Today was "one of those days" packed with too much to do, too little time to do it and no chance to breathe... some people call it "Monday". (I hate that day.)
Since I have the punkin, aka Masidaughter 1.0, this week I didn't get to go on a lunch ride- because I leave early to pick her up from school. However, with the day I had, I really, really needed a ride. So, as I have done for many years, once punkin was in bed and asleep I headed outside with the rollers and the fixed gear. Thankfully, my wife really encourages me to do so... probably because she lives with me and knows what a mess I become when I'm too stressed out and don't ride.
After a solid hour of burying myself into the pedals and that smallish 46x16 gear, I now feel a little more human and a lot more sane... not to mention a few pounds lighter after sweating like an ox (I'm fairly sure my long sleeve wool jersey now weighs about 8 lbs). My legs weren't really into the whole thing for the first 10 minutes, but as they warmed up they began to feel great and eventually felt incredible. I ran out of water with about 15min to go and then ran out of music with about 10 to go... which was far more bothersome since I rely so heavily on my music to stay focused on my workout when I'm on the rollers. I held on though and pedaled through the distractions to reach that place where the pain in the legs went mostly away and the frustrations in the mind became a lot softer.
And now for the numbers... 1:00:32, 20.8av/40.3mx MPH, 21.08mi, 92av/181mx RPM, 147av/163mx HR. That max speed of 40.3 is my favorite number because I don't think I've hit that number before on the rollers on the 46x16 gearing. I've hit nearly 50 with my geared road bike on the rollers, but don't think I've hit the 40+ mark with such a small gear before tonight... which again gives me hope. (Unfortunately, my form was really terrible at that speed and I rolled off the rollers and grazed the fence... but we won't bring that up...)
Now it's time for bed so that I can hit the ground running for another truly crazy day tomorrow. But for tonight at least, I'll sleep the sleep of the truly tired... thankfully.
Tim
Showing posts with label Rollers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rollers. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
On a roll(ers) still...
Today was another very busy day, of course, especially after being out of the office the past two days. The highlight of the day was having a "working lunch" with Lance Camisasca and Chad Battistone of Lifeboat Events. Sure, getting to have sushi for lunch was a big part of it, but I sincerely enjoyed the lunch that Jill Hamilton (Haro MTB/ Adult Brand Manager) and I got to have with Lance and Chad. It is the people you meet and get to know in this industry that make all the difference. Truly. The sushi was good, but best part of all was the conversation... and we all know that I live for conversations.
Since today was such a busy day and I had to leave the office early to get Masidaughter 1.0 from school, there was no lunchtime ride. This meant hitting the rollers tonight, which I haven't done- apparently- in a couple months because I was suffering like a pig! The short 45 minutes that I managed to survive was anything but pretty. The first 10min were bad and I really had to talk myself into staying on the rollers and getting the ride done. My goal going outside tonight was 40min... hoping I'd go to 45, which I did. So, small victory... of sorts. Riding the fixed, I was able to lay down the following- 46:11, 19.0av/ 39.0mx MPH, 14.68mi, 86av/ 178mx RPM, 125av/ 162mx HR. Nothing spectacular, by any means. The first 40+min were pretty easy and I kept things as smooth as I could. Spinning 46x16, holding a cadence of 90RPM was the goal, but I was just short of it. I finished up with one good hard effort and seated sprint... then I rolled up and down the street for a few minutes to cool down a bit. The legs were stiff and heavy at first and finished stiff and slightly less heavy feeling... but it was a good starting point and momentum keeper.
Some stupid stats; weighed 210.6 before the ride and 209.6 after, quads 25" and calves 17.5".
Tomorrow morning is the rescheduled doctor visit for my wife and I. Her first US doctor visit and our first visit with the doctor who will- hopefully- be delivering our daughter... Masidaughter 2.0. We're excited, of course, and a little apprehensive... but we're more excited than not. I have to admit that it's awfully "cute" to watch my 5' wife slowly adapt to being pregnant with the child of a 6'3", 200+lb bike nerd. She's got a slight "waddle" now (and she'd kill me if she read this) and is just beginning to strain to sit down or stand up... but she's still in the pool at the YMCA every single morning. She looks as fit as ever... just a LOT rounder in the middle.
I will leave you with this, since it played on my iPod tonight during my roller ride and is one of my all-time favorites...
Rock on!
Tim
Since today was such a busy day and I had to leave the office early to get Masidaughter 1.0 from school, there was no lunchtime ride. This meant hitting the rollers tonight, which I haven't done- apparently- in a couple months because I was suffering like a pig! The short 45 minutes that I managed to survive was anything but pretty. The first 10min were bad and I really had to talk myself into staying on the rollers and getting the ride done. My goal going outside tonight was 40min... hoping I'd go to 45, which I did. So, small victory... of sorts. Riding the fixed, I was able to lay down the following- 46:11, 19.0av/ 39.0mx MPH, 14.68mi, 86av/ 178mx RPM, 125av/ 162mx HR. Nothing spectacular, by any means. The first 40+min were pretty easy and I kept things as smooth as I could. Spinning 46x16, holding a cadence of 90RPM was the goal, but I was just short of it. I finished up with one good hard effort and seated sprint... then I rolled up and down the street for a few minutes to cool down a bit. The legs were stiff and heavy at first and finished stiff and slightly less heavy feeling... but it was a good starting point and momentum keeper.
Some stupid stats; weighed 210.6 before the ride and 209.6 after, quads 25" and calves 17.5".
Tomorrow morning is the rescheduled doctor visit for my wife and I. Her first US doctor visit and our first visit with the doctor who will- hopefully- be delivering our daughter... Masidaughter 2.0. We're excited, of course, and a little apprehensive... but we're more excited than not. I have to admit that it's awfully "cute" to watch my 5' wife slowly adapt to being pregnant with the child of a 6'3", 200+lb bike nerd. She's got a slight "waddle" now (and she'd kill me if she read this) and is just beginning to strain to sit down or stand up... but she's still in the pool at the YMCA every single morning. She looks as fit as ever... just a LOT rounder in the middle.
I will leave you with this, since it played on my iPod tonight during my roller ride and is one of my all-time favorites...
Rock on!
Tim
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Big little things or little big things?
Tomorrow (4/29) marks exactly one year since "the crash" that changed my life- and nearly ended it. Tonight as I rode my rollers in the driveway and flogged myself for an hour, that fact was tucked somewhere deep in my head, but it was far away in the distance. Instead, my thoughts were focused on my pedal stroke and deep breathing. I concentrated on finding the smoothness in my pedaling and feeling the stroke all the way through the circle. My mind was not on recovery, but was fixed on getting stronger and fitter so that I can get back to being competitive.
During the hour, I did three hard 20 minute intervals that each finished with a max effort sprint. FYI- 37+mph and 165+rpm is my official terminal velocity on the rollers with the fixed gear. Each interval was an exercise in maintaining focus, since it is so easy for me to mentally drift away. But I managed to think of it as being similar to riding a Points race or a long Scratch race, or even a crit. I thought of it in terms of competition because I love to race bicycles. Since I was 12 years old, I've spent my life trying to race bicycles. I've had some great successes and far more disappointments, but my love of the sport has always remained.
As I've gone through this process of recovery from the injuries, I've frequently thought of things in terms of how long or how difficult returning to racing was going to be. Of course, it goes without saying, my thoughts have also been on what the recovery would mean to my greater life- the life I have with my friends, family, girlfriend and kids. But, as we're all inherently selfish beings, my thoughts have often fixated on being able to ride and race.
I've been blessed in many ways through this experience. I have had my life enriched beyond all measure by the people I am lucky to have come in contact with. I am also lucky that my helmet did its job and that the people at the track that night did not panic and kept my injuries from being even worse. I am blessed that my daughter was such a brave little girl that night- seeing me in that condition was not easy for a child just about to turn seven years old. I am lucky beyond belief that my friends and family and so many of you showered me with the support and encouragement I needed for my recovery. And I am also very lucky to have a girlfriend who spent a month away from her home in Taiwan to nurse me back to strength to be able to take care of myself. And, best of all, I am blessed to be recovered enough and strong enough to be able to dream about racing at the front of the pack again while I slog away on my trainer in the middle of the night, in my driveway.
Things could've turned out much worse- but they didn't.
Tim
During the hour, I did three hard 20 minute intervals that each finished with a max effort sprint. FYI- 37+mph and 165+rpm is my official terminal velocity on the rollers with the fixed gear. Each interval was an exercise in maintaining focus, since it is so easy for me to mentally drift away. But I managed to think of it as being similar to riding a Points race or a long Scratch race, or even a crit. I thought of it in terms of competition because I love to race bicycles. Since I was 12 years old, I've spent my life trying to race bicycles. I've had some great successes and far more disappointments, but my love of the sport has always remained.
As I've gone through this process of recovery from the injuries, I've frequently thought of things in terms of how long or how difficult returning to racing was going to be. Of course, it goes without saying, my thoughts have also been on what the recovery would mean to my greater life- the life I have with my friends, family, girlfriend and kids. But, as we're all inherently selfish beings, my thoughts have often fixated on being able to ride and race.
I've been blessed in many ways through this experience. I have had my life enriched beyond all measure by the people I am lucky to have come in contact with. I am also lucky that my helmet did its job and that the people at the track that night did not panic and kept my injuries from being even worse. I am blessed that my daughter was such a brave little girl that night- seeing me in that condition was not easy for a child just about to turn seven years old. I am lucky beyond belief that my friends and family and so many of you showered me with the support and encouragement I needed for my recovery. And I am also very lucky to have a girlfriend who spent a month away from her home in Taiwan to nurse me back to strength to be able to take care of myself. And, best of all, I am blessed to be recovered enough and strong enough to be able to dream about racing at the front of the pack again while I slog away on my trainer in the middle of the night, in my driveway.
Things could've turned out much worse- but they didn't.
Tim
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Chillaxing
Tonight, after taking last night off the bike (because I was finishing a work project), I hopped back onto the rollers. I wasn't out to light things on fire- though I did toss in one hard sprint effort- so I rode at a medium pace. I didn't get started until after 10:00PM anyway, so I was already a bit tired and unmotivated to ride. Still, I pulled myself away from another spreadsheet and drug myself down the stairs with my Speciale Fixed and my rollers. As usual, I set up behind my car in the parking space of my apartment while the Masidaughter was asleep in her bed snoring, grunting, grinding her teeth and twitching like a sleeping puppy. I set up the rollers and pressed "play" on the Shuffle and let the music take me away from the things I needed/ wanted to escape... it was just what I needed. I struggled through the first 30 minutes and thought for sure I'd give up before finishing the second 30 minutes... but the music kept me focused on my legs spinning in circles and my feet remaining light on the pedals. After 1:03:41, I hopped back off the rollers and then rolled around on my corner for a few minutes to cool down. Then I rolled back over to my car and my sweaty rollers and carried everything back inside for the night. Sweat was dripping off of me, the bike and the rollers as I clomped back up the stairs in my carbon soles and spandex. It felt good to "get away" and sink into my leg speed and pedal stroke and trying to match cadence to musical time.
Most nights, my mind and my legs are happy for the high-tempo tunes crammed into my Shuffle, but tonight was a mellower groove to match a mellower mood... and it soothed the savage heart.
(My all-time favorite song ever)
Summer Skin - Death Cab For Cutie Music Video from Louis Wong on Vimeo.
Tim
Most nights, my mind and my legs are happy for the high-tempo tunes crammed into my Shuffle, but tonight was a mellower groove to match a mellower mood... and it soothed the savage heart.
(My all-time favorite song ever)
Summer Skin - Death Cab For Cutie Music Video from Louis Wong on Vimeo.
Tim
Monday, March 09, 2009
More roller love...
Had another excellent ride on the rollers tonight. It was nearly zen-like in some ways. Riding the fixed gear on the rollers can be very relaxing... very.
Here are few jams from the Shuffle tonight;
(Love the Muppets!)
So now you have some ammo for your next roller session too!
Tim
Here are few jams from the Shuffle tonight;
(Love the Muppets!)
So now you have some ammo for your next roller session too!
Tim
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Tonight's Rollers Jam
Here is tonight's rollers jam;
I love this song- immensely. There's a lot to it.
Tim
(Weight update- 208.6)
I love this song- immensely. There's a lot to it.
Tim
(Weight update- 208.6)
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Tonight's hits
Just walked in the door from an hour (hour and three minutes to be exact) of rollers in the driveway. Last night I only managed 40 minutes before boredom and mental fatigue set in. Tonight I was determined to get my precious hour. And I did.
Tonight's musical salvation came in the form of the following;
And this (no embed allowed... boo...)
Time for a beer and then bed!
Tim
Tonight's musical salvation came in the form of the following;
And this (no embed allowed... boo...)
Time for a beer and then bed!
Tim
Monday, February 16, 2009
I'm officially nuts...
FYI: Riding a fixed gear in the rain on rollers with alloy drums requires slightly more attention than riding on the road in dry weather... I'm just saying.
The rain broke long enough to allow the sun out to dry off the driveway, so with the Masidaughter distracted with a movie, I skipped off down the stairs in my cycling gear with my bike and rollers. About 15- 20 minutes later, the rain starts as a very slight drizzle. Since my legs actually felt great, I decided to press on in case the rain stopped. A few minutes further into the riding and the rain got harder and harder, making the aluminum drums a little slippery and giving my neighbors even more reason to call me a crackpot. One neighbor drove home and pulled in to her parking space while giving me the universal "what the hell is wrong with you" look. Directly across the street from my parking space is a small dentist's office. As I looked up past the dripping brim of my cycling cap, I could see what looked like the entire office staff staring out the window at "that crazy guy across the street on his bike in the rain!"
To add insult to injury, I ended up getting a flat rear tire- which is why I ultimately ended my ride after a little more than 30 minutes, because I had no intention of stopping. Apparently I didn't find all the shards of glass from the case of beer I dropped on the stairs last night as I was bringing in the groceries (I lost 4 brave soldiers in that episode). Riding a fixed gear, in the rain, on the rollers is bad enough... but adding a flat tire to the mix made giving up on the ride a little easier.
If the rain stops long enough later tonight, I'll try again. For now, I'll just settle for being the guy in the neighborhood who gets all the weird stares for being such a lunatic.
Tim
The rain broke long enough to allow the sun out to dry off the driveway, so with the Masidaughter distracted with a movie, I skipped off down the stairs in my cycling gear with my bike and rollers. About 15- 20 minutes later, the rain starts as a very slight drizzle. Since my legs actually felt great, I decided to press on in case the rain stopped. A few minutes further into the riding and the rain got harder and harder, making the aluminum drums a little slippery and giving my neighbors even more reason to call me a crackpot. One neighbor drove home and pulled in to her parking space while giving me the universal "what the hell is wrong with you" look. Directly across the street from my parking space is a small dentist's office. As I looked up past the dripping brim of my cycling cap, I could see what looked like the entire office staff staring out the window at "that crazy guy across the street on his bike in the rain!"
To add insult to injury, I ended up getting a flat rear tire- which is why I ultimately ended my ride after a little more than 30 minutes, because I had no intention of stopping. Apparently I didn't find all the shards of glass from the case of beer I dropped on the stairs last night as I was bringing in the groceries (I lost 4 brave soldiers in that episode). Riding a fixed gear, in the rain, on the rollers is bad enough... but adding a flat tire to the mix made giving up on the ride a little easier.
If the rain stops long enough later tonight, I'll try again. For now, I'll just settle for being the guy in the neighborhood who gets all the weird stares for being such a lunatic.
Tim
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Music you need to have for riding your rollers...
If you're like me and you ride your rollers at night in your driveway, on a fixed gear, with your iPod headphones jammed deep into your skull (and freaking out your neighbors), then I recommend some of the following for truly good workout...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiU7o7hRJmE (excellent video as well as song)
You can thank me later... when you are winning races.
Tim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiU7o7hRJmE (excellent video as well as song)
You can thank me later... when you are winning races.
Tim
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Rollers...
I didn't get the chance to ride yesterday or last night because of the rain, which was a bummer because my legs felt really great- though I could feel a touch of tendinitis building in my left knee and the rest was welcome.
Tonight, after my daughter went to sleep, I slipped into some spandex and headed down the stairs and out to the driveway with my rollers under one arm and my Speciale Fixed in the other. Riding rollers is not exactly what I like to do when I want to ride, but it better than not riding at all... and riding rollers on my fixed gear is all the better. There is a certain Zen that comes from riding rollers when you find that sweet spot in your pedal stroke where you can accelerate or decelerate with total smoothness and fluidity and the back of the pedal stroke feels as smooth as the front/ bottom. In a one hour ride on the rollers- which is nearly all I can stand before losing my mind... even on my fixed- that sweet spot in the pedal stroke seems to show up about 30- 45min into the workout. From there, reaching the end of the hour (or slightly more) seems to be very easy and painless. It is during these moments that I go back to my teenage daydreams of becoming the first American Merckx...
Needless to say, I didn't reach that dream... but at least I can ride a bike the same color!
Tim
Tonight, after my daughter went to sleep, I slipped into some spandex and headed down the stairs and out to the driveway with my rollers under one arm and my Speciale Fixed in the other. Riding rollers is not exactly what I like to do when I want to ride, but it better than not riding at all... and riding rollers on my fixed gear is all the better. There is a certain Zen that comes from riding rollers when you find that sweet spot in your pedal stroke where you can accelerate or decelerate with total smoothness and fluidity and the back of the pedal stroke feels as smooth as the front/ bottom. In a one hour ride on the rollers- which is nearly all I can stand before losing my mind... even on my fixed- that sweet spot in the pedal stroke seems to show up about 30- 45min into the workout. From there, reaching the end of the hour (or slightly more) seems to be very easy and painless. It is during these moments that I go back to my teenage daydreams of becoming the first American Merckx...
Needless to say, I didn't reach that dream... but at least I can ride a bike the same color!
Tim
Monday, January 26, 2009
On a roll...
So tonight, as I said I wanted to do, I got out on the rollers with my Speciale Fixed. After a long day, grocery shopping, cooking dinner and then getting the Masidaughter to bed (and reading a bedtime book) it is hard to get motivated to hop on the trainer. However, in light of the extra motivation I have these days to improve my health and a desire to just be fit again, I drug myself out into the cool night to ride in the dark in my driveway.
I picked up my daughter from school and then we went to the store to get a few grocery items we needed. We got home and I fired up the grill and made salads while she worked on her homework. I grilled a lean London Broil steak to eat with the salad. After dinner, Masidaughter had a shower and I answered a few emails. Once she was done and I got her hair dried and the book read, I slowly got myself into my riding gear and drug the rollers and my bike down the stairs and set up behind my car.
It was 9:04PM when I clicked in and began pedalling with my iPod Shuffle providing the soundtrack to keep me at least marginally motivated to pedal. It's amazing how a relatively small gear like a 46x16 feels so big when your legs are tired and you'd rather be sipping a cold beer inside in the warmth. But I kept pedaling and one song moved to the next and the next and then 15 minutes was gone and I thought, "I might try and do another 2- 3 songs". I still wasn't feeling "in the groove" like I had on my rides over the weekend. But after a couple more good songs another 15 minutes had gone by and I was beginning to feel a little less dead in the legs.
Somewhere, somehow, something happens with my body during a 1hr roller workout- almost like clockwork. No matter how good or bad I feel in the first 50min, the last 10min my legs feel absolutely amazing! It's about that same time that my arse decides that it hates my saddle, hates my cycling shorts and even hates me. It seems like I can not find a comfortable spot anywhere on the saddle and I shift my weight again and again. All the while, my legs feel totally invincible- it's during this time that I get those "I could beat (Sir) Chris Hoy if he was here" thoughts. Frankly, it's just not fair or right.
I kept a close eye on my watch so I could be sure to get my hour in- there is just something about that number, that span of time... an hour. I feel like I've done something if I've ridden for an hour. Less than that by even a few minutes and it seems pointless. At 10:04 and as a song wound down on the Shuffle, I began to slow my pedaling so I could hop off the bike... but then one more really good song started and with a big grin, I wound the pedals back up to their highest cadence of the night and I blurred my legs to the ever-increasing beats in the music. By the time the song was done, I was further drenched in sweat and my hour had been extended. My legs felt awesome and my butt went quietly along for the ride.
The Zen had set in. The smoothness of the pedal stroke had been found. I was able to unclip from the pedals at 10:10... ready for my beer and the drier warmth inside.
It was a good night to ride after all.
Tim
I picked up my daughter from school and then we went to the store to get a few grocery items we needed. We got home and I fired up the grill and made salads while she worked on her homework. I grilled a lean London Broil steak to eat with the salad. After dinner, Masidaughter had a shower and I answered a few emails. Once she was done and I got her hair dried and the book read, I slowly got myself into my riding gear and drug the rollers and my bike down the stairs and set up behind my car.
It was 9:04PM when I clicked in and began pedalling with my iPod Shuffle providing the soundtrack to keep me at least marginally motivated to pedal. It's amazing how a relatively small gear like a 46x16 feels so big when your legs are tired and you'd rather be sipping a cold beer inside in the warmth. But I kept pedaling and one song moved to the next and the next and then 15 minutes was gone and I thought, "I might try and do another 2- 3 songs". I still wasn't feeling "in the groove" like I had on my rides over the weekend. But after a couple more good songs another 15 minutes had gone by and I was beginning to feel a little less dead in the legs.
Somewhere, somehow, something happens with my body during a 1hr roller workout- almost like clockwork. No matter how good or bad I feel in the first 50min, the last 10min my legs feel absolutely amazing! It's about that same time that my arse decides that it hates my saddle, hates my cycling shorts and even hates me. It seems like I can not find a comfortable spot anywhere on the saddle and I shift my weight again and again. All the while, my legs feel totally invincible- it's during this time that I get those "I could beat (Sir) Chris Hoy if he was here" thoughts. Frankly, it's just not fair or right.
I kept a close eye on my watch so I could be sure to get my hour in- there is just something about that number, that span of time... an hour. I feel like I've done something if I've ridden for an hour. Less than that by even a few minutes and it seems pointless. At 10:04 and as a song wound down on the Shuffle, I began to slow my pedaling so I could hop off the bike... but then one more really good song started and with a big grin, I wound the pedals back up to their highest cadence of the night and I blurred my legs to the ever-increasing beats in the music. By the time the song was done, I was further drenched in sweat and my hour had been extended. My legs felt awesome and my butt went quietly along for the ride.
The Zen had set in. The smoothness of the pedal stroke had been found. I was able to unclip from the pedals at 10:10... ready for my beer and the drier warmth inside.
It was a good night to ride after all.
Tim
Monday, March 24, 2008
I'm just sayin...
If you can't ride your ass off on your fixed gear, on your rollers, listening to Social Distortion's Mommy's Little Monster (in my opinion their very best album), then you must be dead or just have no soul.
I'm just sayin...
Tim
I'm just sayin...
Tim
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Rollers- Part D'uh (Deux)
I love riding my rollers... I mean, as far as riding a trainer is concerned anyway. Tonight was my third ride on the rollers in such a long time and it is coming back to me pretty quickly.
Can ride no hands again...
... and can get out of the saddle and stretch.After riding the rollers a few times now on both my fixed gear and geared bikes, I can remember the pluses and minuses of each type of bike on rollers; fixed gear helps maintain momentum in your pedal stroke so you don't have those "dead spots" that can cause the dreaded lunging that can send you flying across the street into parked cars, and geared bikes allow you to coast and relax a little, as well as change gears to increase/ decrease intensity. The fixed gear just feels easier to me. The single gear can be a little tiring when your legs are starting to get worn out, but that's kind of the whole point of training.
I did, however find out that I can do ILT (Isolated Leg Training) exercises- pedalling with one leg- with the fixed gear, I just can't get clipped back in. I'll try the geared bike tomorrow night and see how that works. My Colombian friend Al, in Switzerland, sent me this video... and I doubt I'll ever be able to do that... but I have to find out.
(Editor's Note- I have come to find out that Al is not Al, but is another AL instead- "upstate New York, not Switzerland. Although I do enjoy Toblerone". Both Als have already contacted me to clear this up, so now I have two friends named Al. )
Since Beth is into numbers, I thought I would provide some...
Not that you can read it, because my flash is so white hot, but the tape reads 65cm... or 25.5". It's not quite the same as the "freak legs" of years past, but it's still growth.
Little by little, the legs are coming back. The crazy travel schedule keeps it hard to maintain any kind of consistency in my training, but I'm hoping to at least get fit enough to not get so destroyed at our local Tuesday night race series at the track this year. I got pretty much slaughtered last year and I want to show up competitive this time. Plus, they've been holding my medals at the State Masters Track Championships for a few years now and I'd like to bring'em home this year.
Ok, it's late... I gotta get some sleep now that the post-workout adrenaline is wearing off.
Tim
(All photos courtesy of Masi-Son, Andrew.)
I did, however find out that I can do ILT (Isolated Leg Training) exercises- pedalling with one leg- with the fixed gear, I just can't get clipped back in. I'll try the geared bike tomorrow night and see how that works. My Colombian friend Al, in Switzerland, sent me this video... and I doubt I'll ever be able to do that... but I have to find out.
(Editor's Note- I have come to find out that Al is not Al, but is another AL instead- "upstate New York, not Switzerland. Although I do enjoy Toblerone". Both Als have already contacted me to clear this up, so now I have two friends named Al. )
Since Beth is into numbers, I thought I would provide some...
Not that you can read it, because my flash is so white hot, but the tape reads 65cm... or 25.5". It's not quite the same as the "freak legs" of years past, but it's still growth.
Little by little, the legs are coming back. The crazy travel schedule keeps it hard to maintain any kind of consistency in my training, but I'm hoping to at least get fit enough to not get so destroyed at our local Tuesday night race series at the track this year. I got pretty much slaughtered last year and I want to show up competitive this time. Plus, they've been holding my medals at the State Masters Track Championships for a few years now and I'd like to bring'em home this year.
Ok, it's late... I gotta get some sleep now that the post-workout adrenaline is wearing off.
Tim
(All photos courtesy of Masi-Son, Andrew.)
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Rollers
The thing with riding rollers is that there is absolutely nowhere to hide any imperfections in the way you ride. It's kinda like standing naked in front of a full length mirror with really harsh lighting.
It's been about a year and a half since I've ridden on rollers. Mostly because I've been too lazy to go get a replacement belt for my old rollers and I've been doing lots of ILT (Isolated Leg Training) exercises on my stationary trainer. ILT's are really great for improving your hip flexor muscle strength- which really increases your power at the top of your pedal stroke, which is great for improving your climbing power. So I've been doing lots of riding on my stationary trainer with fluid resistance unit. The only real negative to stationary trainer workouts is that you don't improve your pedal stroke or overall fluidity and you can even dig yourself a hole with your technique.
Yesterday I finally cracked and got roller'ed-up again. So last night I got out and rode the rollers for nearly an hour, for the first time in about 18 months +/-. For those who don't know from experience, riding rollers is close to a 1.5:1 ratio- an hour on the rollers is like an hour and a half on the road (or so). I was happy that I hadn't forgotten how to ride rollers and that the form wasn't all that bad. I did manage to get out of the saddle and ride without riding off the drums, as well as being able to drink from my bottle, wipe my sweat off with my towel and change position on the bike. I didn't go full bore in my seated sprints, but I did get the legs going at a good turn of speed.
The bad news is that I found that it has been too long since I spent time on my rollers. I was riding my fixed gear, which also highlights your pedal stroke deficiencies, and at speed I was bouncing enough to make me worry about riding off the drums. I didn't, but I had to pay attention. The one time I did ride off the drums, I was wiping my face with my towel and had my eyes closed and couldn't see that I was drifting across the drums. Fortunately, I just rolled off on to the frame and then caught myself on the fence next to me. But, it does mean that I have to work on my form again... so it's good that I am on the rollers now.
And, that 50+ minutes on the rollers had me "sweating like a redneck at a spelling bee". Afterwards, my bathroom scale claimed that I weighed a mere 198! That's even lower than the 199 I saw a few weeks ago for the first time in about 10 years. The weight is coming off, the legs are feeling good and the power is coming back. April 1st is the beginning of Tuesday Night Racing here at the San Diego Velodrome... and I'm trying to bring the heat this year. I was pretty far off the pace last year, so I'm hoping this year is better because I'm hunting for medals at the State Masters track championships in the Kilo, Sprint and Team Sprint (maybe).
Ok, time to get a few things done here and then it's off to the gym. Then I need to write some new copy for the catalog- I had to change a few things from what I wrote earlier.
Enjoy your day!
Tim
It's been about a year and a half since I've ridden on rollers. Mostly because I've been too lazy to go get a replacement belt for my old rollers and I've been doing lots of ILT (Isolated Leg Training) exercises on my stationary trainer. ILT's are really great for improving your hip flexor muscle strength- which really increases your power at the top of your pedal stroke, which is great for improving your climbing power. So I've been doing lots of riding on my stationary trainer with fluid resistance unit. The only real negative to stationary trainer workouts is that you don't improve your pedal stroke or overall fluidity and you can even dig yourself a hole with your technique.
Yesterday I finally cracked and got roller'ed-up again. So last night I got out and rode the rollers for nearly an hour, for the first time in about 18 months +/-. For those who don't know from experience, riding rollers is close to a 1.5:1 ratio- an hour on the rollers is like an hour and a half on the road (or so). I was happy that I hadn't forgotten how to ride rollers and that the form wasn't all that bad. I did manage to get out of the saddle and ride without riding off the drums, as well as being able to drink from my bottle, wipe my sweat off with my towel and change position on the bike. I didn't go full bore in my seated sprints, but I did get the legs going at a good turn of speed.
The bad news is that I found that it has been too long since I spent time on my rollers. I was riding my fixed gear, which also highlights your pedal stroke deficiencies, and at speed I was bouncing enough to make me worry about riding off the drums. I didn't, but I had to pay attention. The one time I did ride off the drums, I was wiping my face with my towel and had my eyes closed and couldn't see that I was drifting across the drums. Fortunately, I just rolled off on to the frame and then caught myself on the fence next to me. But, it does mean that I have to work on my form again... so it's good that I am on the rollers now.
And, that 50+ minutes on the rollers had me "sweating like a redneck at a spelling bee". Afterwards, my bathroom scale claimed that I weighed a mere 198! That's even lower than the 199 I saw a few weeks ago for the first time in about 10 years. The weight is coming off, the legs are feeling good and the power is coming back. April 1st is the beginning of Tuesday Night Racing here at the San Diego Velodrome... and I'm trying to bring the heat this year. I was pretty far off the pace last year, so I'm hoping this year is better because I'm hunting for medals at the State Masters track championships in the Kilo, Sprint and Team Sprint (maybe).
Ok, time to get a few things done here and then it's off to the gym. Then I need to write some new copy for the catalog- I had to change a few things from what I wrote earlier.
Enjoy your day!
Tim
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