The great escape

In seasons past, I haven't really been one to take advantage of those freaky-warm winter or spring days, when it's quite suddenly 65 degrees and sunny and wonderful. Most of that was due to where I worked.

But now, firmly ensconced in a job that's all about skipping out of work and going for a ride, I ... uh, skipped out of work and went for a ride yesterday. For whatever reason, this one was too good to pass up. It was going to be in the 50s (!) and sunny (!!). Also, this:

Summer kit! Summer kit on December 30 in Omaha, Nebraska. Through much of the ride, I felt like we were getting away with something. Like, "Oh, man, if they ever find out we wore shorts and short sleeves in December ... ."

Of course, that feeling ended sometime between 2 and 2:30 when we rolled past the zoo. Lions. Lions everywhere, devouring children. The gust of wind that hit us before we crossed I-80 on our way back downtown was not the warm, angry wind we encountered earlier on the Keystone. No, it was cold and angry. And then it got colder. By the time we made it downtown, it was 55 degrees and falling fast. I stopped and put arm warmers and gloves on — I packed a vest, warmers and gloves, just in case — and we headed back to the store.

By the time we rolled in, it was down to 50 degrees. Just 30 minutes later, wind chills were in the low 30s. Nice timing.

For me, yesterday's turn was all the more ridiculous because of the running I did when I was in Iowa over the weekend. On Sunday, it was 15 degrees. I put Mad Alchemy Mellow embrocation on under my running tights. I wore heavy gloves and thick wool socks. On Tuesday, it was slightly warmer: 17.

But when we came home Tuesday night it was 40 in Omaha. And then yesterday ... wow.

Right now, of course, it's 15 degrees with wind chills well below zero. And it's been snowing. It was awesome while it lasted. Hopefully we'll see it again soon in a week or two.

Recovery

No. More. Cookies.

Please.

And no more running, either.

That sums up Christmas break so far. Between the cookies and other baked goods that came into the shop and the dinner of Little Smokies and whiskey I had on Monday, I've had enough.

Two long runs in the span of three days is enough, too. I'm used to achy legs after sporadic runs, but whatever I have going now is a new one. Regardless, it's better today than it was yesterday, so it'll be gone soon.

I got back on the bike yesterday for about an hour. I took the Top Fuel over to Tranquility and spun around pretty lightly. The north half had crunchy snow and lightly tacky dirt, while the south side (which is in the sun all day) was pretty soft. I rode most of that on the grass beside the singletrack and bailed out by the iceplex. No need to take a mudbath and carve up the trail.

Today looks like one of those freaky days you'll think about for a few weeks afterward. It's 50-some degrees right now (it's 7 a.m.) and it's supposed to stay that way all day. Of course, tonight the bottom will fall out and tomorrow will likely feature freezing rain and then snow. But for today, it's going to be nice.

So I'm heading into the shop early to get my list of things done as soon as possible (mopping, dusting, vacuuming, going to the bank, etc.) and then skipping out for an hour or two later on. I might need fenders, but I won't need a bunch of thermal bits.

That's going to be pretty awesome.

Foot soldier

It's been five days since I last rode. I had grand, delusional visions of bringing a bike along and riding while we were away. I have that same vision every year, and then I check in on the weather and roads.

Yesterday in Algona: 12 to 15 inches of snow on the ground, sketchy streets and 10 degrees. A bonus, though: a heavy dose of hoarfrost, which made everything look pretty cool. Still, it was pretty unrideable.

Bringing a trainer sounds like a good idea, too, until taking a look at all of the other stuff that has to come along. Eh, nevermind.

So I'm left with running, which in Algona is a good thing. One side of the town is flat, the other hilly. A big loop can get you a little bit of everything. I did a pretty standard run for Algona High School cross country/track alums: extended city route.

Between runs, it's been stretching and yoga. Despite how good my back feels, it's pretty picky. The soft, squishy beds of this north-central Iowa road trip aren't ideal. So every morning, it was coffee, stretch, breakfast. And I usually repeated the coffee-stretch part later in the day.

Tomorrow, it's back on the bike. Finally. And maybe even outside. And it looks like Thursday might be a shorts/embrocation day. Wow.

Oh. What did I get for Christmas? The best thing a bike-shop guy can get: a big wad of money.

Hijacked

Those who have met him know Jack isn't exactly shy. From the time he was born, he's been dragged to bike races, where people he's never met come up and call him by name. Pretty soon, we have him yelling, "Run, you monkey," at cyclocross racers. So yeah, he's been socialized adequately.

That's good and bad. Good because he doesn't hide behind our legs and go mute when he meets new people (well, at least not for more than a minute or so). Bad because ... well, because if he feels like saying or doing something, he'll just do it.

The results are fairly entertaining. At church on Christmas Eve, when it was time for the kids to come forward for the children's sermon, he wandered across the altar to get where he was going. Behind him, one of the pastors was trying to herd him toward the right area.

Yesterday in Algona, again at church, he was "that kid" — the kid who's so excited to share and participate that he just talks a lot. And loudly, almost to the point of hijacking the whole bit. His confusion about which day is Christmas and which day is Christmas Eve led him to correct the pastor, who said Saturday was Christmas.

And then, when prompted, he said, "I opened presents!" We were pretty sure he was going to break down the contents of each present, but he refrained. When discussing how to use and get rid of wrapping paper, he went into a fairly demonstrative miming of smashing it down and taping it, while explaining it ... loudly.

It was our first instance of thinking, "Oh, wow. That's our kid ... ohhhhhh."

But after thinking about it more — and having my mom say, "Good! We need more kids like that. Those other kids just sit up there like lumps!" — we're over our momentary embarrassment.

So yeah, that's our kid.

Go with it

I'm keeping it short and sweet today, because I have stuff to do. This is the story, though:

I haven't felt this good on a bike in at least a year and half - maybe longer.

That is all. Happy Festivus.

Slow burn

When you think about it - or when I think about it, at least - I haven't done anything remotely intense in almost six months. Sure, some rides have gotten a little spirited, and there have been a few heart-rate spikes here and there, but actual, intentional intensity? It's been a while.

Of course, in Base 1 the goal isn't intensity so much as mileage. And not just mileage, but actual beneficial mileage (see: not slogging through a three-hour, zone 1 trainer ride just because your training plan said you were supposed to). That doesn't mean four hours of pinning it; but four hours (or, hell, even two hours) of steady burn is a good thing.

Since I was sequestered in the house yesterday (the shower looks awesome, by the way), I was faced with the trainer. I warmed up for 15 minutes, got my HR up to zone 2 and left it there for the next half hour while watching the 2009 Giro.

After that, I turned to the dark side: Coach Troy and a Spinervals DVD. Friend of triathletes and others who don't go outside when it's colder than 40 degrees. It was an Aero Base Builder workout, so that was another 75 minutes or so of steady burn. I felt good. Strong, even. It was nice.

The end result, after two hours, was a solid workout - not too hard, not too easy - and an honest desire to do it again tomorrow. Well, the workout part, not the trainer part.

Questionable motivation

It's right around freezing currently in Omaha. There's a bit of a north wind — 10-15 mph — but it's no big deal, really. The sun is coming up, the very full moon is setting.

It's going to be a nice, if chilly, day.

Today's plan calls for 3-4 hours of steady riding. Unfortunately, I'm stuck inside all day because we're having a shower redone. And that means I need to be present, mostly in case a hole gets punched in the wall or something.

That also means I'll have to ride the trainer, unless by some miracle (not bloody likely) this thing gets wrapped up by noon. I'm not holding my breath.

After a few years of training, I'm convinced that riding the trainer during Base 1 is a good way to lose your mind. When I look at the week's menu, it's all about getting miles in — 2 hours, 4 hours, 2.5 hours. Long days in the saddle; and all in HR zones 1 and 2.

Ugh.

With my new trainer philosophy — no more than 2 hours, maximum, at a time — things have become considerably more bearable. (Why only 2 hours? Because I see no point in blowing three hours in zone 1, barely breaking a sweat. I'll work a little bit harder for less time. It will even out.) But still, Base 1 is just steady, moderate riding. Even the most motivated of riders, with good things to watch on the TV, will struggle through that.

So, though it will be more challenging riding, I'm really, really looking forward to Base 2 and 3, as well as the Build phases, because at least then I have something to actually do. Sure, a 12-minute, zone 4 interval is uncomfortable, but it's better than two hours (or even one hour, really) of steady, zone 2 spinning.

How much am I despising base miles riding? I'm thinking about putting in a Spinervals DVD later. That, folks, is messed up.

Eureka, etc.

A couple of years ago, on a particularly frigid post-Thanksgiving ride, I tried some chemical foot-warmer things in an attempt to not be completely miserable.

It didn't work.

Since then, I've avoided them, because I see little point in spending a buck or two extra just to go on a ride. Also, they didn't work.

Fast forward to Thursday, when Mark Stursma, patron saint of toe warmers, stopped by the store with a little gift bag full of thin adhesive warmers. His theorized that those, combined with the super-fleece, super-warm Bontrager RXL booties, would keep my feet from freezing.

On Saturday, with temperatures forecast for the mid-to-upper 20s, I put it to the test.

And lo, I shall call on high: Mark Stursma has saved winter!

After three hours, I'm happy to report my feet were actually warm. I had full use (and feeling) in all of my toes. It was fairly amazing.

This could be due to a couple of reasons: One, when the warmers are stuck under my toes, they serve to further block the toe vents, which were already taped over. Two, there's a bit of actual warmth coming from the warmer.

More likely, it's a combination of the two. Not only is air being blocked, there's warmth coming out of the barrier. So that, combined with a thin wool sock and a heavy dose of fleece inside the warmer, appears to be the ticket.

Of course, my schedule will once again be hijacked this week by a number of other fun tasks, so I probably won't get to test the setup again for a while. Jack is with me today — daycare is closed — so I have an hour on the trainer while he watches Sesame Street. And tomorrow we're having a shower re-grouted, so I have to stay home all day. Again with the trainer ... .

Anyway, you see where this is going.

I'll stop before I delve too deep into the week's plans — because you probably don't care. But I must say it again: Thanks, Mark.

Friday discussion: Gifts

I wrote in a GamJams piece at some point last year about the best cycling-related Christmas gift I'd ever received. The obvious choices - wheels, shoes, helmets, etc. - didn't come up.

The best gift I've received was a Nike Thermal mock turtleneck. It's not even cycling-specific, but it's an absolute necessity when temperatures take a dive. It's so warm that I can't even think about wearing it over 30 degrees.

Should anything happen to this shirt, I'm going to be pretty unhappy. And I'll have to scramble to find something as effective. Given how often Nike changes its product lineup - once a month, currently, I believe - it might be hard to find a replacement.

So that's it for me. What about you? What gift has been the most well-received around the holidays?

The off day

Yeah, my training schedule is a little bit different. Thursday is the off day. Well, sort of. It's a yoga day.

So that was this morning. My back feels good, my legs feel good, my mind is at ease. Tomorrow is ... I actually don't know what tomorrow is. High-cadence stuff, maybe? It's 60 minutes or so, whatever the workout happens to be.

Hopefully the roads will be a little more clear for the weekend. If not, it'll be fenders on the Madone, unless the project gets finished before then.

Oh yes. The project.

Course correction

Well, things didn't start well this week. Monday was a wash, but considering all of the stuff I did, I'm calling that core work.

Tuesday was better, but it was only 90 minutes on the trainer, since I ended up crunched for time/daylight.

Today, though Chris and I are heading out in a bit to get some shopping done, I had my usual amount of workout time. It was 22 degrees with 6-degree wind chill at 7:45. Inside or outside?

I went outside, testing the neighborhood streets first, thinking I could jump on the trainer if the routes out of town were messy. They weren't, really, so I hit the blacktops. I got 90 minutes in, just like the plan called for.

My HR strap wasn't playing nice today, so I didn't have that number to check out. Regardless, I kept it pretty steady, so it's probably not really a big deal.

Furnace update: We have one. It works. Though I just got back to find Chris glowering about the water heater's pilot light being off. Sweet.

Feats of strength

According to the training schedule for yesterday, the plan was for two hours (assuming an outside ride). But with the conditions and my schedule, it would have to be one hour on the trainer, sometime after work.

Here's what I did instead:

10 a.m. — I was a Dick's Sporting Goods, researching a freelance story I have due later this week. The mission was to check out some of the As Seen on TV fitness products, including the Shake Weight. I lasted one minute with the Shake Weight, mostly because it made my biceps tendons feel like they were going to explode. They still feel sore, actually.

— Long break —

5 p.m. — We have a daily task list at the store, and one of them is a monthly task (as in, it's done once a month). Yesterday's bonus task was to air up the road bikes on the rack. When you pump up your tires before a ride, you don't notice how much work that is. Do it 20 times and you start to realize the workout. So there's some core, shoulder and triceps work.

7:30 p.m. — Because I'm a good Samaritan or something, I agree to help someone change their flat tire. On a car. More core and arm work and I could finally go home ... to a furnace that is best described as, well ... off. Dead.

The remaining bits of the evening were spent analyzing our best options for getting it taken care of. So no ride. If nothing else, I got my core work done for the week.

Right now, I'm typing with a stocking cap on, directly in front of a space heater. I do still plan on a ride today, but not 4 hours outside. I'll probably do an hour or two on the trainer.

But first, the furnace.

Off he goes

Well, it all begins today. Day one of training for the 2011 season.

In typical fashion, I've already had to postpone my workout. I've been hijacked by a short morning — I need to be in the shop at 10:30, not noon. And then there's the freelance story I need to work on, which requires a field trip to Westroads mall. And then there's the misbehaving furnace, which must be tended to before I roll out.

And that's the story of how I'm already derailed. It's not really a big deal. The stuff that needs to happen this morning won't be an issue later today, so when I get home from work I'll jump on the trainer and do my hour. It's just a warm-up and then some steady cruising for 45 minutes or so.

See? No big deal. The upside is that I have the 2009 Giro to watch. Denis Menchov just showed a card or two, scoring the win on the first mountaintop. He's not in pink, though — DiLuca has the lead for now. It should be interesting viewing, even if the workout itself is dull.

The last of it

After last winter, I can't help but look at the weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow as the beginning of the end. We've been so very, very fortunate thus far, and I can't help but wonder if we've reached the end of the nice stuff.

Sure, it's been cold lately, but that's a matter of appropriate clothing and state of mind. Cold is one thing, ice and snow everywhere is something else. (And if you start going on about gravel, I'm deleting your comment. Yes, gravel is wonderful, blah blah blah. I've heard about it enough. I know.)

But right now, it's pretty nice out. (And it's going to be even better later today - just before it all goes to hell.) So with my impending sense of doom, I feel obligated to get out there and make the most of it. I rolled down the driveway at 7:45 with KGil and ended with a nice, solid 90 minutes.

It was cold at first, yes, but wow - what an awesome morning for December 10.

Tomorrow, meanwhile, could well be a bitterly cold, windy, snowy mess. And Sunday is forecast to just be flat-out cold.

So today, getting 90 minutes in and, in turn, getting into the shop a little later than normal? Totally worth it.

Perfect timing

My training plan was written about a month ago. Well, it's written through the first bunch of A races — the end of May. That includes weekly hours, workouts ... all of that stuff. And it was written with my daily schedule in mind, taking advantage of free time and all of that.

That plan starts next week, just in time to have a freelance story due at the end of the week (paid jobs take priority over most everything else). On Tuesday, we're having one of our showers re-grouted. It takes all day, and I need to be home for it. So that four-hour ride is gone, likely relegated to an hour or two on the trainer.

Nice.

It would be a bigger deal if I hadn't already been doing next week's workouts all fall. Hopefully, if I'm any sort of efficient, I can get things squared away on the story this weekend and not spend too much time on it next week.

Maybe.

Today is a MTB day. It's 35 degrees right now (6:15 a.m.), which means I can get away with no shoe covers for 90 minutes or so. Also, as a general statement: I'd like to skip work tomorrow, since it's supposed to be near 50. That is all.

A cold 25

With the exception of one or two colder days early on, it's been a pretty gradual slide through fall and into winter. It seems like each week has been just a couple of degrees colder than the last. While the end result is still the same — it's cold outside — it's better than getting punched in the face in, say, October.

And because of the slide, 25 degrees really doesn't seem that cold. Eric and I were out in colder stuff two weeks ago. And yeah, it was cold — but it wasn't that bad.

It was about 14 degrees at 9 a.m. yesterday, which is when we usually meet. We delayed the ride until noon-thirty, knowing it was supposed to get up into the low 30s after lunch. It was 25 degrees when we rolled out. The first miles were chilly, like always, but then I started to warm up.

And then a funny thing happened: I never really got all the way warm. It was like I was stuck between cold and warm. Just sort of chilly. Pretty much the whole time. That's never really happened before. Even in the sun, when it should have been warmer, I was cold.

It wasn't until I picked up the pace on the way home that I started to get warm. The last three miles or so were just right. You know, just in time to be done.

Regardless, it was another three hours in the books. For-real miles haven't even started yet, and I feel strong and fit — like I could easily crank out a longer ride or harder tempo.

I just wish it were a little warmer.

Hey, I remember you!

The TT bike, long dormant, came out to play yesterday morning. Well, not out. More like in. I had an hour or so to ride and didn't really feel like spending 20 minutes kitting up was worth the time.

So it was onto the trainer for a quick spin and reintroduction to the TT position. The goal was a steady warm-up to zone 3 and then holding it for 20 minutes or so. Done and done.

One thing I noticed throughout the workout was the position. With the exception of my wrists/hands, it was pretty comfortable. I had no problems settling in finding a steady rhythm. But having not been on aero bars since spring ... ouch. Gonna have to work on that.

Oh, and I watched the first four stages of the 2009 Giro. DiLuca was fairly obviously juiced. Wow.

On tap for today: Writing for the rest of the morning and then an early afternoon spin. Looking forward to another test of the Bontrager RXL thermal bootie. I've been out in them only twice so far, but this could be the solution to the "I don't want to blow $300 on boots, but the other booties available suck" problem.

We'll see.

OK, where was I?

Sorry for the gap in posting (or a reprieve, depending upon your personal relationship with this blog) — I've been out of town for a few days. I need to get a laptop or something.

Anyway, I'm back. The entire Midwest Cycling management team (Trek Stores in Omaha and KC, plus our buyers) headed to St. Louis for a couple of days of meetings and team building. The meetings were pretty standard as far as meetings go, but the team building went well:

What else would you expect, really? A group of guys away from home, with responsibilities that end around 5 p.m. each day. Of course there's going to be a big fire.

All in all, a very good trip. Educational, motivational and all of that stuff.

And now, back to the business of riding bikes. Base 1 starts next week, but really I've been riding base miles since mid-October. I have just shy of 1,000 miles on the new Madone since then (and only riding 3-4 days per week), along with at least one MTB session per week. So yeah, I'm ready to go.

Fighting the past

I saw a picture of myself the other day. It was from a race this summer — one of the Lincoln ones, I think. My first thought was, "damn, I'm skinny." With the exception of a brief fat period after college, I've always been that way.

And for the most part, it's been a weak skinny. I mean, I have some muscles, but by and large ... yeah, not a lot going on in the arms. I was first made painfully aware of that in elementary school, when we did Presidential Fitness Award testing. I remember being directed to hoist my stick-figure body up onto the chin-up bar and crank out as many as possible.

My goal was always one. I'm not sure I ever did it.

And after that particular bit of embarrassment, it was off to the flexibility testing. At no point — even up through middle school — did I ever pass it. Not even close. (And I never came close to passing the Presidential Fitness Test as a whole, either.)

When we stretched in baseball and track and cross country, I had someone else touch my toes for me, because there was no way I was going to be able to do it.

In this current, second athletic life I've been working more and more on flexibility. And with my shoddy back, it's more important than ever to keep it up.

And that's why I'm happy to announce that on Tuesday I not only touched my toes, but I touched the floor, too. (Straight knees, all of the proper criteria, etc.)

Holy crap. (I just did it again to confirm. Yes!) I may have something going here.