Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Slightly above freezing+moderate wind=

More cleaning time!
I simply couldn’t get it together to get out this morning w/ it being 36-38* and not much, but enough wind to make it miserable w/ those temps.
I’ve been needing to scrub the crap out of our shower for awhile, so I did that (and that’s a work out itself). Plus the DOMS (delayed on-set muscle soreness) hit me yesterday from the weekend, so I talked myself right out of riding today. That equation goes like this: soreness+(cold+wind)=f**k that s#!t.
It’s supposed to be cold again tomorrow, but I’ll need to get out, and I should be sore-no-more, and the place is clean, so unless I can present myself a Dr. note, I’ll be out.
(and in all fairness, I may get out this evening yet)

Sunday, April 27, 2008

A TT, a RR and some disappointment

I went out to a local club 10mile TT Tuesday evening. I posted a fair time (23:40) for the rolling course. This is on par w/ my times from last year, so while I’d like to have improved, I can’t complain much. I had to mow the lawn Tuesday morning since I was riding that evening. I shifted the rest of my training week around to accommodate a Saturday road race.
The race went okay, but not as good as I had hoped/expected. This was the Brown County park RR. The one with the nastiest climb around here (in the state, really). It’s basically, form beginning to end, ~4 miles and gains a little over 400’. And mind you, this is on a 5mile loop. So you’re basically climbing, then descending, repeat (6 laps). We started off fast and I had a teammate willing to set tempo in the group if I could get up the road. A break formed in front of us and he rode the front of the group while I attempted to bridge to the break. I couldn’t make the break after chasing for about a full lap, so I sat up to let the main group catch me. I was spent from chasing alone, and fell off the group on the descent and other than picking off some stragglers, finished there. I was 13th, which was in the money (49 starters), but not as good as I had hoped to do. Whatever, as the song goes "you can’t always get what you want."
I did a little under 2hrs today tempo to spin out the legs.
I’m not racing again for a couple weeks, other than a TT or two (a 40k in a week or two).
I’m planning on doing the inaugural Lafayette Stage Race (http://www.bengasports.com/docs/2008-stage-race-project2.doc).
I worked today to "make up" for missing yesterday. Working on Sunday totally blows. Bike shops should not be opened on Sundays. Sunday is ride day, not work day.
I gotta get faster>>>
I'm working on a racing mantra: WWJD? (What Would Jan (Ullirch) Do?)

Sunday, April 20, 2008

no clever title (sorry)

Ok, so I ended up w/ a fairly string training week. I was (am) about an hour down due to Tuesday’s cold snap, but otherwise, I was good. I did a ride I’ve never done before on Thursday, which was kind of a variation of several rides I normally do. It went up a nasty climb into MMSF (Catholic Cemetary Rd. [in honor of the Pope’s visit?]). It was a good 46mile ride w/ a good flow, save for that steep climb.
I raced the Cat 1-2-3 race in Moorseville today. This was a hard course for a small dude. It had one climb, rather short (the whole course was just 1 mile long) broken up by a headwind section and a fast sweeping downhill. So my race went: sit in headwind section, get gapped on descent, close gap on climb, repeat for one hour. Whatever, I fell off the back, got swept back up and finished in the field a lap down.
Then JP and I went to Brown County State Park to pre ride for next week’s suffer-fest over there. We rode 4 laps of the course, which is part of the 1989? Pan Am games course. This contains what is considered the hardest climb in the state, and we will be hitting it 8-10 times. This will be hard. I’ve ridden it though, and I feel like I can do well here. We’ll see; I have no excuse going in…However, what goes up must come down, right? This course also features a VERY fast descent that has me a little worried. People w/ sketchy DH skills or shoddy, poorly maintained equipment have the potential to cause disaster on a course like this (our max speed pre riding was 46mph).
I’m going to roll out a local 10mile TT Tuesday evening, and try to have a pretty normal week otherwise. I’ll ride Tuesday morning also, but just short and easy(er).
That’s all I can think of.
Spring has sprung.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

For as windy as it has been...

My sail has no wind in it.
I skipped riding today. It was easy to talk myself out of when it’s been in the 50’s-60’s in the mornings, then it’s in the 20’s today.
I decided I would do some house cleaning I have been putting off. I have been wanting/needing/meaning to mop the wood floors around here for months, so I decided today was the day. So I did some "spring" cleaning.
I may get out for a stint this evening. We’ll see.
I had to mow the yard last night. It was out of control in some spots. Mowing sucks, but whatever.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

It's been a while...

…since I’ve had an all outside riding week. The first week of October, to be exact. I thought this may be the one, I was outside everyday this week, then today (Sunday) came. 30’s and rain/wet. I threw in the towel and rode the rollers for a hour. I justified to myself that since I’ve raced the past two Sundays, a non hard effort was okay; fact is, I just didn’t want to be out in the sh!t weather.
I had my first pretty normal, summer like training week this week. We rode really hard Tuesday, then I killed some hill efforts Wed. Thurs I wanted to ride my TT bike because I haven’t been on it outside since probably September or something. I wanted to get in over 1.5 hr, but avoid climbing, which is very difficult around here. I rode into a headwind out Hwy 446 to the last chance to turn around before descending the Lake Monroe causeway, which is Mellencamp’s driveway. I turned around in his driveway @ ~32 minutes and had a push back, so I negative splitted and was out for only an hour. Whatever, I felt tired anyway. Then easy hour Friday (like Monday), off Sat and blah today. Sub-8hr week, and that makes 3 lower-than-should-be hour weeks on a row. I was sick for the first 2, so whatever.
I may race next weekend. Maybe Saturday, maybe Sunday, maybe both. We’ll see.
The following weekend is the Brown County St Park Road Race, which I am looking forward to. I ~should~ be able to do good there.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

That's how we do it...

Errr, sometimes. And not at my discretion. JP and I decided to go race in Ohio again this weekend. After getting sick of arguing over how long it will take to get there, I conceded to JP and said "fine, it’s only takes 2 hours." So I told him we need to leave here NO LATER than 9am to make it comfortably to a noon start. Sure, he’s coming down from Indy, no prob. He gets here @ 9:15, and (as I said) it takes a hair over 2.5 hours to get there. Long story longer, we roll in w/ 10 minutes to park, register, unload bikes, change, pee, get everything ready, etc… We made it, but barely. We rolled to the start line w/ about 1 minute to spare. No warm up. no nothing. Whatever, we made it.
The course was flat and wind swept, not an Adam course. I hung though and finished w/ the field. Hard day, fast race.
I had a low volume week to get over my cold, which seems 99% gone. Still have some runny nose issues, but otherwise I‘m good.
I intend on ramping my volume back up this week and keeping it there for the coming weeks.
I don’t think I’m racing next weekend, but am the following one. That’s the immediate schedule.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

15th

I was 15th for Hueston Woods RR.
I am feeling much better today (tues). I decided to spin easy 1 hr on rollers the past two days to not push myself too hard so I can get done w/ this cold. I'd say it's just about gone (plus the weather kinda sucks outside).