Thursday, October 18, 2007

It's that time of year again...

It's that time of year again for me...

... time to sit on the trainer in the dark, in the driveway, freaking out the neighbors.

With all the work that needs to get done at work, it's hard to actually ride at lunch anymore. On top of that, even when I do get to ride, I know I have a lot of travel coming up and I will lose my bike time. So, like a desperate squirrel storing nuts for the winter, I'm packing in all the T.I.T.S I can get (Time In The Saddle... you perverts...).

What really freaks the neighbors out, aside from the fact that I'm spinning my ass off and going nowhere- complete with rivers of sweat pouring off of me- is when I do ILT (Isolated Leg Training... pedaling with one leg) workouts. They look weird, I know, but they are SO good for your neglected hip flexor muscles.


If the belt on my rollers wasn't busted, I'd be rolling on those instead- which really scares the neighbors for some reason. I really need that replacement belt though because there is no better workout than riding the rollers on a fixed gear/ track bike.

And a solid 45 minutes to an hour on the trainer, at high intensity, is quite the workout too...

... as you can see from the picture. For this time of year, with the schedule I have, it's a better workout than I care to admit- stupid fluid resistance unit kicks my butt!

The good news is that I'm down to 205 pounds, from 215. Hopefully that will start going back up as the muscle replaces the fat. I'm still hoping to do a few cross races this year, even though I can't run across the street without my knees swelling, so I don't know how I'm gonna survive a cross race. I want to come out of this winter with a decent level of base fitness so I can hit the early season crits with form next year. It's a pipe dream... but it's good to have dreams.

Tim

6 comments:

Kazeebo said...

Amen brother Tim. I busted out the trainer for the last two Wednesday evenings in the garage. Lifted the door and serenaded my neighbors to whatever the iPod shuffled my way. This week it was 75 degrees and no wind - that sucked.

Super Rookie said...

that is awesome.

my question is: why don't you just go for a ride?

Anonymous said...

What bike are you riding? and where can I get the red hoods?pzerspj

Anonymous said...

And who does enjoy some good T.I.T.S? I am stuck a month with out any any T.I.T.S. while I am out of town, so ride a couple extra sets for me.

Anonymous said...

Tim, if you do place an order for a new belt for your rollers, could you make it 2? My rollers have been sitting in the garage with a broken belt for too long. Not that I plan on giving my neighbors a show like you. What dedication!

Anonymous said...

Hey Tim, what’s the trainer you need the belt for? You’ve been an inspiration to the Tredz blog and perhaps we can help even if we are a bit far away. OK, to be completely honest, we’d like to see the pics of fresh roller-scars, if/when you bail (not that such as talented rider as yourself does that sort of thing!). email info@tredz.co.uk