Sunday, June 20, 2010

Return from a wknd at the cottage

Decided to get Fil and Chris together for a little debauchery on Friday and a cleansing ride on Saturday up at the Family cottage. Time couldn't go fast enough from me to load up after work and get to the cottage.

I stopped at Pig and Whistle, to pick up some BBQ fare, got pretty excited when i saw a scicillain salad, potato curry, and some cous cous......to go alongside the lamb, chicken and steak skewers..let me just say they looked smaller when I was pointing and stating...uhhhh three of these, and uhhh three of these......well, 120 bucks later.......all in all... GREAT GRUB.

I finally arrived at the cottage with time to spare, set up a little bike shop for last minute tinkers and cracked into my first beer...ahhhhh peaceful. The boys soon arrived and we did what all boys should do.....found a bed sometime throughout the night and awoke at around 8 am nursing a headache and the desire to stoke the head for our days ride.

Now, the ride.....pretty mellow....rail trail the whole way...enabling aerobic threshold training with an out and back from Otter Lake to Chaffey's locks. It began on a humerous note with Chris standing and cranking, SNAP, a chain broke...quick repair and off we went. Had some fun dropping some natural stone features, climbing and descending some interesting stairs, and managed to dissolve two teeth of my Race Face Evolve big ring into a stone....marked my territory...forgot...no rock ring on this rig.

We felt pretty happy with the 32 k out and played a bit before returning with a quick pause at a convenience store.....and then it happened......we got humbled when this, what had to be a 23 year or so whipper snapper rolling in on a full carbon Kestrel...what a thing of beauty...he was equipped with a power tap and shared his ride plans with us when i prompted him for details...yeah, he was clocking 145 k and was getting prepped for a criterium race tomorrow..Oh yeah, did I mention, this dude was also just shy of being an Adonis.....jerk :) This seemed to stoke our fires for the return trip..

Phil started to keep pulling...now this terrain was pretty flat...our tires were pumped up to 60 psi and every vibration was being felt...there were surges where silent battles would attain 35 to 40 k/hour intervals with bars locking as we tried to avoid puddles by moving both.heheheh..to the inside...Phil and Chris with about 15 k left, dropped the hammer, me fighting some dehydration and a residual headache, watched them for about 8 k battle it out...They paused, I caught up and off we were again...Chris making a charge on his 29'r...very impressed my 24 hr partner...we're ready....as Fil and I commented on what he fired down his throat to get this advantage, I said Fuck it, loosed up the upper body dropped it a few gears and began attacking the paved hills that were taking us back to the cottage road....success....caught, passed and carried up until the pump, plan was to just easy peddal in the last mile to cool down...Chris, decided he would get one last attack....gave him it....he looked strong.

Finished with some beers, bid them adios JUST as the wife and kids rolled in to spend the afternoon/evening with me for "Dad's Day".....

This time next week....will be cracking some beers and reviewing the trials and tribulations from the 24 hours of riding/racing that was just had.

Stats:
3 hr: 13 min
148 avg; 182 max HR
In Zone 2:07, above 1 hour 2 min....the silent racing hehehe
2315 Kcal
63.7 km
avg spd, 19 km/hr max 43.2

Plan....mellow ride tuesday and MAYBE thursday......Friday off....en route to Albion.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

24 hr countdown..ride with tag partner tonight

A perfect situation.....feeling pretty lethargic today and yesterday...haven't ridden since Friday and feeling edgy as a result. Got a text from Chris (my Solstice tag team partner) that he finished a 60 k ride yesterday and was coming in from Belleville to ride today rain or shine...that's all i needed.

Still...got home from work and felt more like cracking a beer and tipping a few than slinging a leg over the stallion. Mid back and left shoulder KILLING me from assembling that trampoline over the weekend...so trusty advill bottle it was (2 tablets), and filled up my water bottles with nestea...just put an order in for Cafe Latte Perpetuum WITH caffeine and some recoverite but won't be in till next week, so will make do with simple sugars.

Now for the ride...we decided to take the scenic route from my garage to trailhead through Lemoine's point and when we got to trailhead, noted three cars (minimal) that signified few dog walkers on north end...so a little variety and some rock gardens to warm up the core :). Chris is riding a 29'r hardtail with an 80 ml fork..given the terrain, was soaking it up, but the GIANT...KILLED it..legs were feeling fresh and felt like I could spin all night. Came across a couple riders, expressed my usual concern, when prompted, about my "ban"....so silly, from some of the local trails and finished a 37 K ride, topped it off with a beer and dinner that was waiting compliments of the wifey...love that woman..stats are messed as HR monitor acting wacky again...either chest hair interference :) or need to replace the cs battery as well?!?!?

36.6 km
avg spd 15.7; max 45.9
ride time 2 hr: 19 min

Plan...road ride thursday...60 k or so..easy spinning, Recruited my 24 partner to cottage for some good eats, drinks and a 3-4 hour saturday ride on Cataraqui trail....next week...mellow to enable body to prep for sufferring ;)

Friday, June 11, 2010

Another successful bike commute

From my door, actually garage, to the clinic door is exactly 39.7 km. Given the weather forecast and the fact that some family activites are planned over the weekend, I decided to maximize my potential for ride time by getting a bike commute to/from work today.

What a cool experience en route.....luckily that rolling dark cloud that was coming in from the south was just fog and condensation, there was. It reminds me of the mist machines that are in Vegas that keep the skin moist with beads of water...Found that riding on the road without vision/aid of corrective lenses, due to fog is not only manageable but PREFERABLE....really reconsidering Lasik now.... Strange that with my prescription sunglasses I feel closer to the ground and without....taller...must be something to that...

I though for sure I was going to PB my time to work this morning because I never came out of the big ring and attacked all of the hills.....man I respect consistently fast road riders...didn't better my hour 21 min which makes me think I may have delayed the polar start the day it recorded this PB, cause today, I felt REAL good. Work was busy, therefore fast and other than educating a young girl and her mother about....here it goes.

13 yr old girl is playing soccer with her day..this girl does not look too athletic. Girl "injures" herself while playing, mother indicates it was a "dislocated patella". They go to the ER and informed she "hairlined fractured her femur" and was casted. Follow-up in three days with pediatric ortho who reviews xrays and indicates no fracture but concerned regarding knee and orders an MRI. In meantime removes cast and replaces with an immobizer brace. Mother and daughter consult with me to request a new brace (currently has an immobilizer or in other words keeps her knee if full extension) in a white or black color to "blend in for grad in 6 weeks"???

OK, this 13 year old girl has been immobilized since May 1st...thats almost 6 WEEKS!!!!! Her knee is significantly atrophied and unable to flex. x-ray's have already ruled out fracture. Essentially told this mother and daughter to get this freaking brace off, book assessment with our PT and start regaining range of motion and strength...MRI OR NOT...that was my last appt of the day..someone dropped the ball on this one...helped her pick it back up....crazy. bit of a tangent...could do this daily with some of the stuff that comes through work but BACK to Stats:

TO WORK:Road bike
1 hr 23 min
146 avg; 174 max
In zone 1 hr 2 min above 20 min
961 Kcal
39.7 Km
Avg spd 28.6; max 44.2
Avg CAD 91; Max 106

FROM WORK:
1 hr 29 min...kinda tired and that usual head wind...small ringin'
137 Avg...slackin/mental fatigue??163 max
In ZOne 1 hr 22 min...more aerobic...a good thing :) above 4 min
934 KCal
38.7 km...take a short cut on way home...wow a Km difference?!
Avg spd 25.9; max 50.8
avg Cad 87; max 107

Holy SHIT...14 days until the 24 hr.......feeling good about it. My 24 hr partner is also doing some riding.....should be a good one. One thing DOES need to happen though...absence of rain.

Plan. mow the lawn, change in plans perhaps re: dock at cottage, therefore Ride somewhere on Sunday preferably mountain. Oh yeah and finish this beer and my wifes which I see is still 3/4 full before it goes warm

Thursday, June 10, 2010

quick little rip

This is my regular Thursday night ride....my 24 hr partner wasn't able to join due to his wife working late and he ALSO has a wife and two kids to schedule these kinds of things in...so, I was hmm'n and haaa'n about the plan. Do I go to Fort Henry and do some hill repeats, clip into the road and get some saddle time and attack some hills along the way or just go for a little rip at the local trails....well the sun surfaced and the ground looked waaay drier than Gan where I worked, so a mt bike it was.

Packed light, water in bottle...damn need to get some more perpetuum and heed..and off I went. The geometry of this ride makes me feel so much like I'm cheating even with dropping the bar as low as the stack will allow....may go negative degree stem...

Pretty low key ride with a kicker....all my gear was dirty....well all except the colors of a local bike shop that just doesn't get along with me anymore.....on I donned and off I went. Other than my heart rate elevating a few beats and some adrenaline boost with a glance at the hall mirror on my way out it was a pretty mellow, laid back ride. Trails a little slick and really looking forward to the terrain at Albion. Stats:

52 min
145 Avg HR; 173 max
In Zone: 41 min; above 10 min
600 Kcal
16 Km...HA and that used to be a loop that would result in me racking the bike back on the roof of the car...felt like i was cheating tonight....road ride to/from work tomorrow to make up for it
Avg spd 18.4 km/hr; Max 41.2

Plan..finish this king can of Maclays...I'm getting cheap re: beer and get some carbs to prep for tomorrow's ride...this wknd.......put the dock in at the cottage and have wifey drop me off half way home to ride the cat trail home..the part with actual undulating terrain...should be a good experience :)

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Road Ride with the good Doctah

So, I've got this riding buddy who used to be a pretty regular riding partner who is now travelling all over this earth of ours and will send me a text msg out of the blue saying he is in town for one day and let's go for a ride. This being Tuesday, I already had a regular ride with my 24 hr partner, but due to the circumstances, tried to coordinate a threesome. Chris (24 hr partner) cancelled, probably a good idea given he would have been drafting us on a 60 k road ride.

The first 15 K was pretty much just a strategic route that enabled a parallel riding style just to catch up on life.....more HIS life as he was living it up and I was Mr. consistent family guy :) The ride was a nice reminder of the fitness foundation that is being laid down. Climbs that normally kill me and headwinds that normally sap me mentally and physically were no longer the case....MAN, I felt GREAT. This may have something to do with the fact that I had a massage earlier today that was supposed to be an hour, however after all was done turned out to be an HOUR and a HALF....pays to be in the rehab bizzz, a little chit chat goes a long way :)

Other than my HR monitor going a little screwy....HR was recording 104 bpm for about 5 minutes straight, when I know for a fact I should have been a solid 150...and saw a 224 bpm a couple times.....I'll just replace the battery...when did I do that last? and see how that worked. Ride was great, legs are flushed and interscap region is feeling like it was worked...not sure if it massage or ride related. Stats:

2 hr: 13 min
Avg HR 144; max 226?????
In Zone 1 hr 26 min; above 33 min; below 13 min??
1492 KCal
Distance 61.3
Avg spd 27.5 km/hr
max 51 km/hr
Avg Cad 86; max 108

Oh yeah.....came across a couple group rides tonight. Let me just say, Sepp's and TI Cycle were WELL represented.....a certain bike shop that appears to have some issues with KARMA was not.....

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Work Commute Friday

I live in Kingston on the West Side and hop in my car every morning and drive to Gananoque either via the 401 (if running late) or cruise through town and take a beautiful route along the water via Hwy 2. Hwy 2 just so happens to be a major artery for linking in some great road riding. As weather was looking pretty bleak for Thursday, I decided to forgoe my regular Mt ride on Thursday and bring some gear to work and enough lunch to enable a ride to/from work. Good choice.

The weather was, in a word......Choice both ways. I felt strong and pretty fast on the way there but....always a but in Kingston due to the consistent headwind that travels from the west, the ride back had moments of "struggle". I kept telling myself, COME ON, this is only an hour and a half TOPS, and you have consistently rode for 7 plus hours in 8 hour events and longer in 24's....It's just something about the road bike and that bloody flexed position. Who's kidding who...it's really about advil the right dose of caffeine to make a road ride...."special".

Was pretty wiped when I got home last night, off to the carni fair for my oldest as she was about to lose her mind if she didn't get to ride the ferris wheel and then to Canadian Tire to price out trampolines. Oh yeah, Boating safety course tent set up.....oh yeah passed the bloody thing without opening a book.....barely....that should keep my mother off my back when I go to the cottage this wknd :) Stats:

Ride TO work:
1 hour, 21 minutes (door to door)...personal best
avg HR 155 bpm; max 178
In zone 30 min above 50 min
1057 KCal
39.6 Km
Avg spd 29.2.....man getting an avg 30 plus k/hr is a CHORE!!! but my GOAL!!
Max 47.6
Avg Cad 94; Max 108

Ride FROM work:
1 hour, 26 min....hmmm not bad with a headwind and how I was feeling
avg HR 149; max 179
In Zone 59 min; above 26
1037
39.6 km
Avg spd 26.9
Max 49.2
Avg Cad 89; max 106

Plan....looking like a rest weekend.....Bringing kids to an event at their daycare with jumping castle, facepainting etc and then off to the cottage for some beer drinking and steak eatin and hopefully getting the dock in. Who's kidding who......ride on sunday.

OH YEAH!!! neighbour pops over last night and asks if I'd be interested in a bike.......well, as my current set up for trucking around the kids in their bike stroller to/from park etc is via my Italian rigged Fondriest.....welcomed the idea. Checked out the bike and found it's an Old school Peugot with shimano 105.......in GREAT SHAPE....sweet. Tuned and cleaned it up and is now getting to know it's younger whipper snappers the Giant Trance X2 and Fondriest Mega Plus...hope they're getting along out there :)

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The count down to 24 hr Solstice begins

Work was mellow today, so mellow that I blocked off the schedule and coordinated a quick meeting in kingston to start my apres work a bit earlier than my usual 8-4. Puttered around, got an oil change at one of those quicky lubes (high km cars can take the manhandling) and prepped my body (with leftovers in fridge) and bike (already to rock and roll) for a little rip of a ride with my 24 hr tag team partner Chris.

We decided to just do a b-line for the trails and have some fun. Well, it rained all morning and these trails turned into a technical over the bar fiesta!!! I managed to dismount over the bars twice and Chris had a good three photo worthy dismounts himself...going over on a 29r just looks BIGGER!!.. The ride was hot man...so hot that I actually felt TIRED....came across three guys on the trails and did my best to behave when they all asked if we rode the local J&J trails....it's getting quite comical now, when I inform all those that ask, and it appears to be every ride now, of the bizarre treatment that this bike shop had instigated back in April of this year...anyways...the people are becoming informed and are just as baffled as myself.

All in all the ride was shorter than usual but effort increased as mental and physical abuse was increased with wet, sketchy and big over the bar dismounts. Stats:

1 hr: 24 min....but HOT
Avg 143 bpm; max 186...AhHA!!! at the age of 38 my max is 186 vs 182....I'll try and crank that up higher....this occurred during an end of run sprint with me vs a 29r on the road....yup, little guy won :)
In Zone 1 hr 2 min; above 19 min; below 2 min
949 KCal
21.6 km
15.4 km/hr avg spd.....slow and wet with max 42.8

Plan...get out Thursday, plug into some tunes.....maybe a road bike to shake it up a bit.