31.1.12

2012.10: Base 3 Week 2

Sunday: Tried doing some spin tabatas again.  Oh boy did that fail.  I think I didn't really eat enough beforehand.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/147529316

Saturday: nothing. I don't even remember. I think I cleaned the glue off my road tubs. I also scheduled an appointment with a sports medicine doctor to look at this stupid achilles of mine.  That was either today or yesterday.  I don't remember.

Friday: Quick and relatively easy ride to Miller Place to pick up some rubber stoppers for a project of mine.  Took a little while to find the lab supply place.  Turns out it's just run out of some guy's house.  My achilles was a little sore on the way out, but then limbered up.  Then on the way back it started to get sore again.  Fuck this.  That's all I have to say.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/146883805
NP/IF/TSS: 174/0.669/78

Thursday: Skipped riding again to nurse this achilles of mine.

Wednesday: Another beautiful day, but rather than destroy my achilles some more, I just took it easy.  2 hours of walking by the beach and back.

Tuesday:  Planned on meeting Ron and the SBRA guys in Holtsville, then maybe tacking on a few extra miles.  On the way out, I got a flat from a sewing pin through my back tire.  I tried to hustle to change the tire and then sprinted to the ecology center, but I got there 5 minutes past.  At this point I had no clue where the guys were or where they were headed, so I sprinted down one way that I thought maybe they would be.  Never saw them, so eventually I cooled the pace down a little and settled in for a long ride.  The day was beautiful, great weather.  Just perfect with leg and arm warmers.  On the way back, my achilles started hurting again.  Even so, I decided to head back along north country road instead of just facing a wall of wind the whole way back along 347.  Tried to hustle up zophar mills in wading river.  Stopped for lunch at a deli in miller place, then stopped at a few beaches on the way back.  A few extra miles nearing home and I got a solid 100 miles in.  Go me.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/146255984
NP/IF/TSS: 173/0.664/283

Monday: Rest day.  Rested

24.1.12

2012.09: Base 3 Week 1

Sunday: No riding.  Did some calf exercises in the evening.

Saturday: Once again the plan was to try Percy's ride.  Once again I only woke up at 1pm.  So I did my own little ride around town.  I was aiming for a mostly tempo pace, with a little bit of rest at the beaches and some spots here and there along the way.  I call it fartlek tempo.  Most people would probably call it half-assed.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/145374467
NP/IF/TSS: 195W/0.751/127

Friday: More rain.  Didn't feel like subjecting myself to the rollers.  So I did nothing.

Thursday: rainy day.  Looking at my base 3 schedule, I can now do some harder efforts.  Tonight I did some cruise intervals.  3x6minutes.  I was going to do 4 minute rests, but after the first interval, I decided on just 3 minute rests.  Then I forgot and did a 4 minute rest between intervals 2&3.  oh well.  I also fell off the rollers between those two, launching into a box of spare christmas light bulbs.  Hopefully they're still in one piece.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/144887234
NP/IF/TSS: 177W/0.679/31
avg power (W):
Int1- 219
Int2- 210
Int3- 225

Wednesday: For some reason despite wearing my assos skinsuit under my jersey yesterday, my ass really hurt.  So I took the day off.  Rode around the block a few times late in the day.  Walked at night.

Tuesday: Temps in the 50s means a long day in the office.  Or at least what I had planned to be a long day in the office.  I decided to head out east and ride past the buffalo farm, opting to extend my ride a little by going to Iron Pier Beach Park.  I felt really good on the way out.  The riding was fast and easy.  Then I turned back around.  Oh headwind.  What a slog heading back along Sound ave.  Then I bonked.  I crawled my way back to mount sinai, but had to stop at a bagel store.  Earlier in the ride, I also had some garmin trouble.  I recently switched to 25's on the road bike, so I figured I would let garmin auto correct the size, but somehow it came up with a size half as large as I had for the 23's.  My power numbers also seemed really low on the way back into the wind.  I don't know if that was related to the imminent bonk, or if I need to recalibrate my ptap as well.  Technology....pffft.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/144388992
NP/IF/TSS: 168W/0.645/194

Monday: Rest day.  Needless to say, after last week I rested.

20.1.12

Race: Kingsbridge Armory Velodrome Roller Race 1/19

Finally the event for which I've been doing endless tabatas (for one week) had arrived.  The National Cycling Association put this event on to raise money for their bid to convert the old Kingsbridge Armory into a world class indoor velodrome.  I am all for that idea.

I think in total there were 8 riders.  A few T-town riders showed up, including one multi-national champion women's track racer.  In addition there was Gavi, the local former-pro, and a few messengers including one who had never rode rollers before.  We started with the usual 500m TTs for seeding purposes. All of these were done on the middle set of rollers, which if I remember correct was the green set.  I posted the second fastest time behind Matt Diefenbach's 15.xx with a 17.41.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/143195904

I've forgotten most of the details of round 1, but I can tell you this.  All of the rounds were done two up, with the blue and green rollers being used.  Reaching deep into my memory, I'm pretty sure the first and last round I was on the green middle rollers.  The second round I was on the blue side roller.  I'm pretty sure the first round I went up against Gavi.  Man, I really hope they post videos or photos so I can look all this up again.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/143195899

Round two I faced Matt Diefenbach.  He was on the green and I was on the blue.  Our total 1k time was 33.xx seconds.  I had taken the lead for the first lap, but Matt got past me in second to win.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/143195896

After another short break we went straight to the finals.  What happened to the semi-finals or repechages, I do not know.  I heard it was the official's first time doing a roller race, so I don't feel so upset about it.  Regardless, I was now in the 3rd place race up against Mike P.  I was on the green, he was on blue.  From what I heard we had a close race, but I was able to get the win.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/143195890

With my third place win, I received $75 and a pair of Red Hook Crit socks.  Hooray.  Afterward, it was time for more beer (I think I was the only racer drinking the whole time) and some chit-chat with the crowd. It was a great group of people there, cheering everybody on.  I felt really happy the whole time with all the support, so thanks to whomever that was there that somehow ends up reading this.

Post post-race drinking, Mike and I went out for some pizza, and then I headed back to penn to catch my train back home.  Doing some math on the train, I figured out that after all the pizza, beer, raffle tickets, entry fees, train and subway fare I actually ended up spending $15.50.  Money well spent, I say.  Good luck to NCA and the Kingsbridge Armory Velodrome!

EDIT: For those who are interested, I think the final standings were:
1 - Matt Diefenbach
2 - Bobby Livingston
3 - Me!
4 - Gavi Epstein
5 - Mike Prokopec

17.1.12

2012.08: Base 2 Week 4 - Rest

Sunday: Continued to hibernate.  Wake me when the spring series starts.

Saturday: Oh snow!  Did some shoveling, perhaps 1 hour's worth.  I also tried out the conditions for some xc skiing, but it was a little slippery still.  Then I hibernated.  Right before bed, I did do some transverse and standard planks.

Friday: No riding.  My muscles on the back of my legs that you use to pull your foot toward your butt hurt.  And yes, it probably would have been faster to look up what that muscle is on wikipedia than to write that description.

Thursday: Kingsbridge Armory Velodrome Roller Race.  See the official race report.

Wednesday: Nada.  Rest weeks are serious business.

Tuesday: Nothing.

Monday: Rest day.  Did a short ride just because.  I rode really easy though.  I think those tabatas really took a lot out of me.  I don't really have much of a kick right now.  Maybe it was too much neuro-muscular stuff?  Too much ATP use or whatever?  I don't know.  I'm just going to take it easy this week.  Problem solved.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142552346
NP/IF/TSS: 165/0.636/46

10.1.12

2012.07: Base 2 Week 3

Sunday: No riding.  The temperatures were in the single digits, which I didn't feel like dealing with.

Saturday: Was going to try Percy's ride, but woke up late...again.  Did a short ride late in the day to make it seem like I'm actually trying here.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142100120
NP/IF/TSS: 182W/0.699/76

Friday: Spinbatas again.  I'm not sure if they're helping or not.  They're sure kicking my ass though.  I wasn't able to go as hard this time because my throat is still really hurting when I breathe in deep.  Jeremy says I should set up a humidifier.  I think I should just give up on these things.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/141409853

Thursday: No riding.  Rainy cold windy day.  I did go for a walk for about 2 hours or so.

Wednesday: High cadence tabatas again.  Or spinbatas as I'm now calling them.  I'm having trouble breathing deep with the dry air in the basement.  My throat just feels on fire by the time I'm done.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/140984241

Tuesday: Long ride.  Flatted on the way out.  Fortunately, I was just down the hill from Carl Hart Bicycles, so I popped in for a little to warm up and use their floor pump.  Thank you, kind bicycle sellers!  After that I almost got crushed by a gravel truck.  Status quo with them, really.  Those guys have to be the biggest douches on the planet.  On the way back, I was really starting to bonk hard, so I got a quick bite of pizza at Old Town Pizzeria.  Man, was that good.  Then a short ride back home.  You know, with all these reviews in this post, you'd think I was sponsored by these guys or something.  A rider can wish...
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/140674938
NP/IF/TSS: 157W/0.604/141

Monday: Rest day.  Didn't rest.  I did some high cadence tabata intervals on the rollers.  Well attempted to do them at least.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/140674946

2.1.12

2012.06: Base 2 Week 2

Sunday: Nothing.  Don't remember why.  I think I slept too late.

Saturday: beautiful 60 degree day.  I had to go to a family party.  So no riding.

Friday: late start again.  Intended to ride the Kreb ride, but I woke up at 1pm instead.  I think I've been in a bit of a funk again.  Who knows.  My knees were hurting before the ride, but while riding I actually felt really good.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/139415030
NP/IF/TSS: 198W/0.763/88

Thursday: late start, just a short ride.  Saw a cute girl with a cute hat walking a dog in Avalon.  I thought I was going to crash into a car or something as I was looking at her.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/139415035
NP/IF/TSS: 179W/0.689/68

Wednesday: nada.

Tuesday: Spintervals today.  145-165rpm.  the usual.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/139017454
Time: 00:25:01

Monday: Rest day.  Rested. I also noticed there will be some roller races on the 19th of January, so I might try to focus on spinning my brains out this week.