One down, one to go

The first seriously hard training week of the year is done and I feel pretty darn good about it. I met all my goals, came away a little sore and tired, and am ready to hit it again tomorrow for hard week numero dos before a rest week.

I am going to find out whether I can be competitive once and for all. The Paragon   is as good as anything else out there, and I have good places to ride and riders to ride with, so the only thing left is me. I am getting anxious to hit the road or trail and get my fitness barometer calibrated.

The Psycowpath race at Swanson in May is coming up quick - only two months!

The Belt

Why on earth would I post a picture of my belt? Or any belt for that matter? Funny you should ask.

I have had this belt since about 1998. I wear it almost every day, and usually for work. During the day, I not only holds up my pants but my work gear - gun, handcuffs, and badge. At one time I had a pager clipped to it, which really ages not only the belt but me as well. After that I clipped my cell phone to it, until I heard that cell phones aren't a fashion accessory and I started carrying it in my pocket.

As interesting as that all is its not the point of the story.  Take a look at the holes. There are six when there should only be five. When I bought the thing I would have used the middle holes, a bigger one when I was at work because of all the junk I have to carry.

Then in 1999 I got divorced. Anyone who has been through that horrific experience knows what I mean when I say that I went on the "divorce diet." Weight loss during this time necessitated me punching the sixth hole at work one day to keep  my pants up.

Along came Kandy and I got remarried. Now, she is a good cook and I like to eat. Slowly, I crept back up to the middle holes, eventually into some of the holes on the other end, as my weight climbed to new heights. The peak was in 2005 - 233. Yuck. Couldn't tie my shoes. Looked like a tank. Gross.

So I started dieting. Or, as some insist, changing my lifestyle. The weight came off, slowly.

Yesterday, I got dressed in the morning and needed to use the hole I punched in 1999 to hold up my pants.

And I am still married, with no divorce diet in sight. Kandy is still a good cook who takes good care of me but she just has a little less to take care of now. For the first time in a very long time, I looked down and there was not belly sticking out, and I could see my belt, without sucking anything in.

Life is good.

Go Away

I was fine coming back to Nebraska.

After being in Florida over the weekend I had re-energized and was ready for the last few weeks of winter. I had seen green grass, palm trees, and felt chilly at 50 degrees. In shorts and a t-shirt. I was even fine looking out this morning to a bit more new snow.

Then, as I was walking down the driveway to help Kristin get her car thawed out, I biffed it. Hard.

Snow - go away. Ice - go away. I am tired of you. I don't even care (much) that I can't go outside to ride, or whatever, I just want you to go. Torment someone else now, you have had your fun with me. Its time to let me up.

Easing off the gas

I have been steadily ramping up my workouts since early December with longer and harder sessions. During this entire time I have kept an eye on my recovery waiting for the signs of  fatigue. I was curious how long I could continue the steady increases before I had to back it off.

I noticed earlier this week I wasn't looking forward to certain aspects of my routine so I knew it was coming. Today, after a moderately-paced spin class, I can feel the fatigue in my legs and hips. They are sore and tired and generally achy. Looking back over the last 5-7 days, I haven't been able to sleep very good and my neck and shoulders have been all bunched up.

Guess its time for an easy finish to the week.

Mid-January Report

Its January 15, time for an update I suppose.

My fitness seems to be coming along nicely. I am trying to contain my workout intensity which, depending on the day, has been interesting. Extended periods in zone 3 are getting easier, but my energy level is fluctuating and my recovery is starting to suffer a little. I think both of those are products of the weight loss program I'm following, so I am not too worried about it.

Besides, its January. I don't expect to be at a peak  now. I am just now starting some muscular endurance workouts - low cadence grinding - to start working on some (any) climbing ability. I threw in some power work at the end of Sunday's long workout and was surprised at the outcome. I plan to work on the power sparingly but intensely, to build it but not burn out on it.

Back when I was lifting heavy, the best lifts I had were the ones I never failed on. Some lifts I could never seem to break through on because I would go too heavy too fast and either crash in a failed lift or hurt myself. The ones that I could work hard and not fail on kept improving. The logic is that if I keep building strength on the bike in small increments there won't be a limit to it. I know, wishful thinking but cycling has a large mental aspect to it right?

My weight was 195 this morning, the lightest I have been for quite some time. I had one anomaly day in in 2009 that I was 204 but besides that 196 was my lowest since the turn of the century. I am determined to see 190 so I can start a maintenance diet.

It is interesting that I have been laboring under the assumption that I had to have a full tank (stomach) to get through a workout. With this diet I have been purposely operating on less food, and a less-full tank. Surprisingly, I haven't died, which was always my fear. It has something to do with the old farm-boy "better-eat-all-you-can-now-because-who-knows-when-you-may-eat-again" thought process. Since changing that I feel better longer and earlier in the workout.

So, what started out to be a short blurb turned into a rambling post. Sorry.