Swim day two

It was a much better day in the pool. I did a better job of pacing myself and pounded out 20 laps in twenty minutes of swimming. I felt better when I quit. It is all a matter of time. Christine came with me this morning as well. It was fun to ride a little and do some abs with her. She is going after getting in shape with some reckless abandon. Okay, it is not reckless nor is she abandoning anyone but she is motivated. She is inspiring me to work harder.

Tomorrow will be fun. It is Friday and I don't plan on riding this weekend due to the MS Walk here in Simi that we as a family are participating in. I am going to get up at 4 and see if I can ride for about two hours tomorrow. I need some help here. What does Yoda say, "there is no try, only do!" I must definitely "do" tomorrow. It will help complete a good week of work. Time on the bike and in the pool with some gym work. Next week will be fun as we go back to regular time. Spring forward will be exciting come Monday morning at 4:30 AM. Stay tuned as the fun continues in my quest to blow up (as in how Lance blew up the TdF) the HHH in August.

I will leave with a quote from one of my most favorite t-shirt sayings (Okay, I am digging now going to the t-shirts for help), "Pain is weakness leaving the body." What is your pain?

Hills and more hills

Today was hill riding. I rode for almost 90 minutes of solid hills, except for when I was coming down from the one I had just rode. It is not fun going up between 12 to 14 MPH and then cruising down the other side at 30+ MPH. These long hills mean you can't attack them the entire time, only at the top. I just spun up them and attacked the top. It made for a good workout. The heart stayed around 136 BPM.

Tomorrow, I get back into the pool to see if I can swim a bit more. I can tell that this will help me on improving my VO2 max. Yes, that means more power for longer.

Let's Go!!

Ride and Swim

I am two for two this week. I have gotten up both days and hit the exercise trail. Yesterday, I got on the bike for 80 minutes, about 25 miles through Simi. It was surprisingly bright for that time of day. The sun was up by 5:30 AM. I got up at O dark thirty, as we said in the Army, really only 4:30 AM. I stayed flat yesterday. My legs were heavy and not cooperating but I still averaged over 17 MPH going out the first 10 miles and over 22 MPH coming back in. It was a nice ride. Maybe I was so happy to be out early that I put the hammer down.

This morning I got up and went to the club with Christine. I was so happy that she came with me. It was fun to sit and talk and work out with her. She's the best partner. Anyway, I thought I'd try to swim for 30 minutes. I thought if Cassie can do it for over an hour, I should be able to do it for at least 30 minutes. I got to 20 minutes and was done for. I got in 16 laps in that time. I then got on the bike for 30 more minutes. The bike said I had ridden 11 miles in that 30 minutes. It was the easiest 11 miles I have ever ridden. I guess if you don't have to pull your own weight it is easier. The club has spinning classes as well. I might try one of them out and see how it is. This is looking promising.

After riding, Christine and I worked on abs. It felt good to get it all in. I started to feel all of it by about 10 AM. I was super hungry. I kept my mind and body busy till lunch time and Christine and I got a Subway. That was one of the best sandwiches I have had in a long time. Thanks Jared!

If I can keep this up, 200 pounds will be nothing but a bad dream. The word is if. If Christine keeps motivating me, well, I'd better sign up for the '07 TDF because I will be ready!!

Beech to the Beach

I had been talking about riding to the beach for a while. Yesterday, we got everything ready and I left about 9 AM. The first 20 miles or so was through Thousand Oaks and out to Potrero Road. Then there was a little fun. In two different spots, there was some downhill riding through this canyon, steep and sharp turns with no bail out areas. I had to ride my brakes pretty good to get through it all. The wind picked up out on the Hueneme Road where there is no protection from the off shore winds. It didn't help that their was storms blowing in either. After about 10 miles of solid wind I got on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The wind was not so bad there. It was great to ride down the coast for the next 20 miles or so. The waves, the rocks, the sounds, the other riders, it was beautiful.

A highlight of the ride was seeing this orange bike riding rider up ahead of me about 1/2 mile. It was motivating to think "Hey, there's Yoda, time to go!" Within the next mile and at the top of a next hill, the chase was over; the catch was made. It feels great to catch someone on a hill. In a look reminescent of "The Look", I stared back at the man and said, "Good morning!" Then, I put the pedal down on the downhill and I never saw him again. In fact, I thought I'd better ride hard because I don't want to see him again. That would mean I was not riding hard enough.

The end was the best. I was finishing up the ride, looking for a place to wait for Christine and then there she was. I turned around and went back to meet her and the kids. This is when Craig took the picture above. We stayed at the beach for about two hours, sitting, talking, playing football, and just hanging out. On the way home, we stopped in at Chipotle and got a burrito. Hey, after riding 50, I had a great need from some calorie replenishment. A little rice and beans never hurt anyone. After getting home and watching Texas lose in OT, we went off to look at a health club. Christine has a group of women she plays BB with that attend every morning. It has a pool, sauna, weights, etc., just like any health club. I think it would be great to do. Then I could swim twice a week, sit in the sauna, and lift a little to supplement my bike riding. Yoda has given some advice that I need the cross training to aid in the weight loss effort. I think I will take him up on it. More importantly, Christine and I could work out together a couple time a week. On the weight loss note, I lost another half a pound this week!! 200 here I come.

And I will call him....

Mini Me! I appreciate the teaching about acceleration with power-to-weight ratio. Where it comes into play is yes on acceleration but also on long rides. There is no match for riding and getting ready and a persons weight is an indicator of how long they can push, making power-to-weight important. I appreciate the time Yoda put into finding the information about long rides. When Mini Me has put in the time on the bike, he can try and take the pea from my hand! Until then, he will be best know as Mini Me.

The order of the eve was 26 miles in just under 90 minutes. I felt good tonight and pushed a few hills on the way. I averaged over 17.5 MPH and 143 BPM. It was cold but that's okay, I pushed on. I wore my HHH jersey, got honked at one time, and almost got can off the road only a couple of times. At least Simi is getting in the act. They have painted bike lanes all over the city. It is a lot different than when I first road through the city.

As long as we are quoting Confusius, let me add this one. Confusius say "if you no ride bike, you buy the grande chimichanga for two!"

Sometimes...

The garage has to be good enough. It was wet and cold so I just rode in the garage while watching U2. It was an all tempo night, 45 minutes worth of muscle tension to build leg strength. It was tough but worth it all. Who isn't motivated by the sounds of U2 and "I will follow." Makes me think of the competition, just follow. I will lead the way. Cycling is interesting in that you need your competition along with your teammates throughout the race in order to win. It is the last bit that really makes the difference. Stay together and in touch most of the way and just hammer it the final bit. All of this riding is the hammer for the little bit at the end. Here is some motivational pictures for all the pretenders out there.

Remember the power-to-weight explanation. This is how I lower the denominator to be the dominator!!

Power-to-weight

Wikipedia describes power-to-weight as "the power the engine develops, divided by the vehicle's (or engine) weight." I have been pushing some weight for some time. Now that it is starting to come off, the ratio is starting to blow up, Testarosa style!! Here's a picture of me on the road getting it done!!

JD gave me a shout out tonight. Looks like Cali is in the cards. We might be Cruis'in the Conejo earlier than expected. Sounds like a plan.

Don't be hating Sonny Crocket

Everyone wanted to be Sonny Crocket growing up. The car, the clothes, the shoes, and the girls...so...don't be hating on Mr. Crocket, it's Sonny if your nasty. Thanks Ms. Jackson for the lyrics.

The ride was a fun 25 miles. I tried another route. Down to TO, up to Moorpark, and back to Simi but over Lost Canyon. I kept the heart rate up and the legs kicking. I wanted to ride longer but Christine left for a Women's Conference in Long Beach so I couldn't get out longer. 90 minutes is good enough for today. I am glad that I found this route. It will be my 90 minute route for the weekdays. This way I don't have to ride in circles and at least the scenery will change. Time to get going. Its off to the bike shop for some tools and some adventure with the kids.

Where are you at dawg? Is Michael Knight and his sidekick, Kit all you got. That deserves another Rocky quote for the sports pretenders. This quote is from Apollo, "Stay in school and use your brain. Be a doctor, be a lawyer, carry a leather briefcase. Forget about sports as a profession. Sports make ya grunt and smell. See, be a thinker, not a stinker." So don't be a stinker, be a thinker. On the other hand, this is what Mickey has been telling me, "You're gonna eat lightnin' and you're gonna crap thunder!" Just don't ride behind me.

Peace and I'm outta here.

Let Sonny Crocket be your guide

What is up with the ugly flashback to Gary Coleman. The man who played an eight year old when he was twenty-two!! Knight Rider, that was another story. Hit the Turbo Michael!!

To help all of you out there in need of some urging and coaching, let Sonny Crocket be your guide. If you remember well, Crocket and Tubbs were the detectives on Miami Vice. Crocket, the Florida native and Tubbs, the out of water New Yorker hitting the Miami scene. This was one of the few shows I'd watch as a teenager, otherwise, it was I am outta here and off to the club. Where's fitty cent? That's $0.50 if your not nasty.



Pretenders, listen to Crocket, "The secret to success, whether it's women or money, is knowing when to quit. I oughta know: I'm divorced and broke. " So if you want to win, just quit. You'll feel better in the morning. And finally, "People in stucco houses shouldn't throw quiche."

Peace and I'm outta here!!

Clubber Lang

In the immoral words of Mr. Clubber "Pain" Lang, "I pity the fool!!" Pain will be the theme all summer long, culminating in a painful August for my competitors. Today was another step on that "pain" journey. 90 minutes of hills and more hills. I can tell the legs are kicking in because I am getting up hills in larger gears than before. This is the payoff. Wait, I hear your mouth. Another memorable quote from Mr. Pain, "What did you say, Paper Champion? I'll beat you like a dog, a dog, you hear?" Okay, enough testoterone for one night.

I'll be going to Tacoma in April for a few days. I have a Senior Leadership Development Conference for two days. I hope catch a couple of family members for a couple of hours and some grub. I let everyone know after all of the details are worked out.

I couldn't help it. "Hey fool! You ready for another beating!? You shoulda never came back!" Y'all should never come out. I pity the fool!!

On the bike

Craig and I got on the bikes tonight. We rode around our neighborhood for a couple of miles. Craig was peddling as hard as he could to keep up. He made me laugh with his jokes. We got on this "hill" and he says to me, "Dad, why do you like to torture me?" It was timely. After riding almost four miles with Craig, Craig tagged his Mom and she rode another six miles with me. It was a nice ride and time to talk. It was a slow burn at an even pace. It felt good. Tomorrow morning will be a bit more brisk as I will ride alone and do some hill work as well. I have two months till the Conejo Valley Century. I need to be ready for the 6,000 ft worth of climbing. I have rode some parts of the ride already. It looks like the Mulholland ride will be part of the century ride. I need to get over there to ride it and see what the hills are like. I hate getting on a hilly ride and not knowing the hills, how long they are, the pain involved, the speed needed to get up the hill, the speed that can be generated on the hill, the turns, and the flatter portions. I could make the century today. I just don't think I could crush it though. In two months, crush it yes. In four months, 200+ miles. In five months, crush the polka dots. There are no mountains on the Hotter 'N Hell. There aren't any rent-a-fans either available. Where's Roscoe Pecol Train? Just some good old boys....

Cold Rain

Can California have both rain and be cold? I did not think so until this weekend. It has been wet and cold so this translated into no riding. Come back this week for more ride updates. I have the bike ready to go for tomorrow morning's ride. There is no rain in the forecast just a little cold for tomorrow morning. Let's ride...ooh, by the way, can anyone pull me into town?

The route

Here is the elevation of the Hotter 'N Hell 100. It starts at 943 ft., peaks at 1150 ft. at mile 31, and then it is basically back to 943 ft. The steepest hill is the freeway at mile 99 and it only lasts about 1/4 mile and then it is just coasting to the finish. In looking at this graph, remember that the elevation change is only 200 feet total, from top to bottom.

If the weather cooperates and is only hot, it is a nice ride!! We had been averaging 16+ MPH last year, riding in hills. On this ride, we average 19.7. Call it leg strength, call it preparation, call it adreneline. All this mixed with a large group of riders to pace, drop behind and to help to keep your strength up all through the race makes this happen.

Remember to LIVESTRONG!!

Staybridge sweets..

There was no road riding this weekend. We went to San Diego for Liz's wedding. This did not dissuade me from getting on the bike. The Staybridge Suites had an exercise room with a decent stationary bicycle. I rode it for 75 minutes and then got in a good workout, abs and legs. Maybe I should get a gym membership and start working the legs. Then again, I need to be thinking about losing weight, not adding more. Craig was in the room with me and also got a workout in. In fact, he got his Heely's on and rolled on the tread mill for a bit till I rethought it and figured it wasn't the best thing to be doing. We didn't want to get kicked out of the hotel.

The wedding was wonderful. Bob and Mel were such gracious hosts as always. The wedding and ring ceremony were great. I had to keep telling Jermaine to stop teasing. Tito at least brought me a tissue. It was all very moving. I had never heard such eloquent remarks about temple marriage as I heard on Saturday. It was great to be there with family. Thanks for Caran for El Torito lunch on Saturday as well. It really hit the spot.

Speaking of hitting the spot, Mexican is always good. Even more so after a victory. I am in with the notion of loser picks up the tab. If I should follow up the rear, I would be honored to be the "Sugar Daddy" and pick up dinner. I don't plan it but JD has thrown down the kunnum drum. I will be kunnuming and drumming all the way to El Chico's. Iban Mayo, sounds like Mayonaisse, spread to thin and smashed between two pieces of bread. Let's get it on. What a minute, it is already on!! All I got to say is, Trix are for kids so you'd better watch our for the metamusal!!