April Training Jack

Aprils Fools Day turned into a recovery day for me. The last two days I've been giving it my all during the commute, and felt strong throughout. But today I was struggling, even after a couple of gels from the shop. Maybe it was a little dehydration, who knows? I got home and decided to try and recover, and then make some stronger efforts later in the week.
I signed up for the Casey Auto Crit, and as soon as I get paid will do so for Ephrata. Any idea what hotel you all are staying at?
In other news I stopped to give a bum a dollar on the Falmouth and someone flicked a cigarette butt at me. Luckily for them it was recovery day, or I might have given chase.

April 2nd - Started the day off with a nice ride around Stafford, sort of an exploration of sorts. Did you know 610 eventually turns into two lanes? That is where I had to turn around because the drivers were really daring, almost running each other off the road. After my warm up I went to work, where I made sure to stay hydrated and to consume plenty of carbs. And as I was leaving, a spike shooter too. (I'm coming for that dollar bill, Bill!) The ride home was a beautiful thing - my energy seemed boundless. Back in Fredericksburg I used the extra energy to tackle the hill on Fall Hill Ave, and from Central Park a nice tailwind took me west to Spotswood Furnace road. I used the last five miles to cool down. No crazy people throwing cigarettes at me or yelling today, just a energetic ride on a route I know well. Now I'm off to sip a muscle milk and watch Hells Kitchen - good luck to everyone this weekend!

April 3rd - What winds today! Woke up, checked the rain out and jumped on the trainer for an hour before work. Worked in the Stafford for half the day, then went down to Fred to close there. Kept checking the wind outside in Stafford hoping it would change course - no luck. The ride to Fred was OK because I felt high strung knowing I had to get to Fred in a hurry. Pedaling hard on downhills into a intimidating headwind is no joke, though. After work I rode to GNC and was struggling physically. The original plan was to get a quick drink at GNC and keep going, but the massage chair beckoned. As the sun started to set I jumped back into the wind and hit River Road, where the wind and one steep hill had me at a speed I'm embarrassed to post. Two plates of pasta later and I'm ready to crash out . . . .

April 4th - Picked up some new protein powder earlier today, so I'm sipping the worst tasting protein shake I've ever made. The mix itself isn't too bad, but lacking any fresh fruit to put in with it, I had to improvise - semi old watery blueberry yogurt, one bottle boost, old freezerburned strawberries(estimated time in freezer 12 months) and two scoops bland protein. I'm gonna finish it all as I watch the Villanova / Chapel Hill game. Should give me the necessary energy for any riding tomorrow. After reading that Bill wants to do a faster ride I shortened my commute today. I went out hard earlier today and want to feel fresh for whatever challenge awaits me tomorrow morning.

April 5th - Its around 9:41 pm and I'm bushed after the KOM ride today. The ride itself consisted of two teams starting at the very end of the park and trying to have one of their riders win each of the three hills. Then, we would ride easily back to the start, and do it again. It went well, and was a good training experience, but numerous walkers, runners and kids on scooters impaired the last lap. We saw one other cyclist who was invited to join the procession - at the end of one "lap" he shot over to the other side of the park to resume his weekend warrior pace. I learned alot, especially that I have alot more to learn about tactics in cycling. O

On the ride home I still felt pretty hyped from the effort, but I fell out sometime around 5pm. The rest of the day was awash in compression tights and protein shakes. Good to see Gus and Scott today too.

April 6th - Normal commute. On the last half of the ride I was bonking pretty hard, hard enough that I had to stop and sit. Right before the bonk the sun was obscured by the clouds, which only sapped my energy that much more. Then the sun came out for a moment, so I took it as a sign to get up and keep moving. Still in low spirits as I hit Central Park, I noticed two younger kids were laughing it up in their car, waiting for the light to turn. I blew by when the light turned green, and one exclaimed "&%$# he's going fast!" Upon hearing this my spirit soared, and I felt like it was all worthwhile. Made it home as it started to sprinkle, and crashed out.

Good job to all BWR riders who rode this weekend - sounds like you all kicked some ass . . . !

April 7th - Signed up for Ephrata. Looks like you get a T shirt. Anyway, I'm nice and sore right now. Commuting into the wind today was nice, nice and tiring. I went by GNC but couldn't stay because the regional manager was there. I was gonna give him a piece of my mind about how the massage chair was for VIP customers such as myself, but then I realized I don't buy much . . . . I really just try to get samples and stuff on sale. Hope to see some people in the park tomorrow if it doesn't rain . . .

8 April - Hoped to hit the park, but had to go to Quantico after work. Did it all today, bit of regular commute, little bit of trainer time, and some hill repeats . . . . all in the spirit of getting the most out of my time. Its busy at work being the week before Easter, so I'll be glad when its over.

9 April - Shorter recovery ride . . . . nice weather throughout. Heard that it might rain over the weekend. I'm hoping not so that there might be a chance for an Easter Ride. I'll need to get out after all the chocolate eggs and stuff . . . .

April 10th - Looks like everyone is going to get out tomorrow - best of luck to you all. I went for a ride after work to relax after work . . . . nice weather, maybe a little windy. It felt nice to get some fresh air after glazing ham all day though. As I told Andre its pretty much a blowtorch and sugar type operation . . . . not too much fun but its a job, right? Right now I'm wondering how hard I can train and then taper before next weekends race. Looked at the start time - Cat 5 race is at 430 pm . . . . quite late.

April 11th -

Signed up for a training camp out in Utah this summer. http://www.planetultra.com/HoodooCamp/Index.htm

In other news, the Easter holiday rush is over at work. No more insanity there, so I can concentrate on getting ready for Casey.

April 12th - Nice ride this Sunday. After watching Andre and Jeff do their first bookend, I imitated for the second and third. For the remaining reps Ben and I would let them ride ahead and then try to bridge and catch them. After the ride I rode with Jinks back to 4 Mile Fork, crossing through the park to ride the short cobbled section.

It was a good workout and a good way to end a hectic week. Jeff was nice enough to give me some protein he had but hadn't used - after a nap and a couple cups I'm almost ready to ride again.

April 13th - The lungs feel a little stressed out after inhaling so much smoke from glazing so much ham last week. Couldn't let that stop me though - had to get to work. Did so and made it back home, stopping only at GNC for water and the restroom. My legs felt pretty good, but my mood was sour because of work. But thats another story.

Looked at the Casey Crit again, and the Cat 5 race is 10 miles - thats pretty short! I'm wondering if I should do another workout after the race . . . .

April 14th - Tried to make the most out of a day off . . . . . . . left the house after eating some old pizza and cold coffee . . . . went from River Road to Spotswood Furnace out to Rt 3, then to Chancellor High School. During this part of the ride I was trying to keep a high cadence. From there I went to GNC in Central Park. With a gift card I was given I purchased some pre workout stuff, which came in a bulky tub. Usually after making larger purchases I'll get a bottle full and come back later with a book bag for the tub itself, but my connection over at GNC resigned today, so it wasn't smart to leave it. With the tub in the back of my jersey I went to the shop, where Andre agreed to let me leave it there. Hit Rt 2 and then Rt 17, concentrating on staying in the drops. From there it was on to Southpoint, then Loriella Park, GNC. Some dykey lady had taken over for my friend and wouldn't sell me a powerbar because it was out of date. Back to the shop, picked up the tub, then to work for a minute. Overall it was a good ride, around 45 miles . . . . I felt good throughout. Could have dressed better for the slow drizzle which cooled me down after about the halfway point.

April 15th - Got a ride to work, rode back in a slight drizzle. I went to the park thinking that I could ride around til someone got there, but halfway through the first section it really started to pour. Took a left down the road that splits the park, then continued like I was finishing a Sunday ride. I was getting cold but my spirits were high so I kept going. In the downpour I practiced staying at a high cadence, and staying in the drops. Went by the shop, and then to GNC. Some guy was in there complaining about his body - he said "I hate going to the beach every summer and having to keep my arms crossed so my man titties don't show." Pretty funny. I was soaking wet and cold, so on River Road I tried to get as warm as I could. Back home I jumped on the trainer to warm up before I called it a day. Overall 5 miles less than yesterday, a good day.

April 16th - Long day at work, but still got a ride in, in two halves. Before work I felt ok, not excellent but not bad. Felt a little stiff from the rain yesterday. After work I felt great though, like I could conquer the world, or in my case roads of Spotsy county. Looking forward to a ride tomorrow, and then the race on Sunday.

April 17th - Felt a little tired from yesterday - taper today, then ride a little with Ben tomorrow. Relax tomorrow night and get ready for Sunday.

April 18th - Did a little warmup for tomorrow with the Gades. Looking forward to tomorrow . . . . ready for all the work to pay off.

Day after Casey - 45 miles on the trainer . . . . nice way to spend a day off . . . . pedaling and watching a movie or two . . .

April 21st - Same distance outside. Worked in Fredericksburg today, so no long commute. Before work felt fine, more sleepy than anything. But the ride after work really took it out of me. Seemed like my blood sugar was low, so after dinner I tried again. Went from the house, downtown, then down to Loriella Park and back to the house. It was nice to ride later because the wind had died down and everything looked cool in the night time fog. Had a few scary moments when I thought a mailbox was someone standing in the road though. Hopefully it wont rain tommorrow . . . .

April 22nd - Started tapering - 40 today, less tomorrow, much lesser Friday. Hopefully that works. Was going to hit the park, but my sister came back from VA Tech today and ended up spending some time with her. Interesting weather today, rain, then sunshine, then repeat. Looking forward to kicking some ass or getting mine kicked this weekend . . . .

Two days before ephrata - 20 mile ride. Time for me to start tapering . . . . today was a full day at work and then coming home to pack . . . . looking forward to seeing PA tomorrow!

Day after Ephrata - Recovery ride, still feeling the effects of the sun. Longer post tomorrow, I'm bushed!

Tuesday, April 28th - Windy day. Woke up feeling off, like sleep hadn't left me rested. Riding was ok though - I'm still suprised at how hot it is. One benefit though - all the females in their workout clothing throughout Fredericksburg! One good thing about the wind is that it left me pretty exhausted so I'm going to be inbed early tonight . . . .

Signed up for the crit this weekend. Not much else to report.

Wednesday 29 april - Totally beat. Recovery day in a major way. On the ride to work, I felt fine, and went too hard. This combined with all the miles already in the legs this week put me over the edge. Started to feel like I was falling asleep at work, and going home I could keep a decent pace, but the fatigue was there. At home I threw on the tights, chowed down and took a nap. Tomorrow I'll get some decent miles in, but slowly. That plan and a spike shooter should have me where I need to be this Sunday at the crit.

Thursday - April 30th - Kinda bummed out that my dude at GNC left for another job. The new guy is not the type you want to sit and chat with, so I've been avoiding the massage chair. Kind of a bummer because it used to be such a cool spot to go after a long ride. Another bummer is that my race on Sunday is so much earlier than everyone elses . . . . I've got to figure out what I'm going to do cause I want to watch the more experienced racers.

May 1st - Good day - was going to try for recovery, but the legs disagreed. It wasn't too hot either, and not too windy. I really tried to work on being smooth in the drops for this weekend. Tomorrow I'll take it easy so that Sunday I'll be ready to rock and roll.