Long time, no post

It has been over a month since my last post. Things are going great at the shop, so there hasn't been a lot of idle time. I have been on a pretty regular training schedule. Nothing to rigorous, but hopefully just enough to keep me in shape. I have been alternating daily hour runs with hour rides on the rollers. I have been relying heavily on my heartrate monitor to keep me honest. I put a Kreitler Killer Headwind attachment on my rollers, and it has made all the difference. I can actually stand up for 5 minute increments with the headwind option on. I usually mix up my roller work outs with hard/easy intervals. Five minutes hard, three minutes easy, etc... This makes the time go by fast. My runs have been funner. I have been doing my favorite Scenic loop around our house as well as the Elmo Loop. Yesterday I ran in Golden Gate Park for an hour and 15 minutes. Claire and I were down in the city for the weekend.

I haven't decided whether I want to do the World's Toughest Triathlon in May or not. I have two more weeks to decide. There is a break in the weather right now, so maybe we will head out for a bike ride.

Morning run

I went out and did my favorite loop this morning. I did it in reverse to add some excitement. It is awesome to live out here where I can run right out the door and not see any cars. I love the loop since it has lots of hills and some dirt. With the time change, I will need to do my exercise in the morning. Tomorrow I will hit the rollers for the first time in a while.

Not much training going on

I haven't had much time to do much training lately. I have been able to get out for a couple of runs here and there. I ran to Sebastopol from the shop the other evening. I was planning on running to Ragle Park, but it was starting to get dark and I was on some narrow country roads. Claire picked me up with a mile or so to go. I figure I ran about 13 miles.
Claire and I rode into Healdsburg the other day for lunch. We took Mathilda in the trailer and rode the tandem. It was a gorgeous day. We stopped at a regional park on the way home and let Mathilda swim for a while.
We loaded up our mountain bikes for a ride yesterday, but we had forgotten that we didn't have anyone to close the shop, so we couldn't leave early. At least we tried. It has been rainy today, which is nice. The shop has been slow, so I have been able to finish up on some of the repairs that I had been putting off.

Saturday, September 29

The shop has been much busier than expected, and that means that Chaz doesn't have as much time to exercise as he would like. I can't complain since business is so good and I'm having such a good time at the shop. I get a big grin on my face sometimes at the shop since I am having so much fun working on bikes and talking to people about bikes, and I'm getting paid for it. Anyway, enough about that. I did get out this morning before work for a 7.5 mile run. I felt pretty good, but I could tell that I'm not getting much running in. We will be going out tomorrow morning with our son, William for a short mountain bike ride. William hasn't been on his bike in quite a while, so we are going to make it short and sweet. Claire and I plan on doing the Chalk Hill loop on Monday. I also have my sourdough starter out on the counter getting ready for some bread making in the next couple of days.

Monday, September 17, 2007

I went out and ran a half marathon today. It felt terrible right from the start. I had to force myself to just keep going. I had measured out the distance earlier in the week on my bike. I ended up running out Martinelli and taking the bike path to the Graton water treatment plant. It took me 1 hour and 40 minutes. My knees were hurting pretty good at the end of the run. That is all I have to say about it.

Breaking the 50 minute barrier

I finally broke the 50 minute barrier on my loop. It happened Thursday evening after a day at the shop. I had a good 20 minute warm-up, and was psyched to break the record. My previous best was 51:10. I knew when I got to the top of Scenic Road and I was over a minute faster than my previous splits that I was on a good pace. I ended up going 48:06. I am going to try to include a picture of my loop from Google Earth. According to my path, it is a 6.5 mile loop. It is very hilly and about a third of it is on dirt. If you check out the map, you will notice that I leave the road a couple of times to run on some very old logging roads and some pretty cool single track. I feel so lucky living out here having these loops to do.

Yesterday evening I rode home from the shop on my new Somec Fixed Gear. I don't know if I have already mentioned that I built up the old frame that I bought back in 1990. I will get a picture of it in here sometime. It is fun to ride. With a smaller front wheel, it can get a little rough on the bumpy sections of the road. I have it set up with a 39x15 gear right now which seems to work pretty well on the hilly terrain around here.

Today Claire and I are going to pick some apples and pears and made lots of sauce to freeze. I am still waiting for our figs to ripen so I can try drying some of those. There are some ripe looking figs up in the tree, but they don't want to come off easily. I have read that the figs should be practically falling off when you go to pick them.

September 9 and 10

Went out for a run around my hilly loop. I still haven't been able to break that magic 50 minute barrier. I went 51:10. I think now that I can make up some time at the start of the run. My loop is up Scenic, around Canyon, and then down the secret road. I then turn left on Terrace, take Terrace till the hairpin where I take the secret path. Run to the end of Summer Home Park, and then run back home. I have tried to sketch it out on Google Maps, but I can't figure out how to get my secret trails in there.

My dad and grandparents are here for a couple of days before they head up to Oregon. We are going out for a short bike ride in a bit. Dad and I will ride the Ibis tandem and Claire will ride her Cannondale Six-13. I have made a couple of loafs of sourdough bread which are going through their first rising right now. One is a traditional recipe, the other is whole wheat with walnuts and oats. We also made about 3 gallons of apple sauce this morning from some of our apples. It turned out terrific. We will be freezing most of it. I checked the figs, and there are finally some that are blackening up. I have been doing some research on picking them, and it sounds like I need to wait until they are just about ready to fall off on their own. Here is a picture of my bread.

Monday, September 3

On Sunday, we went out for a 4 hour hike in Austin Creek State Recreational Area with our friends Greg and Sherie. It was a good, hearty hike that was made tougher by the sun and the heat. We started early, around 8, to try to beat the heat, but by the time we finished we were hiking up the side of some big hills in the direct sun. We went in to Guerneville afterwards for some great Mexican food at Taqueria La Tapatia.

Monday morning I ran 10 miles and felt terrific. I was trying to take it easy and smooth. After the run I went out and rode my newest fixed gear bike around our favorite loop.

Monday, August 27

It was a beautiful day in Sonoma County today. It was the second of two days off, which is a first in about 3 or 4 weeks. We spent yesterday recuperating from the work week. Claire and I went out on the tandem this morning and did a 36 mile loop out to Duncans Mills. We stopped at the Gold Coast Coffee Company and had a couple of mochas and a couple of slices of pizza. When we got back, I put on my new Pearlizumi running shoes and went out for a 7.5 mile run.

Monday, August 20

We have been working 6 days a week for the last 3 weeks. It is hard to fit in a lot of training. Today is our one day off, and we are trying our best to relax and recuperate from the week. I went out and ran for about an hour early this morning. My hamstring was tight as a drum, and didn't want to loosen up. The run was not as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. Claire and I then went out for a 20 mile loop from our house. It is our favorite loop. We are now going to have a homemade mocha and sit by the pool.

Running in Annadel

I went for a great run last night in Annadel State Park. I ran for a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes. I am planning on participating in the Humboldt Redwood Marathon which will take place on October 21. I haven't set any goals for myself yet. Many, many years ago I ran 3:05 in the Drake Marathon back in Iowa. I didn't train at all for it, but I was only 19, and was coming off a swimming season where I had been swimming about 5 hours a day. It would be great to break that 3 hour mark, but I don't know if my legs have that many 7 minute miles in them. I really have fallen in love with running, so I am looking forward to the training. The run was definitely my weakest event during the Vineman, but part of that can be attributed to my lack of food and water.

Its over

I will just say for now that I made it. It went well overall. I finished in 12 hours and 22 minutes. The run really kicked my butt. I got out of the water in around 56 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise for me. I felt GREAT during the swim. Claire figures that I was 2nd out of the water in my age group. My bike ride ended up taking 5 hours and 54 minutes, which brought me into the run transition in exactly 7 hours. That was exactly where I wanted to be. The first half of the bike ride went great, and I was drinking plenty of water and actually had to stop twice to pee. I hadn't anticipated any problems with food, but I was surprised that there was so little of it at the aid stations. I think I am used to bicycling events where there is plenty to eat. I had brought along three packages of Cliff Bloks, but I went through those pretty fast. I was able to grab a couple of banana halfs and a Cliff Bar, but I knew that I wasn't getting the calories that I needed. At the end of the bike leg, I was feeling worse than I had hoped, and I wasn't too hopeful for the coming marathon. The run consisted of three "out and back" loops, each a bit under 9 miles. As I set out on the run, I was pleasantly surprised at how good I felt. I kept telling myself to take it easy, but I was clicking out 8:30 miles with no problems, or at least I thought there were no problems. I was still having trouble getting water and food into my system. I was again surprised that some of the aid stations just had junk to eat like oreo cookies or fig newtons. So, at the 6 mile mark, I forced down a little coca-cola, some water, and finally a cliff shot. I was excited that I got something down, and I was still feeling light on my feet. Then at the 8 mile mark, I lost everything I had just drank and eaten, if you catch my jist. It was not a pretty sight, but I did at least move off to the side of the road. Anyway, I felt great after that, but knew that there was trouble to come. At the 10 mile mark, the trouble hit. And basically, the rest of the run was spent hobbling along with cramps in both legs and not feeling to good. My first lap took me 1 hour and 15 minutes, my second lap took me 1 hour and 55 minutes, and my last lap took me 2 hours and 10 minutes. I know where I can make up some time next year. I did manage to lose over 15 pounds in the course of the day. That is a lot of water.
Claire, William and Carrie were waiting for me at the finish line. They all said that it took them some time to recognize me when I was running towards them. Claire ran down and took a picture as I crossed the finish line. We then went out to dinner at The Bear Republic in Healdsburg, but I couldn't eat anything, and was only able to drink some Sprite. I did wake up the next day feeling great, and was able to work at the shop with Claire and Nelson.

One more day

Tomorrow is the event. Claire and I stayed home from work today. I have been resting for the most part. We rode our bikes to Windsor to pick up my race packet and to drop off my running stuff at that transition. It was about a 20 mile loop, nice and easy. It looks like I will be getting lucky with the weather tomorrow since it is only supposed to get up to about 80. I'm sure all the athletes will appreciate that. Maybe not the aquabike people since they would be done before it would be getting too hot. I've got the bike in the bus ready to go along with my wetsuit and stuff. Now I will be getting my prerace, good luck, haircut from Claire. Next time I write, it will all be over with.

Three Days

Well, I just went out for a twenty minute run and felt awful. I haven't run since Friday, and I expected to feel great. Claire pointed out that twenty minutes isn't even long enough to get warmed up properly. The shop has been very busy, and I have been on my feet in the work area for at least 9 hours for the last couple of days, so that is taking a toll on my legs. We will be doing the same tomorrow, but I will be taking Friday off and try to stay off my feet as much as possible. I also got my new Pearlizumi running shoes one size to small. They are actually the perfect fit, but you want running shoes to be one size bigger for your toes. I think my feet have gotten bigger this last year since my cycling shoes are too small and my running shoes are too small. I will make sure I wear my thinnest socks on Saturday. I also have an old pair of running shoes that are a little worn out, but are the right size, so I can change into those if I need to. The run leg of the race goes through the transition area twice during the run, so I can change my shoes if things get bad. I did decide to wear my full wetsuit after swimming the other night. It felt great. I figured out that it is over 18 years old.

Five more days

Claire and I went out for a 20 mile ride this morning. Then we sat by the pool and read our books for the afternoon. We will be heading down to Guerneville this evening for a swim. I tried out the farmer John wetsuit last Friday, and tonight I want to try out my old full wetsuit that I purchased for the World's Toughest back in 1989. I want to see how my shoulders feel. In the past I have noticed that the tightness can make my shoulders ache a bit. I know that the full wetsuit is faster, but if my shoulders hurt, then the farmer john would be better. We worked yesterday, and will be going in to work tomorrow, but I will have Friday off to rest.

One week to go

One more week. Yesterday I went out and did my last brick before the race. It wasn't a true brick since I had to knead some sourdough between the bike and the run. I felt pretty good, still a little tired from Monday's workout. I actually went down and swam in Guerneville with my borrowed wetsuit, and then rode 61 miles over the Vineman course. I averaged 19.6 mph, and felt pretty comfortable the whole way. I then mixed together some bread, and then went out and ran for an hour and a half. The run felt great except for a little pain in my thighs. I had a chance to try out my brand new shoes, which worked great. I plan on taking it easy for this next week.

Another Brick

Went out on Monday and hurt myself pretty good. Claire and I rode 53 miles out to the coast and down to Bodega and home. It was a beautiful ride and it was nice to be out of the heat at the coast. We had a powerful tailwind heading down the coast. We stopped for coffee in Duncan's Mills. It was my first ride on my aerobars. My hips started hurting after about a mile, and then I stopped and lowered my saddle about an eight of an inch, and then no pain the rest of the ride. I was very happy with the position. Here is a map of this route.
After the ride, I changed into my running stuff and headed out for a couple of hours. I did a 15 mile run in around 2:06. It was extremely hot out there, probably in the 90's. I hurt pretty good at the end, but I think it was because I didn't have any food with me. I drank plenty of water though. Here is a map of that route.
I basically do an out and back on Martinelli twice with a run through the regional park in between. I was able to get water in the park and I carried a water bottle with me. It is back to work today. I will try to get some swims in this week and maybe another long ride on Thursday or Friday.

Twelve More Days

The title says it all. Less than two weeks till the Vineman. I have to assume that I can't screw up all my training in two weeks. I haven't run in four days, but I plan on getting out later today after a bike ride. I finally got my aerobars on my bike, but haven't had a chance to ride it yet. Claire and I rode into work and home on Saturday. I had Mathilda in the trailer and we rode the flat way. The way home was into a tough headwind.
It is Monday morning now. I just ordered myself a couple of pairs of Pearlizumi running shoes. I know that you are not supposed to change shoes with only a week to go, but my current running shoes are all off-road shoes. I figure I will be able to get in a couple of short runs in them before the race.
I still haven't tried on my old wetsuit for the swim. It seems like it makes my shoulders sore, probably from the lack of flexibility. It would be nice if the water was warm enough that they would not allow wetsuits, but I think it would have to rise a couple of more degrees for that. I thought about trying to borrow a "farmer John" wetsuit with out sleeves, but haven't been able to locate one yet.

Running home from Sebastopol

Claire dropped me off in Sebastopol and I ran home from there. It is around 13 miles and last night it took me 1 hour and 43 minutes. I did an extra loop around Ragle park beforehand to add in some extra miles. My legs felt relatively good considering we had gone in to work at 7:30 and had gotten off at 5:00. I figure I can consider that some cross training, standing in the work area all day and then running. Only 16 more days till the Full Vineman. I can't think of anything else I could be doing better to train for it. Maybe some more swimming, but I will survive that part no matter what. I will try to get in a swim today at the SSU pool. I still haven't put my aerobars on my bike yet, and I need to get some miles in using the aero position.

Claire and I are considering signing up for the Ukiah Triathlon which takes place Sept. 7. Claire hasn't done a triathlon since she did the Olympic Vineman many years ago. It will be a 1/2 mile swim, a 21.7 mile bike ride, and a 3 mile run. I have always wanted to do this event, and am looking forward to the it.

Death Ride and Tahoe Weekend

Well, the Death Ride was this last Saturday and it went great. I rode the complete ride with Eric from Oakland who was the perfect riding companion. He and I were very compatible with our pace. We ended up with a total riding time of around 8 hours and 45 minutes. I was very happy with my intake of water and food. There have been years past where I was unable to eat or drink during the latter parts of the ride, and I paid the price. This year I even had two sandwiches at lunch and 5 popsicles at the top of the fifth pass. My top speed was 58.5 mph, which I did on Carson. I did catch a tandem on Carson, and really appreciated the pull along the flats before descending down Woodsford Pass.
We camped the night after at Fallen Leaf Campground with Eric and Jen and our friend Hunt from Petaluma. The next day we went for a hike up to Fallen Leaf Lake and then I went for a 10 mile run which felt great. Less than 3 weeks to go till the Vineman.

Training Update

Well, it is just a couple of days before the Death Ride. I haven't been on my bike for about a week, but I have gotten out on a couple of pretty good runs. Last night Claire dropped me off in Sebastopol and I ran home. It took about an hour and 20 minutes. I timed myself on a couple of miles in the middle and was running 7:40 miles. I felt pretty good. It was all pavement miles, and I could feel it a bit in my thighs, but this morning my legs feel great. I went out for a two hour run up near Yosemite on Monday. It was almost all trail running. I get a little nervous on the steep uphills because of my past calf pains. I haven't had any new calf pains. I am quite excited about the Death Ride. I am at my lightest weight in quite a while, and even though I haven't been doing the big old long rides, I have been pretty consistent up till a couple of weeks ago.

Pain and suffering in the heat

So, we decided to close the shop on the 4th of July since Claire and I needed a day off. I took the opportunity to do a brick workout. I went out at about 11 in the morning, with the temperature just hitting 90 or so, and rode over Sweetwater. Not once, but twice. It was a scorcher out there. It was over a 100 when I finished up at 2 or so. I then slammed down a bottle of water and went out for a 7.5 mile run. The heat really kicked my butt. I usually do that run in around 56 minutes, and this time it took 70 minutes. It was a great workout, but a paid for it a bit later with some cramping in the legs. I really didn't hold back on the bike at all, going 1:22 on my first loop and 1:26 on the second.
I went in to swim today, but the pool was closed. I have been having a very hard time finding some time to swim. It is hard to get away from the shop in the afternoon no matter how early I start work. Today I dropped everything and rode my bike down to SSU only to find out that there was no lap swimming. It did give me a chance to get to the library and pick up some books I had reserved.
Tomorrow Claire and I are going to Carson City for her brother's wedding. We will get out for a ride and run in the morning, and I will take my running stuff along, but no cycling for a couploe of days. The Death Ride is in 9 days.

Sunday off from work

It is Sunday afternoon, and we didn't have to work today. My parents and nephews are visiting for a couple of days. I took yesterday off from any exercise, but I got in some good riding during the week, mainly commuting back and forth to the shop. I went out for my first run today in over a week. I ran very slowly, and was able to run with just a little bit of calf pain for about an hour and a half. I had to keep reminding myself to slow down since I didn't want to strain myself too much. I really had missed the running and was thrilled to death to be back out. I got my swimming exercise today by throwing my two nephews, Ryan and Kevin into our pool over and over and over again. It was a good upper body workout. Only 20 days till the Death Ride and 41 days till the Vineman. I can't believe they are coming up so fast.

St. Helena and Ink Grade

I had a really great 90 mile bike ride today. I left from the house early this morning and headed out to Dry Creek and then Hwy. 128 into St. Helena. I met Claire in St. Helena and then did the Pope Valley/Ink Grade Loop. I did an extra climb up Deer Park Road out of Pope Valley and then rode down Ink Grade and then back up again. We met another couple in Pope Valley, and they took us up on our invitation to meet them at the Calistoga Inn for some lunch and some beers. They were from Toronto and had just become engaged a couple of days earlier. I felt great on the ride and didn't feel tired at all even at the end. My calf is still giving me some issues when I run, but I have been icing it and taking some Ibprofen to reduce the swelling.

training update

Let's see, things are going great in the training world. Claire and I went down to Big Basin for three days to do some camping. I went out and ran for 2 hours and 20 minutes. I figure I did about 15 or 16 miles since I did a 11 mile trail loop in an hour and 40 minutes, and then did some more running to get in the extra time. We went out for a couple of bike rides one of them we went up China Grade, which I did years ago during "Mr. Bill's Nightmare", which was one of my favorite organized rides.
I went out last night, but experienced a little tightness in my right calf so I turned back early. I think I will have to add in some more stretching. I have been neglecting the swimming portion of my training, but I will start swimming today at the SSU pool. Hopefully I can hit it 2 or 3 times a week.
It is only 29 days till the Death ride and 50 days till the Vineman. I feel like everything is going according to plans. My weight is down right where I want it, and my runing is feeling great. I need to get a couple of more nice long bike rides in before the Deathride, but otherwise...

Sweetwater Springs Road Take Three

I went out for a good, tough ride this morning. I got to do one of my favorite loops not just once, but three times. It is the Sweetwater loop, which turns out to be exactly 23 miles. It takes me roughly an hour and a half for a loop. This morning I went 1:22 on the first lap, 1:24 on the second, and 1:28 on the third. I was hurting pretty good on the final time up. It was also getting a little windy. I had my zone on my heart rate monitor set between 130 and 170 beats per minute. I ended up being below my zone for 34 minutes, above my zone for 34 and in my zone for 3 hours. I think those were the numbers. I don't know the elevation gain of Sweetwater, but I do know that it is steep.
I was planning to run as soon as I got back, but it felt more satisfying to make some homemade bread and do some house cleaning. I will get in a couple of long runs this week.

Half Ironman

Well, I went out yesterday and did a half ironman, without the swimming. Claire and I did the Vineman loop on our tandem, and then I went and ran for two hours. I felt great until the last half hour, but even then it wasn't too bad. I really feel like training is going well. I probably need to do some more work in the aero position, but otherwise... I did hop in our pool on Monday and swim for half an hour with the bungee cords tied to my feet. I know its not the same as a good open water swim, but my shoulders were a tiny bit sore the next day, which is a good sign. The bike shop is starting to swing into high gear, so I need to make sure I find the time to train. I am also quite happy with my weight loss, only half a stone to go.

Sick as a Dog

I had big plans on Monday to do a half ironman distance on my own, or should I say with a little help from Claire, but alas, I came down with a 48 hour flu. Instead of out on the road enjoying the beautiful weather, I was under some blankets on the couch with a 102 degree temperature. I didn't feel much better on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening I ran for 70 minutes up in Anadel. I felt great and kept up a good pace. I had a little tightness in the calves at the hour mark, but nothing I couldn't live with. Claire came along on her mountain bike so that she could get some fresh air also. It is tough being motivated at the end of the work day sometimes. Today we should hopefully get out of the shop a couple of minutes early and do some hill riding.

Getting aero

I rode my yellow Cannondale into work yesterday with my aerobars and forward seat position. It was uncomfortable for the first half an hour, but felt pretty good by the time I got into Cotati. The ride home was very comfortable except for some tiredness in the legs from a day in the work area. I feel like I have a pretty good cycling base right now, and I am going to start concentrating more on my time trialling. I plan on doing my own half ironman around here on Tuesday. I am experiencing a bit of tendon pain in my left calf which goes away after I get warmed up.

Tour of the Unknown Coast

Claire and I just got back from doing the TUC (Tour of the Unknown Coast) and then spending some time up in Oregon with my parents. We did the 100 km route with Mathilda the dog in our trailer. We seemed to brighten up many people's days, and Mathilda got plenty of cookies at the rest stops. The ride starts out of Ferndale and goes out through the Avenue of the Giants. There are three pretty good climbs at the beginning and then again at the end since the 100 km is an out-and-back loop. The hills were especially tough with Mathilda in the trailer. The 100 mile version which we have done many times before is a challenging ride with almost 10,000 feet of climbing. Since it is a mass start event, there are plenty of people who like to race the whole thing. I also got in some great runs up on the Oregon Coast. Claire organized a couple of hikes at Cape Perpetua, and I was able to do some trail running. It was like running in "Nerf World".

Yesterday was bike to work day, and everyone at the shop biked in. Paul bikes everyday, but he added some extra miles. Nelson rode in his Giant downhill bike, to prove that it was possible, and I rode in my fixed gear from Forestville. I met Claire after work for some more riding, and she and I rode over every steep grade we could find on the way home.

Skaggs Springs and Kings Ridge

Went out on a great ride on Saturday. I needed some alone time, so I did one of my favorite loops in West County. It ended up being 98 miles and took me 6 hours. I ended up getting caught up in the Wine Country Century for about 20 miles. There were lots and lots of riders taking up the road. I ran into a couple of old friends and chatted for a while with them, and then headed out from lake Sonoma on my own. Here is a link to a map (hopefully). I felt pretty good the whole way, but was ready to be home by the end. The weather was perfect, not to hot or cool. I even had enough energy at the end to play some horseshoes and drink some beer with some friends

Running in Annadel

I went out for a 10 mile run on Wednesday evening in Annadel State Park. It was fantastic. The weather was perfect, and I felt great. I ended up running up Rough-Go and then making my way over to Burma and back down Marsh Trail. I wasn't wearing a watch, so I don't know how long it took me, but I was keeping up a pretty good pace.

On a different note, I just received a new pair of cycling shoes from Cannondale. They are carrying the Diadora brand. I haven't had a new pair of road shoes in probably close to 10 years. These are beautiful, and retail for $350. I can't wait to take them out for a ride. I got the Prorace Carbons in black.

Tuesday, May 1

Claire and I went out for a great 50 miler today. Our route took us out to Jenner, and then down the coast and over Bay Hill Road. There were a couple of drops of rain near Cazadero, but otherwise it was perfect. We had a great tailwind down the coast, and averaged about 25 mph on that section. The tandem is great for that kind of terrain. I ran for an hour yesterday. I was going to try to run longer, but my calf was feeling tender. I will definitely need to work on increasing the lengths of my runs. I haven't been swimming lately since our swim teacher at the JC has decided to have us play water polo instead of swimming.

April 23rd, 2007

The third race of the grasshopper series was Saturday. The weather conditions were perfect, it was dumping rain, howling wind, and very cold. It took us out over King's Ridge, which is very hilly and consists of narrow winding roads with plenty of gravel and cattle guards. Over two-thirds of the pack didn't finish the race. I rode the entire event with Eric from Oakland. It was his first Grasshopper race, and his first race since 1988. In hindsight, he thought it was a great time. It was his wife's birthday, so they had come up together for a weekend in Healdsburg. We went out with them last night (Sunday) for a couple of pints (Pliney the Elder at Russian River Brewery) and some Indian food. We have the next couple of days off, and the weather is going to be sunny and in the 70's. Tomorrow we will get out for a nice long bike ride, today is running and swimming. Training has been going good, I've taken some time off from running, but will get back into it today.

Sweetwater Road Revisited

What a beautiful day Sonoma County offered us. I got out on a great bike ride, maybe my new favorite. Thanks to Claire's suggestion, I have a new "out and back" loop. I have a tendency to do the same ride over and over, probably because of my swimming background, so yesterday, when I suggested going out over Sweetwater Road, Claire suggested that maybe I would have more fun if I was able to climb it twice. So I went down Westside Road, turned on Sweetwater, and then climbed over the hill and turned around at the bottom of the other side and climbed back over. The ride took me just a couple of minutes over two hours. It took 14 minutes for the climb up the backside of Sweetwater, and 20 minutes for the frontside (Guerneville side). The loop kept me off of River Road, which is the dicey part of the ride. I then had a great swim workout at the JC. It was warm enough to ride in shorts and a short sleeve jersey. I got to try out my new Cannondale Lazor Cut Bibs, which were very comfortable, especially the upper half. I really like the fact that the legs aren't too long either.

First Grasshopper

The first race of the Grasshopper series was this last Saturday. It was a perfect day for the race, a little drizzle, a little rain, and plenty of good energy. The first 5 or 6 miles of the race is supposed to be neutral, meaning that nobody should be attacking. It was pretty interesting heading down Bohemian Hwy. in the rain. For the most part, nobody's brakes were working, so everyone was a little nervous about having to slow down in a hurry. At one point a couple of riders went down aobut 10 feet in front of me. I decided that it would not be good to slow down with half the pack behind me, so I swerved around them. As I looked back over me shoulder, there was a tiny bit of chaos as other riders weren't so lucky. Anyway, after a quick pee break outside of Duncan's Mills, the race started moving a little faster. Things really don't start until you hit Old Duncan Road, which is a sweet old dirt road (mud at this time of year). From there you make your way over to Old Cazadero Road. You climb up on pavement, but then you descend on dirt (mud), a quick creek crossing at the bottom, and then you climb back up on dirt (mud). After heading through Cazadero, you head out to Willow Creek road which is a dirt climb that goes up 1200 feet in about 5 miles. A great way to end the race. I felt great the entire time and was very pleased with the experience. I am looking forward to the next race in a couple of weeks.

Sweetwater Road

It has been a couple of days since I last wrote in. The weather has been great out here in Northern CA. I have been getting out on some good bike rides lately. I've ridden Sweetwater three times in the last two days. It is a great climb and the loop only takes about an hour and a half from our front door. Tomorrow we will be riding out to the top of Coleman Valley Road to see Stage 1 of the Tour of California. On Tuesday we will be riding up Trinity road to check out the second stage. It is pretty exciting to have a big professional race right in your back yard. I think we will take out some wine and cheese and some lawn chairs to enjoy tomorrows race. I will just load them all up in the back of our Burley trailer. I will post some pictures.

Afternoon spin

Claire and I went out for a nice relaxing 35 mile bike ride. Claire picked out the loop which was quite flat. I rode my fixed gear and felt really good. There wasn't much traffic.

training log

Yesterday, I rode the rollers for about an hour. I have my new favorite workout. I warm up for about 10 minutes, and then go 5 hard, 4 easy, 5 hard, 4 easy, 4 hard, 3 easy, 4 hard, 3 easy, 3 hard, 2 easy, 3 hard, 2 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard, warm down. I was able to get my heart rate up into the 180's on most of the hard sessions. I hit 194 on the last hard one. It is a killer workout that goes by real fast. I made a graph of my heart rate. I just need to make sure I have the right mix of music on my iPod. I then went out and ran for about 20 minutes and walked for about 45 minutes. Then went swimming (3000 yards). My legs were cramping up pretty good on the kicking sets. Then home for some homemade pizza and Racer 5 IPA. Today Claire and I will be getting out for a bike ride since it is a clear, blue sky out there.

Grasshopper Series

I finally got the scoop on the 2007 Grasshopper race series. The first race is Feb. 24. I will attempt to put in a pdf file showing the race schedule. These are very fun, nontraditional races. the entry fee is very reasonable (free), and the atmosphere is all about fun. I'm not saying that they are not fast. These are some of the fastest races you can do. The first one features some great dirt sections and a stream crossing. I'm never fully prepared for these races, physically that is, but I'm only there for the fun and the camaraderie. I think I spelled that correctly. There are plenty of folks there who are in great shape, and really go fast. There are four races and they are great for getting a person in shape.

174 Days to go

I am doing this blog mainly for personal reasons. I am hoping that it will keep me motivated in my training for the Vineman triathlon as well as the Death Ride. If you don't want to read about my personal training, then don't read any further.