Yesterday was a long ride and a double header softball night. I was wired after softball and felt great.
I went to bed and slept hard. But around 4 am, I woke up having crazy dreams. I also ached like I was in a car wreck. This was in combination with being super relaxed, wanting to just doze off--it was a weird state to be in.
When I finally got up at 7 am, I ran for the meds. After downing a couple of ibuprofen and putting on the coffee., I crawled back in bed for another 15 minutes. I forced myself to get up thinking I was going to be pathetic all day.
After grabbing a cup of coffee I let the dogs drag me out for our daily walk. It was pleasant. My muscles loosened up. I started feeling alive again.
I even rode to work...and oddly enough, it was an amazing feeling--so relaxing. I had no pain the rest of the day. I rode home, then rode to dinner, logging another 20+ miles and currently I feel wonderful.
Just don't give me any hills to climb.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Todays Big Ride
Today was my last serious ride before doing the white rim trail in a day on Oct 4, WRIAD as it's commonly called.
I rode as much dirt road and trail around Boulder as I could in the time I had...
67 miles in 5 hrs, 38 minutes average speed of 11.8 mph, trying to take it easy. I had a little more pavement than I would want. I didn't have serious climbs or technical. Maybe I should have done more climbing but was worried I didn't have time to find the big climbs. But my goal was lots of saddle time to assess my feelings after.
For breakfast, I ate an English muffin with egg and cheese and a Morningstar Farm vegi-sausage patty. It was yummy.
On the ride, I ate a turkey and wheat bread sandwich with swiss cut in half over two sessions. One was one about an hour into the ride and the other was and hour later. I also chomped on a Clif blocks pouch and a chocolate Gu. The rest was a water bottle with half Gatorade and half water and one 100 oz bladder of water only. A mile 50, I stopped at a station and got a 24 oz Gatorade and drank about half.
I found on the ride, I craved Gatorade over water. The weather was cool, near 70 F and water just seemed boring and empty. It almost made my stomach hurt and made me pee more than anything. I wound up drinking only two-thirds of my 100 oz bladder.
The sandwiches were filling while the Gu and Cliff blocks were overly sweet. I like the solid food aspect of my sandwich over the Gu and Blocks.
Just before mile 60, I felt like crap. Starting to feel worried about the prospect of 100 miles. But suddenly, maybe the food stuff kicked in--the Gatorade in particular. I felt a sudden euphoria and slipped into the zone where I felt complete bliss. I was ready, if I had the time, I would have just gone off to tear out 40 more miles with no problem.
But time running out and time to play two games of softball, I headed home and logged my 67 miles.
Down the throat, I gulped a chocolate milk, ate a small burrito, took a shower and started to feel like a wreck...thinking softball is going to kill me.
Surprise. I had two of my best games ever and feel as I type this, pretty damn good.
I'm suddenly so excited to ride the rim next week.
I rode as much dirt road and trail around Boulder as I could in the time I had...
67 miles in 5 hrs, 38 minutes average speed of 11.8 mph, trying to take it easy. I had a little more pavement than I would want. I didn't have serious climbs or technical. Maybe I should have done more climbing but was worried I didn't have time to find the big climbs. But my goal was lots of saddle time to assess my feelings after.
For breakfast, I ate an English muffin with egg and cheese and a Morningstar Farm vegi-sausage patty. It was yummy.
On the ride, I ate a turkey and wheat bread sandwich with swiss cut in half over two sessions. One was one about an hour into the ride and the other was and hour later. I also chomped on a Clif blocks pouch and a chocolate Gu. The rest was a water bottle with half Gatorade and half water and one 100 oz bladder of water only. A mile 50, I stopped at a station and got a 24 oz Gatorade and drank about half.
I found on the ride, I craved Gatorade over water. The weather was cool, near 70 F and water just seemed boring and empty. It almost made my stomach hurt and made me pee more than anything. I wound up drinking only two-thirds of my 100 oz bladder.
The sandwiches were filling while the Gu and Cliff blocks were overly sweet. I like the solid food aspect of my sandwich over the Gu and Blocks.
Just before mile 60, I felt like crap. Starting to feel worried about the prospect of 100 miles. But suddenly, maybe the food stuff kicked in--the Gatorade in particular. I felt a sudden euphoria and slipped into the zone where I felt complete bliss. I was ready, if I had the time, I would have just gone off to tear out 40 more miles with no problem.
But time running out and time to play two games of softball, I headed home and logged my 67 miles.
Down the throat, I gulped a chocolate milk, ate a small burrito, took a shower and started to feel like a wreck...thinking softball is going to kill me.
Surprise. I had two of my best games ever and feel as I type this, pretty damn good.
I'm suddenly so excited to ride the rim next week.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Off-road Bike Mileage for Sept 17-23
Tuesday: 17
Wednesday: 17
Thursday: 30
Friday: 28
Saturday: 12
Sunday 12
Total: 116
This week so far mileage is zero. White Rim is next week. The good is resting. The bad is feeling like I'm going backwards.
Wednesday: 17
Thursday: 30
Friday: 28
Saturday: 12
Sunday 12
Total: 116
This week so far mileage is zero. White Rim is next week. The good is resting. The bad is feeling like I'm going backwards.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
MTB Mileage Summary
September 10-16:
Monday: rest.
Tuesday: 16 miles.
Wednesday: 16 miles.
Thursday: 16 miles.
Friday 38.5 miles.
Saturday, group cruiser ride: 15.5 miles
Sunday: fast loop 12 miles.
Total = 114
The notable aspect was riding the Wild Turkey Trail at Heil Ranch. It just opened on Friday, giving us an extra three miles of wonderful single track in riding distance from the doorstep. Currently, I can do Heil Ranch from home with only 3 miles of pavement round trip over a 40 mile out-and-back ride. Not a bad thing at all.
Monday: rest.
Tuesday: 16 miles.
Wednesday: 16 miles.
Thursday: 16 miles.
Friday 38.5 miles.
Saturday, group cruiser ride: 15.5 miles
Sunday: fast loop 12 miles.
Total = 114
The notable aspect was riding the Wild Turkey Trail at Heil Ranch. It just opened on Friday, giving us an extra three miles of wonderful single track in riding distance from the doorstep. Currently, I can do Heil Ranch from home with only 3 miles of pavement round trip over a 40 mile out-and-back ride. Not a bad thing at all.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Low Rolling Resistance Tires.
I'm trying out some new tires. I normally like wide, big-knobbed tires such as Kenda Kinetics, Kenda Nevegal, Panaracer FR 2.4, Geax Sturdy, and WTB Weirwolf tires. I do have a tire fetish and this is just a taste. However, I do like fat tires the most.
For the white rim event, I decided to go for the low rolling resistance idea. Past philosophy meant no knobs and skinny. I put some Hutchinson Python 2.0 tires on my Turner Burner and started riding. They didn't seem that much better on dirt, but on pavement, they roll like road tires. Certainly due to the center section being almost continuous.
After reading some nice reviews on fat low resistance tires, I got me a pair of Kenda Small Block Eight tires. Some folks love em. Some folks hate em. I need to make my own decision.
I installed them tonight and will be trying them out this weekend. So far riding down the street they are buttery smooth. They are a lot wider than the Pythons but in the moab sand, I hope this is a positive thing--we'll see. I have read that wider tires do have les rolling resistance than narrow tires (due to contact patch causing less deformation) but there is extra weight involved. Tire pressure and all that other stuff is an issue of course. It's also balancing comfort. Getting beat up by 70 psi tires is not going to make one faster, or finish in an endurance ride.
The tires I ran before must weigh a pound heavier between the two tires than the small block eights or the pythons. Plus they have the rolling resistance disadvantage. We will see. Hopefully there is traction. So far the pythons have done really well. Better than expected on hard pack for traction. I worry about the sidewalls on rocky trails--they are thin and vulnerable. The small block eights have thin sidewalls but lots of side knobs to keep the rocks away.
On the white rim, there are not many rocks to tear sidewalls, but there is sand. One wants to float on the sand. Hopefully these do that but have some paddles to move forward. I encountered some sand riding the pythons and they did fine. The small block eights should do well too. In fact, I think maybe more knobs are better in sand than less knobs.
Small Block Eight 2.35" versus Python 2.0"
For the white rim event, I decided to go for the low rolling resistance idea. Past philosophy meant no knobs and skinny. I put some Hutchinson Python 2.0 tires on my Turner Burner and started riding. They didn't seem that much better on dirt, but on pavement, they roll like road tires. Certainly due to the center section being almost continuous.
After reading some nice reviews on fat low resistance tires, I got me a pair of Kenda Small Block Eight tires. Some folks love em. Some folks hate em. I need to make my own decision.
I installed them tonight and will be trying them out this weekend. So far riding down the street they are buttery smooth. They are a lot wider than the Pythons but in the moab sand, I hope this is a positive thing--we'll see. I have read that wider tires do have les rolling resistance than narrow tires (due to contact patch causing less deformation) but there is extra weight involved. Tire pressure and all that other stuff is an issue of course. It's also balancing comfort. Getting beat up by 70 psi tires is not going to make one faster, or finish in an endurance ride.
The tires I ran before must weigh a pound heavier between the two tires than the small block eights or the pythons. Plus they have the rolling resistance disadvantage. We will see. Hopefully there is traction. So far the pythons have done really well. Better than expected on hard pack for traction. I worry about the sidewalls on rocky trails--they are thin and vulnerable. The small block eights have thin sidewalls but lots of side knobs to keep the rocks away.
On the white rim, there are not many rocks to tear sidewalls, but there is sand. One wants to float on the sand. Hopefully these do that but have some paddles to move forward. I encountered some sand riding the pythons and they did fine. The small block eights should do well too. In fact, I think maybe more knobs are better in sand than less knobs.
Small Block Eight 2.35" versus Python 2.0"
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Week offroad riding
3 days at 16 miles = 48.
56 miles on Monday
11 on a thursday ride
20 on a saturday breakfast ride.
135 total...yay!!!!
However, the plan was huge ride today..but I busted my knee up on Saturday. :(
Taking today and maybe tomorrow off.
56 miles on Monday
11 on a thursday ride
20 on a saturday breakfast ride.
135 total...yay!!!!
However, the plan was huge ride today..but I busted my knee up on Saturday. :(
Taking today and maybe tomorrow off.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Dots Network
Near Nederland, CO.
A pic from tonight. Co-worker Allan, Working a tree and root move.
It's an 11 mile ride that is technical and is a very interval workout style--up--down--up--down. Works your mind too, on the technical aspect of off-camber rocks.
I fell and gouged my elbow...my first bike injury this year...Oh, poor me.
*knocks on the wood I still have from that amazing ride tonight*
But some of this trail might be on the chopping block to sell off to fund rural schooling under the Bush plan. It was shot down last year but has been slipped in the budget again this year. Get proactive. If you like bike trails, joing IMBA and your local bike groups. Send letters and be heard, not herd.
A pic from tonight. Co-worker Allan, Working a tree and root move.
It's an 11 mile ride that is technical and is a very interval workout style--up--down--up--down. Works your mind too, on the technical aspect of off-camber rocks.
I fell and gouged my elbow...my first bike injury this year...Oh, poor me.
*knocks on the wood I still have from that amazing ride tonight*
But some of this trail might be on the chopping block to sell off to fund rural schooling under the Bush plan. It was shot down last year but has been slipped in the budget again this year. Get proactive. If you like bike trails, joing IMBA and your local bike groups. Send letters and be heard, not herd.
Monday, September 03, 2007
A great long ride today
Last long ride was all about bonking. This time, it was about eating. I pushed it a little too much on some early climbs but felt a lot better after mile 40 than last time. Breakfast was a egg and cheese on a toasted English muffin. On the ride I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on oat bread after mile 15, then a gu 10 miles later, then some clif blocks at mile 35, then another go at mile 45. I should have maybe drank more water since I only used 80% of my 100 oz bladder, but I had to pee twice and didn't feel like water. I also got sick of the sugary taste and craved some cheese. Next long ride is a cheese burrito. I felt like a nap near the end more than anything.
End mileage was 56. I felt pretty good but still need some more miles under the belt.
Whether I could do 48 more miles, I don't know. I don't know how much for me is psychological and how much is physical pain and need of training. I'm sure it's some of each. The psychological part has a lot of do with what you expect starting and I expected 50 miles today, not 104.
Rode Counter Clockwise: East boulder trail, South Boulder creek trail, Marshall mesa trail, along Broadway, the Boulder creek trail, Four-mile canyon, Poorman road, Sunshine canyon rd, Foothills trail, Lefthand trail, Neva road, 55th, Coot Lake trail, to home.
Weight this morning 182. Weight after ride: 175. Ride time 4hrs 45min. Avg speed 11.7 mph.
End mileage was 56. I felt pretty good but still need some more miles under the belt.
Whether I could do 48 more miles, I don't know. I don't know how much for me is psychological and how much is physical pain and need of training. I'm sure it's some of each. The psychological part has a lot of do with what you expect starting and I expected 50 miles today, not 104.
Rode Counter Clockwise: East boulder trail, South Boulder creek trail, Marshall mesa trail, along Broadway, the Boulder creek trail, Four-mile canyon, Poorman road, Sunshine canyon rd, Foothills trail, Lefthand trail, Neva road, 55th, Coot Lake trail, to home.
Weight this morning 182. Weight after ride: 175. Ride time 4hrs 45min. Avg speed 11.7 mph.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Riding for Week August 27
Total miles: 115
Commuting: 32
Long local trails ride including work: 45.5
Heil Ranch: 7.5
Breakfast on Saturday: 17
Centennial Cone: 13
Commuting: 32
Long local trails ride including work: 45.5
Heil Ranch: 7.5
Breakfast on Saturday: 17
Centennial Cone: 13
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