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Exactly like riding a bike

124

Comments

  • #152
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Decided on a rest week this week. Tired with work and just needed to leave the bike alone. Also a drinking session was planned with the work crew and it had been a long time coming. I needed the blow out and by god was it a blow out. Serious booze. Really enjoyed it though. Ended the week with a depletion ride.


    Sunday 12th October
    Depletion ride. No breakfast. No food on the bike. 1L of fluids. Felt good. No issues. Kept it steady and in the small ring. I also travelled along some roads I don't usually frequent just to scope them out for something I have planned in the coming weeks. Met a fellow boardsie too in the pink kit and gave a shout. From the sightings thread it turns out it was smacl.

    Distance: 98.7km
    Av speed: 25.1km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 842m


  • #153
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Really heavy week at work and I was wrecked after it. Wanted to get up to the Castlecomer Challenge but I did not make it due to family commitments. Still enjoying a rest period of sorts. Winter training will start in November, so I will just take it handy till then and let myself get some rest in. Weight has remained up a couple of pounds, at about 12st 11lbs. Got about 20km of running done as well this week and at reasonable paces, considering I haven't run in ages. Really enjoyed the change.


    Saturday 18th October
    Handy spin straight after 7km run. Small Ring. Tried to keep the cadence as high as possible. No breakfast. No food. 750ml fluids.

    Distance: 35.5km
    Av speed: 25.9km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 334m


    Sunday 19th October
    Handy spin. Small ring again and concentrating on cadence.

    Distance: 35.5km
    Av speed: 27.0km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 333m


  • #154
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Still tired during the week and not sleeping that great. No training during the week, I had a few things to do and evenings spent chilling with the family. Still managed over 300km for the week, so not too bad but that's the last big one.


    Monday 20th October
    First pilates class of a series of 7. Found it tough enough in parts, a stark reminder of just how weak my core is. Didn't do too bad on the whole as a complete beginner in an intermediate class.


    Saturday 25th October
    Kept it steady for this one. No breakfast and no food on the bike, just 750ml of fluids. Could have pushed on if I had wanted to. Bit of hunger back for the bike and no fatigue. Spent the rest of the day playing with the boys.

    Distance: 75.9km
    Av speed: 26.9km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 580m


    Sunday 26th October
    Had been thinking of this one for a while and planning a route. Its been in my head since I did the 200km ride a while back. The days have been shortening quickly, so I decided that today was the day. Could definitely have picked a better one weather-wise. Got the nod from herself after some bargaining, i.e. shopping spree in dundrum. The credit card bill will definitely hurt more than my legs do now.

    No breakfast and on the bike for just after 7, it was going to be a long day. Brought a banana, 4 cereal bars and 1.5L of fluid. I should have had porridge and eggs for breakfast and I would pay for it later.

    Tipped along nicely and had banana at 20km. First bar at 70km. Then my body went nuclear. By 110km the other 3 bars were gone too and both bottles of fluids. Unusual considering I've done fully fasted rides up to and over 100km. I was bonking hard still which was a problem considering I had 140km to go. Found a Centra and made a complete pig of myself. Bought 6 more cereal bars, 1L of water and a bottle of Lucozade. I also bought a can of red bull which I hardly ever buy. Slugged back the red bull and a cereal bar. Filled the bottles and headed off again. Felt immediately better and strong again. Strong headwind and heavy gusts made for pretty unpredictable headway.

    The red bull was a really bad idea. It began to repeat on me and I managed to keep it at bay with the water. I had diluted down the Lucozade with water but it did not help matters either. By 210km, 4 more bars were eaten, the water was gone and over half of the Lucozade and I was suffering a bit from heartburn. Time was ticking on. I had gotten wet several times at this stage and been blown around quite a bit and the evening was quickly closing in. One last pit stop for a mars bar and a chocolate yazoo. Then I drove on as best I could and kept the hammer down despite more miserable weather.

    Got it done and tbh I was delighted when it was. I wasn't too happy about the food intake and especially the bad choices. In future I will have breakfast for rides like this, for a while anyway, until I can get the distance up more for the depletion rides. 'A stitch in time, saves 9' and all that. Another goal completed, almost the last one for the year. This one really helped me mentally.

    Distance: 252.8km
    Av speed: 24.8km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 1933m


  • #155
    Dilbert75
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,724 ✭✭✭Dilbert75


    Tbh I don't know whether to be impressed or concerned about that. Just be careful you don't run yourself down too much at that craic - no point ending up sick over it.


  • #156
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Dilbert75 wrote: »
    Tbh I don't know whether to be impressed or concerned about that. Just be careful you don't run yourself down too much at that craic - no point ending up sick over it.



    No real concern. One of them days. Rushing this morning and should have been more prepared. My rest periods give me enough time to recover for the most part.


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  • #157
    pprendeville
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,898 ✭✭✭pprendeville


    Had a good aul chuckle reading that. You are now fully qualified above and beyond to comment on this. Reminded me of a similar experience in Wicklow 200 in 2011 when although I had porridge for brekkie I ate about 15 chocolate Rice Krispie bars during the thing and about 4 power bars as they were being given out free and I have a sweet tooth. Felt like crap at the end and was like a drowned rat. Man that was some amount of carbs you consumed in one spin. And red bull on top of it. You'd better try flushing that ****e out with plenty fluids today. One thing I liked about cycling in China was bottled water was so cheap over there at about 12c a bottle. Hate buying bottled water here in shops on a spin. Keep up the funny reports. Fair play.


  • #158
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    pprendeville wrote: »
    Had a good aul chuckle reading that. You are now fully qualified above and beyond to comment on this. Reminded me of a similar experience in Wicklow 200 in 2011 when although I had porridge for brekkie I ate about 15 chocolate Rice Krispie bars during the thing and about 4 power bars as they were being given out free and I have a sweet tooth. Felt like crap at the end and was like a drowned rat. Man that was some amount of carbs you consumed in one spin. And red bull on top of it. You'd better try flushing that ****e out with plenty fluids today. One thing I liked about cycling in China was bottled water was so cheap over there at about 12c a bottle. Hate buying bottled water here in shops on a spin. Keep up the funny reports. Fair play.



    The flushing has already begun. On reflection I'm thinking the bonking feeling was more to do with fluids, what with the base layers and all that. Unmerciful amount of carbs, not happy about it. I don't think I can comment much on what to do, but I'm a trail-blazer when it comes to what not to do.


  • #159
    pprendeville
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,898 ✭✭✭pprendeville


    Ya, I'd say fluids are vital on a spin that length. Just because its cooler doesn't mean you don't sweat as much. Well maybe not as much but still a considerable amount. Red Bull on a spin. Thats mad. You should trailblaze with vodka next time and see how that works out. :pac:


  • #160
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    pprendeville wrote: »
    Red Bull on a spin. Thats mad.


    Not my finest hour.

    pprendeville wrote: »
    You should trailblaze with vodka next time and see how that works out. :pac:

    Not sure about the vodka, maybe a nice single malt.


  • #161
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Handy week and steady. Keeping things ticking over.


    Monday 27th October
    Pilates class 2 of 7. Went pretty well.


    Wednesday 29th October
    Kept it steady. No breakfast and no food on the bike, just 1.5L of fluids.

    Distance: 76.0km
    Av speed: 25.8km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 624m


    Friday 31st October
    Pre-breakfast 7K run at 4:42/km.


    Saturday 1st November
    Steady spin with the club. Focused on cadence. Tagged on a bit more. Got completely soaked on way home.

    Distance: 119.0km
    Av speed: 25.5km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 799m


    Sunday 2nd November
    Pre-breakfast 10K run at 4:39/km.


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  • #162
    Dilbert75
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,724 ✭✭✭Dilbert75


    Jeez that's fast running. How did it feel?


  • #163
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Dilbert75 wrote: »
    Jeez that's fast running. How did it feel?

    Felt pretty ok tbh C. Not really fast in the greater scheme of things but fast enough I suppose considering. There was a bit more in the tank.


  • #164
    Dilbert75
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,724 ✭✭✭Dilbert75


    Fair dues. All my runs are falling around the 5.00/km mark and it's enough for me.


  • #165
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Dilbert75 wrote: »
    Fair dues. All my runs are falling around the 5.00/km mark and it's enough for me.

    Yes but when you put the foot down you're gone up the road..
    When I put the foot down there's just black smoke and a loud bang:o


  • #166
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    The tiredness of the last while has reduced a lot. Handy week. Just ticking over again.


    Monday 3rd November
    Pilates class 3 of 7. Starting to feel a bit easier and more comfortable with the routines.


    Saturday 8th November
    Steady club spin and I tagged on a bit more. Again focused on cadence. Fasting from 8pm the night before. No breakfast. A banana at 75km and no other food on the bike, and just over 1L of fluids. No energy issues and no mad hunger issues afterwards, helped in part I think by a big protein shake and a moderate bowl of beef stew within 30 minutes.

    Distance: 131.3km
    Av speed: 25.2km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 990m


    Sunday 9th November
    Not a bad morning for a run. Made a lot easier with the great company of Dilbert75. Furthest I've run in over 18 months. Nice change to the routine. 13.7km at 4:47/km pace. No issues.


  • #167
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Not much to report for the week. Got a bit of a cold on tuesday and it has lingered all week. One of those ones with potential to get nasty, so I minded myself. The weight unfortunately has crept up a bit, despite my best efforts. I'm up about 5lbs to 13st flat. In the coming week or 2 I'd hope to get this down again.


    Monday 10th November
    Pilates class 4 of 7. Tougher week, especially first half of it.


    Sunday 16th November
    Club spin. Nice one. Decent weather and a handy pace. No breakfast, just a banana on the bike after 50km and about 1L of fluids.

    Distance: 105.5km
    Av speed: 25.0km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 826m


  • #168
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Back to a bit of steady training again. Reasonable week. Some progress on the weight front.

    Monday 17th November
    Pre-breakfast run. 7.6km at 4:47/km pace.

    Pilates class 5 of 7. Went pretty well.


    Wednesday 19th November
    Pre-breakfast run. 7.6km at 4:46/km pace


    Thursday 20th November
    Pre-breakfast recovery spin. Cold but nice to be out.

    Distance: 20.3km
    Av speed: 24.9km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 171m


    Friday 21st November
    Pre-breakfast run. 7.6km at 4:37/km pace. Upped the pace a bit.


    Saturday 22nd November
    Club training session. Fasted from the previous evening and food intake the previous day was probably no more than 1500 calories . No breakfast. 2 bananas on the bike and about 1.5L of fluids.

    Maybe not the best idea to mix a depletion ride with a club training session. At times we were moving at a good clip. By the time I got home I was completely in the red. Ate lunch of veg and salmon and got more fluids on board. Resisted all urges to snack and felt fine in the evening.

    Distance: 120.1km
    Av speed: 25.8km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 849m


    Sunday 23rd November
    Nice recovery spin and a beautiful day for it. 3 eggs for breakfast. No food on the bike and 1L of fluids. Focused on cadence. Really enjoyed it.

    Distance: 62.2km
    Av speed: 23.3km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 518m


  • #169
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Similar week to last week. Happy enough with it. Bike got a small overhaul and a serious clean.

    Monday 24th November
    Pre-breakfast run. 7.6km at 4:33/km pace.

    Pilates class 6 of 7. Found it a bit tougher and back was stiff after it.


    Wednesday 26th November
    Pre-breakfast run. 7.5km at 4:27/km pace


    Friday 28th November
    Pre-breakfast run. 8.0km at 4:34/km pace. A few niggles and I was tired.


    Saturday 22nd November
    Depletion ride. Fasted from the previous evening. No breakfast. 1.5L of fluid. No food on the bike until 120km. Then I had 2 bananas over the final 10km. Didn't need them but I'm going to try to eat something small towards the end of the depletion rides to ease food intake when I get home. No energy issues at all.

    Distance: 130.3km
    Av speed: 27.0km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 1113m


    Sunday 30th November
    Club spin coupled with a depletion ride. Strong cup of black coffee before I set off. 750ml of fluid on the bike and a banana towards the end at 80km. Very easy pace. Plenty of spinning the legs. No energy issues and minimised food intake for rest of day.

    Distance: 93.8km
    Av speed: 24.4km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 793m


  • #170
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Work was particularly tough. VO2 max test completed for the first time. Did some adjustment on bike set up which I'm hoping alleviates an issue which has been happening intermittently. Reached a new body weight low of 12st 8lbs, which I'm happy with even if it was only for a while.

    Monday 1st December
    Pre-breakfast run. 7.6km at 4:58/km pace. Nice and handy.

    Missed pilates class 7 of 7. Not starting back till the new year and I'll decide then if I'm going to do another set of classes.


    Wednesday 3rd December
    Did a VO2 max test (thanks for the clarification phil). Very low food intake during the day. Test started at 130W for 3 minutes and increased by 20W every 3 minutes to 330W. Heart rates recorded and blood taken just before end of each 3 minute period to measure blood lactate.

    Had no problems holding steady at each power until 330W when I started to drop off about 30 seconds before the end, down to about 320W or so.

    Turns out I have a low max heart rate but that's just the way it is for me. I maxed at 158 or so at 330W. I found it easier to control my breathing on the turbo set up during the test. Out on the road later in the week I would see a higher max at about 168.

    At least now I have my zones which the guy mailed to me and it has proved very worthwhile as I can now really see when I'm nearing the upper end of my limit while using the heart rate monitor.


    Friday 5th December
    Pre-breakfast run. 7.5km at 4:47/km pace. Ate very little all day. Porridge for breakfast and no more to eat till dinner which I kept to a minimum. No food after 7pm.


    Saturday 6th December
    Club training spin with a bit more on my own. Fasted from 7pm the previous evening. No breakfast. 1.5L of fluids on the bike with no food on the bike until 110km and then I ate 2 bananas. Training went well. Mostly Z2 and Z3. Some Z4 and it was really interesting to see the pressure come on as I neared the upper limits in heart rate a few times. Last 20km was recovery and spinning.

    The plan was to have a protein shake when I got home, which I did and then to remain fasting until the evening as I was planning to go out for dinner. Unfortunately something came up at work and I needed to cancel on the dinner while I worked through the problem on the phone and laptop till almost 11pm. Thankfully my wife made me a ham and salad wrap. This wrap and the 2 bananas were all I had eaten with a couple of litres of fluids. Being busy and a little stressed curtailed any hunger.

    Distance: 123.4km
    Av speed: 26.5km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 881m


    Sunday 7th December
    Kept it steady for this one. Had a slice of fruit bread for breakfast. 750ml of fluids and a banana on the bike. Faced into a pretty hardy headwind for about 20km of it. Stood on the scales just before my shower just to see what the last few days had resulted in. I was 13st 1lb at the start of the week. The scales now read 12st 8lbs, a 7lb drop. Albeit, short-lived once I got my lunch in and more fluids, but I'm happy. It's a new low for body weight recorded.

    Protein shake afterwards and some pasta in tomato sauce with cherizo. Minimal food intake for the rest of the day.

    Distance: 56.7km
    Av speed: 25.4km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 458m


  • #171
    couerdelion
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,910 ✭✭✭couerdelion


    upthe19th wrote: »
    I can now really see when I'm nearing the upper end of my limit while using the heart rate monitor.

    I found that when I look at my HR when racing or training (not to HR) and see it reaching my max hr I back off as I mentally thought that's it and I'm going to burn all my matches.

    From reviewing race data I can actually stay in the high zones for longer than I think.

    Well done on the new low weight!


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  • #172
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    couerdelion wrote: »
    I found that when I look at my HR when racing or training (not to HR) and see it reaching my max hr I back off as I mentally thought that's it and I'm going to burn all my matches.

    From reviewing race data I can actually stay in the high zones for longer than I think.

    Well done on the new low weight!

    That's a very valid point. I am mostly concentrating on HR for training purposes and concentrating on the zones. You're very right about the mental back off with regard to pace. I would have noticed that with running before.

    I actually have a "racing" screen set up on the garmin. It displays the bare minimum, distance,current speed, time. Less distracting if nothing else. It won't have HR or anything else. I would be racing within the group and by feel.

    The "training" screen has the more detailed display.


  • #173
    nilhg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,160 ✭✭✭nilhg


    upthe19th wrote: »
    That's a very valid point. I am mostly concentrating on HR for training purposes and concentrating on the zones. You're very right about the mental back off with regard to pace. I would have noticed that with running before.

    I actually have a "racing" screen set up on the garmin. It displays the bare minimum, distance,current speed, time. Less distracting if nothing else. It won't have HR or anything else. I would be racing within the group and by feel.

    The "training" screen has the more detailed display.

    You guys actually have enough time and energy to read a garmin screen in a race? I'm doing something very wrong so:rolleyes:


  • #174
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    nilhg wrote: »
    You guys actually have enough time and energy to read a garmin screen in a race? I'm doing something very wrong so:rolleyes:

    It occupies the time when I'm dropped....which is almost all of my race time.


  • #175
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Had a bit of a dose all week so I eased up on the training to give myself a chance to shake it off. Focussed on maintaining body weight as low as possible despite having no pre-breakfast training done.

    Surpassed my revised distance goal for the year, 2 weeks ahead of time, so pretty happy with that.


    Saturday 13th December
    Depletion ride and kept the pace nice and steady, mostly Z2 and Z3. No breakfast. 750ml of fluid. No food on the bike. Low intake for rest of day.

    Distance: 70.8km
    Av speed: 26.1km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 551m


    Sunday 14th December
    Bit of everything in this one. No breakfast and 750ml fluids on bike and no food. Just wanted to get a bit of all the zones to see what the story was.

    Distance: 48.8km
    Av speed: 27.1km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 433m


  • #176
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Very light training week. Another crazy week at work, I'm looking forward to a few days off over christmas. Had planned to try and get down to a new body weight low but it wasn't to be. Had a serious night of booze in dublin and did my best to allow for it with lower food intake. Managed to keep the weight to 12st 9lbs for the week.

    Experiencing some pretty intense pain across the tops of my forearms, from the crook of my elbow to my wrists. It used to happen in just the left arm from time to time but now it's in both. Tender to the touch in places and a dull ache overall. Not sure what the hell it is. Alternating ice pack and heat pack.


    Monday 13th December
    Pre-breakfast run. 7.0km at 4:36/km pace.


    Saturday 20th December
    A fartlek session. I had stuff to do around the yard before I headed to dublin so time was tight. Mostly Z4 with some Z5 efforts and a stiff headwind for about half of it. No breakfast. No food on the bike. No fluids on the bike. Last 4km was spinning to get the legs flushed and the HR back to active recovery.

    Very restricted food intake for the rest of the day to allow for dinner that evening and beers in lucan before heading into the city.

    Distance: 39.6km
    Av speed: 29.4km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 347m


  • #177
    Dilbert75
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,724 ✭✭✭Dilbert75


    Is the pain related to some task you do in work? Should have your EHS have a look...


  • #178
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Dilbert75 wrote: »
    Is the pain related to some task you do in work? Should have your EHS have a look...

    It's definitely not a work-related thing C. Noticed the pain worst when I cycled longer on poorly surfaced roads. Not sure if its vibrations up through the handlebars, a set up issue or something else. Methinks it could be time for a proper bike fit.


  • #179
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Not the best of weeks for training but I had a great xmas. The last couple of days of work were long ones. Had hoped to keep to a weight goal for the week but, alas, despite the efforts of my task master, Mr. Prendeville, I failed him. Not too bad given the week that was in it, I only gained half a pound overall. From here on weight to be recorded in kgs, so I'm 81.0kg.

    Picked up a new scales during the week. Finally got around to it. Dilbert75 had suggested it in this log some time ago, cheers C. Measures BW, %fat, %water, and calculates BMI. Mr. Prendeville suggested the brand, thanks phil, and I picked it up at a bargain 14.99 as a result of a slight system pricing error in Harvey Normans.

    Also started reading Mark Beaumont's book 'The man who cycled the world'. Its ok so far, but the writing style is slightly getting on my wick a bit. Maybe it'll improve as I get more in to it.


    Monday 22nd December
    Pre-breakfast run. It did not feel fast but it was the fastest time that I had done that route in, so I was happy enough. 7.6km at 4:25/km pace.


    Saturday 27th December
    Out with some of the boys and a bit tagged on. Although with what I'd consumed over xmas, technically these rides could not be considered "depletion" til about the end of January:o. No breakfast. 1L of fluid on the bike. No food until 90km, then 2 bananas and 2 cereal bars. Plenty in the tank and I could push on if I wanted to within reason.

    Distance: 132.5km
    Av speed: 25.5km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 1026m


    Sunday 28th December
    Opted for a pre-breakfast run instead of the bike, with some slighty icy backroads. Pushed on but not on the ragged edge. Fastest that I've done this route, so pretty happy. 7.0km at 4:20/km pace.


  • #180
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    The last couple of bits for the year.

    Tuesday 30th December
    Club cycle with a bit tagged on. Last one of the year. Bit of everything. Fasted from previous evening. No breakfast. A banana and a cereal bar after 70km and 1L of fluids.

    Distance: 104.7km
    Av speed: 24.1km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 781m


    Wednesday 31st December
    A little recovery spin, Z1/Z2. Got soaked to the skin. Fasted from previous evening. No breakfast. No food on the bike and 500ml of fluids. Gave the bike a full clean down. Try to get her in for a service before I'm on it again.

    Distance: 41.1km
    Av speed: 24.1km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 338m


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  • #181
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    That's my first full calendar year of cycling. The stats look like this:

    Distance: 10,324.7km
    Time: 384hrs 59mins
    Elevation Gain: 86,621m

    These were the goals for the year:
    upthe19th wrote: »
    1) 8,000km for the year
    2) Lose weight
    3) More climbing
    4) Do some more sportives and improve on those I did in 2013
    5) Do some racing

    Managed to exceed the mileage goal and also fulfill my second target, so pretty happy with that. Biggest week was 434km. Did my first solo 200km cycle and also my first solo 250km cycle.

    Pretty happy with the weight loss. I was 14st 7lbs (92kg) this time last year. Now I'm 12st 11lbs (81kg). There's more there to lose tbh and discipline will play a major part. I have not piled it on over christmas, so that's reassuring and it's giving me a better base heading into 2015.

    As regards climbing, well I did not do that much after all. I had a factor of 10 in my head, i.e. 10 metres of climbing for every 1km of distance travelled. I didn't achieve that. It was not the end of the world. I'm not a climber and all I really wanted was to be more comfortable in the hills. After the day in the wicklow mountains with nilhg, I think I achieved that and felt comfortable on most of the climbs. The weight loss was the key here I think.

    I did a total of 6 sportives, all for good causes and enjoyed them. Not sure how they compared to previous ones. Don't think it matters, getting out and contributing to charities was enough in itself, I think.

    2014 saw me dip my toes into the world of racing for the first time. In hindsight I probably should have done a season of just league racing, but I didn't crash and more importantly I didn't cause anyone else to crash, so that's good. In total I did 17 races, 10 league and 7 open. I found the open races harder. My first was in Newbridge where I got dropped in the first few km. This was the case in nearly all of them. By the time June and July rolled around I was a couple of hundred metres off the bunch at the end in dungarvan and bunclody. Did ok at the league races and finished in the group or just off it. The highlights were a 4th place finish at a league race in an early breakaway and the Wexford 2 day, my first mult-day event.

    In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love cycling and it's a great sport. I hope to enjoy it even more in 2015.

    I've met even more boardsies this year and stayed in touch with those I already knew. I thank you for your help and your friendship. Hopefully I'll meet more in 2015.

    To those of you who have viewed, contributed or thanked this thread so far, I thank you. It's kept me honest and accountable.

    Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank the organisers of the sportives and races which I took part in and those which I did not. You are doing trojan work. I just don't know how you do it, especially in the face of crashes and complaints. You are to be applauded. I really hope that you decide to provide these quality events in the future for the pleasure of cyclists everywhere.

    I have no idea of goals for 2015, I'll think about it over the coming days. My friend Mick and I are going to make short work of a couple of bottles of whiskey tonight and that's as far into the future as I've looked.

    So that's it. I wish you all a safe and happy 2015. Happy cycling.


  • #182
    nilhg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,160 ✭✭✭nilhg


    Good stuff J, beat me on all 3 counts above, of course while stats are fun and important they don't tell the whole story, I said it before when we met that day in Dunlavin I hardly recognised you and mostly saw your backside any time the road went up that day, it seems to me that your hard work is paying off and that things will fall into place for you in 2015.

    I still can't get my head around your depletion rides, fair play to you on that, it'll be interesting to see how you feel it works for you in the racing season.

    Enjoy tonight and best of luck in 2015


  • #183
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    nilhg wrote: »
    Good stuff J, beat me on all 3 counts above, of course while stats are fun and important they don't tell the whole story, I said it before when we met that day in Dunlavin I hardly recognised you and mostly saw your backside any time the road went up that day, it seems to me that your hard work is paying off and that things will fall into place for you in 2015.

    I still can't get my head around your depletion rides, fair play to you on that, it'll be interesting to see how you feel it works for you in the racing season.

    Enjoy tonight and best of luck in 2015

    Thanks J. Many happy returns.

    Don't think 'beat' is the way I see it. You had some challenges yourself this year and you overcame them with flying colors.

    The depletion rides are one thing, putting the knife and fork down are another. I got some info of late which might suggest that fasting is good for the first few hours but not so much after that. I don't know. I'll have to research further.


  • #184
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    After some thought, this is what I'd like to get done:

    1) Increase in distance travelled solo
    2) Lose more weight
    3) Another year of racing and more structured racing training.

    I don't have a yearly distance goal in mind, it'll be whatever it is. I would, however, like to do some longer endurance spins. Up to now the furthest I've gone solo is 250km. I would like to get up to at least 322km(200 miles) this year and take it from there. This would be towards the latter end of the year, but while there is still a bit of daylight.

    The weight drop so far has been ok but I'd like to get it down further. The aim would be to get to 75kg from my current weight of 81kg. It will require a hell of a lot more discipline than I've displayed to date. I'm hopeful, time will tell.

    I had been mulling over the racing for the last month or so and trying to decide whether I would do it in 2015 or lean more towards the endurance stuff. I have decided to race for another year anyway and see how it goes. I really need to be a lot stronger than I am. I'm a long way off A4 level still, going on last year's performances, first year or not. I will train more specifically. I'd hope to feature a bit more in the league races.

    Short and sweet. Easy bit done.


  • #185
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    The first couple of bits for the year. Got the training bike serviced. Running well and the boys did a good job on it. Nothing major, stuff I could not do.

    Friday 2nd January
    Handy stuff overall. Mostly Z1/Z2 with a couple of efforts to see what the story was. Build it up slowly again.

    Distance: 25.8km
    Av speed: 24.8km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 237m


    Sunday 4th January
    Fasted from the evening before and no breakfast, I did a local running race. A chance to push myself early in the year before the cycling racing starts. Got a decent time, little over 1.5 minutes better than my previous time. Met some new boardsies and some more familiar ones. Good spread afterwards but I limited food intake to a cup of coffee, half a salad sandwich and 2 pieces of oatmeal flapjack. 8.1km @ 4:12/km pace (5 mile @ 6:45/mile pace)

    Headed home to do an hour on the bike to loosen out. Nice and handy with plenty of spinning. Then had dinner of salmon and veg. Evening with the family and some foam rolling.

    Distance: 25.5km
    Av speed: 24.7km/hr
    Elevation Gain: 235m


  • #186
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Wow, nearly 5 years......where the hell did that go.....

    No sense starting a new thread, so I'll just picka upto where I left off.

    And certainly no point going through was happened since, so quick snap shot.....

    Racing, more racing, A3, training, injuries, more racing, work ****, family ****, diets and nutrition.......and here I am.

    So im back to where it all began.....riding my bike and getting back to enjoying it. The more I raced, the less I rode my bike, well at least the long, long spins. So thats where im going......endurance. Probably where I should have always gone, but hey. I still did a bit shortly after I left off last time.....350km being the longest I ever did.

    There are thoughts in my head and long term goals, but I'll get to those in time, hopefully.


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  • #187
    MaLiYa
    Registered Users Posts: 41 ✭MaLiYa


    upthe19th wrote: »
    Wow, nearly 5 years......where the hell did that go.....

    No sense starting a new thread, so I'll just picka upto where I left off.

    And certainly no point going through was happened since, so quick snap shot.....

    Racing, more racing, A3, training, injuries, more racing, work ****, family ****, diets and nutrition.......and here I am.

    So im back to where it all began.....riding my bike and getting back to enjoying it. The more I raced, the less I rode my bike, well at least the long, long spins. So thats where im going......endurance. Probably where I should have always gone, but hey. I still did a bit shortly after I left off last time.....350km being the longest I ever did.

    There are thoughts in my head and long term goals, but I'll get to those in time, hopefully.

    Blast from the past. Looking at my inbox & was wondering what this thread was about. Good to see it back. Went through a similar situation myself. The more racing I did the less I enjoyed it. Have never got back into it and only DOS bit of commuting now to & from work. Looking forward to updates.


  • #188
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    The week got away on me with work, so it ended in cramming all the training at the weekend.....far from ideal, but ive learned now that that is sometimes the way of it.

    It is what it is.....my go to saying.

    1.5 hours of turbo on saturday, a mixed session with some efforts. I like to give it a lash at least once a week in the winter build. Base miles are good, but base fitness overall is the last to diminish, so I think getting some top end stuff on the turbo is no harm.

    Sunday was just under 5 hours on the road and just under 130km. Not a bad day for it and the company was good, so all in all a good day.

    Hopefully next week will allow more training during the week.


  • #189
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    5 sessions for the week. All turbo unfortunately but still steady stuff, with the session of efforts added.

    Trying to keep the discipline on the nutrition, difficult but it will become habit soon hopefully again. Keep things ticking over for the moment.


  • #190
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Honestly have no idea where those 3 weeks went.

    Last 3 weeks have seen 5 sessions, 4 sessions and 4 sessions respectively.

    All turbo and again a mixture of steady sustained sessions and some higher intensity, including 2 online races. I say races, but more using them for motivation to get sessions done. I aint very competitive at all but the fitness is starting to come back, so that at least is a start.

    Nutrition is good and so things are moving in the right direction I think. Like I say, ticking over for now


  • #191
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    And then over 7 months whistles by.......

    Well the early endurance goals were wiped out by Covid, so that meant all turbo, about 7-10 hours a week, and only returned to road at the end of the 2nd week of june.

    Just over 1600km done since then.

    I set 35 goals for distance, which are a mixture of weekly distance goals, solo distance goals and 2-5 day cumulative distance goals, starting pretty low to be honest.

    The 200km, 300km and 400km weekly goals are done and the 150km solo is done.

    Up next is the 500km week goal, the solo 200km & solo 250km.

    I'm not sure now if i will bother with any events this year, although i have a personal solo one in mind which will most likely be done in the next 2 weeks.

    I have the main goal in mind now too for 2021, so fingers crossed i can get to it.


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  • #192
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    upthe19th wrote: »
    Up next is the 500km week goal, the solo 200km & solo 250km.

    Pretty happy with how things have gone in last week or so. Again you'll have to bear with me as this is all still building and there aint much to see here yet but its a good start.

    Got the 200km done at the end of last week. I had a day to do it and i didnt want it to be part of the 500km weekly goal, as the 250km was going to part of that already. Got 204km done in under 7.5hrs and it wasn't exactly flat with just over 1800m of elevation.

    Took a day rest and then hit the 250km. Got the 256km done in just under 9hrs 15mins. I was a full hour faster than the last time I attempted this distance and again it was a 'lumpy' route with just over 2000m of elevation. Job done.

    With the 250km spin, a 70km spin and a 100km spin, on top of the 170km+ spin this morning, the weekly total ended up just a shade over 600km, the 500km weekly goal is done now too.

    I had a goal to do 300km in 2 days, so thats done too as i did the 70km the day after i did the 250km. Technically i also got 450km done in 3 days, which was another goal, but I'm not counting it cos there was a rest day in between and the days were not consecutive.

    The little 'event' I was planning for myself has been put on hold until such time as I think I can do it justice with better fitness and endurance.

    It's great to be out on the bike for sure, getting great pleasure from it.

    The weekly goals are done at least for now, as it's about condensing the same distances in less days now. Next up is the 300km solo and the 450km in 3 days.


  • #193
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Right, another 2 years rolls by......

    One more stab at this thread for however long, if for no other reason than to keep myself accountable.

    Sporadic ultra distance training in the past 2 years, no competitive/official events completed though.

    At the moment, the longest I've done is a solo unsupported 24 TT of my own creation last year. I'm hoping to attempt this again on the same roads next month and try to exceed the last distance achieved.

    After that, the plan is to push the boundaries as much as I can from there.



  • #194
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Training continues steadily. Fitness is coming good steadily too. It was such a pity that Covid hit me so hard and put me back 10 odd weeks.

    The week previous to last post, I had completed a high load week, the last 2 weeks were lighter, less than half the workload. This week will be something similar.

    The first provisional date I have planned to do my next 24 hour is next week, but something has come up. It may or may not scupper the plan, in which case, it's only another 3 weeks after that to the second provisional date.

    So next week will either be a recovery week to be ready or another high load week to build. I'll build the sessions for the recovery early in the week and if it looks like it won't happen I'll ramp up on friday/saturday/Sunday.



  • #195
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Last 4 weeks were light to moderate, I just worked with the time and energy I had. Few other bits going on, so it was a balancing act.

    It'll be very light this week. Light leg spinning and get bits together. I've found I need to be eager to get on the bike, looking forward to it, considering I'll see 24hours of it or so, minus stops.

    Hopefully weather plays ball. Some rain won't bother me at all, as long as not torrential or stubbornly persistent unless it's light. When it's go time, it's go time.

    So barring something coming up unexpectedly, we are T minus 5 days.



  • #196
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    24 hour solo TT

    This would be my 3rd attempt at one. The first was unsuccessful due to a mechanical and the second was completed with 561km.

    The plan was to try to push the distance up to 600km or at the very least with more distance.

    Finished a week of night shift and managed to get some sleep. I'd gotten tiny symptoms of a cold on Wednesday that still weren't great on Thursday. When I woke on the friday afternoon are nights, I had a pretty bad headache and a felt a bit under the weather but still not enough to pul the plug on starting.

    Was on the bike for just after 4pm. Got caught in a heavy rain shower about 90 minutes in but that wouldn't bother me. That's par for the course, it's ireland, you dress appropriately and push on. However, I'd broken my first rule......dress for the weather you expect and not the current weather. So I got a good wetting. But I was also feeling negative, which is unlike me when I'm on the bike. I was fixating on the speed and the 600km, so I just pushed all that aside and concentrated on completing it. My mood immediately changed. But I was feeling it, and by 110km I was feeling pretty crappy.

    First pitstop and full gear change for the night riding. Legs were coming around and headache was easing but still feeling crappy. So I broke it down into pieces and just told myself to keep riding the 4ish hour stints and play it by ear.

    220km rolled by and another pitstop for fluids and food. Legs were in the zone now and rolling but I was still feeling kinda rubbish.

    At about 290km, I noticed my HR fall out of the sky and breathing was shallow and tight. At 300km, the road surface I was on felt really rough but it made no sense as I'd ridden it earlier. Then I realised I was shaking kinda hard and it wasn't the road at all. It was time to call it off. Last 20km were torture and fell in the door at home. Passed out in bed, woke in bits, coughing and shaky.

    I'm disappointed, it feels like a failure but maybe its all just failure until its success, just like what I learned from the first attempt and put in to practice on the second successful one.

    So what's new that I've learned?

    I can ride through pain and I can ride through tiredness to a point and I can work with bad legs......but sickness is a different story. The level of oxidative stress is enough in itself without underlying weakness in the body. I stuck it out in spite of feeling crappy and gave it my all, but I also then made the right decision to pull the plug otherwise I would have just dug a bigger hole and probably still wouldn't have finished.

    Lessons learned. Push on now with a solid winter of training and make the plans and goals for 2023.



  • #197
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Thankfully the cold illness I had passed reasonably quickly midways through last week, so i was able to do a little subthreshold on the turbo.

    Took a few days off this week to put a training plan of sorts together for the first 6 week block, so winter training and build starts this evening.....focussed and eager to train.

    I'll take a look ahead to what I want to do/achieve in 2023 towards the end of November.



  • #198
    Dilbert75
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,724 ✭✭✭Dilbert75


    In a strange coincidence I was just wondering this morning what you're up to....and then went on Boards for the first time in about a year and found this.... Glad you're still at it!



  • #199
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119719087#Comment_119719087

    No better or worse than I ever was C. Good to hear from you, it's been a while..........hope all is well on your end.



  • #200
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Good start to training so far, at least for past week. A mixed bag of sessions. Hopefully we get somewhat dry weather for the rest of October and November. Failing that, I'll get some character-building sessions in to the bargain.

    Nutrition will also be in focus obviously. On a side note, I'm helping a co-worker on his weight-loss journey too. Just little bits that I've learned over the years. Very simple stuff, but simple doesn't equal easy. They are doing great so far and its all very balanced. It's helping keep me honest too, which is a bonus.



  • #201
    upthe19th
    Registered Users Posts: 741 ✭✭✭upthe19th


    Setting out the stall

    I suppose going forward I wanted to to put down how I'd like the log to go from here on.

    There's a saying that goes something like this....

    'The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now'

    If you're looking for anything similar to the following, I'm afraid this won't be the place to find it:

    • I want to lose 20kg in 4 weeks.......No
    • I want to increase my FTP by 100% in 4 weeks.......No
    • I'm currently riding 20km twice a week and I want to do a 250km ride in 4 weeks......No

    This log will be steady improvement (hopefully) over an extended time period. It's taken me over 8 years to get to here, so I'm thinking of the bigger picture. That's not to say that I won't be pushing myself and striving to do better, but the plan is for it to be sustainable and realistic.


    Training

    The training will be steady and varied, with an emphasis on building a strong and consistent base, supplemented with high-end sessions. I have no educated background in any of this. I do not peruse mountains of journals on the subject. I do read bits and pieces from time to time and I try different things from time to time to see how they work or don't work for me.

    Consistency is the key.....

    • A week is better than a day
    • A month is better than a week
    • a year is better than


    Nutrition

    I eat wholefoods almost exclusively. I don't bother with gels and bars and the likes anymore. Sugar does not agree with me in those types of sources.

    I've done the fasted long rides and I've done the fasted cardio and other things. Do I think they particular work....well yes and no. At times i do them because they suit me on those days, perhaps I'm not hungry before training, etc. But then I fuel.

    Some days I train 'lower' nutrition-wise but again based on how i feel and the session to be done. Sometimes i train 'high' nutrition-wise but again based on the same reasons. I always do events with a moderate intake of fluids and solids. I eat and drink consistently and steadily to provide only what I need as I go and prevent gut stress for the most part.

    I've done the diets and explored many of them. Each had their own merits and downsides. For me, all roads lead to a calorie deficit for weight loss, irrespective of what I chose, so it just depends on what suits each individual and helps them to maintain their discipline.

    And guess what....Consistency is the key.....

    • A week is better than a day
    • A month is better than a week
    • a year is better than


    Again, I re-iterate, I have only what works for me by trial and error. I spend my time doing rather than discussing theories at length.

    Don't expect a wealth of knowledge, I don't have it. I'm still figuring it out.



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