Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year!

The holiday period proved to be tough on my training regimen. Between the added stress, work hours, and winter weather, I only rode about twice a week (mostly on the trainer), but I was in the gym a decent bit. Kettlebells have been my staple workout tools recently. I was able hit the road a few days ago, and I must say, the legs felt STRONG!! I should be able to resume a full schedule beginning next week. I'm looking forward to it. Everyone has small lapses in their training, right?

I'm waiting for my new front derailleur to arrive, so I can officially convert my bike from a triple to a double. I've also added a set of 50mm carbon tubular wheels to the arsenal, so I'm eager to try them out. I can't wait to race this bike!

Happy New Year to all...happy training!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

This week's schedule

Monday- Rest

Tuesday- 2hr. EM (Endurance Miles) with 4x5min MT (Muscle Tension) intervals

Wednesday- 1.5 hr EM

Thursday-2hr EM (Endurance Miles) with 4x5min MT...Lifted legs at the gym, due to WIND!!

Friday- Rest

Saturday- 2.5hr EM (Endurance Miles) with 20min T (Tempo)

Sunday- 2hr EM (Endurance Miles)

Once again, it's been a while...but I'm still training!

With daily life, it's not always easy to blog everyday, and I'm not very good with consistency anyways. I am still training, though. In fact, my training schedule just switched from my "foundation" period, to my "preparation" period. My workouts have become more intense, with a higher heart rate, as well as adding a bigger focus on muscle building. For example, in one of my workouts this week, I climbed a hill with 8% grade in 52x17 gearing (about 4 minutes to complete). Repeated x 4, in the middle of a 2 hr. ride.  Normally, I'd probably be in 42x15 or so...and who knows how low I'd go if it was an extended effort.

I just got a set of 50mm deep Carbon Fiber race wheels, with bladed spokes. Not only are they super aerodynamic, but I also shaved about a pound of weight from my current wheels. They're tubulars, instead of clinchers, so they'll be reserved for race day, but I'm waaaayyy excited to have them.

Some other changes I hope to make soon:

Double crankset (53/39)
New seatpost
New pedals

This week, I also got to ride with another teammate from the CRFP team. I was excited for a couple reasons. First of all, I think it's important for the team to ride together as much as possible, to learn each others styles and strengths. Secondly, Dennis has a reputation as being a STRONG rider, and I love pushing myself. It turns out, he's been sick recently and still hasn't recovered fully, but it was good to ride with him, nonetheless.