The Simple Life

Not a lot of drama around here this year. March training got off to a good start with my highest volume week in months, mostly cycling. Friday night I had my best plyo workout yet, almost hitting the ceiling fans a few times with the 20 lb plyoball. I wish I could bring the sledge into the gym, but I can't, so I freaked out the neighbors with an 8 am ax murderer practice session in the back yard Sunday. In between on Saturday I got in almost five hours in the rain, solo of course. And I wasn't even the least bit uncomfortable. Ibex wool rocks. Now I see they even came out with bibs. Anyone got $250 spare laying around to buy me a few pair? Size L please.

Sunday I skipped the local running races. I don't know, maybe I'm a bit burnt on the running. I've been at it for six months straight, save for a week here and there for the medical issues. That's by far the most attention I've ever given running. The bike season starts so damn early, I feel like I need to transition now. I'll probably take up the running even earlier this fall too, maybe late August, so there will be plenty of time for it then. We'll see. Tonight I'm going to run the hill and see if that motivates me. Running on the pavement just hasn't been making it for me lately.

The rain was gone Sunday, but it was colder and friggin' windy. After my backyard workout, I again went out on the bike. One of my core training beliefs is that you should not waste yourself in training. It's best to finish every ride feeling like you could have done a little bit more. You'll recover faster and make more out of the next workout, which is how this entire training thing is supposed to operate. Saturday I felt like I stuck to this idea. At 4.5 hours it was pouring rain, but I was already wet, the temps were over 50, the roads were deserted, and I was still well-fueled from a half-moon stop at Ward's (I might get used to this) an hour earlier. The temptation to push the ride out to five hours was quite strong, but I thought of the above principle and how well it's worked for me in the past, and besides, it was only Saturday. If it were Sunday maybe I'd have stayed out, but instead I headed home, ending the day with just 112 rain-soaked kilometers on the fender bike. During my post ride routine I felt unusually fresh, and looked forward to a hard follow up day.

On Sunday, fifteen minutes into the ride, I already felt like I was on a death march. My fatigue presented a somber reminder of how traumatic the body can find even "base" training at this time of year. I soldiered on into the stiff 25 mph gale, seeking the most sheltered roads I could find, hoping the funk would pass. Making my way over to Moose Hill, I figured I may as well try to force some intensity. Lately I feel like the king of zone 1. Even while running, my HR has been incredibly low. A few years ago during early season rides my HR would hover between 135-155 even when just riding steady. That was understandable, as I was way out of shape and just keeping the bike moving was a big effort. The past few years were not nearly as bad, but still if I pushed it I'd get a response. This winter has been a quite different. It's weird to be out running 6:50 miles and look down and see 136. Riding my bike I often see only two digits. The best reason I can think of is old age. Or possibly fitness? That's what I'm clinging to. I remember watching the telemetry from one of the pro races and Botero was on the front drilling the chase and his HR was 110. WTF I thought. Must be nice. Now I'm not so sure. I thought I'd get a few more years before losing another 10 points off my max HR. Whatever.

So I hit the Moose Hill mini-circuit. This is a loop of just under 3k with a few little climbs, and it misses the main part of Moose Hill. I find it great for short intervals. Start at the intersection of Route 27 and Moose Hill Parkway. The first part of the parkway is pretty flat and can be used for recovery, but if you want longer intervals you can pedal hard. The parkway section ends with a 300 meter climb up to the intersection with Upland Road. Left would take you to the steep part of the hill. Instead I go right, which makes the intersection like a switchback. It flattens out a bit and then you hit a little sprinter's climb. Drilling it here is one of the keys to this workout. A descent past the whaling museum follows, and the road is very narrow, twisty, and sandy, so this is where you recover. This leads into another short 15 second effort on a steep sprinter's wall back to Route 27, where you only stay for 100 meters, descending before turning hard right back onto the parkway. JB, try this sometime before you bail on us and see what you think.

I felt like shit, so the first few times I stayed seated and used easy gears, working on my climbing rhythm. I went easy on the flats and downhills. The first lap was 7:30. Each lap I went faster and faster, and by the sixth one, which was really the only one hard enough to qualify as a "real" interval, I had it down just under six minutes. My max HR was 153. Am I even alive? Well at least I did something, and on top of plyo too. I limped home, and sure did not finish feeling like I could have done more. In fact, 10k from home I just wanted the torture of pedaling 15 kph to end. Oh well. Seven hours combined for the weekend put me at 17 total so far for March, and it's only the 9th. I like where this is going. Thanks for reading.