Punishment Day

I don't know if it was a dose of self-guilt or the need to get my ass in gear after not adhering to my training plan for too long, but yesterday turned out to be what I refer to as "Punishment Day". It did not start out with those intentions, it was supposed to be a day off with a dentist appointment and a visit to Santa Claus, but by the end of the day I had 4 2hour sessions of "punishment". The first session was from 6:30-8:30 in the morning on the Cycleops trainer doing 2 CTS videos (Criterium and Time Trial). All in all a good start to the day although my legs were a tad sore from the spin class the night before.


This was followed by 2 hours in the dentist's chair having some 25 year old filling replaced (my how technology has changed since I last had fillings). This ordeal began with the dreaded needle

that numbs the gums (and lips, and mouth, and face, etc) and after a tremendous amount of incessant drilling and water flying everywhere I was done. On the plus side I now have 2 areas that used to be covered with that silver mercury stuff that are now somewhat white and less obvious. On the downside I have another session next week. What the hell is wrong with me.


While sitting in the dentist chair I realized that it was pretty nice outside and that I was going to have some free time when I was done, so when I got home I changed into my kit, grabbed my nice bike, and headed out to the W&OD for a ride. This portion of the day was mainly Zone 2ish with the occasional sprint thrown in when I felt some snap in the legs and had a clear path in front of me. About half way through the ride I remembered that I had already comitted to spending some time at the gym that evening following the visit to Saint Nick so I took it very easy the rest of the way, but it was nice getting outside after about 2 weeks without it.


The next phase of the evolving 2 theme was going to Tysons II-The Galleria for our annual visit to Santa Claus. For those who are in the area and aren't aware, they probably have the best Santa out there. I am pretty sure the guys beard is real. In getting to Tyson's I had to deal wit the complete "CF" (clusterf*%k) traffic that surrounds malls and other shopping areas at this time of year. After taking Zen to see Santa we got the hell out of Dodge before the shopping traffic joined forces with the evening commute, besides we had to get to the gym.


Once at the gym, I did about 45 minutes on the eliptical (again in Zone 1/2) and then did some work on the various contraptions, focusing mostly on legs. I did my normal set on the Free Motion Squat machine, but then decided to push it a little.



I ended up doing an additional 3 sets at 360lbs, why? I don't know. I finished the rest of the workout and then headed home and relaxed for the rest of the evening and planned my day for today that was going to begin with a ride into the office. But as often, too often, happens I decided not to. Dammit, I have got to work on that. (Looks like Punishment Day #2 isn't too far away....might as well combine it with the dentist again)



Happy holidays to any and all that might read this.

It's time to get serious.......

Now that the calendar has rolled over to December and the temperature has dropped below 45 on a consistent basis it is time to get serious about training for next year's season. I am sure, in fact positive, that I am starting much later than a vast majority of the folks out there but as mentioned in my earlier posting I do not have too many expectations going into this season. I just completed a very informal "Prep" stage and am moving into 3 weeks of "Base 1". I am slated for about 8-10 hours/week of bike time during this phase with some additional time spent in the gym doing various strength building, flexibility, and core work. I also am planning ("aren't we always" of seriously attacking the diet. I have my own internal goal of dropping about 25 pounds between now and the beginning of the racing season, while at the same time increasing my power to have a significant impact on my power/weight ratio.

This is a bit of a stretch goal but I am under some self pressure to meet it since the new bike that I promised myself (and more importantly was agreed to by my wife) upon reaching that goal has already been procured........ooops. (see picture above)

Unfortunately the only real significant area of "useless" calories that can be eliminated from my current habits are those that come from the bottles of Chimay and Leffe that are commonly present in my fridge. To make sure I did not have any temptations once the real training started I took it upon myself to remove those items from the fridge over the weekend. Don't worry, they were disposed of properly...meaning that I used the appropriate shaped glass to enjoy each and every one.

Now it is time to get down to some serious training that was further motivated by our team training session yesterday morning where we learned some great stretches and some excellent core workouts, but most importantly I was in a room full of skinny guys that left me with a strong desire to be one of them.

Wish me luck, I will need it.

Off to the weight room.......