start the training plan that will take me up to two weeks before my first long road race this year. I felt it was an appropriate training plan mainly because my climbing fitness is my biggest weakness. Last year, I saw that I could keep up a pretty fast past for 15 miles (finished a training crit at just over 26mph average), as well as I did a 5hr 50 minute century with a few nice climbs.

Today started off with a Zone 1 30min warm up, which I did some breathing work and two 150rpm 20 second spins just to get my hr up. I tend to take awhile to get my hr up if I dont push a few hard efforts at least in a half hour warm up. Then came the Body weight work my favorit (in a sadist sort of way) hindu squats got up to my new level of 175, I did stop once at 120 and then again to steady my self at 160 but I am happy with it my form was good and I felt it. Though in retrospect if I would have known that the Cyclo-Core Functional Resistance work out was going to start out with squats with dumbells. All in all for coming off a week of being sick, I felt good and felt strong, I was worried about pushing it and having an adverse affect but I did read and I know that sometimes we don't give our bodies enough credit when it comes to making gains and go to easy.

I have a 15km crit (training race) that I am doing on Sunday, need to get use to bumping elbows and holding my line again in a pack. I feel great my nutrition is in line and where I feel it should be, my left knee still has some flexibility issues but doing the pigeon stretch today I actually got my left side to touch the floor for most of the stretch and boy did it feel great. Well, off to refuel (drinking my recoverite as I type), and spend time with my son who was doing his versions of the stretches with me (he is sick too).

Harvey

Gunnadropya

The Blahs

Well, now its a full blown case of the flu and I feel like blah, I am thinking of getting on the trainer and just spinning to get my legs moving and so I can stretch a bit. But, that is if I can not blow my nose for a few minutes :). Its funny how the mind works though. I have not been able to work out for a few days and man I feel like my fitness is going to go to pot in a few days or a week. I think that is what tends to lead to over training or over preping for race or event. I know I feel like if I training hard I am good but if I dont train I will lose it all over night. But, that is not true and though I may be a little stale getting back to it all in all the rest may just be what my body needs.

Harv

Life is training....

Its funny how life is (IMHO) the best of all training for mental toughness and adaptation. I had a pretty cool program set up with the in season plan modified to my needs. Well, one thing after another came up and I have not even been able to get started let alone get on track. Well, I was fustrated as heck and a bit down about it. I have a moster race coming in 6 weeks or so and I am not even started in a training program to get ready. Life just happens so I adapted. First, needed to get my girls room done so that when the new baby comes (a few weeks) we are ready. Got that together with a contractor then yesterday I came down with something and feel like crap, so I dont want to push it and make my immune system to weak and spend time training with little or reverse results. Well, I look at all the training in the club and all that I am learning and realize I can adapt and over come (I'm not a marine:) ) So, I have devised a new plan (4week climb, 1 week active recovery, 1 week peak, then 1 race week) and I know if I have to I can even adjust that. Oh, did I mention that it snowed today too.... :)

gun

Put off again but oh well such is life....

Was to do my second day of my training plan but ended up first coming down with something so I figure instead of knocking my immune system down with a hard work out I will just rest, but I had to do some home renovations to get ready for drywall in my girls room. Well, just have to take it all in stride.
Gun