I Are Baboon

Did 20 miles on the road yesterday. I went with the wife. She is still shaking off early season tiredness, so the pace was casual. My legs are feeling pretty good right now.

Hockey game tonight. I was bummed about hockey because I wanted to ride, but it turns out it's going to rain all day today.

I drove the back roads into work today, looking for a good route to bike to work. I found a pretty good 35 mile route, so I am going to try that next week.

Archangel

Awesome Brother!!! 35 miles to work huh? I'd be dying for sure , keep it up!!!

"I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

"For NOTHING is impossible with GOD" - Luke 1:37

I Are Baboon

First update in a few days.

Thanks to crappy weather, my training has been limited to the gym. I have not missed any workouts though:

April 29: Weights (chest, triceps, abs)
April 30: Weights (back, biceps)
May 1: Weights (legs) and a hockey game
May 2 : Rest day...much needed
May 3 (yesterday): Weights (shoulders)
Today: Weights planned for this evening (chest and triceps)

Tomorrow is my first bike commute to work. The commute is 30 miles, but I am going to drive to a commuter lot to shave 10 miles off the trip. I am not sure how I am going to feel after the ride, so I am going to play it safe and keep the ride to 20 miles each way. If I feel ok, I'll do the full 30 mile commute next week. "Bike to Work Day" is May 20 and I want to ride the full 30 miles by then. 60 miles/five hours of riding in a day is a lot for me. I can't wait to try it though!

These bike commutes are going to be my true training rides. I am going to go all out on them.

Archangel

Good luck, sounds like you have a pretty solid plan there!!! You'll be doin the 30 like it's nothin, have faith, I do!!!

"I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

"For NOTHING is impossible with GOD" - Luke 1:37

I Are Baboon

Thanks, man!

Well I did my first bike commute. 21 miles in 1:20, 15.9 MPH average. I'm happy with that for my first time. Now I'll try to beat that on the ride home. The laps at the 24 hour race will be about 1:15 long, so this will be good training.

It was COLD when I started out this morning....like 35 degrees.

Oh, I worked chest, tris and abs last night.

I Are Baboon

The ride home was a little slower. My legs got pretty tired near the end.

Ride time was 1:22 with a 15.3 average MPH.

Archangel

You where slacking!!!
Only a 2 minute difference, after a day at work, on your first day attempted is Incredible in my book Brother!!! Keep it up

"I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

"For NOTHING is impossible with GOD" - Luke 1:37

I Are Baboon

Crappy weather plus Mother's Day this past weekend meant NO RIDING. I did get to the gym Friday, Saturday, an Sunday though...

Friday: Back, biceps, abs
Saturday: Legs
Sunday: Shoulders, abs

The weather is supposed to be awesome all this week, so I see lots of bike rides planned, starting with a 20 miler after work today.

Archangel

You'll do it with ease!!!

"I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

"For NOTHING is impossible with GOD" - Luke 1:37

Pylon

Man, that's some serious wheel time you're logging. Nice work!

"For beverages, I only drink water or whiskey and when I’m drinking whiskey, it’s usually when I’m working out. It gives me the courage to lift more than I can when I’m sober." - C. Bratton

I Are Baboon

Thanks, guys.

I did my 20 mile route last night with total ease. I need to do something about that route becasue it's an effortless ride. I need to find some hills or something.

I Are Baboon

I have not been updating this because I've been really busy lately.

Anyway, my preparations for the race are going great. I feel like I am already in better shape for the race than I was last year, and I still have five weeks to train. I have only taken two days off this month, alternating between road riding and lifting weights. Road riding is good for building leg stamina, but I am going to start really hitting the dirt this weekend. I have not ridden a bike since last Wednesday, thanks to a week of rain.

I weighed in at 169 this morning, which means I have accomplished my goal of losing 10 pounds since winter. Those 10 pounds came off rather easily, so I am going to try for five more. Having 15 less pounds to lug around on a bike makes a WORLD of difference. Less bodyweight + stronger legs = faster lap times.

Archangel

Solid plan, congrats on being better than you where last year, that has to make you feel even better!!! Wish I could lose 10 pounds as easy as you!!!

"I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

"For NOTHING is impossible with GOD" - Luke 1:37

I Are Baboon

Training is going well. I mountain biked Friday and Saturday, about 25 miles and eight hours total on some tough New England terrain. I'm pretty tired and sore this morning (my legs and back hurt). I could use a rest day, but I have a hockey game tonight and I am hoping to hit the gym this afternoon.

Current weight is 167 (down another two pounds...probably mostly water weight).

Archangel

Take care of that back!!! Lookin pretty solid there!!!

"I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

"For NOTHING is impossible with GOD" - Luke 1:37

I Are Baboon

The sore back is not uncommon. It's a combination of the full suspension on my bike and my back just getting tired. At this race last year, my back got so sore before my last lap that I could barely stand. But I sucked it up and put in a very solid final lap.

Archangel

Only about a month away now, any changes to your training as you get closer?

"I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

"For NOTHING is impossible with GOD" - Luke 1:37

I Are Baboon

My race was this past weekend. Well I didn't do a very good job of keeping my journal updated, but I worked my butt of prepping for the race and it paid off.

My personal goals were to shave 5 minutes off my average lap time from last year, and have one lap under an hour. I managed to shave 8 minutes off my average, which was much better than I had hoped for (I averaged 1:10, compared to 1:18 last year). I did not break the one hour mark, unfortunately. Something to shoot for next year. Our team finished 7th, up from 11th last year. Overall, I am very pleased with how I and my team did.

The course was fast and dry. The killer is the first 4.5 miles, which are all uphill and in 97 degree heat. The climb just doesn't seem to end. I felt great during the race...I got plenty of sleep the night before and didn't get sick like last year. I also didn't have to push my bike at all on any of my laps and I made it up every climb on every lap (again, an improvement over last year).

I had two problems during that. First, I experienced unbelievably painful leg cramping during my 2nd lap. The cramping was so bad, I fell off my bike and could not stand up. I spent five minutes rolling around on the ground in pain. A fellow racer stopped and gave me some electrolyte pills, then I managed to crawl back on my bike and finish the lap. I loaded up on electolytes the rest of the race and did not cramp anymore. The other problem was with eating. You're just too tired to eat and have to force feed yourself. I almost wanted to puke while eating, but I just kept stuffing down the food. I held it down, and the nutrition was certainly helpful.

So, overall I am very happy with how I did, but I have more to shoot for next year.

Race pics are in my gallery.

Triple Threat

IainDaniel

Congrats on the progress

How far you off the leaders numbers?

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

Michael Jordan

I Are Baboon

The leaders kicked our asses. They completed (I believe) four or five more laps than us. Final results have not yet been posted....four focking days later.

Thanks, guys! It's amazing what training can do for a man.

Archangel

Awesome job!!! You shaved some serious time off there, I would say your training DEFINATLY paid off!!! Pics are great too!!!

"I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

"For NOTHING is impossible with GOD" - Luke 1:37