100 mile week

Rode 40 miles yesterday morning with David, Eric, Jude, Karen, and Susan, a new person to join the group who works for JDRF. This brings my weekly total for last week up to 100, which isn't quite where I need to be, but ain't too bad.

A new problem, aside from time, fatigue, and lack of preparedness has entered the picture: Weather. It is tough to figure out how to dress when it's 52 degrees out. Too much, and you sweat like crazy. Too little and you get cold and miserable. I did fine yesterday with my grey shirt and the orange "run hit wonder" shirt on top of that for additional warmth and visibility. I also wore long pants, which was good. I think I need to buy a thin fleece or something like that.

Next week will be tough. I am in Wenatchee and then in Yakima for 3 days and won't have a chance to ride to work. And I can't ride to work tomorrow. Looks like Tuesday will be it.

Oh the trials and tribulations! Don't forget to donate to JDRF under my name by clicking on the "Ride for the Cure" link to the right. Thanks!

Another 30

To and from work today, more or less uneventful. I found a better way to and from, making it only a little over 15 miles each way, which kind of defeats the purpose of training for a long ride, but, time is of the essence when you awake as late as I do, and have a great wife and kid to come home to.

On my way to work, on South Rainier, just inside the Renton city limits, I saw these two pink dinner table chairs on the corner. I was pretty sure they were giveaways or junk. Coming home, there was a father and daughter sitting in the chairs, watching cars go by. The man said hello to me and said "nice bike." He was having the time of his life with his kid. The thing that was both odd and beautiful about this was that this was not the type of place you would think to sit on the street. There was no cafe nearby. There was no business that could be done on that corner. There was certainly no view, other than cars carelessly whizzing by. But this man and his kid seemed happier than ever to be there. They waved bye and wished me a nice evening. The world needs more people like this.

125 mile week!

So counting last Sunday's ride, I've gotten in 125 miles this week, which ain't too shabby. I probably should still be logging more, but, I'm on my way.

So you see the account of the painful 59 below. Thursday of this week, I rode to work, logging 18 miles there and 15 back, (different routes, and a bad turn account for the difference. That's another 33, then just today with David and gang we logged another 33. I was thinking today's ride would be longer, as did the rest of us, however, it was a nice chance to turn in early, (it was kind of wet anyway) and see my new boy. (Click "my other blog" to the right.)

I am about 6 weeks away and according to the below chart, I'm not doing so bad. I was thinking I would need to put in a 70, then 80, then 90 mile day before the ride, but not according to this. But, to keep up, I will need to ride to work more than I have been, (which is once).

Twenty-one years ago, we created what's probably the most successful century training plan in history. (No one keeps stats--but we used to, and in 1993, we reported that more than 300,000 cyclists had used our no-nonsense, effective program to complete a 100-mile ride.) There are never any guarantees in cycling--you might suffer the seven-flat day, or meet the love of your life munching PB&J at the first rest stop and abandon all other pursuits on the spot--but these plans are as locked down as you get. One is for cyclists attempting their first century, for those who currently average 40-50 miles per week, or who are by nature more tentative. The second program is designed for riders who want to power through a century, or those whose current weekly mileage exceeds 75. PLAN 1: To Do It
WEEK	MON.	TUES.	WED.	THURS.	FRI.	SAT.	SUN.	TOTAL
	Easy*	Pace**	Brisk***	Rest****	Pace	Pace	Pace
1	6	10	12	OFF	10	30	9	77
2	7	11	13	OFF	11	34	10	86
3	8	13	15	OFF	13	38	11	98
4	8	14	17	OFF	14	42	13	108
5	9	15	19	OFF	15	47	14	119
6	11	15	21	OFF	15	53	16	131
7	12	15	24	OFF	15	59	18	143
8	13	15	25	OFF	15	65	20	153
9	15	15	25	OFF	15	65	20	155
10	15	15	25	OFF	10	5*	100	170

Today's ride, which I haven't even talked about yet, seemed like the easiest ride ever. Perhaps it is me getting in better shape, (I hope) but it felt downhill most of the way. Whenever riding downhill on a ride, the pessimist in me says there's another uphill coming, but it never felt that way. We rode all the way around Lake Sammamish and I felt like we were cruising the whole time. I almost never left the high gears on my bike.

Perhaps I shouldn't make it seem too easy! Who will want to support my JDRF ride? Well, just in case I do breeze through this and can do a century ride no problem, just remember those with juvenile diabetes have a hard time cruising through anything, and I'm doing this for them. Pony up some dough by clicking on "Ride for the Cure" off to the right, and donating to Kevin Kincade's ride. And thanks in advance!

Fifty-Nine (Painful) Miles.

Well, actually, probably only about twenty were painful. My goal was sixty but the turn around point at 29.5 in Redmond was too convenient, a perfect spot for gatorade and to wolf down a cliff bar quick before hitting the road again.

I was feeling like I could do anything after last week's fifty-one mile ride. I started out pretty fast, and I felt great all the way into Redmond. But fatigue set in around mile forty, in my neck and in my butt, and metaphorically anyway, things just kept going downhill. And 28th to 25th on Madison is not a welcome sight for someone who's just ridden fifty-eight miles. At least not someone in my shape. After I got home, I pretty much wandered around in a daze for about a half-hour. Laura asked me if I was OK a couple times. I think I should have drank more gatorade.

The same thing happened to me the first time I ran sixteen miles. I came home and I felt sick for about two hours. The next week, I ran eighteen, drank more gatorade, and felt fine. We'll see next week when (if) I pierce the seventy mile mark. There is a route that goes around upper lake Washington, if I can find it.

Here are some pics from a much easier day: Up above, actually, I thought they would show up below. I'm still new at this:

The I-90 bike tunnel, and on a much better day, training for the ride.

Don't forget to donate. Just follow the link to "Ride for the Cure" to the right, and donate to Kevin Kincade. Thanks!