So today I went out and had my first ride in the 5 day training plan. Today was actually a free day that was added on thanks to the rain that came in a day early! So we will see how the next few days go. I have been off the bike way too much this spring and I am about 1000 miles behind where I need to be. Well hopefully the next few days go well and I will be able to catch up a bit. I do know I am going to be a little tired by the end of it but then again that is a good thing.
I saw a ton of riders out on the road today. I was not expecting to see anyone at all but I saw atleast 15 riders and I could not believe it. It was great to see so many folks out on a week day. Hopefully I will see as many tomorrow morning since I am going earlier and longer.
See you on the road.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Chicago
So I after the trip to NC to see my little sister graduate from vet school I had a little down time back in TX and got to do a little riding but not as much as I wanted to. It was nice to be able to get out and just ride. I did a few rides by myself and the rest were with a group and I was not too slow. On my last ride I was out in the country and saw something that I have never seen while riding before. When I moved to TX I quickly got used to seeing longhorn cattle, horses, goats, roadrunners, and even buffalo. Now during the last ride I actually stopped on the side of the road to see if what I was seeing was true. I had just done a short interval and it was getting pretty hot and I was starting to get low on water so I was worried that what I was seeing was a hallucination. Sure enough standing there was a ZEBRA!!! I took a few pictures with my phone so that my wife would believe me and then kept riding.
So right now I am sitting in my hotel room in Chicago at a Psychology conference, APS. I don’t have Internet access so I will have to post this on Sunday when I get back to TX. Last night we all went out and drank a bunch and stayed out really late. WOW, I can’t do that much any more. I know that with all of the food and drinks I am going to pay for it when I get back on the bike on Monday morning. At least I should be able to put in a lot of miles this next week and a lot of hours in the saddle. I am very disappointed with the number of miles that I have ridden this year so far and I plan on fixing that in the next month. I only have about 680 miles so far this year. My goal is to be at 2,000 by the end of July. If I can do that I will be very happy. 1,500 miles may be a more reasonable goal but we will see. We will see how the research goes this summer and how the job goes. If I can find the right job that does not require a bunch of odd hours then I should be able to do research and get the miles in.
One thing about being in Chicago is the number of bikes that are on the street. Some are old beaters but a lot are pretty sweet fixed gear bikes. Although I really don’t think that I would do well riding in the city. The traffic is bad enough walking and plus it is cold here while it is nice and warm back home in TX.
See you on the road.
So right now I am sitting in my hotel room in Chicago at a Psychology conference, APS. I don’t have Internet access so I will have to post this on Sunday when I get back to TX. Last night we all went out and drank a bunch and stayed out really late. WOW, I can’t do that much any more. I know that with all of the food and drinks I am going to pay for it when I get back on the bike on Monday morning. At least I should be able to put in a lot of miles this next week and a lot of hours in the saddle. I am very disappointed with the number of miles that I have ridden this year so far and I plan on fixing that in the next month. I only have about 680 miles so far this year. My goal is to be at 2,000 by the end of July. If I can do that I will be very happy. 1,500 miles may be a more reasonable goal but we will see. We will see how the research goes this summer and how the job goes. If I can find the right job that does not require a bunch of odd hours then I should be able to do research and get the miles in.
One thing about being in Chicago is the number of bikes that are on the street. Some are old beaters but a lot are pretty sweet fixed gear bikes. Although I really don’t think that I would do well riding in the city. The traffic is bad enough walking and plus it is cold here while it is nice and warm back home in TX.
See you on the road.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The Plan
So with the spring semester over I have created the plan:
The plan will focus on three major things: research (ie. publications!!!!), a job, and RIDING! The part that I will focus on here is the riding.
I am way behind on miles so far this year and in a few weeks I expect to put in more miles than I have all year. With the right recovery in between the long rides I should be back to a decent shape within a month with the right training rides. Aerobically the running that I did this winter and spring has kept me in pretty good shape but the riding muscles are not what they should be so I will bring those back ASAP. As part of this large increase in miles I also want to finally get rid of the weight that I have been working on getting rid of for a while now. A light and strong rider is a better climber! As the first part of this plan my bike gets a make over next week. The new tires are on their way and the new handlebar tape will be purchased when I get back from NC. The new cassette and new chain have been waiting since Christmas thanks to are ready to be put on thanks to my wife! Once I get a few miles in the saddle and I am back with the faster rides the leg hair must go to fit in with the big boys.
So the Plan:
1. Clean and give my bike the spring cleaning treatment
2. Miles,miles, miles, and more miles.
3. Fewer sodas so that the miles result in a faster, more powerful rider
4. Clean legs so the racers won't realize that I am clinging to their wheels for dear life (At least until they see my face.
5. Hill repeats and sprint intervals so I can keep up when we go back to NC and I can show folks around here what a NC rider is like.
Well after I get back from NC the plan starts and I will keep the blog up to date with my progress.
See you on the road.
The plan will focus on three major things: research (ie. publications!!!!), a job, and RIDING! The part that I will focus on here is the riding.
I am way behind on miles so far this year and in a few weeks I expect to put in more miles than I have all year. With the right recovery in between the long rides I should be back to a decent shape within a month with the right training rides. Aerobically the running that I did this winter and spring has kept me in pretty good shape but the riding muscles are not what they should be so I will bring those back ASAP. As part of this large increase in miles I also want to finally get rid of the weight that I have been working on getting rid of for a while now. A light and strong rider is a better climber! As the first part of this plan my bike gets a make over next week. The new tires are on their way and the new handlebar tape will be purchased when I get back from NC. The new cassette and new chain have been waiting since Christmas thanks to are ready to be put on thanks to my wife! Once I get a few miles in the saddle and I am back with the faster rides the leg hair must go to fit in with the big boys.
So the Plan:
1. Clean and give my bike the spring cleaning treatment
2. Miles,miles, miles, and more miles.
3. Fewer sodas so that the miles result in a faster, more powerful rider
4. Clean legs so the racers won't realize that I am clinging to their wheels for dear life (At least until they see my face.
5. Hill repeats and sprint intervals so I can keep up when we go back to NC and I can show folks around here what a NC rider is like.
Well after I get back from NC the plan starts and I will keep the blog up to date with my progress.
See you on the road.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The end of the first year
So I took my one and only final today and now I am done with my first year of classes. Now I get to spend the summer doing research and writing papers hopefully. Along with a bunch of riding. I am very close to having a plan put together for training and the summer. The sole goal is to be in better shape by the end of the summer than I was when I left North Carolina. If I can do that I will not only be able to keep up with the groups that I ride with now but hopefully I will be able to take my share of pulls with the A group as well.
My wife and I get to see our friends and family this weekend! My little sister graduates from vet school this weekend. I can't believe that she will be a vet in a couple of days. GO JENN!!!
But for now....the semester is over and I am off to get some papa johns pizza, enjoy a Duck-Rabbit milk stout( man I wish they sold Duck-rabbit in Texas), and watch the primary results from NC tonight! The plan will start tomorrow!
My wife and I get to see our friends and family this weekend! My little sister graduates from vet school this weekend. I can't believe that she will be a vet in a couple of days. GO JENN!!!
But for now....the semester is over and I am off to get some papa johns pizza, enjoy a Duck-Rabbit milk stout( man I wish they sold Duck-rabbit in Texas), and watch the primary results from NC tonight! The plan will start tomorrow!
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