Let's Ride, Clyde

Friday, August 1

2008-08-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Day - Friday, 8/1
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 16.23 miles
Ride Length - 00:50:00
Avg Speed - 19.5
Avg Cadence - 85
Avg Heart Rate - 125
Max Heart Rate - 135
Calories burned - 1511
Total Training Distance To-Date: 352.96 miles

Thursday, July 31

2008-07-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

Day - Thursday, 7/31
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 14.79 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 19.7
Avg Cadence - 87
Avg Heart Rate - 122
Max Heart Rate - 138
Calories burned - 1430
Total Training Distance To-Date: 336.73 miles

Tuesday, July 29

2008-07-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Day - Tuesday, 7/29
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 19.52 miles
Ride Length - 01:00:00
Avg Speed - 19.5
Avg Cadence - 95
Avg Heart Rate - 123
Max Heart Rate - 138
Calories burned - 1715
Total Training Distance To-Date: 321.94 miles

Monday, July 28

2008-07-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Day - Monday, 7/28
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 14.24 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 19.0
Avg Cadence - 93
Avg Heart Rate - 132
Max Heart Rate - 155
Calories burned - 1156
Total Training Distance To-Date: 302.42 miles

Sunday, July 27

2008-07-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Day - Sunday, 7/27
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 15.41 miles
Ride Length - 00:50:00
Avg Speed - 18.5
Avg Cadence - 91
Avg Heart Rate - 124
Max Heart Rate - 140
Calories burned - 1189
Total Training Distance To-Date: 288.18 miles

Saturday, July 26

2008-07-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Day - Saturday, 7/26
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 14.56 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 19.4
Avg Cadence - 86
Avg Heart Rate - 137
Max Heart Rate - 147
Calories burned - 1341
Total Training Distance To-Date: 272.77 miles

Thursday, July 24

2008-07-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Day - Thursday, 7/24
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 15.64 miles
Ride Length - 00:50:00
Avg Speed - 18.8
Avg Cadence - 86
Avg Heart Rate - 136
Max Heart Rate - 148
Calories burned - 1299
Total Training Distance To-Date: 258.21 miles

Wednesday, July 23

2008-07-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

Day - Wednesday, 7/23
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.88 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 18.5
Avg Cadence - 85
Avg Heart Rate - 130
Max Heart Rate - 1349
Calories burned - 1060
Total Training Distance To-Date: 242.57 miles

Tuesday, July 22

2008-07-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Day - Tuesday, 7/22
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.54 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 18.1
Avg Cadence - 90
Avg Heart Rate - 132
Max Heart Rate - 145
Calories burned - 989
Total Training Distance To-Date: 228.69 miles

Monday, July 21

2008-07-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Day - Monday, 7/21
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.28 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 17.7
Avg Cadence - 89
Avg Heart Rate - 136
Max Heart Rate - 156
Calories burned - 957
Total Training Distance To-Date: 215.15 miles

Sunday, July 20

2008-07-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

Not sure on any stats, but I did a simple 2 hour hike on Mount Tam today. It was gorgeous up there. Really foggy in the city and most of the way in the car up the mountain. But when we got to the trail head, we were just above and beyond the fog ring. Mostly flat, a little climbing, but hiking appears to be like biking is for me. I can probably just go and go and go as long as I eat and hydrate and have good gear. :)

Sunday, July 13

2008-07-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Day - Sunday, 7/13
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 16.41 miles
Ride Length - 01:00:00
Avg Speed - 16.4
Avg Cadence - 89
Avg Heart Rate - 119
Max Heart Rate - 135
Calories burned - 1175
Total Training Distance To-Date: 201.87 miles

Tuesday, July 8

2008-07-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

Day - Tuesday, 7/08
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.43 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 17.9
Avg Cadence - 88
Avg Heart Rate - 123
Max Heart Rate - 135
Calories burned - 970
Total Training Distance To-Date: 185.46 miles

Monday, July 7

2008-07-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Day - Monday, 7/07
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 12.75 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 17.0
Avg Cadence - 88
Avg Heart Rate - 123
Max Heart Rate - 136
Calories burned - 918
Total Training Distance To-Date: 172.03 miles

Saturday, July 5

2008-07-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

Day - Saturday, 7/5
Ride Type - Road Training
Ride Distance - 38.79 miles
Ride Length - 02:48:40
Avg Speed - 13.8
Avg Cadence - 80
Avg Heart Rate - 145
Max Heart Rate - 184
Calories burned - 3099
Total Training Distance To-Date: 159.28 miles

Friday, July 4

2008-07-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

Day - Friday, 7/4
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.73 miles
Ride Length - 00:50:00
Avg Speed - 16.5
Avg Cadence - 93
Avg Heart Rate - 126
Max Heart Rate - 147
Calories burned - 987
Total Training Distance To-Date: 120.49 miles

Thursday, July 3

2008-07-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Ran at the gym for 30 mins. No stats, but was incredibly sweaty...

Tuesday, July 1

2008-07-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Day - Tuesday, 7/1
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 12.54 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 16.7
Avg Cadence - 94
Avg Heart Rate - 124
Max Heart Rate - 135
Calories burned - 901
Total Training Distance To-Date: 106.76 miles

June 30 Indoor

2008-06-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Day - Monday, 6/30
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 8.32 miles
Ride Length - 00:30:00
Avg Speed - 16.2
Avg Cadence - 92
Avg Heart Rate - 125
Max Heart Rate - 135
Calories burned - 597
Total Training Distance To-Date: 94.22 miles

ALC7 Down, Time to Start Training for 8!

2008-06-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

The ride was awesome. I rode 503 out of 545 miles. Not bad on a first effort. Naturally, I must go again so that next year I can ride all 545 miles. So time to start training and keep my general fitness level at least where it is if not continuing to improve. :) I'm going to combine my last two week's activities into this one post and then be better about routine posting.

Day - Sunday, 6/15
Ride Type - Road Training
Ride Distance - 20.0 miles
Ride Length - unknown
Avg Speed - unknown
Avg Cadence - unknown
Avg Heart Rate - unknown
Max Heart Rate - unknown
Calories burned - unknown
Total Training Distance To-Date: 20.0 miles
*Note - I didn't bring my computer but we did the Lake Merced loop - roughly 20 miles. :)

Day - Monday, 6/16
Ride Type - Weight Training

Day - Tuesday, 6/17
Ride Type - Weight Training

Day - Tuesday, 6/17
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 11.3 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 15.1
Avg Cadence - 85
Avg Heart Rate - 123
Max Heart Rate - 133
Calories burned - 789
Total Training Distance To-Date: 31.3 miles

Day - Thursday, 6/19
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 15.31 miles
Ride Length - 01:00:00
Avg Speed - 15.3
Avg Cadence - 87
Avg Heart Rate - 123
Max Heart Rate - 134
Calories burned - 1082
Total Training Distance To-Date: 46.61 miles

Day - Friday, 6/20
Ride Type - Cross Training - Intervals on Treadmill

Day - Saturday, 6/21
Ride Type - Weight Training & Cross Training - Intervals on Treadmill

Day - Monday, 6/23
Ride Type - Weight Training

Day - Tuesday, 6/24
Ride Type - Weight Training

Day - Tuesday, 6/24
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 11.55 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 15.4
Avg Cadence - 87
Avg Heart Rate - 122
Max Heart Rate - 140
Calories burned - 818
Total Training Distance To-Date: 58.16 miles

Day - Thursday, 6/26
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 11.83 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:00
Avg Speed - 15.8
Avg Cadence - 89
Avg Heart Rate - 124
Max Heart Rate - 136
Calories burned - 844
Total Training Distance To-Date: 69.99 miles

Day - Saturday, 6/28
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 15.91 miles
Ride Length - 01:00:00
Avg Speed - 15.9
Avg Cadence - 90
Avg Heart Rate - 129
Max Heart Rate - 142
Calories burned - 1138
Total Training Distance To-Date: 85.9 miles

I keep trying to get skinny :)

2008-05-14T21:15:00.001-07:00

So I spun for an hour tonight. I had to get some miles in and some time in the saddle as well.

Day - Wednesday, 5/14
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 15.2 miles
Ride Length - 01:00:01
Avg Speed - 15.2 mph
Avg Cadence - 86
Avg Heart Rate - 125
Max Heart Rate - 135
Calories burned - 1066
Total Training Distance To-Date: 1239.48 miles

Back-to-Back and Tired-Too-Tired

2008-05-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

We rode a back-to-back today. We settled on 35 miles as it was foggy, a bit damp, pretty cold in the beginning and at points, very head-windy. :( but we accomplished a back-to-back and damn - I was almost comatose by 10pm.

Day - Sunday, 5/11
Ride Type - On Road Training
Ride Distance - 34.81 miles
Ride Length - 02:39:08
Avg Speed - 13.1 mph
Avg Cadence - 78
Avg Heart Rate - 132
Max Heart Rate - 175
Calories burned - 2347
Total Training Distance To-Date: 1224.28 miles

China Camp Part Deux

2008-05-10T17:52:00.001-07:00

We did China Camp again today - solo. Still beautiful, not as windy. A little more leisurely.

Day - Saturday, 5/10
Ride Type - On Road Training
Ride Distance - 63.60 miles
Ride Length - 05:18:37
Avg Speed - 12.0 mph
Avg Cadence - 76
Avg Heart Rate - 133
Max Heart Rate - 183
Calories burned - 4708
Total Training Distance To-Date: 1189.47 miles

A Letter from My Cycle Buddy

2008-05-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

ALC has a position called Cycle Buddy. They are cyclists who have ridden the ride before and who work with the foundation and with their cyclists to answer questions, be a source of support and to generally cheer on the folks who put their asses in the saddle to help end HIV/AIDS.

Here is an email that come out today from my cycle buddy - Kari. Yes, it went to every one of her cyclists that she is "responsible" for. But still, the message is beautiful, and if you had the chance to meet Kari, you'd know that she would mean every word of this. :)

Dear Shawn,

I'm sitting on an oversized window sill, just big enough for my 5'3" self in the ALC office here in SF. Below me and to the left is 6th Street and straight ahead I can see the bustle of Market St. I've stepped away from the computer, from the emails, phone calls, and planning meetings to spend some time, some real time, thinking about what and how you might be feeling right now. I've been remembering all I felt with my first ALC experience and if I were right in front of you now, I'd simply say, "I promise, everything will be just fine. Trust me."

I know I don't have to tell you what day of what month it is as I'm sure you are well aware of the "just-around-the-corner" arrival of June and what it means to you, of all it means to you. If you are anything like I was back then, you might be super nervous and overwhelmed. I clearly remember thinking, "What if I just called in sick to the Ride? Can't I do that?" You may be obsessively checking the packing list wondering how in the world you are going to find time to get everything together. Or maybe you refresh your homepage every five minutes checking for those donations to finally post. Maybe though, if you're an experienced veteran ALC rider who has this whole thing figured out, or you're just one of the lucky ones born with an innate sense of calm, you may just be relaxing, excitedly awaiting Day 1, the skinny dipping spot, the "Cookie Lady", and Bradley.

Whatever the case, whatever stage of this experience you're in, and whatever you feel about this Ride, your ability to do it, your fundraising, or any and all of the above, I challenge you (as if you need another challenge!) to stop everything for just a moment. Clear your mind (if you can), close your eyes, and just sit in "why" ALC is so important to you. Why are you so committed? What about this event, this community, this time in your life moves you into action? Who were you when you first signed the registration form and who are you now?

The answers to those questions will act as the greatest of filters for every worry and concern to pass through. They will clean the gunk and grime off the "have to's" and "should's" and "what have I done's". Keeping your focus on the purpose (whatever that is for you) will enable this Ride, this experience, and the people you come in contact with to transform you. The details, the seemingly millions of little "i's" to dot and "t's" to cross will become possible.

I know how you feel. I truly do and I'm writing today simply to remind you of the incredible person you are to take on this challenge. You can do this. But even more importantly, you ARE doing this. Everything up until now is part of the whole. You are part of the whole. When I think about "why" I do the work I do here at ALC, "you" are one of my answers. Thank you for meaning so much to me.

May your purpose be the tailwind pushing strongly at your back.

Here's to a fantastic ride!

Your forever devoted Cycle Buddy,

More Fat Burning

2008-05-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

More indoor, more fat burning

Day - Wednesday, 5/7
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 11.44 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:01
Avg Speed - 15.3 mph
Avg Cadence - 87
Avg Heart Rate - 119
Max Heart Rate - 131
Calories burned - 803
Total Training Distance To-Date: 1125.87 miles

Fat Burning

2008-05-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

More indoor training to try and burn some fat off and keep my ass conditioned to the saddle after the century.

Day - Monday, 5/5
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 14.22 miles
Ride Length - 01:00:03
Avg Speed - 14.2 mph
Avg Cadence - 92
Avg Heart Rate - 118
Max Heart Rate - 131
Calories burned - 957
Total Training Distance To-Date: 1114.43 miles

2008-05-04T19:36:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I rode my first CENTURY - meaning, I rode 100 miles! I went with my lesbians and sis-in-laws - EPL and JT. It began in Santa Rose and went thru the Russian River wine country. The weather was PERFECT, the hills were challenging and I did it - I didn't think I'd make it to lunch at mile 70, and then that hateful final hill at mile 92 was, well...HATEFUL. But I made it. And my stats were not all that bad:

Day - Saturday, 5/3
Ride Type - Outdoor Training
Ride Distance - 100.00 miles
Ride Length - 07:22:51
Avg Speed - 13.5 mph
Avg Cadence - 75
Avg Heart Rate - 142
Max Heart Rate - 190
Calories burned - 7886
Total Training Distance To-Date: 1100.21 miles

Day on the Ride

2008-04-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

Every year, ALC hosts Day on the Ride - which is an approximation of what a typical day on the actual ALC ride will be like. There were tons of people, lots of them familiar and we had a great time. Our ride was from Golden Gate park, up to Nicasio Valley Reserve and back. There were rest stops, sweep vehicles (vehicles that patrol the ride route and pick up those who have mechanical trubs and get them to the next stop) and fun, fun, fun.

Unfortunately, I had to utilize the sweep vehicles not once, but twice! ARGH. My back tire trubs continued, and I popped a tube about 8 miles outside of the lunch stop in Nicasio - which was the half-way mark. Some of you may ask, don't you know how to change your own tire? Well, yes... I do. But the external tire I had on the wheel set was so tight on the rim, I broke 3 tire irons trying to change it myself. I got swept into lunch and the bike tech tent managed to change my tire.

I ate, rode out again and then popped my back tire AGAIN about 3-4 miles outside of the final water/rest stop in Fairfax (about 3/4 of the way through the ride and only about 25 miles from home). I didn't have a spare tube and knew I'd not be able to get the damned tired off anyway, so I got swept again. At Fairfax, there was a great bike shop and I hoofed it across the street and $60 later, I had new rim tape, a good tube and a new puncture-resistant external tire that fit my rim better. PROBLEM SOLVED.

So I rode back into the city on my own and that was sort of nice to just ride solo. I always love riding with others, but sometimes it's nice to be out on the road alone... :)

Here's my stats:

Day - Saturday, 4/26
Ride Type - Onroad Training
Ride Distance - 72.45 miles
Ride Length - 06:02:11
Avg Speed - 12 mph
Avg Cadence - 76
Avg Heart Rate - 144
Max Heart Rate - 193
Calories burned - 5546
Total Training Distance To-Date: 1000.21 miles

Tuesday Training

2008-04-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Indoor training - much of the same - nothing to write home about, but here's the stats:

Day - Tuesday, 4/11
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 10.48 miles
Ride Length - 00:45:42
Avg Speed - 14.2 mph
Avg Cadence - 92
Avg Heart Rate - 127
Max Heart Rate - 149
Calories burned - 740
Total Training Distance To-Date: 937.76 miles

More Distance, More Hills

2008-04-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I rode another ALC ride... from the North end of SF, near GG Bridge, up to Marin, all the way up to China Camp (BEAUTIFUL!!! right on the water - amazing!), back down, then hopped on Paradise Drive for the Tib Loop and came home. It was CRAZY windy on the ascent back to and going across GG. So much so that it blew me OFF my bike. I luckily was able to clip out in time to get my foot on the ground, so I didn't eat it and I didn't damage Clyde. But it was rough. So harsh that it sounded like a contant very loud hum of machinery along the bridge, but that was the sound of vibration the metal of the bridge was making from the wind!!!

I rode with my lesbians (finally - it'd been forever) but also we hooked up with the 3 J's again! It was awesome to see them again- they're such nice folks and will be additional friendly faces on the ride. And who knows, maybe my first set of East Bay friends!

Here's my stats from yesterday...although it's missing about 5-8 minutes of time, probably 200 calories roughly and maybe a mile of distance. I popped a tube JUST before the ascent out of Sausalito, roughly 5-6 miles from our finish. DAMN! Luckily I had lesbians in tow to help :) ! And while changing the flat, JT held my bike computer and then forgot to get it back from her for the uphill to GG. But I got it back before we traversed the bridge.

Day - Saturday, 4/19
Ride Type - Onroad Training
Ride Distance - 64.95 miles
Ride Length - 5:15:25
Avg Speed - 12.0 mph
Avg Cadence - 82
Avg Heart Rate - 142
Max Heart Rate - 190
Calories burned - 4849
Total Training Distance To-Date: 926.92 miles

More Indoor, Please

2008-04-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

To keep my awesome momentum for the week, I got up early (and I mean EARLY ) again today and rode Clyde indoors - more fat burning:

Day - Thursday, 4/16
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 12.82 miles
Ride Length - 0:45:00
Avg Speed - 14.11 mph
Avg Cadence - 93
Avg Heart Rate - 124
Max Heart Rate - 134
Calories burned - 735
Total Training Distance To-Date: 861.97 miles

Keep On Truckin'

2008-04-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

This morning, I woke up at the ass-crack of dawn (5:40am to be exact), met my neighbor/friend/tentmate/cycle buddy extraordinaire Danny, and we went went to Gold's and did cardio. I ran intervals for 35 minutes. I have decided to not keep those stats as I don't get the same level of detail and also don't trust those machines' calorie burning estimates as much as my heart rate monitors, but I since my monitor is part of my cyclocomputer, it won't measure calories if I'm running in place. :(

But I cross trained and feel good about it!!

Getting Serious

2008-04-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

So I completely skipped a week of training and cross-training because I was busy, lazy and then had one of my oldest and dearest friends in town from NYC. So although I justified that laziness that week, now, with the ride only 6 weeks away, the time has come for NO slacking and much training and back-to-back rides, etc. Plus, I'm hoping to strip off maybe another 10 pounds of weight before the ride, just so I'm that much lighter up the damned hills. So when I cross train indoors on Clyde, I'm trying to concentrate on keeping my heart rate in the fat burning zone, because when I train on road, it mostly stays at the cusp if not fully in the cardio zone. No problem there, but I want to also take this opportunity to get a little leaner. :)

So I was a good boy - I mounted Clyde and rode him while I watched TV this evening. Here are my stats:

Day - Monday, 4/13
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 11.72 miles
Ride Length - 0:50:01
Avg Speed - 14.1 mph
Avg Cadence - 89
Avg Heart Rate - 121
Max Heart Rate - 134
Calories burned _ 783
Total Training Distance To-Date: 849.15 miles

WOO HOO!!

2008-04-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

I broke $5K and as such - I get this year's really gorgeous jersey, FREE!

thank you SOOOO much to every one who has donated thus far!! If you have not and you wish to....

CLICK HERE

Long Distances, Y'all!

2008-04-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today I rode with an ALC group that began in the Peninsula - in Palo Alto - and was mostly flat and geared to get mileage up. I made it about 1 mile out of the start point and realized that I had left my helmet in my friend's truck. ALC rules include that every rider must ride with a certified helmet at ALL times. No one even noticed. I was like - why is my head so damned cold? - and then had to loop back and get it. Thankfully the guy who gave me a ride was behind me so I stopped him and grabbed his keys. At any rate, I did fine, met some great new people - espesh Jessica, Joanna and Jarod - the 3 J's. They live out in the East Bay in Berkeley, I think. I hope I get to ride with them again. They truly were awesome.

The route was mostly east, across the Dumbarton Bridge, through Fremont, out to Niles and back. It was pretty close to the midpoint but the Dumbarton Bridge is BORING. And WINDY later in the day. Something about it being in a little valley of marshland, around water, it warms up in the sun, creates wind, blah blah blah. I just know it's not fun to ride into headwinds. BOO!

Roughly 5 miles from the finish, we were cooking along at like 18 mph, I blew a flat. I yelled ahead to Jess, but she didn't hear me. So there I am outside of a church, during a wedding *they were outside taking photos* and cursing like a longshoreman on leave. Some lesbians also on the training ride stopped to help, thankfully, as I had the wrong tube (what is my luck like?) and they pitched in. So I rode in with them, at a considerably slower speed, but was happy for the break and got to know one of the ladies a little bit as we finished. ALC is a wonderful community....

Here's my stats:

Day - Saturday, 4/5
Ride Type - On-Road Training
Ride Distance - 65.79 miles
Ride Length - 4:41:44
Avg Speed - 14.0 mph
Avg Cadence - 78
Avg Heart Rate - 141
Max Heart Rate - 184
Calories burned - 4622
Total Training Distance To-Date: 837.43 miles

Running Wednesday

2008-04-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

I was a good boy again and got up VERY early, met my buddy Danny on the corner and we were at the gym by about 6:20 this morning. YIPES. I ran a 45-minute version of my interval training, burning about 500 calories and covering 3.51 miles. I ran a total of 18 minutes. Not bad an accomplishment by 7:05 a.m., huh?

Chalk another one up for the Man

2008-03-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

It was all about fat-burning tonight :)

Day - Monday, 3/31
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.66 miles
Ride Length -1:00:00
Avg Speed - 13.7 mph
Avg Cadence - 89
Avg Heart Rate - 123
Max Heart Rate - 132
Calories burned - 892
Total Training Distance To-Date: 771.64 miles

Tib Loop - SoCal Style!

2008-03-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

My buddies Philip and Craig drove up from the Inland Empire (sounds sexy doesn't it?) and joined me and my neighbor/buddy/tentmate Danny for the Tib Loop. We had fun.

Day - Saturday, 3/29
Ride Type - Road Training
Ride Distance - 46.89 miles
Ride Length - 3:50:27
Avg Speed - 12.2 mph
Avg Cadence - 83
Avg Heart Rate - 143
Max Heart Rate - 191
Calories burned - 3771
Total Training Distance To-Date: 757.98 miles

Keeping up with it

2008-03-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm keeping up and moving forward. I did a lot this week. :) Note my speed, mileage and other stats are a little "low". I have decided that a few times a week, I will spin in my trainer and concentrate on just spending time in the saddle, consciously remaining in a fat-burning heart rate zone the entire time to take some more weight off. Every ounce less I weigh is an ounce less I have to pull the 545 miles in June. :)

Day - Thursday, 3/27
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 11.30 miles
Ride Length -00:52:31
Avg Speed - 12.9 mph
Avg Cadence - 93.
Avg Heart Rate - 129
Max Heart Rate - 143
Calories burned - 727
Total Training Distance To-Date: 711.09 miles

On the "Road" Again

2008-03-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Yay I'm so proud of myself. I managed to get up and put in an hour on Clyde this morning while catching up on last night's epi of Big Brother 9. Now I gotta kick it in gear and get to work.

Day - Wednesday, 3/26
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.30 miles
Ride Length -1:00:00
Avg Speed - 13.3 mph
Avg Cadence - 93.7
Avg Heart Rate - 139
Max Heart Rate - 167
Calories burned - 849
Total Training Distance To-Date: 699.79 miles

The Resurgence of X-Training

2008-03-24T19:13:00.001-07:00

So after my ass was handed to me on Saturday's ride... I was toast that day and Sunday. But I woke up at 5:30 (sometimes I wonder, WHY?) and was at the gym and on the treadmill by 6:00 AM today. I knocked out 30 minutes of intervals running - so ran for a total of 12 minutes. Not bad, considering I haven't done intervals on Clyde in almost 3 weeks and I haven't run in about 2 months, at a minimum.

I gotta step EVERYTHING up - not just mileage on the road.

Total mileage
Cross training

It's time. The ride is only 68 days from today. HOLY SHITE!

Lagunitas and White's Hill

2008-03-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

This was my farthest ever gone, my hilliest ever climbed, my worst mood I've even been in on Clyde, EVER. The planets were NOT aligned. My stats don't look so good - but, I made it. I stayed on my bike and I powered through. PERSEVERANCE. IT WILL BE MY SAVING GRACE!

Day - Saturday, 3/22
Ride Type - Road Training
Ride Distance - 57.37 miles
Ride Length - 4:38:49
Avg Speed - 12.3 mph
Avg Cadence - 80
Avg Heart Rate - 150
Max Heart Rate - 194
Calories burned - 4159
Total Training Distance To-Date: 686.49 miles

Los Altos - Woodside - Portola

2008-03-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Me and Eliza went for a diddy down south, had a great time. A little chilly but really fun!~

Day - Saturday, 2/17
Ride Type - Road Training
Ride Distance - 31.86 miles
Ride Length - 2:20:48
Avg Speed - 13.6 mph
Avg Cadence - 82
Avg Heart Rate - 143
Max Heart Rate - 176
Calories burned - 2251
Total Training Distance To-Date: 629.12 miles

Indoors Again

2008-03-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Day - Tuesday, 2/17
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.38 miles
Ride Length -1:00:00
Avg Speed - 13.4 mph
Avg Cadence - 92
Avg Heart Rate - 151
Max Heart Rate - 181
Calories burned - 858
Total Training Distance To-Date: 597.2 miles

Another Merced Loop

2008-03-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Day - Sunday, 3/9
Ride Type - Outdoor Training
Ride Distance - 19.73 miles
Ride Length - 1:33:42
Avg Speed - 12.6 mph
Avg Cadence - 78
Avg Heart Rate - 141
Max Heart Rate - 181
Calories burned - 1272
Total Training Distance To-Date: 583.88 miles

Cross Training in Tahoe

2008-02-25T20:56:00.001-08:00

So this weekend, I went to Tahoe for a ski trip. I figured it would be total fun and also a great way to cross-train. The weather ended being totally bunk in SF (high winds, rain), so I wouldn't have been able to train on-road anyhoo.

But despite my doing awesomely well on the slopes, on run 7 or 8 on Saturday, around 1:30 pm, I crashed. A third fall to my right shoulder found me wincing in some major pain and feeling like I couldn't raise my right arm without howling in pain.

After a very cute ski-bound EMT came over and checked me out, I found myself being whisked down the mountain in a stretcher and headed for the ER clinic. Thankfully no bones were broken, but I separated my Acromio-Clavicular or AC joint. Not major by any means, but also not very comfortable either. My friend refused to snap a pic of me being strapped into the stretcher despite my asking, so I have nothing to memorialize that bumpy trip down the mountain. The weekend overall was still awesome, but I think I'll be off-road for 2-3 weeks while my shoulder heals. Guess me and Clyde and the Blackburn are about to get really really close. :(

Here's some pics of the AC joint.

Paradise (Tib) Loop Again!

2008-02-17T20:51:00.000-08:00

I knocked out the Tib/Paradise Loop again with my buddies JT and EPL. It was beautiful as always, and I kicked Camino Alto's ASS. I rode up it at a good solid pace and actually held a light conversation and didn't think I was going to have a heart attack. My pace was a little on the slow side, but... multiple consecutive days in the saddle are paying off overall!

Day - Sunday, 2/17
Ride Type - Road Training
Ride Distance - 36.31 miles
Ride Length - 3:02:24
Avg Speed - 11.9 mph
Avg Cadence - 76
Avg Heart Rate - 135
Max Heart Rate - 182
Calories burned - 2548
Total Training Distance To-Date: 564.15 miles

Presidio Hills

2008-02-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

So San Fran can be pretty hilly. There is a regular hill-climbing clinic in the Presidio neighborhood. I had friends that back in November told me I should be tackling the clinic in January. I laughed at them and told them maybe March or April.

I stepped up and did it in February. My Garmin ran out of juice, so I didn't capture any of my data unfortunately, but I kicked total ass and really was amazed at what I can do. The climb up Arguello alone was something. :) My buddy and this-year tent mate Danny was with me and he totally kicked ass as well. WOO HOO!

FYI - the estimated mileage was 18.

Mileage To-Date - 527.34

Happy Valentime's Day

2008-02-14T19:22:00.001-08:00

Yes, I know I misspelled it. It's one of those common misspoken items, like "supposably" or "for all intensive purposes". Whatever.

Still on track, fuckers. And I broke the 500 mile mark. I figure I'll break 1500 by the time June 1 rolls around.

Day - Thursday, 2/14
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.24 miles
Ride Length - 1:00:00
Avg Speed - 13.2 mph
Avg Cadence - 93.8 (AWESOME!)
Avg Heart Rate - 150
Calories burned - 851
Total Training Distance To-Date: 509.84 miles

IN TEARS

2008-02-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

If anyone out there is reading this on a regular basis, you will notice that my thermometer jumped SUBSTANTIALLY today.... from $875 to $3800. And I am at my desk, in tears, so overjoyed at peoples' compassion and effort and thought, love and support. And almost all of that is from the generosity of my colleagues at my job and the generous matching program that is a benefit to our employees. Literally, $1250 of donations from my coworkers became $3600 total through matching.

LIFE IS WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Super Sunday!

2008-02-10T17:59:00.001-08:00

I know - I can hardly believe it too, but I actually rode three times this week, twice on-road and two days IN A ROW - WOOT WOOT! I am back on track with a vengeance. Today we took it easy, but me, JT, EPL and Danny took on the easey-peasey-japanesey Lake Merced Loop. Nothing major, but still - more time in the saddle. And with the ride only about 3.5 months away, that's the name of the game!!!

Day - Sunday, 2/10
Ride Type - On-Road Training
Ride Distance - 21.48 miles
Ride Length - 1:55:48
Avg Speed - 11.2 mph
Avg Cadence - 76
Avg Heart Rate - 131
Calories burned - 1424
Total Training Distance To-Date: 496.6 miles

Sassy Saturday

2008-02-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

The weather was finally something worth writing home about this weekend, instead of the pissing rain that we've been dealing with over the past month to six weeks. THANK GOD!

To celebrate, I think I did what lots did... I vowed to get outside and see the sun and do something sporty. Of course, that had to involve Clyde. So me and two of the lesbians went on an ALC training ride in South Bay - in Palo Alto, through Woodside, down Canada Road to Sawyer Camp, then doubled back exactly the way we came. Met some great new peeps, including a really handsome man who lives in San Jose who has a really nice tush - I should know as I rode behind it for about 30 minutes. YUM! :)

Here's my deets...

Day - Saturday, 2/9
Ride Type - On-Road Training
Ride Distance - 36.42 miles
Ride Length - 2:40:11
Avg Speed - 13.6 mph
Avg Cadence - 80
Avg Heart Rate - 151
Calories burned - 2542
Total Training Distance To-Date: 475.1 miles

Shameful but getting back on track

2008-02-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

Shit it's been a Loooooooong time. Too long. But now that it's into Feb, no time to waste on procrastination and/or excuses of feeling ill, cold, stress from personal life, etc. I got up and did it, and if the damned rain will still stay away this Sat, me and two of the 'bos are going to do a 36 miler. It should really kick my ass, but gotta start back up somewhere...

Here are my stats for today:

Day - Wednesday, 2/6
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.18 miles
Ride Length - 1:00:00
Avg Speed - 13.2 mph
Avg Cadence - 87.7
Avg Heart Rate - 152
Time above zone - 00:00:00*
Time in zone - 0:00:00*
Calories burned - 836
Total Training Distance To-Date: 438.7 miles

*I still haven't figured this out yet - I know - Lame! I'll do it later.

Kickin' my ass, Part Deux

2008-01-17T07:15:00.000-08:00

If you look at the dates, it's been a while since I've been on Clyde in ANY fashion. I'm still awaiting test results, but the doc suspects I am either pre- or early-ulcer. After picking up some pretty severe nausea on Christmas Eve and keeping it for two weeks, along with a headache that comes and goes but mostly comes for about two weeks, I decided to go in and see the doc. Thankfully I'm on some med that is treating the symptoms right now and they seem to be helping. Not that an ulcer is any big deal really, but feeling like you may vomit pretty much all the time is not a big helping hand to thinking about getting on the bike or treadmill and putting in a tough hour of interval training.

This morning I almost quit at 30 minutes - but I powered through despite the fact that my headache came knocking at about 20 minutes into the workout. It will be interesting to see how I feel the rest of the day. And keep your fingers crossed - I have my first road ride in almost a month on Saturday. It's a pretty easy 30 miler in the East Bay. My neighbor Danny is supposed to be going with me. Let's hope I make it!

Day - Thursday, 1/17
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.54 miles
Ride Length - 1:00:00
Avg Speed - 13.5 mph
Avg Cadence - 84.6
Avg Heart Rate - 153
Time above zone - 00:00:00*
Time in zone - 0:00:00*
Calories burned - 874
Total Training Distance To-Date: 425.52 miles

*I still haven't figured this out yet and I've got to get to work - so I'll do it later.

Kickin' my ass!

2008-01-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Crap - I've not been on Clyde in two weeks - and boy can I tell now that I just finished an hour on him? My ass hurts like it did on my first few rides. It's kind of unbelievable just how much frequency in the saddle makes a difference in how well your ass handles that time. But I had to and I did... I've even already cleaned my house and changed my bed linens too. What a productive Sunday!!!

Day - Sunday, 1/6
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.38 miles
Ride Length - 1:00:00
Avg Speed - 13.4 mph
Avg Cadence - 89.7
Avg Heart Rate - 160
Time above zone - 00:39:00*
Time in zone - 0:18:00*
Calories burned - 859
Total Training Distance To-Date: 411.98 miles

*This is still just an estimate - I gotta do some more research on how to pick apart timing and heart rate. Maybe I should read the owner's manual or the Help files on the application? :)

Running off Frustration

2007-12-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

I hadn't done anything body-worthy in a week... and had been battling tummy trubs the whole week as well. I finally felt well enough to tackle some physical exertion and also had some frustrations I thought would mete out from some endorphin release, so I packed up Sat morning and went to the gym for an interval run. So glad I did.

Day - Saturday, 12/29
Run Type - Interval Training
Run Distance - 4.33 miles
Exercise Time - 00:55:00
Run Time - 00:20:00 (10 2-min intervals)
Avg Speed - 4.72 mph
Avg Heart Rate - 157
Time in zone - unknown*
Time above zone - unknown*
Calories burned - 660
Total Running Distance To-Date - 12.08 miles

*I had some issues with my equipment. i.e., dropping my 'pod, forgetting to lap my garmin computer, etc. so this is just lost for this workout. WAH!

Super Sunday

2007-12-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

Since I popped my tire on Friday, I went shopping yesterday and got new, thicker, reinforced tires for city riding. While not puncture-proof, they are more resistant. I also bought more tubes and replenished my CO2 supplies. I came home, changed my tires and cleaned my bike with a vengeance. I even cleaned out the caked in muck in my rear derailleur. This morning, I mounted my new Garmin (thanks again Scott and LouAnne!!!!!) and put it to the test. It is really freaking cool. It has a workouts function, so I installed the software, customized a new workout file based upon the one-hour Carmichael intervals I've been working on, then uploaded it to the bike computer. I geared up - got on and told it I wanted to start and it tells me when my "lap" is done - SO easy and no real thinking involved, just watch TV and try not to die of a heartattack! :)

Day - Sunday, 12/23
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.32 miles
Ride Length - 1:00:00
Avg Speed - 13.3 mph
Avg Cadence - 89.7
Avg Heart Rate - 152
Time above zone - 00:30:00*
Time in zone - 0:24:00*
Calories burned - 853
Total Training Distance To-Date: 398.6 miles

*the new Garmin measures heart rate in more detail, so these are estimates. I need to play around the the Training Center software to figure out how I get real time measurements. It's measuring too complex right now.

Freaky Friday

2007-12-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by my run on Monday and thought I would do it again today. I woke up at 5:45 am, lolled around too long as I am want to do in the mornings, then finally motivated to get out of my house by 6:45, on my bike, headed to Gold's SOMA. I climbed on the treadmill by 7:15 and ran intervals again. I did well - it was easier this time, so I ran an additional interval (9 sprints this time instead of 8 as on Monday).

I showered at the gym (something I HATE doing) and then climbed back on Clyde and headed to work. Around 6th and Brannan, by the 280 on-ramp, I took a screw in my rear tire and popped it. ARGH! I pulled over on 5th and Brannan and began the tube change. I got the tube in, and the tire re-seated and then used my CO2 cartridge to fill the tire - my first time. I pretty much wasted most of the first cartridge due to my mistake in use. WAH. Then with my 2nd and final cartridge, I got the tire inflated. But the tire was mis-seated at the valve point on the rim. I had to bleed about 75% of the air out to reseat it properly. Then I didn't have enough gas in the last cartridge to get me pumped back up. DAMN!

I tried calling a cab but they were busy and said it'd be a while, so I began to walk. At 2nd between Brannan and I think Harrison I caught a cab and had to take the front wheel and the seat post out to get it to fit in the trunk. I try to be good and exercise and the baby Jesus does nothing but shower hate and punishment on me. Why??? WHY??? :)

span >Day - Friday, 12/21
Run Type - Interval Training
Run Distance - 4.0 miles
Run Length - 0:50:30
Avg Speed - 4.8 mph
Avg Heart Rate - 156
Time in zone - unknown
Time above zone - unknown*

* My damned Polar 200CAD cyclometer BROKE on Wednesday, so I didn't have the benefit of my heart rate monitor today. I already bought a new one but it's a different make/model and I haven't charged and installed it yet. So the avg above is per the treadmill computer and I don't really trust it.

** I forgot to enter my weight until about 5 mins had passed, so this is slightly understated, but directionally correct.

I told you...

2007-12-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

that it was a c-o-n-spiracy. Today, finally, me and my brother embarked on a ride. We were just going to knock out the Lake Merced Loop. We got out to Ocean Beach on the Great Highway before the Look pedal on the rental bike spun off the crankshaft and older brother's left foot was no longer connected to the bike. No accident, no harm, just super annoying. We had to call middle brother to come pick us up and abandon our ride. Oh well - we tried.

Day - Wednesday, 12/18
Ride Type - Road Training
Ride Distance - 7.3 miles
Ride Length - 0:38:37
Avg Speed - 11.4 mph
Avg Cadence - 86
Avg Heart Rate - 154
Time in zone - 00:16:48
Time above zone - 00:19:20
Calories burned - 588
Total Training Distance To-Date: 385.3 miles

At least I got something in....

2007-12-18T11:07:00.000-08:00

We tried to get all the moving parts together for a ride late yesterday, but the overcast weather and time got the best of us and we just didn't do it. By the time we picked up my brother's rented road bike, it would have been dark about 20 minutes from the end of our Lake Merced Loop. So we bagged.

Luckily, yesterday morning, I did motivate with middle brother to Gold's SOMA and I put in a run. I haven't run in ANY capacity in quite a while. I am not surprised at how sore parts of my body are. What I am pleasantly surprised over is just how far I went and how well I managed on the intervals DURING the run. Clearly my conditioning on the bike is translating off of it as well - which is quite exciting. Without the biking, the run I did yesterday would have been something I would have had to work up to over a course of probably 4-6 weeks of running 2-3x/week. So that in and of itself is a small victory. I wore my heart rate monitor and took my cyclometer with me - and I ran intervals. I used the Carmichael interval hour I've used a few times thus far on the bike and modified it for the treadmill and then just put in what I could for as long as I could.

Warm up - 6 mins (3.8 mph, 2.0 incline)
Run - 2 mins (5.5 mph, 0.5 incline)
Recover - 2 mins (3.8 mph, 2.0 incline)
Run - 2 mins (6.0 mph, 0.5 incline)
Recover - 2 mins (3.8 mph, 2.0 incline)
Run - 2 mins (6.5 mph, 0.5 incline)
Recover - 2 mins (3.8 mph, 2.0 incline)
Run - 2 mins (6.8 mph, 0.5 incline)
Recover - 2 mins (3.8 mph, 2.0 incline)
Run - 2 mins (7.0 mph, 0.5 incline)
Recover - 6 mins (3.8 mph, 2.0 incline)
Run - 2 mins (6.5 mph, 1.0 incline)
Recover - 2 mins (3.8 mph, 2.0 incline)
Run - 2 mins (6.8 mph, 0.5 incline)
Recover - 2 mins (3.8 mph, 2.0 incline)
Run - 2 mins (7.0 mph, 0.5 incline)
Cool-down - 10 mins

And here are my stats:

Day - Monday, 12/17
Run Type - Interval Training
Run Distance - 3.75 miles
Run Length - 0:50:34
Avg Speed - 4.5 mph
Avg Heart Rate - 158
Time in zone - 00:18:11
Time above zone - 00:26:12
Calories burned - 766
Total Running Distance To-Date: 3.75 miles

It's a C-O-N-spiracy!!

2007-12-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

So lots of different forces are conspiring to keep me off Clyde: Sick brother vomiting upon his arrival from Singapore (but thankfully he's better now!), holiday overeating early due to early family holiday gathering, then this morning, my buddy Liz's back is acting up so she had to bow out, plus it's a bit drizzly. None of these things are really avoidable or changeable, mind you, and I realize that, but it just all sort of sucks. I've been a bit bad this month. Better to slack in December than in May - only one month from the ride - I suppose...

But here's where cross-training comes in handy. I'm going to go off to the SOMA location of Gold's, check it out with my other brother, and run. Should be interesting. Perhaps I can begin to work in one to two days a week at that gym, leaving my house early, riding my bike, working out, showering for work there and then I'll only be like 10 mins from work, if that. That would be nice. Or maybe I could go during lunch? Who knows.

At any rate, the Singapore brother is feeling better and we are to go for a shorter bike ride this afternoon on the Lake Merced Loop (provided it doesn't rain again) - so I will mount Clyde at some point today... And I'll get back on him on Thursday as well for indoor interval training. I guess all is not lost.

Holiday Hooker

2007-12-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

I bagged. I went to bed last night with my full indoor training set up all ready to go. Bike in the Trak Stand. Water bottles in their holders. Cycling gear laid out, ready to be pulled on.

5:00 am - beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep
SMACK
5:01 am - "this morning's broadcast brought to you by SleepTrain."
SMACK

I lay awake and thought about it. I'm going to get up. No I'm not. Yes I am. No, I'm beat.

I reset my alarm clock for 6:30 am and rolled over into the delicious warmth and softness that is my bed (ask the only boy who's sleeping in it with me over the past month - he's a fan). And I slept.

Then I was faced with the shame of having to dismantle and put away all my gear and set-up when I woke up. Sad, Mac. I'm lame.

But then in my defense, I have to remember 3 things:

I rode an hour of cardio intervals on Tuesday
I'm going for the short Lake Merced Loop (20 miles) on Sunday
I'm going for on the Tiburon/Paradise Loop (40 miles) on Monday

That's decent, right? Maybe I'll go running at the gym tomorrow. I haven't done that in a while.

Day - Friday, 12/14
Ride Type - BAGGGED Indoor Interval Training
Ride Distance - 0.0 miles
Ride Length - 0:00:00
Avg Speed - 0.0 mph
Avg Cadence - 0
Avg Heart Rate - 68
Time in zone - 00:00:00
Time above zone - 00:00:00
Calories burned - 000
Total Training Distance To-Date: STILL 378.0 miles

Lazy-Assed Weekend

2007-12-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

I was awful this past weekend. I shopped, ate, hung out with my dog and my brother's dogs, watched TV, ate, drank, cooked, watched football, ate and hung out with the guy I've been seeing. What's missing you ask? CLYDE!!! No, he wasn't stolen. But I ignored him like a red-headed stepchild this weekend. And today, I paid for it. I did the crazy Chris Carmichael interval training again this morning but didn't feel like I pushed with as much intensity. But that's the price I guess I pay for taking a whole week off. WAH.

Day - Tuesday, 12/11
Ride Type - Indoor Interval Training
Ride Distance - 12.5 miles
Ride Length - 1:00:00
Avg Speed - 12.5 mph
Avg Cadence - 79
Avg Heart Rate - 142
Time in zone - 00:37:56
Time above zone - 00:15:35
Calories burned - 798
Total Training Distance To-Date: 378.0 miles

Intervals

2007-12-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

I picked up my first issues of Bicycling magazine over the weekend and have to say, I like it. I found a training article by Chris Carmichael (Carmichael Training Systems) about interval training and about a guy who used this technique with improved nutrition and cross-training and lost a TON of weight. Like over 240 pounds over the course of three years!

So I was going to train anyway this a.m. so figured I'd try his routine. DAMN. It was hard but rewarding. And apparently the manner in which you train your heart in intervals burns calories now AND later... and I like that. :) Here's the routine

6 mins - warm up
1 min - low gear, fast pedal
1 min - recover
1 min - low gear, fast pedal
1 min - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
2 mins - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
2 mins - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
2 mins - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
2 mins - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
6 mins - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
2 mins - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
2 mins - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
2 mins - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
2 mins - recover
2 mins - max intensity (high gear, high speed)
8 mins - cool down

total workout - 60 mins

here's my stats:

Day - Tuesday, 12/4
Ride Type - Indoor Interval Training
Ride Distance - 12.9 miles
Ride Length - 1:02:01
Avg Speed - 12.5 mph
Avg Cadence - 79
Avg Heart Rate - 147
Time in zone - 00:37:08
Time above zone - 00:20:25
Calories burned - 877
Total Training Distance To-Date: 365.5 miles

Let's talk cabbage...

2007-12-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

I found a cool free bit of code to track my fundraising progress. I've added it to the template and you can see it a little further down on the right hand side, just under my profile details.

I'm off to great start thanks to my new work peeps. They have been so generous. THANK YOU!!!!!! But I'm still only 14.4% of the way to my total goal of $4000.

GIVE GIVE GIVE GIVE GIVE GIVE GIVE GIVE GIVE! :)

And you can do that HERE (<-- link)

The Tiburon (aka Paradise) Loop - FINALLY!

2007-12-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

Today I finally rode the Tiburon or Paradise Loop as it is sometimes known. It is similar to the official ALC kick-off training ride I did in late October. Except that ride was 20 miles. Today's was 37 and a good bit hillier! My friend Liz was my companion and guide today and we parked at the Presidio Sports Basement. We rode up some hills (right off the bat, dammit), across the Golden Gate Bridge, down through Sausalito, just a smidge through Mill Valley then a gorgeous loop up and around Tiburon, then back through Mill Valley, doubling back all the way through Sausalito, across the bridge and back to the car.

The loop was a challenge. The hills in and around Tiburon are no joke. But I got a second wind somewhere there and kicked it into high gear and took the rolling hills in a higher gear and basically put on my racing mindset and I kicked some major ass. I felt so good when my wind ran out I found myself yelling at the top of my lungs. I think mostly out of disbelief that I'm on this journey at all.

I began my fundraising efforts in earnest yesterday by emailing everyone in my new firm, requesting donations and citing that if they want an additional last-minute deduction from their 2007 income, to go ahead and donate before 12/31/07. I sent out a short note and also included my rider recap from my roadie experience in 2007 on ALC6. Re-reading my letter brought those familiar goosebumps to my skin and I felt awash in the beauty that I took from that experience. And today, I wore my parking cone orange ALC windbreaker (it was freaking COLD) and when we stopped for coffee before climbing back out of Sausalito, I met some guys who were on the ride last year. It's always nice to meet kindred ALC spirits. :)

At this point I'm rambling and my legs are pretty damned tired. But the hills out of Saus are tough. There are sort of 2 natural resting spots in the midst of 3 "portions" of the climb to the bridge. The first time I did this route, I stopped at each of those spots to regroup before climbing higher. But today - I didn't stop once. I took the entire ride in stride. And no, it wasn't fun. It actually was quite a bitch. And my legs HURT. But I did it. My body and my mind continually surprise me in pleasant ways by showing just how it responds no matter how far I push it.

And something really cool - I maxed out at 29.0 mph on some down-straights. When you're on a bike, that's pretty damned fast and both exhilarating and scary at the same time.

Here's the gist of the route we took. It's really wind-y (as in curvey not lots of wind) and covers too much terrain to get in really close, but it's directionally correct. The squigglies in the upper right corner afforded some ridiculous views.

Day - Saturday, 12/1
Ride Type - On-Road Training
Ride Distance - 37.0 miles
Ride Length - 2:55:29
Avg Speed - 12.7 mph
Avg Cadence - 81
Avg Heart Rate - 148
Time in zone - 01:44:11
Time above zone - 1:00:15
Calories burned - 2512
Total Training Distance To-Date: 352.6 miles

Frustrated Friday

2007-11-30T06:57:00.001-08:00

I had planned last night to wake up early and train this morning. Something frustrated me a little bit yesterday, so I woke up at 4:55 am still a little cranky. I thought about going back to bed and just scrapping it. I'm so glad I didn't. No, cycling didn't erase the crankiness, but it did help a little. Endorphins are cool!

Day - Friday, 11/30
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 14.0 miles
Ride Length - 1:05:01
Avg Speed - 13.0 mph
Avg Cadence - 78
Avg Heart Rate - 139
Time in zone - 01:00:17
Time below zone - 0:04:44
Calories burned - 828
Total Training Distance To-Date: 315.6 miles

Wobbly Wednesday

2007-11-28T06:45:00.000-08:00

So I haven't jumped up on Clyde since last Saturday's awesome ride. Today, my knees complained about it, but I still put in an hour while burning through some junk on my DVR. Time to med-up on Aleve and stretch some.

Day - Wednesday, 11/28
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 13.0 miles
Ride Length - 1:03:21
Avg Speed - 13.0 mph
Avg Cadence - 80
Avg Heart Rate - 134
Time in zone - 0:55:55
Time above zone - 0:00:02
Calories burned - 753
Total Training Distance To-Date: 301.6 miles

Mountain View and Mount Eden

2007-11-24T17:30:00.001-08:00

Hullo - I did an official ALC training ride today. I zip-carred down to Mountain View and it was awesome. The weather was great, the people were nice and the ride was fantastic. Getting up over Mount Eden was difficult and invigorating. It is a pretty much steady climb that lasts 7/10 of a mile. But I didn't bitch out. I kept pedaling at a constant rate and made it up. It was incredible. The last part of the ride was pretty flat so we jammed sort of speedily which was great.

Day - Saturday, 11/24
Ride Type - ALC On-Road Training
Ride Distance - 31.6 miles
Ride Length - 2:16:42
Avg Speed - 13.8 mph (this is another good improvement)
Avg Cadence - 78
Avg Heart Rate - 153
Time in zone - 1:19:17
Time above zone - 0:55:56
Calories burned - 2068
Total Training Distance To-Date: 288.6 miles

Cross Train, Cross Train, Cross Train

2007-11-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

One of the things I continually hear about is the importance of cross-training in preparation for the Ride. About how important it is to put in time in other physical endeavors beyond just my ass in the saddle of Clyde. So I'm trying to work that in early.

Today - I succeeded in spades. I went with my brother-in-law for a 9:30 a.m. class at Yoga Loft (<-- link). I gotta tell you - my chest and shoulders have always been a bit tight, making lunging twists opening the rib cage a bit challenging. Well, sitting on the bike and NOT doing much yoga have not helped. I have to get a plan to incorporate more yoga. A friend put it well last night pre-turkey. She was saying "spending all the time on my bike in flexion, I crave extension" which is very very important for balance for your body overall. YOGA YOGA YOGA. :)

And then me and my brother went to Sports Basement - which I LOVE - shopped a little and then went to John McLaren Park (<--link) in South San Francisco and knocked some tennis balls around for about an hour and 15 minutes. Neither one of us was as good as the last time we messed around but, it was more exercise, more time outside and some fun time spent with my brother. So all around- good!

So I feel like I successfully met my goal of cross training at least for today. Now I've got to go pack up my gear and get ready. I've rented ZipCar for tomorrow and will be on the road by 9:30 am headed to Mountain View. We have a ride tomorrow, rolling out 11:00 am for 33 miles. Should be a bit of a challenge, especially with my left knee cranking out a little bit post-tennis.

Ambitious Wednesday

2007-11-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

JT rolled up to my front door on her "city bike" ;0) at 6:15am today and we put out the Lake Merced Loop. CHILLY CHILLY CHILLY. Thank god I found some running tights and that I also purchased sleeves last weekend. Um - and now I understand the need for toe covers. I hate that I will have to visit Sports Basement this weekend. Yeah, not really. I freaking LOVE that place.

Day - Wednesday, 11/21
Ride Type - On-Road Training
Ride Distance - 20.9 miles
Ride Length - 1:40:37
Avg Speed - 12.5 mph (this is good improvement)
Avg Cadence - 84 (this rocks!)
Avg Heart Rate - 148
Time in zone - 1:01:56
Time above zone - 0:35:38
Calories burned - 1435
Total Training Distance To-Date: 257.0 miles

5:00 am - Not so much fun...

2007-11-20T05:22:00.001-08:00

So here I am - up at the ass-crack of dawn again to get on my trainer. I have to say that although I am proud of myself for increasing my frequency of mounting Clyde (get used to it, I'm going to make lame sexual references to my bike from time to time...why else would I have given it a dude's name?); however, the early early morning stuff is not so much fun. Again, since I'm on the blackburn, I have limited data to report back out but I'm going to wear the heart rate monitor and see if I can at least use that feature independently.

Day - Tuesday, 11/20
Ride Type - Indoor Training
Ride Distance - 11.5 miles*
Ride Length - 1:00:38
Avg Speed - 11.5*
Avg Cadence - 77
Avg Heart Rate - 140
Time in zone - 0:54:17
Calories burned - 785
Total Training Distance To-Date: 236.1 miles

*This is an estimate, since the speedometer/odometer are on the front fork and therefore cannot measure when I'm in the trainer. I extrapolate the speed and distance based upon distance covered, avg mph and cadence from the past few rides. IE - last ride was 1453 calories, 21.1 miles and 70 avd cad. This ride was a little more than 1/2 the calories, about 1/2 the time and 10% increase in cadence....ergo - the speed estimate and then use that against time for the distance estimate. Anyone got any better suggestions? I'm open (beyond possibly moving my sensors to my back fork?).

Saturday in Oakland

2007-11-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

Me and my friend/sis-in-law JT went out to Oakland to join an official ALC training ride on Saturday. Since I don't drive and I'm not all that familiar with Oakland, I'm having some trouble even with the ride sheet and Google Earth building the route map on the real map to post. JT had a hair appointment mid-afternoon. We got squeezed due to the ride starting a little late, some mechanical problems only about a mile into the ride from some other riders and some rather lengthy re-group stops. So we cut out before we got to Alameda and came back across to the lake and our starting point. The ride ended up being 21 rather than 35 miles, but we had the time to procure delicious sammies from the gorgeous new Whole Foods in Oakland and beat weekend Bay Bridge traffic such that JT was able to get back in time to get her hair cut. And her hair is awfully cute, so - all for a great cause. :)

Day - Saturday, 11/17
Ride Type - On-Road Training
Ride Distance - 21.1 miles
Ride Length - 2:05:22
Avg Speed - 10.1 mph
Avg Cadence - 70
Avg Heart Rate - 132
Time in zone - 1:23:11
Calories burned - 1453
Total Training Distance To-Date: 224.6 miles

Motivated Thursday!

2007-11-15T06:43:00.000-08:00

I rode Clyde pretty hard. And I was up pretty damned early. But I feel great. It's just the burn-out I'll feel at around 9am that sucks. I gotta figure out the optimum food/fuel situation on these early morning training days - I think that's all it is - a "power rut". Learned I missed a damned nutrition seminar at Sports Basement last night. DAMN!

Day - Thursday, 11/15
Ride Type - In-Home Training
Ride Distance - 13.5 miles
Ride Time - 60 minutes
Commute Distance - n/a
Total Distance Today - 13.5 miles
Total Training Distance To-Date: 203.5 miles

Tuesday Training

2007-11-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

I gotta get on the Clyde more often. So in that vein, I suited up and rode this a.m. WOO HOO!

Day - Tuesday, 11/13
Ride Type - In-Home Training
Ride Distance - 9.3 miles
Ride Time - 45 minutes
Commute Distance - n/a
Total Distance Today - 9.3 miles
Total Training Distance To-Date: 190.0 miles

Everyone? Clyde. Clyde? Everyone.

2007-11-13T06:13:00.000-08:00

One of my brothers has been asking for pictures of Clyde and I have been remiss. So without further ado, to #1 brother and for anyone else who cares - meet Clyde:

Here's a full shot:
Another full shot:
This one came out whonky but it's the rear wheel secured in the Blackburn UltraTrak Stand:
A shot of my hot-ass shoes, cleats and X-1 SpeedPlay "lollipops"
Here's some branding on the rear-wheel stabilizers/struts:
Here's the big gear wheel and Gossamer crank shaft:
And now here are a few more, slightly more interesting photos. I like the curve of the cabling:

And now, I'm all suited up and going to ride this badboy this a.m. while I catch up on last night's episode of Heroes!! Sadly, as my speedometer/odometer sensor is on the front wheel and the front wheel is stationary during indoor training, I won't have as many fancy stats as from Sunday's ride. WAH! Ok Clyde - LET'S RIDE! :)

Ocean Beach and Lake Merced

2007-11-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

Today I went on a ride with my new friend and cycling buddy Liz. She's a nurse/midwife and all-around cool chick that I met through my friends/sis-in-laws EPL and JT. She took me on a nice loop from our house (we live in the same 'hood, conveniently enough!), through the panhandle, through Golden Gate Park, up to Ocean Beach and along the ocean, around the Lake Merced Loop and then doubling back home exactly the same way we came. It was awesome. Below are my stats (compliments of my sweet new cyclometer (details in my gear info on the right side over there) and then a couple of pics I took. All in all - a GREAT morning. THANKS LIZ!!!!!

Day - Sunday, 11/11
Ride Type - On-Road Training
Ride Distance - 21.0 miles
Ride Length - 1:45:54
Avg Speed - 11.9 mph
Avg Cadence - 76
Avg Heart Rate - 138
Time in zone - 1:10:23
Calories burned - 1339
Total Training Distance To-Date: 180.7 miles

Thanks to GoogleEarth and powerpoint, here's a look at mine and Liz's route today:

A Waterfall in Golden Gate Park

Another view of the same waterfall...

A statue at Lake Merced

South on Sunday

2007-11-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

Ok - the weather here is CRAZY good, especially considering it's freaking NOVEMBER. I hear people talk about 48 degree weather in NJ/NY and then I'm outside in shorts and a bike jersey in the 80 degree weather on my bike all morning. Some things just aren't fair! :)

But I got out and rode today. This ride kicked my ASS. Last weekend I did 34 miles, yet I did 7 then was off my bike for about an hour, then I did 20, off my bike for about an hour and then did 7 more. Today was less than that however it was all in one shot, only very short breaks for water and energy snacks. We started out on Canada Road (pronounced cahn-YAH-dah), went through Woodside, Portola Valley, Palo Alto and then back up through Woodside.

Day - Sunday, 11/04
Event - On-Road Training
Event Distance - 30.1 miles
Event Length - 2 hours, 17 minutes
Commute Distance - n/a
Total Distance Today - 30.1 miles
Total Training Distance To-Date: 159.7 miles

I love my Blackburn!

2007-11-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I purchased a Blackburn Ultra Track Stand.
It allows me to train indoors and will be a perfect solution when the weather turns grey and rainy (read: already is somewhat grey and rainy). I've already been on it a few times and really like it. This morning I got up bright and early (5:30 am), stretched, popped in a NetFlix DVD and hopped on and rode to no where!

Day - Thursday, 11/01
Event - In-Home Training
Event Distance - 9.0 miles
Event Length - 45 minutes
Commute Distance - n/a
Total Distance Today - 9.0 miles
Total Training Distance To-Date: 129.6 miles

Now I'm really kicked off!

2007-10-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Yeah - a stupid play on words, but...

Yesterday marked the official training ride kick-off for AIDS LifeCycle 7! This being my first official event with ALC and San Francisco Aids Foundation (SFAF) as a cyclist, I didn't know what to expect. But it was much of the same I came to know as a Roadie last year - friendliness, compassion, team work, love and support.

I got up pretty early for a Sunday, got all geared up and rode 7 miles from my house over to the Sports Basement (only the most awesome sporting goods store in the Bay Area, with several locations to serve you!). We had stretching, some snacks, a safety speech and then were off around 11am.

We rode out of the Presidio, up onto the Golden Gate bridge and across to Marin County. I have to say, if you bike or run or even walk decent distances for enjoyment or exercise, you should really go across the GG at least once. This was my first time outside of a car and the weather was PERFECTION. I only wish I had brought my camera. But I'm still such a newbie that I need all my concentration on the bike itself. Next time!

Then we wound down into Sausalito and into Mill Valley, stopping at a coffee shop that was our mid-way and turn-around point. There's a little bit of a climb up to GGB and it's a slow slope up to the half-way point on the bridge itself. But off the bridge, it's a series of fun downhills into Sausalito. The rest of the way to the coffee shop was relatively flat and lots of fun. However, if you truly double-back, those downhills coming in are hills you must climb going back.

Oh shit - my poor thighs almost burst open. Granted, to most people they are probably not that severe and I imagine in another month or two, they won't seem so bad to me too - but let me say that they were a mental and physical challenge. But I didn't bitch-out. I made it up all three of those hills without walking my bike up a one of them - YAY!!!!

We made it back across the bridge and back to our kick-off site. We hung around and I talked to some people I knew from ALC6 and met some new people too! I met a guy early in the day before ride-out who is a newbie for ALC and we chatted and rode together the whole day. Turns out that he lives directly across the street from me and is also into tennis (which I'm starting to pick back up)... so I've got a new buddy in the hood to sport around with... BONUS!

I'll try to get back often to keep a running log of my training progress and challenges.

Recap -

Day - Sunday, 10/28
Event - ALC7 Kick-Off Training Ride
Event Distance - 19.7 miles
Commute Distance - 14 miles
Total Distance Today - 33.7 miles (longest to-date!)
Total Training Distance To-Date: 120.6

Last year as a Roadie I had the option of raising money at my own discretion. I did raise money - a total of $2490 - WOO HOO! This year as a cyclist, I have a $2500 minimum and have made my personal goal $4000.

TO DONATE TO THIS WORTHY CAUSE - PLEASE VISIT MY FUNDRAISING HOMEPAGE