Training Log Archive: igoup

Shoulder and back stuff

Nice morning. Kept the effort easy.

A bit of riding before the start.

Muenster Germanfest
3:04:13 on the Strava segment Germanfest Road Rally 100K


Sunny, cool 54F at the start warming to high 60s, WIND WIND WIND OMH THE WIND. But between wind and heat, I think I'll take the wind.

In 2019 I was 9min faster. But in 2019 the Strava leaders were 20min faster. I'll take that as indicating today was a good result.

Part 1: Start until we turn west
Flying with the tailwind. Set a new strava PR. Worked a little harder than my planned average because I figured I'd take advantage of the wind and fast front group.

Part 2; West then north to Saint Jo
I let the group go immediately after the turn to the west. On my own for about 15min before another smaller group caught me. I latched on and we worked well together until about 5 mi out from St Jo. Then another group caught us and we all latched on. It was nice to not have to take any turns for a bit.

Part 3: St Jo until Bulcher
A bunch of guys stopped at the St Jo aid station. That left just 4 us to do battle with the wind. We worked really well together with keeping a continuously rotating echelon. Some of the gusts were brutal. I took it easy on the high speed downhill. We were all pretty happy when we made it to the turn at Bulcher.

Part 4: Bulcher to Muenster
Uphill but downwind. Three of us stuck together. I was strong on the hills. Scott Stanley was strong on the flats. More strava PRs

Part 5: Chatted with Scott for a bit and then headed out on the 65k route backwards. Met LIsa and their last aid station. She was in good shape (just tired) so I rode back on my own. Heading back into the wind again was not welcome.

As is tradition, we skipped the festival and went straight for a late lunch at Rohmer's German restaurant in Muenster. I had chicken schnitzel, fried potatoes, and red cabbage, all of which was darn good. I was still hungry when we got home so we got a pizza.

After ride. Cycling leg routine (dead lift, lunge with weight, pistol squats or one-leg press machine).

Shoulder stuff in the evening.

Hills. I was hoping the roads would dry out from last night's storms but it was too humid. Now my bike is dirty.

Couldn't get up and it was also too windy. Hence, the erg.

Light weight to be nice to shoulder etc.

TM at PZF.

Brisk but controlled effort some hills but not too many or too big or too hard.

DOMS from leg work yesterday. It would be nice if someday this didn't happen.

PZF - Hip and low back foundations 1

Chilly, wet and windy so no rowing. Glad I didn't go to the trouble of taking a boat to Waco because the racing was canceled there as well. Just as well. Took the time to get in some running and the PZF work.

Cleared up in the late afternoon so took an easy lap of the lake. Very nice.

WU and CD

TX Crit Champs in Corsicana
Cat 4/5
36 / 42

Race not until the late afternoon, which made for an odd day. Took care of some errands and chores in the morning.

Some complained that it was stupid to have a "Champs" so early in the crit season. I didn't care. To me, it was simply a chance to race on a different course. 8 pj/2 turns is fun. I also like the slight uphill heading up to the courthouse. Both change the flow of the effort making it much more punchy.

What was particularly novel is that Main St is brick; we had the short stretch up near the court house and then the long stretch going back down to Collin Street. They were not placed as smoothly as the pavers that might be put down in a backyard patio; however, they didn't look too bad and certainly not as bad as everyone warned me about. The warnings were well founded. They were an ass-kicking every lap. As a funny indicator my wedding ring bounced down my finger, out of my glove, and almost off my finger. I thought about just tossing it into the grass with the hope of finding it after. I ended up dropping back and getting it into my pocket.

I had lower my air pressure by 5psi from my usual 90F-95B. I think I should have dropped 15psi.

We started off very fast, faster than our usual Tue night crits. Between the hard start, the bricks and the hill, I was maxed out right away and lasted three laps. I couldn't close the gaps that opened up every turn. Ended up having a solo TT for the ten laps as the few who were behind me never closed up. That was hard going. It wasn't fun getting lapped either. On the plus side, my lap splits were all within 5s of each other so I was putting out consistent effort all the way through to the end. In spite of getting dropped, I thought it was fun. The course was hard but also unique.

We got lucky with nice temps in the 70s. We had a few sprinkles just before and during our race and so I was a little careful turning onto the bricks for a couple of laps. It dried out quickly though and I stopped thinking about it.

In hindsight, running of gas isn't too surprising. I put out a lot of effort the last few weeks. Thu's ride was an indicator I might be low on gas; turns out I was.

We had 5 Reunion + a few spouses for tex mex dinner in Corsicana. It was decent; much better than I expected. They were still working on getting their liquor license so were giving away margaritas (1 per entre). That had everyone in a good mood. Since my alcohol tolerance has evaporated with age, I only took a couple of sips of mine before donating it to others; the others were happy to top theirs off.

In the morning because it is supposed to storm later. A little low on energy.

Lower leg foundations on my own at home.

WU & CD

Turbo Velo C
25 / 43

I'm usually pretty chill before these "races" since they are every week. However, I was a little anxious given the last time I ended up upside down. It took a couple of laps before I was just racing as usual. On the whole, everyone was much better behaved and respectful this week; the discussions have have occurred through the community over the last week and reinforced before the start seemed to have helped.

There was a very stiff south wind. A break of 3 including Michael from Reunion took off at about lap 3. There wasn't the muscle in the rest of the group to get them back due to the wind. I was mostly in the back of the main group with Lex. With about 4.5 laps to go, after the chicane the front accelerated and that started splitting the group up. Lex and I were attentive and bridged across. I'm happy to have been attentive enough to notice and then strong enough to do something about it.

There was another acceleration with 1 lap to go but I could not hang on. I didn't feel like digging too deep to try either. The end result is that the break of 3 finished, the group spread out over the last lap, and I finished about 20s down on the back end of the group.

Turbo Velo B
41/41

While I was DFL, I finished ahead of 8 DNFs. Hung with the group for 2 laps. Then hooked up with some other stragglers to take turns doing battle with the wind. I could maintain AT level effort but couldn't take it up beyond that anymore. With 2 laps to go I was dropped and TTed the rest. I got out of it what I wanted, a good workout

Shoulder and core

Very nice morning.

I was going to do a group ride. However, we didn't get home until 1130 and I couldn't get up in time. Did my own thing. Nice morning.

Got in a good amount of climb for the distance.

Out for about twice the recorded time. Setting out night O controls. I thought doing this by bike might be more efficient but I don't think it was. The trails were a little too steep, rooty and rocky for my gravel bike while carrying a pack. By the time I was done, I was a bit dehydrated.

My night-O was picking up controls. Started a 9pm. Very nice night; nice clear sky with lots of stars. Enjoyed this more than running during the day. It helped that I was 90% on trails.

The day's food report -- fast food bonanza.
Breakfast: McD's sausage muffin and a hashbrown.
Lunch: PB and honey sandwich, raisins, clementine, kind bar
Dinner: Oddly, Andrea and Jens wanted to go to Taco Bell. Wouldn't have been my first choice but, nevertheless, I inhaled the tacos. Had 4 taco supremes. I was still hungry so I got a burger and fries fro Burger King.
About 6L of fluids.

NTOA event at Tyler. Warm 75F at the start and it got into the high eighties later. Sweated buckets. Tyler used to be quite runnable with patches of thick vegetation. It seems to be the reverse now. It seemed like an almost constant fight with vines, dead fall, and thick veg. I thought perhaps I was just being grumpy, because I felt grumpy, but Lisa felt the same way. My theory is that in the oughts when we started orienteering TX was in a drought period. That has eased and over time the veg has followed the rain. It's a great park and if you don't leave the trail the forest looks green and pretty. But for O it is becoming borderline not fun. Maybe I'll still grumpy

My nav and "running" were generally good except for C15-C16-C17 where I made a directional error and a map reading error. I was ready to be done and my thinking wasn't sharp. Didn't loose too much time though.

Legs and abs. I asked Christian to correct my squat form and received good feedback.

Trek shop ride. Most I've ever seen on this ride and a lot of fast guys. Dallas used to have a crit series on both Tue and Thu. However, the Thu series at Fair Park folded. The trickle down effect is that the numbers at the Tue crit are huge and it seems the Thu shop ride is seeing the same. And the effect of the big numbers and fast riders is a bit more risk. I hope things settle down.

4 Reunion guys, which was fun.

Only two "Up and Around" laps. The first was suppose to be "neutral" but we were still moving. The second one was darn quick and I had my second fast time on the segment by only 2 second. A bunch of other fast segments as well. I let the front group go heading south on W Lawther; I was still moving along but I had had enough.

I was comfortable going hard on the new S-Bianchi. I received my new seat post today but it was the wrong one, dang it. I'll be even more comfortable when I get proper seat post.

Shoulder stuff

First real ride with the S-Bianchi. I need to shorten the overall reach. Rode with Scot and Caryn. Very nice night.

Chest, tri, abs

Bike legs: squats, lunges, pistol squats

Shoulder and back PT

Red River Riot gravel

New course that kept us mostly north of the escarpment. It's a great area to ride but it is very hilly. My Garmin cheated me and so I've adjusted to the ridewithgps value. Others recorded up to 1400m. The signature climb is Windmill Hill, where this year we had the bonus of it being newly graveled; that makes it both bumpier and a bit like riding on marbles. You can't really stand or weight comes off the rear tire and it spins out. The first time up I was the only one of those around me who made it up without walking. I had hopes I might make it the second time but I started cramping and had to hop off.

I tried to stay mellow but inevitably got latched on to groups during the first lap. The second lap I kept it easier and more steady. Rode most of it with 4 other guys. I dropped them on the last few hills though.

My time is 10min long due to stopping to fill water at the end of the first lap and to drop my undershirt off at the car (it got much warmer than I anticipated).

Like last weekend I made sure to eat every 30min. My energy was good. However, I had some occasional cramping and I'm not clear why. After the second climb up Windmill Hill there is about 5km to go. First my right hamstring cramped so I clipped out and pedaled with my left foot until it relaxed. By the time it did the left leg was grabbing so I switched and pedaled with my right. After a while I was able to get going and finish with both feet on the pedals; I thought that was all a bit hilarious.

We went to lunch at Krootz, a micro brew in Gainseville; good burgers. We've been there a bunch of times so there is nothing new to report.

The drive home on I35 is always non-relaxing. I think a crit might be somewhat safer.

2019 Bianchi Specialissma, SRAM Red etap shifting and brakes, Quarq power-meter crank (that I don't know how to use), Slate carbon wheels. $3500 including tax via ebay.

Shortened the stem and got a cheapo seat tube that moved me forward a bit. I'm going to have to spring for a proper 0-setback seat tube. Don't have the fit dialed in yet. Feels big.

Shoulder stuff in the garage. Tue's crash added additional strain to my left bicep.

Put a new seat on the Ibis because the old one has a seam that was causing a wear on my shorts.

Knee and ankle getting better but still feel swollen. They don't look swollen but I can feel it.

Bought a used (bike to be named later after it is in my possession) on ebay. I've generally been nervous of buying non-trivial and expensive items on ebay. However, Caryn and Scot are ebay experts, checked it out and gave it the thumbs up. Caryn is the one who actually found it for me. I spent some time checking out measurements to make sure it would fit and then got up my courage to hit the "Buy it now" button. It's local and I pick it up tomorrow. Bike aficionados should be on the edge of their seats!

WU

Turbo Velo Crit - C race
Crash

Started in back because I was late getting the the line. Mostly stayed there for the first 4 laps then started to work my way up once we had 4 to go. Stiff south wind had the group compressing and being a bit sketchy. I think I did a good job of moving up while avoiding big efforts. At 2 laps to go I was in the top third. With 1.5 laps to go I felt decent -- I wasn't sure what my last lap effort would be like but I was ready to give it a go.

As we passed the entrance road there is a slight incline. We were accelerating heading to the 1 laps to go mark (also a prime). As we took the last gradual left I heard yelling and then the guy in front of me put the breaks on hard. For a brief moment I thought I might get by but it was not to be. I went down. Data says that happened at about 42kph. Result was a ripped jersey, a cracked helmet, a busted derailleur hanger and a broken seat stay. I have some road rash and my right knee is feeling a little sore as if it got twisted a bit.

I'm generally fine and was ready to get back on the bike. However, the Cervelo is effectively totaled. The seat stay might be repairable but I would never trust it to hard efforts again. So now I'm in the market for a new race bike. The Bianchi is too expensive for me to regularly subject to these crits. Some guys race bikes much more costly than mine. Maybe the xr3 becomes my race bike and I shell out $12k for a Specialisma to be the protected bike. :-)

Foundation & mobility feet to hips.

2x with Pat at WR. Pretty nice. Solid rowing but no pushing strokes yet. My low back feels a little tired.

Squatty things and a lot of shoulder things.

The WR Roadies were doing the south part of this route starting at 0815, however, that's pretty much Sunday. I started out on my own at 0620. The EW roads of Davis and Jefferson are not really the greatest for cycling. Heading west it was still early with little traffic. Coming back was annoying. This route would be better on Sundays.

There are a good number of significant climbs down south. They don't show up in profile for some reason but my total climb is about correct. Took them at a steady effort.

The KATY trail was packed with people out walking their Starbucks cups. I knew it would be so I just chilled.

On the Ridgecrest Trail I came up behind a woman with a Ventoux jersey so I slowed to engage her. She was polite but not too chatty, which I took to mean I should continue on my way.

I cruised around the lake and home, tired, but maintaining a good pace and not dragging. Surely the low temps helped but maybe also a new eating plan helped.

Reunion is racing this weekend and ideally I'd be there. However, I didn't think I was ready for a 30mi race yet.

Food: I brought more than I usually do and ate about a half a bar every half hour; that's about 100 calories every half hour. First a Cliff, then a KInd, then a Scratch. Then a bag of Scratch chews in two servings. I'll have to try this a few more times to be sure but feeling this good and fast at the end of a long ride was a new experience.

For lunch we went to Chiloso for blacken talipia tacos. I allowed myself a Coke + refill; I've been trying to limit my soda impact and am doing a good job. The only time I have it is when going out to lunch but if I do that once during the week and again on the weekend, that could easily be 1500 useless calories (plus all of the chemicals).

I got hungry again pretty soon and wanted to go to dinner at 1600 but Lisa would NOT let me. I endure many hardships.