dj whitebread
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The LT Test
I showed to Pure Austin Quarry Lake with my bike ready to do this. Drew was there along with the guy who was actually administering the test, and they took my bike upstairs while I got changed into my cycling gear.
The setup is pretty simple. They put my bike on a trainer that can measure power output. It's pretty cool; you set the power, and it adjusts the tension on the wheel based on your cadence so that you are keeping a consistent power output regardless of gearing. I was glad to find out that I did not have to wear the mask. I was going to get finger pricked, however, but that didn't really bother me as I don't have a blood issue or anything.
The format of the test is that they increase the power by 20 watts every minute until you want to die (after warming up, of course). At that point they prick a finger and get a blood sample. They then drop the power output significantly and take samples every three minutes, upping the power at each of these three-minute intervals. The initial point represents you at a Lactate Threshold, then you come back down and reach a steady-state where your body can process what's being produced. Eventually at one of these three-minute periods they should see a spike in lactic acid, and your heart rate at that point is your Lactate Threshold.
The power output at that final interval is considered to be your 1-hour power output potential. Putting everything into a magical spreadsheet, I was given both my power zones and heart rate zones for training purposes. This is really cool: I've always wanted to know this information, so it's really nice to have.
One of the really cool things is that based on that predicted one-hour effort number, they extrapolate a 20-minute effort power output. Then, using my weight (or mass rather, in kilograms) the spreadsheet tells me my power to mass ratio. There is this big chart based on values from huge samples of cyclists. They call it the performance prediction chart. From untrained non-racers to ProTour level pros. I currently fall in the untrained non-racer category.
This, not really surprising.
The thing that really killed me in the test was not wanting to vomit or anything like that. It was my legs. I just don't have the leg strength right now. But what's kind of cool about the prediction chart, is that I drop weight that number goes up. If I were to not get any stronger, but say get down to 185, I would be in the high cat 5 category/low cat 4. Now, hopefully I both get stronger
The whole process was really fascinating. My science-oriented data-loving brain just ate the whole process up. I am really looking forward to repeating the test at the end of the 4 months and seeing a difference.
Other assorted bike notes:
- I really need a new saddle. Well, I had my saddle pushed back, so I moved it up. But I can't go beyond 1.5 hours outside or 1 hour on the trainer without ... well, becoming quite uncomfortable. I have never had issues like this before. I think the saddle may have reached it's end time. I plan on taking care of that this weekend.
- I have not spent this much time on my bike for this long of a period ever. Hands down.
- I am sleeping like crazy. My body is probably wondering what the heck is happening. I keep telling myself that the sleep is good because it means I'm getting stronger.
- Not specifically bike related, but the strength workout Drew has me doing is killer. It's fun, but man... it uses me like a ragdoll. I guess that's the point.
On the food front, Carrie and I gave up cheese for Lent. So I am actually making an effort to eliminate dairy completely. We have been drinking almond milk at home (delicious!) and I got a soy latte today, and well, found it quite enjoyable. I need to eat more raw fruits and veggies each day... this has always been one of my weaknesses. But now's the time to make it happen.
This post has gone on long enough, take it easy, everybody!
Labels: cycling, dairy, diet, lactate threshold testing, resolve your resolution, training
1:43 PM |
Friday, February 12, 2010
First strength workout
Yesterday I met with the trainer at Pure Austin to go over the first strength workout set. Well, he has a name, I guess I should actually use it: Drew. Anyway, Drew and I went through all the different exercises. It's basically three circuits of three exercises, all designed to keep your heart rate up.
It's a lot of dynamic strength stuff, which I like. Lots of stabilizer work. It was fun, in that hard kind of way, and should provide many benefits off and on the bike. Looking at 2 to 3 times a week.
I have spent more time on the bike this week than I have in, seriously, I don't remember when. The sun is supposed to come out this afternoon, so I plan on getting out on the road today and tomorrow. Sunday I'll do the strength workout and then go to the restorative yoga class. That class is fantastic, by the way. Lots of stretching, very chill. It will be a good end to the fitness week, and get my body in a good place to start week two!
Labels: cycling, resolve your resolution, training
9:52 AM |
Monday, February 08, 2010
Resolve Your Resolution
The gym that Carrie and I belong to, Pure Austin is one of the coolest gyms I have ever seen, that's for sure. We love being members. We noticed that they were having a contest, called Resolve Your Resolution, where they would pick 10 people and over 4 months these people would compete to meet their respective fitness goals. I threw my name in the hat, and amazingly I got picked.
They have paired me up with one of their fitness trainers who is also a Cat. 2 bike racer in town. We met last Thursday and I feel that we understood each other well. For the next 4 months I will be logging all of my food and beverage intake as well as my workouts. My coach at the gym will provide me with workout plans as the weeks go along.
My main goal out of this is to finally cross the line on the bike so that I can actually finish races. Since here in Austin we have the world's best weekly bike race series, I have a great way to measure my progress. I am also going to be doing LT threshold testing at the beginning and end of the 4 months. The starting one will probably occur last week. I am expecting pain.
I am so excited and feel very lucky to have this opportunity. Today was my first official Resolve Your Resolution workout. Went out on the bike for an easy 1.5 hours. It was chilly, but it was nice to get out on the bike as always.
I plan on meeting and exceeding my goals. The main point is to get myself in decent shape finally, but there is a competition involved between me and the other nine people, so I would love to win. A little extra motivation never hurt anyone, right?
Oh, one last thing: GO SAINTS!!!!
Labels: cycling, resolve your resolution, training
6:02 PM |
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Cheaha starts today
Today I went ride my bike for the first time in a very long time. It seems my personal fitness is very much a yo-yo. I get in shape, I lose weight, and then something happens and I slowly start exercising a little bit less and eating a little bit worse. Next thing i know I've gained 20 pounds.
I have had a hard time lately just getting myself out the door. I told Carrie that for some reason I just was not feeling motivated. She asked me what motivated me in the past, and I think a lot of it was being part of the UT cycling team. I have talked about how much I love collegiate cycling in the past here, so I won't get into it again. But the real focus on teamwork was a very good motivator for me.
But I started thinking today that there had to be something else from which I could derive motivation, right? Several people have thrown around doing the Cheaha Challenge this year, and I thought back how awesome it felt the two times I finished that thing. It is a hard ride, and being fit enough to get through that is a great feeling.
You know what's also a great feeling? Having my jeans fit better.
So today I braved the cold and headed out. Of course, it felt like I hadn't ridden my bike in months. My neck started to get tired, my legs felt completely absent of power, and I had a pretty slow average speed. But, I must say, as always it was great to be out on my bike.
So here's to the Cheaha Challenge. Now who's with me?
Labels: Cheaha, cycling, training
8:20 PM |
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Driveway
I headed out to the driveway tonight. I took my bike and I took my camera. I knew things were going to be challenging on the bike as we'd be going up the corkscrew, so I would need to be able to deal with the surge in power up the short and steep part. I knew things were going to be challenging with the camera as I would be photographing at an effective focal length of 50mm. But, I was determined to deal with both challenges.
First the bike side. I did better than before. I still didn't hang on the whole time, but I hung on for half the race. Marked improvement over the last few times. I felt surprisingly good going up the corkscrew. What got to me eventually wasn't my legs, but the time at effort. The climbing I've been doing has been paying off to improve my leg strength. Now I need to start being more disciplined about my training to work in some more structured intervals to get my aerobic fitness improving.
On that note I am actually considering using one of the various excellent coaching services we have in town. I think I would respond well to a structured plan with a real human on the other end. Anyway, more on that in a future post.
On the photography side, the light was a little challenging. The shadows were still pretty harsh, but I got some that I liked. (June in Black and White Day 4)
For example, there is a picture of Dave Wenger before the P/1/2/3 race. His face is in shadow, but the rest of him is in the sun. Obviously not good. However, Dave's an outstanding guy so I kept the picture in the set. He's also doing the standard "waiting for the race to start" pose.
But now to some that I like:
The above is one of three pictures I got as the riders races up and around the corkscrew. The other two I like a little better, but I've cropped them short and wide, so you'll have to head over to flicker to check them out (1, 2... I really like 1 ;) ). This one is neat because of the shadows coming in as sharp lines. The grade of the corkscrew is also such so that everything really feels up and to the right giving nice motion.
This is my friend Andrew Stackhouse. I caught him before he started doing the announcing for tonight's P/1/2/3 race.
I love this shot... I didn't notice my shadow in the lower left corner out there. Doh! (I still like it a lot though ;) )
Finally, a picture of some of the old cop cars they have out there... this one's for Jerry. :)
Labels: cycling, driveway crits, JiBaW, training
11:51 PM |
Monday, June 01, 2009
Result
My academic career has not gone exactly like I planned it so many years ago now when I started grad school. I am not making a qualitative comment here. I'm just saying there have been several unexpected twists and turns.
One of them was that people decided to freak out about the economy. Needless to say, even us in computer science felt the hurt. So here I am with a CV weaker than I had hoped trying to find a job in the toughest research job market almost ever. Well, this past week the search came to an end, and I decided to stay UT, but to start working (officially) with a different professor than I worked with during my graduate years. There were some other opportunities, but this one was the best all around for me, my career goals of one day being a professor, and my life with Carrie.
I am extremely excited about the opportunity to stay here and continue the work that I have recently started. I think this is going to be a great thing. I am also pretty happy to stay in Austin for another year... Austin is an amazing city, and I feel blessed to have already spent 9 years (!) here.
I am also excited to know what I am doing. At least for a little while...
The past two weekends have been exciting and fun. Last weekend was graduation, and I plan on covering that in more detail in a future post. This weekend, we had the Courvilles come and visit for Champ's first trip to Austin. We had a wonderful time, and Champ did great. Jeff and I got to go on a bike ride (his new bike is awesome, by the way) with a long time friend of his on Saturday. We both got home pretty beaten up... but it was still awesome. My fitness has improved, but there is much more to go. I plan on having an entire post on my thoughts on bike stuff, so I'll leave it at that.
It was great to see Anna, Jeff, and Champ. I was able to take a few pictures of Champ in his cool fish pajamas on Friday night.
I took a lot more, but they were not sharp, so while they're super cute (of course, that's to Champ's credit, not mine) they're not particularly good pictures.
To wrap up, thanks again Courvilles for coming to visit, and be on the lookout for a graduation and cycling themed posts soon. Have a good week!
Labels: Black and White, Champ, Courvilles, cycling, sweet pain
12:21 AM |
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Things that make me happy
(In no particular order)
This organic mango/pineapple/peach sorbet I made yesterday. Having some again right now, and it is still delicious.
The wonderful weather we are having in Austin this week.
Riding my bike down 360 passing all the cars that are stuck in traffic.
Costco
Carrie's totally rocking new haircut.
Seeing my family this weekend.
Getting to wear my regalia this weekend.
Carrie :)
Labels: Austin, Carrie is awesome, cycling, graduation, sorbet, training
9:50 PM |
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Back at it
I am coming to my third week of really riding my bike consistently. I am starting to feel stronger, though nowhere near strong enough. The weight is starting to come off again, little by little, which is a good thing. I went under 200 lbs for the first time in a long time this week, so that made me happy.
I was feeling good this weekend on the bike, so I decided it was time for some humbling. I went ride up some of the hills near here in an effort to remind myself I'm still slow and heavy. Mission accomplished. Ladera Norte is still steep, they didn't change that. But in all honesty, it was good to get up it (however slowly).
I've been watching the stages of the Giro, and it is just so impressive how the leaders can power up those mountains. It is always nice to see the giant group that comes in many minutes down. It's nice to know that even professional cyclists aren't all climbers. (Though, comparably they can still fly up the climbs.)
Work is going well. I am excited. I should hopefully know very soon what the final destination is for next year.
Friday night we're heading to another cooking class at Central Market. Joanne Weir (a chef who had a show on PBS the year we didn't have cable, and thus we watched a lot of PBS) is teaching. I am really excited. I loved her show (I even have one of her cookbooks).
I am going out to the Driveway tonight to take part in our weekly crits. The series has been awesome this year under new management, and the addition of the 4/5 race actually gives me a workable target. We are doing the long course tonight and going up the corkscrew, so hopefully I'll hold on past the first time we go up the corkscrew. ;)
I'm going to get a little bit more work done before I get ready and head out on the bike to ride to the crits. I hope everybody's weeks end well!
Labels: cycling, driveway crits, Giro d'Italia, job search, Ladera Norte, personal training, work
3:46 PM |
Friday, December 26, 2008
A Little Running the Day After Christmas
Carrie and I went for a run today. Nothing hard or even that long. My legs were not happy. I had to do lots of stretching during the run to keep my legs from hurting. Running does not seem to go well with my legs. I don't know. I probably need new shoes. I always find that when I've been riding more consistently my legs feel better when running. I think I have a weak lower back... the cycling does help strengthen that.
Tomorrow I'm going to go for a ride with a group in Baton Rouge with my cousin. I'm curious to see how fast this group goes.
We had a great dinner tonight with a few of my aunts and uncles. It was nice to see them; we hadn't gotten to see them before today.
It's been a nice week in Baton Rouge, but it really has gone by quickly. That always seems to be the case.
Good night!
Labels: Baton Rouge, cycling, family, running
11:48 PM |
Monday, December 15, 2008
Cold Monday
It is cold. We may have ice. That's all there really is to say on that subject.
The counter top guy is currently putting the finishing touches on things. It looks good. I'm excited to have everything done.
I need to start working on my research and teaching statements. Job application time. Woohoo.
My legs are slightly sore from yesterday's ride. It was a great ride, but it really did empty my legs out. They just don't have much in them these days. But it was awesome to get out on the bike.
Oh well, I'm going to do a little work while while the counter top guy finishes.
Labels: cycling, home improvement, job search
12:09 PM |
Saturday, December 13, 2008
1000th Post!
Woohoo! This is the 1000th time I've posted to djwhitebread. I started this blog almost six years ago I believe. I don't have anything fancy planned. I had thought a while ago about hoping to redesign the site for this post, but I changed my mind. I'm going to keep it simple like it is for a while. Thanks to everybody who reads this, and please continue to comment. There have been some interesting conversations in the comments here. Sometimes I may disagree with people's opinions, but don't ever think I don't love to hear them. There is something amazingly real and human about seeing your friends post on something that it is so not physical. Here's hoping I make it to 2000!
Today I did something I haven't done in a long time. I pulled out my saxophone and played it. I practiced some exercises out of a book I have. It was nice to play the horn. It is somewhat frustrating, though, to not be good at it. I stopped playing when I graduated high school. At that point I was pretty proficient. Not that I was good. But I could play my parts well. I didn't (and still don't) really have an ear, or any theory knowledge, but I used to be able to play my saxophone. That's really the last time I played... almost 13 years ago. Anyway, it felt good to play. Pierre hates it, but oh well. Here's to trying to play a little every week.
I also made a chicken and andouille gumbo today. It turned out well. I think that was the most efficient gumbo I've ever made. I had multiple things going at once. Baking the chicken, making the roux, then making the stock, adding the stock, and finally it all came together. Everybody seemed to like it, and we have plenty left. Gumbo is always really delicious as leftovers. There is something that occurs once it's refrigerated and reheated that really makes the flavor take.
Tomorrow we have a bike ride with some friends of ours planned. I like riding with other people... makes you get on your bike and do it. It's really windy here, so David's words will have to stick with me, "when the wind is your friend, you never ride alone."
I hope everybody had a good Saturday!
Labels: 1000th post, cycling, djwhitebread.com, gumbo, wind
10:17 PM |
Friday, December 12, 2008
Back in Town
It's again nice to be back in Austin. I'm at work today, and looking forward to diving into things after I get back from lunch. As a quick follow up to the comments from the previous post, I will hopefully be posting pictures of the remodeling soon.
It's cool and clear in Austin today... really a beautiful day. It would really be a great day for a bike ride. I really need to get back on that. My lack of aerobic exercise lately is depressing. The effects are pretty obvious. It is frustrating to watch several of my friends be able to eat/drink whatever they want and stay thin. I just can't do that. Without consistent, decently intense exercise, I just balloon. I like food way too much.
I need to create a Christmas list. I'm really at a loss for things to ask for this year. I don't remember ever having a year where I really just felt so non-chalant about wanting stuff. There are a few things for my bike that I could use. My poor bike... it's so neglected these days.
I really do whine a lot about being out of shape. That must get really old... I'll try and cut that out in the future.
Should I bring the bike home for Christmas? We've considered going and getting a rack installed on the Accord. I'm officially soliciting opinions from interested parties.
Labels: Christmas, cycling, home improvement, training
12:00 PM |
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Lazy Saturday
We're taking it easy today. It's nice. I think I might try to get some more painting done on the new cabinet in the kitchen before the day is out. I also intend to make it to the gym... both to work out, and of course, because they have a working shower.
The Olympics are coming to an end. It's always sad when they end because they are so much fun to watch. I still can't believe both of the USA 4x100 teams dropped the batons. That's pretty amazing.
I went swimming yesterday... sort of. All gains achieved in the beginning of the summer were gone. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised considering I haven't done anything for the past several months. But, I would like to keep it up and get back to being able to actually do a swim workout. I am thinking of getting on my bike tomorrow. That should be exciting. I'll probably take it pretty easy as I haven't done anything in a while. I think the last time I rode was in June, and I was actually starting to feel pretty good on the bike. But I know that will probably have disappeared at this point. Consistency is the key in getting back that aerobic fitness, so we'll see if I can actually get in a routine.
I'm really loving the watch that Carrie gave me as a graduation present. I've never really had a real "grown-up" watch. It's nice because while it is very pretty, it isn't too big or gaudy. It's just right.
I started to get back to work this week, and I'm really excited about the directions I am going to be pursuing this semester research-wise. I don't remember, actually, the last time I've been this inspired about research. It's amusing, because right before the defense and right after, I really was just so tired of looking at the stuff. It helps that we're taking a little bit different of an approach now, but mainly, I'm working with some new people and that I think is injecting a great amount of excitement into the work.
So my official title this semester is going to be, "Postdoctoral Fellow." It sounds so fancy.
Well, I think I might go try to get that painting done. It involves oil-based paint (yuck) but it will be nice to just get it done and off the queue.
I hope everybody has a good Saturday!
Labels: cycling, olympics, research, shower, work
2:25 PM |
Monday, April 14, 2008
MS 150 Report
It all started with a bus ride... a bus ride that had a stop in the middle for Applebees. The place that doesn't have a pasta dish on the menu without alfredo sauce. I know, pasta and tomato sauce is weird and fringe. Anyway, we left Applebee's, headed to the hotel, and got settled. A note here about our volunteer team: they were awesome. They got all of our bikes and stuff to Houston, to LaGrange and back to Austin. Absolutely amazing, we couldn't have done it without them.
The NI team had 111 riders this year. That's pretty huge. A big spurt of growth for the team, which is really awesome.
So back to the recap. Friday night wasn't a good night of sleep. I just wasn't sleeping well, and then a group of people decided to have a raging party outside of our room. But they would go away for a while. Then come back. Then go away, rinse and repeat. Since we were getting up at 5:15 AM, needless to say, I (nor anybody else in our room) didn't get much sleep.
Saturday morning we were able to start the ride from our parking lot since we were just a mile or two off the route. I knew there were a few guys on the team who were pretty determined to beat each other to LaGrange (the end of the first day). I stayed with one of them for a while, but this other guy from the team with a tri-bike jumped to the front at some point and ramped up the pace from a doable 23 to over 26. I at this point sat up and decided that I was going to wait for another group from NI to roll by and join them.
Luckily, that did happen. I got a nice group, and we rolled almost until lunch at the 50 mile mark together. Once the rollers started to show up you could tell that most people on the ride instantly were less comfortable. The wind was pretty strong for the first half, and most of it had been cross wind, but it was nothing compared to what would come later.
So after lunch I was by myself for a while as the group I ate with all got lost getting out of the lunch stop (it was sort of a mess). One NI guy who I was riding with earlier (Marshal, I believe) came up behind me and we rode together for a bit. Then I saw these four Canadians from BP Canada come by, and I had ridden with them earlier. And with them is a woman from NI (Carla) who I had also ridden with earlier. I jumped in with them, and this proved to be a good decision. Our little group of six stayed together for the last 30 or so miles of the ride, and proved to be invaluable as far as I was concerned.
We were trading pulls with the wind, actually attempting to deal with the cross wind as correctly as we could given the crowd, and generally having a good time and keeping the pace up in the process. We stopped at the last rest stop (mile 90) because we were all out of water. I knew the last 5 miles or so were going to finally be tail wind. So we just had 5 miles of bad wind left. Right before the turn into the good wind, we had a large down hill. I started coasting down it faster than one of the Canadians, and he started pedaling to catch me, and I was keeping ahead of him just tucking and coasting. Well, that annoyed him so he attacked. We caught him, and then he urged me to go for it again on the next down hill at which point, three of went for it down the hill, turned the corner and felt the tail wind hit our backs.
A note here: this was all in good fun. This wasn't a race, we were just entertaining ourselves to help the miles go by. Well the three of us were riding along leisurely enjoying the tail wind when Carla pops up from behind us. She had chased us down solo. She kind of just looked back at us and smiled. Well, right after this we headed up hill and the older Canadian just went nuts attacking up the hill. I had no desire to chase up hill at this point in the ride, but we all caught up and I took off down the next down hill and me and the older Canadian stayed together until the end just trading hard pulls. I really wanted to be done at this point, so I was perfectly okay hammering and enjoying the tail wind.
So an advantage of getting done much earlier on the first day than the first time I had done the MS 150 was the lack of a long line at the shower truck. I was able to drop off my bike, grab my clean clothes, and get a shower really quickly. Then I hung out and cheered as NIers came into the tent when they finished. I also had a massage. That was nice. Carrie made it in a little while later. Once it got dark, we all headed to sleep decently early. Even though it was cold, and I was in a sleeping bag, I actually slept really well. I think I was just exhausted.
On the subject of cold, it was in the 40s Sunday morning. I had not expected it to be this cold, and I had nothing for my legs. Even though the event started at 7, I didn't get out of the fairgrounds until 7:45. That was the coldest I've ever been on my bike; I just didn't have enough clothes on. But after 5 or 6 miles I warmed up and I never really felt overly cold again the rest of the day.
All in all, I felt good the second day, albeit a little tired. Before the parks, the wind wasn't much of an issue. In the parks it was non-existent as the giant pine trees block it. However, after the lunch stop in Bastrop, the wind was back. It was a headwind, though, so at least you could get some cover in a pace line. And that's what I did. I really had no shame on Sunday, basically getting into any group that I could. I was feeling somewhat lazy, so I was getting in groups that were going slower than I could have been going, but I didn't see anybody I knew all day, so I just decided to take it easy and enjoy the ride in. I eventually made it in to Austin, and relaxed at the NI tent with some food and enjoyed some sampling from the keg.
From a cycling perspective, this year's experience was superior to the my previous one. I felt people were less spastic on their bikes. I also felt much more confident on my bike, and felt a lot stronger. Even though my legs were tired at the end of the first day and during pretty much all of the second day, they were still doing what they needed to do. I remember rolling into Austin the first time I did it, and literally barely being able to turn my legs over coming up the hills on MLK. This year I was tired, but I just spun myself up the hills and it wasn't a big deal. It's interesting to do the same ride again and see the difference.
Of course, from the giving perspective, it's a great cause, and I was proud to be a part of it again. I would have no problem doing it again... the worst part of the whole thing is the camping out at the fair grounds. But I'm just a wimp in that regard. It's pretty awesome to see 12000 people ride their bikes that far to support the cause of wiping out MS once and for all.
On that note, I know I speak for both me and Carrie when I say thank you very much to all of you who donated to our MS150 accounts. If anybody would like to still give, we have another month to take donations, and all of them are greatly appreciated!
So it was a fun weekend. I am very proud of Carrie for completing her first century, and then doing another big ride the day after. This is by far the longest time she's spent on the bike, and to do it with that many other people on the road and all the other craziness is very impressive in my book. Yay for Carrie!
The only bad thing I want to point out about this weekend is that our DVR didn't record Paris-Roubaix. And Boonen won in a break by out sprinting them in the velodrome! Argh.
But now it's back to work. I dropped the bike off for a few repairs this morning. I hope to do a few rides this week, and some races this weekend. No more travel, however, until after the May 8th OSDI deadline. It will be nice to spend a few consecutive weeks in Austin and hopefully get lots of riding and lots of work in. I also need to start fitting in a little swimming and running here and there to get ready for my tri on May 10th.
I hope everybody's weeks are starting out well!
Labels: Carrie is awesome, cycling, MS150, OSDI, pro racing
4:53 PM |
Monday, March 17, 2008
I finally earned the view
Or how I had forgotten just how steep Ladera Norte is.
Today I decided to go ride my close-in hill ride. It features three hill climbs that are all very close to where we live: Mt. Bonnell, Mesa (which climbs up Cat Mountain), and Ladera Norte. I got up the first two. I had done Mesa last week, and it was that day when I really started to convince myself that I could possibly be a cyclist again. So all that was left was Ladera Norte.
I started strong. Then it started to really fight back. I looked down at my computer and my heart rate was going steadily up and my speed was going steadily down. I started to feel my front wheel come off the ground on each pedal stroke. At this point I was going 3.8 mph... so while I wasn't going to fly up it I was determined to finish it. The way the climb works it's pretty steady for a while, and then there is a flat, followed by a short little wall to finish it out. I got to the flat. The little wall you can't spin up; you have to get out of the saddle and just push yourself over (not that I was doing much spinning at 3.8 mph). I got to the wall and tried to stay seated, but it eventually I had to get up. There's about 1-2 seconds where it feels a little bit better, then it feels much worse. I got through the worst of it, sat down and got to the stop sign. After rolling down the street a bit, I turned around and came back to enjoy the view that I had been enjoying for the last several weeks. But this time, I earned it, and man, did that feel really good.
Labels: cycling, Ladera Norte, training
7:46 PM |
Monday, March 19, 2007
SXSW
It was pretty impressive. I saw more bands in those 4 days than I have in the last four years. It was tiring... totally blew my early morning schedule. I'm trying to get myself back to that today. The net effect is that I just feel perpetually tired and unfocused. Hopefully tomorrow will be better after a full night's rest. I also need to get on my bike.
I really should write a more detailed review of all the bands we saw. The thought of it kind of scares me. ;)
This coming weekend is the trip to Wichita Falls for the MSU race weekend. I'm excited about it.
Work continues on my paper that is due on April 1.
I guess I should try to get back to work.
1:40 PM |
Monday, March 12, 2007
Time Change
Well, here we are. Daylight saving time is back. While I welcome the added light in the evening, it does always take a little while to get used to.
Congratulations to Carrie on her half-marathon yesterday. She improved her time from the AT&T Austin half-marathon a few weeks ago, and on a very hilly course for a run at that.
I drove her and her friend Merri Su down there to run the race. I brought my bike along. When they started (7:30am) it was still too dark to start riding, so I hung out, got some coffee, and sat in the parking lot for a little while. Finally, around 8:10 or so I got my bike put back together, put on my gear, and headed out. The marathon was on almost exactly the same loop as the Texas State road race from a few weeks back, so I was able to follow along that. I did one loop of the TX State race course and then one loop of the half-marathon course which gave me 25 miles with a little bit of climbing thrown in. However, I was just tired. My heart rate did not want to get up very high regardless of how much I hurt or pushed. It took a long time for legs to warm up as well. Pretty much all the riding I did last week involved me trying to go up hill as much as possible, so I think my legs were ready for a break. Plus, I got four hours of sleep because of the time change.
Spent the afternoon hanging out with Chad playing WoW at Jerry's house.
We had Mangia and Amy's last night. It was delicious. And most definitely a splurge for the week.
Two weeks until our next collegiate race. Of course, I have South by Southwest coming up this weekend, so that will put a little dent in the training. I am planning on heading up to Wichita Falls in two weeks well-rested and ready to go. I've already noticed that I feel stronger climbing, and I've lost a little weight as well, so I'm really excited about this race. The course is mostly flat with a few rollers, and I should be able to actually play a part.
I'm starting to really miss meat. I really find myself craving it now.
Also, I need to find a way to get live crawfish into Austin. I'm okay if it involves driving to Houston. I'm just curious to find out the details.
Labels: cycling, meat, SxSW, WoW
3:20 PM |
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Confusingly fast
That's how this week has progressed. It's already Thursday? What?
I was able to get some hill work in on Tuesday. That was good. However, my recovery ride plans for yesterday didn't happen, nor or is any riding going to happen today. I need to get something turned in to Harrick tonight before I go to sleep (whenever that may be) so I plan on getting in a decently long ride tomorrow. Maybe I'll do 50+ out west... I'm feeling ambitious. I know that may sound lame, but with the distances I've been riding lately, it'd be ambitious. Cheaha is a'comin' and I need to have mileage (and hills, lots of hills) in my legs before then.
Had a fun guy night last night with Chad in town. We met for dinner with Jerry and then headed back to Carrie and I's condo and played a little WoW with Richard and Wayne. Good times.
Carrie is doing a half-marathon that looks to be tough this weekend. I'm going down there with her and her friend Merri Su (also running) with my bike and hope to get a good ride in. They are pretty much running the course from the Texas State road race. Yeah, the one with the big hill. Other than that it shouldn't be too bad. I need to figure out where to ride as they probably won't like me riding on the half-marathon course.
Okay, I need to get to writing. Have a good Thursday.
Labels: Cheaha, cycling, work, WoW
8:33 AM |
Monday, March 05, 2007
Windy Weekend
This weekend Anna and Jeff came in from Houston. Jeff and I drove down to Bastrop Saturday morning to take part in the Pedal Through the Pines. We did the 50 mile route. The route was fun; consistent rollers the entire 50 miles. The part through Beuscher Park is pretty entertaining; at times you would think it was a mountain bike course. The only problem with the ride that it was 1) windy and 2) cold (again, see reason #1). The wind just didn't want to stop, and the last 12 miles or so were straight into it. But we had fun.
Saturday night we went to Chez Zee for supper. My salmon topped with crab was quite tasty, and the viognier they suggested to go with it worked quite well.
Sunday morning Carrie and I walked to the Omelettery for some breakfast. After being home for a little while it was nap time.
I was able to sneak in a short recovery ride before mass. I'm going to stay off the bike today, and then try to get rides in Tuesday-Sunday. We'll see if I pull this off.
That's about it. Back to work.
Labels: Chez Zee, cycling, Omelettery, Pedal Through the Pines, wind
1:28 PM |
Saturday, February 24, 2007
The winds of pain are blowin'
Man, it is windy today. It's a shame I decided to race my bike. ;)
Nothing too much to report. Our professional triathlete team member tried to go early and nobody wanted to let him, so the pace got ramped up and I couldn't hold on. In my defense, I didn't have a chance to warm up before the race... but that I would probably only bought me a little while longer in all honesty. It was flying. And like I said, the wind was brutal.
I got in a group and we worked together to finish out the loop. I (and loads of other people) decided to only do 1 of our 2 loops as I really didn't need to show anybody anything by riding another 24 miles in that wind. Especially with Pace Bend tomorrow, it just seemed silly. If this had been the only thing I was doing this weekend, I would have kept going, but I'm hoping to hang on a little while longer tomorrow.
There is a big difference in ability in the 4s. There are people like me on the low end and then there are people on their way up through the categories on the high end. I just take it as more motivation to train harder and get stronger! :)
Our team did well, as our tri guy won, and then we got 5th, and then two more in the top 15. The crazy thing is that Tommy (the tri guy) had ridden 100 miles and then run 10 yesterday. That's sick. There is a reason this guy gets paid to do Ironman Hawaii.
Well, Pace Bend is tomorrow. Hopefully that will go better. It's still fun even when I get shelled.... I felt better today as tons of people just got destroyed, I wasn't the only one. Hope everybody is having a good weekend!
Labels: cycling, pace bend, UTCC
12:29 PM |
Monday, February 19, 2007
Mmmm
My new favorite continental cycling team. Mmmm, Chipotle.
3:56 PM |
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Crazy
Two cycling related items. Gaynor, if you're reading you may want to just skip this post. ;)
First, I went to spin class at the gym tonight. I figure if I can't ride outside, I might as well start using all my indoor options: the trainer and spin class. It was hard. I was trying to keep my cadence really high and keep up with the teacher. I definitely got a good work out. The spin bikes are nice as you can adjust the heck out of them to get a decent fit. The pedals are Look style, so my Shimano cleats did pop out of them at one point. That was a little freaky. But it is definitely a good option, as I need to get my rear in shape. And that brings us to the second point.
I decided to start racing two weeks earlier than originally planned by signing up for the Tour of New Braunfels Omnium stage race on Feb. 3 and 4. There are a ton of people from our team signed up, so I figure I might as well go down there. Time to suck it up and bite the bullet. At least this way I'll get my first race this year out of the way before the first collegiate race. However, what this means is that I'm going to be way out of shape in a week and a half when I pull up to the start line. It's a road race on Saturday and a time trial and crit on Sunday. Not sure if I'll do all of them, but I plan on at least doing the road race and time trial. I like time trials. I may hold out on the crit...
Labels: cycling, training, UTCC
10:14 PM |
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
The Long Road Home
Whew... quite a week and a half. As some of you may have noticed, djwhitebread.com went down. This was because I forgot to renew the domain name registration. Whoops. After some friendly assistance from the folks at pairNIC the site is now back up and running.
We had a good time at home. I was able to get several bike rides in with David and one in with Jeff and Charlene as well. We saw all the family, got to meet my little cousin James for the first time, and generally soaked in the Christmas spirit.
You may think this is a total copout post, and well, it sort of is.
I know my posting of late as been subpar. I have lost my usual frequency, and my sitemeter numbers reflect that. I hope to get things going back in the right direction as this new year has now dawned.
If you didn't watch the Fiesta Bowl of Boise State vs. Oklahoma last night you missed one of the most exciting football games I've seen since last year's national championship (and really, I'm not sure anything will ever surpass that). Boise State pulled every play out of their crazy play book to beat OU in overtime. Then one of their start players proposes to his girlfriend the head cheerleader after the game on national television. You can't get much better than that. And, as a bonus, this makes the BCS look silly and shows one more time why we should have some type of playoff system.
Well, I hope everybody is having a good new year, and may we all have good luck keeping our resolutions!
Labels: bcs, cycling, new year, ou sucks, training
12:34 PM |
