...I think I'll go for a walk. :)
No, I didn't drop off the face of the earth this weekend. I've been working, working out, going to the bike store, shuttling Noah places...I've actually been writing things, too, like actual posts and stuff. What happens, though, is that after a paragraph or two they all just ramble off into pointlessness. Once they cross the line to tedium, I stop and save them to draft thinking I'll work on them later...and then don't. So even though I've written 3 posts since Friday, none of them have made it past half-finished. I have high hopes for this one, though it isn't shaping up to be terribly interesting so far.
So anyway, there's good and bad news on the fitness front. The good news is, I'm right on schedule for the century training, and things are going well. I put about...(looking it up)...66-68 miles on my bike last week (Sun-Sat), and I plan to put about 86 more on this week. Four 14-mile rides, and one 30-mile. I decided to skip over week 2 and do week 3 this week, and then do weeks 8 & 9 twice. Or, at least, I think that's how it worked out.
I'm getting better at keeping the HR within the aerobic range, or at least lower than I was before. There were still times on the long ride that I saw low 160s before I brought it back down again, but I think that will continue to get better. I rode on the trainer last night, and kept my HR in the 130s-140s the entire time. We'll see how I do with the hill ride tonight, which I'll also be doing on the trainer. I'm tentatively planning 2-minute higher-intensity intervals to simulate hills.
I'd really rather do every ride outside, because even though the temperature's better indoors, trainer rides are booooring. Seriously. It was all I could do to get in an hour last night, even watching TV. They're also frustrating because I can't get a good average speed going. I think I averaged 12-13 mph on the trainer, with a high of 15.4. Disheartening, because having a lower average speed means I have to go longer on the damned stupid boring trainer to get my 14 miles in. I tried adjusting the resistance, thinking that maybe I just had it too high, but it didn't help much. I guess those little rolling inclines on the road make a lot of difference in my overall speed. I may start doing trainer rides by time, outdoor rides by distance.
Some more good news--my shoes came on Friday, so I was able to switch to clipless pedals. Love them (and the shoes--they're very comfy, and well ventilated). I was a little worried about falling while I learned the finer points of clipping in and out, but I didn't have any trouble at all. I rode ~33 miles on Saturday, and only almost fell twice--once at a gas station when I tried to get off the bike with one foot still clipped in, and once at a stop sign where I tried to stay clipped in for a rolling stop, which turned into a complete stop when the cross-traffic moved slower than anticipated. Both times, I was able to clip out before I tipped over, so no harm. I got the bike refitted Saturday afternoon, because my right knee felt funny after the ride. As it turns out, my seat was too far forward and about an inch too low. The guy also adjusted the float (float? I think it's the float) on my pedals so that I can clip out more easily, but I don't think I like them so loose. My left foot wiggles as I pedal, and it's annoying. I'll probably tighten them a little tonight, at least that side.
So that's all good news. The bad news is...my weight is not coming down. I've actually gained another pound and a half since Friday, despite having exactly zero days over 2000 calories, and most under 1700. I'm not really sure what's going on--my wedding ring isn't tight, which is usually how I gauge my water retention. I don't look any bigger, my clothes aren't tighter. The TOM I thought had come early? It came and went without even getting serious--couple days of spotting and that was that.
So, I stand by my statement that my body is doing some weird, weird shit right now. It may just be that it's adjusting to riding 4-5 times per week instead of once, or I may not be drinking enough water...it could be any number of things. Anyway, I'm hoping that the measurements on Friday will tell a better story than the scale has been. And, of course, that the scale will straighten up and fly right, posthaste.
Let's see...other news. Haven't got much, I guess. Things are pretty much the same. I haven't posted a Hometown 20 weekly report, just because the gain is kind of bumming me out. I guess that's not really a good reason to shirk my challenge, but I think I'm going to stew over it a little longer before I lay it all out in a report. The fact that my records from last week are a little spotty adds a level of difficulty, too. I'm not ready to tackle it yet.
I also need to get cracking on the work fitness points, though I'm not sure how I'm going to do it. Adding another workout on my riding days seems like it would be a step on the path to overtraining, which is not a route I want to take. I may just start logging a point on riding days, even though I don't use the work facility. There's no rule that says that it has to be an onsite workout, but I think it's sort of implied. If nothing else, I can start bringing my bike to work and riding over my lunch hour or something to make it count toward the incentive. Whatever it takes to bring on the prizes. :)
Posted by Joy at August 2, 2005 12:45 PMYou might consider adding a low HR walk at work over your lunch hour. Something that low intensity wouldn't really cause over training, and it would be just that much more work on your aerobic base. Plus you'd be surprised how those 'extra' calories you're burning start to add up when you put a pretty easy walk in with the rest of your workouts. Just a thought.
Posted by: Rob on August 2, 2005 02:59 PM