STP 2010 Marathon photos

I finally broke down and bought a couple of the Marathon Photos of my 2010 STP effort

STP 2010!

Me and Mason at the starting line ( UW parking lot) 4:45am

I left at the end of the first group

Cold and crazy ride down lake washington blvd. My biggest problem was staying warm. I did not really warm up until I reached Castle Rock many many miles later.

Moving along at a good clip!

I made it to Centralia (100 miles) in a scorching 5 hours and 15 minutes, that proved to be a big mistake later on...

Powering through Yelm, after Centralia my knees "froze up" and I almost had to abandon the ride. I took some excedrin and limped down the road. Then I had a flat tire, fortunately by the time I had fixed the tire my knees felt good enough to continue. The Last 85 miles were like a meditation on the true nature of pain and suffering. My speed dropped from 21-22mph down to 18, then 17, 16 15, and even 14 at the lowest point near Vader. I had a good stretch from mile 140 to 175 where I was able to join a fast pace line going 20-21mph. Nearing portland I was crawling down the road at 15-18mph average. The route change getting into portland was not fun, I felt like They ran us on a tour of downtown just to get to the finish...

Approaching the finish in downtown Portland!

I made it! 6:35 pm

At the finish with Mason!

I did it all for this?

Mason approves....It's all good

!5 miles microsoft hill

A rather windy day in the sammamish valley kept my average speed down. Tried out the mini fairing. There was not any perceptible speed boost. I think I will go without.

52 miles to Issaquah Highlands and Back

Long hot ride. Not really long enough with the STP one week away, but hey I got in the miles I could. A big gulp at 7-11 was the ticket to boosting the last 30 miles. I fought a a headwind for many miles and discovered a new bike trail leading from issaquah up up up to the highlands plateau area.

New set of schwalbe kojack tires seemed to work well. A bit cushier than the stelvios. New chain installed...some gear skipping again...I think I've got a sticky link some where...

Tail Fairing construction has progressed but not fast enough

I used a bondo product which works but was not ideal. I need to get some regular epoxy for boat layup. Anyway I may just do a painted cardboard "mini fairing" for the STP instead. The foam will eventually be pretty cool though...

22.1 mph average

I was able to cover the 5 miles to redmond at 22.1mph average speed.  Slight tailwind and I did not have to stop for any trail traffic. Lungs felt clear. Warm weather agrees with me.

15 miles, Top speed 30 mph!

Wind aided, I jumped from 24 to 30 mph today...Interval training helped with that.

15 miles plus hill climbing

Worked on intervals and hill climbing. It was work.

34 miles Centennial trail

Early morning ride. Ugh. Cold, congested and sluggish...very slow going out, a bit better coming back...

This unseasonably cold weather is bumming me out

15 miles

Just getting out there mid week

FlyingWheels Century Proof

64 miles Tukwila to Puyallup hill & back

Rode to the big hill on the STP route with John. Headwind kept the pace down. Lots of stops due to road crossings. John was riding strong on his new cannondale. I was a bit sluggish. Hit a series of pot holes about mile 45, pinch flat,  then crashed the bike in the middle of the road. Not good. New tube. I was riding a bit more gingerly after that. Puyallup hill was not too bad.... long but not so steep

15 miles, Strong Like Horse

I got back out there for 15 miles still recovering from my cold. Surprisingly, my legs felt very strong. I was pedaling circles instead of squares! The lung congestion lingers though...

17 miles

Tested out NUUN natural. Tastes like salt water mixed with cool aid.  I was able to sustain 22 mph for most of the ride today even with a slight wind in my face coming back.

On the dark side I caught a cold, so a few days off will follow

19 miles, UW Bothell hill

Moderate pace. I was able to upshift on the short UW Bothell hill for the first time tonight! That's a good sign!

I love my new mount borah bib shorts and the "honka" clown horn

13 miles

Back on the bike. Just trying to shake out the cobwebs from the century ride saturday. Started slow (18 mph) into a stiff headwind. Finished with four miles @ or above 24mph (tailwind).

Flying wheels century

5 hours 37 minutes ( plus 4 short rest stops)

It was brutal, but I finished in good form with a 22mph burst in the last miles. The hills were some sort of twisted karmic punishment for all the times I rode away from folks going uphill on my road bike. I walked part of the last hill .Water bottle setup worked well. Bike performed well. I fought off some nausea and route confusion. Stopped 4 times for water and snacks.

I don't want to even see a bicycle for a few days

Tail Fairing Construction Begins

With the STP about a month away, I have begun the tail fairing project. Don't know if I will finish in time to use it...

I adhered to the 11 degree angle rule. The pink foam is actually a very versatile building material easy to cut glue and sand. A fiberglass and epoxy shell will be added once the pink foam is fully sculpted. I thinking velcro straps will work best for securing it in place. I incorporated my existing rack bag for easy storage. Not sure if I will leave the foam or remove most of it for weight savings.

I did high rep weight training last night, my legs had fully recovered from Saturday's effort but the weather made a ride unworkable.

39 sucky miles around Lake Sammamish

Rode around lake Sammamish counter clock wise. The road on the west side really sucks, the east side is much better. I tested the water bladder today. Works OK but I didn't use it much while I was focused on the crappy road surface and steering away from debris and potholes.  I stopped for a chat with my sister half way. She gave me water and apples which helped fuel me up. The trip back north was into the wind so my speed was slower. My legs were strong, as were my lungs, but my lingering headache just made the whole ride a chore. Waaaaah!

Woodinville to Redmond & back 15 miles

Same old same old....included the hill.

Woodinville to Redmond & back 15 miles

I added in the microsoft hill to my standard quick ride. This weather has really put the brakes on my training...

Standard ride, 13 miles

Some high speed bursts 24-25 mph today, other than that it was very ordinary

woodinville to Redmond & back 19 miles

I added the microsoft hill and the UW bothell hill to a standard quick ride.

Woodinville to Redmond & back 13 miles

Windy and cold. On the way out 17.4mph average. Wind was constant and strong. Total 19.5mph average. Hit 24+mph for the last 3 miles or so...

Hey, a ride is a ride. 4 days off =complete recovery from saturdays ride.

Woodinville to arlington 59 miles

John and I attacked the centennial trail. Woodinville to the trail head in Snohomish was a little rough with rocks all over the shoulder. Getting through Snohomish was a bit dicey for me on the lowracer. Once we hit the trail though we had smooth sailing for mile after mile. John had us stop twice at the Bee keepers shop which slowed things down alot. He strapped a bunch of bee frames to his rack and off we went to climb the monster hill back to Woodinville. That was pure effort. Finally we were done in by the steep little hill back to my neighborhood. I was forced to walk up the steepest section... hulmilating I need to find a new route to get to highway 9. Average speed was pretty meaningless because we stopped alot.

Repeat of yesterday's ride

Another time trial to Redmond and back 13.5 miles. Average speed 22.3 mph with the wind at my back. 20.1mph with the wind in my face. There was a 3 mile stretch where I was cruising above 25mph.

Overall, I felt strong today.

Chased down@25mph

Quick ride to Redmond and back, 13 miles. Started with a bang when I pulled out about 20 yards ahead of a team outfitted racing cyclist. He was intent on catching and passing me, so I cranked it up to 25mph and held that for a mile or so. He slowly caught me, sprinted past me, and then pulled off the trail. I was unwilling to race through a high traffic zone, but I doubt I could have matched his sprint. I settled into a 22-23mph pace for the rest of the way to Redmond. My water bottle fell out of the cage again which is aggravating. I need to alter the cage position or something. Darn thing nearly always shakes loose on bumpy pavement.

22miles 2 hills

I was nursing a migraine headache today and time was limited by a little league game so 22 miles is all I could fit in. 2 steep hills though!

Time trial to Redmond

14 miles at full tilt. 22mph average speed to Redmond (wind aided) top speed 26.5mph (flat ground)

20 minutes on the indoor trainer +weights

At least its something!

22 miles back in the saddle

22 miles  sunny 61F. nursing road rash and a bent derailleur. Lots of trail traffic. I took it easy, got some miles in (back on the horse)

Not a stellar week for STP training

Crash!

ARRRGH! I crashed the lowracer @ 23mph on Saturday. A kid on a skateboard lost control and kicked his board across the trail. I was unable to avoid it and ran over it. Bam! I was sliding on pavement for about 10 feet before I bailed into the grass and dirt. Ouch! lots of pain, some road rash, ripped a hole in the tights. The bike was ripped up a bit. Derailluer is probably too badly bent to salvage. The kid was apologizing profusely while I was growling in pain. Then he walked away saying "I've gotta go" Now that was rude, so I called him back gave him a pointed lecture on staying on his side and keeping his board under control. Then his Dad shows up on his long skateboard. He's all huffy about me yelling at his kid ( which I did not do) Anyway he couldn't care less that his kid caused me to crash, trashed my bike and injured me. All he could say is " he's learning" and next time he'll do better. Uh huh. Why is the cyclist always assumed to be at fault in a crash? Stunt Skate boards belong in the skate park...Long boards are fine on the trail.

Rant over
(15 miles , windy)

54 miles to Snoqualmie falls and back

Distance ride to snoqualmie falls. Decent road, great weather ( 69F and sunny) lots of traffic. Felt strong and steady. My gears were skipping all the way which drove me slowly insane. Clearly I need professional help to fix this problem, its beyond my 1992 cycling technology skill level.

Friday-Weird ride

Woodinville to Redmond. Started out too fast, I was immediately chased by a fit rider, passed another and they worked together to try to reel me in. I opened up an 800 yard gap which held for a while, but I just did not have the extra oomph to top 23 mph. They closed the gap to 300 yards by the time I  pulled off at Redmond to adjust the fit of my new helmet. I felt winded and burned out. Return to Woodinville I felt a bit better but not good. The weird part was that the cyclometer said I did the route at 21.2 mph average, which is the highest average speed for me this year. Go figure

wednesday-14 miles fast/slow

Woodinville to Redmond on the trail fast ( 22pmh average speed out) Redmond to Woodinville head wind slow...overall average speed 20.1mph

I was sporting the New Giro Saros helmet today

Saturday 35 miles

Sunny 60 degrees, I rode the issaquah loop at a comfortable pace. Some wind. No cramps. Lost some pep at mile 31( headwind), but recovered in a mile or so... Nothing remarkable to report.

Wednesday- indoor trainer+weights

It was a cold miserable week (spring break) only hit the trainer once

Very windy 14 miles

Woodinville to Redmond super windy. On the way out I was struggling to achieve 17 mph. On the way back I was pushing hard at 22-23 mph with some 24-25mph intervals. It was an achievement to stay upright on the bike and get a ride in.

18.8 mph overall

Day off/indoor trainer/day off/indoor trainer

Weather has forced me back to the indoor trainer and weight work outs. The slow burn weight  technique is very difficult to do, but it seems to work the muscles well.

Considering making a custom oval 70 tooth chainring and replacing my stock idlers with Terra cycle idlers.

Weight= 180

14 miles windy

Quick ride fueled by party junk food. Slight cramping during sustained  24 mph effort

Cramp remedies?

25 years ago I used to drink this stuff after a long ride. Apparently quinine is the only scientifically tested remedy for cramps. Magnesium, calcium and potassium have shown some effect but not as clearly as quinine. Quinine does have some nasty side effects ( heart rythmn, stroke, etc.) and is not recommended for distance cycling use.

Cramps at 26 mph!

The bad news: I had some cramping issues today
The good news: I was cruising along at 26 mph when it happened

Fortunately I was able to slowly ride through the cramps and get back up to speed. I need to research cramping though...never suffered from cramping like this before.

Day off/ Weights /day off

I'm trying the "slow burn" method of weight training. All I can say is: "Its darn hard to lift weights slowly!"

34 miles Woodinville to Issaquah turnabout

 34 miles. Windy and warm 68F. A bit tired but OK. Climbed mint grove hill at 11mph!

14 miles FAST

Woodinville to Redmond Wind aided average speed =21.9 mph
Redmond to Woodinville wind handicap
Total average speed- 20mph
204/20= 10.2 hours to Portland ( plus stops)

Speed training continues....

Broke my rear brake cable and dropped my new water bottle twice. That cage has got to go.

30 minutes on the trainer

30 minutes on the trainer. easy spin
Weight = 180.5 lbs
Bought the planetbike light combo...these are bright!

2 rest days

Weight =182 (plateau)

19 miles, Microsoft hill

A bit warmer today, but overcast. rode 19 miles including the Microsoft hill. I've concluded that I need to focus on hills because that's clearly a weak spot. Gatorade kept me humming right along, slightly tired from  Saturdays ride.

John & Brad's excellent ride (34 miles)

Rode with John. Woodinville to Sammamish/Issaquah roundabout. Windy start , brisk, had some pace issues with the recumbent vs the upright diamond frame bike. That settled itself out after Marymoor. John blasted by me up mint grove hill, got about a 200 yard lead which was eaten up quickly on the downhill when I attacked while he was scarfing down a powerbar...heh heh heh. With the wind at our backs the ride back was easier. I had consistent energy and did not bonk ( gatorade + flat bananas)

2 days off (Thursday, Friday)

30 minutes on the trainer

30 minutes on the trainer, easy spin. My weight ticked up to 182 (mostly due to a birthday food binge.)

30 minutes on the trainer

30 minutes on trainer, 3 sets of intervals. I felt relatively strong.

Day off Sunday

Weight =182 lbs

Morning ride...no zip at all

Rode early today...no real breakfast. Felt really bad for most of the 17 miles I struggled through. I was able to hit a cruising speed of 23mph for about a mile but my stomach was upset and my legs were stiff and lacked any real strenghth. I called it after I ate a snack that had very little effect. There was some wind which didn't help, but mostly I was not peppy. On the bright side it was a georgeous day and I passed numerous fit looking riders without feeling good at all. The new rear wheel cover performed perfectly.

30 minutes on the trainer

Day off/ sore muscles

wednesday- weights intervals

I did a couple of sets of intervals plus weight lifting...

Wheel covers!

I took monday off, my legs were tired from sunday's ride. Tuesday I did 30 minutes of spinning on the trainer. Still a bit stiff, but it got better toward the end.

My wheel covers have arrived. These are a bit heavy but very tough. Sizing needs some tweaking to fit properly, but they should work

Weight =180.4lbs

35 miles, not too chilly or hilly

ebruary

I rode the out and back Issaquah loop (35 miles) today. No bonking, no cramps, no chills. Drank enough and ate some flat bananas at the 3/4 point. Speed was a bit variable but better than last time. I was stronger up the Mint Grove hill attaining a "blazing" speed of 10 mph at the crest. 

I re-painted my Limar aero helmet with the new spray paint for plastics. see photo. My intention is to look less like a dork and more like Lance. I have a long way to go on that front...

All in all I'm making good progress for the last day in February

Weight =180.4lbs

30 minutes on the trainer

half hour on the trainer with two moderate intervals plus some weight lifting. I ordered wheel covers!

Weight=181.5lbs

2 days off

weight=181.4 lbs

Thank Heavens for Snapple!

35 mile ride to Issaquah and back. Excellent route. Nice wide bike lane on the east side of lake Sammamish. Goes almost to Issaquah before bike lane ends, I don't understand the thinking there, but Its nice as far as it goes.

I was cruising along nicely from 20-22MPH. Some moderate hills were a chore but do-able at low speed. I sipped on Snapple in my water bottle to keep my energy up...but still bonked a bit going through Redmond on the way back. Stopped for another Snapple and that gave me just enough pep to get back to Woodinville. In the last 5 miles I was cramping up a bit, I got chilled, put on my packable jacket to grind out the rest of the way. I am experienceing rather extreme "Recumbent Butt" which has not plaged me before... Obviously the quick ramp up and increased road miles did it to me.

I tried a pedialyte/snapple cocktail for a homebrew sports drink. Tastes pretty good and has the right mix of electrolytes and carbs for me. We had a bottle of pedialyte left over from one my son's illnesses, so I gave it a shot.

Hill climbing part 2

Went for a 23.75 mile ride today, sunny near 60F. I was moving along at a 21.5 mph average speed from Woodinville to Redmond, but I was slowing down for lots of trail traffic. I was above 22mph for long stretches. Then I climbed the microsoft hill again.This time it was alot more comfortable. My pace was still slow, but it hurt less and I was not winded and burnt at the top.
On the way back to Woodinville, a racing cyclist passed me, so I gave chase, caught him and rode ahead again. He attacked and put about 300 yards on me which I slowly reeled in to about 70 yards before I turned off at UW Bothell. Rode the hill there and came home.

I added a few carbs to my water to help put the zip back in my workout.

Weight 182.8lbs

30 minutes of Indoor Training

Hit the indoor trainer for 30 minutes today, felt a bit more zippy but the lack of carbs has definitely impaired my energy. I'm gonna try D-ribose for boosting my workout energy. On the bright side I dropped another pound...

Weight= 183.4

20 minutes on the Indoor trainer

Nice and easy for 20 minutes to loosen up the tight muscles.

weight=184

Le Miserable

Tested my new 47 t chainring climbing the MicroSoft hill today. The Surly stainless steel ring worked very well , my legs not so well. I was suffering "lead legs" climbing and even on the flats. I clearly needed another recovery day from the strength training. The carb restriction diet is also likely a contributing cause of the lack of zip in my legs. Anyway the 27.6 gear inches seems adequate for most hills, although this in no way makes me into a hill climber again. A mountain biker climbed the hill with me passed me and put about 400 yards on me before I reached the summit at overlake. That was depressing...

17.67 road miles, (1 mile of climbing)

Day off/ sore muscles

My hamstrings feel the pain from the last workout.

Weight=184.4 lbs

Armstrong workout

I ran through an abbreviated lance armstrong workout Saturday. 30 minutes on the indoor trainer followed by step up weight sets 20 reps and some (10) un-weighted sqwats. That was not so bad at the time...

Weight 184.4

Energy is raging wildly up and down with carbs restricted to less than 50g per day. This is reported to be normal side effect of carb restriction.

Friday Day Off

No riding or training today.
Weight =184.4lbs
Day 3 of Protein Plan

30 minutes of Indoor Training

30 minutes on the indoor trainer. 4 sets of intervals. I followed that with light upper body weightlifting. Hard workout for indoors...

Second day of high protein/low carbohydrate diet

Weight: 185.4 lbs

2 rest days, 1 indoor training day

2 days off, followed by 30 minutes on the indoor trainer yesterday (feb 9). Rollerbladed while my son rode his bike for one hour.

STP 2010 Training Begins!

I have begun training for STP 2010.

Some stats to start off:

weight : 186.4

Outdoor miles: 18.97

I rode my standard Woodiville to Redmond ride. Lots of traffic on the trail today. Warmish (54ºF) partly sunny. I was able to move along slightly faster than 20mph for most of the ride with surges to 23mph. I ride one small hill and it was all I could do to get over it with my current gearing. I'm working on getting my low gear down to 28.9 gear inches which should be low enough for climbing almost any hill. I will also be working on getting my mass down below 170 lbs. (my college racing weight was 160-165 lbs ) around 175lbs I feel pretty zippy, but below 170 lbs I'm "loaded for bear". Lungs felt good today considering it was ride #1 of 2010. This will be something I watch closely because last spring allergies had me really struggling to breathe.