Monday: rest day
Tuesday: Fiesta Island, 20 miles of hard, fast riding!
Wednesday: Bike to work ~ 20 Miles
Thursday: Nothing
Friday: Lot's of walking @ Comic Con
Saturday: Lot's of walking @ Comic Con
Sunday: Lot's of walking @ Comic Con
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Dropped like a Prom Dress
Today I did my first Tuesday night ride at Fiesta Island. This is a small island in Mission Bay that is popular with the local road cyclist. There are two paved road loops around the island including a nice 4-mile one. Tuesday night is speed night and dozens of cyclist get into a peleton and spin round and round. When I got on the road I could see the riders in the distance. It would have been impossible for me to catch them so I just started hammering around the island and figured that they would eventually catch me. I started up and quickly brought my speed up to 20 MPH. My heart rate rose pretty dramatically since I didn't really warm up before I started hitting it hard. There was a very strong headwind for 1/2 of the 4-mile loop which really made it difficult, especially with no slipstream to ride in.
About 12 miles into the ride, the riders started coming up behind me. I moved aside to let them pass and then tried to jump on. Unfortunately I mis-timed it and they sped away without me being able to latch on. So more round and round. I slowed it down to about 16 MPH to rest up a bit and wait for another pass. Two more laps and here they come again. This time, I start speeding up and time it much better. So there I am, doing all I can to hold on. I was falling in and out of the slipstream and could really feel the difference in effort when I was drafting. I look down and we were cruising at 25 MPH. Wow. This is pretty much my top speed. It was like hanging on to a tiger's tail. We take a hard left turn and I'm too cautious not being very experienced on this route. Next thing I know, I'm 10 feet behind the nearest rider and they are pulling away. I give it my all, put my head down and just sprint as fast as I can and close the gap. I managed to hold on for a few more moments and then get dropped like the proverbial prom dress. The final sprint and the 15 miles of solo riding in a head wind finally take it's toll. They pull away and I'm alone again. I manged to hang on for about 1/4 loop which is pretty respectable for my first time.
It felt great to really turn it loose and I will definitely be doing this again. I did a total of 20 miles with an average speed of 17.5 MPH.
About 12 miles into the ride, the riders started coming up behind me. I moved aside to let them pass and then tried to jump on. Unfortunately I mis-timed it and they sped away without me being able to latch on. So more round and round. I slowed it down to about 16 MPH to rest up a bit and wait for another pass. Two more laps and here they come again. This time, I start speeding up and time it much better. So there I am, doing all I can to hold on. I was falling in and out of the slipstream and could really feel the difference in effort when I was drafting. I look down and we were cruising at 25 MPH. Wow. This is pretty much my top speed. It was like hanging on to a tiger's tail. We take a hard left turn and I'm too cautious not being very experienced on this route. Next thing I know, I'm 10 feet behind the nearest rider and they are pulling away. I give it my all, put my head down and just sprint as fast as I can and close the gap. I managed to hold on for a few more moments and then get dropped like the proverbial prom dress. The final sprint and the 15 miles of solo riding in a head wind finally take it's toll. They pull away and I'm alone again. I manged to hang on for about 1/4 loop which is pretty respectable for my first time.
It felt great to really turn it loose and I will definitely be doing this again. I did a total of 20 miles with an average speed of 17.5 MPH.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Training Log July 7-13
Monday: Nothing
Tuesday: Bike to work plus a lunchtime ride. 25 miles
Wednesday: Yoga for 1 hour
Thursday: Nothing
Friday: Bike to work. 19 Miles
Saturday: Awesome 48 mile ride from Harbor Island up to Cabrillo Nat'l Monument back to the harbor. Then took the ferry over to Coronado and then rode around through Imperial Beach and back to the starting point. So much fun. Another highlight was seeing a bunch of riders on the last leg of their Canada to Mexico bike trip. A few were even draped in Canadian flags and they were very exhilirated.
Sunday: 1-hour Yoga class. The room was kept at around 90 degrees and I was sweating like a horse when it was over. Really tough workout. It takes a lot of strength to maintain the awkward positions and then move slowly from pose to pose.
Tuesday: Bike to work plus a lunchtime ride. 25 miles
Wednesday: Yoga for 1 hour
Thursday: Nothing
Friday: Bike to work. 19 Miles
Saturday: Awesome 48 mile ride from Harbor Island up to Cabrillo Nat'l Monument back to the harbor. Then took the ferry over to Coronado and then rode around through Imperial Beach and back to the starting point. So much fun. Another highlight was seeing a bunch of riders on the last leg of their Canada to Mexico bike trip. A few were even draped in Canadian flags and they were very exhilirated.
Sunday: 1-hour Yoga class. The room was kept at around 90 degrees and I was sweating like a horse when it was over. Really tough workout. It takes a lot of strength to maintain the awkward positions and then move slowly from pose to pose.
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