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February 22, 2011

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Is It Spring Yet?

I’ve been home for two weeks now and I’d like it to be spring. Now. Not tomorrow or next week. Now. This white stuff is nice to look at but it makes riding outside hard. The trainer is okay but my brain is slowly turning to mush watching the television and pedaling to nowhere. Sure I have the rollers to keep me occupied and to give me something to work on. But still… I could skip all of the excitement the rollers bring and the guilt-free television watching for an early spring, dry roads, and an end to the snow.

It is times like this when I hear Tim’s voice in my head “But why do people live in such a cold place?”. Good question Tim. Wish I could answer it.

Complaining and moaning aside, I did get in a very good training session this morning. I waited until it was a balmy minus 11 (minus 18 with the windchill) and set out on a 30 minute run. This was my longest run of the season. Happy to say I ran farther than I expected and my legs and lungs felt pretty darn good. This slow and steady approach is paying off. When I got inside I did a quick change of the clothes and hopped on the trainer for 45 minutes of easy/moderate paced pedaling. Chased all this with some rolling out on the foam roller and some stretching.

Definitely a good training session. I’m nearing the end of my three-week training block of getting my body reacquainted with structured training. I’m looking forward to what is next. I’m expecting it will be a mix of more moderately paced rides/runs with some longer efforts combined with a bit more intensity. Whatever it is, I know that coach Steve has a good plan sorted out for me.

So my parents were here on the weekend and they saw the big box of Clif products we have in our kitchen… So of course, I let them sample the tasty goods. I think my dad is hooked on the Clif Kid ZBars (even though they’re made for kids, they make the perfect light snack) and my mom was intrigued by the idea of the Luna Caramel Nut Brownie bar (yes, mom a bar that tastes good and is good for you). All this to say, that I think we’ve got a couple more converts to eating natural and organic bars instead of the overly-processed stuff found in on the grocery store shelves. I couldn’t get them to try the Clif Shot Bloks or Clif Shot Energy Gels though… Next visit I guess… (I heard through the grapevine that Luna Protein bars will be gluten free in 2011 – yay!)

Well, that’s all I’ve got for today. I think I’ll go look out the window to see if spring is here yet…

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February 19, 2011

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What’s Up?

I have to admit that it can be hard to come up with something to write on a cycling-focused web site in February. Like most of you, I’m busy with training and looking forward to warm days. Really not much else is going on. There are no spring or late-winter training camps or trips “down south” in my horizons.

I guess I should start looking at race calendars and get myself organized for some spring and summer racing. Last season I didn’t do any racing, I realized that I missed the racing. Besides the fun that comes with racing it has a pretty good training effect (I think). Yes, I know that racing doesn’t build fitness but you can often go deeper in a race than you can do alone out on a quiet road with only your power meeter as your measuring stick. There are also all the intangibles that come with the racing experience: pack riding skills, learning your limits, forcing your limits, taking risks, and simply having a good time. For these reasons, I’ll be out racing on the road this year.

I’m not planning on doing a lot of races. Yes, I know, famous last words… Really I’m hoping to get in a few road races and some criteriums. I think the bulk of this racing will happen in the May – June/mid-July timeframe. Then I’ll have to change my focus and really get down to business fine-tuning my cyclo-cross fitness. Of course, as has become the norm for me, I’ll be getting out on my ‘cross bike regularly to work on my skills.

One event I’m definitely doing this year is the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour. I had a blast last year and I’m looking forward to doing it again. Yep, even with the crazy rain on the second day, I still had a good time. So to get ready for this ride I’ll once again be putting in lots of long rides. Really, these are my favorite rides. I really enjoy getting out for four or five hours on the bike. I wonder how early I can get a ride to Merickville in this season? That peanut butter bar is so very tempting…

Today I hit a big milestone with my training… I rode the rollers for one hour! Yes, my second roller ride in over ten years and I lasted for an hour. It is not the effort that I have trouble with, it is the wobbly factor. I haven’t found that roller riding groove that allows me to move my head around, move my hands around, and generally relax. I know will soon enough since back in the day, (1995ish) I used to attend roller riding sessions in local area shopping malls with the Sportable cycling team. We’d set up the rollers in a busy spot, for example in front of Eaton’s in the Rideau Centre and put up a few signs and place some boxes out and then we’d ride the rollers all day – people would stare at us and sometimes give us money (portion of which went to CHEO). I remember once I was riding and a woman walked by and took my front wheel out with her shopping bags… Miraculously I stayed up. I don’t plan on doing any roller riding demos in malls anytime soon, but I would like to be able to take my hands off the bars soon.

Training this weekend should be pretty good. I’ve got the run and ride thing happening on Saturday. A little trail run followed by 30 minutes or so on the trainer. Sunday I’ve got another 2 hours of hiking planned with a some trainer time first. It is a nice change this winter to be able to get outside and really “enjoy” the weather. Of course on the days when it is super cold and I’m supposed to be training outside, I’ve done a bit of switcheroo with the training days…

Well, I best get off this computer and get myself outside for that run. Thanks for downloading and reading my book. I hope you’re enjoying it. Please send me any comments or feedback you have on it – I’d really like to find out what you think of it. And if you haven’t downloaded and read my book? Well, what are you waiting for? Go check it out over here: An Unlikely Elite. Or click to the link in the sidebar to download the PDF version.

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February 15, 2011

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Training Days

The middle of February… This can be a tough time in what seems like a long month for pretty much anyone. We are still stuck in the dead of winter and the days really don’t feel much longer. If you’re in Ottawa, you’re surrounded by snow and is very cold (at least today). This can make for some long days.

Well, I’ve found a way to beat the winter malaise. (And yes, I know. I’ve only been back in Ottawa for a week now so I shouldn’t be moaning about the cold and snow..) My solution to these days that really aren’t that friendly to us bike racers? Ride the rollers… Yep, never will 45 minutes or an hour go by so quickly as it does as you’re slip sliding around the rollers on your two-wheeler. Trust me, I know.

I just finished my first roller ride of the season. Wow, hard to believe that way back in the ’90s I used to only train on the rollers. Let me tell you it wasn’t a pretty down there in the basement. I was wobbly. I definitely didn’t ride in a straight line. My shoulders were in my ears. I gripped the bars a bit too tight. My knees were sticking out. I even fell off once. But I got through it.

45 minutes of roller riding is done. The time went by so quickly. Much more quickly than when riding the trainer. I guess because I was too busy focusing on staying upright that I didn’t have time or the energy to think about the slowly ticking clock. I’m not ready to watch television and ride the rollers yet. So I listened to a podcast on my iPod and tried to ignore the sweat puddles forming on my body. Thing is, with the trainer I can towel off and wipe my glasses whenever I want – on the roller this just isn’t happening.

It’s tempting to take the easy route and ride the trainer. Much less risk involved. I can watch television, drink water, and wipe away the sweat. But riding the rollers will pay off in the racing season with a more fluid pedaling stroke and an effortless high cadence (at least this is what I’m telling myself). Besides time flies on the rollers.

Tomorrow I’ll break out and get outside for another trail run followed by some trainer riding time to flush out my legs. I’m fully back in the groove of training now. My body is feeling good. I really missed this structured training. So far the fatigue levels haven’t been that severe and luckily I’m not experiencing much muscle soreness. I’ve reacquainted myself with my foam roller and my stretching routine to help keep my muscles loose and limber.

So there you have it. Almost one week into training for the 2011-2012 cyclo-cross season. It feels good to be coming back!

On another note, I have written a book. It is called: An Unlikely Elite. This is my story of reaching my goal of racing at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships. You can download it in epub format or in pdf. If you like what you read, it would be great if you made a donation to my fundraising efforts for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada. You can use the PayPal button on the An Unlikely Elite web site. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my book and for making a donation.