Delayed start

So, I was supposed to start my training regime this week.  I had taken last week off to let a major strain I had in my back subside.  Then over the weekend, life happened and I didn't get a chance to do any real training.  Work this week is crazy, so I can't do my CTS field test. I've decided to simply ride in on Tues and Thurs and do the CTS test on Sat.  This should give me a kick start to training, not the one I was hoping for, but some riding is better than nothing.  I'll plan my days around work better next week so that I can do all the required workouts for the week.

What next

Last night while closing the garage door, I managed to pull a muscle in my upper back. I sort of leant over at an unusual angle and bang went a muscle. Hope it clears up in a few days.

On a positive note, I felt better after a sleep, re my ride to work yesterday.

Back in the saddle

Rode to work, first time since I got sick, which was about 10 days ago.  Felt pretty damn stuffed by the time I got home.  Will take tomorrow off. 

Got a new workstand, so will make working on the bikes sooooo much easier.  Have to replace the hydraulic hoses on the Trance, fix the cranks up, put a new derailleur on and replace the gear cables.

On the Anthem I've gotta regrease all my hubs, put a new chain on it and just give it a once over.

Might actually get to ride them on the dirt sometime this year....

Countdown to the Merida 24hr 2011

The Merida 24hr is in a couple of months, so I am going to start documenting my training on this blog.  As in previous years, I'll take my training program from "The Time Crunched Cyclist" by Chris Carmichael.  I'll be doing the New Century program, and supplementing this with some bodyweight strength and core training.

This week will be a build up week, as I have been sick and off the bike for a week and a bit.  A few rides to work should blow out the cobwebs.

Why ride for 24hrs Solo

Why consider riding for 24hrs solo? Why not? My first foray into 24hr riding was a workmate who introduced me to riding organised for 4 of us to enter a 24hr as a 4 man team. At the time I had a basic hardtail non-tubeless tyres, v-brakes and a seat that was way too hard.

I did 4 laps and I swear it was the hardest thing I had ever done. My butt hurt, I hadn't heard of Chamois creme and I was glad the whole thing was over. But I did learn a crucial lesson during the last lap. I was not particularly enjoying it, but I didn't want to stop. I just kept going slower till it was a pace I could sustain. And I kept it at that speed for the rest of the lap. In retrospect, it was the right thing to do and it set the right mindset for the future. Even when you're feeling bad and you want to stop, just keep plodding on. As long as you're going forward, things are good.

I then entered various combinations of 2's and 4's with friends, eventually getting a dual suspension bike. That was a game changer for me. As someone who has fluctuated up to 100kg, a hardtail for 24hrs is just murder. Dual suspension is where it's at. A second hand Giant Trance was my friend from then on.

Eventually I decided to do a 6hr solo. At this point, I'd only ever done 2 laps of a race consecutively, which would take me about 2hrs. This would be 3 of those in a row and was quite daunting. I approached it with the same mind set, just keep moving. I managed a reasonable showing, only stopped for pit stops and actually had quite a good time. This spurred me on to eventually try riding one for 24hrs solo. 4 solo's later and I've competed in the World Championships.

I'll start laying out the posts loosely along the lines of:

* Training
* Eating
* Bike
* Pit
* Contact points
* Apparel
* Mental

Hopefully someone will get a bit of use out of the posts.

Crazy downhill in Brazilian slums

KB training

Kettlebell training today. I tried to move to the 24kg bells for some of the movements. Instead of doing 2-arm clean and presses with 16's, I just did one arm with a 24kg, but could only do two rounds and had to go back to the double 16's for the last one.

I also tried the single 24 for the one arm front squat, but only managed that for 2 rounds as well. It was really hard to hold onto that bell out in front of you. I think I might be holding my elbow a little too high, and I think I need to tuck it in so it sits closer to my body.

Using the 24 really upped the intensity and I was puffing hard from the get go. The biggest problem with KB's is the big jumps between levels. It'd be nice if they had a 20kg one readily available (I have seen them, but they're not that common).

These KB workouts are really seeming to get my whole body more in "sync". It forces you to use your whole body on movements like the Turkish Get Up and I really feel it working all the muscles of my body. I may even look to keep them in my program throughout the year, depending on how the other training goes.