Sunday, August 8, 2010

Commuting Again... or... F**k Red Lights

So I left a full hour before needing to be at work today and only got to work 5 minutes before opening... All because of red lights. I caught not one, not two, but EVERY red light between my house and BP Mandarin. I swear...

Ride wasn't too bad... pesky pain in my right inner thigh and that area in my back started acting up again... I might need to get re-fitted again. Here's to hoping that clears up.

In other news I broke 1000 miles on my bike today! Hooray for me! I must've looked crazy as I pumped my fists and let out a primal roar on San Jose.

Anyways, today's stats so far:

Total time 52:55
Total mileage 15.02
Avg Spd 17.0
Max Spd 23.7

I might be riding home... maybe not. I dunno. I'll update again if I do!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Today's Stats

Had a great ride this morning, felt strong and my back decided to behave and not cripple me for the rest of the day, so that's good. Here's the stats:

Total Time: 1:10
Mileage: 19.13
Avg Spd: 16.5
Max Spd: 21.5
Zones 1+2 (mostly 2)

Next ride, I hit the magic 1,000 mile mark on my bike. Hooray!

Tonight is the Art Walk downtown! My wonderful g/f Bri will be showing her art, so head down there if you can!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Back From the Dead

So...

It's been awhile. My band, Anderdown, has been building quite a rapport in the Jacksonville area, and have even had offers to tour Florida. While this may not be possible to do right now, we definitely have had a lot of fun bringing new music to the area.

What does this have to do with bike racing you ask? Well, it takes a lot of effort and time to get a band going and to keep the momentum, so my fitness got obliterated. Gone. Everything I worked for, toast.

So where do you pick up again?

At the beginning.

Bri and I are into our third and final nominal month of P90X. We're definitely seeing results (especially in my arms) and it has served as an awesome muscle builder and definer. If I'd followed the diet a little closer, I might have lost a little more weight, but as it stands, I'm at around 190 now. Perfect for losing some more!

I have decided to do the Horrible Hundred event in Clermont, Florida this year in November. For those that don't know, it is what's known as a century ride (100 road miles), and it also features the seven "mountains" of Central Florida. So, rolling hills : D. Actually, there's about 2000 feet total of climbing, and that's a challenge I've never quite tackled. I'll need to be fit, and I'll need to be light.

I have a plan.

Starting last week, I've started to implement the first phase of periodization training, also known as the base phase. In this time (around two months) you take easy to moderate distance rides to build an aerobic "base" to build from, kind of like a foundation for a house. A great side effect of riding in heart rate zones 1 and 2 (never above 75% of your max heart rate) is that your body burns fat instead of carbs for fuel. Basically, you get leaner, at least in theory.

I'm aiming to lose 20 lbs in the next few months, and I'll be updating this blog with ride details and my weight.

Wish me luck!

-Daniel