This week’s log is going to be achingly bereft of comprehensive training data. I’ve been called to Iowa this week for work, and I haven’t brought my laptop-which has my copy of cycling peaks installed on it. So this week I will only have round numbers for my training data (oh, who am I kidding? I’ll be mostly guessing at my numbers). I have brought out my bike and rollers to Iowa (yes, I did drive-16 hours in one sitting, and yes, that is as bad as it sounds), but on the bright side, I will be able to have a nice training camp out here. Some fly to Arizona to get their miles in, others opt for California-I travel Iowa in January when the high temperature for the week is forecast to be 24 degrees. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to fire up my Betamax to watch “Ishtar”-how is that is a reference for our modern internet times?

Friday, January 23, 2009 Weight 154

This entry happened in New Jersey before my trip to Iowa, you can tell as I am describing something that happened outdoors. 

I’ve been pretty lucky this winter as far as my health goes. Last year I suffered a series of colds and other maladies that had me sniffling and oozing mucous. This year has been much better as far as contagious diseases go. My daughters are a year older and therefore are less likely to lick handrails or chew on things they find on the sidewalk. I, of course, still cling to my theory that chewing “concrete discoveries” promotes a good immune system, but I also took out an immune system insurance policy by getting a flu shot. So it came as  bit of shock when I developed my first respiratory infection of the winter season this week. Some may recommend fighting a cold to the bitter end, and in year’s past I may have agreed with that notion, but this year I’m taking a different approach. I’m going to go with the cold. I’m not even sure what that means, but I’m going to cozy up with my cold this year, and really get to know it; and not just try to eradicate it as soon as possible. I’m calling for a cold detente.

And since I have a cold, today I rode outside and did 20 minutes of tempo and 5 sprints, I have the precious data for these intervals somewhere, but I stubbornly refuse to find and post them, as my cold does not want to share my numbers with the world. My cold gets jealous, even when I’m just asking the waitress at Applebee’s about the soup specials.

Saturday, January 24, 2009 Weight 154

This is another New Jersey entry, reference the “actually riding outdoors” note from above.

I got up and rode outside today in the morning for about 1:30 or so. This ride is a hazy memory now as I am writing this after the fact. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I think I was able to  make my bike levitate ever so slightly above the earth, reducing my rolling resistance to a positive number, hence making it rolling propulsion. I accomplished this by a combination of meditation and the ingestion of large amount of powdered sugar.

Monday, January 26, 2009 Weight 154

This is the last New Jersey entry, a hasty outdoor ride that was wedged into my schedule in anticipation of  a long stretch indoors to avoid the Iowa deep freeze.

I think I went fast today, but I left my training data at home. I can only assume that I was so powerful today that I altered the rotation of the Earth. That tremor you felt on Monday at midday was me altering the planet’s outer plate ever so slightly. I expect shock tremors to happen in Bakersfield California soon. Sorry, Bakersfield, but you know you had it coming.

Wednesday January 28, 2009 Weight 152

When you drive for 16 hours straight through the heart of the rust belt you learn a few things, well mostly one thing, and that is as follows. There’s a reason why Indiana has a 70 mph speed limit-so no one has to spend any extra time in Indiana. Maybe that should be their new state slogan: “Indiana-we’re here, you’re here; let’s get this over with as quickly as possible.” 

And please try not to breathe when you pass through Gary, he’s a little gassy.

Here’s my un-formatted numbers – without my beloved normalized power numbers:

1:23:50 riding time

205 average 296 max

136 average HR

1025 Kj

36.87 miles

80 average cadence

Thursday January 29, 2009 Weight 152

My weight here is holding steady at 152, as I have been riding about 120 minutes or so a day. I may be the first person to have relocated to Iowa and actually lost weight. This, of course, violates many state statutes, so I will have to keep my weight loss a carefully guarded secret. I am strapping on my belt of “man-padding” right now.

1:28:45 riding time 

199 average 542 max

139 average HR

1042 Kj

38.81 miles

79 average cadence

I also did a set of 20/10 intervals, the numbers are below:

20/10

321 average

175 average

183 max