Sleeping Giant Ride in reverse by joekub at Garmin Connect - Details

Sleeping Giant Ride in reverse by joekub at Garmin Connect - Details

Still posting but not here...

To anyone reading this I just want you to know I am posting in a the blog on the www.cyclo-club.com web site. I will try to post here too but am finding it hard enough to post in one blog no less two. Click the title above to link to my other blog.

Starting the year off right

Well 2009 is upon us. I look forward to a challenging and rewarding off season of training. I took some much needed time off during the holidays. I did not go completely sour....I went to the gym when I felt I needed to and when time allowed, I did not stress over it. Eating all the good food and deserts was so much fun.

well I started the 12 week off season training plan 3 days ago. I got a new Cycleops Fluid2 trainer and cateye computer with cadence for x-mass. I hooked it all up and was sweating my but off for the first work out. I skipped day two (just ran out of time in the day) so I added the work from day 2 into day 3's workout. Which kicked my butt too!

Well I'm excited to get the kids back to school and get back into some kind of routine! 2009 here I come!

Not very consistant...

Sorry guys....just can't seem to find tome to post on a regular basis. Well it's been almost 4 weeks since my last post. Since then I'v been on a few MTB rides...very fun. I've been consistent with workouts at least 3 times per week....I'm trying for 4-5 times per week. I'm really trying to focus on the transition plan at the moment.....lots of yoga, foam roller, cyclo-breath, easy fun rides. I did do the first two of the new Spin classes....very fun and challenging.....makes the time go by so much faster. Nutrition has been consistant too.....lots of good healthy meals.....some cheats here and there but I'd say I'm about 85% good eating 15% bad. Hard to get motivated to ride in the cold this time of year. I plan on starting the 12 week off season plan after new years...I'm so psyched to get rolling with it. Well that's it for now.....Off to bed.

You can't control everything...

You can train hard, prepare well, have your gear ready, get your mind clear, control your nutrition, be relaxed, be ready........all of these things are in your control. It's the "X" factor that sometimes determines the outcome of a race, season, or even career. The "X" factor for me this past weekend was LUCK.....I just did not have any today. Here is how my race went.......I got a great start...2nd place.......almost the hole shot. I held it for most of the first lap and was feeling great, I slipped on the first hill and dropped to 5th. Still not bad and feeling good! I dropped my chain on the run up staircase on 2nd lap...I struggled to get it back on and got passed by many riders.....in my fustration I pushed to hard and bent my chain! dam! I could not hold it in one gear the rest of this lap and then BAM!! I crashed into the back of another rider in the corner by the tennis courts...tacoed the front rim! dam dam! I'm totally out of it now......no spare wheel and no 2nd bike. One of my team mates who was not in this race loaned me his bike but we had to change out my rear wheel. After a 3+min pit stop I almost quit the race but my teammate convinced me to jump back on and finish. I wound up passing like 5 or 6 guys and finished the race...got 15th. Not what I wanted and I knew I was capable of a top 3. All I needed was a bit of luck today and that might have happened. Oh well.....better luck next time.

My "6" off season steps...

1. Set Goals

• Gain big time sprint winning power!
• Increase anaerobic capacity
• Focus on the "foundation" base building miles

2. Identify Weakness

• Lack of power to win the sprint finish
• Ability to have strong legs at the end of a long road race...stop the leg cramps!
• Mental toughness....believe I can win!

3. Action Plan

• All set....I already have the 12 week advanced offseason plan
• I can commit to it....the sessions are not to long. I can workout at lunch/mornings as needed
• Home gym is already all set and I will upgrade to platinum soon to have access to everything

4. Stimulate with boot camps

• I will insert the bootcamps as follows.....Climbing , Fat loss, Climbing. More of a focus on gaining strength with one week of fat loss to re-set metabolism and loose a few lbs.

5. Coming soon...
6. Coming soon...

not much to report..

1. Wednesday was an off day....recovery day....I did the foam roller at night. Much needed day off.
2. Thursday...25min hard spin on lifecycle at YMCA...high heart rate big gear low RPM. Then 25min of some good hard core work.
3. Friday 25 min on the treadmill.....2(x) 5' hard run at 15% incline....trying to simulate hard running effort of a CX race.
4. Saturday. day off....did some foam roller at night.

Well I feel like I had a very good hard high intensity work out week. I was 171.8 on the scale on Thursday......down from 174 a week prior, so that is good too. I basically cut out the late night snacks and cut my daily meal portions a bit. I actually went and bought a power aid zero after my workout on Friday (I know...hammer would have been a much better choice but....) I just was realizing that I was not consuming anything other than coffee, water, and milk for fluids since stopping my long road rides 5 weeks ago. Not sure If I really need the Heed with such short HIT work outs. There was CX race only a bit over an hour away from me today. I wanted to do it but the weather was nasty rainy today.....but that's what CX is all about right? I feel like wuss for not doing it....how can I call myself a crosser if I bag on a race due to some rain? Oh well.....I had a good day at home with the kids so not going to dwell on it. Will work out hard tomorrow!

Sorry....hard finding time to post...

Well I'm usually torn on what to do late at night.....It's usually 11pm at night when I get free time to my self.....so do I...

1. Go do some yoga, stretching, cyclo breath, foam roller etc... for 30-45min.
2. Log on to the computer and write in my blog and surf cyclo-club.
3. Go to bed and get the rest my body needs to recover from the hard workouts.

Well usually it's all of the above....just on different nights.

Anyways on to my twice a week update...GOALS....how am I doing??? Well lets see...

1. CX bike is in the same or worse condition so the goal of getting it purring like a kitten like I had hoped to weeks ago is still on my goal's to do list
2. Fat loss Bootcamp.....well have not exactly done that either......in fact I have done the opposite......I have sucessfully completed the 2 week fat gain camp! I'm now up 4-5lb from just a few weeks ago.......thanks so much Mr. Halloween!
3. I did take some time off the bike and followed a modified/shortened 6 week transition plan for 3-4 weeks as planned. The best 3-4 weeks....my body realy needed it.
   
4. I have done the core and zen workouts at least 2x per week and have been doing some hard CX training on the bike. On and off the bike activity is very good.

All in all pretty good I guess.......I can get the CX bike tuned up at any point really so no need to stress about that. I would have liked to had the $$ to get the 6wk MTB plan and followed it in preperation for the CX race in two weeks, but I think my knowledge of how to train (thanks Graeme, Josh, & Club) and having the tools to train with (Core, zen, in5', ect.....thanks again Graeme) I have been progressing pretty well. It's just nice to have the plan to follow so you don't have to wonder if the workout I did or the recovery day I took was the right choice for that day. I'm constantly second guessing myself thinking that was a great workout but maybe I should have gone harder, longer, shorter, easier, etc...

To summ up my last 6 days of training...
Thursday-Hard day at YMCA 20 min on the YMCA life cycle H.I.T training & 20 min on treadmill with 2x 3' intervals @15% incline.
Fri & Sat completely off
Sunday-Super hard! Race pace simulation on local CX training loop. 6 laps at full intensity-HR @ 168 for full 45 min.
Mon-Hard Gym day...Ab Blaster and Impossible 1,2,3
Tue-Easy/moderate 30 min CX ride using warm 7 cool in 5'

Back to 100%...

Well I did my CX training ride on Friday....it was good....I did 2 laps at 85% and one fast lap at 95%. I practiced my mounts and dismounts and rode back to work. Trick or treating with my kids was so much fun....and had my share of snickers, crunch, almond joy, Hershey's...etc... heck it only comes around once a year!

I worked my a** off on Saturday.....not on the bike though.....6 hours straight of yard work!! Racking, mowing, cutting down the flower beds, buttoning everything up for the long cold winter. I was wiped out! Sunday was a day off from workouts but it was a long fun day.....Took the kids to NYC to see lion King on Broadway....it was fantastic but pooped from all the travel.

Mon, Tue, and today....Core training Mon & Wed using the in 5' series....man I love this stuff.....it's so easy to pick and choose workouts right from my ipod. Tuesday I did a longer road ride to the Cheshire park and met up with a couple of guys from my team and we did a few laps on the CX course and then rode home....It was a good 90 min ride.....the longest i've done in many many weeks.....it felt good.

back in action...

Finally feeling back to normal....I'd say about 90%. Still get a little cough every once and a while but no big deal.

Monday I did a hard but short CX trainign ride. I did 3 loops of the Cheshire CX course. This is where my race is on 11/22 and it's only about 5 min from where I work so I'll be going there for training a lot in the next few weeks. I did the first two laps at a moderate pace maybe 85% just to get farmiliar with the course again and the last lap I did at race pace 95%. I did the cyclo in 5' warm up and cool down today as well as the nostral breathing pre-ride. I think they are all excellent and if nothing else mentally I feel better doing them.

Tuesday & Thursday were spent at the YMCA doing Core work and Wednesday was off. Tuesday I did some super spins to warm up and then a bunch of the in 5' workouts. Thursday I did Impossible 1,2,3 and power in 5' and loose in 5'. WOW my legs are feeling it!! I think I'll do some foam roller before bed tonight. So far a good week....and I'm glad to be feeling better. Will go for a lunch break ride tomorrow to allow for some Halloween treats from my kids candy bags!

Yup...sick...bummer...

Well I new I was not feeling great starting with last Thursdays CX training ride.....and after the race on Saturday I was physically drained like I have never felt before and sure enough Saturday night and into Sunday full blown chest cold!! Major bummer! Coughing, wheezing, zero energy.....not good. I took Sun, Mon, Tue off. I have been taking Zicam and Airborne to try and fight it off....It's helping a little bit. I tried to go to the gym and do some light spinning and core work but my while my mind wants to...my body is still saying no.

Finally starting to feel better and hit the gym on Thursday with Graeme's super spin workout for the day. It was great. i was able to spin comfortable at 140-145 rpm. I took Friday off because I went to Cape Cod for the weekend with the family. Just what I needed....some time away with the family. It was a great weekend.....i took the CX bike and did a great 1hr trainign session Saturday afternoon. I did nostral bereathing and warm in 5' prior to the ride and finished it up with core in 5' and cool in 5' ....great stuff...

Eating was not so great this weekend but I;ll get back on track this week. I'll have to take inventory on food but think i will try to follow the 7 day fat loss bootcamp this week.

Mansfield Hollow CX

Beautiful day....sunny...nice temps in the 60's. This was a great event...great course....very well run. As for how I did....well....this was a tough tough race! I was maxed out the entire 5 laps. I biffed it a few times in corners and sand. mistakes I do not normally make. I was definitely feeling fatigue and was at threshold the entire race. Not feeling 100% today. Took 8th place...pretty happy with that though. Got passed right at the finish...bummer. My chest was hurting like I never felt afte this race, energy was zero......I think I'm getting a chest cold/sick. bummer!

A bit off track....but...

Well i just figured out that I want to do this CX race this coming weekend....only trouble is that I'm still following this easy does it transition plan and do not feel like I'll be ready for the race if ai stick to it this week. Also my weekly regular Tuesday night hammer fest road ride is going for one last hooray ride and I really wanted to go.....so I did. And boy am I glad that I did....there was only 11 guys that showed uo tonight but it was super fun, like being in a high powered break in the tour de france! It was fast and furious! And guess what...I was 1st to the top of Reinhardt! I know some of the big hitters were missing tonight but it was still a great feeling!

... Then on Thursday I did some HIT training on the CX bike....I basically followed the tips from the Cyclocross: Interview with Kerry Litka I did not feel great today but think I am better prepared for Saturday having done it. I feel really drained not much energy to give. I'll definately take tomorrow off.

Training update...

Well have not posted in a while.....it's definitely hard to even find a few extra minutes to post to the blog with work, kids, (twin girls 6yrs, & boy 8yrs) wife, friends, family, house, chores, riding, training, blogging and the list goes on and on...Anyways enough excuses...Here is what's been going on..

sort of sticking to the transition plan......doing easier rides....shorter....working on breath and stretching and foam roller. Took the single speed out for a nice 1hr jaunt up to "castle Craig" a 1.5 mile 7% hill. Pretty tough on the single speed but slow and steady pace I was able to make it up and stay in Z2 maybe low Z3....pretty good.

On Sunday I went for and awesome MTB ride at Crescent Lake. I was really on my game today! i was making every rock, log, hill, and technical obstacle that was thrown at me. I was in the zone! it was probably one of the most fun days i have had on the bike in a long time. Not even the flat that I had late in the ride could bumm me out. Great day. I finished the ride with Hammer recoverite and the typical cyclo core cool down stretch. Excellent.

Still Focused and on track

• I have had a good past few days.....here is the re-cap....

• Friday was a day off...Pizza and A beer for dinner but did some myofacial release and cyclo breath at night.

• Saturday was a busy family day and chores around the house but I did get out for 1hr at 5pm on the CX bike. I rode over to "Camp Sloper" which is a giant park for the local YMCA. The CT state championship CX race is usually held there every year but is not happening this year....kinda bummed out about that! It was a great event and so close to my house. Anyways....staying focused and trying to follow the transition plan and stay in Z1 or Z2 for the duration of the ride I mostly worked on dismout----run---re-mount techniques....low intensity.

• Sunday wound up being an off day too....off the bike that is....but I did do cyclo breath and myofacial at night. I really love doing all the "out of the box" stuff. For me it's really relaxing and benifical to relieve stress.

• Monday, easy 1hr spin on YMCA indoor lifecycle, 110~120 cadence. Followed by 5' core & 5' loose. great workout....easy to do.....not taxing at all.

• Tuesday, this is usually my long day....40-60 mile fast hard road ride...but not today. I took the MTB bike out to some local trails for 1-1/2 hrs. I tried to keep the intensity low Z1 &Z2 but it's difficult to do that sometimes in the trails. I had to push hard up some of the hills just to make it up. I had a lot of fun though! At night I did cyclo breath and some more myofacial.
  

• Wednesday, Still sticking to the plan.....really enjoying the low intensity, easy does it format of this plan right now. I did 30 min of light resistance / high rpm on the lifecycle and followed it up with OTG Bonus AB's and circuit#2....good stuff!

Overall I've been eating well....some cheats here and there....oreo....kitkat....but nothing crazy. Sunday my family had a sort of small reunion at my Aunt's house so I stuffed myself there but that was it.

Clarity & confidence...

Graeme offered a free consult to anyone yesterday so I took him up on the offer and called, after 10 min on the phone I hung up feeling confident, focused, and clear on my path for the next 6-8 weeks. I guess all I needed was some re-assurance and a little direction. I was not sure what to do about my training with some CX races coming up in the next few months. I felt that I needed to continue working hard on on the bike with short intense efforts and other CX specific training to ramp up for the races. What I learned (and sort of knew but was not sure about doing) was to take break from the intense long road season. My body and mind needed it. In my head I wanted to follow the 6 week transition plan but thought 6 weeks was to long to take for a recovery/easy workouts with CX racing right around the corner. What Graeme taught me was to adapt the plans to my needs.....follow it for 3-4 weeks. Be flexible, adapt, and use the tools I have in such a way that they work for me. Thanks for the advice Graeme!

Will start Bootcamp next week...

Well I did not start the 7 day fat loss boot camp as I thought I was going to, for a couple of reasons. The local "Apple Harvest Festival" which runs for two weekends only in the fall this time of year is going on, and the food is so BAD but so good....if you know what I mean ;) Breakfast yesterday and today consisted of 6 apple fritters....chuncks of fresh local grown apples battered and fried and coated in brown sugar....served hot with a cup of coffee.....simply delicious. Also I did not prepare as well as I would have liked to in terms of getting the groceries I need for the bootcamp.

That said....I am not completely blowing it either....

yesterday....I ate well and did a hard 40 min workout at the local YMCA. 15 min running on treadmill with 10% incline, OTG bonus ab, 5' core,5' back, & 5' loose.

Today....after the fritters the rest of my day was pretty good....banana w PB, apple, broccoli, some leftover Chinese (ok ...well...the fried rice and generals chicken was not great but there was not much left), dried fruit & nuts, cottage cheese, chicken & pepper fajitas for dinner , and 80+oz of water today. Oh yea and I did a 40mile fast group ride tonight too....1 bottle of heed and 1/2 serving of recoverite.

Tomorrow will probably be a hard workout at the Y again or maybe some sprint intervals on the CX bike. No fritters tomorrow!

Cyclo-Core "Eeryday Cyclists Challenge"

As a user of cyclo-core and a member of the www.cyclo-club.com I've decided to set some goals, write them down here in my blog, and participate in the "Everyday Cyclists Challenge". My goals are as follows:

SHORT TERM GOALS

1. Focus on recovery from a long hard road racing season.
2. Complete the "7 Day Fat Loss Bootcamp" with the goal of re-setting my metabolism not to necessarily loose weight.
3. Stay focused with the off the bike core/zen workouts.
4. Begin to prepare and train for some off season CX races.

LONG TERM GOALS

1. Gain top end power for final sprint in Crit races
2. Win a Cat 3 Crit and/or Road Race next season
3. Try to figure out and eliminate the leg cramps I'm getting in longer road races
4. Set the state record for the RAAM cross state challenge.
   

Challenge update-Sept, 26,27,28

Friday I did a hard workout at the local YMCA. I basically listened to my I-pod and made up my own routine from club workouts & core-zen workouts I have semi memorized. Started with the 8 min power routine....Hindu squats, push ups, bicycle kicks...etc. Then moved onto some of the 5' pwr routines, some core work, medicine ball, hamstring curls...etc. i hit it hard for about 40 mins and then spent 15min stretching. Great hard full body workout.

Eating was good today. I have pretty much adopted the CFNP as a lifestyle change in the past 6-8 months. I almost always try to eat wholesome, natural, organic foods as suggested in the plan. Breakfast is usually oatmeal & eggs. Snack apple/banana w/ PB. lunch is usually some sort of leftovers...lately it's been 3 bean chili, grilled chicken, lunch meat... Dinner tonight was Pizza.....that is a given for every Friday night.

I took Saturday & Sunday off to recover.....plus it rained all weekend. That did not stop me from spending 30min or so on the foam roller Saturday night and after I finish this post I am going to do 30 min of yoga and then watch some football before bed.

Weekend eating was on the plan and off the plan. I was really good at most meals but blew it big time on others. The blowing it was sort of part of the plan due to the fact that I am going to start the 7 day fat loss boot camp tomorrow. Like Graeme says.....use the 80-20 rule....try to be good 80% of the time....the other 20%.....hey life ain't worth living if you can't cut loose sometimes.

Photos