21 Days to Go

Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

Freakin' aye, alrighty then. The end is nigh. Three weeks from today- 100,000 pedal strokes will be launched. The date will be June 20th and happens to be the Summer Solstice at 23:09 U.T. I'll likely be passed out by that time here in the Pacific Time Zone, happy from completing the first and most difficult day, dinner masticated and with a dram (or two) of whisky in me gullet. That day, over the millennium, has been a day for many cultural and celestial celebrations. Archaeoastronomers have claimed that Stonehenge represents an ancient observatory and the solstice and equinoxes align with major stones and openings in the formation. I really didn't plan the trip around this date - 'tis merely a serendipitous cosmic coincidence. A good sign indeed I think!   

Seven Hills of Kirkland - ah, just throw in a few more!

Today was one of those crucial training milestones. Yep, pretty much every weekend until the big ride is a milestone ride. I did the Seven Hills of Kirkland ride - and chose the metric century route. They also have 40 miles which is the traditional 7 hills and also a century ride which is 14 hills. All of the routes hone in on the major hills of the east side of suburban King county and the metric route is no slouch with 4,600 feet of climbing in 59 miles.

Here is the official hill list:

• Market
• Juanita
• Seminary
• Norway
• Kingsgate
• Winery
• Rose
• Education - outbound
• Novelty
• McWhirter
• Education - return

I rode this ride about four years ago and was caught a bit off guard. It kind of kicked my butt. Today was MUCH better. I decided to start out slow on the hills and use my triple chain ring. The ride immediately starts off on a hill and you're slammed, dead to rights, right into reality. I held back on the first half of the ride and this definitely felt like it helped my energy later on. Could it be... to go faster, one only needs to go slower?

Here is my route:

The weather was a bit challenging as well. It was a cool, cloudy day with 2-3 steady downpours that you made you wish you had put the fenders on the bike and wore some shoe booties.

I even had a few guys asking me about if I felt bad taking the Seven out in the rain and getting it all dirty. I thought, geeze, maybe I should treat dah 7 wit' more respect.

The best parts of the day:
1. Feeling strong and as if all the freakin' time/miles/energy I have been putting in is paying off
2. The bag piper at the top of Winery Hill (a bitch of a short, steep hill)
3. Coming across a guy stopped right on the road taking a pee without getting off the bike. Mad bladder. Mad skills.

The worse pats of the day:
1. The weather.
2. Two unfortunate guys, both at the same place, at the same time, while trying to start out on a hill - succumbed to the 'oh shit, I can't get clipped in on this freakin' steep hill and I just realized I can't move and I am going down!'
3. Road construction on NE Novelty Hill Road that gave no room for bikes. Very dodgy. Nice if public works projects considered all who may use the roadway during construction.

This is a great ride and proceeds go to end homelessness within the Eastside communities. One word of caution... you better like hills.

Scott

The piper:

Norway Hill sign and an ominous warning:

A strong end vs the week-end?

Ok, you folks already know I like to play on words in my blog - so I'll leave it up to you if this blog title is a bit hokey. But, the holiday weekend is upon us and I am very much feeling that this weekend will be a strong end to my week back into full training since being sick. I have had some good training this week and will be topping it off with a long ride tomorrow and then a milestone ride on Monday of 65 miles and lots of climbing.

My original plan for tomorrow was to load up the Fargo with a simulated touring load and do a medium long ride with moderate climbing to see how I do and how the bike rides. I was going to hop on the Seattle to Bainbridge Ferry and complete the Chilly Hilly course. But... as I started to think of the logistics of this car-boat-bike-boat-car ride and the fact that the great Washington ferry system will see heavy loads of cars tomorrow and long waits in line - I said... um... no. I can postpone this to next weekend.

Monday I am riding the Seven Hills of Kirkland metric century. I did this one a few years back and it was a kind of challenging course with 4,635 feet of climbing on those seven hills. The ride also has a bag piper encouraging you at the top of Winery Hill! And since I am Scottish, the pipes seem to make me feel like William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling as I crest the hill. 

Neil Hubbard Piping on Winery Hill

Sunday, I am taking the day off - but will hop on my other 'cycle' and that happens to be a motorcycle.

In-turd-ivals

Yep, felt like a turd today. Still not 100%. Hopped on the trainer, TRIED to do the intervals so prescribed per my plan... and could not. I had to trim some time off of them. I probably could have brute forced my way through them - but this little voice kept saying, don't overdo it. Ease back into the regimen. A few more days of hitting the workouts properly, and I feel like I am back on track.

Back in the Saddle? Sort of.

Today I jumped on the Seven and road out, south to a land of hope and optimism. Where my lungs are clear, my legs got kick and the living is easy. Had plans to do 60-70 miles and get back for a Lindsay Buckingham concert tonight. As I kissed the S.O. bye - she asked how far? Oh, 'bout 4-5 hours. Really! You gonna be any fun tonight? Dang... the voice of reason. So since I have been sick and LONG rides do tend to make one a wee bit tired - I adjusted the plan. Decided to go for two hours and ease back into the regimen.

Did 35 miles. Felt pretty good.

Maker's 46, Salsa Wanderlust and Schwalbies

Ok, still have been sick enough that if I ride/train, I feel it would set me back even further. So- I wait. I wait. I wait. But- there is still something to be gawd dang frickin' HAPPY about. Right? Its time to start buying equipment for the trip!

So tonight, with a lowball of Maker''s 46 whiskey in hand, credit card in the other, U2 on I-Tunes, I hit the world wide web.

Been researching the myriad of bike racks on the market for a while. Did you know they make them for both the front and back? Crazy. There are the simple and chintzy types up to full-on bomb proof, heavy duty, hyper functional, I'm riding from Morroco to Cape Town over the next year of my life versions as well.

Since I ride a Salsa, why not get a Salsa rack? That is synchronicity at its best.  I decided on the Salsa Wanderlust

I ordered it from Universal Cycles in Portland, OR
$99

Pretty sweet huh.

Ok, what's next... touring tires! Yea, I need good rubbers.

The Salsa came with mtb tires and these are inappropriate for touring on paved roads for obvious reasons. Why lug all those lugs around when they're not needed?

A lot of the Salsa Fargo peeps who use their bikes for touring as well as other folks who like touring by bike - like the Schwalbe Marathon Supreme HS 382

I got these from Amazon for about 30% off.
$51.29 / tire

Yep, these are just teaser pics. Actual pics on the bike will need to wait until I start setting the bike up for the trip.

Well, me dram o' whiskey is gone, the credit card is put away and Unforgettable Fire is on its last track. Time for bed.

Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be feeling better - by hook or by crook!

Thorn in My Side

Day 8 of my cold. Has thrown a wrench into the training. I did hit my long day ride this last Saturday (see prior post) - but each day, when it comes to that time, when I need to hit the tarmac - its the same... nope better stay in and see if I can get better. I have 35 days until the ride - and I feel like I'm in pretty good shape in terms of where I am at in the overall training plan. But, this week may go down in flames as well and I won't get out. But maybe if I lay low for the next 3-4 days, I can hit THIS weeks long day ride. If so, I'd need to do 70 miles on Saturday. I am now starting to think - my ride this last Saturday prolonged the cold.

Ok, off the record... this cold is a real thorn in my side. It has stolen some of my training momentum and this ticks me off.

Milestone Training Day - Skagit Spring Classic

Did you know Devil spelled backward is Lived? Now, I ain't gonna go there and get all wonky about this factoid. Its just a great opening to this blog post. Nothing else. This Devil is pitchforking about mile 42 of the ride I did yesterday - Skagit Spring Classic, on Bow Hill Road. Something about a Devil, egging you on behind a rubber mask, and shaking its pitchfork, to get you flying up a road! Each year I expect a priest to jump out of a passing car and bum rush this guy and somehow save the world.

Nope, each year, the Devil is back.


Yesterday was a planned milestone for me. On the docket was a typical L-O-N-G day - and to make it a milestone, I signed up for a metric century (yep 100K) ride up north. What a day in the Puget Sound! Yesterday was in the mid 70s. The ride was the Skagit Spring Classic put on by the Skagit Bicycle Club. The ride works its way around the Skagit and Samish river basins of Skagit and Whatcom counties. The bike and I hit the road about 9 am and immediately it came back to me from that last time I did this ride before - chip seal! Most of the ride - the roads are bloody chip seal. Not a lot of smooth pavement in Skagit county. I was in for a bone rattlin', teeth chattering, vibramatic day. It took me longer to settle in on the ride too, since for some reason my eyes would not stop watering. It was really quite a pain and went on for the first two hours. Not sure what that was about. The last bit o' bikers pain was the winds (winds in italics means real windy). They were present in the morning when we were in the river plain, went away in the Chuckanut Mountains and then reappeared with a vengeance back in the river plain - for the last 20 miles. Overall, I felt strong for most of the ride - up to the last 15 miles. My endurance, energy and legs were great - right where I need to be in the training program. But... something I am a bit hampered with in longer rides is a lower back and shoulders that 'gives out' in the late stages of a ride. I've worked hard in the gym to strengthen my core and shoulders so I am not sure what this is all about. I tend to like my stem/handlebars pretty low (1-1.5") below my seat - maybe I need to raise them up? And maybe... at 49, it could just be OLD age. Ack! I hate writing that.

So to sum it up....

The Good:
I completed this milestone!
It was a beautiful day
I felt strong for 90% of the ride
Had two post ride pints at Naked City Brewing with my honey
Bow Hill Road Devil

The Bad:
Chip seal
Winds
My latent cold was an issue during the ride
Two hours of eye watering
My lower back tightened up in the last 15 miles
My shoulders fatigued in the last 10 miles


The Ugly:
Me today... a bit tired, still with a cold and some pesky allergies

Still Out Wit Da Crud

Ok, still hackin' like an old man. Got a butt load of nose load still. Its day five of my cold. I think Saturday should be ok. I won't be 100%, but I think it will be doable. One thing for sure - the weather is not going to be a factor - they wedah punditz are predicting 75 degrees on Saturday here in Seattle! 

My Training Approach

I got to thinking that I have not discussed my approach to getting ready for the big event. So, without further ado...

It's not rocket science and my execution is not perfect. But that is the point. You want to keep it simple and be flexible in how you do the training. You need some goals, a plan and a way of tracking progress. You also should try to make it fun ('easy' days are a sneaky way to insert some fun in your plan - but still have some benefit). There are many simple training plans on the web - just put into the Google-izer some search terms and you'll find more than a few. There are plans for half centuries, metric centuries and centuries. There are plans for multi-day events as well, but can be a bit harder to find.

Since my final events are usually centuries, I use those types of plans. All plans contain the same approach usually - steady weekly increases in mileage, time in the saddle, all to build endurance. Century plans can be 8-10 weeks from start to finish and look like this:

Century Training Plan
Week	Length of Long Ride	Total Miles/Week
1	25	55
2	30	65
3	35	73
4	40	81
5	45	90
6	50	99
7	57	110
8	65	122
9	50	75
10	Century Ride	Yeah!

Each week is a progression, to build miles. Since I am doing a multi-day ride and am motivated by fear in my training - I have added a few tasty training morsels to the typical weekly plan:

Tuesdays: Hill work
Thursday: Intervals

The hill work days involve going out and riding a bunch of hills. If its uphill, I ride the frickin' thing. I usually shoot for 20-40 miles and 1500 to 4000 feet of climbing. I also mash the bajeezebahs out of the pedals so I really build some strength and endurance. Each week adds more miles and elevation.

The interval days are usually on my indoor trainer and are a combination of steady state, over/unders and power intervals. I am using some intervals from the book The Time Crunched Cyclist by Chris Carmichael. Google training intervals and you'll find a ton of info too.

BOTH tasty morsels are quite brutal - but, I seem to get a lot out of them.

So, in summary, my weeks look like this:

Sunday: Light ride or off (recovery from the weekly long ride on Sat)

Monday: Easy ride (and I do mean EASY - just kick back and take your time)

Tuesdays: Hill work

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Intervals

Friday: Off

Saturday: Long ride

I use an Excel sheet to track my training. I record all manner of data but minimally you want to keep track of your weekly progress and if you are hitting your mile targets. I also like to record my elevation gain for a ride and I use this as something to sit back and go, 'damn, I rode that many feet of gain!'.

Some books I have read that may be helpful:

The Cyclist's Training Bible: A Complete Training Guide for the Competitive Road Cyclist

The Time-Crunched Cyclist: Fit, Fast, and Powerful in 6 Hours a Week

Base Building for Cyclists: A New Foundation for Endurance and Performance

Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance 

 

But- these can be quite complicated so, keep it easy. I'll take bits and pieces from a book and use them in my training. I am by no means very good at coming up with a perfect training plan and many books out there are geared to the aspiring road racer. I have found that if its too complex, you'll simply not do it. Training can take a lot of time and commitment - best to keep it simple.

Down for the Count

Day three of being sick with a cold. No riding/training for me. Kind of bites. Hmmm.... did I schedule a buffer week in my training plan? Noper. I think this week will be a bust except I am hoping beyond hope that I'll be good enough for Saturday's metric century.

Creepin' Crud Settlin' In

Ok, woke up with a sore throat and expectin' I will need some expectorant cause the body is fighting some sort of minor cold crap. And, guess what, today is that one day a week, where you pull out all stops and hit the road for ... the L O N G ride. Was supposed to 60 miles today. I actually suited up and paced around a bit, Googled riding with a sore throat, weighed the pros and cons, and decided to go ahead and head out. Went up the driveway, turned down the road and a little bit of cool air hit my neck and I said, nope and turned around. Major bummer. It is going to be such a nice day here in the Puget Sound too. One factor influencing my decision was I have inserted a training milestone with a metric century ride next Saturday. Its the Skagit Spring Classic and I think I'd rather miss this week's long ride, so I can be all healthy-fied for next Saturday's ride.  'Tis better to hit that milestone than hit this one and not make that one - if that makes sense.

So, so far, the training has been going great and if this is the only issue or problem in the 12 weeks leading up to the ride - then that ain't to bad I suppose. Now if the crud sets in right before my big ride - that will be a major, unfortunate, no good, wrotten, dirty, stinkin', who's in charge here?, moe foe of a  bad deal. I think I'll spend the prior week in that suit the Boy in the Plastic Bubble wore.

Traveler's Creed - Had to Share

Found this in the blogospere.

"The traveler is expectant and open and sees the beauty in things when others do not. A traveler is good natured to strangers, because he understands our fundamental interdepence with each other. The traveler operates in deep karmic debt and repays what he can when he can, joyfully. The traveler eats heartily, because he understands each meal is a gift. The traveler knows that it is the people, and not always the places, that he will remember long after he has stopped moving. The traveler believes in the fundamental kindness of strangers and walks through crowds with a smile. The traveler knows that enough is plenty and the quest for perfection leads to suffering. The traveler knows that no person is better than anyone else, because he has dined and conversed with kings and knaves and has found joy and sadness in both. The traveler relishes in the idea that all he needs to live can fit in a duffle slung over his shoulder. The traveler talks to every person excitedly because he is fascinated in everyone’s unique narrative. The traveler knows that both moments of exhaulted pleasure and suffering will pass in due course and he is richer for both. The traveler knows he will never be in the same place with the same mind ever again. The traveler sees each day as ripe with possibility and chance encounters. The traveler knows that it is because his journey must one day end, that it has meaning. The traveler’s curiosity trumps his fear. The traveler is thankful for every day he is on the road."

Head on over to http://pathlesspedaled.com/

Ladies and Gents, Step Right Up and Get Your Snake Oil

Ya'll probably remember, in a time long, long, long ago, of Snake Oil being sold as the elixir of life that would "cure" anything and everything, and I do mean everything that ails one. It would cure carbuncles, melancholy, hang nails, baldness, impotence, liver disease, joint pain. On and on and on. Well- I've been drinking my share lately.

If I could bottle up this feeling one gets from exercise, I'd make a bazillion bucks. It's not snake oil - it's very real. My training has been going super well and I can't remember when I have felt this strong. Maybe in my 20's. It's hard work, but the rewards are amazing.

Spring time is a good time to get moving. Hop on that bike and head out. Go ahead, get a bottle of Doc Slogger's Snake Oil Liniment. Cure's what's ail'n yah!