Jan 17 - Jan 23......

Just a weekly report instead of daily for this week...should work better since I've ridden this week, but nothing spectacular.

Sunday - no riding because, IIRC, it was raining.  Or for whatever reason, no ride.

Monday - I was off this day (MLK Holiday), beautiful weather, high 50's to low 60's (IIRC), so I headed out for a short 20-something mile ride.  Usual route out towards Auburn-Knightdale and back home.  Felt pretty good, but I'm not trying to push the pace too hard.  Yet.

Tuesday - another beautiful, warm day and I just had to leave work early and go for another ride.  Same route as Monday.  20.5miles

Wednesday - trainer ride after work.  Decided that I needed to start some sort of "training" since I seem to do better when I have a plan to work by.  So, given that, I decided I would try to do some intervals.  Because I've pretty much been off the bike for 1.5 to 2 months, I didn't think I could do 3 or 4min intervals, so I chose to do 2 minutes.  Managed to eek out 6x2min zone 4 intervals.  I was really surprised by this - as I've previously found intervals to be very hard on the trainer.  Not that these were easy, they weren't, but I'm pleased that I was able to do them.

Thursday - I didn't really want to get on the trainer, but I did because I knew it would be good for my legs and with the reduced calories I've managed for the week, it would also help with the weight loss.  Since I really didn't want to ride the trainer, I told myself that I would just do 30 minutes and if I still didn't feel like riding, I could quit then.  30 minutes came and went.  I don't think I'm getting enough warm up, with just 10 minutes, because by 45 minutes, I felt a lot better and decided to go on and finish the next 15 minutes to give myself a full hour of Active Recovery riding.

Friday - I decided to take the day off because Dallas had emailed earlier in the day about riding on Saturday.  My legs were also a bit sore or I could definitely tell I'd been riding every day this week.  Pretty much a lazy afternoon.

Saturday - Dallas said this was going to be an "easy-moderate, flatish 35mi ride".  It was pretty flat, heading out towards the Kenly area, with the only "real" hills at the beginning as we headed down Antioch and took that from Thanksgiving Rd all the way to Hwy 222.  We rolled out from Dallas's house around 10:30am, with myself, Dallas, Randall, Brent & Russell.

The return route was on a few roads that I hadn't ever ridden on or just didn't remember them - mostly flat with a few rollers.  I did ok, I suppose, for my second ride with them, but by mile 26 or 27, my legs were definitely running out of gas.  I just couldn't keep up with them when there was any incline to the road and fell off the back.   Dallas and Randall stayed back with me and we rode a bit easier than Russell & Brent, who went on off the front, but would wait on us at turns.

I eventually, just said the heck with it (trying to hang on) and just rode easier, getting dropped about 10 miles from home.  Dallas came back for me, set an easy pace and pulled me back to the rest of the guys who were waiting for us at the next intersection (Thanksgiving & Hwy 42).  They decided to take Jordan-Narron Rd to Buffalo to get home instead of the usual Thanksgiving to Covered Bridge (which Dallas lives on)...dunno why other than they wanted to get that climb up J-N included.  As usual, I am dropped on this climb, the guys waiting at the turn.  3.5 more miles home and I get in behind Dallas and try to hang on to his wheel.  Did manage to do that.

Legs are super tired all afternoon and since my son is gone for the weekend, all I planned on doing was keeping the couch warm, watching some basketball & a movie or two.   40 miles/2:25hr, pretty much a slow 16mph pace.  It was rough for me, but I'm sure it was really easy for the rest of the guys since they've continued to ride while I was out with the injuries.  I felt like I had ridden a metric today - that was pretty hard.  But, I'll just keep up with the trainer rides during the week and keep coming back on Saturdays - eventually, I'll be back in shape and able to hang with the Hammers again.

Oh yea, with the reduced calories per day (somewhere between 1000-1200/day) and all the trainer/outside time I've put in this week, I'm down 3 pounds (as of yesterday).  Finally.

Next week will be more time on the trainer and a Saturday ride with the guys hopefully.  Tomorrow will be Active Recovery on the trainer because it appears that it will be a rainy day, per the weather liars.....

2 In A Row

With the weather being really nice around here for the first time in a while, I took advantange of it and got a few things done yesterday and today.  My car was the first thing to get taken care of after I got off work on Friday.  It had not been cleaned up since back in September or October and was filthy.  Filthy both inside and outside.  With that task completed, I headed home to do a bit of detail work on the car and spent about an hour with that.  Just beautiful outside.  

The second thing to take care of Friday was to get a ride in.  Accomplished that with an 18 mile ride from the house out towards Auburn-Knightdale road, over to Shotwell, back through town and then home.  Again, beautiful outside and I sure do wish I were able to ride longer right now.  Patience.  Friday's ride was not all that slow either - managed to get the 18 miles done in a little over an hour.

I had an email from Dallas earlier Friday asking me if I was able to ride now.  I replied back that I thought I was, but I haven't ridden in almost 2 months and there was no way I'd be able to keep up with him, whether that was on the road or at Umstead.  He told me that the guys were going to ride today and that I should come out and ride a bit with them.  I agreed and the plan was for me to ride somewhere between 12-15 miles and then peel off to head back home.  Wow.  I believe I left a lung out on Hwy 231 somewhere.  I did ok for the first couple of miles, but as soon as there was any kind of incline to the road, I struggled.

Thank goodness for Randall.  As, I'm losing a lung and the wheel in front of me going up 231, I move over to the right a bit and motion for the guys to go on.  They're not having any of that though.  Randall comes up beside me and tells me to just keep going at the pace I'm going and he puts his hand on my back to "help" me along.  I would not have made it if he hadn't done that - not once, but twice during the 13 miles I was able to ride with them.  We finally reached NC 39 and I told Dallas I was turning to head back to the house.  

Headed back via NC39 to Antioch, Thanksgiving, Covered Bridge.  Ended up with 23 miles in 1:25hr.  The time with Dallas and the guys was 13 miles, 40-something minutes with an 18.5mph average!  Holy Crap!  No wonder I lost a lung out there this morning! :)

Tomorrow might just be 30-45 minutes on the trainer then Monday (MLK Holiday) I will try to get out in the afternoon and ride 25 miles from the house.  Gradually, getting back into riding.....

Early Riser, I Am Not.

That is correct.  I don't know why I thought I would be waking up at 5am to get on the trainer for 20-30min.  I didn't manage to do so this morning and doubt I do at all.  I am simply not an early morning person.  So, to make up for that, I walked for 30min during lunch today and managed 45min with Coach Troy this evening.

I will walk again at lunch tomorrow, see Matt (my physical therapist) at 5pm and maybe do another 45min to an hour with Coach Troy.  I also did really well with eating good today...right around 1450-1500 calories.  Also, no sodas for 4 days now....

Short & sweet, eh? :)

21 Days

21 days for my new habits to be permanent (hopefully).  I need to get back on the training wagon (and losing weight wagon), which is going to be difficult due to being injured right now, but I'm going to try.  

• Ride trainer in the mornings for at least 30 minutes, start with 3x/week, working up to 5 days.
• Workout with Coach Troy 3x/week.
  
• No sodas.  Period.  Water or green tea.
• 200 healthy calories every 2 hours.

I would like to be able to do this until I see the doctor again in 3 weeks and have a weight loss of 5-6 pounds by that time as well.  Hopefully, after that I can start the serious training for Mitchell and be ready for my first AoMM Training ride on March 6.  That training ride is 60mi in Upstate SC, hosted by the Freewheelers of Spartanburg.

I need to be ready for AoMM in May and for something totally different by the first of June.  If I can nail the above things for the 3 weeks leading up to my doctor's visit, I should be able to keep it up through to May and then June and be in great shape! :)

New Year's Day Ride

Yes, you read that correctly.  I decided I was tired of sitting on my butt watching tv and decided to make a few changes.  One change was to get out this afternoon and ride...didn't matter that it was slow and very short (5.5mi/21min) - the whole point was to start with something instead of nothing.  The second change I've made for the new year - I emptied all the sodas down the drain and cleaned the fridge of any unhealthy food (wasn't much).


The weather was overcast, a bit windy, and the temperature around 47F.  I managed to get shorts & tights on fairly easily, but the base layer/jersey was a little more difficult.  Finally dressed, pumped the tires and off I go!  OMG...that felt so good to be on the bike.  


Country Lane/Barber Mill Rd/Amelia Church Rd/Guy Rd/Hwy 42/Barber Mill/Country Lane.


Doubtful that I'll be able to get out this weekend to do another short ride because of the weather, but one can only hope. :)