TGIF - 2/10/12

I need to put an immediate disclaimer here that this post will likely be more rambling than usual - and I realize that's sayin' something!

There's been plenty going on over the past couple of weeks and I have had a few moments of "oh, I should mention that on my blog".  Then something bright and shiny will catch my eye and the moment is lost.  I can't complain about the weather right now because, lets face it, we've had an unusually mild winter so far and I don't want to jinx it.  Maybe I should get a new winter jacket and thermal bib tights every year to ensure that Mother Nature gives us mild weather in order to thwart my best efforts.  The warm-ish weather we've had probably ensures that EVERYONE will peak for Jeff Cup this year.  I could have used a little more -selective-weather as I get my racing legs back under me.  I have to make up in training what I lack in natural talent so if everyone is training at the same rate I am ... well, it could be an interesting journey back into the peloton. 

The boy and I briefly considered Wolfpack this weekend.  It doesn't take much to convince me to take a trip to NC (especially with the added benefit of visiting Ken and Laura!) but for one race on a "short" 2-day weekend (I again reference my constant lobbying for regular 3-day weekends), it just wasn't in the cards.

While my 3-day weekend lobbying has not panned out as of yet, I have finally convinced my place of employ to give us a little (LITTLE) in the way of flexible hours. I've been lobbying for this since October and I'd be lying if I didn't admit there were tears involved.  Hey, use what you've got, ya know?  Anyway, I explained the newly instituted system to the Fuentii while we were watching the Superbowl last Sunday and Mrs. Fuentes laughed out loud, saying ... "THAT'S what they call flexible?!?!" Sigh.  I'll take what I can get as the commute of 11 miles usually takes at least 45min for the 9-5 schedule.  I now have the privilege of shifting my commute by one hour, 3 days a week, which gets me home by about 430 with significantly less stress.  This also puts me on my bike by 5 and since the weather has been agreeable, I've made my way to HP more than a couple of times.  I even got to do my 20s down there earlier this week - while 20s are never "fun", they were closer to "fun" outside as opposed to our cramped roller set-up.

Much prettier than  my view of the window fan on the rollers

Speaking of a cramped roller set-up, I took my first "progress test" on the rollers a couple weekends ago.  Seeing power numbers during regular roller rides makes me happy - perceived effort is sometimes not quite what I think it is and the power meter keeps me honest.  Seeing those numbers on a power test didn't work out so well for me. I started out wayyy too hard - oh, I feel good, I can hold this for 20mins - about 5mins in, I realized the error of my ways and took it down a notch but the second I saw numbers dipping way down, I mentally threw anchor.  FAIL.  It's much easier just to start at the bottom of Dickey Ridge and go as hard as you can until the 20mins is over.  This explains why I can run a power-meter during races - I don't look at the numbers (what are you gonna do, slow down and miss the break because you're out of zone?). After pouting and generally being bitter about the whole thing, I did a different "ramp" type effort to extrapolate power.  Overall, I'm happy with the outcome and happy it's over.


On the more random side: Facebook.  Yes, I'm still a holdout but it's getting harder by the minute.  I was shopping online recently and there was a coupon to be had - but you had to be on Facebook to get it.  I know there are postings about rides in the area or other events that I'm missing.  For the record, I still don't support Facebook for all of the petty ways that some people use it - seriously, de-friending someone in retaliation - what is this, middle school? - but I have to admit that I've considered putting up a very anonymous page just to see what all the fuss is about.  I fear being labeled as a Neo-Luddite if I hold out too much longer.

TGIF 1/20/2012

I hope everyone has their trainers, rollers or gym memberships ready because this weekend is looking a little ... messy ... for riding.  I know, I know, the die-hards will still be out, possibly with snow-chains or spikes on their tires, but most of us are reticent to ride on ice.  See, the problem is that ice is unpredictable - no matter how great your bike handling skillz might be, ice will shut you up in a hurry with one false move.  So, in my effort to remain upright on my bike, I will be on the rollers.

Our set up for the rollers is pretty interesting.  In case I haven't mentioned it before, we're two people with 3 bikes, multiple wheelsets and an angry cat shoved into a 1br apartment that is about the size of a walk-in closet.  The only real place to set up rollers is in the kitchen.  There's just enough room for you to squeeze in with your bike once the rollers are down.  There's a stove on the right and the kitchen sink on the left.  I supposed it'd be a good spot to learn to ride rollers as there's no possible way to actually fall off of them. There's simply not enough room. 

There's a window directly in front of you, which is admittedly handy for creating some air movement or, on chilly January days, moving cold air into the apartment while you're dripping with sweat.  We usually set up a fan (or two) in that area.  The boy likes to set up his laptop on top of the trash can, which has a slightly curved lid that gives me heart palpitations when there's a computer sitting on it.  I tend to rely on my ipod and playing math games with my SRM, my ipod and the microwave clock.  The clock is about 3 mins off, no, about 2mins, 37 seconds, so I should be finished with this interval when the microwave says 7:17 but my SRM timer will say 1:15.  I have 15 minutes left so that means about 4 1/2 songs.  Good lord this song is long, make that 3 more songs. Yes, I'm a complete nerd.  Yes, these are the things I use to occupy my mind.  Much like the other Occupy movements, there's really no direct stated purpose. 

Anyway.  I have had to make a real effort to stop saying how great of a set-up I had at my townhouse, how the basement was an open space dedicated to workouts complete with a flat screen TV, several windows and a fantastic sound system.  The TV and sound system are ... wait for it ... in storage.  We can't play music any louder than a whisper because we're in an apartment and we've complained about other people playing loud music (amongst other things - but that's another story).  I refuse to propose a TV on the trash can.  So, we do what we can with what we have. 

The silver lining here is that roller/trainer rides are much more efficient than riding out of doors.  Not nearly as much fun and absolutely de-motivating after any length of time, but they do quell the 6 hour time suck (for a 3.5 or 4 hour ride - think about travel time, time to get your michelin-man layers on, time lost at stop lights or for mechanicals etc).  The 1-2 hour roller ride requires little or no prep and, before you know it, you're done. 

I am a little sad that I won't be able to ride in the out-of-doors this weekend because I absolutely heart my new thermal jacket.  Recall most of my stuff is about 8 years old so my birthday present from the boy was well-timed.  I've always liked Castelli stuff and this piece did not disappoint.  Despite the cold winds last weekend and temps in the high 20's, I actually had to peel out of one layer because I was overheating.  This jacket along with one Under Armour Cold-Gear under layer will pretty much cover me most of the winter.  SCORE!!! 

That said, I can wait to sport my new jacket on dry roads rather than to find out how well it holds up against asphalt and ice. 

Stay safe and warm this weekend - Happy Friday!!

TGIF - 1/13/2012

Yesterday was gorgeous - sunny, light breezes and almost 60 degrees.  My training schedule had me off for the day but it was just too much to let the opportunity go.  The boy was super supportive, making sure my lights and SRM were all charged up and that my bike was ready to roll when I arrived home.  Since I've been unable to shift my working hours as of yet, I've been stuck doing the horrid 5pm commute with the rest of DC/NoVa but I (temporarily) accepted it ... I was going to ride in the out-of-doors on a weekday in January!!

I managed to leave the office by 5:15.  Flew through the Rt 7/Chain Bridge road intersection - honestly, I couldn't believe my luck as that area is usually a disastrous time-drain.  I took the left onto Chain Bridge road and noted that it was a little heavy around the 66 exit but didn't think much of it.  Just past that exit, things got really ugly.  It was a parking lot.  The traffic light ahead was taunting us by turning green every two minutes or so but we weren't moving.

Ok, maybe it wasn't quite THIS bad...

As an added bonus, it was either amateur hour or "let's see who can pull the dumbest move" day.  People were jamming up lanes to make U-turns, driving on the shoulder or in the grass if there was no shoulder, squeezing in between cars where there was no room, thereby blocking both lanes until someone let them in ... you name it, I saw it last night.  The absolute highlight was when a police vehicle (an unmarked SUV) decided to shove through a 2 lane, stand-still parking lot on Chain Bridge road.  There are no shoulders to speak of and I believe most of the drivers were paralyzed - what does one do to get out of the way of the police when there's truly no place to do it?  By this time I had given up on frustration and simply watched with humor as the people around me played bumper-cars.

I finally turned off at Military Road.  Close to home, but not close enough.  There was a jeep in front of me FLYING down the road.  I exchanged humor for anger as I watched him whip around corners, straddling the bike lane all the way down.  Thank goodness there were no brave souls out doing recon for the Tuesday Night Ride course.  It's a bike lane, people, it's not for your wanna-be NASCAR driving.  If you were really a race car driver, you wouldn't need the extra lane anyway!

Speaking of Bike Lanes - well worth the 3mins to watch this if you haven't already seen it!                              

I finally arrived home a right around 6:40.  A solid hour and a half to go 12 miles.  The boy was sweet and understanding as I methodically pulled on my riding gear and announced that I needed to go, no matter how dark or late it was, because I needed to get this out of my system.

I was happier the moment I clipped in, and happier still as I charged up the hill into Clarendon.  I made it down to HP in record time and enjoyed the fact that I was just a smidge over-dressed.  My iPod was shuffling a good mix and I was on my bike.  At that very moment, that's how it needed to be.  I had one NCVC guy pass me as I was spinning on the front-side of the course but aside from that, I didn't see another soul on the bike.  I hoped it's because everyone had already been out to enjoy the temporary warmth.

I can't take credit for this gorgeous shot - click on the link for more photos from ArtBoredom/CycleBoredom

Two laps around HP and it was time to go home.  For that blissful hour and a half, though, the world was all good and I was simply content to play on my bike.