#26) Keep on Keeping on

Progress Report

I have begun to follow a training program I found on  the Bike MS web site. It is designed to help bicyclists prepare for 50 mile events so I'm using it to help me get ready for the Bike MS Tour de Farm on June 21st. Hopefully my arms will be able to keep up with this program that was designed for your standard bicyclist. If I can keep up I will have to register for the 50 mile ride instead of the 35 mile ride I initially signed up for.

The first two  weeks of the plan calls for 4 rides (Tues, Thurs, Sat, & Sun) The Tuesday & Thursday rides are  45 minute rides, a long distance  ride on Saturday and 45 minutes recovery ride on Sunday. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are "recovery days" and you are instructed to  1) stay off of legs all you can, 2) watch nutrition closely (healthy carbs, lean protein, and good fats), 3) stretch, and 4) drink when thirsty. Other common recovery aids include massage, napping, elevating legs, floating in water, and listening to music." I like the massage, napping, elevating legs floating in water and listening to music ideas but I think I need to spend that time working out to build upper body strength.

Here are my sessions to date: 
02.18.14: 45 minutes 8.61 miles  (11mph average) and burned 587 calories. 
02:20:14 60 minutes (15 extra) 12.32 miles and burning 722 calories.
02:22:14 140 minutes 20.10 miles (12.30mph average)  ???calories Polar monitor sez 1267 calories but that can't be correct.
02:23:14 45 minutes  recovery ride 8.0 miles (10.7mph average) forgot monitor 
02:25:14 45 minutes 9.35mile (12.5mph average) 505 calories.

Despite missing a couple days lifting  I am encouraged by the improvement in the average speed of my 45 minute rides and the fact that I was able to maintain that pace during my long ride. I have another 45 minute Thursday and a 25 mile ride on the calendar for Saturday so we'll see how that goes.......

Music

I have yet to make an appropriate uber up-tempo playlist for my MP3 player. During my last "long ride" it seemed like my Sony Walkman randomly picked every slow song in the library. 

"Redheaded Stranger" Willie Nelson
Don't get me wrong, I love this song but not when trying to keep a 90rpm pace.

or

"Everybody Hurts" (Live) R.E.M.

Again, a great song but ....

#25) Take It To The Limit

Workout Recap from Prior Post

01.28.14 Cross Trainer: 00:26:53 290 cal Dist: 1.2mile

01.28.14 Weights: Assisted Chins & Dips 00:16:01155 cal
01.29.14 00:32:18 392c HRavg 140 HRmax 168 Sprints
01.29.14 00:31:28 433c HRavg 151 HRmax166 Stress Test

01.30.14 00:30:40 230c HRavg 109 HRmax 123
01.30.14 00:29:15 294c HRavg 127 HRmax 133
02.02.14 01:30:18 1085c HRavg 140 HRmax 160 18 miles  (12mph avg)
02.11.14 01:00:00 500c ????     ????  12 miles (12mph avg)
02.13.14 00:31:08 250c HRa 113 HRm 140
02.13.14 00:23:30 319c HRa 150 HRm 171 HeartTest (I guess I passed, I'm still here)
02.15.14 01:41:38 797c HRa 144 HRm 169 20.40mile (12.36 mph avg) PR*!

I have been getting to the gym on a fairly regular basis, except for that first week in February.
If I remember correctly, I was getting tax documents together, readying the house for my daughter's return from her year in Santiago, Chile, and oh yeah, dealing with more snow... UGH Don't get me wrong, I like it when it snows, but enough is enough...The latest estimate of total snow accumulation for this winter so far is over 60"...And late February and early March are notorious for large snow storms, so who knows, maybe will set a record. UGHX2

With the Bike MS Tour de Farms bike ride a little over four months away I am trying build up my stamina by slowly increasing the duration of my indoor long "rides." My informal training program of strength training twice a week and 3 to 4 rides seems to be working. Prior to beginning my latest ride  I set a goal of riding for 01:45:00 or 20 miles which ever came first.   The SciFit machine put a crimp in the plan because 99 is the maximum number of minutes a person can enter on the timer but I felt pretty confident I could reach my milage goal in 01:39:00.

I began my ride with a level 4 resistance but increased to level 5 after I warmed up.  When viewing the above photo of the SciFit display screen, the yellow bars at the bottom indicate the "hills" of the course, and as you can see the 1st quarter of the ride was the most difficult. At 49.5 minutes in I had ridden 10.2 miles and decided to move up to level 6. I tried to keep my pace at 90rpms which wasn't much of a problem until the last 10 minutes of the ride. Even with my padded riding gloves on my hands were starting to tingle. To combat this I used a one-armed peddle and alternated arms so I could shake the blood back into my hands...

When all was said and done, I was happy with my distance and pace of my ride. I will see how it goes from here, but I am thinking about riding the 50 mile course instead of the 35 mile ride I'm currently registered for. I'm don't know the exact course yet so I have no idea about how hilly it will be and the temperatures of late June could be an issue. I have about 17 weeks to get ready whichever route I choose. I will continue using the same mixed conditioning approach of strength training combined with speed and long-distance rides. The only thing I need to change is my riding playlist... I think an electronic/dance mix tape would help me maintain that 90rpm pace

Music

"Take it to the Limit" The Eagles

"Wake Me Up" Avicii