sarals 

After your race yesterday, you deserved it, and guilt free!

Heathpack 

I had one yesterday too.

Heathpack 

Two hour Nightcrawler ride this morning. I had some intervals to do at the beginning but then an hour of JRA. The two friends who rode with me today are casual cyclists, so they don't ride as systematically as I do, even though they to generally want to improve theircycling. Fourteen minutes of intervals this morning & I wound up 5 minutes ahead of the boys. Amazing to me the huge difference it makes, training smart and riding consistently (and losing weight).

For the JRA, I slowed way down and we had a nice chatty ride. Project One coming for one of my friends next week, he is happy to be getting a new bike.

Missed the post-ride coffee because the second half of the ride was slow and I had a train to catch. But I was thinking on the solo ride home how lucky I am. Good bikes, good spouse, good friends, good coach. This is a big year for me- 25 years of spousal togetherness and I also turn 50. It will be awesome for all that to happen and to hopefully be at my fittest of my adult life.

So I get home and complain a little about my head light battery which seems to be dying even though we just replaced it. But then I tell my husband that really I am just 100% happy with everything. Which in turn makes him happy. And the moral of the story is: this is how your spouse gets on board with you having as many bikes as you want. Because life is more pleasant when everyone is happy.

(Even if I came in dead last in my race.)

sarals 

If the field had been bigger, you still would have been fourth, possibly second. You weren't DFL.

Life is good, isn't it? I'm so happy for you, Heathie!!

sarals 

This morning was my first day back on the bike since last Tuesday. Today was on the road, last Tuesday was on the trainer. The same set of intervals was prescribed, too. I didn't have high hopes for success, I was still stiff and sore from all of the walking and ***ing, and it was cold outside as well.

I managed 1 hour 20 minutes of a programmed 2 hours, because I had to get home to get ready for work. I rode from my house, so I could get the extra time and effect more of a warmup. The warmup goes uphill, so there was working involved. I started the first interval set (02a) 25 minutes in, and - I was able to hit and sustain the target, with little complaint from anything. I had all sorts of little aches and pulls and sores, but they faded. Next was sprint intervals (SF2). I was a bit lackluster on those, but when I came off the saddle for the last effort, things began to click.

The ride home was around the back side of the CCCX course (VG, Heathie and Racer Ex know the course), up the stair step rollers, and then the Eucalyptus cutoff towards the main road. Bam. My, I felt good. I thought at first I was just numb from being cold, but no. I didn't crush any efforts, at least not until I got to the main road. Then I let it go. I dug, a couple of times I dug pretty deep. I held power over a roller. I crushed a sprint. I felt good!!

I needed that time off, it seems.

IBOHUNT

An hour on the trainer tonight. Vast majority of it in the sticks.

TSS 64

revchuck 

Off today. Yesterday was another edition of my better-than-expected return to riding. The plan was for 3x10' SST; I felt pretty good so I decided to do them at threshold instead and ended up going over threshold on the last two. Coach, being the obliging woman she is, immediately upped the ante for the rest of the build. It feels good not to be dragging ass on this.

I've been getting a lot of use out of my cold weather gear this year.

valygrl

Glad everyone's training is going well!

I'm in Tucson at training camp. 70 miles, 3.5 hours, 220 TSS. Longest ride in a while, with a lot of zone 5&6, I'm tired!

My room mate is sick with a stomach bug, so I'm washing my hands every 5 minutes and hoping I don't get it too.

Heathpack 

OMG, stay well. I'm going to be heartbroken if your training camp rides get interrupted.

Racer Ex 

Good to read @revchuck
@Valgrl, stay well. Done Mt. Lemonn yet? Good hot chocolate at the top 😀

chasm54

I'm feeling a bit similar, Chuck. Despite a December schedule that barely let me get on the bike, and a few days crash-induced rest recently, I'm finding myself to be in far better shape than I have any right to expect. Maybe it's just that we geriatrics need rest!

Bandera

No Maybe about it.......

-Bandera

sarals 

Right?

Another decent training ride today. There is hope!

valygrl

Not sick at the moment, knock on wood!

Today is Mt. Lemmon. Yesterday we road to the Saguaro East parked and did climbing/descending/cornering skills on the loop road. I'm the slowest person in the fast group, so getting a lot of hard work, 260 TSS.

One dude was JRA later and his derailleur hanger broke and murdered his beautiful guru frame. . Seriously no reason for it.

beatlebee 

I see that you are in the Ol Pueblo. Are you planning on racing this weekend? I plan to race the Oracle RR.

valygrl

No, unfortunately, my camp runs then Sunday mid day and then I fly home. Sure enjoying the nice weather here!

LAJ

Thumbs up, @valygrl. Stay healthy.

Sad about the Guru though. @Herbie53 knows about broken Guru frames.

Hermes

The video link below is from a Cycling House training camp in Tucson that my wife and I attended in 2014. It has some great shots of Mount Lemmon, the desert and of course of the campers. It was run by four Cycling House employees and they did a superb job. It was a lot of fun and we opted this year to do the the Cycling House Camp in Tuscany Italy. The opening shots are from Mount Lemmon and there are shots of us climbing Mount Lemmon in the middle of the video. Tough climb.

I am sure VG is doing great on the climb.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw4EWdSn0543NGs1b0RHVjBob1k/edit

beatlebee 

Glad you had great weather this year.

sarals 

VG, I'm glad you had good weather, too. You've been getting quite workout! 260 TSS - wow. It's taken me three days to do 400!

Today, the TT bike for a JRA. I overslept by about 20 minutes, so the already work shortened ride was shortened even more. Rather than "make the most of it", I followed protocol and got the warmup, then started working. I like riding my TT bike. Sure, I'm a middle to back of the pack TT'er, but I enjoy it, and I enjoy the suffering. I feel better on the sticks than I do on the bullhorns, and RPE says I make slightly better power there, too, but that's just RPE. I climb in the sticks, until I get down to around 7 MPH, then I come off them and go the bullhorns so I can go OTS if I need to. I was sure the headlight I have on my (non aero) helmet would have an adverse effect, as would the winter riding jacket, leg warmers, balaclava and other draggy clothing I was wearing. I didn't notice it, though. I did some big ring work, as suggested by Coach, keeping it in the 53 ring as long as possible. I'm very happy with the way the bike performs. The new Dura-Ace shifters (replacing the iffy Microshift crap that the bike came with), now that the rear shift cable has been sorted, shift very well. The frame has a really supple ride, smooth, and I oh so like those 3T handlebars! TJ (it's name) isn't as pretty as Grasshoppa, but I love her just the same!

I'm looking forward to some TT's! Today, 51 minutes, TSS 60.

revchuck 

3x20' SST this morning. The ride felt colder than expected; when I got back and checked the file it turned out that most of it had been done at 30 degrees or lower...in south effing Louisiana. The first two were done at the same AP, and the AP for the third was one watt higher; all came out to ~92%. Cadence was 70-80 for the first, 80-90 for the second, and 90+ for the third. The third one was harder due to gearing; the first two I had only a one tooth difference between cogs so it was easier to keep the cadence in the desired range, for the third one I had a two tooth difference and therefore a 10 rpm change when I shifted. I guess I need to get to the track and get used to long periods over 100 rpm. TSS 142, IF .84, 1451 kj. CTL is finally above 40 again, ATL is over 70.

I spoke with my coach after the ride and she's happy with the progress I'm making. I'm still trying to figure out my goals for this year. Right now I'm happy just to train.

Racer Ex 

And I'm sure, like any self respecting crit monster, she's going to be wondering why the heck she signed up for this stupid camp at mile 3

The Saguaro loop is neat scenery. Lemmon, then bag Graham and Kitt to complete the AZ climbing trifecta. I'm 2/3 of the way there. Snow on both rides when we did them.

6 solid hours in the last 2 days. Need to download the rides. Back hurts but I was riding today with a guy who went through the back of a car last year and broke 28 bones. Perspective.

Dalai

Ticked Mt Lemmon and Mt Graham on my road trip in 2013 - included over 5,500km solo driving in 3 weeks!

If riding the later, don't park in the jail carpark. I had an armed prison guard come up when I returned to the car... Something about people throwing contraband over the fence.

Nearby Roper Lake state park offered good camping with lake for swimming and natural hot spring to soak tired muscles...

valygrl

Mt. Lemmon was spectacular - perfect weather, light wind. I've done Kitt Peak and Graham on other trips, and we did the Saguaro loop 3x yesterday. I'm tired. 280 tss today. rest and skills drills tomorrow.

Racer Ex 

At 280 TSS my skill drills are mostly seeing if I can muffle the noises my body makes the next day.

We got chased out of the same parking lot. And the "Ribeye" steak in town was gristle and tendon.

"How is everything?"

"These steaks are really bad and over cooked"

"You want to see the dessert menu?"