Typically daytime temperatures in this part of New York are in the 40s and low 50s. Yesterday was sunny and in the mid 70s so I had to sneak out in the early afternoon for a quick run around a 26.5 mile loop. That put me over my modest goal of 2500 road miles for the season. Today I start indoor training, probably on the tread mill. Later in the week I'll start interval training on the KK (Kurt Kinetic).
My weight is still hovering around 217. I really liked being able to watch 1.5 to 2 lbs. per week drop off but it isn't realistic to expect that to go on forever.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Getting ready for winter
I really hate riding when it's cold, but I'm not quite ready to abandon the roads for the trainer. Indoors, I use a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. It's a great piece of equipment but it isn't the same as the road. I hope to get somewhat acclimatized to the colder temps and keep training outdoors until the roads get crapped up with snow and ice. A local bike shop is organizing a century/metric century in November that sounds fun, so I'll try to keep my weekly mileage up to be ready for it.
Had to replace another rear tire yesterday. Wore the center of the tread right through the casing and had a blow out 3 miles from home last night. So that's 4 Panaracer Stradius Pros since April. Only getting about 500 miles per tire, which means I'll be going back to Continentals.
Other changes for the winter include a change up to the diet. My cardiologist wanted me to take niacin and fish oil supplements to boost my HDL levels. A 3:1 LDL:HDL ratio is ok, but for documented cases of atherosclerosis they want lipid profiles closer to 2:1. Since my weight loss has slowed/plateaued, I want to jump start things. I've been reading Dr. Dean Ornish' books so I'm going (mostly) vegan for a while. I say mostly because I'm still going to eat egg whites, non-fat dairy, fish and the occasional chicken breast. Fish and chicken will only be once a week or so. I've been eating far more fruit, vegetables and legumes this year and more so in the last month and a half.
I plan on hitting the free weights a bit pretty soon. I firmly believe they helped me bump my speed up this year. I train with a power rack doing box squats, deadlifts and good mornings. In my opinion, Louie Simmons is the source for powerlifting techniques. Check out the details for accommodating resistance work in the rack. A week before my little coronary episode, I was doing 500# reverse band deadlifts and 465# box squats using 160# worth of chains on top of the plate loaded bar. Good stuff. I have to say a quick word also about the Simmons reverse hyper machine. We're fortunate to have one in our gym at work at it is a great way to work your lower back.
I'm going to use a structured approach this year with my winter cycle training. My unstructured approach this year has been, go hard on the medium length days, go harder on the short rides. If the legs hurt a lot, keep spinning and they'll eventually loosen up. So I've been looking at the "canned" plans available from TrainingPeaks and I'm pretty sure I'll try one of these. The price is certainly doable.
I've also been thinking about some things I'd like to accomplish next year, either related to cycling or to fitness improvement in general. I really enjoyed mountain bike racing back in '96/'97 and I might like to try something competitive again. Mountain bike races for sure and maybe some road racing. Not sure what I've got available in the area so I'll have to do some research. Maybe a TT. One event I've got my eyes on that looks worthwhile is the Adirondack 540. There is no way I'm jumping into the whole thing, but 1 lap would be an accomplishment. I also want to try a sprint triathlon or two. My weight loss goal is to get down to 175 and I'd like to get there by June 1st. At a light weight I want to climb Whiteface Mountain. It's an 8 mile climb that gains 3350 feet so I'm sure it's going to hurt.
I'll have some other goals in mind soon but this is good for now.
Had to replace another rear tire yesterday. Wore the center of the tread right through the casing and had a blow out 3 miles from home last night. So that's 4 Panaracer Stradius Pros since April. Only getting about 500 miles per tire, which means I'll be going back to Continentals.
Other changes for the winter include a change up to the diet. My cardiologist wanted me to take niacin and fish oil supplements to boost my HDL levels. A 3:1 LDL:HDL ratio is ok, but for documented cases of atherosclerosis they want lipid profiles closer to 2:1. Since my weight loss has slowed/plateaued, I want to jump start things. I've been reading Dr. Dean Ornish' books so I'm going (mostly) vegan for a while. I say mostly because I'm still going to eat egg whites, non-fat dairy, fish and the occasional chicken breast. Fish and chicken will only be once a week or so. I've been eating far more fruit, vegetables and legumes this year and more so in the last month and a half.
I plan on hitting the free weights a bit pretty soon. I firmly believe they helped me bump my speed up this year. I train with a power rack doing box squats, deadlifts and good mornings. In my opinion, Louie Simmons is the source for powerlifting techniques. Check out the details for accommodating resistance work in the rack. A week before my little coronary episode, I was doing 500# reverse band deadlifts and 465# box squats using 160# worth of chains on top of the plate loaded bar. Good stuff. I have to say a quick word also about the Simmons reverse hyper machine. We're fortunate to have one in our gym at work at it is a great way to work your lower back.
I'm going to use a structured approach this year with my winter cycle training. My unstructured approach this year has been, go hard on the medium length days, go harder on the short rides. If the legs hurt a lot, keep spinning and they'll eventually loosen up. So I've been looking at the "canned" plans available from TrainingPeaks and I'm pretty sure I'll try one of these. The price is certainly doable.
I've also been thinking about some things I'd like to accomplish next year, either related to cycling or to fitness improvement in general. I really enjoyed mountain bike racing back in '96/'97 and I might like to try something competitive again. Mountain bike races for sure and maybe some road racing. Not sure what I've got available in the area so I'll have to do some research. Maybe a TT. One event I've got my eyes on that looks worthwhile is the Adirondack 540. There is no way I'm jumping into the whole thing, but 1 lap would be an accomplishment. I also want to try a sprint triathlon or two. My weight loss goal is to get down to 175 and I'd like to get there by June 1st. At a light weight I want to climb Whiteface Mountain. It's an 8 mile climb that gains 3350 feet so I'm sure it's going to hurt.
I'll have some other goals in mind soon but this is good for now.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Beginning at the beginning
I wish I'd had the presence of mind to start writing at the beginning, but that is so long ago that filling in the salient blanks may take me forever.
I am in the best shape of my post teenage adult life, and at 46 that is a lamentable fact but one that I am very pleased with. On January 26 2007 I had a stent implanted to the circumflex artery after experiencing acute cardiovascular syndrome. At the time I weighed 281 lbs and had documented total cholesterol levels from 250 to 300 mg/dL.
Today I weigh 217 lbs and my last blood screening showed LDL/HDL levels of 75/25 mg/dL. I have been logging 100 to 150 miles per week on my road bike and have truly not felt better in a very long time. Yesterday I suited up for a chilly afternoon ride here in upstate New York and I spun through a 25.3 mile out and back loop in an hour and twenty two minutes. At an average speed of 18.5 mph, that is faster than I was riding in 1996 at 210 lbs.
In the last year I've had a few health scares and have had to re-evaluate my priorities. I've made some changes and I'm pretty excited by the results and I want to write about them. I find myself setting some long term and short term goals and I want to write about them as well. Along the way I hope to read some of your comments.
I am in the best shape of my post teenage adult life, and at 46 that is a lamentable fact but one that I am very pleased with. On January 26 2007 I had a stent implanted to the circumflex artery after experiencing acute cardiovascular syndrome. At the time I weighed 281 lbs and had documented total cholesterol levels from 250 to 300 mg/dL.
Today I weigh 217 lbs and my last blood screening showed LDL/HDL levels of 75/25 mg/dL. I have been logging 100 to 150 miles per week on my road bike and have truly not felt better in a very long time. Yesterday I suited up for a chilly afternoon ride here in upstate New York and I spun through a 25.3 mile out and back loop in an hour and twenty two minutes. At an average speed of 18.5 mph, that is faster than I was riding in 1996 at 210 lbs.
In the last year I've had a few health scares and have had to re-evaluate my priorities. I've made some changes and I'm pretty excited by the results and I want to write about them. I find myself setting some long term and short term goals and I want to write about them as well. Along the way I hope to read some of your comments.
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