Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Prep Day 2

Andrey Kuzmin said, "The kettlebell is cold and unforgiving. It must be respected."

I am spending this week preparing for the real training in the upcoming weeks. Sure, I could just jump to heavy weights and high volume. I'm certain I would live to tell about it. But, I respect the kettlebell and know I need to ease into the volume a little. It's actually one of the first lessons I learned the hard way when I started training with the kettlebells a few years back. It is peculiar feeling through out the body right down to the bones. It isn't the normal muscle pain that you may have felt from time to time. It really is good stuff. Go ahead, try!

Training:
Z 10 min warm up

16k: no rests
swing - 50 left, 50 right
Clean/squat/press...left then right - 1,2,3,4,5
snatch - 50 left, 50 right
windmill - 5 left, 5 right

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

More Motivation



Yeah....It is on!

1 Month until RKC level II

Training:
Z - I felt really old until this 10 min...


with 16K no rests
Clean/squat/press 1 set of 1,2,3,4,5 ladder
Snatch: 10l,r,20l,r,30l,r
Swing: 50/50
TGU: 5l,5r

Motivation

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Friday Ramble



The Coho Randonneuse is down awaiting new tires. I had been running Grand Bois 700x30. They are a fantastic ride, fast and comfortable. It is like riding on a nimble beach cruiser. The problem is riding in the urban areas of Virginia Beach. There is broken glass at most intersections and I my rear tire has been flatted 5 times over the past month. This is too much. I have repaired the tire, put a boot in one section and rode several hundred miles. Fortunately all of the flats have been right before or a few days after a brevet.



The Gran Bois cost benefit is not good. The smooth ride is not worth the worry and hassle of the tires durability. Perhaps they are better suited for utopia, a land with out thorns, glass or nails covering the roads.



I headed to the Pungo area of Virginia Beach for a ramble through the country. As usual, I took a few wrong turns and was lost. At one point the road ended at a dock. I could have ridden into Back Bay. Good think I didn’t, the water temperature is too cold.



I reached the Creeds Store for a water stop and they were giving away free hotdogs! I was hungry and it was a welcome treat.




Riding the Motobeceane isn’t the best ride but the bike is light, handles well and it is reliable. The downfall is the saddle. I need to explore another option for this bike’s saddle. Truthfully I am thankful just to have the option of riding a back up bike even if it isn’t perfect.

Ride: 55 miles – 3 hrs.


Thurs:
ride: 30

Wed:
ride: 30

Other daily training:
Daily Z Neural Warmup
Pull ups
16k kettlebell exrercises...snatch, swing, get ups

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Knotts Island 100K

Sun and rain.

On Saturday I completed the Knotts Island 100k. It is a fun and flaaaat ride through southern Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, and Currituck County, NC. In fact there is exactly 1 hill, the Pungo Ferry Bridge.

The worst part of the whole ordeal is the commute to the ride start in south Chesapeake. It takes about an hour to drive from my house near the VB ocean front. I arrived at 0645 and we were on the road by 0705.

The ride posse; a few co-workers that chose the 100k and another that decided to do the English Century. The group goal is to have fun, not push too hard, complete the ride and most importantly get to the Knotts Island Ferry before 1000.

I had a few other goals in preparation for the 400k. First, complete the ride in less than 4 hours. Secretly I wanted to do closer to 3.5 hours. Second, if feeling well, push the tempo a little.

We headed out on the course at a respectable clip. I would be happy to ride at that pace all day if needed. All plans changed as we approached the Pungo Ferry Bridge. I rode up to Greg who had been doing long pulls for quite a while. I told him that a nasty hill (bridge) was just around the corner and he should take it easy for a while. Either he didn't understand what I said or didn't care because he kept pulling. Another rider came to the front and pulled for a while.

Pungo Ferry Bridge

When we rounded a corner I heard some choice words describing Greg's surprise of seing the bridge for the first time. At this point Kevin and I rode off the front and attacked the hill. I pushed the COHO hard to get to the top, there would be no easy spinning up the hill on this day.


We kept motoring towards the Knotts Island Ferry at a very brisk pace into the wind. Very challenging. We arrived at the ferry with nearly an hour until it departed. The first 37 miles were complete in just over 2 hrs.

Boarding the ferry.

After an hour long ferry ride we were back on the road. Kevin and I got in a group of racers from Chesapeake and finished the last 20 miles quickly. Let me say, the COHO is not a racing bike. It is heavy and I took very few pulls on the front of this train. The few times I did, my heart rate quickly elevated to zone1.

The good news:
My recovery from hard efforts is becoming quicker.
While the COHO is not a "plastic" racer, it is a capable steel steed that is comfortable and fun to ride.

Interesting Tidbits:
There were many different bikes on the 100k. I actually saw a couple beach cruisers parked on the ferry. I wonder how they faired going over the bridge?

One gentleman, after inspecting the Coho, told me it would make a good commuter bike. He also informed me that he was riding a "comfort bike." Hmmm. I smiled and thanked him for the compliments.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Running Form

I know, I don't run but...I have to a few times each year and I may as well try to make it as "painless" as possible. Today I began working on running form.

I started with Z - 10 min neural warm up.

Then a 5 min warm up - jog.

Next, a few drills -- actually there are 8 drills but I think I skipped a couple today. Did drills 30 sec each.

At the track I did the following pick ups:
30 sec pick up - concentrating on foot placement, pulling with the hammies and flicking the heel.
30 sec walk
60 sec pick up
2 min rest - consist of walking and repeating drills.

I completed this circuit 4 times.

Result:
Well, it is to be determined but, I was not and am not sore in the normal places. This is the desired effect. Efficient I am not but I think I can be. On the first 2 circuits, I was concentrating on my lower body so much that my upper body became tense. I had very little movement of the arms. I realized what I was doing quickly and tried to relax.

I plan to do this 1 or 2 times per week for the next 5 - 6 weeks. Then I will test myself (because it is that time of the year). If it works, I will be much quicker over the 3 miles and I won't be wasted the next day. Only time will tell.

At lunch:
Pistols: 3 sets x 1/1 (left/right)
Pull ups: 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 5, 4 = 50

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Misc training -- update

Today:
Z 10 min neural warm up
Ride 40

Monday:
Z 10 min neural warm up
Ketttlebell Swing 24k: 2x50
Pull up 5 sets x 10 reps

Sunday:
Z 10 min neural warm up
Ride 15

Saturday:
Z 10 min neural warm up
Clean squat press 24k left then right 1,2,3,4,5
Snatch: 16K l/r 5/5, 10/10, 20/20 = 70 reps
Swing: 24K l/r 10/10, 20/20, 30/30 = 120 reps
Above done with no rest between exercises or sets; 1 long set ~17 min.

Pull ups: 5x5
Wheel roll out: 5x5