Martin's training diary - Sunday, February 17, 2008

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Sunday 17 February 2008 - ride

posted by: Martin

Hrs. Sleeping:
Pulse (waking):
Pulse (rising):
Difference:
Weight:
Body Fat:
Time of Day:	12:30 pm
Distance:	22 miles
Time (total):	1:30
Time (moving):	1:24
Time (stopped):	6 min
Speed (moving):	15.4 mph
Speed (overall):	14.4 mph
Total Ascent:	1049 feet
Weather:	upper 40s, maybe 50 at the finish...? sunny, calm, dry
Workout Type:	ride

Breakfast:	2 crumpets, 2 fried eggs
Lunch:	toasted bagel, Boca burger, humus, crackers, water (way too much...)
Dinner:	salad, water, juice
Workout Food:	water

Course:	counter-clockwise around Mercer Island
Results:
Comments:	Today was our first tandem ride of the year and it was a blast. It was kinda cold out but nothing like the previous weeks and the sun was shining and I'm running out of superlatives so will stop here. We took it nice and easy and took in all the phenomenally ugly houses that dot west and east Mercer Way... What are people thinking? We had to stop once for Shelley to rest her 'below the belt' but that was it. I frequently forget how tender your nether regions can get when you are not used to riding. Other than that it was totally fab. Shelley did not need to tell me to shift up or down so I'm guessing my gear selections were okay. I was incredibly hungry once we got about 10 miles form home, I think it had been about five hours since breakfast. Oops.
Equipment:	Co-Motion Robusta, 30/42/55, 12-25 I took the captain stem on our tandem and turned it upside down (or right side up depending on your viewpoint). Now the bars are probably 3 cm higher off the ground and 1 cm closer to me and it feels really good. I always knew the original position on this bike was too aggressive - especially with my back these days - and after confirming it when I did likewise with my position on my winter/rain bike I was thrilled that I did not have to purchase a custom stem to make this work.

tandem ride

Sunday, February 17, 2008 3:57:47 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Saturday 16 February 2008 - ride

posted by: Martin

Hrs. Sleeping:	5
Pulse (waking):
Pulse (rising):
Difference:
Weight:
Body Fat:
Time of Day:	8:00 am
Distance:	84 miles
Time (total):	5:35
Time (moving):	5:01
Time (stopped):	34 min
Speed (moving):	16.7 mph
Speed (overall):	15 mph
Total Ascent:	5080 feet
Weather:	mid 40s to start, wet roads, upper 40s (50 maybe) and dry roads at the finish, very little wind
Workout Type:	ride

Breakfast:	cereal
Lunch:	24 oz (?) Jamba Juice
Dinner:	salad, nachos, beer, chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels
Workout Food:	half a sleeve of Fig Newtons (8 maybe?), 5 scoops Perpetuem in one big bottle, 3 scoops HEED in another

Course:	University Village, Leschi, across Mercer Island, Newport, Issaquah, up Sunset, Issaquah-Fall City Rd, Fall City, up to the falls, Weyerhaeuser loop, down the falls, up Issaquah-Fall City Rd, Black Nugget, bike trail along I-90, across Mercer Island, Leschi, up Lake WA Blvd, Arboretum, up Interlaken, 19th, home
Results:
Comments:	Yes, a solid five hour ride if ever there was one. And I love this route! The roads were kind of muddy the further east we went but we all stayed dry and it was not too cold. In fact, I took my gloves off for the last 15 miles or so. I started out strong and this time we rotated out to Issaquah. When we hit Issaquah-Fall City Greg K and I found ourselves off the front a bit and so I encouraged him to try and stay away. We hit out at at about 90 percent. At one point I saw Tony B try to bridge and he made it more than half way across but then faded back. Our lead kept growing and when we got to Hwy 202 it felt good. Although Greg nearly lost me as we crested that last hill on this road - ouch. Climbing the falls Greg went to the front and set a reasonable temp and with about 300 m to go I tried to go. Near the top Brad K flew by me (on his carbon fiber race bike!) and Tony and Greg were not that far behind. We stopped at the top for water. The Weyerhaeuser loop is one of my favorite bits of road. Super scenic, super isolated and one damn good hill. I pulled all the way up the gradual climb and into the steep section and then Tony and Brad shot past me again. This time it was early enough that I was able to reel Tony back in and we crested together behind Brad. Then I got tired. And Brian S and Dustin V got stronger. What's with that? Dustin was complaining of a cold all day long and when we climbed back up Issaquah-Fall City he simply gave it a twist of the wrist and pulled away. But Brian was not far behind him! That guy always gets dropped around half way and then gets this enormous second wind and kills it all the way home. And that's how it went. Dustin and Brian were off the front, Greg was getting in as much work as possible and I was just barely able to hold Greg's wheel. The last two miles were super slow. And when I say super I mean 12-14 mph on the flats.
Equipment:	Bianchi Volpe, 38/50, 12-25

road ride

Saturday, February 16, 2008 9:49:53 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

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Friday, February 15, 2008

Thursday 14 February 2008 - core | spinning

posted by: Martin

Hrs. Sleeping:
Pulse (waking):
Pulse (rising):
Difference:
Weight:
Body Fat:
Time of Day:	5:30 am
Distance:
Time (total):	spinning - 45 min
Time (moving):
Time (stopped):
Speed (moving):
Speed (overall):
Total Ascent:
Weather:
Workout Type:	core \| spinning

Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Workout Food:	water

Course:	plank 2x180 sec, 60 sec to each side, 2x30 clam knee lifts on each side, 30 side leg lifts on each side, 2x50 steam engines, back extensions (20 straight, 20 twisting) - 25 lb
Results:
Comments:	Okay, after the euphoria of completing three indoor TTs last night I was hit with the reality of spinning this morning and it hurt. I was not able to go as hard as I usually do and actually had to stop twice and rest for a few seconds. We did all kinds of killer intervals with accelerations.
Equipment:

core | spinning

Friday, February 15, 2008 5:23:13 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Wednesday 13 February 2008 - weights | CycleU indoor TT

posted by: Martin

Hrs. Sleeping:
Pulse (waking):
Pulse (rising):
Difference:
Weight:
Body Fat:
Time of Day:	gym - 5:00 am CycleU - 5:00 pm
Distance:
Time (total):
Time (moving):	indoor TT #1 - 15:52 indoor TT #2 - 15:23 indoor TT #3 - 15:38
Time (stopped):
Speed (moving):
Speed (overall):
Total Ascent:
Weather:
Workout Type:	weights \| CycleU indoor TT

Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Workout Food:	gym - water CycleU - water and Clif Bloks

Course:

push-ups	2x20
seated row	2x20 - 90 lb
shoulder press	16, 20 - 25 lb
lat pull-down	2x20 - 90 lb
incline leg press	20x90lb, 20x180 lb, 20x270 lb, 15x360 lb, 20x360 lb, 18x360 lb
hack squat machine
walking lunges	3 times out and back in aerobics room - 30 lb dumbbells
leg curls	3x12 - 35 lb each leg on some new machine that was HARD
leg extensions	15x155 lb, 15x175 lb, 15x195 lb
plank	3 min
back extensions	20 straight, 20 twisting - 25 lb

Results:

official indoor TT results

Comments:

The gym went well, Thom W and I tried some new exercises like this weirdo hack squat machine that must weigh a f'n ton and this hamstring machine that uses one leg at a time and you're upright. Sometimes I think gyms are a little too complicated... But it was cool to get 20 reps in at 360 lb on the incline leg press!

Today was my first time ever riding three indoor TTs. And it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be but the equipment was very flaky...

During my first ride I was doing okay and started to descend the first big hill which is immediately after the first big climb. I had my head down and all of a sudden the resistance goes way up. Like I almost stopped pedaling. I thought, "Boy, I'm flying, I must be at the next climb already..." And then I looked up. I was still on the descent, not even half way down!

Damn, this happened about five more times at random intervals and each time I would bog down and have to wind it back up. By now I had dropped from 2nd to 4th. :( Oh well, it was a good workout for sure.

During the second ride I was in 1st and with about 2 or 3 km to go all of a sudden my resistance was gone! I yelled for Lang and as he fiddled with my resistance unit I was spinning the 50x12 and falling back, back, back... Then it kicked in and I jumped from 3rd to 1st again and this time I was about 400 m in front of 2nd. Grr... it's fun to win but not this way.

I was certain I was going to explode during the third ride but I didn't. In fact, it felt like the most steady effort of all three. Probably because I had to be really careful not to go too hard or risk blowing up. This time my unit worked great [as far as I know anyway, right...?] and I got a reasonable time.

What was amazing though was to watch Brian S smoke this heat. He said after that it felt a little easy and I'm guessing he's right because he has never broken 16 minutes and here he hammers out a phenomenal time. Then again, who am I to judge, he could just be on fire. And it's a fact that he does not know how fast he can go so good for him I guess.

Equipment:

Bianchi Volpe, 38/50, 12-25
Today I could have used an 11 a couple of times, but maybe the resistance was just wonky...

CycleU indoor TT | weights

Thursday, February 14, 2008 5:20:08 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Tuesday 12 February 2008 - core | spinning

posted by: Martin

Hrs. Sleeping:
Pulse (waking):
Pulse (rising):
Difference:
Weight:
Body Fat:
Time of Day:	5:30 am
Distance:
Time (total):	spinning - 45 min
Time (moving):
Time (stopped):
Speed (moving):
Speed (overall):
Total Ascent:
Weather:
Workout Type:	core \| spinning

Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Workout Food:

Course:	2x180 sec plank, 60 sec on each side, clam knee lifts, side leg lifts, steam engines, back extensions
Results:
Comments:	Okay, we hit it hard today! Then again, have I ever attended an easy spinning class...? I think not.
Equipment:

core | spinning

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 4:03:27 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

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Monday, February 11, 2008

Monday 11 February 2008 - weights | core

posted by: Martin

Hrs. Sleeping:
Pulse (waking):
Pulse (rising):
Difference:
Weight:
Body Fat:
Time of Day:	5:00 am
Distance:
Time (total):
Time (moving):
Time (stopped):
Speed (moving):
Speed (overall):
Total Ascent:
Weather:
Workout Type:	weights \| core

Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Workout Food:	water

Course:

push-ups	20, 20, 15
seated row	3x20 - 90 lb
shoulder press	16, 20, 20 - 25 lb
lat pull-down	3x20 - 90 lb
plank	2x180 sec, 60 sec on each side
other core	steam engines, knee lifts
back extensions	20 straight, 20 twisting - 25 lb

Results:

Comments:

My back was too sore to ride yesterday plus the weather was kinda wet - not the most motivation there... Today the back felt good. At least it seems to be recovering more quickly than before I got serious about my PT.

Equipment:

core | weights

Monday, February 11, 2008 3:54:53 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

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Saturday, February 09, 2008

Saturday 9 February 2008 - ride

posted by: Martin

Hrs. Sleeping:
Pulse (waking):
Pulse (rising):
Difference:
Weight:
Body Fat:
Time of Day:	8:00 am
Distance:	75 miles
Time (total):	5:00
Time (moving):	4:25
Time (stopped):	35 min
Speed (moving):	16.9 mph
Speed (overall):	14.9 mph
Total Ascent:	4037 feet
Weather:	humid, low 40s, dry at the end
Workout Type:	ride

Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Workout Food:	food bar, 5 scoops Perpetuem in one large bottle, 3 scoops HEED in another

Course:	University Village, Leschi, across Mercer Island, Newport, Issaquah, up Sunset, Issaquah-Fall City Rd, north across 202, golf course rd, up Tolt Hill Rd, Redmond-Fall City Rd, E Lake Sammamish, 56th, bike trail, across Mercer Island, home
Results:
Comments:	My back blew up today followed shortly thereafter by my legs. The first 40 miles were great. I pulled a ton and led the charge up and over Issaquah-Fall City road and then pulled all the way to Tolt Hill at about 21-22 mph. Then I got a flat. And then I felt like dirt. Boy, Tolt Hill is steeper than I recall... :( Luckily by this time everyone else was feeling a bit less frisky and Brian S waited for me so I got it fixed in short order and resumed the climb. But then my back started complaining. For some reason there was just no dealing with it today and when my back acts up it makes riding much less fun. Brian bonked hard here and Greg K gave him a gel but we had to throttle it way back for a stretch along 202. Coming back along Lake Sammamish Brian got his second wind and amazingly kept getting stronger and stronger. To his credit it must literally have been a case of running out of food and not fitness related. We stopped in Issaquah briefly so Brian could get a Snickers and Gatorade and combined with me fading it felt like he sped up massively again. Ouch. I really crawled across the island and then took the shortest route home. No messing around with Madrona or Union today, no sir.
Equipment:	Bianchi Volpe, 38/50, 12-25 With my new rear wheel! That's right, Martin finally gets off his ass and builds a new rear wheel - turns out I had a pair of rims sitting in my basement and only had to buy spokes. No more S-bend in the rim, nice.

road ride

Saturday, February 09, 2008 9:28:40 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

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Friday, February 08, 2008

Friday 8 February 2008 - core

posted by: Martin

Hrs. Sleeping:	7
Pulse (waking):
Pulse (rising):
Difference:
Weight:
Body Fat:
Time of Day:	5:30 am
Distance:
Time (total):	45 min
Time (moving):
Time (stopped):
Speed (moving):
Speed (overall):
Total Ascent:
Weather:
Workout Type:	core

Breakfast:	smoothie
Lunch:	8 ox yogurt, bagel with cream cheese and LOTS of lox, bagel with just cream cheese, water
Dinner:	Mexican (which equals too much food), 2 beers
Workout Food:	water

Course:	2x3 min plank, 60 sec to each side, 2x40 clam knee lifts, 30 leg lifts to each side, ball passes, leg extensions, crunches, sit-ups, twisters, incline board sit-ups
Results:
Comments:	It felt good to not do any weights today.. just not in the mood. I was kind of doing my own ab routine when Ken L and Thom W showed up and I joined them in theirs for extra credit.
Equipment:

core

Friday, February 08, 2008 8:38:57 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

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Thursday, February 07, 2008

Thursday 7 February 2008 - core | spinning

posted by: Martin

Hrs. Sleeping:	6
Pulse (waking):
Pulse (rising):
Difference:
Weight:
Body Fat:
Time of Day:	5:30 am
Distance:
Time (total):	spinning - 45 min
Time (moving):
Time (stopped):
Speed (moving):
Speed (overall):
Total Ascent:
Weather:
Workout Type:	core \| spinning

Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Workout Food:	water

Course:	I got in 2x3 min of plank again! Along with the side plank and knee and leg lifts. Spinning was great! It started out with a scare as the CD player was not working and I think I have never done an exercise class with no music at all... but it turned out fine. We did some super intervals and got the job done.
Results:
Comments:
Equipment: