The PowerTap SL+ on a Velocity Deep V rim with DT Swiss Competition spokes is mine!
It was a team mate's "old" wheel from 2009. As he said about the deal, "I'd rather sell it to someone on the team and ensure we ALL get stronger." Word. I love discounts on well loved bike stuff! And, by the end of the season I may have a national champion's old wheel.
No more training without knowing my watts! I'm excited! And, training smarter means bringing my lofty goal of finishing the summer a Cat 3 more within reach.
That's all for now. Just had to say how excited I am.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Hope! Knowing somebody has ridden this path before...
I'm not sure why I had continued to search for other competitive cyclists with an ileostomy. I had resigned myself to not finding anyone else a couple of years agoe. I feel safe saying that my internet search skills are truly excellent, refined by years of undergraduate and graduate education.
When I stumbled upon this page, by a competitive cyclist with an ileo since '98, I was shocked.
Seriously, dumbfounded.
I got that funny feeling of mixed excitement and disbelief that makes my head buzz. Immediately I thought, "I have to email him! Please please please please, write me back!!!!". I hadn't realized exactly how important it would be to me to just know that this pursuit is possible - that I'm not crazy for thinking that with training, I could perform at an elite level in an endurance sport. Of course, it is crazy to think that a person would have all the answers. Or, that his answers to questions about hydration and things like cycling with ostomy belts (which, by the way, he makes) would work for me - everyone is different.
But, HE EXISTS!!! And, that's what matters.
Cycling is a very specialized sport. Dedicating yourself to cycling is not the best way to achieve overall fitness, if that's what you're looking for. And, cycling at a high level (like running or distance swimming), brings its own set of specialized physiological needs, beyond those of having a digestive disorder. So, go ahead and throw all of that popular anti-carb, anti-calorie, salt-restricted nutrition advice out the window! In fact, go ahead and throw the BMI chart out the window with it (I'm "normal" on the BMI chart, but still heavy for my height for a cyclist). And, it will probably no longer be possible to get sound nutritional advice from the general, non-endurance athlete, community or professionals who aren't used to working with endurance athletes.
But, then what do you have left to reference? I've been a "one of a kind" to all of my physicians, nutritionist, and coach. But, at least now I know for sure that I'm not truly the only one. We are just a very tiny minority. There are probably even another two or three competitive cyclists out there in the world who have or had an ileostomy at some point. But, it's making contact that matters. This reinforces the reasons why I created this blog in the first place. I want to be visible, just in case it helps somebody else along the way.
Knowing that he is out there cycling with a team, and has been for over 10 years, brings me real hope and comfort. And, it makes me more determined to succeed - because I know it is possible.
When I stumbled upon this page, by a competitive cyclist with an ileo since '98, I was shocked.
Seriously, dumbfounded.
I got that funny feeling of mixed excitement and disbelief that makes my head buzz. Immediately I thought, "I have to email him! Please please please please, write me back!!!!". I hadn't realized exactly how important it would be to me to just know that this pursuit is possible - that I'm not crazy for thinking that with training, I could perform at an elite level in an endurance sport. Of course, it is crazy to think that a person would have all the answers. Or, that his answers to questions about hydration and things like cycling with ostomy belts (which, by the way, he makes) would work for me - everyone is different.
But, HE EXISTS!!! And, that's what matters.
Cycling is a very specialized sport. Dedicating yourself to cycling is not the best way to achieve overall fitness, if that's what you're looking for. And, cycling at a high level (like running or distance swimming), brings its own set of specialized physiological needs, beyond those of having a digestive disorder. So, go ahead and throw all of that popular anti-carb, anti-calorie, salt-restricted nutrition advice out the window! In fact, go ahead and throw the BMI chart out the window with it (I'm "normal" on the BMI chart, but still heavy for my height for a cyclist). And, it will probably no longer be possible to get sound nutritional advice from the general, non-endurance athlete, community or professionals who aren't used to working with endurance athletes.
But, then what do you have left to reference? I've been a "one of a kind" to all of my physicians, nutritionist, and coach. But, at least now I know for sure that I'm not truly the only one. We are just a very tiny minority. There are probably even another two or three competitive cyclists out there in the world who have or had an ileostomy at some point. But, it's making contact that matters. This reinforces the reasons why I created this blog in the first place. I want to be visible, just in case it helps somebody else along the way.
Knowing that he is out there cycling with a team, and has been for over 10 years, brings me real hope and comfort. And, it makes me more determined to succeed - because I know it is possible.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Rainy winter days. Powertap or not?
Rain, freezing rain later on, and lots of wind.
That was today's forecast. When I woke up, I had a brief glimmer of hope of going for a ride outside. But, then when I checked the weather and saw the quickly plummeting temperatures and wind speed I had second thoughts. And, then when I opened the door to let Sharkey outside, and was almost blown back into the kitchen (!) I resigned myself to more trainer time.
The trainer corner: wedged between the couch, a coffee table, and a desk. The fan stays on even in cold weather! Yoga mat to avoid sweat stains on the floor. And, now you know why trainer time gives me cabin fever!.
I sometimes wonder if all of this riding inside on a trainer is going to have unexpected consequences. Are all of these just below threshold intervals going to improve my hill climbing abilities when I actually get out there (and the roads aren't slick with ice/snow/freezing rain)? I hope so.
I'm currently debating whether or not I want to snag a powertap rear wheel off of one of the guys on the Pitt team. It's his older, 2009 wheel. It would be really really helpful to be able to see my watts all the time, not just when I'm at our sponsor shop's training studio. But, then part of me feels silly for investing in that sort of training equipment at this early point in my development as a competative cyclist. Getting a powertap wheel wont make me better or faster, and unfortnately many people newer to racing seem to feel that fancy equipment does make them a better cyclist. And, they get made fun of. And, nobody wants to get made fun of for having excessively fancy equipment beyond their training needs.
So, there lies the problem. Get the powertap wheel for an unbeatable price now, and use it to improve my training? Or hold off for now, because there are many other things I can work on and see improvement without a powertap wheel to read my watts?
That was today's forecast. When I woke up, I had a brief glimmer of hope of going for a ride outside. But, then when I checked the weather and saw the quickly plummeting temperatures and wind speed I had second thoughts. And, then when I opened the door to let Sharkey outside, and was almost blown back into the kitchen (!) I resigned myself to more trainer time.
The trainer corner: wedged between the couch, a coffee table, and a desk. The fan stays on even in cold weather! Yoga mat to avoid sweat stains on the floor. And, now you know why trainer time gives me cabin fever!.
I sometimes wonder if all of this riding inside on a trainer is going to have unexpected consequences. Are all of these just below threshold intervals going to improve my hill climbing abilities when I actually get out there (and the roads aren't slick with ice/snow/freezing rain)? I hope so.
I'm currently debating whether or not I want to snag a powertap rear wheel off of one of the guys on the Pitt team. It's his older, 2009 wheel. It would be really really helpful to be able to see my watts all the time, not just when I'm at our sponsor shop's training studio. But, then part of me feels silly for investing in that sort of training equipment at this early point in my development as a competative cyclist. Getting a powertap wheel wont make me better or faster, and unfortnately many people newer to racing seem to feel that fancy equipment does make them a better cyclist. And, they get made fun of. And, nobody wants to get made fun of for having excessively fancy equipment beyond their training needs.
So, there lies the problem. Get the powertap wheel for an unbeatable price now, and use it to improve my training? Or hold off for now, because there are many other things I can work on and see improvement without a powertap wheel to read my watts?
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Training tired/sick - "all pain is temporary"
Oh, right, tonight is Tuesday? That means 90mns of high intensity intervals including 5 x 2mns of fast pedaling and 3 x 8 minutes just below FTP (my threshold).
And... I'm feeling a little bit under the weather. Not really sick. Just overtired from too little sleep, and maybe some exposure to sick people over the weekend. But, still, I hardly ate anything today. That alone is a sign that I'm not quite myself... I'm usually ravenous, all the time. Seriously, I'm hungry all the time.
Anyway, so I ate a small dinner, drank some electrolyte mix before getting on the bike, and then after a brief facebook-based check-in with coach about the coming week, it was trainer time.
Today I added some planks and extra stretching to the beginning of my workout. Front planks are HARD when you have a hole punched in your abdominal muscles! More about core strength training another time...
Training under the weather is rough. It wasn't impossible, I just started feeling tired - as expected - and ended each interval feeling a lot more tired.
Training mildly tired/sick takes more mental stamina than anything else. Maybe you're starting a little dehydrated from too much coffee or cold medication, and your heart rate is higher than you want it to be in your warmup, or you find that you need more than just the terry cloth on your gloves to wipe your snot today.
And then, you look down at your index card and see another hour of pain!
I start bargaining with myself. "What if I just cut off the last interval?" "What if I do only a 7.5 instead of an 8 on the perceived effort scale" "Do these last 30 seconds really matter?".
And then I kick that part of my brain and shut it off. Partially because I know it is a slippery slope, and partially because I want to be proud of my effort and training slightly under the weather gives me more of a chance to be proud of my sweat.
So, I do the intervals. On time and on target. And, it hurts. And I suffer through those grueling last 30 seconds of each interval. And, I remember that much quoted Lance Armstrong line "All pain is temporary" and take comfort.
And, then, I'm done. I'm on the last 10 minutes of cooldown and my dog is wagging at me because she somehow knows that this means I will now detach myself from my bike, and pet her while I stretch.
Time for a hot shower!
And... I'm feeling a little bit under the weather. Not really sick. Just overtired from too little sleep, and maybe some exposure to sick people over the weekend. But, still, I hardly ate anything today. That alone is a sign that I'm not quite myself... I'm usually ravenous, all the time. Seriously, I'm hungry all the time.
Anyway, so I ate a small dinner, drank some electrolyte mix before getting on the bike, and then after a brief facebook-based check-in with coach about the coming week, it was trainer time.
Today I added some planks and extra stretching to the beginning of my workout. Front planks are HARD when you have a hole punched in your abdominal muscles! More about core strength training another time...
Training under the weather is rough. It wasn't impossible, I just started feeling tired - as expected - and ended each interval feeling a lot more tired.
Training mildly tired/sick takes more mental stamina than anything else. Maybe you're starting a little dehydrated from too much coffee or cold medication, and your heart rate is higher than you want it to be in your warmup, or you find that you need more than just the terry cloth on your gloves to wipe your snot today.
And then, you look down at your index card and see another hour of pain!
I start bargaining with myself. "What if I just cut off the last interval?" "What if I do only a 7.5 instead of an 8 on the perceived effort scale" "Do these last 30 seconds really matter?".
And then I kick that part of my brain and shut it off. Partially because I know it is a slippery slope, and partially because I want to be proud of my effort and training slightly under the weather gives me more of a chance to be proud of my sweat.
So, I do the intervals. On time and on target. And, it hurts. And I suffer through those grueling last 30 seconds of each interval. And, I remember that much quoted Lance Armstrong line "All pain is temporary" and take comfort.
And, then, I'm done. I'm on the last 10 minutes of cooldown and my dog is wagging at me because she somehow knows that this means I will now detach myself from my bike, and pet her while I stretch.
Time for a hot shower!
Sleep. And, revamping this blog.
Working on revamping this blog... it might be ugly for a while.
Trainer time tonight! And, then sleep.
I've been feeling unusually sleep deprived and super cranky for the past week. It is true that I haven't been getting enough sleep (~6hrs/night), but that's not unusual for me. Maybe I've been coming down with something... there seems to be a lingering cough going around Pittsburgh. Or, maybe it's the increase in intensity of bicycling.
Perhaps I should try to address this issue. My goal is to get to bed before 10pm tonight. We will see how that goes.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Bicycle dreams
Also, I am super excited that this movie is coming to Pittsburgh!
Danny Chew, the masochist who invented the Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen Race and two time winner of the race across america, is giving a talk afterwards.
Enjoy the trailer! And, if you live somewhere it's being shown, go see it in theaters!
Danny Chew, the masochist who invented the Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen Race and two time winner of the race across america, is giving a talk afterwards.
Enjoy the trailer! And, if you live somewhere it's being shown, go see it in theaters!
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