from the nursing home, tried to push on hills, legs sore from yesterdays race
Note
one hour walking at nursing home. when my weekly hours of training were greater this was really tiring me out. now that i'm doing speedier shorter stuff, it doesnt really register.
to and from pickup point fro ride to race, on mostly gravel track
biking18:00 [3]
warmup laps at race course
biking race (cyclocross race) 35:00 [5]
pretty good course w/ a very steep hill which i rode up in my 39/30, but bobbled once or twice, and sliding slippery gravel pit which was also rideable but i also bobbled. then i was going to pass someone but we got to a hairpiin turn before i could, so i sort of began to cut them off and then pulled back and said sorry, but never could get back up to them again. otherwise i felt pretty strong, but kind of lost momentum the last couple of laps. on my ride home noticed the front brake was rubbing aginst the wheel again despite an emergency trip to the bike shop last nite, kind of hope that was the cause of the lack of a power finish! better luck next time. got 8th out of 24? in the C race which is a pretty decent season start for me. plan to ride in the b race the 2nd half of the season.
running (wind sprints) 10:00 [3]
Ran wind sprints during the
b race where i was handing water bottles to teammates (the official specifically said handups were allowed this race)
thought i was over the cold, but felt really bad after wed. intervals, throat sore, weak, tired, but today seems better. In a way i set myself up for failure because I thought i was going to do a hard cyclocross training session that same day, and then when i felt so bad it was a big letdown. probably didn't help that i choppped concrete that afternoon either.
to nursing home and back, did some tree navigation drills, and hopping on and off the saddle - finally getting the motion without the stutter step but if I did that in a race I'm afraid I'd hurt myself. My nemesis is curb jumping, on a cross bike you could just roll over most curbs without even jumping, so I don't know why I have this fear of flying.
last time at the track i was running a 400, trying to imagine i was maintaing that speed mile after mile. so this time i wanted to run longer distances, with that same thought. didn't quite make the distance part, but the form part, from the lower abdomen, is seeming to fall in place
seems like a mild cold, same progression of symptoms but less severe. mostly tired.
biking1:58:00
errands, to library, then to kirkwood to buy some mugs at cornucopia via grants trail. was thinking about tacking on a thrid hour, but this was it, I was thoroughly tired.
drills and stretch before intervals and after run
left achilles more sore than usual
running intervals 1:00:00
6 x 400 @ 1:30. times very consistent but with increasing jog rest between from 2:30 to 3:30. warmup/cooldown to and from track.
remembered that conventional wisdom is to keep running until times go UP, but increasing rest (and soreness) were equivalent indicators.
felt more relaxed in intervals though, setttled down in them and imagined i was just cranking out 6 minute mile after 6 minute mile as i could in my early twenties, while recovering from drug and alchohol use and still trying to quit smoking.
Note
Considering major investment...well, i do need a mountain bike but its always seemed like a luxury to get the kind of bike i wanted after i gave my son the Schwinn Moab.
So along comes Ibis Tranny. Its a hardtail MB, so light it can double for a cross bike and even road rides, and the kicker is it comes apart for travel.
The 'do everything go anywhere' bike of my 'dreams'.
There are limitations! With the component group that makes it weigh 19# as a mountain bike its a good $5000!, though the base level gruppo is 'only' 2800. You obviously can't take wheels with you to change out use in the middle of a ride (though you could conceivably bring some tires if the situation really warranted it) unless you pulled a trailer or something, and that would be somewhat self-defeating. Plus it has disk brakes, which limits the wheels you can use, and as of now disqualifies it for UCI cyclocross events.
Still, it could be used as a cross bike for local races, a mountain bike, and with road wheels and fork even comes in as a 17# something road bike. As 3 pretty darn good bikes in one, that can travel in a suitcase, its cheaper, easier to maintain, upgrade and store, than buying 3 seperately.
Help me out here w/ the rationalization process!
Checking out the cross bike setup, then taking it on a few errands, and by way of the park to test the 30 tooth on the cassette against the steepest grassy hill I could find. Success!
4k course, 17:49, went out fast in first mile and then just hung on second mile and a half. completely opposite from my race plan. goal was 16: something, didn't get it. Still on a 22 min pace for a cross country 5k not too awful, but i thought i had more.
biking20:00 [3]
cool down ride to opp. corner of park and back
biking tempo 45:00
to fathers house on grants trail, w/ harder efforts
easy run part of the way back from the nursing home. stiff and sore - even at Wed speedwork i was not in form - but i can't really attribute it to anything
sister and father wanted to go to hawn, so i went along
orienteering20:00 [3]
ran off into the woods a couple of times, but almost immediately felt itching on my ankles, even with long pants, tucked in socks - i think they go right through my socks. still picking tiny things off.
taking recycling to park w/ trailer, one trip instead of 2 or 3. noticed that under load there is some surge up and down hill or on a power stroke, since the trailer connection is a flexible joint the trailer mass does not act in inertial concert with the bike, incentive for smooth pedaling
legs are tired, even w/ 'rest day' yesterday. wanted to do some running, bike visits, etc but will have to see...
to stores and back w/ trailer. trailer better for things that won't fit in saddlebags obviously, but inverse mass damping effect is slightly annoying.
biking1:40:00
to fathers house and back on grants trail. 45 min there, felt good so did some short but steep hill repeats a la pantani. this position feels very powerful and smooth for climbing to me, hands in the drops, standing, leaning way forward
site visit in west end, then to borders and whole foods to buy b'day gift and groceries. detour for bridge closing off clayton west of brentwood. last half hour with 40+# pack.
This ride felt like some heavy lifting, but felt strong.