tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930339405031460412024-02-18T20:27:44.666-06:00BikesCarsRacing.netDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.comBlogger574125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-65683345888983742342012-12-13T17:53:00.000-06:002012-12-13T20:05:12.159-06:00The Photo Isn't DoneThey say you should only show your best work. But, I want to memorialize my progress. So some ugly must be kept.
When I learned to develop and print film on paper it was surprising to me just how much work was done to images in the dark room. Creating the photograph isn't complete until the print is made.
After switching to digital I wasn't prepared for the same process. Digital is infinitely Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-51461800916175662412012-01-16T20:31:00.000-06:002012-01-17T16:17:02.631-06:00It's Supposed to be TiringThe beginning of a season is all about restarting the engine. Training is like a drug. Consistant dosage turns into tolerance. Only tolerance and resulting dosage increase is a good thing. Overdose is bad of course. I've done nothing special for recovery. No massage, no foam rolling, no Biofreeze. I'm accumulating enough fatigue that it's time to start paying attention to recovery.
Not Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-76978710758875846672012-01-14T19:57:00.001-06:002012-01-17T16:17:48.463-06:00Grins.Another day of mild temperatures and clear weather. Ideal for a run around Walnut Creek.
Ever get the feeling you're being watched on the trails? Perhaps you are...
I saw a fox a few minutes after this. Maybe this doe was being watched, too. We've had some recent rain. This... is a site unseen at WCP in quite some time... I'm not sure I've ever seen a wet spot out there?
Not long after Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-7054808927718305242012-01-11T20:53:00.002-06:002012-01-11T20:55:23.214-06:00BuggedMy rides are growing more meditative. Therapy from a tough couple of days. With a setting like this...
... one cannot help but feel better. The only problem are the bugs. With warm temperature, no winds the gnats are out in swarms. So thick I can't take my sunglasses off. I set the headlight to jogger-retina-burning setting. Can't breathe through the mouth either. Since the training goal is Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-8652173563407175562012-01-05T20:42:00.000-06:002012-01-05T20:42:59.073-06:00January PerfectionA perfect 74°F day today. Some broken clouds above. But nothing to keep one off the bike...
Up the road until well after dark. The work isn't intense, but it is steady. A carefully chosen route and laps at a newly de-tree'd Froot Loop help keep the pedals turning with minimal interruption.
Do I look happy?
Oh Yeah!
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-7028044577644287442012-01-04T22:30:00.002-06:002012-01-04T22:30:28.359-06:00What Month is This?
Out the door and on the bike immediately after work. I was undressing as I walked in the door. Fantastic weather. Mild temperatures. Mild wind. For January ...I cannot complain about a thing. And things look good through Monday. Two hours of endurance riding, leaving the body and spirits feeling good.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-63508176925450275132012-01-03T23:12:00.000-06:002012-01-04T16:15:13.974-06:00Cooking in the Kitchen
A rare site. Me on a trainer. I hate cycling in doors. Rollers are better than a trainer. Usually. But I'm trying to take a more meditative approach to riding the aluminum road to nowhere. Tonight I just wanted to be mindless on the saddle. Mindless and rollers equals a launch across the room. So the stationary trainer is the weapon of choice tonight. Ninety minutes of L2/3 steady state Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-90580846849171211042012-01-02T15:20:00.000-06:002012-01-04T16:14:49.536-06:00Starting 2012 Right.Week 1 of the 2012 season went well. Time and CTL goals met. Even managed to lose a few pounds ahead of schedule. The riding conditions have been pretty darn good. New Year's Eve ride was absolute perfection as far as weather conditions went. My routing went a bit astray. Luckily my riding partner and wife Jane has cyclocross skills....
It's all aerobic base mileage at this point. Not hard Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-51980539100263796572011-12-29T18:26:00.000-06:002011-12-29T18:26:13.450-06:00Bootstrapping the FitnessA steady endurance pace ride is the order for today. I do five minutes of alternating 15-second fast cadence spins, and 15-seconds of easy pedaling. Easy gear. It's just to get the muscle memory rebooted. It's surprising how these open up the body. Especially the hip joint and flexors.
The colors this year have been spectacular...
... not sure if it's due to the drought, or timing of the rainDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-47960923323169753612011-12-27T20:25:00.000-06:002011-12-27T20:25:07.989-06:00It's Not Pass/Fail. Thankfully.First performance test is in the bag. You know it really is a maximal effort when you rush to hover over the toilet after each battery; just in case.
I've done some not-so-nice things to my body over the last few months. The headlines... the body fat %-age is up. A lot. The functional power is down. A lot. The maximal burst power is down. A lot. I could go on. Quantifying regret isn't the Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-77320651177480484232011-12-21T21:23:00.000-06:002011-12-21T21:23:13.963-06:00Waiting.Monday was to be test day. Body had different ideas. Stuffy nose and a fever put things on hold. Despite the fever, and even chill shivers I cooked some chicken soup...
... because healing doesn't come from a can.
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-40002412582408546542011-12-18T16:18:00.003-06:002011-12-18T16:22:34.804-06:00Favorites of 2011
What a year!
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-25573145929868409762011-12-06T11:18:00.001-06:002011-12-07T09:47:42.992-06:00Cannot Stay Away
Changing seasons. Four consecutive days of cold, drizzly, and windy weather hearld winter's arrival. This fall has been an exceptional time. Large changes to my personal life and my professional career. Chaos, stress, and fatigue perculated too deeply into life. Time on the bike has suffered.
My stubborn focus on cycling has been somewhat puzzling. I've failed to race much this year. Yet I Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-69346122447261613792011-11-20T11:15:00.001-06:002011-11-20T11:50:54.365-06:00They Don't Call it Rebirth for NothingNo better way to recharge the soul than a set of Rebirth ...
... followed by a couple of days on the trail. Fall colors are coming out. Looks like Thanksgiving out here!
Thankful today I've stuck with mountain biking. It hasn't always been easy. There have been falls. And spills. Leaning trail skills has been a constant focus. But the dividends pay often. There is a peacefulness, a Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-41738562214250503132011-11-16T19:20:00.001-06:002011-11-16T20:30:45.384-06:00Cycles of LifeIt's that time of year. While the weather has turned favorable, the days are getting shorter and shorter with each passing day. These seasonable days are precious in our area. Soon it will be winter. Cold. Rainy. Dark. But for now... the dwindling days present great riding opportunity.
Today it's a race. A race to beat the sun before it sinks below the horizon. It has a head start. Here it is Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-58291838106146134492011-11-06T18:12:00.000-06:002011-11-07T09:04:09.361-06:00Twice Bitten.I love my XTR Trail (M988) brakes. They are true one-finger brakes. Great power AND modulation. Now... Shimano's hoses... I have no use for. My original hoses leaked. I replaced them with stock Shimano hoses. They leaked too. Same failure mode, as well. I could warranty these through Shimano. But... Since I'd rather ride my bike, than work on my bike, I cut my losses and went a different Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-50777564317418637152011-11-03T23:18:00.002-05:002011-11-03T23:26:23.219-05:00Knee Warmers!
Just cold enough for long sleeves and leg warmers today. Felt great! Indeed fall is here. Days are getting shorter. The goal for the next couple of weeks is squeeze in as much riding as possible. Soon sadness and darkness of winter will be upon us. And albino training will begin. Ick.
For now... its spend as much time outside as possible having fun. It's the most important time of the year!
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-8675189905489488942011-11-02T23:11:00.000-05:002011-11-02T23:11:30.941-05:00ProgressTwenty-ish pain free miles. I talked over my bum issue with my fitting 'consultant'. The puzzler has been that a saddle so comfortable on the road bike was unbareable on the MTB. She pointed out, that with the more upright position, I probably needed a wider saddle. Here's what the sit bones look like.
As one can see, they clearly get wider as you move back. The more upright the pelvis the Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-90825576007431827262011-10-30T18:53:00.001-05:002011-10-30T18:57:44.626-05:00Almost done.Tomorrow's ride isn't a given. But it should be do-able on some very tired legs. I did shuffle the rest day, though, to align the back-to-back rides over the weekend. I did some saddle experimentation on the Highball. To do it. I laid out a short lap route. This would allow me to dump the Highball if any pain developed and swap over to the rhoadie bike. The route...
... bring a variety of Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-14653539441694495842011-10-25T22:30:00.000-05:002011-10-25T22:32:53.742-05:00Stage 1A: 30 Miles, Much ButterCouple of days off the rump. I'm recycling my seven-day "shock" plan. Tonight, like last week... 30 miles of self-paced riding. All was good, except for mosquites which are the worst since Hurricane Ike. Every person I saw outside was swatting. Joggers have developed this odd sort of arm swing coupled with swatting mosquites off their bodies. One 'speed walker' on the Height's running path had itDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-62425845045701360082011-10-22T14:04:00.000-05:002011-10-22T14:04:12.558-05:00Stage 3: BuddhertzToday dawns with legs that feel good. Excited and hopeful for a long ride today. Target is 60.miles, self-paced.
I set out, and instantly I'm reminded of yesterday's ride. My butt hurts. Bad. It's not chaffed. No saddle sores. But it feels bruised. Turrible. I was a bit worried yesterday I was setting myself up for some real pain as my butt ached on the ride. I hoped it would 'heal' quickly. ItDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-57456043632012314412011-10-21T18:42:00.000-05:002011-10-22T13:44:59.653-05:00Stage 2: 20 MilesDay two of shocking the body. I hop on the HighBall today. This isn't a long ride. Only a 20.mile goal. Today I pack the DSLR camera. Wanted to check out how it packs on the bike and to take some photos. I take the MKT trail all the way to downtown. After some wandering I find how to get on the opposite side of the bayou across from UHD.
There is an old pump station here. I stop for some Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-16196542955617077262011-10-20T22:13:00.000-05:002011-10-21T10:14:01.483-05:00Stage 1: 30 MilesBeing back on the bike feels good. First day went acceptably well.
I really like Prolog bar tape. But their bar plugs suck. They catch on everything and tend to come dislodged.
Here's a tip. As you are riding and you notice the bar plug is loose... do not reach down and smack it with the heel of your hand to drive it home. ; )
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-65273292869401026732011-10-19T23:46:00.000-05:002011-10-20T16:03:37.861-05:00Shock and AweWith almost a month of little riding, and no structured training... my motor needs jumpstarting. Seven days, seven rides. Designed to shock the system back into life.
Stage 1: 30.miles
Stage 2: 20.miles
Stage 3: 60.miles
Stage 4: 60.miles
Stage 5: Rest day
Stage 6: 60 miles
Stage 7: 40 miles
Re-evaluate where I'm at when done. Not a tremendous amount of miles. But starting from slackerd Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793033940503146041.post-16263272984820584042011-10-11T19:34:00.000-05:002011-10-11T19:34:04.874-05:00Remember Your MannersIt's not nice to laugh at other's pain...
... I can't stop watching this. And laughing every time..Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10236689707654610941noreply@blogger.com0