Two Wheel Blogs

This started as a comment to Mark's post, but it got a bit lengthy so I decided to post it here instead.

I am not tracking numbers as you know (training metrics like TSS, CTL, etc.), but the illness that swirls about me on a daily basis (everyone I know has upper respiratory infections), the increase in riding I have been doing, and the feeling I have (like I am on the verge of catching some illness) have me convinced. I am doing some low level (low to moderate) spinning on the rollers these days for a couple reasons.

It is sort of a misnomer in Missouri to ever find terrain to allow for a true recovery ride. Regardless, the plan is to take it easy today while riding outside.

Yesterday was a blast. We pounded out more than a few miles yesterday (not an amazing amount, but enough to exceed what my legs are used too right now), and today it just sounds like a good idea to put in some simple base miles.

I called up some of the usual suspects and it all should be underway soon. Ideally I will get my phone working to record the event...I will keep you posted on that.

If the rest of February is going to be like this, we are in for a treat!

Hope you are getting out to enjoy this one!

Well that was fun. I wasn't really sure what I'd do for a ride today. Then I saw Boz's plansBoz's plans for some easy flat loops. A bit of texting and just like that, my plans were set.

We caught it just about right too. We caught the crossover window when the temperature climbed from chilly to cool (nice) causing the snow to go into full-on melt mode (dirty backside and bike). So while we got just a little wet, at least we were warm. And the bright sunshine made up for the brisk wind. On balance I'd call it the best part of the day.

Where do I start? I guess it is obvious that I have been away for a while. It all started about a week ago when I left town to start a little "vacation".

My version of vacation is probably not all that different from anyone else's. You know the kind of vacation where you take time off of work to take the family to a destination that promises fun and excitement and a whole lot of sleepless nights because the kids are not in their own beds or on their regular schedule (and neither are you)?

I started off my vacation by taking a half day off work and riding my rollers in my garage. At the time I had no idea how much riding I might do (or not do) so I thought a spin would be a good idea. It was! This effort bled off any reserve energy I had and I slept great!

Saturday morning. Seven AM. Sitting here watching it rain. Check the weather for tomorrow's TT. Partly cloudy, hot and humid with a 7mph wind...

Hmmm, I think I'd rather have today's weather. The extra humidity might outweigh the few extra degrees in terms of air density. Plus the winds are calm out there right now. Plus wet roads seem faster.

Faster roads, faster air, it all adds up to less time in the hurt box.

I haven't been hurting much lately. Since Tuesday of this week I've eased up on my training to let my system rest and recover. Yesterday's workout wasn't much more than a warm up. Today's will be similar. Just get the legs moving.

The fitness is there. This week has added a dose of freshness. Tomorrow we'll find out if they add up to decent form.

It's starting to heat up really well out there now. Yesterday I managed to get out for a little while late in the afternoon. Despite my consumption of 2 big bottles of advanced hydration formula I had to dial it back after about an hour of hard tempo.

That ended this little training block. Today's all about rest and recovery. Something on the order of 30-50 TSS should do it.

That should leave some time open today to do a little necessary maintenance. My Eriksen's in need of a little TLC. I brought home quite a bit of road grime on Sunday's ride with Andy. We avoided the storm but we did get rained on enough to get a little messy.